Posts Tagged Patrick Sharp
Sharp could have extension this summer … Lightning-Brewer close … Winnipeg Jets? … Flyers looking to move up in draft … Richards could be looking for 8/$50-55 million
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 24th, 2011
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has met with Patrick Sharp’s agent. Sharp is a UFA after next season, both sides agreed to talk again in a few weeks. The Blackhawks are confident that they can get a contract extension done with Sharp this summer.
- Nick Kypreos via twitter: The Lightning and Eric Brewer are closing in on a 4 year deal worth $16 million.
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Maple Leafs source saying there is nothing imminent at the moment.
- Dean Molberg (Fan 960) via twitter: “Rumors in Minny suggest True North has bowed to public pressure and will go with Winnipeg Jets after all.” Bob McKenzie via twitter: Winnipeg to announce team name before making the 7th overall pick. Michael Traikos via twitter: Mark Chipman hinted that Winnipeg team name will be unveiled at draft, but they may not have a jersey. Update: Darren Dreger via twitter: Dreger has a strong belief that Winnipeg team will be named the Manitoba Jets. Dreger corrects: “Secret is out. Wpg Jets returns.”
- Tim Panaccio via twitter: Panaccio thinks that Lavy may prefer winger Erik Cole over Brad Richards on July 1st.
- Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: The Flyers have been “absolutely drooling” over Gabriel Landeskog, and may be interested in moving up. Florida #3 could be the spot they would need to jump to. Seravalli thinks that Kris Versteeg and the #8 pick would be enough. If the Flyers aren’t able to move and they keep the pick, look for them to draft a defenseman, maybe Dougie Hamilton or Ryan Murphy. Brad Richards most likely won’t end up in Philadelphia. Seravalli reports that Steven Stamkos “isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.” The more people he talks to, the more it sounds like it could be a possibility. The Flyers may have a deal in place with Ville Leino before leaving the draft this weekend.
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Blackhawks maybe making RFA Troy Brower available.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Brad Richards (31) could be looking for a 8 year deal in the $50-$55 million range, and could grow if a bidding war starts.
- Dennis Bernstein via twitter: Bernstein thinks Gagne and Jokinen could be on the Kings radar.
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.
Zetterberg and Franzen to return … Possible new Ducks for next season … Miller had concussion … Leighton, Nodl and Carter are day-to-day
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News on April 29th, 2011
Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: With Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen returning from injuries, 2 players will have to be scratched. Mike Modano will likely be a healthy scratch. Kris Draper could be another possibility. Jiri Hudler has played well of late and may keep his spot in the lineup.
Mark Whicker of the OC Register: They list possible players the Ducks may go after this off-season; Joel Ward (Nash), Max Talbot (Pit), Vern Fiddler (Pho), Eric Belanger (Pho), Ville Leino (Phi), Kevin Bieksa (Van), Eric Cole (Car), Alex Tanguay (Cal), Sean Bergenheim (TB), Craig Adams (Pit), Michal Handzus (LA), Mike Rupp (Pit), Patrick Maroon (Phil).
John Vogl of the Buffalo News: Sabres goalie Ryan Miller admitted that his late season injury was a concussion. Vogl’s article also has audio from Miller talking about the season, the future, and their goaltending situation.
John Vogl of the Buffalo News: With the new ownership in Buffalo, they may able to go the free agent route to improve this off-season, normally it would have had to been through trade. The Sabres need help at center and on the blueline. They need help down the middle.
Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News: Gleason wonders if the Sabres will bring Brad Boyes back, he had a good regular season after he came over from St. Louis but struggled in the playoffs. They need help down the middle. Gleason wonders if they could trade away some young prospects for say a Patrick Sharp? Evgeni Malkin? or maybe Danny Briere?
Frank Seravalli via twitter: Flyers goalie Michael Leighton is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Andreas Nodl and Jeff Carter are also listed as day-to-day.
Callahan breaks ankle … Flyers put Leighton on re-entry waivers … Sharp to skate in next day or 2 … Starting goalies
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News on April 5th, 2011
- New York Rangers via twitter: Rangers forward Ryan Callahan broke is ankle, Torts added “long term injury…out indefinitely.” Tortorella added that Matt Gilroy will dress as a RW on Thursday, “gives us some flexibility with having a 7th D in there.”
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: Philadelphia has put Michael Leighton on re-entry waivers. Leighton has a salary of $1.6 million next year, $1.55 million salary cap hit. Claiming team and Flyers would be responsible for half. Leighton wouldn’t be eligible to play for new this year, including playoffs.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier will be in the lineup tonight. Defenseman Eric Brewer will sit out, would play if it was a playoff game.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said that Zach Parise won’t play tonight, and will be held out of back to backs.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Devils goalie Johan Hedberg hasn’t thought if he’d wants to be back with the Devils next season yet. Martin Brodeur doesn’t want to say if he’ll play in 2012-13 due to the possibility of a long work stoppage.
- Tracey Myers via twitter: Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp could skate in the next day or 2.
- Sam Carchidi via twitter: Daniel Briere’s injury is not serious, will probably play on Friday in Buffalo.
- Darren Dreger via twitter: Islanders Frans Nielsen (concussion) and Milan Jurcina (hip) will be out for the rest of the season.
- Jim Jamieson via twitter: Devan Dubnyk will start in net for the Oilers.
- Frank Seravalli via twitter: Sergei Bobrovsky will start in net for the Flyers.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Johan Hedberg will start in net for the Devils.
Selanne to make decision on next year around July 1st … Crawford-Hawks talks to wait … Blue Jackets could trade 1st round pick … Avalanche could target goalies
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 30th, 2011
- Anaheim Ducks via twitter: “Teemu Selanne told media [yesterday] that he’d like to decide on whether to play next season around July 1.”
- Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago: Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford will be a RFA, and they will be waiting until after the season to discuss contract extension. “[General manager] Stan Bowman phoned me and we talked and I told him we are going to wait until the end of the season,” Gilles Lupien said in an interview. Crawford is 29-15 with a 2.27 GAA and 4 shutouts.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp could skate this weekend, he’s missed the last 4 games with a knee injury. They’d like to get him into a game before the end of the season. David Bolland has missed 8 consecutive game with a concussion, no update on his progress.
- Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch: After being given a vote of confidence, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson, he’ll have plenty of cap space next year after they deal with their 4 RFA’s and 8 UFA’s. They could look at bringing in a quality defenseman and center. They could pull off a draft day trade.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: If given the option to pick 1 free agent to go after, Portzline thinks the Blue Jackets should go after Ilya Bryzgalov. He’d likely cost $6 million a year, it’s not likely they they go after him though. Portzline would also be shocked if they don’t trade their 1st round pick this year. They only have 2 defenseman under contract for next year.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Dater thinks the Avalanche will explore the FA goalie market this off-season, and thinks they should look at Bryzgalov and Tomas Vokoun if they are available. He also brings up the idea of trading their 1st round pick (Top 5) for a goalie like Cory Schneider (Van) or Steve Bernier (LA). The Avs could look at moving one of their centers as they are deep down the middle. Paul Stastny could be an option, and has a $6.6 million cap hit. Dater put the odds at more than 50-50 that they re-sign Brian Elliott. Dater on possibly trading the Avs 1st round pick (could be top 3): Raises the question of sending the 1st for Schneider or Bernier. What about for Roberto Luongo or even Jonathan Quick? The Avs could still get the Blues 1st round pick from this year if the Blues finish 11th or better. Free agents like Bryzgalov and Vokoun may not want to sign with another young team.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Red Wings GM Ken Holland said that Jimmy Howard could be back in uniform tonight, and if not, he should be ready for Saturday.
- John Buccigross via twitter: The NY Islanders have signed goalie Al Montoya to a 1 year contract extension.
- Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Canucks forward Manny Malhotra underwent another eye surgery yesterday. It will take 6 to 8 weeks to see how the eye responds.
Hamhuis suffers concussion … Could Schneider be moved this summer? Contract talks for Parise, Markov, and Weber will wait until after season
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Videos on March 28th, 2011
- Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis suffered his 2nd concussion of the season (4th of his career) in the 1st period last night. Video of injury at bottom of entry.”If there is more (concussions) to come, I think you have to take a look at what is important,” … “If I ever felt like it’s like putting myself at risk long term, then I’ll have to step back and think about things.”
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Patrick Sharp’s knee injury is healing well according to coach Joel Quenneville. “I won’t say exactly when he’s hitting the ice, but he’s making some rapid progress here,” Quenneville said. “We’re really pleased and encouraged he’s been able to ratchet up his off-ice training and conditioning as well. I don’t have a number of days when he can get back on the ice, but we’re happy with his progress.”
- Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: Canucks backup goalie, Cory Schneider has one left on his current contract, and there is speculation that the Canucks could move him this summer rather than loss him as a free agent.
- Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch again for the Bruins last night, his 2nd scratch since the end of February. He only has 2 assists in his last 11 games. ESPN reported on the weekend that an unnamed source said that Marc Savard was had “real memory problems and he’s quite worried about it.” Conroy emailed Savard’s agent who said it was “not inaccurate.”
- Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel: Tomas Vokoun left last night’s game at the end of regulation with back spasms, Scott Clemmesen started the OT.
- Andy Strickland via twitter: As he reported earlier, the Blues ownership group values the franchise close to $200 million.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Contract talks between the Devils and Zach Parise won’t begin until after the season. Alex Ovechkin and Jason Arnott should be back this week. The Canadiens and Andei Markov will wait until after the season to talk contract. LeBrun would be surprised if Islanders coach Jack Capuano isn’t back next year. The Predators and Shea Weber will also wait until after the season to talk contract. Joe Sakic took a front-office job with the Avalanche and may follow the same path as Steve Yzerman did before landing a GM job.
Blackhawks injury and line updates … Gagne expects to play … Starting goalies … Weircioch makes NHL debut
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News on March 22nd, 2011
- Adam Jahns via twitter: Blackhawks injury updates: Brian Campbell could go tomorrow. Patrick Sharp is out for 3 weeks max. No progress for David Bolland.
- Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Simon Gagne is expecting to play.
- Adam Jahns via twitter: Viktor Stalberg is practicing on the top line with Kane and Toews.
- NY Islanders via twitter: Al Montoya will start in net for the Islanders tonight.
- Edmonton Oilers via twitter: Devan Dubnyk will start in net for the Oilers tonight.
- Tony Ambrogio via twitter: Cary Price will start in net for the Canadiens tonight.
- Ian Mendes via twitter: Curtis McElhinney will start in net for the Senators. Milan Michalek won’t be in the lineup. Patrick Weircioch will make his NHL debut tonight.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils tonight.
Want to buy the Maple Leafs? Hulsizer alters deal to buy Coyotes … Sharp and Staal injured … Blues prospects update
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on March 21st, 2011
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Alberta businessman Darren Thompson has come up with the idea to buy the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan 66% shares in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for an estimated $1.3 billion worth or shares. Thompson’s plan would then be to sell 1 million shares for $1,000 to Canadians, and form a new corporation. He has created 2 websites, owntheleafs.com and owntheleafs.ca.
- AP in the Globe and Mail: Potential Coyotes owner Matthew Hulsizer has altered the terms to buy the club to help hopefully please the Goldwater Institute. Hulsizer said he’d guarantee $75 million of the $100 million bonds that are being used in the transaction.
“We said, ‘look, we’re going to take the $100-million. You get $25-million back. Seventy-five million, we’ll guarantee it’,” he said. “I’m on the record as saying that I should not move on the deal. I don’t feel like I should. It’s a free market. I’m signing up to take on losses that would otherwise be borne by the Glendale and Arizona taxpayers.
“However, the deal needs to move forward. And when you look out 25, 30 years, we want to do what’s in the best interest of Arizona and the best interest of hockey fans.”
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Patrick Sharp injured his knee in yesterday’s 2-1 win over Phoenix. They won’t know the extent of the injury until today or tomorrow.
- Jesse Spector of the NY Daily News: Rangers defenseman Marc Staal missed yesterday’s game with a ‘body injury’ (Tortorella’s terms). 4 weeks ago, Staal did miss 3 games with a knee injury.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Blues 2010 1st round pick, Jaden Schwartz, will decide sometime this summer if he’ll sign a deal with the Blues or return to school. Their other 2010 1st round pick, Vladimir Tarasenko, can’t sign a deal with them as he still has another year left on his contract with HC Sibir of the KHL. He is said to want to come to North America next year and is working on getting out of his KHL contract. Sibir GM, “Without particulars, (Tarasenko) has a contract for the next season, but there is a 70 percent certainty that he will leave for the NHL.”
Life after the Kovalchuk signing … Other pieces will begin to fall
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on July 20th, 2010
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star: Don’t expect a Tomas Kaberle trade this week as GM Brian Burke has gone fishing for the week. He did have this to say before he left, “The number of offers are up to six but we’re not in a position where we think any of them are good enough,” said Burke. “We’re still in a holding pattern.” The Lightning at one point were dangling Ryan Malone. Burke would not comment on Marc Savard. If he is interested, he’ll most likely wait until after Kaberle is traded as he may not need a center of Savard’s caliber.
Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun: The LA Kings may come calling the Maple Leafs for puck moving Dman Tomas Kaberle, to play along side Drew Doughty. Longley throws out the idea of Brayden Schenn coming back to Toronto.
Randy Youngman of the OC Register: The Ducks and Bobby Ryan are fine with $5 million a year, but Ryan wants less term than the 5 years the Ducks are proposing. Ryan would like 3 years, but that would mean his contract would expire at the same time as Perry’s and Getzlaf’s. 3 years would also leave Ryan as an RFA, 4 years he would be a UFA.
NHLSourcesSay via twitter: Leafs were interested in Bobby Ryan, but Ducks have told all teams they want to sign him.
Dave Gross of the Vancouver Province: Gross mentions players who the Devils could possibly trade to get under the cap: Brian Rolston, 2 years at $5 million. Travis Zajac is at $3.89 million season (I doubt they’d move him, would be a last resort). Dainius Zubrus makes $3.4 million the next 3 seasons. Colin White will make $3 million the next 2 years. Bryce Salvador will make $2.9 million the next 2 years.
EJ Hradek via Twitter: Jamie Langenbrunner could be trade bait for the Devils. He’s at $2.8 million and a no-trade clause, but he should get some interest.
Jeff Marek via twitter: There could be a new style of play in New Jersey next season, more ‘up-tempo’, less trap.
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has told Patrick Sharp that “he’s not going anywhere.” They are still working on Antti Niemi, no solution, but have ideas.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Mike Modano will start skating on August 5th, and won’t make a decision to return or not before that.
Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Alexander Frolov has begun contract talks with KHL’s Salavat Yulaef.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: After the seeing what the Flyers got for Simon Gagne (Matt Walker and a 4th), the Oilers may not expect to get much back for Sheldon Souray. There’s not a big market for Souray, with his $5.4 million cap hit for the next 2 years, and his health concerns. The Oilers may look to teams who are sitting around the salary cap floor: Atlanta, NY Islanders, Colorado, and St. Louis. They may ask the Oilers to throw in a young player or pick to take back the salary.
John Boruk via Twitter: Aaron Asham could be signed by the end of the week, Philly a possibility.
Afternoon rumors involving Gagne, Savard, Sharp, and a list of UFA’s
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on July 14th, 2010
Pierre LeBrun via Twitter: The Flyers have given Simon Gagne’s agent permission to speak directly with teams, nothing yet.
Jimmy Murphy via Twitter: One GM said this morning, “As far as I know, Bruins aren’t actively shopping Savard at this moment. That has been quiet.”
JT Bourne (Puck Daddy, USA Today) via Twitter: The Islanders should be offering “mad prospects/picks” for Patrick Sharp. Isles need the talent, gives the Blackhawks the cap space, and they are in a different conference.
Dennis Bernstein via twitter: The longer the Kovalchuk saga drags on in Los Angeles, the better a Patrick Sharp trade looks.
Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski: Titled: “Some clarity on Kovalchuk, Kings and contract demands.” Your afternoon Kovalchuk fix.
Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Free Agent rumor round up from yesterday. Brendan Morrison: Has turned down one offer, and waiting on own ‘priority list’, cap issues and trade possibilities are slowing the process down. Eric Belanger: Could be top center on the market, has been told by some teams to wait, Washington and Tampa could be interested. John Madden: “evaluating the possible situations”, once Kovalchuk and Kaberle situations finished, the free agent market will open up (My guess is that he’s referring to NJ or LA as possible destinations, with NJ as the preferred destination). Darcy Tucker: Nothing would happen before the end of the month, location and chance to win are key factors. Raffi Torres: A handful of interested teams, no firm offers. Arron Asham: Getting lots of interest, and has offers, but would like a raise. Ruslan Fedotenko/Miroslav Satan: Both have interest, but teams waiting for other things to happen first. Pavol Demitra: Getting interest from KHL and NHL, and hopes to get something done soon. Mike Mottau: New Jersey is still interested. Marek Svatos: Could get a one-year deal at good value, a fit for Pittsburgh? Brian Pothier: talking with team, but hasn’t moved on anything.rci
Ilya Kovalchuk update #624 … Chicago may now have to move Patrick Sharp
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on July 13th, 2010
- Helene Elliott of the LA Times: Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent met with Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi yesterday. Club executives didn’t say much, and there is no indication if they were any closer on a deal. Kovalchuk toured the practice facility and looked around the area to see if it would be comfortable for his family. The Kings still need Kovalchuk to come down from his 10 year, $100 million asking price. Kovalchuk met several Kings players, Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll and Matt Green at the practice facility.
- EJ Hradek via Twitter: The Chicago Blackhawks could move Reasoner and/or Kopecky to save some cap space. If Niemi is looking to sign for too much, there are other goalies on the market.
- Pierre LeBrun via Twitter: Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago believes Patrick Sharp may be available now, and he’ll be easier to move.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: So now that the Blackhawks will be matching the 4 year, $14 million offer sheet for Niklas Hjalmarsson, they may now have to shed some more salary. The Hawks have been trying to move Brian Campbell and his $7.14 million cap hit for months with no luck. Patrick Sharp and his $3.9 million cap hit is more likely. Teemu Selanne will meet with Ducks GM Bob Murray next week. If Alexander Frolov doesn’t sign with an NHL club this week, he may head to the KHL where there are interested teams. Alexei Ponikarovsky is getting some interest, but those teams need to clear cap space first.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: The San Jose Sharks are still looking for a defenseman after the Chicago Blackhawks matched their offer sheet for Niklas Hjalmarsson. Signing his own free agents is also a priority for Wilson now, with Devin Setoguchi and Jason Demers at the top of the list.
- The Toronto Sun: 2008-09 NHL executive salaries:
- Commissioner Gary Bettman $7,230,783
- Deputy commissioner Bill Daly $1,910,402
- Director of hockey operations Colin Campbell $1,389,142
- Chief financial officer Craig Harnett $938,367
- Chief operating officer John Collins $878,226
- Strategist Ed Horne, who is no longer with the league, $794,238
- General counsel David Zimmerman $577,394
- EVP, finance, Joseph DeSousa $520,299
- Director of officiating Stephen Walkom, who is no longer with the league, $488,736
- SVP, hockey operations, Mike Murphy, $440,317
Rumor roundup from LeBrun … Oilers to draft Hall? When will Kaberle to Bruins talk start-up again? Canucks interested in Ladd
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 23rd, 2010
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: With Scott Niedermayer retiring, the Ducks will move to ‘Plan B’ with their defense needing an overhaul. Teemu Selanne is still undecided if he’ll retire or not, the two sides will talk again next week. Three Eastern executives have said that Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, and Kris Versteeg are being shopped, Patrick Sharp isn’t. The asking price for Byfuglien is a 1st round pick and a prospect (good luck with that one). One GM said they are asking too much for each of the three. GM Dale Tallon said after he traded Nathan Horton to Boston that he had offers of players and no draft picks, and offers of draft picks and no players. He felt getting a top-4 defenseman and 1st round pick was the right mix. A dozen teams inquired about Horton, but only 3-4 serious bidders. Matt Cooke re-signed with the Penguins for 3 years, and a $1.8 million cap hit. Penguins GM Ray Shero and Sergei Gonchar’s agent will meet in LA at the draft to continue their talks on getting a deal done. Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson once again says that there have been no discussions with Ottawa about Jason Spezza.
- Terry Jones in the Toronto Sun: Pat Quinn may have inadvertently tipped the Oilers drafting plan. In the press conference where he was named the senior advisor and his head coaching job was given to Tom Renney.
“This team could have three kids come in at 19 years old and I’ve worked with all of them,” he said.
Quinn coached Taylor Hall to a gold medal at the 2008 IIHF U-18 championship. He’s never coached Tyler Seguin.
“Depending on who they draft, of course,” Quinn added.
- Darren Dreger via Twitter: Dreger wonders how long it will be before Kaberle to Bruins discussions start. Nothing yet. Savard is rumored to be available.
- Larry Brooks via Twitter: Marc Savard has been aggressively shopped since the end of the season.
- Caylan Davis of NESN: From Peter Chiarelli, “I’m not going to trade away the No. 2 pick but certainly I’d like to trade away the other picks because certainly we’d like to get better now too. ” The Bruins have 2 2nd round picks this year, 2 2011 1st round picks and 2 2011 2nd round picks.
- David Pollack of the San Jose Mercury News: Evgeni Nabokov has been informed by Sharks GM Doug Wilson that he is no longer in the their plans. Nabokov will now hit the open market on July 1st. It appears the Sharks will go with the new NHL fad in going with cheaper goaltending. Wilson will now focus on re-signing UFA Patrick Marleau, and other free agents: Joe Pavelski, David Setoguchi, Manny Malhotra, Scott Nicol and Nicklas Wallin.
- TSN: The Vancouver Canucks may be one team that is interested in acquiring potential Chicago Blackhawks salary cap casualty Andrew Ladd. What makes this interesting is that Andrew Ladd and Ryan Kesler have had a running battle this past season.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: One of Peter Regin’s agents (Regin plays for the Ottawa Senators in case you haven’t heard of him) told a Danish TV station that Regin could get an offer sheet similar to what Tomas Vanek received from Edmonton, which in case you forgot was $50 million. I wonder if his agent is familiar with who Peter Regin is.
- Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun: Cross one player off the Maple Leafs wish list with the trading of Nathan Horton to the Bruins. It was rumored the Leafs liked Horton, but it’s not known the level of interest the Leafs had, or if they made an offer.
- Chip Alexander via Twitter: The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to stay at #7 in Friday’s draft.
Rumor Roundup from Dreger and LeBrun
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Rumors on June 22nd, 2010
- Darren Dreger of TSN: There’s a good chance that Sergei Gonchar and the Penguins won’t reach a deal by July 1st, and the Pens could look at trading his rights. Gonchar could get upwards of $6 million on the open market. Firm offers for Tomas Kaberle could start coming in on Wednesday or Thursday, but the Maple Leafs may wait until later in the summer. The Chicago Blackhawks may not be interested in trading Patrick Sharp; they’re getting interest for Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, and Dustin Byfuglien. Panthers GM Dale Tallon is getting some interest in players other than Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Oilers are still saying they are undecided as to who they will take with the 1st overall pick in the NHL draft. GM Tambellini told ESPN they’ll wait until Friday morning to make a final decision (I don’t believe that one bit, they’ve had months to decided between 2 players). The Bruins will have to decided if they want to send an extra piece to Edmonton to see if they can get the player they want. The Predators will be looking to add some scoring, either through trade or free agents (not sure the free agent route will turn up much scoring help), but they won’t be looking at Jason Spezza. There is very good chance Nathan Horton will be dealt before the start on the draft. Since last Thursday’s trade that Jaroslav Halak to the Blues, the Bruins have been receiving calls about Tim Thomas.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Panthers will listen to any offers that come their way. They want to remain a competitive team, but also collect extra draft picks. They will likely keep Tomas Vokoun to help stay competitive. Action on Tomas Kaberle is picking up. “We have received several offers we have had to discuss, and expect another today,” Leafs GM Brian Burke told ESPN.com on Monday morning. “Nothing we have received to date meets our requirements.” The Maple Leafs need a legitimate top-6 forward in return. Lou Lamoriello continues to talk with Paul Martin and Ilya Kovalchuk. If Kovalchuk hits the open market, he’ll still the Devils in mind.
Maple Leafs interested in Hamhuis? Kovalchuk update, well sort of …
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on June 19th, 2010
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Bruins continue to shop Tim Thomas around in hope of freeing up some cash before July 1st. The Blues had shown some interest before they acquired Halak. Other teams that could be looking for a starting goalie are Philadelphia, Washington, San Jose and Tampa. Thomas is 36-years old with 3-years left at a $5 million cap hit. The Lightning made a run at Carey Price, but the Canadiens had already decided to keep him. The Capitals are rumored to be shopping Alexander Semin around the league, looking for 2 top prospects and a pick. The Florida Panthers are shopping Nathan Horton, Rostislav Olesz, Radek Dvorak, and Keith Ballard.
- Tom Gulitti of The Record: Gulitti runs through the Ilya Kovalchuk free agent situation. Kovalchuk won’t be signing with the KHL or the New Jersey Devils before the July 1st free agent date. The Devil’s and Kovalchuk continue to talk. There is still a possibility of signing with the Devils on July 1st. His opinion of the organization has increased over time. He wants to play for a winning team, and his first choice is to stay in the NHL, with the KHL as a fall back.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: It’s been well documented that the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of many teams interested in Patrick Sharp and Nathan Horton, but Cox throws out the name Dan Hamhuis. Dan Hamhuis is a UFA, Sharp and Horton would would have to be acquired through trade. What the team does with Tomas Kaberle would influence any of the above move(s).
- Tim Panaccio of CSN: The Flyers had interest in trading for Carey Price before the Canadiens shipped Halak off to St. Louis. TSN reported that the Flyers, Lightning and San Jose were interested in Halak, though Flyers GM Paul Holmgren denied it. The Flyers are uncertain if Michael Leighton could be their #1 goalie next year.
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: According to James Wisniewski’s agent, they are not in talks with Anaheim, and there is the possibility that the RFA is dealt. Wisniewski is coming off a 1-year deal at $2.75 million. He had 30 points last season in 69 games, and was in the top-20 in ice time (24.:20).
- Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune: The Minnesota Wild could be open to trading the 9th overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, but it would have to be for a young player that could give them 8-10 years of solid production. The Wild have varying degrees of interest for centers Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter, and Stephen Weiss.
- Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: After not having much success with the Penguins after he was acquired at the trade deadline for Luca Caputi, Alexei Ponikarovsky most likely won’t be re-signed. Jay McKee probably won’t be back either. The Pens are still considering bringing back Sergei Gonchar, Jordan Leopold, Mark Eaton, Matt Cooke and Bill Guerin.
- Elliotte Friedman via Twitter: The 34-year old Chris Mason was asking the St. Louis Blues for 3 years, $11.25 million.
- Helene Elliot of the LA Times: Former coach of Flyers, John Stevens, has been offered an assistant coach position from the LA Kings.
More on the Flyers goalie situation … Leafs and Blue Jackets interested in Patrick Sharp …
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Rumors on June 14th, 2010
- Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Carchidi thinks the Flyers should re-sign Leighton and go after a ‘more proven goalie’. Brian Boucher is still under contract for one more year (at a reasonable number), and they could try to get him through waivers, as injuries happen and he’s still a capable goalie if they need him. Jeff Carter’s name will continue to circulate the rumor mill as the Flyers are deep in capable centers (Richards, Danny Briere, and Giroux). LA’s Quick and Bernier are mentioned, with Bernier seeming to get the nod as the Kings ‘goalie of the future’. They could make a bid for Cory Schneider (for a defenseman), but he may be more for the future and not the ‘proven goalie’. They could ask Gagne if he’d waive his no trade to go to Montreal for Carey Price (would have to send more to Montreal in my opinion). The safest option might be to go after UFA Dan Ellis. The 30-year old Ellis posted a 2.69 GAA and .909 SV% last season with the Predators, where he made $2 million as mainly a backup to Pekka Rinne. If the Flyers want to spend more, they could look at Evgeny Nabokov or Marty Turco.
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets have shown interest in the Blackhawks Patrick Sharp. Sharp has a cap hit of $3.9 million, with 2 years remaining on his contract. The ‘Hawks could interested in a high draft pick or top prospect. I think the Leafs could offer the option of also taking on another unwanted contract, but probably not one of the big ones as they don’t have a ton of salary room themselves (they are not going to bury 3-4 big contracts in the minors as per many Torontians wishes). Their is speculation that the Oilers could be interested in Kris Versteeg and his $3 million salary, 2 years remaining. UFA’s John Madden, Nick Boyton, and Kim Johnsson are as good as gone.
- Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen: Jason Spezza appears to be available for trade before his ‘no-trade clause’ kicks in on July 1st. GMs are doing some tire-kicking with regards to trade talks according to Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Warren wonders if the Senators and Oilers would consider a similar trade as the Heatley offer, Spezza for Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano andLadislav Smid (suggested elsewhere in the past)? Would the Blue Jackets be interested in Spezza to center Rick Nash (I think the Sens would want the 4th overall pick)? Could the Florida Panthers do deal involving Spezza and Nathan Horton plus others?
- Andrew Gross of The Record: Gross thinks that the Capitals will likely look at trading Alexander Semin and his $6 million cap hit (he signed a 1-year deal with the Caps during the season). I think this might be a good move for the Caps as if would shed $6 million and allow them to bring in some depth from trading Semin, as well as any other deals they could make. To get full value for Semin, the team acquiring him may want to get an extension in place before they make the deal, similar as to what has been talked about in a Tomas Kaberle trade. Now before Leafs fans start thinking of a Semin for Kaberle, I doubt it would happen. Sure, Semin is extremely skilled but he is really soft, more so than Phil Kessel. I don’t think Semin is what Burke is looking for, though I could be wrong. Kaberle would interest the Capitals (could you image that PP of Kaberle, Green, Ovechkin, Backstom and anyone else?). I could see Semin to someone, and a separate or 3 team deal with Kaberle heading to Washington.
- Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: The Red Wings offered Todd Bertuzzi a 2 year contract, but it may not be more than the $1.5 million he made last season (probably closer to $1 million), so he may test the market to see what he can get elsewhere. After signing their RFAs, they’ll need find the best player possible who’ll sign for $1 million or less, on a short term contract. Several names that have been mentioned; Freddy Modin but he’ll probably want more money, same goes for Owen Nolan. Two front runners could be Mike Comrie if he could commit to a 2-way game, and Arron Asham.
- TSN: Back on March 2nd, the Philadelphia Flyers offered Peter Forsberg a contract to join the team for the remainder of the season, but he rejected it do to injuries and “wasn’t in good enough shape to join.” As in typical Forsberg fashion, he hasn’t ruled out a return to the NHL but he still doesn’t “know if I can come back and play hockey again”.
Kovalchuk to KHL? Marleau talk … Blues to go after a D-man?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on May 24th, 2010
- Mark Everson of the NY Post: Reports are floating around that Ilya Kovalchuk is signing with St. Petersburg of the KHL, but … “Don’t jump to conclusions,” warned the source at the World Championships in Germany.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: It’s unsure if the San Jose Sharks will want to bring Patrick Marleau back, but it sounds like he’d like to stay. “There’s lots of time to think about that,” Marleau said. “We love San Jose. We’ll see how every thing works out.”
- Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle: Ratto thinks the LA Kings and Calgary Flames could have an interest in Patrick Marleau. The Kings we’ve heard before, and the Flames might have trouble fitting his salary under their cap. Rob Blake could retire.
- Scott Cullen of TSN: The Blues say they are not in the market for a big free agent scorer (they tried acquiring Kovalchuk at the trade deadline), but they could look to a spend some money on a top defenseman free agent, with Cullen naming Paul Martin and Dan Hamhuis as possibilities. They’ll also have to decide what they want to do between the pipes as last years starter, Chris Mason, is a UFA.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Panthers new GM, Dale Tallon, may look to his old team (Blackhawks) to help improve his new club. The ‘Hawks will be the center of plenty of rumors this summer as they will be forced to trade some of their higher price players to get under next seasons cap. Matheson thinks Tallon will go after Kris Versteeg, and possibily Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp. The Blackhawks currently have 14 players under contract for $55 million next season.
- QMI Agency, Toronto Sun: The Globe and Mail reported that if the NHL can not find a new owner to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale by Dec. 31st, the league has a ‘bona-fide offer’ to purchase the club and move it Winnipeg. The city of Glendale agreed on Friday that they would cover up to $25 million in team losses during the 2011-12 season if a new owner can’t be found before hand. True North Sports and Entertainment is the name of the group that is interested in moving the team to Winnipeg.
Kovalev Out for Season … UFA Defenseman … Maple Leaf Questions this Off-Season
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News on April 11th, 2010
- Don Brennan of Canoe Sports: The Ottawa Senators have lost Alex Kovalev for the remained of the season with a completely torn ACL. He has surgery scheduled for 2 weeks, and rehab should be 3-4 months.
- Kevin Allen of the USA Today: Allen lists his top 15 free agent defenseman. Paul Martin will likely be looking for $5 million a season. If the Preds are re-sign Dan Hamhuis, which they’d like too, he’d probably have to take a bit of a hometown discount. It seems like Sergei Gonchar will take less than market value to remain with the Penguins.
- Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: Some names/questions that should be in the news regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season. Will Tomas Kaberle be traded? Will RFA Nikolai Kulemin return to Russia for more money? What number will Jonas Gustavsson re-sign for? If Kaberle isn’t dealt, will Francois Beauchemin be moved? Is it time for Mikhail Grabovski to move on, even for a mid-round pick? Will Dave Nonis leave to become a GM elsewhere? Potential trade partners could be the Blackhawks and Flyers, both who will have some salary cap decisions. Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp and Scott Hartnell could be potential trade targets.
Souray provides list, 10 Intriguing Teams for Kevin Allen, Could the Hawks go after Niedermayer? Could the Predators trade Hamhuis?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Rumors on February 5th, 2010
- 1:00 pm: The St. Louis Blues made a push Ilya Kovalchuk, but felt the Thrashers wanted a little more than they were willing to give up. ”We had been working at it for the better part of the week,” Davidson said. “We had great conversations with Atlanta. We talked to them about various thoughts and ideas and put (a trade proposal) together. It never came to fruition.” Davidson wouldn’t comment on whether they would pursue Kovalchuk in the off-season
10:00 am: - Darren Dreger of TSN: Sheldon Souray has provided GM Steve Tambellini with a list of at least 6 teams that he’d waive his no-trade clause for. Western Conference teams are the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, and Los Angeles Kings. Eastern Conference teams are the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals. It hasn’t been said if any of those teams are interested in him.
- Kevin Allen of the USA Today: Allen looks at 10 teams that have the most intriguing decisions to make:
- Carolina Hurricanes: Available are Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen, Niclas Wallin (going to SJ?), Aaron Ward and Stephane Yelle.
- Washington Capitals: Could use an upgrade on defense. Do they need to add another goalie with the health issues surrounding Semyon Varlamov?
- Nashville Predators: Dan Hamhuis is a UFA at seasons end, and they may not be able to pay him what he could get on the open market. Could use some scoring help. Also involving the Predators but not mentioned by Allen is that both Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne are UFAs at seasons end.
- Atlanta Thrashers: Colby Armstrong and Kari Lehtonen can be had for the right price.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Forwards Alexei Ponikarovsky and Lee Stempniak are available. Tomas Kaberle might think about waiving his no trade clause.
- Edmonton Oilers: Lubomir Visnovsky and Ethan Moreau amongst others are available.
- Dallas Stars: If they are out of the playoff hunt, Jere Lehtinen, Marty Turco, and/or Steve Ott could be available.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: They could use a scoring winger or two for Malkin and/or Crosby.
- New Jersey Devils: After trading Dman Johnny Oduya, Lou may look at adding a Dman.
- Ottawa Senators: May add a piece or two.
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: The Chicago Blackhawks could be looking to add a defenseman or 2, and perhaps a center. Could they make a run at Scott Niedermayer if he becomes available?
- Scott Burnside of ESPN: Could the Nashville Predators trade UFA Dan Hamhuis at the deadline if they feel they can’t sign him to a contract extension?
- John Kincade of The Fan 680 via Twitter: Kari Lehtonen will most likely be dealt, with the Stars and Blues as the current frontrunners.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers are trying to move UFA Fernando Pisani. Some things that might hold up a deal; he makes $2.5 this year, and has missed 107 of the Oilers’ last 218 games with ulcerative colitis, a broken leg, and a bad back. The Oilers say they won’t give up draft picks to move the contracts of Ethan Moreau or Steve Staios. The Oils may also look to move UFAs Mike Comrie and Jason Strudwick. Patrick O’Sullivan and his $2.9 cap hit could also be on the move. The Montreal Canadiens might have an interest in O’Sullivan.
Around the Boards: Savard’s cap friendly number, Sharp getting use to rumors, Corvo and Gustavsson injury news
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 2nd, 2009
- Kevin Paul Dupont and Brendan Hall of the Boston Globe: File this one under the heading ‘Hometown Discount’. Marc Savard signed a 7 year extension with the Bruins for $28.05 million, that’s a cap hit $4.007 million. Savard is expected to get $7 million for each of the first 2 seasons, with the remaining $14.05 spread out over the remaining 5 years. Will the NHL investigate this contract?
The deal’s annual payouts: $7 million, $7 million, $6.5 million, $5 million, $1.5 million, $525,000, and $525,000. Total: $28.05 million.
Viewed as a four-year deal, Savard will earn $25.5 million, for an average $6.375 million, with the Bruins assessed only $4.007 million on the cap.
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Patrick Sharp is starting to get use to hearing his name mentioned in trade rumors. He’d like to stay in Chicago but realizes it might not happen. Sassone says that most of the rumors are coming out of Toronto as the Leafs could use another offensive player. I think there would be 29 other teams who’d love to add a player of Sharp caliber.
- Javier Serna of the Raleigh News & Observer: Joe Corvo will out of the Hurricanes lineup for 8-12 weeks, after having surgery to repair a cut he suffered to the muscle that attaches to the achilles tendon. Corvo’s name was starting to creep in to trade rumors as the ‘Canes season is all but over.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Rostislav Klesla will be out for at least 6 weeks with a torn left groin and torn stomach muscle.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Jonas Gustavsson of the Maple Leafs left last nights game after the 1st period with an elevated heart rate. He was kept overnight in a hospital as a precaution. Gustavsson underwent a procedure during training camp to deal with an elevated heart rate. It’s not known how long Gustavsson will be out.
Recent Comments