Posts Tagged Kevin Bieksa
Kevin Bieksa re-signs with Canucks … Nodl re-signs with Flyers … Qualifying Offers deadline day
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 27th, 2011
- Farhan Lalji via twitter: Kevin Bieksa re-signs with the Canucks for 5 years, $23 million. It’s a $4.6 million cap hit.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: Andreas Nodl re-signs with the Flyers for 2 years, at $845,000 per season.
- Nick Kypreos via twitter: Heard at the draft that Lightning and Steven Stamkos are not close on a deal. Teams can submit offer sheets July 1st.
- Michael Russo via twitter: The Flyers have traded Darroll Powe to the Wild for a 2013 3rd round pick.
- Philadelphia Flyers via twitter: Jonathon Kalinski, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek receive qualifying offers from the Flyers.
- Katie Carrera via twitter: Alzner, Varlamov, Brouwer, Perreault and Bouchard receive qualifying offers from the Capitals.
- St. Louis Blues via twitter: TJ Oshie, Ben Bishop and Ryan Reaves receive qualifying offers from the Blues.
- Chip Alexander via twitter: Jiri Tlusty and Troy Bodie were not given qualifying offers by the Hurricanes, but either or both could be re-signed.
- Renaud Lavoie via twitter: Alexandre Picard wasn’t given a qualifying offer and will become a UFA.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Smaby, Lundin, Mahalik, Quick (signed AHL contract), Berry, Giliati, Levi Nelson and Szczechura were not given qualifying offers by the Lightning. Lundin talks continue, and a deal could be done by Friday.
NHL rumors and notes on Richards, Jagr, Selanne, Kariya, Blue Jackets, Orlov … Draft notes on the Stars, Sens, Oilers and Avs
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 23rd, 2011
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Brad Richards,
“You always keep an eye on that first day of July, you see what teams do and where players go. It’s always interesting,” Richards told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “There’s always something that surprises you. That’s why I want to keep everything open-minded. I’ve talked to people that have been through it and there’s always things that come out of nowhere and you want to be open-minded to receive all that stuff. It’s probably my last contract, so you want to set yourself up where you have a chance to win and feel comfortable.”
“Every day, it gets closer. I’m starting to think about it a lot,” Richards said. “It’s a very unique time, but also a little bit stressful. It’s going to be a very important decision. It’s exciting in a good way. It’s a big moment. It’s starting to hit me that it’s getting close, whereas a month ago, I would sit back and not really worry about it.”
Petr Svoboda, Jaromir Jagr’s agent,
“We had more discussion yesterday with Detroit and Pittsburgh,” Jagr’s agent, Petr Svoboda, told ESPN.com on Wednesday morning. “Jags may be talking with [Pens GM] Ray Shero and maybe [owner] Mario [Lemieux] today, so hopefully we’ll be further along after that. Hopefully we’ll have some news, one way or another, soon.”
On Jagr using NHL interest to get more money from KHL,
“It’s absolutely not true,” said Svoboda. “I’ve heard that, but it’s not true. I mean, there’s always that option if things don’t work out with [the NHL], but this is not about trying to get more money from [the KHL]. I know Jags wants to come back to the NHL and for the right reasons.”
On Teemu Selanne’s future,
“Teemu hasn’t decided whether he’s going to play or not,” Selanne’s veteran agent Don Baizley told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “If he plays, it’s going to be in Anaheim.”
Paul Kariya may play it safe and retire. Talks between Kevin Bieksa and the Canucks are progressing. The Coyotes and Bryzgalov don’t have a deal and are still far enough apart that a deal could go either way.
- Philadelphia Flyers via twitter: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren “We are continuing to try and reach an agreement with Ilya, but it is safe to say that we are not close to achieving this.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings have made their pitch to Jagr and are in a wait-and-see mode. GM Ken Holland would like to know by July 1st.
“We’re intrigued,” Holland said, “like we were with Dominik Hasek and Mike Modano. He was an elite player in his prime. He’s 39 years of age. If he decides to come back to the NHL, he’s coming back for all the right reasons. Whether he comes to Detroit or another destination, the great ones, even when Father Time is against them a little bit, they’re still pretty good players.”
Holland has made an offer to free agent Jonathan Ericsson of around $2 million a season. He’s in talks with Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: The Blue Jackets hope to begin their offseason makeover at the draft this week. They are looking for a skilled defenseman, a top 6 forward, and a backup goalie. Howson has spoken with many teams about possible deals. Their 8th overall pick is up for grabs.
“I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of the team,” Howson said. “It may turn out that taking the pick is in the best interest of the team.
“I want to make changes. I want to add high-end skill guys who can make an immediate difference. But you can’t force people to do something that you want them to do. So we’ll see how it plays out.”
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said the odds of them trading up are slim, odds of trading down are pretty good.
“I think moving down is a more realistic possibility,” Nieuwendyk said. “Our guys feel that after a certain point in this draft there are a number of good players and you’d be happy with acquiring any one of them. We don’t have our third round pick, so trying to get an additional pick is something that will definitely be discussed.”
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: If the Senators are able to move up in the draft, they could be looking to grab winger Gabriel Landeskog, who could be selected 2nd overall. Whoever they pick could end up playing in the NHL next season. The Sens haven’t ruled out packing their 21st overall pick with 1 of their 3 2nd round picks to move up in the draft.
- Slava Malamud via twitter: Dmitri Orlov said that if he doesn’t make the Capitals next year, and they want him to go to the AHL, he’ll go there and not return to Russia.
- Larry Brooks via twitter: Jagr says that he didn’t not reach out to the Rangers, “If Glen thought I could help he would have told me.”
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Rumors are circulating that the Oilers have “NOT firmly decided” on draft Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If the Oilers don’t take him, Dater thinks the Avs should draft him. If they do get RNH, it could make Paul Stastny available. With the Avs not showing interest in re-signing Tomas Fleischmann, it might mean they are looking at draft Gabriel Landeskog or Jonathan Huberdeau, both can play on the left wing. If RNH is taken by the Oilers, Dater thinks the Avs should take Huberdeau.
Free agent updates involving Jagr, Doughty, Tanguay, Selanne, Bryzgalov, the Canadiens and Red Wings
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 21st, 2011
- Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Multiple sources confirmed that Jaromir Jagr approached the Pittsburgh Penguins about a possible return. The Red Wings, Rangers, Capitals and Canadiens are also of interest to Jagr. The Penguins may be open to the idea, the Pens were waiting for Jagr to contact them. The Penguins have 17 players under contract at $55.5 million.
- Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: The Canadiens have 15 players under contract for next year after the signings of Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais. Andrei Markov’s side and GM Pierre Gauthier are still working on a deal and will meet at the draft. The Canadiens will have about $20.3 million available with the cap going up to about $64 million. Yannick Weber’s signing should be announced soon. They should have plenty of space available after Markov and Josh Gorges are signed to add a top 6 forward.
- Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: Red Wings GM Ken Holland said they continue to negotiate with Jonathan Ericsson. They will decide in the next 10 days whether to offer a contract to Ruslan Salei. Rookie Brendan Smith will be given every opportunity to make the team. On trade talks, “We’ve received a few calls over the last week or so,” Holland said of potential trade opportunities. “Teams out there know we have a need on defense and we have cap space.” Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula could be dangled. If they go the free agent route, Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, James Wisniewski, Joni Pitkanen and Ed Jovanovski could be options.
- Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary Sun: The Calgary Flames would like to bring winger Alex Tanguay back, but there are large difference between the two sides, “it’s money” according to GM Jay Feaster. He’s likely looking for a big raise from the $1.7 million he made last year.
“Well, I’d like to think we can (sign him). But we’re not where we need to be, and there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Feaster said. “We’ll have to see where it goes.
“I think the fact we’re talking is a good thing.”
Feaster has talked with other teams about moving up or down in the draft.
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Teemu Selanne is still silent on whether he’ll return next season or retire. He’s said for months that he’ll decide by July 1st.
- Tim Rohan of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren on Ilya Bryzgalov talks,
“Well, we would like that to get resolved at some point,” Holmgren said Monday on a conference call. “There is still enough time after the draft to get a deal done. The important thing is that there was progress made when Ilya [Bryzgalov] and his agent, Ritch Winter, were in town. I don’t see any reason why that’s not going to continue.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t really give you a definitive answer. There is enough progress, which kind of gives me hope, anyway, that we can make a deal at some point.”
Holmgren added that at some point there needs to be a compromise on years and amount. TSN is reporting that the salary cap will be set at $64 million with the floor being $48 million. After July 1st, teams are able to go over the salary cap by 10%. Holmgren would also like to re-sign Ville Leino.
- Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider: Kings GM Dean Lombardi on Drew Doughty’s contract negotiations,
I went up there (to Toronto) four weeks ago and opened up the dialogue (with agent Don Meehan). It was very clear, at that time, where it looked like it was headed. We came back and did our planning, looked at our options and what we could offer him, looked at the market, went to the GM meetings and then I flew up to Toronto from those meetings for another meeting (with Meehan). When you have the first meeting, you’re kind of laying the ground rules or whatever. This one was a little more focused. Things become clearer and we say, `OK, if this is going to get done, this is probably where it needs to be.’ Then I think we made a very serious offer to him this past week. I’m hoping to really push this forward at the draft.”
Blue Jackets want to trade and spend money this offseason … Avs could pass on Larsson … Ramsay interviews for his position
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 19th, 2011
Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: The Blue Jackets are looking to move their 8th overall pick, and have money to spend on free agents. They could have traded Steve Mason to Philadelphia and others, but have decided to keep him for now. GM Scott Howson will look for a backup, but not one that may not initially challenge for the #1 spot. The Jackets need to add a player that could be on the top defensive pairing.
“We’re talking to a lot of teams about defensemen,” Howson said. “Certainly we’re going to get to free agency and see what’s there, too, but there are a number of avenues we might take. We’ve made it clear that we want to change our back end, but you can only do so much. If you don’t have a willing trade partner, and if the free agents aren’t what you thought they’d be, there’s not much you can do.”
Christian Ehrhoff, Andrei Markov, Ed Jovanovski, Tomas Kaberle, Kevin Bieksa and James Wisniewski. Mike Commodore is expected to be bought out. The Blue Jackets could also use a top 6 center. Howson tried to get Jeff Carter but that didn’t work out. Signing Brad Richards would be nice, but a really though sell. Tim Connolly could be an option for the Jackets. If they bring in a top center, Antoine Vermette could move to the wing. Scottie Upshall wants to stay but he’ll likely move on. They’ll look to add a 3rd line player. Portzline thinks that if someone offers a 4th round pick, a middling prospect or a veteran for Nikita Filatov, they’d send him packing.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Adam Larsson will likely be a top 4 pick in this year’s draft, and could be the pick for the Colorado Avalanche. Larsson may not come over to North America for next season. From his agent, “Our belief is we’ll stay another year or two in Sweden.” Dater thinks that if he wants to stay in Sweden next year, the Avs may not want to draft him.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: If the Lightning aren’t able to re-sign Eric Brewer, they could bring in Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Roman Hamrlik or Tomas Kaberle.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Ottawa Senators would like to move up in the draft, they hold the 6th overall pick, and the Devils at #4 are said to be dangling the pick. The Sens are would rather trade one of their 3 2nd round pick instead of their 21st overall pick they acquired from Nashville. The Senators have tried to trade defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Filip Kuba with no luck so far. They look to sign a backup for Craig Anderson.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Winnipeg interviewed their coach Craig Ramsay yesterday, who has 1 year left on his contract. “It was a good talk,” Ramsay told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I enjoyed the conversation. There was no commitment and no timeline [for a hire]. Nothing has been decided.” GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has also interviewed Mike Haviland (CHI assistant), Claude Noel (AHL Manitoba), and Craig MacTavish.
- Matt Kalman of the Boston Herald: After Game 7 Mark Recchi said he’d be retiring, and several days of celebrating hasn’t changed his mind, “No, that’s it.” He’ll take some time off now and hopes to find a management position at some point.
- Jim Jamieson of the Vancouver Province: Tanner Glass is one of Vancouver UFAs that hopes to be able to return. 3 other UFA forwards for the Canucks are Chris Higgins, Raffi Torres and Jeff Tambellini. Chris Higgins has also said he’d like to be back.
Twitter NHL rumors and notes involving: Jagr, Weber, Parise, Richards, Bryzgalov and Canucks UFAs
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 18th, 2011
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Jaromir Jagr’s agent said he had more talks with the Red Wings yesterday and plans to have more talks with other teams.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: Nashville elects salary arbitration with Shea Weber, the same goes for New Jersey and Zach Parise. Other teams are now prohibited from putting an offer sheet on Weber and Parise.
- Ryan Rishaug via twitter: Shea Weber’s side and the Predators talked late into the night last night trying to get an extension in place. Negotiations have been going on for 2 days.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Erlendsson thinks there is a strong possibility that Steve Yzerman and the Lightning could be interested in Brad Richards.
- Tim Panaccio via twitter: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren and Ilya Bryzgalov have talked different scenarios and will talk again next week. Panaccio thinks they are close and will get a deal done, but they need to move out salary because of the tagging rules.
- Matthew Sekeres via twitter: Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo suggest they would take less to remain with the Canucks.
Lidstrom decision by Wednesday … Canucks may have plan to keep both Bieksa and Ehrhoff … Keeping Kaberle could be good for Bruins … Maple Leafs notes
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 18th, 2011
- Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: Nicklas Lidstrom decision to either retire or continue playing for the Red Wings should be made known by next Wednesday’s NHL Awards Show. “Nick said he’ll have a decision by then,” said Holland.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Canucks may have a plan to keep both Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff, but both would have to slight discount. Keith Ballard has 4 years at $4.2 million per season, and would be hard to trade on his own, but if they packaged him with Cory Schneider a deal might be able to get done.
- Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Kevin Bieksa could remain with the Canucks. “The unrestricted free agent is expected sign a contract extension with the Presidents’ Trophy winners because his play has dictated that consideration. And he’s willing take a discount, too.”
“I think everybody takes less to be play here,” the 30-year-old Bieksa said Friday. “It’s such a great organization that you want to be here. It’s the culture. It’s like Detroit. If you want to win, you take less. It’s a great team and a great one for a long time and you want to be a part of that. The bonus is the core guys I’ve grown up and the strong friendships. That factors into the decision-making process.
“There’s no need to draw anything out. I’m pretty optimistic we can reach an agreement.”
Sami Salo could be thinking the same thing. Canucks GM Mike Gillis has shown interest in bringing Salo back. They currently have 13 players signed for $45.6 million.
- Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Many think that Tomas Kaberle won’t be re-signed by the Bruins, but Conroy thinks that may not be a good idea,
They’ve been hunting for a puck-moving defenseman and it’s an element the B’s need. They might not match his current salary of $4.25 million, but there aren’t a lot of options. He’s no shutdown defenseman, but the B’s have those in Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara.”
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Ilya Bryzagalov spent a couple days in Philly, and left without a contract. Both sides agreed to continue talking next week. Bryzgalov reportedly has been looking for 6 years at $6 million per season. The Flyers would like to have a deal in place by the NHL Draft next Friday. A deal wouldn’t be able to be signed until some cap space has been shed. They have about $59 million tied up so far for next year, with the cap going up to about $63.5 million.
- James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail: The Maple Leafs have around $23 million in cap space with 3 notable RFAs to sign (Luke Schenn, Clarke MacArthur and Tyler Bozak). They obviously would like to find a centerman for Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. They could also use a puck-moving, power play defenseman. Options could be Christian Ehrhoff, James Wisniewski, Joni Pitkanen, Kevin Bieksa, and Andrei Markov. If Toronto is going to sign one of their needs on July 1st, it’s likely on the blueline. The Leafs could free up more cap space by making a trade and having Ben Scrivens as the backup, or by demoting Brett Lebda. They may be stuck with Mike Komisarek and his $4.5 million. Burke won’t be drafting by position, and priorities are “character” and “footspeed.”
Updates on Jagr, Kennedy, Stamkos, Ponikarovsky, and the Hurricanes
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 17th, 2011
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: LeBrun spoke with Red Wings GM Ken Holland who confirmed he has spoken with Jaromir Jagr’s camp, only preliminary at this point. LeBrun spoke with Jagr who confirmed interest in coming back to NHL. Petr Svoboda, Jagr’s agent, confirms that they’ve spoken with the Red Wings and Canadiens.
- Will DePaoli of Inside Pittsburgh Sports: Jagr’s camp has reportedly been in contact with the Capitals and Rangers. The Penguins are not interested at this time.
- Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins GM Ray Shero doesn’t have any deadline for re-signing winger Tyler Kennedy. He has no plans of trading his rights if nothing is finalized by July 1st. Re-signing Kennedy is still a priority for Shero despite not making much progress on a deal.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: No players were put on waivers today, may happen tomorrow.
- Eric Francis via twitter: Niklas Hagman and Ales Kotalik are buyout possibilities for the Flames, but most likely buried in the minors. No team would likely touch Matt Stajan if he was put on waivers.
- Will DePaoli via twitter: The LA Kings remain ‘intrigued’ by Alexei Ponikarovsky, despite not having a good season.
- Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is confident that they can re-sign Steven Stamkos.
“It is our intention to resign him, but he is restricted and we have the ability to match any potential offer sheet that might be put forward and we are in position to do that,” Yzerman said. “So, we are quite confident that Steven will be playing for the Lightning, and that’s our goal and we haven’t explored anything else and we don’t intend to look at it any other way.”
Discussions are being held with representatives from 3 of their free agents; Eric Brewer, Sean Bergenheim and Dwayne Roloson.
“I’ve been in contact with all their agents, in some cases we have exchanged numbers and, in a couple of other cases with our UFAs, we’ve said we are going to see where we are with a couple of players and then we’ll get back and let them know where we stand,” Yzerman said. “And that obviously has to take place in the next couple of weeks here.”
- Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: The Hurricanes re-signed defenseman Jay Harrison to a 2 year, $1.4 million deal. They are not close to re-signing UFAs Jussi Jokinen, Chad LaRose, and Joni Pitkanen.
“With Pitkanen, Jokinen and LaRose, we know what their position is,” Rutherford said, referring to their financial demands. “I’ve given our position. It does not appear we will be able to sign them.”
GM Jim Rutherford hasn’t had any substantive talks with Eric Cole, “We expected to hear something by now, but we have not,” Rutherford said.“Things are not moving as we had hoped, and it’s getting closer to July 1,” Rutherford said Thursday. “We may have to look at other options. It may be easier to trade for players with existing contracts. Then we would know what we would be spending next year.
“I still prefer to sign some of our players. If not, we will look at a trade.
They will not look at trading their 12th overall pick at next weeks draft, nor any of their top prospects like Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuk or Drayson Bowman. Rutherford will look to upgrade their top 4 defenseman. Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff could be possibilities if they hit the open market.
Devils could file for arbitration with Parise … Lightning have 12 free agents … Ballard would be tough to move … Maloney not losing sleep over replacing Bryzgalov
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 12th, 2011
- Tom Gulitti of the Bergon Record: Devils winger Zach Parise said there is still “nothing” going on with contract discussions. Gulitti thinks it seems likely that the Devils will file for “team-elected arbitration” next week. This would prevent other teams from signing Parise to an offer sheet. When Lou was asked about it, “That’s something we’d never talk about.” Even if they file for arbitration, the sides can still work on a new deal.
“I’m sure that nobody wants that to happen,” Parise said. “No one wants it to drag out all the way to arbitration. I don’t think a player wants to go to arbitration. I don’t think an organization wants to take someone to arbitration at the end of the day. Maybe something like that happens, but of course we don’t want to.”
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe: It looks like the Bruins could let Tomas Kaberle walk, and Michael Ryder could be kept. Both players are likely to get offers but at a discounted price. Kaberle is a $4.25 million cap hit, Ryder is at $4 million.
- Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times: The Lightning have 12 free agents, and GM Steve Yzerman said that he probably can’t bring everyone back. He’s told a some players that there are a few contracts he has to do first before he can get to them. On UFA defenseman Eric Brewer,
“He played very well for us,” Yzerman said. “We intend to offer him a contract. It all comes down to how much we can afford to pay for the position and how much the player is asking. We haven’t had those discussions yet. But at my end-of-the-year meeting, he indicated he enjoyed playing here in Tampa and is interested in exploring signing an extension with us.”
Yzerman has been playing “phone tag” with Steven Stamkos’s agent,
“We want (Stamkos) to be a Lightning player for a long time and our intention is to reach an agreement that works for all the parties involved.”
The Lightning will likely want to sign Dwayne Roloson, Mike Smith, Sean Bergenheim and Teddy Purcell. Simon Gagne could be down the contract priority list.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: If Brewer isn’t re-signed, Erlendsson thinks they will look at Kevin Bieksa or Christian Ehrhoff, “those type of UFAs”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Coyotes GM Don Maloney needs to find a number 1 center, but was pleased with Kyle Turris’s play against Detroit in the 1st round. Kris Draper may be finding himself on the outside, as there isn’t really room for him on the Red Wings roster next season. He may retire and take a management job similar to what Kirk Maltby did last year. Alex Radulov’s KHL team is in financial trouble which could bode well for the Predators.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson wonders if it’s possible that Tim Thomas wins the Conn Smythe Trophy even if the Bruins lose. Keith Ballard’s days in Vancouver may be numbered as he’s fallen to 9th on their depth chart. Moving Ballard’s contract would be difficult as he has 3 years at $4.2 million per year. Coyotes GM Maloney hopes the Flyers work out a deal with Ilya Bryzgalov so that they can acquire another assets that was conditional in the trade. On a replacement for Bryzgalov,
“There’s some really good up-and-comers, ready for prime time as a No. 1 slot,” said Maloney. “For the right young goaltender who’s 23, 24, 25, who we could keep for five or six years, there’s a price. You weigh that against the UFA market. There’s some experienced, very good goaltenders. I’m not losing sleep over this.”
The Minnesota Wild may not name their new coach until draft week, Craig MacTavish may be the leading candidate. The Coyotes have to re-sign Keith Yandle but may let Ed Jovanovski walk. Matheson thinks the Oilers should sign Zenon Konopka.
Blues may be shutout for UFA’s … Jackets dangling #8 … Richards rumors … Flyers should go after Thomas again … Leafs were in on Erixon
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 6th, 2011
- Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Jeremy Rutherford notes that until the Blues are sold or new investors are brought in, they can’t afford a “legitimate” free agent goal scorer. With the free agent crop a little week, Blues fans shouldn’t expect them to be as active as they may like. Dan O’Neill doesn’t think a goal scorer is the Blues biggest off-season need. Andy Strickland thinks the Blues could explore the trade market. They would have to shed some salary if they were to take on a player like Paul Stastny.
- Larry Brooks of USA Today: Brad Richards will likely be looking for a long term deal at $7+ million a season, which may be more than the Rangers want to do. Richards may take less to return to Tampa. The Rangers could look at Jason Spezza who has 3 years at a $7 million cap hit, though he has a no-trade clause and the Sens may want too much in return. Stephen Weiss will also draw the Rangers interest. The Rangers were interested in Patrick Sharp last year, but he may not be available and/or would require a lot. Brandon Dubinsky wants a multi-year deal at $4.5 million per season.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: The scouting department for the Columbus Blues Jackets is likely to be completely reconfigured after the draft at the end of the month. Most of their scouts contracts expire at the end of the month, and their contracts haven’t been renewed. If the Blues Jackets are going to trade their 8th overall pick at this year’s draft, don’t rule out the Flyers as an interested partner. Both GM’s have talked on and off since early last year.
- Chuck Gormley of the Delco Times: Gormley thinks the Flyers should go after Tim Thomas again this off-season. Over a year ago the Bruins wanted Jeff Carter in return for Thomas. Both teams don’t have a lot of free cap space. The Flyers could send Matt Carle and his $3.4 million salary but it would take more. They don’t have a 1st or 2nd round pick this year. Gormley thinks Carle and Kris Versteeg could get the deal done.
- Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times: Could the Tampa Bay Lightning fit Brad Richards in even though they need to re-sign RFA Steven Stamkos and possibly UFA Eric Brewer? The Lightning have $38.37 million tied up in 11 players and buyouts. Free agents they may want to re-sign are Sean Bergenheim, Teddy Purcell, Dwayne Roloson and Mike Smith. Yzerman could also make some trades to free up some salary. If Simon Gagne would take a nice pay cut from the $5.25 million he made last season, they may be more willing to re-sign him. If they don’t re-sign Gagne, they could use that money towards Richards.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: If the dollar amount and term get out of hand for Brad Richards, Stephen Weiss could be plan B for the NY Rangers. The Red Wings could be an option for Richards if he’s interested in a short-term, cap friendly number. The Rangers, Kings and Leafs will likely be offering more.
- Eric Francis of the Calgary Herald: According to Maple Leafs source, they were in on Tim Erixon trade talks with the Flames before he was traded to the NY Rangers. Francis thinks the Sharks should go after UFA Kevin Bieksa. Bieksa is “most apt” to take a hometown discount to remain with the Canucks. Christian Ehrhoff will likely go after the most money, and it’s unlikely the Bruins will want to re-sign Tomas Kaberle.
Recchi to retire if Bruins win the Cup … Red Wings off-season options … Could Rangers look at Weiss
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on May 30th, 2011
- Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Pronvince: If the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, Mark Recchi will retire.
“Yes, I will,” Recchi said Sunday from Boston as his Bruins prepare for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. “If we win, there’s definitely no doubt I’m going to walk away. I want to stay in the game and work with a general manager and learn the development side of the game. I think I understand some parts as a player.”
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe: Rumors are that the Red Wings will use the $6 million from the retired Brian Rafalski to go after Predators Dman Shea Weber, though Dupont thinks the Predators would match. The salary cap could be going up around 6-7%, from $59.4 million to around $63.5 million.
- George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericasson doesn’t really want to test the free agent market this summer and would rather re-sign with the Red Wings.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson thinks the Canucks should sign Kevin Bieksa over Christian Ehrhoff. Matheson proposes a trade and wonders if the Flames would do it, Devin Setoguchi and Jason Demers for Robyn Regehr.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson thinks the wings need to get younger to push Todd Bertuzzi and Tomas Holmstrom. Jiri Hudler may be trade bait. The best free agent options for them could be Brooks Laich and Ville Leino, with Alex Tanguay as a possibility. WHL MVP and recently signed goalie Darcy Kuemper will likely start next season in the AHL. The Wild could go with German goalie Dennis Endras as Niklas Backstom’s backup, letting Jose Theodore and Josh Harding go as UFA’s. Matheson thinks the Wild should trade Backstrom and keep Theodore, but his $6 million price tag makes it extremely difficult.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Brooks wonders if the NY Rangers are unable to bring in Brad Richards, they might look to Florida and Stephen Weiss.
Malhotra plans for Game 1 … Wings looking for Dman … Crosby to be re-evaluated … Another group interested in Thrashers
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on May 29th, 2011
- Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: Canucks forward Manny Malhotra has been given medical clearance and is preparing to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. 11 weeks ago he nearly lost his eye. “Everything is as it should be,” Malhotra said of the eye. “Going forward, I will continue to be monitored daily and if at any time the doctor doesn’t like what he sees, he has the ultimate veto power,” Malhotra said. Malhotra is expected to take Cody Hodgson’s spot as the 4th line center.
- Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News: The Red Wings will now be looking for a top defenseman after Rafalski’s unexpected retirement. “The market isn’t as strong, but we’re only looking for one guy,” Holland said. “If a player’s not out there or doesn’t want to buy into the program, we’ll look at an alternative plan. Do you go a touch higher than you want? Yeah. But we’re not going to go dramatically higher than what we think makes sense.” UFA’s that might interest the Wings are Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Joni Pitkanen, Ed Jovanovski, James Wisniewski, Roman Hamrlik, Ian White and Tomas Kaberle.
- Fan 590 Audio: Ken Holland talks on Prime Time Sports (Thursday) talking about Rafalski’s retirement and what it means for their blueline.
- Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Sidney Crosby will be re-evaluated by a concussion specialist in the next week or so. Crosby has been vacationing in Europe, needs clearance from doctors before he can resume his off-season workouts. The Penguins won’t be re-signing Alex Kovalev or Mike Comrie. Comrie could retire, “I’m not sure what Mike’s going to do,” Shero said. “He might be leaning toward retirement.” Shero didn’t rule out re-signing any of their UFA’s: Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Mike Rupp, Craig Adams, Arron Asham, Eric Godard, Chris Conner and Nick Johnson.
- Craig Custance of the Sporting News: Chris Osgood is “100 percent healthy” but a decision on his playing future is still not known. “He’s going through the internal process to decide if he has the energy and the desire and determination to play hockey again,” Holland said. “In the middle of June, we’ll look at the goalies that are out there, we’re going to try and figure out a way to be the best team that we can.”
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Another group stepped forward with interest in buying the Thrashers and keeping the team in Atlanta. Statement from president Don Waddell.
“Along with all other groups who have expressed an interest in pursuing an ownership opportunity, which has happened as recently as earlier this week, we have said continuously that ‘until an agreement is signed and approved by the board of governors, it’s never too late but they will have to move very quickly and decisively. Ownership still is committed to selling at a greatly reduced price to anyone committed to Atlanta.’ ”
Recent Comments