Archive for June, 2011
Wanted: Anyone Looking For A Big Raise
There was a time NHL players were vastly underpaid compared to other athletes. Back then to support their family’s players had to work summer jobs and they weren’t always cushy gigs. Fortunately those days are over. Things change and the economy as well as the NHL seem to go from one extreme to another. While [...]
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Backchecking: 10 Years and $40 Million Later….
Just a day after being acquired from the Islanders, Christian Ehrhoff signs with the Buffalo Sabers. Is Christian Ehrhoff worth a 10 year commitment to a hockey team like the Islanders? I dare say not. And as I had mentioned yesterday after being disappointed that the Islanders could not get the top tier defender under [...]
Dear Mr. Sather
June 30, 2011 Dear Mr. Sather, I’d like to start out first by thanking you for buying out the final year of Chris Drury’s contract. Truth be told, I never thought it would actually happen and as unfortunate as it is to see someone like Drury’s time in New York end in such fashion, it had [...]
Predators Vulnerable in Qualifying Offer Dispute
There is confusion and consternation that has arisen because of a possible defect in the qualifying offers that the Nashville Predators extended to restricted free agents Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt Halischuk, Nick Spaling, Cal O’Reilly, along with minor league players Linus Klasen, Chris Mueller, and Andreas Thuresson. In question is if the qualifying offers were tendered by the [...]
Blues Qualifying Offer Fallout | Report: Oshie Signs One Year Deal (Confirmed)
Qualifying offers were extedned Monday to three of the St. Louis Blues’ potential restricted free agents: TJ Oshie, Ben Bishop and Ryan Reaves. The most noticible name missing from the short list is Matt D’Agostini. Reaction came predictable and quick as the news spread. In a season filled with career best totals for the Habs [...]
Breaking: Bolts Re-sign Roloson
Today, the Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly re-signed goalie Dwayne Roloson to a one year, $3 million contract. Roloson was 10-6 in the playoffs with a sparkling 2.51 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. He went 18-12-4 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage with four shutouts in 34 regular season games with the Bolts. [...]
Backchecking: Isles Making Moves On the Blueline – UPDATED
In what seems like a great deal of recent activity following an exciting Islanders draft, the activity continues to pile on for the Islanders — most notably on the blueline. On day 2 of the draft the Islanders shipped out defender Bruno Gervais to Tampa Bay for “future considerations” and on Monday, they did not [...]
Pens first round draft choice improves blue line of to-Morrow
Reaction to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ selections at this past weekend’s 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Minnesota were mixed. With their top four defencemen at the NHL level signed through at least 2014 and seven under team control through 2013, many wondered why the Pens took a pair of blueliners with their first two draft choices [...]
Possibilities…
Without Troy Brouwer and Tomas Kopecky the Blackhawks are in need of a screen setter. Besides Jonathan Toews there isn’t anyone on the current roster who thrived in that role. Toews takes enough punishment and help is needed. Contract issues were probably not the main reason Brouwer and Kopecky are not with the Blackhawks. The [...]
Brooks Laich inks six year contract
The already weak unrestricted free agent market took another hit today as the Capitals announced the signing of Brooks Laich to a six year contract. The contract will pay Laich an average of $4.5 million per season over the course of the contract, totaling $27 million. The contract also contains a limited no trade clause [...]
Lightning Ink Bergeron and Hall
The Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to announce that they have re-signed defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron and forward Adam Hall. Bergeron’s deal is reportedly for two years and $2 million. After missing the entire first half of the season, Bergeron had two goals and two assists in 23 regular season games. The 30 year old blue [...]
Full details on new jerseys for LA Kings
As shared this weekend on twitter and facebook, that’s a picture of the new Los Angeles Kings road jersey that will debut when the team takes the ice during the upcoming season. And here are some more of the plans… After much discussion on which jersey should be used as the third version, it’s been settled – the current [...]
Predators Hire Muller to Coach AHL Affiliate
The Nashville Predators today announced the hiring of Kirk Muller to be the Head Coach of the AHL Milwaukee Admirals, the primary development affiliate of the team. Muller replaces Lane Lambert, the Admirals former Head Coach who was promoted to be an assistant coach with the Predators. Here is the press release from the [...]
Predators Draft Review
The Nashville Predators were busy on the second day of the NHL Entry Draft, making seven selections. The Predators did not have a first round pick by virtue of sending that pick to Ottawa for the Mike Fisher trade in the previous season. The Predators used the draft to pick a goal tender, 4 forwards, [...]
Lightning Draft Roundup – Rounds 5-7
In the fifth round (148) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected 18 year old, Russian defenseman Nikita Nesterov, a great skating, puck moving blue liner from Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk. Russian Prospect says of Nesterov: He is a promising two-way defenseman with a good shot from the point, thus being a good weapon [...]
The Weekend that Was.
The news came is in on a trade made official Saturday morning as Robyn Regehr and Alex plus a 2nd in 2012, for Paul Bryon and Chris Butler. In Butler, the Flames get a potential stay-home dman who has some potential for being a top 5 dman on the team. That won’t happen for a [...]
Lightning Acquire Bruno Gervais From Isles
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired 27 year old, Bruno Gervais from the New York Islanders for future considerations. The 6’0″, 200 lbs. defenseman has played six NHL seasons, all with the Islanders. He has accumulated nine goals, 59 assists and 164 penalty minutes in 331 NHL games. Gervais will be a part of the Bolts [...]
Hawks Trade Brouwer and Dump Campbell
Sometimes things work out with an obvious trade partner. There was only one team that could swallow Brian Campbell’s contract and it was Dale Tallon’s Panthers. Stan Bowman somehow got Campbell to approve the deal and the rest is a math equation. I hesitate to call this transaction a trade. This wasn’t a talent for [...]
Bolts Select Forward Nikita Kucherov With 58th Pick
With the 58th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected 18 year old forward Nikita Kucherov from Maikop, Russia. According to Hockey’s Future: The 6’ 160 lbs. winger spent most of the season with the CSKA Krasnaja Armija Moskva in the MHL, scoring 25 goals and adding 28 assists for 53 [...]
