TUNE INTO THE FACEOFF CIRCLE’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2008 NHL FREE AGENT FRENZY FOR THE LATEST SIGNINGS/TRADES/RUMOURS/TALK/SPECULATION. 

 

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By the way, off topic, if you’re viewing this site and want to update it without having to click “refresh” all the time, Firefox users can download the addon called ReloadEvery from the official site that refreshes a page automatically. Quite useful, then after you follow the instructions, I recommend you set it to every minute or 30 seconds.

The Faceoff Boards are offering a guest forum so you don’t even have to sign up to talk UFA stuff! http://faceoffboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=91

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6:45 PM - Matt Cooke has signed with the Penguins

4:38 AM - We’re late on this one, but Mark Cullen has been signed by the Canucks.

10:24 PM - Alright, we’re going to be slowing things down from this point on. Though we’ll be updating, there isn’t so much to talk about. If you want to talk though, theres always the Faceoff Boards!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

8:26 PM - There really hasn’t been much news…send me some emails.

7:16 PM - SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN A BIT! Steve isn’t around, and I had to build a barbecue. I’m back now.

5:01 PM - Per NHLLine:

The Ottawa Senators are still on the lookout for a puck moving defenceman. As reported on July 1st, the club is still in talks with the Florida Panthers about Jay Bouwmeester, although his price tag isn’t going to be very cheap. Other players the Sens are interested in are Carolina’s Frank Kaberle, Toronto’s Pavel Kubina or Bryan McCabe, Vancouver’s Kevin Bieksa, or free agent Bret Hedian. Jason Smith is still a possibility but isn’t exactly what the club is looking for.

4:48 PM - Rivet and a 7th traded to Buffalo for 09+10 2nds.

4:42 PM - The Jagr ripple effect has begun…IN RUSSIA?!?

When Jagr signed with Avangard Omsk Flyers may have received an unexpected benefit. Denis Bodrov - Flyers D prospect was told NOT to show up (team would be over budget, not cap) in camp. He is considering suing Omsk, since he had a signed contract with them. If he does not end up in Omsk this season, he will be in Philadelphia for the pre-season camp. PLEASE, do not ask for source. Can not disclose.

4:27 PM - TheFourthPeriod are reporting that there may be an oilers trade in the works:

It looks like something might be brewing with the Oilers on the trade front, waiting on that… Straka story should be up soon, I’m told… Nice pick up for Canucks in Bernier. Sabres gave up on him too early.

3:41 PM - CKNW 980 in Vancouver is reporting the Canucks will make an offer sheet for Valtteri Filppula.

3:37 PM - Grabovski has signed a 1 year contract with the Leafs. Questions coming soon.

3:14 PM - Canucks fans, what do you think of the Bernier trade? Also, taking emails now.

2:28 PM - Sorry, Steve was gone and I fell asleep again. BERNIER TRADED TO THE CANUCKS FOR A 2ND AND 3RD!

1:30 PM - Alex wants the Nucks to get Clowe:

GILLIS MAKE AN OFFER SHEET TO CLOWE YOU IDIOT! SJs OVER THE CAP NOW

12:55 PM - The team 1040 in Vancouver reporting Brendan Morrison is close to a deal with Minny.

12:39 PM - Wishart not confirmed yet BTW.

12:02 PM - Holy moly, the prospect heading to Tampa is former 1st rounder from a couple of years back Ty Wishart, a defenceman for whom the Sharks traded up to get with Montreal. This deal has steal written all over it for the Bolts in a few years (thanks for the tip Jordan) Now tim for lunch…:D

11:59 AM -  Going to grab some lunch, nothing much is happening right now sadly.

11:55 AM - Pesonen’s deal not quite complete yet according to this (thanks George)

11:49 AM - Fedor Fedorov officially signs with the Devils.

11:35 AM - Do you Sens fans agree with Michael?

Frantisek Kaberle, I hope Murray doesn’t bite at this…

11:22 AM - Not much activity today besides the Boyle deal…

11:13 AM -  Michael asks:

I like Meszaros, that said he’s not quite a 4 million dollar a year player yet…

Although there’s not much left out on the market Ottawa may find themselves

having to match a crazy offer sheet to retain Meszaros.

I don’t think he’ll end up playing for Ottawa this coming season.

Much to my distain…

 

Vermette and arbitration… I’m uncertain of the process of arbitration,

what are the what if scenario’s here?

No way he’s worth more than Chris Phillips or Anton Volchenkov, I agree.
The Sens could sign him and trade him, then sign a guy like Jason Smith…sounds like a good plan.

Well, Vermette’ll likely receive more money than he’s worth in arbitration, on a 1 year deal, but just enough to make him ask for more at the end of the summer by threat of becoming a UFA and signing somewhere else.

Sounds sketchy I know.
10:59 AM - Michael comments on San Jose’s moves:

 

Tampa will benefit with Matt Carle young and on the rise and depending on what they do with the picks in the future this could have a great long term effect for the team…

 

San Jose getting Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich, and yesterday signing Rob Blake certainly makes a statement.  It looks to be a better defensive team this coming season.  Perhaps they’d have been better to stay the course with Carle, but time will tell.

 

Cheers

10:56 AM - The Penguins have signed Finnish league superstar (who has DESTROYED the league for the past several seasons) Janne Pesonen.

10:54 AM - The Sharks are overloaded at D and may move someone to get under the cap.

10:50 AM - Rumour flying around that Frantisek Kaberle may be on his way to Ottawa.

10:43 AM - Antoine Vermette is going to arbitration; Andrej Mezsaros wants $4 million a year…

10:30 AM - The Sharks are over the cap now; and still have to sign Ryane Clowe and Christian Erhoff.

10:27 AM -  Ahhh, this rocks, awesome chant at the Bell Centre during the year: link

10:21 AM - Your thoughts on this deal? Tampa gets some youth with Matt Carle and a 1st rounder in a deep draft while the Sharks pick up one of the game’s top defencemen.  The downside: Tampa loses Brad Lukowich while the Sharks might’ve given up a bit much to pry him away from the Bolts.

10:19 AM - The CANUCKS and FLYERS were the two other teams that Boyle was considering. Great splash by Doug Wilson, he might’ve given up a little much with Carle + 1st, but Dan Boyle is a an excellent defenceman and Brad Lukowich is very underrated. However in this deal, Tampa loses another blueliner by giving Lukowich away; they also cleared some salary, so maybe another deal or signing is coming.

10:17 AM - To San Jose: Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich; to Tampa: Matt Carle (awesome young pointman), 1st, 4th and a prospect.

10:15 AM - DAN BOYLE DEALT TO SAN JOSE, more to come!

10:12 AM - Jaromir Jagr goes out in awesomness: link

“People think that it’s better to have a lot of choices, but sometimes having one choice is best because you can’t make the wrong one,” Jagr said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now, but I’ll make that choice when it’s time.

“I want to thank Glen and Tom and the Rangers. I want to thank all the people who supported me. Being in New York was special.

“And I also want to say to the people like Mike Milbury who made their living by criticizing me all the time, that they can kiss my [butt].”

10:08 AM - Jarrett’s reply to Nagy comment:

2.5 seems a little high.

Anything 2 and under I think the Pens should pounce. 

2.5 is high for him because of his oft-injuredness, but with the nutty market, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone gave it to him…

10:06 AM - Tim Horton’s makes the best damn doughnuts ever. God I just had one, haha!

10:05 AM - Jacob comments on Demitra:

Do we have any idea where Demitra may settle?  I remember yesterday possible move was to the Rangers to play with Naslund….could the Pens use him?

There is no way he’s going to be a Pen, like we said for Jagr, unless they shed salary.

Honestly, I’m pretty certain he’ll be a Canuck, though anything can happen.

10:01 AM - Fred with an interesting idea:

How would you rank the Canadian Gms based on what they have done so far since the draft?

My ranking would be.

1. Lowe EDM (Cole, Brule, Visnosvky)
2. Gainey MTL (Tanguay, Laraque, Denis, Kostitsyn)
3. Sutter CGY (Bourque, Glencross, VanderMeer, Langkow, Conroy, Nystrom
4. Fletcher TOR (Hagman, Joseph, Finger)
5. Murray OTT (Ruutu, Auld, Donovan, Kelly)
6. Gillis VAN (Wellwood, Sanford, Johnson, Hordichuk

This seems pretty accurate, though I’m dropping down Fletcher one spot for that ridiculous Fingering.

1) Lowe EDM (Cole, Brule, Visnovsky)
2) Sutter CGY (Cammalleri, Langkow, Vandermeer, Glencross, Conroy, Nystrom)
3) Gainey MON (Tanguay, Laraque, Kostitsyn, Denis)
4) Murray OTT (Ruutu, Auld, Donovan, Kelly)
5) Fletcher TOR (FINGER, Hagman, Joseph)
6) Gillis VAN (Hordichuk, Johnson, Wellwood, Sanford)

9:57 AM - Jarrett asks about Nagy:

Hey What Salary is Nagy looking for???

Could be a low risk high reward situation for the Pens!

Nagy has been oft-injured for a few seasons now, but his point totals have been respectable. He could command at least $2.5-$3 million. He’s a high risk high reward because of his injury history, but when healthy, look out!

9:54 AM - Michael comments on Redden:

I’ve read that Redden has been on a down swing the past couple of seasons in Ottawa it’s been more like 3-4 seasons Since about the time his mother past away…  The guy is to fragile in my opinion, and while the Rangers have decided to pay him 6.5 over the next 6 years he’s lucked out, while Sather believes he can make a turn around, we sens fans have been waiting for this to happen for a long time.  Good Riddance!

I agree, the Rangers will be in for a bad awakening. I felt frustrated for you Sens fans watching him last season, he seemed to have the will to play but it just never worked out for him after signing that new deal

9:50 AM - The Leafs sign Jonas Frogren to a 2-year deal, looks like the mystery of the Euro defenceman has been solved.  Link here.

9:43 AM - The last big fish out there is Pavol Demitra. Ladislav Nagy could be a good reclamation project for a team willing to pick him up…

9:38 AM - Here’s a question: besides Jeff Finger, who got massively overpaid these past few days? Wade Redden, Michael Ryder, Mike Commodore…

9:35 AM  -  Stu Barnes is pondering retirement, while Mike Peca is looking for a 2-year deal from Columbus.

9:30 AM - Send in your emails, your thoughts about Boyle?

9:28 AM - The article also says the Sens and Isles were heavily involved, but dropped out. Ottawa did so because of his monster salary (6 yr/$40 million)

9:26 AM - TSN update on Dan Boyle:

The Vancouver Canucks are one of three teams in the running for veteran defenseman, Dan Boyle. Sources tell TSN the Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers are the three teams Boyle is considering, however he has yet to waive his no-trade clause to clear the way for a trade. 

9:20 AM - Peter Chiarelli appears done with tinkering with his roster after picking up *drumroll* Michael Ryder *end drumroll* and will focus on re-signing Dennis Wideman before arbitration hits and he gets a ridiculous contract. Glen Murray’s days are thought to be  numbered as it’s possible he could be bought out.

9:18 AM - It appears Bryan McCabe is the odd man out on Toronto’s blue line, Fletcher will meet with him very soon to discuss his status, maybe entice him to waive his no trade clause to go some place like Tampa Bay or the Islanders, though he’s been difficult about this clause before, so don’t expect much Leafs fans, as Fletcher is already denying shopping him.

9:16 AM - Matt Cooke won’t be back with the Caps, George McPhee still hopes to sign Sergei Fedorov, who performed admirably for them this past playoff.

9:15 AM - As well as Brian McGrattan, the Yotes re-upped youngster Matt Jones as well, both were RFA’s.

9:13 AM - Tim Sassone reports the Hawks are after Pens defenceman Ryan Whitney…interesting, could Martin Havlat be headed the other way? I wouldn’t think of dealing Whitney right now if I were Ray Shero, he still has plenty of promise and upside, almost as ridiculous as those Malkin to LA rumblings a while back…more rumours to come!

9:11 AM - The Wild also picked up goalie Barry Brust to a 2-way 2 year deal worth $1.1 million total and the Yote signed defenceman Francis Lessard. Send in your emails, we’re back for day 4!

9:10 AM - The saga is done…Jaromir Jagr signs with Avangard Omsk and Josef Vasicek with Lokomotiv of the KHL. I guess Jagr went for the payday after all, sayannora, it was a good career.

8:46 AM - Hey folks, we’re back for Day 4, tune in again today for the live blog, if you wish, we’ll be up and running very soon, just gotta get to work. Thanks for sticking with us! 

12:43 AM - A nice writeup by Alex McPhee:

The free agency frenzy started on July 1st, a hope to ice a solid contender for the upcoming 2008-2009 Vancouver Canucks season, after they sorely missed out on the playoff this year. To date the biggest signings by the new General Manager, Mike Gillis, have been to Darcy Hordichuk (a 4th liner at best), former Canuck depth D-man Nolan Baumgartner (who spent the majority of the past two seasons in other minor league systems), re-signing back-up goalie Curtis Sanford (SV% of less than .900 last season) and signing RFA Kyle Wellwood (potential to be a good setup man if he can get his act together and stay healthy at the same time). I am a die-hard Canucks fan, really hoping for the opportunity to cheer for a contending team, which I haven’t been able to do with this franchise since 2003, and it appears I will not have an opportunity to again for a while.

The first mistake the Canucks made was allowing the Aqulini family to purchase this franchise, not only do they have no idea about how to control an organization, I wonder if they even like the game of hockey in general. The Aquilinis fired former GM Dave Nonis after one bad season, an up and coming great GM in the NHL, and replaced him with former player agent Mike Gillis. Mike Gillis was very good at his old job by hardballing GMs aroudn the NHL to get his clients better contracts; therefore now, these GMs are the same ones which he is trying to make deals with- Doesn’t go over well. Another mistake, again in my opinion, was keeping Alain Vigneault as our head coach. His system is not exciting, and he obviously didn’t motivate our players to a level where they achieved. Also to note, Marcus Naslund stated prior to free agency that he wants to play an offensive game in an offensive system, ie keep Alain, bye bye Nazzy- like it or not, he could’ve helped our dicipated offense in the upcoming season.

I had high hopes for Gillis coming into the draft and free-agent frenzy, yet I have been sorely disappointed. I was supportive of his first draft-pick in Cody Hodgson, as he has all the makings of being a solid NHL player, as well as second pick Yann Sauve, a big Defence man that will try to fill the void after the tragic passing of Luc Bourdon (that is, I mean, in years to come). He also picked up Kyle Wellwood, a player that has great hands and potential if put to good use and he can stay healthy, a good pickup and relatively low risk/ high reward for this signing. There is one problem with this signing however, which would arise if Wellwood had a solid year, then the one year deal would come back to haunt us in the free-agency next summer. However, in all a decent start to a team that needs a lot of improvements.

Having stated that, those moves were about the only ones Gillis had made thus far (3 days into free agency) and our new GM has significantly downgraded are team to a point which is likely of no return anytime soon. Yes we still have the Sedins, point per game players and about the only top 6 forwards we have left. And we do still have Roberto Luongo, the all-star franchise player, but how long will Lou want to stay in town for with the team that is assembled infront of him? It is very reminiscent of Florida all over again.

About 2 hours ago, Marcus Naslund signed a 2-year/ 8 million dollar deal with the New York Rangers. As much as some wanted Naslund out and a new leadership and core moving forrward, we have not replaced him with anyone of value that can put the puck in the net, like it or not. Moreover, there is very few free agents left that are of offensive value, one who Gillis offered an outrageous contract to, yet Mats Sundin is pondering retirement- not a young core player to more forward with if you ask me. That leaves who? Jagr, Shanahan, Selanee, Demitra… only one of those players who has more than a couple years left in Demitra, who was rumoured to sign and play here with Naslund once the Sundin offer was put on hold. But why would Demitra want to sign here in Vancouver now? There’s no future aside from Kesler and Sedins really, no friend in Naslund to play alongside anymore and no real top line to assemble. The others are getting older, still with skill but not to buiild a franchise upon, although I admit atleast if we were able to sign Jagr or Selanee it would atleast be entertaining to watch and maybe score us a 8th seed playoff birth at best and provide us some offense which we desperately need. However, why would these guys come here? Exactly, they won’t. Gillis also already missed out on trading for star-forrward Olli Jokinen, who the Coyotes got for next to nothing on draft day.

So what can we do? Well it seems that the only way to move forward is through high offer sheets to up and coming young players such as Steve Bernier, Pierre Marc Bouchard, Ryan Clowe or Patrick O’Sullivan. After that I guess we could re-sign Brendan Morrison, atleast hes a top 2 center, although it wouldn’t really improve our team from last season any, just make it better than it is as it stands now…Having said that, Gillis offered Morrison a measley 1.9mil- 1 year contract offer, as 7 other teams are said to be interested, and obviously willing to pay more for his services. The only other way we could build upon is via trade, yet we don’t have that many assets that to trade at this point. We aren’t dealing Hodgson, Kesler, Raymond, or Edler, so that leaves us with our star players, our defence and our 4th liners… The best trade for the Canucks to make, in my opinion, would be Bieksa, either Grabner or a Dman like Kraijeck and/ or a draft pick for someone like Martin St. Louis, as the Tampa Bay Lightning are desperate for Defenceman and we’re just desperate for anyone of value. We could always trade away the Sedins or Luongo, but then what are we left with? Having said that, how many people even want to trade with Gillis? It seems that the free agency was our big chance to improve our club and Gillis has completely failed at bringing in anyone to improve our club, and at the same time, let some significant players go and ultimately weakened our club and put us in a big hole. I guess the positive we can take away from this so far is that now we’re in the running for the Tavares/ Hedman sweepstakes, I guess that’s the only way we could attract Lou back to resign, and better than finishing 10th…

12:41 AM - Some answers!

just wana know if there are any canuck roumers if any.
hey just woundering what will rookie gm mike gillis do. been a canuck fan

Look for serious attempts at Jagr and Demitra.

 Any new rumors about the Avalanche? Thanks

There will be once Sakic and Forsberg make up their minds.

12:09 AM - I’ll get to your emails shortly…trying to setup a hockey game for tommorow.

11:21 PM - AT LAST! A SIGNING! Brian McGrattan, 1 Year in Phoenix.

11:07 PM - toget away from the inactivity how do you think the playoffs will look next year with the teams in their current form?  whats your picks?

Its way too early to tell..but I think its obvious that its Habs vs. Pens in the east and the Wings to demonish the universe, just like last year.

10:38 PM - Lets talk about something…just not Jagr to Pens. Send me your emails!

9:44 PM - No offence, but stop sending me this email, all of you! YES, it makes sense for the pens to get rid of a d-man to get Jagr. I get it.

It seems to be the age old question….or old ager questions.  If the Pens can move a d-man…should they actually go after Jagr (another right wing to which they already have 4(satan, kennedy, godard, and sykora)) or perhaps go after bertuzzi (with all the baggage, but cheaper and a left wing, of which they only have two actual wings(dupuis and fedotenko)?
 

9:33 PM - Sorry, was preparing dinner. Two emails.

Detroit won the Stanley Cup and have just gotten stronger.  Assuming they are odds on favorites to win the cup this season again, could this explain why some teams haven’t done too much at this point in time?

Pardon my opinion, but this makes sense. All the GM’s see Detroit making moves, and Pittsburgh making moves, and have basically gone “forget this!” and are now double checking their options.

Detroit won the Stanley Cup and have just gotten stronger.  Assuming they are odds on favorites to win the cup this season again, could this explain why some teams haven’t done too much at this point in time?

Possible but I kind of doubt it. I think they’re done unless they can bring in an impact player.

9:16 PM - Jeff is back, and ready to rock again! (After playing some ball hockey, haha) Fire up the email boxes, and hide the kids, tonights gonna be another great night!

9:06 PM - The Isles are inquiring about Dan Boyle to Tampa, but I don’t think he’d waive it to go to Long Island.

9:02 PM - Jagr to Pit is definitely heating up, here’s another comment from Kevin:

It’s very possible that the Pens will deal Sydor to pick up Jagr. Sam Weinman and Steve Zipay (Rangers beat writers) reported that not only was the press conference Sather held to announce the signings of Naslund and Kalinin, also that the Rangers were no longer going to pursue Jagr, so if Jagr signs with anyone in the NHL, I’m gonna guess it will be pittsburgh.

Could also be Edmonton, but these latest developments are making me lean towards the Pens…

8:53 PM - Very very interesting stuff, could Jagr be going back to where he spent part of his glory years? Awesome!

8:51 PM - TIPOS reports the following:

8:39 p.m. Big Jagr rumor — According to a source close to the Rangers organization who fed me the Naslund signing 50 minutes before the press announced it, the Rangers organization believes Jagr’s preference is to sign with the Penguins. It’s believed Mario and Jagr have had private discussions but the question remains according to this source, will the Penguins do what it takes to clear enough salary to sign Jagr and are other parties in the Penguins organization that interested in Jagr? There’s a rumor going around if Boyle accepts a trade to Ottawa, the Lightning would be interested in Sydor and Scuderi if they miss out on Jason Smith. Just hearsay regarding the Scuderi/Sydor rumor but my source with the Jagr info was on the spot with the Naslund signing so this may have legs. Waiting to hear back from my Penguins sources. more to come

8:46 PM - Waiting for something to happen, lol.

8:43 PM - Jacob’s reply:

True, but do you think it will help him and his future team>

I think his only logical choice, Montreal, can wait for him…so no biggie, as for Vancouver, he shouldn’t sign there if he’s true to his word: win the Cup.

8:40 PM - Jacob with this little quick hit:

Sundin….jerk or saavy businessman?

Neither…patient

8:34 PM - Interesting, Jagr to Pittsburgh is a hot rumour according to some Canadian press sources; maybe he’ll take less than $3.5 million? How’s that possible? Maybe some salary is on the way out…

8:33 PM - If anything at all happens it’ll be posted, just not sure what to talk about now, no rumours or anything circulating at the moment

8:17 PM - Day’s dying down…I’m going to take a few and be right back…

8:12 PM - Sheldon shooting down Jordan to 1st line LW:

Hey sorry about all this Penguins talk but I felt I must address what Jim said. Staal is probably not LWing the 1st line with Crosby. He’ll LW the 2nd line with Malkin most likely. Dupuis proved he can be a decent 1st line winger last season and Staal probably isn’t taking Blow$$a’s spot as RW. Satan will probably RW the 1st line not and Dupuis LW. Staal was a good 3rd line center which also added depth, but with Malone gone and an open space, he needs that spot. Remember his good rookie season where he also winged? We’ll see shades of that this year.

8:09 PM - Thanks to Miika for this tip: the Leafs may be trying to sign Jonas Frogren, according to GlobeSports.com. 28 year old’s profile can be found here.

8:05 PM - Tim with an interesting poitn on Blake/Streit:

Looks like the Sharks might have panicked a little bit and signed Blake for $5 million. They should have put on their reality hat and realized that Blake is a few years past his prime. They paid a cool million more than they could have by signing a younger D-man. Do you think Streit would have jumped at playing for the Sharks rather than on the Island?

Absolutely, no doubt about that. It was a desperation move, but Blake still gets the job done.

8:01 PM - Jacob’s reply:

Thats an awful big jump [Staal to 1st line wing]…not to say he couldn’t handle it, I just like him centering third.  It’s a nice two way center changup after Sid and Gino.  Though he did show some grit during the playoffs with the game after his grandfathers death.  Which brings me to the point of grit…do the pens have enough?

It might be a tough adjustment, but he can surely handle it…Godard is the grit you need, though another guy like Josef Vasicek for size would help.

7:59 PM - Chris sends this in:

You’re the Vancouver Canucks GM at this point, what do you do? I feel for Gillis a little bit here, if he landed Sundin he’d be the hero of the city, but it’s looking doubtful. Aside from Mats, what would you do to salvage the Canucks season and/or plan for the future? Very Curious J need some glimmer of hope.

Some glimmer of hope remains Chris, and his name is Pavol Demitra. He’d fit in nicely with your team, and I’m confident (and hopeful for you) he’ll be picked up.

7:56 PM - For you Wild fans, Brian in Minneapolis writes:

It looks like the Wild are done with free agency already.

http://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/wildblog/2008/07/03/wild-done-with-free-agency/

That is not a bad thing due to the overpricing of players and the lack of depth in the market this year. Also, we completed the objective of getting more offensive defensemen as well. I believe departing defensemen Keith Carney and Sean Hill will end up in Europe. The things the Wild have to worry about now is asking what’s in Houston beyond Gilles and who’s going to ratchet up the scoring since Rolston and Demitra left. Lastly, look for Marian Gaborik to be on the trading block at the deadline if everything falls flat.   

7:54 PM - Nick asks:

My names nick and I was just wondering if Jagr is for sure ruled out of the penguins or if their is still a notable chance of him coming to Pittsburgh after a trade or two.

Hey Nick, I doubt he’s ruled them out, he’s got to consider every viable option now.

7:51 PM- We’ve gotten burned before, so grain of salt with these rumours guys…

7:48 PM - Take these for what they’re worth, some unconfirmed rumours from a guy that’s emailed us for your viewing pleasure, grain of salt as always when rumours are posted:

Just heard that Big Bert is in serious negotiations with Carolina, to replace Cole and Boston is making a serious pitch to offset the loss in the Hossa sweepstakes.

Still no word on the mystery Euro defenceman the Leafs are supposedly signing.

Some notable trade rumours:

To Ottawa:  Dan Boyle

To Tampa:  Antoine Vermette and Meszaroz

Jagr talking to Atlanta?
7:40 PM - we’re here folks, just a little boring now that’s all, nothing new to report sadly.

7:35 PM- Greg chimes in again:

Blake is gone, now who do we have over the age of 25, and who is going to play “D”? By the way thank you for providing great feedback.

No problem Greg, it’s what we do…;)

You’ll be fine, trust me, a young d-corps is better than an old d-corps when you compare them head to head. They may be more inexperienced, but now they have a chance to grow into their own and develop quicker, rather than have a guy blocking them.

7:32 PM - Jacob asks: Bertuzzi for the Pens 1st or 3rd line?  Please?

Satan and Fedotenko is enough; why would you also want Bertuzzi? There’d barely be any space left in the cap then, plus he carries too much baggage.

7:29 PM - The Sharks quietly replaced Brian Campbell with Rob Blake, a definite downgrade, but worthwile in the end anyway.

7:27 PM - Nothing yet…lol

7:21 PM - I missed a few minor signings by the  Leafs: John Mitchell  signed a 2 year contract and Greg Scott 3 year contract

7:18 PM - Answering Cory’s comment…first of all, Bouwmeester is Jacques Martin’s last franchise player, besides Nathan Horton, and will try to keep him at any cost, now that Olli Jokinen and Roberto Luongo are gone, it’s imperative he re-signs him. As for the proposal, it wouldn’t work because Bieksa is more valuable than Afinogenov is right now, but I’m not sure if Canuck fans would be good with this…

7:14 PM - PM asks:

Do you think the Hawks will be able to move Khabibulin? If so who will take him and his 6.75 mil salary?

I think a team like Colorado, very thin at goal, is the only realistic option for him.
He could be a good fit, better than a Budaj/Raycroft tandem anyway.

7:10 PM - JG sends this:

looks like my canucks have lost out on mats sundin i dont think he would want to come to a rebuild team. do you think they will get anyone else besides him like re-sign brenden morrsion.

I think he’s going to end up in Montreal, for the simple reason he wants to win the Cup NOW then retire. As for other options, Pavol Demitra.

7:06 PM - MA Fleury saying he likes this, staying in Pit, great team and great future on French station.

7:01 PM - Heading into 7 PM here, email your questions, /comments and we’ll gladly talk! No new rumours to report as of now…

6:58 PM - Speculation has it that Jason Smith will be either a Sen or Sabre, both teams needing a guy like him badly. Montreal should jump in too, come on Bob, I love this guy haha.

6:55 PM - The Blackhawks have signed Matt Walker to a 1-year deal. (btw,Naslund signed for 2 years at $8 million total, not 1 yearat $4.5)

6:50 PM - Shawn sends in this email on Buffalo:

First of all — seriously? Someone tried to scam you guys? You’ve been tirelessly providing this information before everyone else, and for free, and someone wants to mess with you? That’s awful.

What do you see happening with the Sabres? Clearly they were not going to be a big money player, which is fine, but they clearly are not even going to get a defenseman in the $3 million range (given that they said Orpik was out of their range and he went for $3.5). Who is still out there that they’re realistically going to go after? They keep alluding to trades… any solid word?

Thanks again for all the information - I’ve been refreshing like mad for three days. (PS - I was tipped off by a friend that’s a Pens fan and found you via one of the Pens sites).

First of all, yes, it’s quite sad that people want to do stuff like that to ruin this for everyone. But no worries, illegit rumours/trades are not cool at all and I assure you we won’t be posting them (again) unless we’re certain of the source.

Realistically…Jason Smith is an option, like I mentioned earlier in the day, he brings great intagibles and could fill a bigtime void on your backend. He’s buff, likes to hit and a great leader, there’s everything to like about him.
No word yet on any trades, but if anything, Maxim Afinogenov could be used as bait.

Good to hear you’re on here with us, the more the merrier, thanks for the email!

6:48 PM - On Selanne again:

Don’t you think he might have a year left in him playing alongside Crosby or Malkin?

I think it’s even more unlikely he changes teams, if he’s coming back, it’ll be in Anaheim, or if there’s no room for him there, he could always go back to San Jose.6:46 PM - A couple more emails to get to before I scrounge for some more rumours, here’s Sergio’s take on Mats Sundin:

The fact that the Habs are waiting on Sundin may be a signal to Sundin that the Habs are committed to him (one could also see the addition of Laraque to the Habs as a another sign of this commitment. The Habs did not have a legit enforcer last season which meant that the opposition was quite liberal in its use of force against the Habs. Sundin, and the rest of the team, will not be worried about this anymore). Montreal will wait for him as long as Mats needs to make a decision about his playing future. Besides, he is the only player the Habs need at this moment in the UFA pool. A player like Demitra is not an option because of his injury history and level of skill in comparison to Sundin. Pavol will not really be adding anything of value. Moreover, other teams continue to sign players which will make the likelihood of Mats going to a place such as Detroit and NYR all the more remote. I personally believe it is down to Montreal/Vancouver/Toronto. The most appealing option is obviously Montreal. Insert him into the Habs lineup and it will look damn scary to the opposition. Moreover, Sundin not going after the Canucks offer may indicate that is genuinely interested in winning a Cup before he is done. With the team that Vancouver has right now, it would take a miracle for that to happen. He would just go into another situation ala TO with a team that would be fighting for a playoff spot. I thought he was done all of that. However, I do not think we should preclude a team like Colorado coming out of left field and picking him up. Lastly, I do not think he is going to retire. You know it when it is your time to do so. Waiting this long means that he will come back. Hopefully, it will mean that he will be a Hab by the end of the month or sometime in August J.

Hope you’re right buddy, Bob can wait for him now.

6:44 PM - Brian asks about Teemu Selanne:

Have you heard anything regarding Selanne?  He still has the skill to play but I haven’t heard anything about him at all.

Nothing at all…he should retire, it’s been a good career, go out on a high note and not after you’ve been waived or bought out.

6:42 PM - Mike Peca’s close to re-upping with the Jackets according to Aaron Portzline.

6:40 PM Some minor deals…goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu and Rory Fitzpatrick plus a couple of minor leaguers on their way to Florida. Beckford-Tseu was non-tendered by the Blues earlier.

6:26 PM - For the next 10 minutes, we shall be taking questions from the Guest Chat on faceoffboards… anyone can create a question.
http://faceoffboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=91

6:24 PM - Another email!

Is there any chance of Jagr signing in Vancouver? Could they afford to sign Jagr, Demitra.

Is Cory Schnieder on the trading block? Good young prospect, along with Bieksa or Krajicek for an

offensive player. Also, what about Jason Smith coming to Vancouver to be our next captain…

Jagr? Its possible…him and Demitra together would be about $12M, I think, which would probably rule out Sundin. Schnieder I really doubt would be on the block, unless, as you said, paired with Bieksa for  serious forward…though the defensive market may die out before hand. As for Smith, something tells me that isn’t happening.

6:16 PM - For the reader who tried to scam us with a fake paypal dispute…nice try.

6:14 PM  - The signing of Rob Blake by the Sharks is confirmed…assumed 1 Year, 5 Million.

6:12 PM - More questions and comments

“Hey it’s Breaker. Who do you think that Meszaros will end up in?”

He’ll either sign an extention with the Sens or be traded to Tampa in a deal for Boyle. Or who knows, we just saw a Habs/Leafs trade, what about Pavel Kubina?

Tim’s opinion on the best and worst UFA signings..

“I would have to say a toss up between Brooks Orpik and Brad Stuart. Both guys hit the open market but resigned with original teams for less money that others offered. Stay-at-home D-men were the best value across the board. Worst: Wade Redden (too much money and he got beat up by Ryan Whitney)”

6:05 PM - Sebastian asks..

Heard anything on Sakic yet? What’s your thaughts on him coming back?

It seems almost certain that he will be an Av if he plays next year…and he’s mostly headed towards coming back.

6:00 PM - We’ve opened up a section of FaceoffBoards where guests can talk, so you guys can chat about hockey without creating accounts (though I suggest you do so you can post in the other sections ) Enter here:  http://faceoffboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=91

5:56 PM - Mostly been responding to emails directly, cause I’ve been finding out about the places people are finding us on. New question.

who do you think has been the best signing overall this off season? Names jump out like Blow$$a but he’s only a hit and quit thing this year for the Wings and guys like Naslund and Kalinin jump out. Also, who resigned for the best value?

Conklin stands out, Auld is another good one.  Actually, pretty much every backup goalie signed for less than I thought. In my opinion, the best signing so far? Believe it or not, Sean Avery by the Stars. He’s earning about how much he should, but him and Ott are going to be something else together.

5:43 PM - Ah, so its The Insider on Pittsburgh Sports who’s been tipping pens fans off about us. Cool, cool, Pens fans (actually anyone) make sure to check out FaceoffBoards as well!

More emails:

Can you answer for me please. We cannot offer Jagr 12 million for 2 years, 4 million this year and 8 million next year against the cap, because in the NHL that would actually be 6 million a year against the cap? It this true? Because if it is true, then we can forget about Jagr  because we only have 4 million? Or can we trade Sydor and offer Jagr 6 million?

The the cap hit must actually be 4 Million…so 4 this year, 4 the next. It is ALWAYS averaged out.  They would have to trade someone (likely Sydor) to get to the 6 Million mark. Thanks for the email!

5:34 PM - Jan writes:
Jagr to the Oilers?    He only seems to be seeking a 1-2 year deal, and theres rumblings that the Oilers will make a big push for Hossa again next summer. Could Jagr be the stop-gap that improves the Oilers even more short term?

It makes sense, it really does, and I wouldn’t be shocked. He gets to be a hero in Edmonton if he signs, and maybe pushes the Oilers to a potential cinderella team. Thanks for the email!

5:31 PM - Another Pens Email!
The ‘Guins have 8 solid defensemen right now…9 if you count Alex Goligoski.  The Pens will still be VERY balanced on the blue line if they can find a way to dump Sydor and make room to aquire Jagr.  Just a possibility…its what makes this week so fun.

I have a question, Pens fans. Where are you finding out about us? We’ve been practically bombarded by you guys, not a bad thing, but its getting pretty crazy. We’re trying to find a Pens guy right now to help us out Send me an email and tell me where you heard about us.

5:27 PM - Daniel sends this in:

Picking up Jagr would totally change the situation in Pittsburgh. NY doesn’t have the cap room for him anymore without dumping some money so their offer is probably off the table. Some random team…Vancouver/Edmonton could offer him a contract but you have to think about why Jagr would stay in the NHL instead of heading to Russia for 15mil a year and the answer is the Stanley Cup. He’s got a chance if he comes to Pit and I bet Mario’s on the phone telling him that as I type. I say trade Sydor to CHI for a 99^th round draft pick or a case of beer and move his 2.5mil toward what you can offer Jagr.

Good plan, except that the Hawks need to shed salary, so taking him on wouldn’t work.

5:26 PM - The Habs signed goalie Marc Denis, likely to play in the minors next season.

5:24 PM - The Leafs have re-upped Dominic Moore per the Fan 590

5:23 PM - Per InsideSoCal (thanks Cheryl), the Kings have lost Rob Blake to SJ. He signed a 1-year/$5 million deal according to them.

5:22 PM - Nikulin coming now, it’s official

ATLANTA FANS GET UP AND SHOUT!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!

 

Mike Knobler of the AJC is reporting that the last task to accomplish is to craft the contract wording so Ilya Nikulin stays playing in Atlanta and isn’t required to do time in Chicago with the minor league affiliate. Money is agreed upon. Its about time…

 

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/thrashers/stories/2008/07/03/thrashers_0704.html

 

Now, hopefully the Thrash can get something done in the Center/Rightwing area…

5:19 PM - A Kings Website, InsideSoCal, is reporting that Rob Blake could be on the move to cross rival SJ.

5:16 PM - So it looks like no more Jagr to the Rangers, or Pittsburgh, unless they can free up space. Vancouver? Montreal? where will he land now?

5:12 PM - Breaker asks about Montreal:

I’m wondering on what you think the Montrela Canadiens need for the next season? I was thinking a goalscorer….Are there any left? Jagr? Any rumors involving jagr going to a certain team?
Thanks

They need a #4 defenceman badly, or a guy like Pavol Demitra/Jaromir Jagr as well.

Nothing new on them, and none will end up a Hab IMO.

5:10 PM - Alex with a follow up on Vancouver:

What the hell are the Canucks going to do now? There’s basically nobody left unless Gillis can by some miracle lure Sakic, Forsberg or Jagr here…Way to wait it out Gillis, push is on for Tavares now I guess…. Seriously who can we sign aside from Demitra that would make a scoring impact? He better trade for a big scorer…Ship St. Louis

None of the guys above you commented on are going to be in Vancouver.
Demitra is the last viable realistic option, besides St. Louis that we proposed, so Gillis better get cracking quick.

5:08 PM - Alex with a comment earlier I forgot to post:

I was trying to figure out how the Canucks could put together a decent team and this is a lineup, if we could make it happen, that could be decent…

St. Louis- Sedin- Sedin   (St. Louis via trade for Bieksa and maybe someone like Jannick Hansen, Grabner, or maybe Kraijeck and draft pick)
Demitra- Morrison- Naslund
Raymond- Kesler- Burrows
Hordichuk- Johnson- Robitaille

Ohlund- Edler
Salo- Kraijeck
Baumgartener- Kalinin? Modry?

It would be affordable and make for a solid 3 lines plus a pretty good defence corps… any chance? what do you think?

Forget Naslund and Kalinin now, but otherwise, this looks like a very solid possibility. Hopefully Gillis can lure Demitra and St. Louis in, which would be terrific.

5:05 PM - PO comments once more on Hossa:

in respsonse to tyler talking about Ho$$a coming back to the Pens… .NEVER. GOING. TO. HAPPEN….. if you listen to Sugar Ray Shero’s presser from yesterday, he was pissed.. Ho$$a basically said he thought the Pens weren’t good enough to bring home the cup so he signed with a team he thought was better and has a better chance… Shero is pissed, Sid is surely pissed (you shouldnt poke a sleeping bear!) and the city is pissed… we dont want him back… hopefully he tears an ACL or something and gets $4 mil next year from a team like Columbus where he can go and rot.

5:02 PM - Kalinin’s deal is for one season, likely worth between $2-$3 million

5:00 PM - Jan explains why Pit are losers:

To explain my reasoning of Pitt being Losers:

I just feel that Pittsburgh set some goals of what they had planned on the FA market, and none really worked out.

They wanted to keep Hossa; he’s in Detroit.
They wanted to get Jagr; nothing yet, probably not.
They were in contact with Naslund; looks like hes a Ranger.
They contacted Campbell…..nothing there either.

In regards to MFA and EM71.    MFA is a great signing I think, he really came into his own and proved his critics wrong ( me including ). 5mil annually is a solid deal and compared to Huet and Theodore, Fleury is a steal IMO.    As for Malkin, yes this is great, but if this happens 2 months from now then we arent even discussing it right now. In my winner/loser classification im simply referring to UFA’s, Offersheets, and Trades.        Malkin wasnt even a Restricted Free Agent till Next Year, that is why I did not consider EM71 in my Rankings.

4:58 PM - Tyler with an interesting point:

Interesting that Hossa takes a 1 year deal. More interesting that Pens signed Satan and Fedotenko to 1 year deals.  Maybe the Pens want to see if Fedotenko and Satan have chemistry with the team before signing them for 2-3 years . Maybe the Pens are leaving cap space after next season for signing Hossa long term. It’s a possibility. Should draw some questions becuase Miroslav and Ruslan seem to be the kind of players that could have commanded 2-3 year deals easily, and everyone is aware the risk Hossa is taking with that 1 year deal.  Maybe the Hossa hype is not over yet.

4:53 PM - Adam asks:

How do you feel about the Pens unloading Sydor to sign Jagr?  There’s cap room, and I think Jagr could put up 40+ winging the kid. 

It would make sense, like I suggested, place him on waivers and then recall him on re-entry, a team like Tampa could take him off your hands.

4:50 PM -  The Blues re-signed Yan Stastney to a 2-year deal.

4:46 PM - Ilya Nikulin coming to NA for Atlanta, 2nd round pick from 2000

4:43 PM - Figure on that Kalinin deal coming, plus another response to Jan:

How can you call Pittsburgh a loser when they locked up two more key pieces to their youthful core and re-signed their most physical defenceman? In addition you add two wingers who know how to score while being completely fiscally responsible??

Sure we lost a pissload of guys and plenty of grit. Last time I checked, the season started in September, not July. Plenty of time to fine tune through trades or sneaky little signings.

Am i worried about this team?? absolutely not!

Ray Shero is sticking to his plan. I admire him for that. It is too easy to go out and blow your cap space on a big name. Kudo’s to Ray!!!

4:41 PM - The Rangers also picked up Dmitri Kalinin (sorry for the downtime guys, had a server problem) as well as Markus Naslund.

4:34 PM - J sends this:

I’m pretty shocked that no one says the Thrashers are losers, because we feel like losers

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY wants to come here…its VERY depressing!!!!!!  Am I over-reacting?

Just a bit yes

4:32 PM - I am still getting some of your emails way too late (ie I received them 10 minutes after you send). This seems to be an issue with MSN/Hotmail at least for now, and some blackberry clients, so I am replying to everyone, just some later than others.

4:31 PM - Looks like Naslund is off the market.

4:27 PM - Attn: Jan

Still don’t get how you can say the Pens are losers really.  How many teams can say they extended a player like Malkin, re upped their number 1 goalie and one of the top FA D men.  Signed back a versitile player like Dupuis and basically swapped out Laraque for Goddard?

Sure Satan and Fedo aren’t glamour pick up’s, (quick stat, Naslund=81 goals over past 3 seasons, Satan=78) but when you are still left with the core the Pens have, I don’t see how you can say they are losers.

4:26 PM - Sather is rumoured to be announcing the signing of Markus Naslund to a 1-year deal worth $4.5 million, according to the Insider On Pittsburgh Sports. (this is unconfirmed, take it for what it’s worth, we’ll find out in 4 minutes)

4:23 PM - Chicago still is over the cap btw, thanks to Ken for clearing it up:

Regarding your post on the Blackhawks’ cap situation, note that the link includes only 10 forwards (no Skille, for example), nor does it include Cam Barker ($2,768,587) or Jordan Hendry ($625,000), both of whom will play with the big club most of, if not the entire season.

4:21 PM - Rumour: the PC is to announce the signing of Markus Naslund to a possible multi year deal worth $4.5 million per. This is unconfirmed, just an internet rumour.

4:19 PM - It’s official, Glen Sather has a PC in 10 minutes, speculation is rampant…trade, signing, Jagr?

4:15 PM - Jan sends in his winners and losers:

Winners
Detroit ( Hossa )
Edmonton ( Visnovski, Brule, Cole )
Chicago ( Campbell, Huet )
Dallas ( Avery will help big time )
TB ( Vrbata will balance scoring. they NEEEEEED D!!! )

Losers:
Toronto ( only because of Finger…Hagman is a good signing )
Ottawa ( didnt address any need other than Backup Goaltending )
Pittsburgh ( everyone is leaving town )

San Jose ( havent replaced Campbell, also lost Rissmiller )

Take most of these with a grain of salt, because teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, San Jose are all in similar positions. They have a few holes, but are simply not willing to hand over the key to the city along with millions of dollars for free agents. I figure that all three teams and many more that I have not mentioned will be looking to improve through the trade market.

4:11 PM - Kevin sends this in:

I don’t think the Pens panicked with Satan and Fedotenko. Naslund said no, Jagr says he wants to take his time, who’s left? Demitra? Is there a huge difference between Demo and Satan? If Shero waited much longer there wouldn’t be anyone left.

True, but Demitra is much better than Satan at this point, but that could change if the latter wakes up next season alongside Malkin or Crosby.
Shero did what he had to do, besids, I still believe Demitra’s going to Vancouver.

4:09 PM - Daniel Tjarnqvist’s signing is official with the Avs, one year deal.

4:07 PM - Nick sends this:

What do you see the Pens doing with Sydor?  Will they trade him or buy his contract out?  If they trade him, who would want him?

They could try buying him out or even waiving him. I’m sure the Lightning would be desperate enough to pluck him off re-entry waivers.

4:05 PM - Speculation has it NYR could be announcing something at a rumoured conference call at 4:30 PM. Re-signing Jagr? I doubt it.

4:04 PM - Miettinen’s deal is 3 years/$7 million

3:55 PM - Georges Laraque’s signing is official: 3 years/$4.5 million per (kidding, total)

3:52 PM - Another Pens question from Jordan:

I know Shero has put an offer on the table for Matt Cooke, 2 years/$1.6 Million a year, do you see him signing it and also, am I the only one who thinks Shero got nervous, panicked and signed Satan and Fedotenko? From what I’ve heard Mario has called Jagr a couple of time and there was interest from both sides. I’ve been hearing alot of Whitney trade rumors today, any truth to them?

I doubt Whitney is going anywhere first of all, he’s young, improving and should be a mainstay on Pittsburgh’s defence for as long as they can keep him. Second, that offer seems fair for Matt Cooke but with the market exploding, he could get upwards of $2 million (no kidding) and it’s definitely possible Shero panicked: he lost a few key players and needed to replace them, and did so adequately.

3:48 PM - Kai asked me who I thought the winners and losers of this year’s FA frenzy have been so far…

Winners: Tampa (adding several key players up front, bigtime improvement), Chicago (Huet and Campbell),  Edmonton (Cole, Brule, Visnovsky), Detroit (for picking up Hossa like that)…losers: Toronto (Jeff Finger WTF), NYR (Wade Redden gets overpaid bigtime), Columbus (Some good moves, but Mike Commodore’s signing is ridiculous), Boston (Michael Ryder gets $4 million!)

Feel free to send in yours as well!

3:44 PM - Some tidbits on Andrew Brunette:

Hi, I had a question regarding Andrew Brunette… I was wondering what you thought of the situation with the Avs and how he was treated.  It sounded like to me, both he and his agent were kinda blindsided by the fact that not only did they not consider him, but that they didn’t let him know until the last minute.  From what I’ve read, everyone was supposed to be getting a courtesy call and it didn’t sound like they even got that.  Pretty class-less from an organization that is supposed to be classy.  I’m an Avs fan and I’ve loved watching Bruno the past few years.. I think his leadership will be missed and even more, his clutch goals.. I think they made a mistake on this one, sorry… he’ll get back at us with our NW division rivals.

I think this definitely is terrible, wow, and surprising that they didn’t give him a call…

Brunette was the steal of the FA crop IMO, his salary is minimum for what he brings and the Avs will certainly miss a guy like him.
3:42 PM - The Hawks are not over the salary cap? Huh? Take a look here. More emails on the way…

3:38 PM - The Wild sign Antti Miettinen, details to come (as well as more emails, gotta answer them, thanks guys! :D)

3:36 PM - Kevin remarks on Laraque and Recchi:

Laraque a third-liner? I don’t know about that. He doesn’t have the speed for the third line.

Having said that, there’s no one who’s getting the puck from him when he gets control of it behind the net. Great puck control, great passer, will chip in an occasional goal. You may find his enforcer skills might not have as big an effect as you think because everyone’s too scared to fight him. That’s what it seemed like in Pittsburgh. I thought he’d be back and am a little sad he’s not.

Re: Recchi

He’ll always have a place in Pittsburghers hearts, but rumors circulated he was a bit of a cancer in the locker room two seasons ago. Atlanta did him a favor taking him off waivers. You can bash him for his comments, but he’s being honest, isn’t he? We hate athletes who pay “lip service” by saying “I want to return, great place here” and then DON’T, now we bash them when they’re honest? Having said THAT, did he at least thank Atlanta for resuscitating his career a little? He should’ve done that at least. Maybe he was being a little too harsh though.

3:34 PM - The Wild are close to signing Antti Miettinen, rumour.

3:31 PM - Thanks for that Jeff, now back to bizness…interesting email I just received, should generate some good new talk.

3:29 PM - The Faceoff Boards are having a contest! What do you have to do? Just sign up @ http://faceoffboards.com/register.php  and make 20 posts. A random who joins in the next two days and does this will get a prize from us! (Right now its $15, I’m trying to find something hockey related though)

3:24 PM - Matt from Pens Central sends in another Pens question: (let’s try and get some new topics in guys, enough with the Pens and Nucks already haha :p )

 

now that the pens got fed and satan for the wings.  what happens with staal.  my friend told me today he saw a shero presser and he said staal will be taking malones time on 5v5 and on the powerplay.  just something to think about.

 

matt from pens central

Staal could probably move to Malone’s spot, correct, on the wing with Crosby and Sykora.

On the PK, I imagine he’ll play centre.

3:20 PM - Seth sends this in on Pittsburgh (lots of Pens and Nucks fans here these past few days, haha):

Great job the past couple days with the updates on the free agency market.

 

I was just wondering, where are the Pens now in terms of salary cap, and what could that mean to chances of signing Jagr and/or Naslund??
thanks dude.

Last time I heard, it was just about $3.5 million…so no chance unless Sydor is dumped or some salary is shed.

3:17 PM - Andy Strickland saying that Dan Boyle’s agent claims that his client is leaning towards not waiving his NTC. Plus, Jaromir Jagr is going to wait before deciding per TSN.

3:14 PM - That’s the fourth signing of the day, leaving the big fish still out there.

3:11 PM - This is an unconfirmed report flying around the net right now btw, I hope it’s nothing more than $1.5 million per season.

3:09 PM - You have no idea how happy I am we’ve picked up an enforcer, something that’s been lacking way too much for way too long around here. Laraque is a good 3rd line plug who can score occasionally, so I am satisfied, but I hope Gainey isn’t done.

3:07 PM - MONTREAL signs GEORGES LARAQUE!

3:06 PM - John from GA adds to Recchi:

Just to add fuel to the ‘Recchi’s An Ass file’, he continued the “uhhhh, no” with this little gem:

“At some point,” Recchi continued, “there would probably be more teams but I don’t want to be on a bad team again. I know what my role is now and I want to be on a good team that has a chance.

I can’t post what I think about Recchi as it would surely be deleted immediately. The Thrashers may not be the best team in the NHL, but we saved his old balding a$$ from waivers last year.

Incidentally, have there been any rumblings regarding Atlanta and a UFA or RFA RW or C? We’ve still got alot of $$$ to spend down here…

Thanks for the quote John, and no, nothing new on the Thrashers either

2:58 PM - Be back in 5, keep them emails coming!

2:56 PM - Tim sends this in:

Is there a possibility that Canucks might be going after Dan Boyle? They need scoring, and even though Dan Boyle isnt a forward, he does put up some good numbers.

And, will the Canucks be going the Trade route now that Sundin is waiting and Hossa is signed?

It could be plausible, but the real question is: does Boyle want to be a Canuck?

Bieksa+Mitchell for him sounds fair. I think if anything they’ll pick up Demitra and maybe bring back Markus, otherwise, wait for Sundin.

2:53 PM - Some more on Satan, Pens fans, what do you think?

Some other things on Satan. Lot of people seem to think he’ll play with Malkin and Sykora. My question: is there enough pucks on the ice for that trio?

2) He reportedly contacted the Pens. That shows he wants to be there.
3) One year deal means he’ll be trying hard so he can earn another paycheck next year.

He may not be a prime-time, top-line winger anymore but he’s better than Colby Armstrong (sorry Colby! Still love you).

2:52 PM - Some defence for Recchi from Ken:

Not trying to pick a fight, just had to stick up for the “Recch’n’ ball”

In response to the guy calling Recchi an asshole…would he have preferred him to say yes he was going to return and then sneak out the back door? I didnt realize honesty made you an asshole. Id love to see him back in Pittsburgh. Hes a good guy, Ive never heard any gripes about him in the media. He actually went and picked up Armstrong and Christensen from the airport when they were sent to that god awful team….he made the arrangements for Staal to get to his grandfathers funeral during the playoffs…sounds like a real asshole to me.

Thanks for this Ken, I’m the one who called him an asshole, mainly because I never liked him, but this somewhat softens my stance, so thanks, and sorry if I offended you a bit.

2:49 PM - Still nothing new on Naslund, Jagr, Demitra…

2:42 PM - By the way, let me take a minute to encourage you to sign up at our official boards (the banner is just above) if you want to talk more hockey with a fun community. Send in your emails, anything you like, we’ll get a topic started again like this morning…

2:36 PM - Montreal signs Alex Henry and Cedrick Desjardins.

2:34 PM - Greg writes:

I have faith to burn it’s all the drinking I can’t afford:) To me over the years we have tried to piece a team together rather than rebuild. If they are sticking to this rebuild then yes we look great. The Kings have quite a bit of cap space and there is not much left in the pool. Do you feel that they will bring in a couple of vets to mold these young players? Will Doughty and Hickey be ready for the NHL this year?

A couple of vets would do just that, but sadly Dean Lombardi isn’t keen on picking anyone up this offseason, and good for him, leaving that valuable keep space alone to re-sign his young stars very soon.

I don’t think either will make the jump next year to be quite honest, Hickey still has a way to go while Doughty might just need a year or two before getting the call.

2:31 PM - He posted a whopping 2 assists all season long with the Flames last year in 58 GP

2:30 PM - This might’ve gone under the radar, but the Yotes picked up defenceman David Hale.

2:27 PM - This furthens my idea that Mark Recchi is an asshole, from J:

Ouch!  (got this from the AJC)

The Kamloops Daily News reports that Kamloops native Mark Recchi told them Tuesday night he was close to signing a contract with an NHL team. I can’t find a link, but here is the key content:

“Recchi, who turned 40 on Feb. 1, split last season between the Pittsburgh Penguins, who waived him after 19 games, and the Atlanta Thrashers, totaling 48 points in 72 games. With Atlanta, he had 40 points, including 12 goals, in 53 games.

“Recchi earned $1.75 million last season, down from $2.28 million in each of the two previous seasons. Asked if there was any chance he would return to Atlanta, Recchi replied: ‘Uhhh … no.’ “

(You’re 40yrs old Mark…we don’t want you anyways!)

2:26 PM - Kevin shares some good thoughts on Miro and Fedotenko going to the Pens:

I can live with those. Satan was a name I considered from the start (don’t think that means I had him high though; had Vrbata, Huselius, Naslund and one or two others higher) but his age was a little concern, as was his drop in production. Though the Islanders weren’t very good so that had to be considered. I think Satan is a slight reclamation project, but if anyone can do that, it’s Sid. Plus he always seems to kill us, so that’s one less player to worry about.

I’m fine with Fedotenko too. He’ll probably see time with Sid at some point as well, given how Therrien juggles his lines. He’ll probably be a decent producer (whether that’s goals, energy or what, we’ll see).

I didn’t even think of Fedotenko as an option (okay, briefly, weeks ago), but both guys have shown in the past they can score. I’m not overjoyed, nor am I planning a parade, but I am fine with these moves. I don’t know if Jagr would’ve fit in well here with Sid and Malkin (could he have handled living in their shadows? how would the fans have reacted?) and maybe I would’ve preferred Naslund, but there’s not much risk with just one-year deals.

2:22 PM - Speculation has it Dan Boyle has said no to waive his NTC to go to a certain team, but hasn’t ruled out for any others that could be offered to him.

2:20 PM - Reportedly, the B’s are trying to land Jaromir Jagr, according to some local radio stations (take it for what it’s worth).

2:16 PM - Andrew’s a fan of the signings made by Pit:

Hey guys, I’m a fan of the signings made by the Pens.  Both are low risk high reward situations.  Satan, I believe can have a resurgence of sorts playing alongside sykora and malkin.  He’s been lazy in the past but therrien and co should keep his head in the game.  Fedotenko is capable of going to the net and getting 15-20 goals.  Postgazette’s article states that the pens signed these guys when they were told they would not be able to sign naslund.  

I still feel like shero needs to sign another winger, I’m thinking maybe Jason Williams.. what do you think? 

Williams would be a decent pickup, but he’s too soft for my liking. A guy like Mike York is more appealing, despite some struggles, or Mark Recchi perhaps?

2:13 PM - The Lightning sign Wyatt Smith, and the Canes wrap up Dwight Helminen

2:05 PM - Alex talks trade:

Do you think there is any chance of a big trade happening something along the lines of….. Kevin Bieksa and a draft pick (or a quality Dman) for someone like Martin St.Louis?? Would address both teams needs, and would be a good trade I think…

Very interesting scenario.

If the Bolts can land two decent defencemen for St. Louis I think they’d sacrifice him and keep Dan Boyle.

Bieksa and a guy like Willie Mitchell for St. Louis would make sense.

2:03 PM - Verle says:

I dont know what to think of this..It’s hard to determine if Satan is past his prime and can be a legitimate top performer. Fedotenko is a good deal. Im curious, how do you feel about teh 3.5 for Satan?

Good News - Fleury’s deal. Solid.

 

Where does this leave the Pens with Naslund and Jagr? Any news? Can either fit?

It’s just a one year deal, and considering the potential payoff, it’s not that bad of a signing at all.
Fleury’s deal is solid, and could probably influence Carey Price’s deal from Montreal in a few years.

Naslund and Jagr won’t fit any in unless Darryl Sydor is dumped or if some salary is shed.

2:01 PM - Greg sends this in on the Kings:

Where are the Kings going. We seem to rebuild every other year and this is getting old. When we lost the Stanley Cup I was crushed, but I was more upset at the fact that the Duck won the cup before us. We are considered the Clippers of the NHL. I have been a Kings, Lakers, and Angels fan for about 20 years with pride. The Angels and Lakers do not win every year, but over most of those years they have tried to put a good team on the field, or floor, I cannot say the same for the Kings. I will never become a Ducks fan, but maybe we should look at the way the Red Wings run their club and take some notes.

The Kings are a good young bunch buddy.

So much potential is in your club, one day, it could be scary…Frolov, Kopitar, Brown, Bernier, Johnson, Doughty, Hickey to name a few.
Stick with them man, don’t lose faith, the day will come.

1:59 PM - Beatign a dead horse: The St. Petersburg times and the Tampa Tribune are both reporting the Bolts asked Dan Boyle to waive his NTC.

1:57 PM - OT: The emails coming mostly from hotmail accounts are taking longer to get here, at least some are, which is weird. I suggest Google Mail, it’s by far the best I’ve ever had. (back on topic now, lol)

1:55 PM - Matt asks:

So does this mean Shero is done making moves? I have a feeling he might not be. What do you think?

I feel he’s done making them as well, might try to move Sydor or pick up some depth, but that’s about it IMO.

1:54 PM - Mark:
“Meh.”

I think we’re seeing flashbacks of signing Ziggy Palffy, but at least they’re only one year contracts.

Satan has the skill, but not the heart. I’m sure he’ll do well on a line with Malkin and Sykora.

1:53 PM - WiseYoda with the following:

Satan\Fedotenko are no Naslund\Jagr… so I’m still hoping that with the $3.5 mil they have left ($6 mil if they get rid of Sydor for a bag of pucks) they can work on some top line love for Sid.  Dupius - Sid - Satan doesn’t really invoke fear in the heart of evil doers.  But Satan - Malkin - Sykora certainly would.  Let’s go Ray, one more top liner!
~WiseYoda

1:51 PM - Kevin’s reaction to Fleury signing:

My thoughts? Woohoo!

1:50 PM - Alex McPhee asks:

I’m starting to wonder if Mike Gillis is making a run at Tavares…..Any word on anything happening in Vancouver yet?

Nothing yet, Naslund is reportedly going to make a decision soon.

Plus, Demitra could always sign…sorry bud.

1:47 PM - Your reactions to this Pens fans?

1:44 PM - My suggestion was heard, and Satan signed. He should rebound playing some top minutes with Malkin or Crosby. As for Fedotenko, he can provide some secondary relief.

1:43 PM - It’s a one year deal worth $3.5 million and Ruslan Fedotenko, a 1 year deal worth $2.25 million! Rejoice Pens fans! Some decent help is on the way!

1:42 PM - PITTSBURGH SIGNS SATAN!

1:40 PM - Weird…I’m getting most of your emails on a 10 minute delay, for some reason.

1:38 PM - Andrew sends this in:  Any truth to the Kubina for Little rumour?

Doubt it, take that one with a grain of salt, some guy sent it in.

1:37 PM - Jarrett asks:

Any word on naslund??? Any chance that the Pens are still in the running or did his salary demand rise over 4.5 mil???

According to the most recent entry, he’s spoken to them and will make a decision soon.
I doubt it goes over $5 million to be honest, a 3 year deal in the range of $12-15 million sounds right.

1:34 PM - Naslund suitors down to Vancouver, Minnesota, Rangers and Pens. An announcement should come soon to where he’s going according to Pittsburgh Live Sports.

1:32 PM - MA Fleury signs a 7 year/$35 million extension with the Pens! Your thoughts?

1:30 PM - It’s a 2-way deal, so I doubt what I just said. He’s the first signing of the day…hurrah!

1:27 PM - Keith Aucoin’s deal is 2 years with the Caps, and could mean Matt Cooke/Sergei Fedorov are out the door.

1:25 PM - Speculation has it that the Oilers are trying to sign Jagr. Some more on Dan Boyle here.

1:24 PM - Some minor signings by Dallas: TSN

1:22 PM - Team 990 in Montreal reporting that George Laraque could finish his career as a Hab, hinting Montreal could pick him up. Jason Williams is another guy that’s been talked about too. Also, Martin Straka is done with the NHL and will go home (:() according to the Fan 590.

1:21 PM - Daniel asks:

Any options left through UFAs for the Wild to upgrade at forward (esp. center position)?

Josef Vasicek, Sergei Fedorov and Bryan Smolinski are a few guys out there, Fedorov would be a great pickup.

1:19 PM - Alright, let’s get back on here guys, send in your emails and we’ll chat.

Wieteze has the following:

For the teams that are looking to strenghten their defense (Senators, Lightning, Rangers, Penguins, Trashers, Sharks?) their are still some sweet alternatives besides Boyle. How about Rob Blake for example, haven’t seen a word about him the last days! Or how about defenseman like UFA’s Kalinin and Hill? (Could be that I’ve missend somet development about their situations)

Kalinin is an intriguing option, he can play offence but his work ethic has been questioned. Hill and Blake are both aging…

12:44 PM - Andy from Norway sends this in

The Pens should definitevely look at trading, either now or next summer, in order to build a solid team for the next decade. They can’t afford keeping three centermen like Crosby, Malkin and Staal under the salary cap. If they truly believe Staal can blossom into a great two-way forward (think Brind’amour) they should aim at having him leading their 2nd line along with two physical forwards. Those forwards could be brought in via this trade, signed as FA’s or drafted with picks from this trade (long term). If they rather would have two run-and-gun lines centered by Malkin and Crosby they should trade Staal to some other team who thinks highly of him. This will also bring alot back via trade and the Pens could then seek to improve their defence.

If they keep all three centermen Staal will likely center their 3rd line and command 5 mill+ i salary. This will leave the team with holes on their defensive pairings as they cannot afford bringing in enough quality D-men.

I’m guessing that come the time when little Staal is RFA, the Pens will try to trade him. For now they’re just utilizing his talent at low cost. Just like they’ve done with both Crosby and Malkin.

Andy from Norway

12:40 PM - Sorry I took so long guys, swamped at work… Habs Trade Mikhail Grabovski to the Leafs for Greg Pateryn (2008th rnd pick) and a  2nd in 2010.

12:03 PM - I’m going to run out to get some lunch guys, be back in 20 or so. Hang in there!

12:01 PM - Some minor signings: defenceman Sean Curry was signed to a 2-year deal by the Flyers; they also officially announced the signing of Nate Raduns to a 1-year deal while the Islanders re-signed their AHL stars Mike Iggulden and Brett Skinner to one year, 2 way deals. (thanks Rick)

11:59 AM - Ottawa Citizen quote from Bryan Murray:

But at least in Boyle’s case, the size and term of his contract made it impossible for the Senators to take it on. Boyle, who will be 32 on July 12, has a contract that will pay him $6.67 million in each of the next five years.

“That’s the problem,” said Murray. “It’s money and age a little bit. We’ve talked to both teams, but what it comes down to is that it’s difficult for us at this point in time.”

So they were never really into it in the end.

11:58 AM - By the way, some players that were non tendered…the list can be found here. Nothing really major.

11:54 AM -………….nothing yet

11:50 AM - According to their “trusted sources”, he rejected an offer the Lightning presented him with.

11:48 AM - RDS reporting that Dan Boyle does NOT want to be dealt. Even to his home town of Ottawa? I guess the beaches in Tampa are good enough, plus the team got much better.

11:44 AM - Rob sends this in:

Hey: great site…are the devils actually going after shanahan also? i guess they could also invite ken danyeko to camp this year too!

Shanahan never got an offer from the Devils and was baffled at all the talk about him going there, according to a report yesterday, so I’m not sure of the chances of him ending up in NJ next season. Daneyko…nice, haha.

11:43 AM - Capitals sign centre Keith Aucoin, David Koci to Tampa now official.

11:40 AM - Jan reminds us something very important:

Just remember that Boyle is an Ottawa native, and Ottawa needs a puckmoving defensman. The Senators also have plenty of Cap Room as they failed to sign any big name FA so far. Why wouldnt Boyle want to waive his NTC to return home to his old stomping grounds?        A Meszaros + Pick for Boyle sounds like an option, as TB needs some cap relief.      Murray, please dont trade Vermette….what am I gonna do with my #20 Jersey?

It would take more than just that to get Boyle IMO, at least Meszaros and Vermette, possibly a mid-end prospect/pick.

11:35 AM - Back to the Pens again, courtesy of Daniel:

So anyway back to the Pens. In his conference yesterday Ray Shero said that there would be some signings within 24 hours. He also said that he has players calling that want to come to Pittsburgh. Shero said that he only wants players that want to be here and not players that are just looking at a big paycheck. Do you think that Shero will sign someone today? There are alot of 2 tier players out there right now that I think could help shore up some grit and some help in the faceoff department and dont forget it wouldnt help to get a veteran since scary gary has gone to tampa! 

Ladislav Nagy? Brendan Shanahan? How about those guys? Miro Satan? Shanahan could probably replace Roberts and do more offensively.

11:30 AM - Kevin, with one last comment on Gonchar/St. Louis:

Late to the party (I was asleep :P) but on paper, sure, Gonchar for St. Louis looks pretty good. I’d love to have St. Louis on Crosby’s wing. But you have to take in other factors, like P.O. did. If Whitney had advanced, rather than regressed, last year, I might consider it, but Gonchar’s too valuable at this point. Whitney couldn’t even QB the No. 2 PP unit, let alone the top.

Very intriguing idea though, I’ll admit.

11:28 AM - It’s been over 12 hours since the last UFA signing (Kristian Huselius)…

11:27 AM - Buffalonian shares some insight on Boyle to BUF:

Not sure why Buffalo would want Boyle at 6 million…They could have had Campbell at that figure.  Plus, we have a young puck-moving defenseman in Sekera and need to add a physical D to the group.  Loved what Funk showed and happy for him to be full-time next year, but could use one more.  Love the idea floated on the Buffalo News Sabres Edge blog of getting McKee back in town via trading Max…Wishful thinking though

McKee is definitely awesome, but aging and he’s been hit by injuries if I’m not mistaken.

11:25 AM - Brandon comments on my Jordan Staal question earlier:

In regards to your “what do pens think of jordan staal”, I love the guy, and so does any person who really knows the game of hockey. While Crosby and Malkin were putting pucks in the net in the playoffs, Staal ruined the games of such allstars as the alfredson-heatley-spezza combination and guys like briere and zetterburg. If you go back and watch the tapes, you’ll see everytime one of those guys stepped on the ice, therrien got staal at there. a very underrated defensive forward, but not for long!

11:23 AM - Seb sends this in:

Hey, my first time writing. Great blog, I love it.

Darren Dreger is reporting that 24 hours ago, a Dan Boyle deal was out of the question, but now, it is a very big possibility, with at least 4 teams involved. Eklund reports a Boyle deal is imminent, and the teams potentially involved are :
Ottawa
Philadelphia
San Jose
Buffalo
Montreal
Boyle has a NTC, so if Boyle likes the east coast weather, he may not move at all.

Keep up the great work!

Hey Seb!

Thanks a lot, much appreciated.

Dreger is connected, so this rumour might have more to it than we think, could be an interesting day if Boyle is dealt and Demitra/Naslund sign.

11:21 AM - Daniel asks about Boyle to Philly Eklund rumour:

Boyle to Philly? Ok so who is Philly unloading then since they are already over the cap by a mil? Is there really that much interest in Boyle?

I don’t know how the Flyers could do this, unless they trade Joffrey Lupul, I can’t see them getting Boyle.
Actually, they might be banking on freeing up space by putting Derian Hatcher on the long term IR, where his salary doesn’t count against the cap.
11:18 AM - Jordan sends in this comment:

Haha. Great find with that Demitra story. Never heard that before. Sounds like a class act.
Going offline to sleep now. Just discovered your site today and I love it. You guys are doing a great job, keep it up. 

Take care buddy, and thanks! That Demitra story really touched me too, what a classy move!

11:15 AM - Send your emails in! Always willing to chat with you guys…what do you think of this Dan Boyle rumour?

11:09 AM - I hate doing this, but Eklund says 5 teams are involved: Ottawa, Philly, SJ, Buffalo and Montreal. Grain of salt as always.

11:06 AM - At this moment of very severe non-activity, I’m going to go over the line of not mentioning Eklund at all here today (or practically not) and say he’s put an “e4″ on a Boyle deal being imminent. There has been no indication he wants to waive his NTC, as TSN reported earlier this morning, he was approached in an effort to do so. Unless they fetch a good return for Boyle, I dont see this being worth-while.

11:02 AM -  Nothing new to report just now.

10:55 AM - Georges Laraque turned down an offer to play for the Preds recently, while the Oilers remain interested according to the Edmonton Journal

10:52 AM - A little off topic, but by looking at Pavol Demitra’s Wikipedia page, I came across this lovely gem:

Playing for St. Louis Blues in 1999–2000 Demitra made a significant gesture toward his teammate Scott Young in a last game of regular season against Los Angeles Kings. Young needed one goal to launch his 300 000$ bonus for scoring 25 goals (he had 24 at the time). Demitra himself was in pursuit of 90 points plateau for which he would collect 500 000$ in bonuses (he had 89 at the time). In the waning seconds of the game Demitra rushed toward an open net. He did not shoot, instead he passed the puck to Young. However Young’s shot was blocked by defenceman Jaroslav Modry and both players ran short of the bonuses. Asked by reporters after the game why he gambled his 500 000$ Demitra simply said:” Scott just needed this goal.” General Manager Larry Pleau still awarded both players with bonuses.

10:45 AM - Marcel Hossa has signed a deal with Dynamo Riga to play overseas next year as well as Ruzicka.

10:44 AM - Pat writes:

I know Smith brings great intangibles, but from the folks on various forums (you know, the ones who know EVERYTHING about hockey) I read that he really struggled on the ice with Philly last year. 

He’s lost a step or two over the years, but he can still bring it, I was impressed whenever I saw him play. He’s much better than most defencemen his age, never mind those pessimists. He gets the job done, that’s what matters in the end

A guy who’s struggled on the ice with Philly is Derian Hatcher, not Jason Smith.

10:38 AM - Do you think the Caps aren’t going to repeat next season? What do you think? By losing Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov, possibly Matt Cooke…I’d say no. Losing Huet was a massive blow. Fedorov was exceptional under Bruce Boudreau and Cooke is the type of guy any team would love to  have, a class one agitator.

10:35 AM - Pat asks:

Where are you hearing the Jason Smith to Carolina rumor, and what does he have left in the tank?

Hey Pat, we don’t bring up rumours from any “sources” here, we only report what we read or hear around the net (newspapers, etc.).
Take that with a grain of salt, someone emailed it in, but to be quite honest, Smith is a big guy who can really play defence, any team would probably love to have him. Plus he’s a leader…I’d say he’s still got a bit left in the tank, on a short term deal, it could pay off.

Thanks for the email!

10:30 AM - Scott writes:

Great job with the site,

I find it funny that people on the Leafs board are comparing Fletcher to JFJ, with some wanting JFJ back. My question is, what do you think the Leafs would get if Kubina were to be traded?

Thanks!

Kubina’s value is at an all time high now that his NTC is gone and the market for defencemen has become expensive.

First off, I respect JFJ, but Fletcher is light years better than him, so tell them they’re nuts!

As for the trade…I’m guessing Kubina could get you a scoring line player, maybe a 2nd line center? Or if you want to go younger, maybe a high end prospect, a checking liner and a high draft choice?

Just speculating here, my buddy Jeff can probably give you a better answer (he’s a Leafs fan too!)

10:26 AM - According to today’s Ottawa Sun, the Jackets, Canucks and Thrashers are all after Andrej Meszaros and Antoine Vermette from Ottawa. A later report suggests Ottawa is looking for a defeceman via trade.

10:23 AM - Interesting quotes from Jaro Jagr that appeared in some NY newspapers today:

“I think they’re happy with what they got,” Jagr said of the Rangers. “The guys they got are what they feel they needed.”
Asked if he thought he could return to the Rangers, he replied: “That’s a tough question. To be honest, at times like this, I don’t think you should think. Because you might think something and get hurt. This is a business.
“But it doesn’t look to me like I was their first choice. And I don’t know if I was No.2 or No.3.”

Some quotes from Chris Drury too: link

10:20 AM - Stefan Ruzicka has signed a contract with Spartak Moscow of the Continental League. He was an RFA for the Flyers, they will still retain his NHL rights.

10:14 AM - That was 10, lol, anyway here’s Colin with another proposal:

Cheers all, you guys are doing a fantasic job.

 

Regarding the Pens…

 

What would you think of a Sydor and pick / role player for Havlat swap?  Chicago needs to clear cap room and Havlat, when healthy is a fantastic winger.  Plus, Havlats contract comes off the books next year when Evgeni Malkin’s and hopefully Jordan Staal’s new deals kick in.

 

Thanks!

Thanks Colin, glad you’re turning in!

As for this proposal, sure the Hawks want to dump salary, but this wouldn’t be the best way to do it; Sydor is way past his prime while Havlat can be of use to them when healthy. It would take more than just this to acquire him, even if he’s known for his injury proneness.

Cheers! And as for Jordan Staal, what do you Pens fans think of him? He hasn’t really done too much since breaking in…is he’s going to be a late bloomer like his bro Eric?

10:04 AM - Be back in about 10 guys, gotta run out quick, keep them emails coming!

10:02 AM - Andy emails us again:

Dan and P.O. are all right! The Pens have a real good Offense and they have even the chance to add Jagr, Demitra or Naslund. In addition to that they should sign one physical Forward.
I don’t see a better Team than Pittsburgh - in the East!

Andy (Germany)

10:01 AM - Reports out of Raleigh suggesting that Frank Kaberle might be on the chopping block.

10:00 AM - Still no signings to report…

9:54 AM - Dan tunes in on “RAY SHERO WE TRUST”:

WOW!!!!!!!! I believe that the pens not making a significant signing ie. overpaying somebody just to appease the masses has made my fellow penguinites lose their mind. GET RID OF GONCH ARE YOU SERIOUS! It is a complete crime that he wasnt nominated for the Norris this year and that he is so underrated, without him I believe the powerplay falls apart and also he is Geno’s best friend and only fellow russian on the team, boy with all that we would be in trouble next year. Pens fans just need to relax like Shero said yesterday we have a core group and we want to build around that. IN SHERO WE TRUST!

I am not suggesting to get rid of Gonch, but trade him for a guy who could explode with Crosby…but like P.O.pointed out below, it would definitely hurt off the ice as well.

And yes you’re totally right, Habs fans have had this going for them as well, just look at Michael Ryder’s salary and tell me with a straight face he’s worth $4 million a year after his craptastic season with us.  He could probably rebound, but that’s just too much money. Same for Wade Redden.

9:51 AM - I’m surprised Rob Blake’s name hasn’t been mentioned much these past few days.

9:50 AM - P.O. from PA shoots down the trade, as Gonchar is worth more than he seems:

P.O. writing in live from Pittsburgh, PA

let me start by saying you guys have been doing an outstanding job, the only two sites i have had open the entire free agent period have been yours and the pensblog

anyhow, Sergei Gonchar is not going anywhere.  here are a few reasons:

1) he QBs the powerplay, when he was out during the SCF game 5 for the third period and overtime our PP was lost and didnt know what to do, we dont have another player experienced enough yet to run the point

2) he is our best defensemen… at $5 mil per season he is an absolute BARGAIN… NYR are paying Rosipuke the same amount… if not for some guy in detroit who shall remain nameless, Gonchar could have won the Norris

3) he is Geno Malkin’s landlord, buddy, translater, etc,etc…. the guy lives with and helps get accustomed to American culture the #2 greatest player in the entire world who just signed a new 5 year extension

4) he is one of the unspoken team leaders… theres a reason he wears the A… if not for Sid, it would be a C 

Hey P.O!

Thanks for the kind words, really appreciate them, it’s an honour to be this recognized by the best fans of the best sport in the world!

What I think? I think you’re dead on here, this is a very telling comment…there would be downsides to this deal, like you’re pointing out, but doesn’t the prospect of having Crosby play with St. Louis sound somewhat awesome?

9:46 AM - Mark says the deal is a great idea on the surface, but would end up hurting both teams as well:

On the surface, the idea of trading Gonchar — an offensive defenseman — for a much-needed first line winger is a great idea. You’ve got plenty of offensive defensemen both on the big club, in addition to some prospects like Goligoski waiting in the wings. The problem with this idea, though, is that Gonchar has truly turned into one of the most steady defensive defensemen that the Pens have as well; in the playoffs, Gonchar was essentially the Penguins’ second best defensive defenseman in addition to having a booming shot from the point and providing a great breakout pass. You’re not just giving up an offensive force in Gonchar, you’re giving up a two-way defenseman that is essentially the cornerstone of the Penguins’ blueline.

I don’t think St. Louis, as good a player as he is, is worth Gonchar. Whitney, maybe, but not Gonchar.

9:45 AM - Jordan weighs in with another good comment on a potential Gonchar/St. Louis deal:

The St. Louis for Gonchar idea is pretty interesting. Both players are making close to the same next year (5 million and 6 million, respectively) and would fill both team’s current needs. Pittsburgh needs someone to offset the losses of Malone and Hossa, St. Louis would for sure help their situation up front. Lightning have probably one of the weakest defenses right now and don’t really have anyone reliable past Boyle and Kuba. Gonchar would help bigtime, and having two scoring d-men would make the Bolts more dangerous on the PP.

The reports of Boyle being traded sound pretty odd, as I have no idea why they would want to make their back end weaker…I don’t think any of Tampa’s other defensemen are terrible. O’Brien, Lukowich, Ranger are (for the most part) solid NHL’ers. Just not the calibre most teams have filling out 4 of their 6 spots.

Overall, I don’t think the Gonchar for St. Louis trade will happen. But if it was offered, and I was Feaster, I think I would take it. While Pittsburgh’s defense won’t be as bad as Tampa’s was previously if the deal goes down…I think the loss of Gonchar will be something Ray Shero won’t live with. No matter how good a player St. Louis is. And same goes for Tampa…losing St. Louis makees their team look kind of bare up front for consistent scoring. But who knows, it could happen if the Bolts have that much faith in Malone, Prospal and Vrbata to score enough to compensate for St. Louis.
9:43 AM - Petteri Nokelainen’s re-signing with Boston is official: the terms were reportedly 2 years/$1.7 million total.

9:42 AM - Andrew asks about potential favourites in the East: (more emails coming guys, phew, haha)

Hey, I know that you’re a Habs fan and I’m a Pens fan.  I was just wondering what you were thinking about the Eastern Conference next year as far as favorites.  In my eyes its gotta be the Habs and the Pens.  Tampa Bay has went out and spent a lot of money, but their defense is still paper thin.  Philly is handcuffed by the salary cap and they had to get very hot at the right moment to get by you guys last year and they promptly got spanked by us.  New Jersey is going back to 1996 and the Caps are trying to rely on Jose Theodore.  So I just wanted to see what you guys thought about the Eastern Conference as it stands today… 

Montreal: Still basically the same team, re-sign Kostitsyn to a good deal and picked up Tanguay, now we only need a guy like Josef Vasicek and Steve Montador to fill out the two remaining holes. I may be biased, but I believe they’re the team to beat in the conference.
Pittsburgh: Lost some important depth up front, but Crosby and Malkin can still handle the load. Plus if Jordan Staal plays to his potential and Jaromir Jagr is signed, I’d consider them favourites for sure in the Atlantic, possibly the East as well.
Philadelphia: Inconsistency, salary problems and a questionable aging defence (aka Derian Hatcher, losing Jason Smith) put them out of favour for me; they got lucky against the Habs last year and the Penguins fittingly destroyed them. They have a dangerous team on paper, but maybe a new coach is the way to go.
Rangers: I wouldn’t be suprised if they fought for their playoff lives, having lost important players up front (but picking up Zherdev was a good plan). Jagr might come back, and Wade Redden is alright…but I just don’t see it all coming together next year Ranger fans, too many holes to fill, not enough grit (Avery’s loss, Voros isn’t at his level).
Tampa: The most improved team in the NHL, but their defence is woeful. They need to get somebody bigtime there, trading Dan Boyle is NOT the way to go.

NJ: I don’t know what’s in store for them, but they have a good enough offence/defence tandem to get them those 2-1 wins with Marty in net.
Washington: HUGE disappointment for them not signing Cristobal Huet, Theodore is an average goaltender who heated up in his contract year to fight for his career. He might put up decent numbers, but come on, Huet basically carried them into the playoffs, can Theodore do the same after stinking it up against Detroit in the 2nd round?

Thanks for the question, the answer is evident…the Habs and Pens are still favourites.

9:35 AM - Ok guys, I’m going to take a few minutes to answer all your emails…I’ve got a few, haha, thanks!

9:32 AM - Pat Hickey’s suggesting Montreal forget about Sundin and move on; I agree, if the guy can’t make his mind up already then let him be. Todd Bertuzzi, Pavol Demitra and Markus Naslund are all guys I would inquire about if I were Bob Gainey, heck even Josef Vasicek if we miss out on these.

9:30 AM - Alright, another reaction from Jay on the Gonchar to Tampa proposal, seems to be a good deal so far:

As a pens fan, I would love that proposed deal with Gonchar.  While he has become our best defenceman, with the re-signing of Orpik and Eaton we have enough quality dmen to get by.  In terms of offence from the backline, we have Whitney, Letang, and management is high on prospect Alex Goligoski (set an AHL record for playoff scoring for a dman last year)–he is expected to make the team this year.  In getting st. louis, crosby would get the type of sniper he needs to be even better than he is now.  He has not yet had a consistent finisher for more than a month or 2 in his career.  Tampa would love what Gonchar gives on both ends of the ice as well.

9:23 AM - Keep those emails coming guys! I’ll be right back in a few minutes.

9:21 AM - Flyguys are $1 million over the cap…just an FYI for Flyers fans.

9:17 AM - I just saw this on TSN’s official site: Brian Burke is STILL playing the blame game and going after Kevin Lowe, this time saying the reason for the inflation in salaries for young players is his fault. Give it a break Brian. Check out their video section on this page for the clip

9:15 AM - Andrew’s comment:
With the Pens having so many NHL ready defensemen now a trade definitely makes sense.  Ryan Whitney had a shaky year last year, which gives me trepidations about trading Gonchar initially but the Kris Letang made great strides last year and they have Alex Goligoski waiting in the wings (also an offensive minded defenseman) so getting rid of Gonchar and his 5 million cap hit wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

I’ve always liked St. Louis.  He’s really short but his lower body is huge (legs like tree trunks).  He scores, he’s speedy, and would make a great wing for Crosby.  So I would approve of this deal…. How many years are left on his deal, what is his cap hit? 

Glad to hear you approve!

St. Louis is locked up until 2010-211, after which he hits free agency, and gets paid an affordable $5.25 million per season until then.

Gonchar has a $5 million salary and his deal expires one season before St. Louis’s…

9:13 AM - Andy comments on Gonchar/St. Louis, Andrew’s comment is coming as well:

I don’t think the Pens should trade Gonchar. They need him more than any other player. Gonchar is a solid veteran defenseman, having a lot of ice-time and the number-one defender of pittsburghs special-teams. I would be a fault to trade him …
But the Pens could need some physical Forwards, because they lost Hall, Roberts and Malone. Interesting Players like Mark Hartigan, Aaron Downey, Chris Gratton, Mike Peca, Stephane Yelle, Mike York, Ruslan Fedotenko, … are still available.
But I hope for them, that they can add Jaro Jagr.

9:12 AM - TSN is reporting that Dan Boyle might’ve been asked to waive his NTC.

9:10 AM - Doug Wilson had talks with Bret Hedican…but the latter is likely going to retire and stay with his celebrity wife, Kristin Yamaguchi, in Carolina, for her to pursue her career, as was reported a few weeks ago.

9:08 AM - We speculated yesterday that Brendan Morrison might be on his way to Columbus, but it appears that while the team has interest, he doesn’t really, which is too bad, as he’s the guy that could make them playoff contenders.

9:06 AM - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporting that Ray Shero is targeting former Pen Markus Naslund and has almost put RFA goalie Marc-Andre Fleury under contract, last night reported to be in the 6 year/$55 million range. More coming…

9:04 AM - Scrounging the net for some rumours, here’s some thoughts from Andy on Tampa again:

I think it would be more effective for Tampa to sign only 3 or 4 Forwards and to add one or two solid defencemen. They don’t need Hall, Roberts, Malone, Vrbata and Prospal. Instead of Hall and Roberts they should have tried to sign a veteran defenceman.
I hope they don’t have to trade Dan Boyle, because they already have the poorest defense of the NHL.

Actually they do need most of those guys, considering Brad Richards played with Jan Hlavac and Mathieu Darche for most of the year, both borderline NHL players.

8:59 AM - Keep those emails coming! I need your thoughts on a potential Gonchar for St. Louis trade (proposal)

8:57 AM - Andy sends in a potential Wings lineup for next season:

Ken Holland’s Roster (if he’s able to sign the RFAs)

— Goal (2 Spots) —

01 - Chris Osgood
02 - Ty Conklin

+ Jimmy Howard

— Defense (8 Spots) —

01 - Nicklas Lidstrom
02 - Brian Rafalski
03 - Nicklas Kronwall
04 - Brad Stuart
05 - Brett Lebda
06 - Andreas Lilja
07 - Chris Chelios
08 - Derek Meech

Jonathan Ericsson
Kyle Quincey

— Offense (13 Spots) —

01 - Pavel Datsyuk
02 - Henrik Zetterberg
03 - Tomas Holmstrom
04 - Marian Hossa
05 - Valtteri Filppula
06 - Dan Cleary
07 - Johan Franzen
08 - Mikael Samuelsson
09 - Jiri Hudler
10 - Tomas Kopecky
11 - Kris Draper
12 - Kirk Maltby
13 - Darren McCarty

Darren Helm
Ville Leino
Justin Abdelkader

—

Is there a team, who could beat the Wings?

I get the feeling Detroit won’t repeat, just a gut feeling, look at the Rangers from last offseason who picked up the two best players available…they ended up near the bottom for scoring in the league and got knocked off in the 2nd round.

However the Wings won the Cup this past year and the Rags didn’t, so maybe that’s not a good comparison.

Who am I kidding? Montreal could probably challenge them, but as of now, they’re the favourites once again…8:54 AM - Al Montoya: re-signed by PHX per the Score.

8:52 AM - Andy kicks of the day with a couple of comments and a trade proposal I want to hear your thoughts on:

My favourite Team are the Red Wings. If they can resign Valtteri Filppula and hopefully also Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson (all RFAs), they remain the dominating team of the league.
But what about the rest? I like the Habs and the Rangers. While the Habs don’t make great deals they are even on a the way to the Playoffs. But the Rangers lost Avery and they will also loose Jagr, Straka and Shanahan and they won’t receive Sundin or Naslund or Demitra and so they will end up in the struggle about the last remaining playoff-spot.
No good times for original-6 teams, except Detroit.

But there is one Team making small but intelligent moves. The Blue Jackets! They strengthen there Defense and if they could add another Forward to support Rick nash, the Jackets could jump into the Playoff-Region. And this all without overpaying and crazy moves.

This and this huge-nash-goal last year raise the Jackets in my list of favourite teams.

The Bolts are on the Bottom by playing bad hockey, adding 7 forwards but only one ahl-defender and eventually trading dan boyle. Instead of trading Boyle they should trade there GM and add another acceptable defenseman.
Don’t you think so?

Andy (Germany)

Hey Andy this is Steve, I just took a look at what Jeff did…

Montreal is my favourite team too!

The Blackhawks actually showed they could be a playoff team last season, and with an upgrade in goal with Cristobal Huet and Brian Campbell on the back end, I have no doubt they’ll push to win the lower seeds. Plus Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane can only get better. The Rangers made a bad move signing Wade Redden to that contract, they hope he’ll regain his past form, but I have my doubts, having watched Redden struggle in such a frustrating way these past two seasons.

The Jackets did pick up some defensive depth with Backman and more importantly Fedor Tyutin, but they still have the issue of finding a scoring centre to address. Kristian Huselius could probably fill out what Nikolai Zherdev brought to the table, so no worries…RJ Umberger was a good pickup, and now hopefully, they can still add another forward like you said.

As for the Bolts…they’ve got a new GM! Jay Feaster’s no longer in command and the moves that have been made are as a result of this. I think Tampa made great strides to improve their team, but like you said, defence is an important issue that needs to be addressed.
Maybe Martin St. Louis should be moved for a quality guy on that backend…St. Louis for Gonchar make sense?8:15 AM - Check back at 9!

8:12 AM - I wonder if Alexei Yashin is going to get a contract offer by someone…probably a desperate team that has struck out this FA season, Columbus anyone?

8:05 AM - And please, for the record, don’t send in any rumours/trades that haven’t been broken anywhere else yet (aka no source). Not cool, we want to make this a fun experience, not lose our site’s credibility

8:02 AM - Some more ramblings about Sundin if you’re not tired of beating this dead horse yet. Link

7:55 AM - Interesting stuff you guys did here last night, I’ll have to get creative then!

7:54 AM - Hey guys, well, Steve is going to be back! I start work at around 9, so I’ll definitely be plugged in again with you guys today, hope you’ll join us! I’ll be back in an hour or so, hope to have a great third day with you guys!

7:10 AM - I’m taking a nap. Steve will probably be back before I am.

5:59 AM - We have our first guess! And its wrong! Good email though.

I think your 3rd favorite team is my actual favorite team…New York Islanders. I might describe their situation as “in shambles” on most days. Can’t say a whole lot about their signings the past couple of days. I liked the Streit signing, even if it is a fair chunk of cash to be giving to a less established guy like that. I think he’ll do fine. And I hope Doug Weight can be a positive too. The contract works nicely, especially the ‘1 year deal’ part. We shall see.

Any other moves for the Isles in the coming days?

Other than the potential (but I’m believing less by the second) McCabe trade, I haven’t seen much at all coming from the Islander front.

5:30 AM - LeafsAlive is flexing his muscles again on HF…not going to touch that any more. Its hard to reach them - their staff say I’m all evil, and basically at this point my image there is a teen sociopath who is the sworn enemy of all that is them. I have no idea where that came from, to be honest. ANYWAY! We have an email.

Hi guys,
First of all I have to say that I love what you are doing there. Pretty sweet to be updated about every rumor, trade or signing in this way. Great work! Well, I’ve got a question about the situation of the Canucks, right now. They’re my favourites, and i’m a bit concerned.
Gillis, and Nonis as well, was looking for a top-six forward to play with the Sedins AND another scoring-line. But so far, we haven’t got much except players as Baumgartner and Hordichuck, not the greatest scorers of all. Do you think that there will be a chance of another block-buster-deal like what happened with Luongo, if Gillis isn’t able to sign someone like Demitra, Sundin or Naslund? I was thinking about some defense for offense, maybe a reason why they contracted Baumgartner? What is your opinion on this?
Wietze, the Netherlands

Thanks for the email, Wietze. To answer your question - I don’t see the Canucks making a blockbuster trade a la the Luongo trade. Why? There is no “Bertuzzi” for them to get rid of - an asset that needs out that seems like an easy recovery for the other team. Luongo is their only major asset, and considering that he IS the team, I don’t think they want to trade him. They could get an entire first line again, and they still could consider rejecting - the West Coast Express only went so far with Cloutier in net, remember?

I’m confident that one of two things will happen - either they land at least one of Sundin, Naslund, and Demitra, or Gillis realises the fact the team needs a Philly rebuild and lets them suck for a year. I know you didn’t want to hear the r-word there, but it might have to be done. Sucks for me too - the Canucks are my second favourite team. My favourite team singed Jeff Finger (nuff said), my second team is spiraling into a state of zero talent, and my third team is in shambles (email me your guesses for the third team!)

4:14 AM - We’re still alive and well here, just waiting on some more stuff. Send in your emails, give us some topics - we’ll answer.

2:34 AM - Some more Penguins stuff, per PittsburghLive

“The Penguins have indeed moved on, but several players tell us they still believe Hossa wanted to return. This is consistent with what we were told by players three weeks ago — that Hossa was expressing optimism to them he would come back. To quote one player: “Everybody on our team knows what screwed this up — it wasn’t Marian and it wasn’t (general manager Ray Shero).”

Teams have called about Whitney, and there’s this regarding Jagr: To quote a fellow scribe familiar with the Jaromir Jagr-New York Rangers teeter-totter: “What he wants right now is for somebody to call him up and tell him they love him.” We are fairly confident Crosby will not be making that call anytime soon.

2:19 AM - The Insider on Pittsburgh Sports has this to say on Fleury and Naslund:

12:25 a.m. I’m getting confirmation from sources that the Marc Andre Fleury deal I reported on Monday is 6yrs - 33 million. The two sides have agreed in principle…. to be announced in a few days.

1:08 a.m. Penguins expect decision from Naslund tomorrow. Talks intensifying with Matt Cooke. Cooke is also in talks with two other teams. Despite Penguins breaking off talks with Bertuzzi, Penguins still interested if his demands come down. Big news of the night — sources are confirming that the Penguins have signed Marc Andre Fleury to a 6yr - 33 million deal. ….. updates in the morning. Just want to thank everybody for viewing the site today. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to covering day 3 of NHL free agency. Should see some movement from the Penguins tomorrow. 

2:17 AM - I would like to discuss two things. One, this question.

Hey, I was wondering if you have heard anything new about Forsberg? And thanks for the rumors, although some are a bit sketchy, haha.

As of yet, I have not heard much about Forsberg, but really, nobody has. The consensus is that he’ll stay with Colorado, but who knows at this point. As for the rumors, its only because we post most stuff that makes sense and doesn’t look obviously fake.

Secondly, this is for LeafsAlive at HFBoards.

“Jefflered is the one running that site! LOL!…”

Minus the whole completely messing up my age shortly afterwards, there are several issues with your point of view. Just because someone you know as a teen, and a former poster on your favourite message board, is running something like this, what makes it wrong? A site should be seen for its integrity. So far, over 100,000 people have viewed this article with the “sticky” (staying on the page) rate very high. We have been up to date and aswered many questions for people, and do in fact have proper sources and give the unknowns a chance if it sounds credible. We’re in a world where anyone can be the next whatever - why can’t we just blog UFA season? Everyone is enjoying it, why can’t you just hush down and take the article for what it is?

I and all of us at The Faceoff Circle would be quite satisfied with you eventually being beat up by a little kid to prove this point to you.

1:50 AM - Leaferz, yeah, of course its me from FOB (which I all reccomend you join, http://faceoffboards.com/)…whats up?

1:37 AM - HFBoards.com has now put faceoffcircle.net on its censored sites list. Probably because its run by me…which is absolutely stupid. We’ve consistantly been bringing great news throught the last two days but you’re willing to censor it and break hundreds of links because a banned member runs the site? Psh.

1:34 AM - If Kubina to Atlanta is true, what do you think the Leafs get for him? It says Little and someone else…who would that be? Either email us, comment below, or even post it in the thread on the message board you saw this on (Faceoffboards, HFBoards, or chat.mapleleafs.com). I’ll be reading (though on HF, not posting, unfortunately).

1:16 AM - ANOTHER LEAFS RUMOR! I don’t even know what to believe anymore…can someone in Vancouver confirm this?
Just heard on Team 1040 in Vancouver about a possible Kubina to Atlanta trade in the works. Coming back to Toronto would be a combination of Bryan Little and something else.

12:54 AM - Great Canucks opinion from Alex:
Is Mike Gillis still alive? Or does he know that hes the GM of a franchise in a thriving hockey market for a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year? What the hell is going on, the best signing we’ve made in this whole Free Agent frenzy is Darcy Hordichuk, a 4th liner at best?!  Any word on if there’s anything in the working… I know Demitra is a likely candidate, but he needs to make an impact player signing Very Soon or we’re gunna be on the outside looking in very quickly, we can’t sit around and wait to see if Sundin comes back to play and if so which of the numerous teams he chooses. This is killin me…

12:48 AM - More on the Rangers rumor - the guy is a lie. Why? This stuff makes sense, but Yayca Slanina doesn’t exist.

Bob Gainey had his eyes on swedish LW Yayca Slanina for a bit now and has worked on a transfer agreement from SM-Liga. Its reported the deal will be for 4 years at 1,250,000 a year. Dallas and Tampa had interest in him but Tampa fell out of the race after acquiring Vrbata. It should be up by next morning. On the McCabe - Dawes deal the only thing stopping the rangers is finding out the cap hit sent back to the leafs. NYR is slobbering at the possiblity of a Redden McCabe line.

12:44 AM - Okay, I don’t even know what to think anymore - so I’m going to let both rumors stand but I’m not going to take any responsiblity for both. Why do I say this? It just dawned on me - Tukonen isn’t even an RFA! Who knows..maybe it was a small flaw…we’ve had some sources say some correct stuff to us to have giant holes before…I just got so used to it I’ve been posting them without checking, ha.

And for you guys who thought you can pull a fast one on me…TRY HARDER THAN THIS. It doesn’t even look plausable.

McCabe is my friends uncle and ive heard from him that Bryan waived his NMC with a deal set up to go to the Islanders. Im not sure whats going back the other way though, but he said someone else is going to the Islanders
12:31 AM - Got an IM for Squiffy of HFBoards telling me to check out the leafs board…seems someone posted the rumor there. On that note, I had no clue that Frogen had been confirmed as the European D. So we can throw out the Dawes for McCabe rumor…thanks guys!

12:18 AM - ANOTHER LEAFS RUMOR! Shocking actually. I got this email from a frequent emailer of the last two days…I don’t trust him as much as the last source, but I do think this one actually makes more sense. The trade is Bryan McCabe for Nigel Dawes…which sounds just right. The Rangers need another D-Man after trading two D for two forwards  today. He also says the leafs mystery european d-man is Oleg Piganovich, an undrafted Russian defenceman who did quite well in the Russian Super League last year. (NOTE: PROBABLY INACCURATE)

12:08 AM - Still accepting emails! We want to hear your opinions! Anyway, my thoughts on that Leafs rumor - the low pick going with Kubina is probably just a 5th. The young player going with the pick could VERY WELL be Matt Stajan, though it could also just be someone like Earl, Ruggesegger, or Rau. And I think the Leafs 2nd is coming back…though Tukonen is being offered a deal, I think the leafs are really interested in an offer sheet to Daniel Carcillo. BTW, those spelling errors are by the source, not us. Calm down, chat.mapleleafs.com, we noticed you in the links list complaining

11:28 PM - 23 minutes later and we’ve already been accused of making up the last rumor to get a few extra hits about 500 times now, ahaha. I can assure you we’ve got reason to trust this guy, otherwise we’d ignore him - we’re not posting every rumor sent to us, if we did you’d see stuff like the Sedins for Kopitar, Brown, and Johnson - AKA not happening. Got anything on your mind though? Send in your emails.

11:05 PM - Hey, its Jeff, and we’re back. Got this, but I don’t know if I can verify it. Take it with a grain of salt, but who knows.

Three deals in the table:
To Washington:  Kubina and a late pick
To Toronto: Eric Fehr and Chris Clark
Clark is injured and takes the salary from washington and Fehr is the deal maker.
To NYI:  McCabe and Young roster player
To Toronto: Trent Hunter
To Toronto:  Laurri Toukenan from L.A. via offer sheet
Also:  Jason Smith to Carolina in the works
Pavol Demitra to Vancouver
Jason Williams to Vancouver
9:33 PM - One last thing: Huselius to Jackets; 4 years/$19 million

9:30 PM - Thanks for everything guys, these past two days have been an awesome success and I had lots of fun. I only wished there’d be more signings, but hey, what can you do…take it easy, and we may be back tomorrow, I’ll see if I feel up to doing this again, I’m leaning towards “yes” but I have to see if my job can allow me. Later!  Jeff’ll be taking over, he’ll keep you up to date on the latest signings and whatnot)

9:26 PM - yawn, I think I’ll pack it in earlier you guys, this lack of signings is somewhat annoying. Not going to go yet though…

9:10 PM - Adam asks:
Is there any news or rumors regarding the Ducks trying to move Schneider.. It has been quiet out of the Ducks camp. Other than moving Schneider have you heard anything else?

After the Perry signing Brian Burke went dark; there’s nothing in the media suggesting he’ll go after someone, so sadly, besids that, I don’t think anything else is brewing.

Schneider could fetch a nice return, what would it take to get him?

9:07 PM - Some bad news for Pens fans that might’ve gone unnoticed today:

Here’s something from much earlier in the day from Rob Rossi (Pitts. Tribune-Review) about the Penguins and Jagr:

“Right wing Marian Hossa’s decision to sign a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings did not help the Penguins’ pursuit of former start Jaromir Jagr. We’ve been told the Penguins are interested in Jagr, but they believe New York will now make an aggressive attempt to retain Jagr, its captain. The Penguins are not optimistic of landing Jagr.”

9:01 PM - Sheldon on Selanne (finally, a new topic):

In the midst of all this free agent talk, I was wondering is there any update on the situation of Teemu Selanne? He showed he still has gas left in the tank after this season and I was wondering do you see him coming back? I was also wondering was the possibility of him retiring the reason teams are not pursuing him at this point because he would be one of the biggest names out there on the market even at his age.

There has been zilch on Selanne, I doubt anyone knows what’s going on with him. In fact, the only reason no one’s calling is because he’s not certain of what to do yet, I get the feeling he’ll retire, to be quite honest, he hasn’t said anything yet and plus it seems he’s happily settled in Anaheim, leaving no doubt in my mind he won’t move them away from all that.

8:58 PM - Kevin re: Sundin

And why would the Penguins be interested in Sundin? There are cheaper No. 4 centers out there (unless you bump Staal down). Can’t convert him to wing because his faceoff percentage is roughly 95, and I don’t see Malkin going to wing.

Sundin is the most effective guy in the league at centre in my opinion, nobody (except maybe Rod Brind’Amour) can top him when it counts by winning the key draws.

8:56 PM - Once again guys thanks for all the emails, much appreciated.

8:53 PM - Nice update from a guy that’s quickly becoming one of my favourites, Mike Russo: (thanks Rick)
Hi…

I just thought i would update u guys of what i just read on Russo’s Blog…

Posted on July 2nd, 2008 – 7:47 PM
By Michael Russo

Good evening.

Wild has contract offers out to a number of players. Whether it happens tonight or not, we won’t know for an hour or so. I can tell you, the Wild front office is still at work, so there’s always a chance some of these agents call back with the A-OK from their clients.

I talked to Doug Risebrough this afternoon and the Wild has been on all the top forwards. I know they do have offers into Huselius, Naslund, Morrison. They have not inquired about Marty Straka. I’m sure there are others.

The Wild went hard after Marian Hossa. They offered a long-term deal at huge cash as you can read tomorrow. You can bet that would have gotten Marian Gaborik signed.

Just looking at the free agency list, these are still some talents out there: Owen Nolan, Ladislav Nagy, Brendan Shanahan, Miro Satan, Josef Vasicek, Jason Williams, Trevor Letowski.

Some other intriguing vets? Mike Peca, Marty Lapointe, Stephane Yelle, Marty Reasoner, Curtis Brown, Byron Ritchie, Bryan Smolinski, Kevyn Adams.

8:51 PM - Keep them emails coming, this is what I’m talking about…woo.

8:49 PM - Sheldon throws his two cents on Gonchar as well:

I don’t see the Penguins trading Gonchar at all. He’s a great leader and a mentor to Malkin. He could command some good players/prospects in return, but he’s a valuable asset to this up and coming Penguins team. He’s a good defender and an even better offensive player from the blueline than almost anyone in the NHL…actually 99% of the NHL. What I’d really like to see is Whitney and Gonchar pairing together. I think his contract will run out and they’ll find out what they’ll do with him then.

Plus some minor signings to report (that I missed, sorry guys, lol): collegiate pointman Stu Bickel signed a 3-year entrylevel deal with Anaheim; Graham Mink and Tyler Sloan were picked up by the Caps; Mink got the pro deal.

8:48 PM - Kev comments on possibly dealing Gonchar, his reaction is pretty much what I thought at first:

Trade Gonchar? Egad. No way is Whitney ready to quarterback the PP.

8:45 PM - Karim comments: (plus sources coming up for that juicy rumour for those of you doubting the credibility)

I have really enjoyed your blog - keep up the good work.

The fact that neither Naslund nor Morrison have signed elsewhere reflects how much each desires to remain in Vancouver.  It is too bad the Sundin situation has ended like this as it has wide reaching effects.   Not sure how much longer these two veteran leaders will choose to remain in limbo.  They have shown class - hopefully things will work out for them no matter where they end up.  Others would have bolted as soon as the clock struck 12:00pm yesterday.

I hear ya buddy, however, I don’t rule out the possibility that Naslund is in talks with Vancouver, especially if Demitra is going to sign, likely making Naslund even more interested in staying. The guy is a class act, and I hope the Canucks try as hard as they can to keep their leader in the fold, despite struggles, it would be the respectful thing to do…I’m not sure Mike Gillis has too much of that though, however, I admire his boldness.

8:44 PM -  JUICY RUMOUR ALERT: Russian media reporting that Sergei Fedorov is humiliated and offended at the 1 year/$2 million offer he received from the Devils; plus another European sports site reports that Vancouver, also Montreal, Detroit, New York Rangers, New Jersey, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Boston, San Jose and Anaheim are trying to get Mats Sundin, and he would prefer to stay in the East. Fedorov is also looking for at least $4 million a year per Tarik El-Bashir.  However, the article contradicts what TSN is saying…that Sundin is being forced into making a big decision and could decide within a few days, as quickly as today (WTF).

8:34 PM - Joey comments on BUF/PIT:

Some of the local journalists in Pittsburgh have talked about our surplus of blueliners; we now have eight d-men who played significant minutes in the NHL last year.  I’ve read a few writers who say Sergei Gonchar will be traded before the season starts.  So no Ryan Whitney deal, but perhaps a trade involving Sarge.

Sergei Gonchar is arguably the best offensive dman in the NHL, losing him would deal a big blow to the powerplay. On the plus side, he could fetch a niiice return.

8:29 PM - This slipped by before… BJ Crombeen re-signed with the Stars.

8:21 PM - I was thinking about putting Miettinen to Buffalo, and now Brandon kind of confirms this:

long time listener, first time caller…

Ive seen on a few different sites that Buffalo is interested in Stars forward Antii Miettenen. Its well publicized, here in Buffalo at least, that we have 15 forwards as it is.

Could signing Miettenen be the precursor to a bigger deal? Ryan Whitney or Jay Bouwmeester perhaps?

Hopefully for Buffalo this rings true, but Bouwmeester won’t be dealt by Martin, no way, unless he can’t reach a deal with the kid, then I can’t see him giving up his last true franchise player. Whitney might be available, but I doubt Ray Shero wants to trade a valuable defenceman when his team lacks just that.

8:20 PM - Kevin doesn’t want Todd:

My head’s clear now and I know we’re in good shape still. But… just saw the last post and all I can say is, no, please do not bring in Todd Bertuzzi. no no no no. We do not need him or the horrid karma and PR he’d bring. Just say no to Bertuzzi.

8:09 PM - Sheldon sends this in on Pittsburgh:

I was tuning in earlier and I saw that Ray Shero said he’d have some “help us front” within 24 hours and that players have been calling him. He also mentioned that he has not offered anything to Jaromir Jagr but he has talked with his representatives. This free agency has been a lose-lose situation for the Pens so far and this information is the small ray of light in the darkness for Penguins fans. Shero also addressed he would like to add some grit to the lineup and I read that there were talks with Todd Bertuzzi. After hearing this, it seems to be like Shero actually has been busy opposed to our previous thoughts. What do you think will end up happening over the next 24 hours or couple of days with this team?

I think all Pens fans need to look closely at their team right now: Crosby, Malkin, Fleury…to name a few. Your team just lost Marian Hossa, it’s not that big of a deal…you were excellent without him and the same with him. Sure it was a good trade for you guys in terms of what he brought, but he’s replaceable, and I think a guy like Jaromir Jagr could fill part of his production.

Malone was a big loss too, I’d say you also go after Miroslav Satan, as I stated earlier, those  two guys combined on a dangerous team like the Pens could really surprise people.

Keep the faith!

-BBR

8:05 PM - Kevin asks where I think these guys will end up, feel free to comment/send your two cents in:

Personally:

Demitra + Naslund = Vancouver
Huselius = Minnesota
Jagr = Pittsburgh/NYR (not sure)
Satan = Ottawa
Miettinen = Edmonton (not sure either)

Thanks for the email, it’s been very dead this last hour

8:01 PM - I am awake guys, but there has been absolutely nothing to post, and it sucks, lol.

7:19 PM - Brandon with an email on Jagr:

I am a die-hard pens fan, and after today’s blow with hossa, i need somthing to spark some hope. Do you know anything about the Jagr situation? there’s been a lot of speculation regarding the pens’ interest, but i feel like i’ve never heard jagr say he had any interest in return?

I wish I did buddy, but it seems like there has been nothing to talk about these past few hours.

I’m sure Jagr wouldn’t mind going back to where he used to play, getting a chance to play with Crosby and Malkin certainly must be somewhat appealing to any player.

7:15 PM - Chris sends this in on Gaborik:

In defense of Lemaire, Gabby already scores goals at a high clip.  There was a stat published in the local papers last year (pushed by the team, I think) that showed over the last few seasons, only 2 or 3 players in the league scored more goals/games played than Gaborik. I think the excuse that he plays for JL is overrated. If he stayed healthy, he would have more goals - and that’s not JL’s fault. Also, he’s a player that when the goals aren’t coming - like in the playoffs against Colorado, where he had his chances - he seems to choke the stick even more.  Again, I don’t think that’s JL’s fault. To the contrary, Gaborik is given a tremendous amount of freedom in Lemaire’s system. Lemaire gets way too much blame for Gabby not scoring 50

6:50 PM - It’s been absolutely dead for the past hours, I’m going to go grab some grub, be back in 10-20. Feel free to email me, I’ll get to them once I get back!

6:45 PM - Alex sends in his best/worse signings:

Best Signings: Hossa, Brunette, Stillman, Perry, Vrbata, Streit, Tucker, Rolston

Worst: Finger, Theodore, Commodore, Redden, Ryder (I think he’s overpaid for his inconsistency, probably turn out like Schaefer in Boston)

6:42 PM - Nick Kypreos says there is no way Ryan Miller re-signs with Buffalo

6:41 PM - Isn’t much happening now

6:32 PM - I’d like to know, what are your top 5 best and worst signings so far? Email me!

Best: Hossa, Kostitsyn, Brunette, Vrbata, Streit

Worst: FINGER, REDDEN, COMMODORE, RYDER (wow) and…THEODORE.

6:28 PM - Andy Strickland has the figure on Weight: 1 year at $1.75 million, plus bonuses. Sounds reasonable enough.

6:25 PM - Have you heard anything new about the Kings or Devils?
Then i liked to ask about finish players? What is gonna happen to Antti Miettinen example?
Are there any other finish players moving to other teams?

Regards two Buddies from Finland, again., 

Nothing new on them…the Devils were never in the hunt for Shanahan btw.

Antti Miettinen is awesome, and I’m suprised he hasn’t gone yet, he’s only getting better; I hope Montreal picks him up!thing

Hopefully Mikko Koivu is on the move to Montreal too, but that won’t happen; nothing really as of now buddy, hang in there, we’re all losing our minds over the lack of activity (to a certain extent)

6:24 PM - Wolski’s number is at 2 years/$5.6 million

6:20 PM - Ok guys, I’m back after a brief absence, lol, let’s get this party started again, send in your emails, lots to chat about…

Nate sends this in: (my comments in brackets)

• There was talk earlier about Anson Carter.  Despite being a big Canuck fan, I was not a fan of Carter because I thought anyone could score a lot playing with the Sedins.  I thought a good player could score much more than 33 goals, like Carter did.  However, apparently Carter had special chemistry with the twins that Vancouver has not been able to match (not even with Naslund).  Unless the Canucks bring in a bunch of top 6 forwards, why not bring Carter back for the league minimum for a one year deal and see if he can rekindle the “3 brothers line”?  If it fails, they waive him and it only wastes a small amount of cap room.  I would guess that Carter might take less money than he’s making in Europe for the opportunity to play in the NHL and the possibility of reuniting with the twins and getting a higher payday in the future if it works out. [Interesting, thanks for the insight]
  
• How many goals would Gaborik score on an offensive-minded team, rather than under Lemaire?  I think the number would be huge if he stayed healthy and had decent linemates. [I think 50 is in reach, maybe 60, yeah, he's that good]
• Did you post any Finger jokes – I can’t fine them. [Nobody sent any in! ]
  

5:58 PM  - The former Media Relations VP of the Isles is claiming that Weight has been signed by them.

I thought it might go past the July 4 weekend, but the Islanders got the deal done a few minutes ago. Point Blank has learned that the Islanders have signed veteran center Doug Weight to a one-year deal.

5:34 PM - Buffalo wants to trade for a defenceman…could it be McCabe or Kubina?

General Manager Darcy Regier had at least two defensemen on his wish list entering the shopping season, but the blue-liners he sought went elsewhere.

“They’re gone,” Regier said, “so we’re probably going to take a hard look at the trade route [today] and see whether that’s a possibility against what’s left in the marketplace.”

5:22 PM -  An interesting bit sent to us regarding Hossa and Minnesota

Riser just did a radio interview here locally. Apparently, if he’s to be belived, the Wild was very much in the mix with Hossa. Riser even had direct conversations with him, and it was apparently the other Marian - Gaborik - that persuaded Hossa to speak with Riseborough. Riser indicated that the Wild’s offer was substantially more than Detroit’s per year deal. Separately, Mike Russo is also reporting that a source outside the Wild said that the team made a huge offer yesterday for Hossa and was waiting all day for his response.

Surprised the Wild was even in the mix and am also somewhat surprised that Gabby was helpful - there’s been a lot of speculation that Gabby and Demo have been telling Hossa that he would NOT want to play in MN.

5:10 PM - Brooks Orpik resigns with Pit, Wojtek Wolski in Colorado! Orpik is 6Y, 22.5M (3.5M/yr, FINGER MONEY, HAHA), Wolski we’ll find out.

5:05 PM - Some humour: ESPN saying that Malkin signs with Detroit? huh? LOL

4:57 PM - We need a signing, it’s been over an hour…

4:54 PM - What do you make of this? Eklund saying this deal ISN’T done (Rangers/Jackets) despite TSN having put it up.  He also says the Flyers will target Bowmeester. (grain of salt, remember…) This could bring up some interesting talk.

4:50 PM - Andy Strickland saying the Rangers are pursuing Pavel Demitra, don’t do it Glen.

4:45 PM - I’m heading home soon guys from work, so expect a little decrease in activity until I get back.

4:44 PM - Michael Russo with a hot juicy “wild” rumour on Naslund/Huselius and some fallout on Foppa, Hossa:

I am told by sources the Wild has made a contract offer to LW Markus Naslund, and like LW Kristian Huselius, the team is just waiting.

I also was told by a source outside the organization that the Wild did make a “huge contract offer” to Marian Hossa and “I hear they were waiting on him all day yesterday.”

I have not gotten this confirmed from inside the organization, and typically, this is not something they would confirm after the fact (i.e. Peter Forsberg, even though they did think they were getting Forsberg at the trade deadline in February).

4:40 PM - The Wild have re-signed Kurtis Foster, whose career is in jeopardy after crashing into the boards late last season, for one year at $1.025 million.

4:37 PM - By the way, off topic, if you’re viewing this site and want to update it without having to click “refresh” all the time, Firefox users can download the addon called ReloadEvery from the official site that refreshes a page automatically. Quite useful, then after you follow the instructions, I recommend you set it to every minute.

4:35 PM - Matt comments on the trade:

That is just one big deal for the Rangers!
Great job by Glen Sather to get rid of Backman for real value. It’s tough to see Tyutin gone, but Zherdev and Fritsche can be real contributors to the Rangers team.

Cheers
Matt

Another email is speculating this could mean that Jaromir Jagr is out the door…very possible, but they could still bring him back (and they shouldn’t, Sather really shouldn’t kill his cap space)

4:34 PM - I’ve just received word that Fedor Fedorov might’ve been signed by the Devils, according to a respected Czech news source (I got this in an email). Take it for what it’s worth, nothing more than a depth signing if true.

4:30 PM - Buffalo apparently out of the running for any UFA defencemen (thanks Buffalonian). And I agree, I heard some Maxim Afinogenov to Washington rumours a few days ago (can’t remember where), but that might’ve been for Mike Green, who signed yesterday.

4:28 PM - Zherdev had 26 G and 35 A with the Jackets last year while Fedor Tyutin posted 5 goals and 15 assists.

4:27 PM - Your thoughts on this deal? I think that the Jackets lost out a little here, despite the fact that Tyutin really is an awesome young defenceman who’s only getting better, Zherdev is a proven (but inconsistent) threat. Backman is a decent D, nothing special, while Fritsche is essential to the Rangers, he’ll fill an important gap on their checking line at centre.

4:25 PM - Columbus trades Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for Christian Backman and Fedor Tyutin.

4:23 PM - I think the Dan Boyle/Mike Smith shopping rumours are ridiculous; Tampa would be out of their mind to trade these guys.

4:21 PM - Steve Montador could be an attractive target for teams looking to upgrade their bottom D pairing.

4:19 PM - Daniel Tolensky completely destroys Finger to Toronto on many levels.

4:18 PM - Jan with some good insight on Anson Carter:

I saw Carter play in Switzerland last year for HC Lugano. It was one of his first games there and maybe it was the adjustment period, but Carter did not stand out at all. From a guy that used to make a living in the NHL, I would have expected more. I doubt he ever returns to North America, theres more money for low-level NHL guys available in Europe.

4:17 PM - Evan talks some sense into Pens fans (we need to move on, lol, too much PIT/ATL talk, we need some new material [damn your rumour makers! ] )

There is no reason to panic for Pens fans.  The Pens still finished with the 4th best record in the league without having Hossa for most of last year.  We will be fine, if not better this year.  Our defense is only losing Orpik (maybe), who’s good, but not great.  Staal, Letang, Fleury, Crosby and Malkin will only continue to improve.  At least one of Huselius, Naslund, Jagr, Demitra will be a Penguin next year and playing alongside Crosby.  The core of the team is the same, everybody we lost is replacable.  As long as we have Crosby, Malkin and Fleury this will be a good team.

4:15 PM - Peter replies to Bret and Mike (while I look for some damn rumours):

Yeah Fleury did great… I love the Malkin signing too.
Don’t forget that Malkin had 1 more year left in his contract.
He can’t hold out!!

It’s not losing Malone, Roberts…
It’s not even losing Hossa…
It’s losing 10 of 12 UFAs that brought us to the Cup final…
Ruutu, Laraques, Hall, Orpik are not nobodies. They were key role players…
Add to that Malone and Roberts…
Add to that a goalie who did win around 20 games (Conklin)…

Hall signed for 600, Ruutu for 1.3m, Conklin for 700k…
Why give Godard 800k? Why give Eaton 2m?

It’s not 1-2 players that bother me, we lost half of the team.
And as I said, the Pens didn’t have a good D to start off with, and losing Orpik would be a killer…

Thanks for the update…

Gotta get back to work…

4:14 PM - Vancouver picks up Nolan Baumgartner, more to come…

4:12 PM - Quiet on the rumour front, nothing new to report around the web just yet; btw, do you think a team should take a chance on Anson Carter again?

4:11 PM - Dan in PA with a trade offer:

Do you think we could unload Sydor to Atlanta for say maybe Colby Armstrong? Get back some of that grit and a guy who can be a pest. Do you think Atlanta would bite on that?

Sorry, but no dice, I think there’s no chance that happens; Armstrong is such a valuable player for any team and Sydor just doesn’t cut it.

4:08 PM - David sends this in:

Amazing how you guys make things happen!  Way to go!

This one is doubly sweet as my brother is in Columbus.

Now, can you pull some more strings and get Huselius in here, or Demitra?

J

Tell the distraught Pens fans that we Thrashers fans would swap franchises, even up!

Excellent! We have our secrets, can’t reveal ‘em…;)

As for Demitra, I still think he’s a lock in Vancouver while Huselius will cost too much for what he brings (easily over $3.5-4 million)

And Pens fans..read his last line slowly and clearly, then you’ll feel better!

 

4: 06 PM - A couple of responses from Pens fans on the sadness:

from Matt:

In response to the rest of the pessimism . . . .

One person asks what will Crosby and Malkin and Fleury be making in five years?  I really don’t see how that’s an issue today.

And yes, team chemistry is important, but it’s something that develops during the year.  I mean who really though Adam Hall was a big and imprtant part of the team’s future at this time last year?  Ruutu’s leaving seems to have pushed the few remaining sane Penguin fans over the edge.  I loved Ruutu’s game too, but really — come on.  Is he impossible to replace?

Yes, Shero seems to have gotten burned by taking the Hossa first strategy and letting the other chips fall where they may; but most of these guys are getting overpaid based on a magical run last year, and the Penguins will be in a better position on and off the ice by refusing to pay extra in an attempt to preserve something as fragile, intangible, and unpredictable as team chemistry.

From Bret:

What seems to be the problem with all these Pen’s fans that are freaking out?

Malone had 51 points last season and, yes, he was great on the penalty kill, but let’s be honest, he wasn’t worth overpaying to keep. Hossa would have been great if we could have kept him, but he accepted a different contract worth almost the same value for one year, it’s not like the Pens didn’t try to keep him.

The Penguins will be fine, they need to pick up a winger or two, but it looks like they are working hard to do that.

The sky is not falling, MAF is coming into his own as an elite goaltender, we have two players under 22 years of age that have been either the recipient or runner-up for the Hart Trophy the last two seasons and we have a lot of good role players.

Things will be fine.

3:50 PM - Andrew: Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for keeping me up to date the last two days.  My work has a huge filter on the internet and your site is one of the few ones that gets past it.  As a pens fan, I’m not thrilled with what has happened so far but I really feel like things can be worse.  Malkin could be holding out right now refusing to sign for anything but the league maximum.  But anyway Shero’s gotta wake up and start signing people.  I don’t care who it is just somebody with two legs….

Keep the faith bud, btw, Malkin did sign, same deal as Crosby essentially.

3:47 PM - answer to previous remark by Kevin:

I’m depressed right now, not crazy. Plus I’m a pessimist. Those emotions do not gell well together.

In five years though, then what? What will Sid and Geno be making? And Fleury? Will we have room for everyone, or anyone else good?

Not as upset as Peter though. I like our defense as it is. Not that much of a fan of Godard over Laraque but it’s not that big a deal. I wonder who else will score besides Sid and Geno.

3:45 PM - Jackets dealt a big blow with this loss.

3:39 PM - Thrasher fans rejoice…Ron Hainsey has signed with Atlanta for $4.5 million per season over 5 years, good deal for a guy really coming into his own.

3:37 PM - Peter gets this off his chest:

I AM SO PISSED WITH MY TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

What’s next?

TSN reports that Sidney Crosby has asked GM Ray Shero for a trade. More information to come.

Well? That won’t surprise me! The team that we’ve built in the past 3 years is half gone!

I don’t care if a couple of these players left! But not all of them! You can’t rebuild team chemistry, team spirit! These past couple of days have been SAD for the Pens organisation. Even if they sign Jagr AND Naslund, the Pens won’t go anywhere without key role players and good defence. Without Orpik, how many defensive defenceman do we have? NONE! I’ve said it before. As much as I used to respect Scuderi, this guy is aweful in key situations (playoffs). He’s a #7 Dmen at the max! Sydor is worse! Although Gill played well with us, he still turns it over often! Letang is not ready yet. Who will mentor him on defensive skills? No one!

Who the f*** is Godard? He can’t even hold a stick, let alone fight, and he replaces Laraque as our enforcer? Who’s our pest now? Dupuis? Who’s the vet on the team? Gonchar or Sykora?

This is brutal! I am really disgusted! Are we bankrupt or something? Because this reminds of those days!

I am really sorry for exploding like this, but this comes from a die-heart fan who is really confused and pissed off right now.

Buddy! Help me out here! I can’t take this non-sense!

Exploding is cool buddy, totally understandable, I’m writing up an answer to this now, unless someone else wants to throw in their two cents as well.

3:36 PM - Yann’s a big time underrated goalie, and hopefully he’ll push Rick DiPietro in his backup role, that he should win out next season. Good luck to yourself buddy, I’ll miss you here in Montreal, you were never really given the chance after a brilliant start to your career (shutout in 1st game)

3:35 PM - NYI sign G Yann Danis.

3:34 PM - Attn: Kevin

Kevin is crazy to think that the Penguins’ window is closing.  Or perhaps I should say he’s crazy if he thinks there’s just one window.  I know it’s hard to fathom how young Crosby and Malkin and Fleury and Staal are, but even if this team takes a step back this year then maybe they won’t get back to the Cup finals until 2011 or 2012 — by which time Sid will be a creaky 25 year old and those other guys will be collecting pensions.

3:32 PM - It looks like Mathieu Schneider’s $5.5 million annual salary isn’t looking so brutal anymore, Pavel Kubina’s $5 million is looking like a steal as well, compared to Wade Redden’s *puke* $6.5 million and Mike Commodore’s nearly *explode* $4 million.

3:27 PM - Adrien inquires about Sergei Fedorov/Montreal:

Hi again !
(sorry, I’m switching languages again)

Do you think a (hopefully rather cheap) Sergei Fedorov could be a viable solution to center Montreal’s third line ?
He seemed to revel in the Caps’ offensive-minded system, so the Habs might prove to be a good fit for him.

Or do you feel he’s too old anyway and Chipchura (or Maxwell ? long shot, I know) is now ready to secure a spot in the lineup as a checking line center ?

Thanks again for your day 2 coverage !

Adrien

I didn’t think of him, and in fact, he’d be better than Vasicek!

But…he’s much older, and Jozef is younger and bulkier, plus he has a 56% faceoff winning percentage.
It’s a toss up, but a short term deal on Fedorov sounds like a plan, too bad Gainey isn’t letting us on about anything that’s going through his mystical mind!

Chipchura needs to be on the team next year, I saw him play and I loved him, it was a shame he never got called back up and I’m hoping he wins the 4th line centering duties until he’s ready to move up to line 3, and maybe even line 2 later in his career.
Maxwell is a long shot, and a question mark right now…

No problem again!

3:25 PM - Kevin sends this in: (more emails on the way guys, I got a few…)

That’s it, Russia. Cripple your national teams. Good move.

Does anyone want to play with Crosby and Malkin? Everyone’s leaving (I assume Orpik is gone).
Ruutu’s case at least is I think he wanted a three-year deal and Pittsburgh only offered him two.
I know Ray Shero has a tough job but boy, why do I feel like the Penguins’ window is already closing rapidly?

I think it’s more players not wanting to play for Michel Therrien, if reports are true that most players hate his guts.

I get the feeling that Jagr will sign, it makes too much sense.

3:24 PM - Andy Strickland reporting that Edmonton was turned down by Hossa, they offered him 9 years and a whopping $81 million!

3:19 PM - David replies to the Russian trouble:

What were they singing?  “Money, that’s all I want”? Still no movement on the Thrashers front…  Huselius is a hope, as is Hainsey, personally Jason Williams would be OK also.

I think Huselius ends up in Minnesota, to be honest. Hainsey would be a good fit and I wouldn’t go after a guy like Williams, too soft.

As for the Russian problem: that’s a possibility, haha, who knows? Jeff might be able to answer you better, he posted that one.

3:17 PM - Emails coming…

3:15 PM - It’s a 3-year/$3.9 M deal.

3:14 PM - Ottawa signs Jarkko Ruutu, details coming!

3:12 PM -  Not really UFA Related, but the Russian Ice Hockey Federation is threatening 4 year suspensions from the national teams to their youth for singing in North America…players include Filatov, Tikhonov, Petrov and Grachev and Voinov.

3:08 PM - Some humour for you guys  courtesy of Ken:

The blogs awesome…

Just wanted to say Hossa’s next step should be to hold a press conference where he does crunches the whole time shirtless then try and OD on pills and then start pre planning his scoring celebrations…I hope he never gets the cup that hes chasing.

3:07 PM - Correction from before: Avery gets $15.5, and not $16 million over 4 seasons.

3:05 PM - Corey…dude, if I had any rumours I’d post them up, and NO, I don’t have any Ducks rumours for you! :p

3:04 PM - On Hossa, Kevin remarks:

He’s still a jerk and a traitor though.

Kidding, kidding.

3:03 PM - Another minor deal, Drew MacIntyre signs with the Predators.

3:02 PM - Adam asks about LA:

Any updates on the Kings? Out of all the teams, they should be one of the top buyers in a situation like this, but they have done next to nothing so far. What does Lombardi have up his sleeve?

Hey Adam,

apparently…nothing.

He stated yesterday he wouldn’t make any major moves and the current management doesn’t want to go the “quick-fix” route way, but rather build from within, as they’ve admirably been doing these past years.
The day will come Kings fans, just wait till Bernier’s ready, your team will be scary good.

3:00 PM - John sends in this email on the Canucks:

Do you think there is any chance of Jagr coming to Vancouver?

I think the city nees another Bure type player, to give us a little extra push..

And what is up with Gillis and Demitra? It was always reported that he was a lock

for the canucks… and do you think, if they don’t Resign Naslund, that Kesler will take the “C”

I rember in the very last game the starting 3 fowards were Naslund, Linden, Kesler…

Current Captain, Old Captain.. and the New Captain?

I don’t think there should be a chance, Demitra (who I still think is going to be a Canuck) and Naslund are both arguably better than Jagr at this point. Demitra/Naslund would definitely spark up Vancouver’s offence, and in fact, I’m inclined to believe Naslund could do better if he played alongside his friend. As for the C, I think a guy that gets overlooked is Matthias Ohlund, who should definitely get a chance to wear it before Kesler, who might one day, out of respect.

2:57 PM - Mats Sundin isn’t going to make any decision this week, according to TSN. The Canucks and Habs shouldn’t wait for him, Vancouver should go out and pick up Naslund and Demitra while the Habs need to shift their attention to a guy like Josef Vasicek and Ron Hainsey.

2:55 PM - Kevin’s buddy’s reaction, from earlier, on Hossa:

One more opinion on Hossa from a friend of mine, a fellow Pens fan, who we’ll call Dusty (because that’s his name): “this is like the day I found out there’s no Santa Claus.”

and

Just a slight correction. Reportedly Malkin’s extension is the same as Crosby’s (8.7).

(Also, I’m now over my Hossa anger, which I’m sure you needed to know.)

Thanks, and good to know!

2:53 PM - The Canucks picked up Alexandre Bolduc.

2:51 PM - Brian Fahey signs with the Rangers.

2:50 PM - Another Tim asks:

What direction do you see the Penguins headed now?

I think they need to try as hard as they can to pick up Jaromir Jagr and possibly Miroslav Satan, as I’ve stated before, those two guys would fit well with the Pens.

2:49 PM - Tim with some different insight on Hossa rejecting the Pens:

I live in Pittsburgh and unlike some of the other fans, I am not going to get all sour about this situation. I take everything these people say with a grain of salt. When he talked about how much he loved the burgh and all that crap, blah, blah blah… What was he supposed to say? A TV reporter asked him on the spot. I dont think he was going to say he had no intentions on coming here. He did what I thought he would do all along, and that was to go to Detroit. I knew they had the room and if they made an offer, he would take it. But the one year deal is odd. Could it be that he is planning on taking one last run at the cup (which he will surely get) and then moving back to Europe? If those arent his intentions, then what if he tears his knee or his game somehow hits rock bottom and then what? That guaranteed $80 mil will no longer be available to him. It was a dumb and risky move and could very well be detrimental.

I doubt he’s going to Europe, in fact, I see this as a shrewed move by Hossa, even if it’s cheap on his part: he may want to take a chance and win the Cup with the best possible team next year, then sign a long term deal worth much more than the one he would’ve earned today with a team of his choice; remember, the market will continue to rise, and at this rate, we could be looking at potential $15 million per salary for him next offseason *shudder*

2:48 PM - BTW folks, keep them emails coming, I’m back now, got more time to answer them!

2:47 PM - Mike Russo reports the following on Huselius to the Wild:

They’re still in it with Huselius. Problem is a market was sort of set with Niklas Hagman at $3 million a year in Toronto. Huselius and Hagman’s careers started together, and statistically, there’s no comparison. Huselius has performed much better and more consistently, so if the Wild wants him, one would assume it’ll have to be at more than $3 mill.

Huselius and other UFA forwards are clearly being patient right now as they try to drive up the price.

And like I said, there are other guys out there, and quite frankly, something might not necessarily happen today with the Wild. I’m told nothing big is brewing right at the moment. There are things that are “pending” but are on hold due to the stuff I’m alluding to above with Huselius and others.

Patience by the agents.

2:46 PM - KJ sends this:

hey is their any new rumors via trade or FA for the canucks apart from the sundin thing?

Demitra/Naslund might be signing with them…last we heard

2:45 PM - Joey asks:

What happens if a team does not reach the salary floor? I ask this because I have no idea how my team, the Atlanta Thrashers, are even going to get to that level. I hope we sign ANYBODY soon or I may jump off this bridge. 

I don’t know what happens exactly, but it’s part of the CBA, signed off by both the owners and players, so I’m guessing if they don’t reach the minimum, they will be fined to a certain extent. I doubt any team seriously doesn’t make the minimum, so have patience…the whole summer is still ahead!

2:43 PM - The Sens have re-signed Shean Donovan to a 2-year deal (emails are coming guys, sorry for the delay)

2:20 PM - Per TSN, Mats Sundin has not yet made a descision.

2:16 PM - Malkin Extension done per the FAN 590…5 years like we all thought, I’m assuming its 8.5 Million.

2:14 PM - The Stars are done.

“He was just on the Ticket, local sports radio-did not tape but may show up later at Andrews- anyway he said a few interesting things
Redden was Plan A
Avery was Plan B-he knows the player well and says fans and teammates will like him
He has underrated skill
The top 9 will change around and Avery may play some with Modano and Modano may play some wing
The stars are done in FA
Brunnstrom does not need development camp-it sounds like he has a spot IMO
They like Neal but will be patient”

2:05 PM - Send in your emails! Also, some new stuff on Demitra and Naslund:

Penguins have begun pursuit of Markus Naslund and Pavel Demitra. Pittsburgh may be willing to sign both. Naslund has offers on the table from NYR and Van. Talks are still ongoing with Jaromir Jagr. Still waiting on a official announcement regarding Brooks Orpik. He has informed the Penguins of his intentions.

1:42 PM - We are back to things calming down…remember to send emails, or call our Skype (thejeffler), or our SkypeIn number (just like a normal phone number,  (347) 414-9342. We will reply!)

1:23 PM - Mats Sundin’s potential suitors: Detroit (!), Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto…Ottawa, maybe? The Rangers are unlikely IMO.

1:20 PM - Jim Vandermeer agreed to terms with the Flames on a new deal, plus Avery to Stars now official, 4 years/$16 million for him.

1:19 PM - Look at this potential opening day lineup…*drop dead now*

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Hossa; Lidstrom - Rafalski

1:18 PM - Rumour has it the Leafs are once again pushing hard to get Sundin, but I get the feeling the Habs will swoop in and pick him up out of left field (at least I hope…one can dream, no? :D)

1:17 PM - To tell you the truth, Hossa is a shrewd guy. I gotta give it to him; he goes to the best team in the league on a 1 year deal to win it all with them, then hits the market and gets an even bigger payday than he would’ve gotten today. Mark it down folks, 11-12 is the last year of hockey before another CBA spat.

1:14 PM - Kevin’s opinion on Hossa: (BBR is back woo, lol, kidding)

I pretty much agree with Andrew in your 1:05 post. To sign just a one-year deal is fishy. I also don’t boo Jagr but I might do it for Hossa. It very much seems like a hanger-on move, a last gasp effort at winning a Cup. It’s like Hossa is 49, not 29. TSN’s headline “if you can’t beat them…”

I’m going to throw up.

From Rob Rossi of the Tribune Review: Pneguins ownership and management is bitterly disappointed. They believed they would land Hossa to the end, based off conversations with Hossa himself.

1:05 PM - Andrew sums up the Pens fans opinion for us:
“I’m not trying to sound greedy or like a poor sport but this Hossa signing is the ultimate form of greed.  Hossa came and talked about how much he loved Pittsburgh and how he loved the atmosphere the city had on game days.  He poured his blood and guts for the pens in the playoffs and now he shows no allegiance whatsoever and goes to play for the team he lost to in the finals.  Let alone for a one year deal with the same money the Pens were offering him.  He readily admitted that he would rather piggy back his way to a cup with Detroit than work for it with the two best players in the world in Pittsburgh, a team that boosted his status as a primetime player.  He’ll win his cup next year and become another UFA, then he can cash in on a ridiculous contract with a jobber team like Edmonton and fade away into the sunset, not having to worry about winning and just cashing that check.  I’ve never booed Jagr since he left, but when we play Detroit next season I’ll boo that turncoat for sure.”

1:03 PM - Update on Huselius:

“I just talked to Kristian Huselius, who’s back home in Sweden. Amazingly, he’s got the same cell phone from when I covered him pre-lockout.
Huselius told me he hopes to make a decision later today on his destination. He’s gotten a lot of interest and confirmed he’s considering Minnesota, but said, “I’m considering every team I’ve heard from. Until I decide, I can’t really do much or say too much. Minnesota is in the mix, but like I said, so are others. I haven’t made a decision at all yet.”
We’ll see what happens. Huselius is just one guy I know of. The Wild is clearly talking to other players, too, and if Huselius takes too long, the Wild could move on to other players. That’s the deal in free agency. When you have to wait around for players to make decisions and talk to others, sometimes you have to move on.
There are about a dozen or so pretty quality players still out there.”

1:00 PM - “Why are the Canucks offering Mats Sundin 10 Million, when there is younger talent out there.(makes no sense to me, why not offer sheet Malkin for 12 mil a year)Mats Sundin wont win us a Stanley Cup… Gionta is available for a Defenceman in New Jersey (so I’ve read/heard)We have an abundance of Defenceman, and the only name I’ve heard being tossed around is Bieksa…Are there any other trade rumors out there on the Canuck front? and What has Mike Gillis down to deserve the wrathof the entire league…”

To start, Evgeni Malkin is not an RFA this season, contrary to popular belief. He still has a year left on his contract. Sundin is definitely a guy you want for a cup push, how you can suggest Gionta is beyond me. As for trades, it all depends on Mats’ descision, which by the way, is rumored to be, like Hossa, a significant paycut to Detroit. Thanks for the email!

12:41 PM - Per TSN, Hossa’s terms are 1 year, 7.4 Million. He must really want a cup!

12:37 PM - We’re going to take the Post-Gazette source seriously, as they’re Pittsburgh’s top paper for sports news. Marian Hossa has signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

12:35 PM - Great opinion from Andreas from Germany:

money or the chance to win the cup?
lot’s of players talk about how much they would spend to raise the cup, but in fact sundin will go where the money is.
will he join vancouver for 20 million dollars for two seasons? rather than using the chance to win the cup with the wings, because they only pay 7 million dollars for a one-year-contract. the wings want to resign zetterberg next year, so they are not able and even not willing to support this overpayement of some franchises.
so all the people are waiting on sundin’s decision: jagr, shanahan, naslund, … all the decisions of these players depend on the one of sundin
but there’s no real hope, that he joins a great club like the habs or the wings, because money shows the way …

Andy (Germany)

12:32 PM - Take this with a grain of salt: PIttsburgh Post Gazette reporting that Hossa is going to Detroit.  Hossa’s camp alerted the Pens today that he would not be back.  No word on contract specifics. Per: http://post-gazette.com/pg/08184/894245-100.stm

12:23 PM - Yours truly will be back in 20, need to get lunch, in the meantime, keep the emails coming, Jeff or I will answer as soon as I get back, or if he feels up to it!

12:19 PM - Dale Tallon on Chicago Tribune Live last night:

Got the two guys they were targeting.
Khabi and Huet will be 1A and 1B, both will play, need fresh goalies every night in the NHL
Will have to ‘get creative’, but still have moves to be done
Easier than past years, got some “No’s today but mostly Yes”
Turned some players away because couldn’t fit them in, hadn’t been in that situation before

12:16 PM - Two rumours floating about: Laraque is garnering interest by the Preds and Garrioch says the Sens are going hard after Satan.

12:15 PM - For your reading pleasure: Ken Campbell on what I’m fearing yesterday has brought upon the NHL.

12:10 PM - Curtis Glencross to CGY is a done deal: 3 years/$3.2 million total. Imagine the boos when he gets back to Edmonton…

12:06 PM - I must have missed this yesterday: Jeremy Roenick is back in San Jose for 1 year at $1.1 million.

12:04 PM - Interesting little story on Brian Campbell courtesy of Eklund (no it’s not a rumour this time! :D)

Brian Campbell’s Classy Move…”
I just got the Campbell Story, and this is NOT rumour, this is FACT.

It really came down to Atlanta and Chicago. The deals were very comparable. Brian sat down with his family to decide. He chose Chicago, but out of respect he did something that is NEVER done, and should be.

When a team puts all that money on the table it is a huge compliment. It is a big deal, even if they don’t spend it, for a team to make an offer that is that huge, What usually happens is the agent will call the teams that aren’t chosen to inform you, if you are lucky.

Brian Campbell personally called the Thrashers and thanked them. A small gesture maybe, but it goes a long way.

I will be in the chatroom from this point forward.. 

12:02 PM - Joni Pitkanen (RFA) re-signs with the Canes, no surprise here: 3 years/$12 million

12:00 PM - Eric with this email:

Why would Risebrough not resign Bouchard?

We need offense and that little guy is great on the PP and puts the puck in
the net.  We just need a few power forwards to take the pressure off of him.

I don’t think that rumor of Gaborik to Toronto makes any sense.  The Wild
have spent all off season addressing the Defense position and I can’t see
them interested in acquiring Kubina!?

I am all for trading Gaborik and his trick-groin, but we need a power
forward not another puck-moving defensman.

Eric from the State of Hockey

It’s not really him choosing not to resign Bouchard, but possibly Bouchard’s willingness to go out there and get the best offer available.
Hopefully Riser will make the good choice and sign him long term, no word yet on how much he could demand, but based on this summer, he could be worth at least $4 million a year.

I only suggested Kubina because he’s the Leafs most valuable trade asset right now, if you care to make up an offer, I’ll be glad to take a look.

11:59 AM - Kevin says: Okay, if you’re Ray Shero, what do you do?

You sign Jaromir Jagr and ask about Miro Satan. I’m happy with my team, maybe I could pick up a veteran to replace what Gary Roberts brought.

11:55 AM - Andy from Germany:

Defense Bolts (Stats 2007/08):
—
Filip Kuba | 31 | 75 games | 6 goals | 25 assists | 31 points | - 8 |
—
Paul Ranger | 23 | 72 games | 10 goals | 21 assists | 31 points | - 13 |
—
Dan Boyle | 31 | 37 games | 4 goals | 21 assists | 25 points | - 29 |
—
Shane O’Brien | 24 | 77 games | 4 goals | 17 assists | 21 points | - 2 |
—
Janne Niskala (Milwaukee AHL) | 26 | 80 games | 19 goals | 25 assists | 44 points | — |
—

why do they sign 7 or 8 new forwards if they even have St.Louis, Stamkos, Lecavalier but such a bad defense?

Andy (Germany)

Maybe they think they can outscore their opponents, but I totally agree, they need a defenceman.

11:48 AM - John sends this in:

Campbell pretty much confirmed it wasn’t about the money when it came to our offer yesterday. Is there any chance Atlanta can sign a player, if not two, to improve our roster? Commentary from the last 24 hrs is vehement on all the Thrashers blogs. It’s incredibly frustrating being an Atlanta fan…

Like I said earlier this morning, Atlanta doesn’t need to hamper themselves with expensive and useless salaries for players that won’t help them as much in the long run. They’re better off signing several second tier player to help out Kovalchuk up front, as with the loss of Hossa, the O took a considerable hit. My sympathies are with you guys, hang in there, you have a great foundation for success with Bogo, Enstrom, Kovalchuk…:)

11:40 AM - Keep them emails coming! Oh and Josef Melichar’s deal with the Canes is official, as I reported yesterday, a 1/1 deal.

11:38 AM - No Shanahan for the Devils…at least, he’s never talked to them according to the NY Daily Post.

11:37 AM - Some fallout on Brian Rolston: Montreal was never interested and didn’t make an offer for him.

11:36 AM - Correction on what I previously stated: Avery is in TALKS with Dallas, hasn’t signed with them.

11:34 AM - “Norman Rochefort” with this insightful email on the Rangers situation:

Hey BBeR, Norman Rochefort here. I’m not really sure what Slats is doing. As the e-mailer pointed out, they have lost Jagr, Shanny, Avery and Straka, and they still have limited cap room. Keep in mind this was a team that had trouble scoring last year with all those guys. I’m not a big Hossa fan, and the market for him is absurd. His cap figure would be crippling for nearly a decade. It seems their best option is to slightly overpay to resign Jagr as a short-term solution, until last year’s first-round pick, Alexei Cherpanov is out of his commitment to Omsk and is NHL-ready. As for this year, the Rangers have a few players who could step up the way Dubsinky and Dawes did last year. Namely, Lauri Korpikoski, PA Parenteau, Dane Byers, Artem Anisimov and Greg Moore. That being said, it looks like another season of watching them try to scratch out 2-1 wins. And, that task is even tougher without the grit Avery brings to the lineup.

11:31 AM - Matt asks:

How much of a drop-off in talent would it be for the Penguins if they lost Hossa and signed Jagr?

Considerable, but it’s not as if the Pens were doomed before Hossa anyway.
They’d survive with Jagr, I wouldn’t worry about it.

11:29 AM - Adrien sends in an email from France:

Bonjour !

Ne sachant pas si je pouvais te parler en français hier, j’avais opté pour l’anglais, mais puisque j’ai le choix…

Déjà, c’est gentil d’avoir publié mon message, je ne m’y attendais pas trop ^^’

J’aurais une question à te poser au sujet des Canadiens : Penses-tu que Bob Gainey pourrait essayer de conclure des transactions avec des équipes actuellement à la limite du plafond salarial (voire au-dessus, comme Chicago) pour récupérer de bons joueurs à un salaire relativement abordable ?

Merci et bon courage à toi pour cette nouvelle journée !

Adrien

(He basically asks if the Habs should make a big deal to get that star player to push them over the top)

De rien mon ami, pas de probleme!

Je crois pas que Gainey va aller chercher un joueur de tel niveau, les Canadiens sont assez bons pour gagner la Coupe l’annee prochaine mais il leur manque un gros joueur de centre et un defenseur #4 qui jouerait avec Hamrlik.

Je veux qu’il signe Ron Hainsey et Josef Vasicek, ca serait parfait, et meme peut-etre Todd Bertuzzi, s’il est pas trop cher.

Merci encore!

-BBR

(I suggest he picks up a 3rd line centre like Josef Vasicek, a #4 defenceman like Ron Hainsey and maybe Todd Bertuzzi, if the price is right.

11:26 AM - Our Finnish buddy tunes in again:

What you think about the Gionta moving that Lou will get more space to cap ?
We need a puck moving D put it needs now great actions to get away the players who are not necessary.
Gionta played average season, what about next season?
I am also worried about the future goalie situation. Who´s next after Brodeur ?
What´s your opinion ?

Miika, Finland 

I don’t think Gionta should be moved, but if it gets Lam a good puck-moving D, then he should consider it.
The only risk of doing this is seeing Gionta flourishing in a more offensive playing system, and the Devils need all the offence they could get.
It’s a tricky question, but it’s definitely a possibility, Gionta seems like the only realistic trade bait that Lou Lamoriello could use to pick this pointman up.

I’d be worried too very soon..I’m surprised that Lam thought Ari Ahonen would wait so many years then jump into the Devils net; this question should be better answered when Brodeur is close to retiring, he still has a few years to go on his deal, so don’t worry about it JUST yet.

11:22 AM - Sean Avery signs in Dallas? This is a report out of a local Dallas newspaper.

11: 20 AM - Dan with this email:

What is the deal with Ray Shero and Pittsburgh. I know that the philosophy is to keep a small core of talent and then put in role fillers to stay competitive and not go over the cap, but as of right now we have only 8 or 9 forwards signed for next year. Does Pittsburgh make a move to pick up some guys or do they just bring up guys from Wilkes-Barre and hope for the best?

Any new news on the Jagr to Pens situation?

The Pens indeed do need to fill 2 big holes left by Malone and Hossa, but they could probably accomplish that by picking up just one bigtime player, such as Jaromir Jagr and/or Miroslav Satan. Those guys aren’t near Malone and Hossa in terms of production anymore, but they’re still dangerous guys to have up front and their production could skyrocket with the plethora of young talent up front.

11:15 AM - Matt sends this in:

I really appreciate your blog. It’s quite entertaining even if nothing happens with the free agents.

Maybe you can share your thoughts on the Canucks roster for the upcoming season. I’m concerned that the scoring problem is going to get even worse with Daniel Sedin as their only true goal scorer right now and tons of 3rd and 4th liners on their roster. Any news on Demitra or Naslund ?

thanks, I appreciate this!

Canucks…nothing really new on them, in fact, there hasn’t been much new to anyone this morning. If they net Sundin, then it’ll be difficult to sign both Demitra and Naslund.

In my opinion, they’d be better off signing Naslund and Demitra; let Sundin go, he wants to win the Cup and no offence, the Canucks aren’t ready to do that just yet. Demitra would be a terrific pickup by Gillis, I love his style of play and he could mesh well with the Sedins…Naslund is Naslund, you have to keep your captain, he might’ve had two down years, but he’s still a reliable player, and more importantly, a respected leader.

11:13 AM -  Emails are pouring in, haha, trying to get to them now…

11:11 AM - re for Buffalonian: Smith could be an interesting target, he’d be of big help to a not so physical Sabres blueline, but for some reason I think Tampa will also make a push to get him. Nothing new on Orpik or Miller yet.

11:08 AM - Andrew asks:

Right now I’m getting pretty nervous regarding free agency.  The pens are clearly waiting for Hossa and Orpik to make up their minds before they go out and make signings. Do you think there’s a realistic chance that either comes back to the Pens? 

To be honest, I believe Hossa is gone; unless Pittsburgh puckers up and ups their offer to Edmonton’s reported level, then he isn’t coming back. As for Orpik, I still believe there’s a chance he’ll return, but there isn’t much known about his motivations at this point; another option could be signing him to a one year deal and trading him for a couple of good young prospects, if he really wants to walk next year.

11:03 AM - Ben sends this in:

From what I understand, Colorado has about 10 million left. I could be wrong. What players that are left do you think the Avs need to pick up (if any) in order to really go for it this season?

I think Colorado has all the tools they need as Francois Giguere said he wouldn’t make a big splash, but quite frankly, the only glaring issue is goaltending. Peter Budaj showed flashes of brilliance 2 seasons ago but I have my doubts he’s the guy to take them there, and Andrew Raycroft shouldn’t even be an option, though if he could somewhat rebound to his old glory, that would be terrific for them.

There are no bigtime names left out there, so it looks like the only viable option is trading for someone, Nikolai Khabibulin perhaps? He could come cheap and might bounce back on a better team.

10:59 AM - dk sends this in on New York (I need your help on this one):

No Straka, Jagr, Avery or Shanahan. Hossa would eat up the cap.
What would be Sathers best options and who is ready to make jump from Hartford like Dubinsky and Dawes last season?

The Rangers are in trouble, like I said yesterday.

They can’t afford to throw the big money to a guy like Hossa, or else there will be nothing left to fill the other important holes they have.
I’m not a Rangers expert,  but maybe a Rags fan can tell us who would be ready to make the jump next year; Dubinsky and Dawes have progressed nicely, and it’d be best if they built from within rather than overspending and hampering themselves.

10:56 AM - Don’t hesitate to send in your emails, we do need to talk about something during this downtime.

10:55 AM - The Devils could still target a puck-moving D, but Lamoriello doesn’t have much cash left to spend after picking up Brian Rolston.

10:49 AM - The Canucks have re-signed goalie Curtis Sanford to a one-year pact.

10:36 AM -  Did anyone watch Wimbledon yesterday? It was soooo exciting…thanks again TSN!

10:30 AM - We need a signing, bad…

10:25 AM - Work sucks.

10:19 AM - According to Andy Strickland, the Nucks had their eye on David Backes for quite some time now, and notified them they’d be trying to sign him to an offer sheet. St. Louis isn’t very happy about how this went down.

10:15 AM - Speculation has it that Montreal is going to pursue Jagr on a short-term deal.

10:14 AM - Wow, Glen Sather isn’t ruling out pursuing Hossa to sign with the Rags with the $10 million is space he has left. He really wants to cripple his team I guess…

10:09 AM - Rick sends this in:

Rumour is that DR said that if we don’t sign a top-6 forward (Hossa, Huselius, Williams) he’s going to do something big. he’ll trade Bouchard for a impact winger on a team looking to clear a little salary.

Interesting if this happen.

10:07 AM - I need a few more Finger jokes from you guys, I already got a few good ones…need a couple more  to post up after just for kicks :p

10:04 AM - Jarick’s reply to my answer at 9:59:

True, I think he just waits.  Risebrough seems to avoid any type of risk or controversy, and he probably barely avoided being blasted in the media for losing a fan favorite in Rolston (would have really been the first time) by bringing back a fan favorite in Brunette.

Very telling Fletcher implied that his move might not be around the free agent frenzy.  According to Mike Russo, Risebrough just started reaching out to Gaborik, and I have a feeling we’ll all be on the edge of our seats for the next couple months about this one.

10:02 AM - Bob, if you’re reading this (which you aren’t), please pick up Josef Vasicek and Ron Hainsey…pretty please, Habs fans need these guys to fill 2 big holes in our lineup and make a run at it all.

10:01 AM - re on Jordan’s comment of Mike York going back to Detroit:

He could replace Dallas Drake if the latter decides to call it quits, so this would make sense to me.

10:00 AM - Thanks to Rob for clarifying why Edmonton has more space than it seems:

Brule .765M
Schremp
Reddox
Spurgeon
Peckham
Young

All are around $.5M for salary this year (except Brule).  The only reason they saw any action last year was because of the devastating injuries the Oilers experienced.  They DO still have some low level RFAs to sign, as previously mentioned.

9:59 AM - Jarick sends this in:
As for Gaborik, as a Wild fan, I don’t see him being moved, at least not until later in the summer.  The team just lost Rolston and Demitra and with Bouchard’s future here in doubt and very few quality prospects in the system, Gaborik’s offense is absolutely essential.  There are few players who can produce like he does in Lemaire’s system.  The only way I see him getting moved is if Risebrough strikes out with free agency and Gabby’s looking at not having quality linemates again and won’t re-sign.

And you’re spot on about this, but if Fletcher is willing to give up some juicy prospects, I think Risebrough should definitely consider any offer.

9:55 AM - Wings are out of the picture for Sundin, by the way, and Nick Kypreos says he doubts Sundin will go to Vancouver.

9:53 AM - Rick with his two cents on Gaborik to Toronto possibility:

Just wondering u mentioned Howard Berger is talking about Toronto maybe making a trade with Minnesota for Marian Gaborik… Just wondering the asking price might be a bit high just wondering what Fletcher might be willing to pay in return for Marian Gaborik..

Yes it would be high, but there’s a catch as no guarantee exists that Gabs would re-sign with Toronto when his contract expires at the end of the year; he could probably top any contract that’ll be inked this frenzy.

9:51 AM - Christopher with some nice info on Gaborik:

Well, that [trading Marian] would shake things up in St. Paul, to be sure.  For what it’s worth Russo reported this morning that before Gabby left for home this weekend Riser told him to expect a new contract offer from the Wild later this month.

9:49 AM - You think Lubo Visnovsky will be happy with the Kings again if he gets to reunite with fellow Slovak Marian Hossa? I read the report on why he was upset at the deal, but I can’t help but feel he’ll miss the city of LA itself, coming to a rocky (but still beautiful) place like Edmonton isn’t exactly all sun and beaches.

9:47 AM - Rob replies in the comments on the Oilers cap situation:

Regarding 9:36AM comment:
About $3M worth of salary listed on that website is for guys that will be playing in the minors.

Care to point out which ones? I’m curious to know what Lowe is cooking up here… 

9:45 AM - Jordan replies:

He [Grigorenko] could be great on a team that will give him some playing time. Also THN has Mike Brodeur listed as an unsigned FA under the Blackhawks

Yeah he could, but rememeber guys like Alexei Kaigorodov? Pavel Brendl? All the talent in the world, just no willingness to compete.

9:43 AM - Proposal: Kubina + prospect + prospect + 1st for Gaborik? Or is that too much?

9:42 AM - Come to think of, Bertuzzi with the Habs could be great at the right price.

9:40 AM - Leafs are targetting Marian Gaborik according to Howard Berger.

9:39 AM - On Igor Grigorenko, Jordan writes:

I wonder who will sign Igor Grigorenko. He used to be the wings top prospect but has had a falling out with them due to a poor training camp and seems to be unwilling to practice or work out

Somebody will take a chance. The Islanders, who basically haven’t got much, should make a run at him, it could pay off if he decides to get his back into this.

9:36 AM - Rick on Hossa to Edmonton:

http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=EDM&season=0809

If those #’s are accurate After the trades yesterday by Edmonton they are at 52.138 Mill and they still have RFA to sign so if Hossa is indeed going to Edmonton Lowe has to get rid of some salary..

This is surprising, but he probably has a plan if he’s going to sign Hossa, remember teams can go over the cap limit by 10% until the season starts. He definitely needs to find a suitor for Dwayne Roloson, but that won’t be easy.

 

9:33 AM - Andreas Ronning asks:

Do you see Streit as a nice fit with the Isles? What more can Snow do to get a competetive team on the ice next season? I think that with DP and a solid D in the back end, the Isles will never end up last and pick Tavares. Might as well give the play offs a shot.

I think Streit is a great pickup by New York. Coming from a Habs fan, I can tell you Isles fans will enjoy him; he’s versatile, can passably play defence, fill a hole on the 4th line (though he wants to stay only on D next season). Streit has a terrific shot on the powerplay and will definitely help out (as I recall the PP in New York was pretty bad). However, he’s not a solid D, he gets the job done but he also somewhat has his struggles with the puck in his own end and even at the point on the powerplay. On the pricetag: it’s a big overpayment, but that’s no surprise, considering the ridiculous Finerings out there.

9:27 AM - David from GA sends this in:

First off, thanks for a great blog yesterday, that was fun (well except see the question to follow) and your site seemed to have the quickest turnaround of information.  Great stuff!

Now, as a Thrashers fan here in Georgia, yesterday was extremely depressing.  Management promised the season ticket holders TWO tier I FA signings.  Well, after the dust has settled either their definition of tier I is not the same as the fans, or we failed miserably.  Is there any hope for this franchise?

My feeling is until there is new ownership and a new GM there is none.  We can’t attract top players and except for the can’t miss Heatley’s and Kovalchuk’s of the draft we have failed to produce system players (assuming we had a system).

Sorry for the vent…keep up the good work and maybe there will be a glimmer of hope at the end of the day today.

 Thanks David for the kind words, we also had fun doing this.

I must admit it’s been depressing to watch Atlanta stand pat, and I had no idea they promised them those kind of signings!
Maybe Waddell made the sensible move and backed down after he saw the outrageous inflation of prices (Michael Ryder got $4 million, I still can’t believe it…even worse, Jeff Finger for $3.5 per, etc.). He ended up saving the team some valuable money, and that could come in handy to sign several second tier players, instead of just two first tier ones; the way I see it, Waddell should sign some secondary players to fill the holes all while building from within.
It might take a few years, but your team has a good sturdy foundation already: Zach Bogosian, Kari Lehtonen, Ilya Kovalchuk, Tobias Enstrom…add some veterans here and there, continue to draft well and I have no doubt Atlanta will be dominating the southeast in a few years, possibly even now if they can make the right signing or trade (the division isn’t too good). Trading Braydon Coburn was a terrible move, I must admit, and just imagine a top 4 filled with him, Bogosian and Tobias, mixed in wtih a guy like Nicklas Havelid, sounds scary.

9:23 AM - Ryan Craig was re-signed by Tampa to a reported 2-year deal per Sportsnet, details to come…

9:18 AM - Ok since it seems like Hossa will sign today: your thoughts, where is he going? I vote Edmonton.

9:16 AM - Rick sends this on Minnesota (juicy rumour alert):

According a source to the Fan 590 the Wild are pushing hard for one of 4 free agents still out on the market. The fan 590 staff said that it was down to four possible players he cant give me specific names, bit he said it was a top six forward. He would then go on and saying “3 of them are, the other one isn’t on talent but he’s a real lemaire type player so he’d prolly use him in the top 6″… Lemire type player is defence first player with offensive ability”… He then lastly said that out of the four players 3 of them were younger then the age of 33… Also According to Michael Russo one of the four players that Wild are interested in is Kristian Huselius

Huselius doesn’t seem like such a Lemaire-type guy; he’s soft and inconsistent on offence (had a terrific 1st half last year in CGY, completely faded away in the 2nd and fell out of favour with coach Mike Keenan)

9:15 AM - Back…the Flyers have signed RFA D Randy Jones to a 2-year deal worth $5 million total, an average cap hit of $2.5 million per season. Plus, the Rangers reupped backup Steve Valiquette…

8:38 AM - Hey Folks! Thanks for the great experience yesterday! We had so much fun, we’re deciding to pursue this once again today, so keep those emails coming and we’ll have plenty to talk about as of 9(ish)

———-

12:53 - Glencross is apparently close with the Flames, per CalgaryPuck.

12:33 - Ryan Johnson comes to terms with the Canucks per TSN: 2 years worth 2.4 mill

11:57 - Fletcher looking for a #1 Center and an un-played Euro defender:

Having signed a trio of players on the first day of free agency — goalie Curtis Joseph, defenseman Jeff Finger and left-winger Niklas Hagman — Maple Leafs’ GM Cliff Fletcher tells me he is not finished bolstering his roster. “We’ll be signing a defenseman from Europe that hasn’t yet played in the NHL, and I’m still looking to hit a home run,” Fletcher said in a brief phone chat Tuesday night. “We obviously need a centre, and that’s the area I’ll be concentrating on, either in free agency or with a trade. I haven’t yet given up on Mats Sundin coming back. But, we’ve offered him $7 million [per year] and Vancouver has offered $10 million. So, we’ll wait it out like everyone else.”  Fletcher still needs a No. 1 centre, and he seems determined to find one… if Sundin doesn’t return. “It’s not something that has to be done tomorrow or the next day, but it’s a requirement before next season,” said the GM.

11:44 - Mark Gage replies AGAIN on the Canucks:
Demitra is completely plan B … Sundin is plan A and if yes, then there is no room for Demitra, not to mention Hossa. Canucks made an offer for Hossa early, but a centre is definitely the priority, and his term is crippling.

D-wise I’m not sure, a lot depends on if Bieksa gets traded or not as to what the needs are. Regardless, however this all plays out there won’t be a ton of $$$ leftover and the bottom end of the blueline will be cheap filler guys. The so-called best 1 thru 8 on the back-end is history …  it didn’t work (altho they were never healthy). The loss of Bourdon (RIP Luc!) really hurts teh team depth-wise.

Canucks will rely on Luongo, a good top 4, and improved offense to get it done (hopefully!).

Personally, I am in favour of Miller and Weaver returning. McIver is RFA but was qualified, and I certainly expect him to get a new deal.

 

11:14 - We’re still taking call questions at (347) 414-9342 (Skype is TheJeffler, and I’ll also take questions on MSN, jeffler@gmail.com, as long as you’re brief - everyones talking to me today)

11:12 - “Hi , I’m Mark a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, my question is IF Mats Sundin decides to sign with the Canucks as well as Markus Naslund, how will we fit in Demitra or Hossa that had been rumoured to want to play with each other and Naslund ? Is this also an indication that Miller, Weaver, McIver will not be back ?”

If they were both to sign, I could see a slight chance at Demitra, but it would definitely be questionable. No way Hossa would come though. As for the D, I’m not that familiar with the lower end of the Canucks, so Mark Cage, if you’re still refreshing, send me an answer

11:09 - “Hey, love the info you guys are putting up here…Just out of curiosity, I would like to ask this: even though Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic have made it clear that if they come back, it will most likely be with the Avalanche, do you know if any other teams have made an honest effort to try to lure them in to signing with them? I just thought it’d be interesting to know.” “I would like to ask you your opinion on the Avs’ current goalie situation.”

Regarding Sakic, I’m sure the Canucks will make their “COME TO US BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU BACK HOME” offer which will be flatly rejected by Sakic. Forsberg I don’t think will get many offers, unless he holds out again.

As for goaltending, I wouldn’t be shocked either way - they’ll either keep Budaj as the starter in hopes he can carry it and that Raycroft will bounce back, or we’ll see Budaj and someone traded for a starter in the coming days.

11:07 - Huselius did NOT sign with the Ducks, I was mistaken.

10:52 - Ahaha, the Shh was tongue in cheek on what Mark said. Here is the full thing.

Hey Jeff,

 

Canuck’s Blogger from Hockeybuzz here, Mark Gage … great job today by you guys! I was refreshing like mad all day!

 

The Sundin offer is the best thing for the Canucks at this specific time under these specific circunstances.

 

I don’t really think any player is worth 10, but at two years it keeps the team’s financial needs in order. Deal expires the same time as Luongo’s, Sundin is the only #1 centre out there and fills the hard to do need of a 1A and 1B scenario with the twins on the other line, new owner and gm who have mandated change, and the guy is still a very good player at 37 … nothing like the Messier acquisition that a lot of Media are comparing it to.

 

You mentioned past success with Wellwood, but I think the real caveat in all of this is Naslund waiting to see what Vancity does before he signs anywhere … he got offers from Pitt, Det and NYR today bu thasn’t signed … 2 Cup Finalists and the Rangers where everyone supposedly wants to play? Gillis and him spoke twice last week and I think this has been in the works for a while (Shhhhh!). You know Nazzy would want to play with Sundin to close out his career and he would be very excited about the changes in the offense versus the lack of depth last year.

 

JP Berry said that the Canuck’s offer was the best one on the table by quite a bit. He received 10 inquiries and 4 offers. Berry spent a lot of time talking about the offer with him. He intimated that he’s recommending it and said that Sundin is sleeping on it (currently 4:30 am in Sweden?). Also said that he has stressed, and Sundin understands, that it is in his best interests to decide quickly so his new team can get more players.

 

Gillis also said that Sundin was very interested and was flattered that the Canucks were so aggressive in trying to get him. I think Sundin is a Canuck pretty soon and Naslund will immediately follow … then they just fill in the holes with the $5 Million or so left over.

 

Cheers!

 

10:36 - For those who want to call and not use Skype, I got a SkypeIn number. Its long distance (New York City, due to no Canada), but it should do if you really wish to call. The number is (347) 414-9342.

Also, we got a great email from Mark Gage of HockeyBuzz regarding Sundin and the Canucks.

Hey Jeff,

Canuck’s Blogger from Hockeybuzz here, Mark Gage … great job today by you guys! I was refreshing like mad all day!

 

The Sundin offer is the best thing for the Canucks at this specific time under these specific circunstances.

 

I don’t really think any player is worth 10, but at two years it keeps the team’s financial needs in order. Deal expires the same time as Luongo’s, Sundin is the only #1 centre out there and fills the hard to do need of a 1A and 1B scenario with the twins on the other line, new owner and gm who have mandated change, and the guy is still a very good player at 37 … nothing like the Messier acquisition that a lot of Media are comparing it to.

 

You mentioned past success with Wellwood, but I think the real caveat in all of this is Naslund waiting to see what Vancity does before he signs anywhere … he got offers from (teams and sentance I was told to Shhh! about…I’ll post if Mark gives permission). You know Nazzy would want to play with Sundin to close out his career and he would be very excited about the changes in the offense versus the lack of depth last year.

 

JP Berry said that the Canuck’s offer was the best one on the table by quite a bit. He received 10 inquiries and 4 offers. Berry spent a lot of time talking about the offer with him. He intimated that he’s recommending it and said that Sundin is sleeping on it (currently 4:30 am in Sweden?). Also said that he has stressed, and Sundin understands, that it is in his best interests to decide quickly so his new team can get more players.

 

Gillis also said that Sundin was very interested and was flattered that the Canucks were so aggressive in trying to get him. I think Sundin is a Canuck pretty soon and Naslund will immediately follow … then they just fill in the holes with the $5 Million or so left over.

 

Cheers!

 

10:27 PM -  According to CKAC, Michael Ryder has signed with the Boston Bruins for 3 years, $12M ($4M Cap Hit). Also, I’m a fool because I thought Huselius signed with the Ducks. I was wrong.

10:20 PM - Since I’m gonna lag behind getting everything done by email, try calling me on Skype! All you need is a microphone (if you don’t have skype, download it at skype.com) My username is TheJeffler.

10:00 PM - Have you heard any rumors concerning the Avs? I like the Tucker pick up, but was hoping for a bit more… - Big B

As everyone expected, Sakic will most likely return…he “tested” merely to see what the Avs would do, and it seems that Joe Canada will be back. As for more signings, I hear they’re interested in Cooke and Orpik.

Any scoop on what the Nashville Predators have up their sleeves?

Will Poile try to sign Naslund, Demitra, or Straka?

Last year Jason Williams was linked to the Preds at the trade deadline….

Let me know,
Dave T.

Sadly Dave, we’re not about to pull an Eklund and claim Ovechkin going to be a Pred. There are no rumblings at all, as far as we can see.

hi, i was wondering if there are any rumours about canucks getting backup goalie for luongo?

There was a rumor that they might make a pitch for Marc Denis once his buyout is completed…will it go through? Who knows.

9:41 PM  - We’re still here…its just quiet. Send in lots of emails, I’ll reply!

9:09 PM - Any updates on Demitra or anyone worth noting that the Canucks could acquire to help out their offense? I’m suprised there hasn’t been an offer sheet for P.M. Bouchard, he’s a quality depth center than can put the puck in the net… I wouldn’t mind seeing  the Canucks go after him…Same goes for Bernier, Svatos, Umberger, O’Sullivan and Clowe…I’m starting to get anxious, need an offensive presence aside from the finesse Darcy Hordichuk.

Demitra has talked to Gillis but its assumed the Canucks are done for today…maybe another minor move.

8:55 PM - It’s been great fun with you guys today, but my co-blogger Jeff will take over the duties of keeping you entertained. Have a fantastic day/night wherever you may be! Keep those emails coming!

-Steve (BBeR)

8:51 PM - K.J. with another email:

thanks for you responces i really appreciate it but i have 1 last question
so who are the most recent rumors to come to van city either through FA or trade im hearing a couple rumors out their that says
1) the sedin twins for kopitar, dustin brown, and johnsen &
2) the sedin twins & edler for kopitar and brown
which is more realistic and is these rumors true or make belief?

Jeff:

The first one is the most unrealistic thing in the world, that would be like the Penguins trading Malkin, Staal, and Letang. Its not happening. As for the second its better, but it won’t happen. Kopitar is way too good of an asset. Laugh at these, seriously.

8:44 PM - An email from Suomi (Finland):

Hi!
Thanks for the big job all of you tonight.
Lots of deals have signed today, good and worst.
I have still one question :
Have you got any information about Devils or Kings, does they have any players on target right now and what you think about Bobby Holik to Devils and Stoll , Green to Kings ?

Greetings from Finland

Miika (NJD) and Matias (LAK) 

Hey Miika and Matias!
Awesome, emails from Finland always rock, you guys have a great nation!
Thanks for the kind words.

I think the Devils are basically done for today, and if anything, they could try and add some depth, but that’s as far as I see them going; I could be wrong, and hopefully for Devils fans I am.
Kings…Dean Lombardi said there would be no big moves in store for his team today, and so far he’s been true to his word.

As I said on the blog, Holik is a big leader who will surely mentor some of the younger Devils such as Travis Zajac and Zach Parise, plus he’s an effective faceoffman and will help on key draws (like on the PK).

Stoll and Greene are two great pickups by the Kings, honestly, Stoll is a talented guy who seems to be injured way too often, but he should fit in nicely with the terrific youth on the LA squad. Green is a fast puck moving defenceman, faster than Visnovsky but not an upgrade on offence.

8:40 PM - Just an FYI, my friend Jeff Veillette (who’s great) is going to take over from me as of 9, so feel free to continue with the emails and thoughts, they’re much appreciated.

8:36 PM - Kulijeet on Sundin again:

well every1 and even right now on sportsnet don taylor is saying it would be a mistake to get sundin and they are referreing back to the dark days of messier and saying if sundin does coke here then we gone go through that horrible phase again. do you agree or disagree and why

Jeff Veillette answers:

Do you really expect Mats Sundin to become a cokehead there? Him and Mark Messier are two different beasts. Messier can be considered a power-hungry beast who wants things his way, and thats why he was successful. Sundin is the opposite, a man of grace and descision. He will not be trying to take over the dressing room, and I’m pretty sure that he won’t be sniffing lines off of Mayson Raymond’s ?back. Don’t be so pessimistic, and look at him as Mats Sundin.

8:34 PM - Frank asks: Ya I have a question about the bruins, Now that they seem to be out of the running for Hossa, do you think they will go after Huselius to provide a goal scorer

I say (lol): I’m hearing Ryder is a strong possibility, a better fit than Huselius IMO.

8:29 PM - On Atlanta, Kevin sends this:

Okay, one last thing. In regards to Atlanta, Mike Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said a player told him Atlanta was offering Campbell $60 million, reportedly over eight years. Beyond that, the Thrashers haven’t seemed to do much.

That’s about as much as the Hawks offered, but Chicago made more sense to Campbell geographically.

8:25 PM - J sends this in on Atlanta:

Nah, no one knows what Waddell’s up to.  Maybe he was involved in the Bryan Murray car wreck?

There’s plenty of money to be spent, going in, most of us were split on spending all that money on Campbell, or splitting it out into 2 guys like Orpik, Hainsey, Streit  [NOT ANYMORE ] or some other guys who have already been signed.  We need a first line center (centre?) but there really aren’t any.  Basically we need A LOT, but no one’s gonna give ATL a chance while Waddell is still running things.  I think Bobby Holik was his biggest FA signing.   Ughhhhhh

8:23 PM - For those who feel like chatting about todays UFA action, Jeff will be in our IRC Channel. You can connect using http://faceoffboards.com/irc.php, or with the following details on your IRC client: Server (irc.vbulletin-fans.com)  Channel (#Faceoffboards)

8:22 PM - Mark Streit signs with the Islanders for 5 years/$20.5 million (WOW, that’s a lot of money for this guy!)

8:20 PM - Here it is:

what do you think is going in mike gillis’s head offering Sundin a 2/20$ deal that just ridiculous. he is not the answer and why is mike not signing any good players instead he signs darcy hordichuk:S who the f*** is he and he is going to do nothin for our organization. we have atleast close to 20$ MIllion and the canucks are not even signing any good plaers thats just stupid.

Great answer by Jeff Veillette, who will take over the duties at 9ish:

For the Canucks right now, they are clearly focused on gaining the repulation of an offensive team again. Quite simply, the logic behind offering Sundin so much is simple - they don’t want to sign Hossa because they don’t have a long term direction at the moment, but they want to get an impact player who can show future UFA’s that they aren’t going to go for the 1-0 win.

The Canucks have plenty of cap space, so to overpay Mats Sundin for a short term to insure he signs is a smart move for them. They’re also banking on Sundin playing with Kyle Wellwood (possibly moving Wellwood to the Left Wing). Wellwood has great chemistry with Sundin so to get his career back with someone that he is familiar with is a As for the signing of lower tier free agents, clearly Gillis doesn’t see a lot of promise in this years UFA lineup. Though I do think they will make a pitch for Michael Ryder, this year doesn’t have the strength in terms of offensive orientation to make a splash.

If you want to see the Canucks boldly put Defensemen on the wing, you can take Gillis’ role. Until then, he knows what he’s doing, and if he gets Sundin you will not be disappointed. As a Leafs and Canucks fan, I would be incredibly excited for him to make the transition to the Vancouver Canucks. Thanks for the email.

8:16 PM - Good question/answer on Sundin to the Nucks coming up in just a minute!

8:15 PM - J sends this in:

I’d also like to thank you guys who run this site.   Most websites are blocked at work, but luckily a friend of mine told me to try this site.  I did and was very very thankful for all the updates.  As a Thrashers fan, it has been a very frustrating day, is there any hope of us signing ANYONE??? (ESPN just laughs at hockey these days, even the NHL Network is disappointing me!)

you’re quite welcome, it’s our pleasure to do this, really.
Yes it’s been frustrating for Atlanta fans, has there actually been anything rumbling out there? I have no clue.

8:07 PM - Weller’s deal is worth $1.2 million over 2 seasons.

8:05 PM - Sundin not going to sign today either per TSN, and not surprising at all, the old man’s taking his time (come on already…)

8:04 PM - Kevin asks: Hearing anything else on Huselius and the Penguins?

Nothing for a while now, but I do believe he’d be a great fit to replace Malone.

8:01 PM - Craig Weller signs with Minnesota…thanks Bryan

7:57 PM - Adrien with the type of email that makes you (well me in this case! :D) feel all fuzzy inside.

Hi there !

I’d like to thank you for your coverage of today’s free agent frenzy. You’ve been incredibly quick to react to each news, and it’s been a pleasure to read you all along the evening while I was at work.

Now it’s getting late here (almost 2am), so I’m off to bed.
I hope Hossa, Sundin & co will kindly wait until I awake to sign anything… =P

Thanks again and congratulations !

Adrien, a CH fan from France.
(and now officially a Gainey-worshipper. How he managed to sign Andrei Kostitsyn for 3,25M a year is beyond me.)

Merci Adrien, j’apprecie tes mots gentils! (Thanks Adrien, I appreciate your kind words, for those of you that don’t speak French like us Montrealers are obliged to)

 

7:55 PM - Sock sends in this on the Rangers:

First, Redden is an interesting signing. When you look at who the Ranger’s have on D, Rosival, Tyutin, Staal, and Girardi, I can definitely see Redden fitting in with the Ranger’s defense. Depending on how well he fits in will depend on how I feel about the 6.5m a year, but I’m optomistic.

Second, it looks like Rangers have completely remade their fourth line. Varos, Rissmiller, and Jämtin will definitely give the Rangers fourth line more scoring, while Varos and Jämtin can still offer up some energy. I see this as the end of Hollweg, Betters, and Orr in New York. All three of them are great energy guys, but I think they’ve need made redundant by these new signings.

Still! The Rangers first and second lines have some holes.

Your thoughts?

My thoughts:

The Rangers are in trouble.

First off all, Redden’s signing removes a significant chunk of caproom for Glen Sather to work with, leaving him with rougly $9 million to spend on 8 players, mainly filling the spot vacated by Jaromir Jagr and a few checking line spots, as well as some depth and a backup goaltender.

I like their new look 4th line, but I can’t help but feel this wasn’t the right way to go, as now Sather has his hands tied, and unless he could shed some salary and improve what I just mentioned above, it’s not going to be a fantastic season in New York.

Redden is an interesting signing, as I see him fitting in well, but the frenzy has rendered salaries so ridiculously bad that it’s not going to be worth it IMO.

Thanks for the email!

7:51 PM - It’s a one-year, two-way contract worth $525,000 in the NHL, $100,000 in the minors. (thanks to my bud Nate who’s kept me up to date today as well as all of you that have emailed in while I scrounge then net :p)

7:50 PM - Tough guy David Koci, known for his titl vs Zdeno Chara this past year, has signed on with the Tampa Lightning.

7:46 PM - Gainey needs to target Ron Hainsey, the guy he lost a couple of years ago. He would fill a big need at #4 plus the loss of Mark Streit and look good with Roman Hamrlik.

7:42 PM - Time to announce the next lockout folks, at this rate, the NHL will have more CBA trouble faster than you might think with a lot of teams struggling to even make the cap floor. There is a huge contrast between the powerful a middle of the pack teams in the NHL currently financially wise.

7:39 PM - Wade Redden signs with the Rangers for 6.5 per at 6 years! WOW.

7:31 PM - Bryan wakes me up with this email:

Hey guys-

 

Awesome coverage today, and thanks for that.

 

A few questions, since you are posting the “yawn.”

 

First, with the loss of Rolston, where do the Wild turn now? Holik was big talk here in Saint Paul, and he joined huggy bear in NJ. Yes, they signed Brunette, which earned some big points with the fans, but they have some major holes to fill still.

They certainly do, and Pavel Demitra is probably out the door, leaving one big major hole to fill at center; Brendan Morrison, Martin Straka and even Markus Naslund are a few names that come to mind that could probably help out Marian Gaborik.

 

Are the Wild still in the hunt for Hossa, and if so, why?

TSN said the frontrunners for Hossa are currently (in order): Oilers, Rags, Habs and Wings; I haven’t heard Hossa’s name be mentioned much around Minnesota today, and I doubt he’d sign there over a team like Detroit.

 

What do they do with Bouchard, since he has until the 5th to declare for arbitration, and if he does, he is gone after the season?

That’s a tough one, but there’s an evident answer: Bouchard is a key piece to Minnesota’s offence, Doug Risebrough should make a push and sign him before arbitration, insuring that he doesn’t get massively overpaid (you see what’s happening in the FA market…) or you lose him on a one year deal, like you said; another possibility is letting Bouchard go after next year and pursuing a free-agent that could probably fill the void at a similar price.

The feel on the blogs covering the Wild here in MN, is that the Wild failed today. Lost Rolston, lost out on Holik. Zidlicky was a good pick up, but in Lemaire’s sytem, his offensive prowess could be hampered. Any thoughts there?

Those were my thoughts exactly this morning:

2:28 PM - My opinion on Zidlicky to the Wild and what he could do for them (asked by Rick):

Zidlicky is a good offensive defenceman that could anchor a powerplay. Look at his numbers from 2-3 years ago and you’ll see what kind of production he could put up. However, I have my doubts whether his numbers will return to that level on a defense-oriented team like the Wild.
He’ll help out, especially on the PP, but I don’t expect him to have any mind-numbing season. Regardless, a good move by Doug Risebrough.

Thanks again for the coverage. Great job.

No problem

7:29 PM - Michael Ryder could end up in Boston

7:27 PM - Andy Strickland says Redden’s down to two East teams. Funny, TSN said two West teams before. He’s expcted to get a big payday thanks to the market inflation, a salary he likely won’t deserve, but a fresh start for him elsewhere is good news for Wade.

7:19 PM - yawn

7:08 PM - Rob Rossi of the Pit Tribune confirms what was just said 2 minutes ago.  No rumours or speculation out there for now.

7:06 PM - Marian Hossa not going to sign anywhere tonight. (TSN says 0% chance)

7:04 PM - The Devils have quietly made good progress today, adding two big centres to their team, one with 30 goal seasons under his belt, both leaders. Plus they’re trying to get Shanahan.

7:00 PM - C’mon Marian, make up your mind already!

6:54 PM - The Devils sign Holik, one year for $2.5 million.

6:50 PM - The Leafs sign F Nik Hagman to a 4-year contract likely worth $12 million.

6:48 PM - The Blueshirts have agreed to terms on a deal with Michal Roszival. The terms: 4/20 (He’s just as good as Campbell, so this deal is a steal by the new market standards)

6:44 PM - Back, leftover chicken was not so good. Back to bizness…The Flyers agree to terms with Glen Metropolit and Nate Raduns on a 2-year and 1-year deal respectively.

6:34 PM - Will take a little break to have dinner, be back in 10-15, will update if something happens. Plus Vancouver signed Darcy Hordichuk to a 2-year deal.

6:27 PM - Edmonton is getting players to call up Hossa, where I still believe he’ll end up. The Wings and Penguins are trying to get him too.

6:26 PM - Redden down to two teams: the Sharks or Flames. It was suggested earlier he could earn$6.5 million per season!

6:26 PM - Patrick Rissmiller signs with the Rangers

6:24 PM - JP Barry is pushing Mats Sundin to make his decision: play or retire. Of course he’ll play, does anyone really doubt he’ll deny $20 million? Toronto is trying to get him back too;  correction: not $24 over 5 by the Devils but rather $20 million over 4 by the Devils for Rolston.

6:22 PM - Flyers denying they’re talking to Brendan Shanahan.

6:18 PM - Jordan: I disagree with your Huet’s overrated comment :). Huet is underrated if anything; he boasts the top SV% in the NHL since the lockout and proved again why he’s a top goalie with the Caps in the playoffs. He also happens to be the nicest guy ever and my favourite tender.

6:17 PM - Avs fans are jumping up and down: Sakic is coming back; now the Habs better sign Saku to an extension.

6:13 PM - The Flyers sign Ossi Vaannen

6:12 PM - Cheryl sends in that ESPN’s Andy Strickland reporting that Joe Sakic has told teammates he’s coming back next year, no surprise there really. MILBURY can really just shut it, Huet not a top 20 goalie? Come on man.

6:09 PM - Commodore: 5 yr/18.75 million deal from Columbus; BRUTAL; Rolston to NJ for 4/24 deal.

6:05 PM - Michael (kudos to him for the last update) sends this in:

It doesn’t suck too bad because while he would possibly provide the scoring, he would be grossly overpaid and handicap any future moves with his cap hit.  We do need scoring, but not at the expense of our future.  They had a playoff team last year without Bergeron, so I think that they can manage without Hossa.  If I were Peter Chiarelli I might target a mid-level potential scorer like a Bouchard or Vermette through Restricted Free Agency, but standing pat as a Bruins fan would not be a bad thing either.  They do still need to buyout Murray, but Wideman’s situation allows for an extended buyout period, so I expect that to come eventually.

5:59 PM - This could mean that Boston is not going to sign Hossa, apparently the B’s might not be high on his wish list. Again this is speculation, but all signs point to the player being Hossa. At least Boston won’t overpay, this basically guarantees him going to Edmonton in my mind.

5:58 PM - Milbury is pissing me off. Huet is a Top 20 goalie you moron, top 10 easily. McGuire is dead on for Finger.

5:57 PM - New Jersey, the Rangers, the Wild and Detroit are hot on Rolston, a deal could be announced soon.

5:56 PM - St. Louis matches David Backes’s offer sheet from Vancouver.

5:52 PM - Ryan Wolfe sends in this question:

I see that the Sabres signed Patrick Lalime. Do you expect anything huge out of them or are they just gonna stay put and resign Miller/Pominville and wait for all the new kids they just signed?

I think their first priority is definitely signing Miller and then Pominville, there is no doubt in my mind they need to re-sign their big stars (not so big of a secret Darcy Regier has struck out before) and then focus on signing a defenceman, though that could be tough seeing how much they’re setting back most GM’s (outrageously too).

5:50 PM - Not surprisingly, as stated before, Campbell wanted to go near him hometown; Ottawa would’ve been better as he’s from Strathroy, but Chicago is a delightful city and close enough.

5:47 PM -  Brian Burke has been uncharacteristically silent today.

5:45 PM - Someone care to enlighten me? Why is Mike Smith being shopped in Tampa? Could this mean Nik Khabibulin is on the way back? (the irony is delicious)

5:41 PM - That’s unreal. Khabibulin could stay with the Hawks. McGuire is saying that’s dumb hahaha, and sadly he’s right, $12 million for goaltending. They’re just about $4.5 million over the cap.

5:40 PM - 8 yr/56 for Campbell, and Nolan getting lots of interest.

5:38 PM - McKenzie says the deal is not totally done. Deal is going down.

5:35 PM - The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Brian Campbell, details to come!Apparently the Senators had him basically signed, per RDS, but he slipped away to the Hawks! This deal could be the biggest ever, so brace yourselves.

5:33 PM - TFP (The Fourth Period) reporting that the Kings are in the run for Khabibulin, which I think is a HUGE mistake. Labarbera/Ersberg can do a job just as well for much less, plus, this is just a bridge for Jonathan Bernier’s debut in 09-10.

5:32 PM - Chicago offering $8.5 million for Campbell; Huet was on CKAC before saying that Dale Tallon told him Khabibulin would be moved somehow.

5:31 PM - Looks like Ron Hainsey and Pavel Demitra are sitting tight until Brian Campbell and Marian Hossa sign, likely raising the bar for both their values.

5:29 PM - Kevin sends this:

Heard anything about where Brooks Orpik will land? I assume Pittsburgh’s out with the signing of Eaton. They’re crowded on the blueline.

I imagine the Islanders could make a push for Orpik, it makes sense, he’d be a great fit there.

5:27 PM - Sundin/Montreal is over folks, at least per JP Barry, who says he understands Montreal is (thankfully) headed in a new direction.

5:26 PM - BBeR is back folks!

5:23 PM - Steve better get back soon, the NHL died when I took over

5:08 PM - To answer the question regarding Hossa to Edmonton…we have no clue…Hossa’s being offered a deal by pretty much everyone who have cap space. Regarding the Dallas Stars, they’re the front runner for Wade Redden.

4:58 PM - We’re kind of slowing down in terms of moves, but I’ll keep you posted anyway. Leafs fans, now that the Sundin era is surely dead, what are your thoughts? Do you hate him forever? Respect is decision? Make a comment.

4:55 PM - I’m gonna run home from work (yeah I had to come in on Canada Day) and continue the coverage from there, until then, keep them emails coming and my co-blogger Jeff Veillette will keep you up to date.

4:53 PM - Rumours are swirling that Josef Melichar is close to signing with the Carolina Hurricanes

4:49 PM - Rangers, Dallas and San Jose pushing for Wade Redden per Howard Berger.

4:45 PM - Patrick Lalime is headed to Buffalo per Sportsnet, 2 years/$2 million total.

4:42 PM - Looks like my prediction of Hossa being the first to sign a big deal could turn out to be true.

4:39 PM - Hugo: Hossa to Edmonton is a good possibility, but can he possibly pass up a $100 million deal from the Bruins?

4:35 PM - Fletcher said he wants to sign 1 more D, 2 more F and that he’s not talking with the Jackets.

4:33 PM - Pat sends this in:

3:49 PM - Toughguy Aaron Voros signs with the Rangers (replacing Sean Avery)

Tough guy, have you ever seen AV fight?  He’s willing to drop ‘em, but then hangs on for dear life with both hands.  If they signed him as a tuogh guy, they are going to be sadly dissapointed.

High energy guy, yes. Great story, yes. Tough guy, not by any means.

Well that’s what I mean by tough guy, he’s not totally a goon, but he’s an agitator, willing to get under opponents skin, kind of like what Avery did.

4:31 PM - Alex Auld to Ottawa for 2 seasons worth $1 million per season.

4:30 PM - Perry sends this in:

Hello - I noticed this in your blog see below…First … is this deal rumor validated … and if so …2nd …is this an expensive deal for B’s buying out Murray & Fernandez and pay Hossa as well…third are you getting chills if the B’s pull this off as a Habs fan

What chances do you think the Bruins have at signing a big name today, especially Marian Hossa? The possibility of a Hossa- Savard- Bergeron line gives me chills.I’d say very slim unless they start unloading some salary, such as Glen Murray and his $4+ million price tag.
That would give anyone chills, certainly Habs fans such as myself.

This rumour has not been directly validated by myself, but I trust the WEEI station in Boston know their stuff. (Not the best of sources) Eklund reported the same earlier this morning, so I’m betting it’s true.

Second, it will be somewhat expensive, but, they’ll have enough room left to sign Hossa in the end.

3rd, YES I am, but not only about Hossa, but also because of today’s salary madness, it’s been very ominous, to be quite honest, I am worried about the future of the NHL if things continue like this.

4:24 PM - Some potential suitors for Nik Khabibulin? Don’t email me with that question because I quite honestly don’t know who will take that kind of contract of Dale Tallon’s hands. He’d be better off buying him out and bringing up Antti Niemi to back up Huet.

4:18 PM- The frenzy has slowed a bit after a nice rush, the Jeff Finger jokes being sent in are hysterical, I may post a few after.

4:16 PM - Olie Kolzig’s deal has bonuses, plus Andrew Brunette will earn $2.5 million per season in Minnesota.

4:12 PM - You could think of so many dirty Jeff Finger jokes it makes me giggle.

4:08 PM - Hossa offered that rumoured 12/100 deal by the Bruins according to WEEI in Boston!

4:07 PM - Alex sends this in:

Hey great blog… Just wondering who’s going to be between the pipes for LA this year? Is Bernier ready to make the leap? I think that almost all they need to be a contender….Also, is there anything happening with Vancouver and Demitra? He was rumored to have been walking around the city the other day… Also just wondering if theres any word on Sakic or Federov? Thanks again, great blog - Alex

I think you’ll have Jason Labarbera in there for one more year, backed up/challenged by Erik Ersberg while Jonathan Bernier finishes his AHL stint with one last year before making the leap next season, but he could get a call up should there be an injury.

Demitra has been linked to Vancouver, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do pick him up.

I expect Fedorov to remain in Washington and Sakic to return next season.

4:05 PM - Darcy Tucker to Avs, 2 year deal worth $4.5 million.

4:00 PM - Speculation: Georges Laraque to Montreal? Now that Godard was picked up by Pittsburgh, Laraque would make a ton of sense for the Habs. I fully expect the Blues to match Mike Gillis’s offer sheet.

3:57 PM - NJ, NYR, DET, CAL all going for Tucker per Howard Berger. Erik Godard signs with the Pens too.

3:56 PM - Rumour has it the Bruins will buy out Glen Murray and Manny Fernandez (both make $4+ million per) in order to fit Marian Hossa under the cap. Crazy stuff.

3:55 PM - Our first offer sheet of the day: David Backes (STL), $7.5 million/3 years from the Canucks, more to come!

3:51 PM - Andrew sends this in:

Your blog is awesome!!!  Any news from L.A. making any moves?  Why did they trade for Gauthier?  Was it for the 2nd round pick primarily??

Nothing about LA, Lombardi said he wouldn’t make a big move and I believe him.
Gauthier is a depth guy, he could regain some of his former glory and possibly become a good bottom pairing guy for you guys.
The 2nd rounder was likely so the Kings can take Gauthier’s salary off Philly’s hands.

3:49 PM - Toughguy Aaron Voros signs with the Rangers (replacing Sean Avery)

3:47 PM -  Leafs are interested in Redden per Andy Strickland. Stay away Fletcher. Huet’s deal is $5.6 million per for 4 years.

3:45 PM - Stillman signs with Panthers, 3/10.6 (good deal) and Huet goes to the Hawks, details to come!

3:44 PM - Markus asks: Who do you think will be with the first marquee free agent to sign with a team? 

I have no idea to be honest, but I’m guessing it’ll be Marian Hossa.

3:37 PM - The Tampa Bay Lightning sign Adam Hall, 3/1.8. Link.

3:35 PM - Jeff Finger’s career numbers: 94 GP, 9 G, 15 A, +22. Then read this: $3.5 million per season.

3:30 PM - Jan asks: Now that Tampa have added Vrbata, Kolzig, Prospal, Malone, and Roberts, ( and Steven Stamkos )    does this make them the cream of the crop in the South East?

Yes it evidently does now. The Canes added Joni Pitkanen and the Caps lost Cristobal Huet, they easily have become tops in the Southeast.

3:27 PM - The Leafs signed Jeff Finger to a 4-year deal worth $3.5 million per, is this true? ARE YOU SERIOUS? Wow, I hope it’s 3.5 total.

3:26 PM - Raycroft’s deal is at 800K.

3:24 PM - Jan asks: Is Bryan Murray asleep?

I say: Apparently he got hit by a car today, no joke, according to a friend of mine in Ottawa.

3: 21 PM - Dave sends this in:
LOL at your 3:03 post, I agree wholeheartedly - especially regarding TSN and Wimbledon!
Do you really think Huet would want to go to Ottawa with Gerber there?

LOL thanks, ridiculous, even more ridiculous that Sportsnet or the Score aren’t taking advantage of this.

I’m not sure if he’d want to go there, but he needs to consider every option now, seeing there aren’t too many teams in need of a goalie on the market anymore.

3:16 PM - Huet wanted 4/20 from the Caps. Fan 590 questioning where he’s going…they’re basically pleading the Sens to do it, haha.

3:14 PM - Todd Fedoruk signs with the Coyotes, 3-year deal.

3:12 PM - ESPN’s Andy Strickland is saying Darcy Tucker close to signing a deal with someone, Ty Conklin signs with Detroit at 750K for one year to battle it out for the backup job with Jimmy Howard.

3:08 PM - The Habs re-sign RFA Andrei Kostitsyn to a 3-year deal worth $3.25 million per year!

3:06 PM - Andrew Raycroft signs with the Avalanche, nice.

3:03 PM - We need a big signing, come on GM’s, Theodore and Vrbata don’t cut it for us! And why on earth is TSN SHOWING WIMBLEDON today instead of the Frenzy show?

3:01 PM - Wow I was wrong, Theodore got $9 million! I can’t believe McPhee let Huet slip away to sign this guy for as much money!

2:58 PM - Cristobal Huet needs to sign with Colorado or Ottawa.

2:56 PM - There is no way Theodore got $5 million from George McPhee, who lost out on Cristobal Huet; it’s a 2-year deal, likely around $3 million per season.

2:55 PM - Irony sets in: Theodore signs with the Capitals! Does this mean Huet to the Avs?

2:53 PM - The Phoenix Coyotes have taken a step to replace Keith Ballard on their blueline by signing Kurt Sauer to a 4-year contract.

2:51 PM - The Avs have picked up former Swedish Elite League player Per Ledin to a 1-year deal, he had 16 goals and 17 assists with Jonkoping last season.

2:49 PM - Antti Miettinen is garnering good interest from several teams. I saw him play with the Hamilton Bulldogs a few years ago, and he’s come a long way since then. Could be a sleeper surprise signing.

2:46 PM - Leafs trying to go for Brian Rolston, Dan Fritsche, Jeff Finger and trying to move Pavel Kubina per Howard Berger. I don’t expect Rolston to sign with the, Fritsche is rumoured to be in a deal for Kubina.

2:45 PM - Olie Kolzig signs with the Tampa Bay Lightning!

2:43 PM - CKAC reports that 10 teams are showing interest in Mark Streit, who could demand up to $5 million per season (which is just asinine, like the $20 million for Sundin).

2:39 PM - BT sends this in on Sundin/Canucks:

what’s your opinion on this offer?

I think this is crazy. The Nucks have about 20 Mio. $ left and
still have to sign some other guys.
Right about now they have 1 goalie, 6 defensemen and 10 forwards signed.

I think they overestimate themselves.

greetz

My (and everyone’s) opinion is evident: CRAZY.
Is a player like Mats Sundin worth more than Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby? There is no way you could say that with a straight face; he’s a great player, but not that great. Besides, I’d like to see his excuse when he lands in Vancouver, on how they’re more of a Cup contender than the Habs or the Rangers, seriously. The Canucks are getting there, but they’ve still got a way to go compared to Montreal and New York.
Mike Gillis should focus more on his own players, like you said, rather than an expensive quick fix.

2:33 PM - Answering Hugo’s comment: Andrei Kostitsyn is definitely scaring me too, and I hope that a deal is near; he’s the #1 priority for Bob Gainey before Mats Sundin or Brian Rolston.  For the rest of you that aren’t plugged into Hab Nation like us, Kost is a possible offer-sheet target, and with Jeff Carter getting a big deal from Philly, his price has almost certainly gone up to at least $4 million (Carter signed for 15 over 3 years)

2:31 PM - Joe asks: Are you suprised about the lack of movement so far?

Not really. It’s always like this on a day we call “frenzy”; remember last year when Todd White was the first signing of the day and the TSN crew went bananas as if the world exploded?
Don’t worry though, when it’ll rain, it’ll pour, as it does every year.

2:28 PM - My opinion on Zidlicky to the Wild and what he could do for them (asked by Rick):

Zidlicky is a good offensive defenceman that could anchor a powerplay. Look at his numbers from 2-3 years ago and you’ll see what kind of production he could put up. However, I have my doubts whether his numbers will return to that level on a defense-oriented team like the Wild.
He’ll help out, especially on the PP, but I don’t expect him to have any mind-numbing season. Regardless, a good move by Doug Risebrough.

2:26 PM - The Canucks have done the unthinkable and offered Sundin a 2/20 deal.

2:23 PM - Kale sends in this email on Hossa to the Canucks:
What’s the possibility of Hossa signing in Vancouver with the speculation of Naslund being shown the door?

Really, anything is possible as we haven’t heard too much about Hossa up to now; but I still believe he’s headed to Edmonton, Naslund should’ve never been shown the door, that was a bad move by the Canucks.

2:21 PM - Jaromir Jagr going back to Pittsburgh possibly…he received an offer from them. This could mean that the Pens have lost out on Kristian Huselius.

2:20 PM - Ziggy sends in the following:
What chances do you think the Bruins have at signing a big name today, especially Marian Hossa? The possibility of a Hossa- Savard- Bergeron line gives me chills.

I’d say very slim unless they start unloading some salary, such as Glen Murray and his $4+ million price tag.
That would give anyone chills, certainly Habs fans such as myself.

2:16 PM - Mark Eaton returns to Pens, 2/2 deal. Excellent signing by Ray Shero, Eaton is a good affordable guy to have on any team.

2:13 PM - Speculation: could the Avs go after Cristobal Huet and the Caps Jose Theodore? How ironic that would be…

2:11 PM - Huet getting lots of interest! Plus Peter sends this in:
Any news on Naslund?
Any links with the Pens.
What about Rolston. Apperantly he received a 9 mil 2 year offer from the Pens…

Naslund: nope, nothing at all, seems that Mike Gillis works tightly and leaves no chance for rumours.
The Pens have interest definitely in Kristian Huselius, and I think he’d be a great fit for them, only hope he doesn’t turn out to be Nils Ekman all over again.

Rolston…no idea either, there hasn’t been much to go on for him except that he’s received 10 different offers and is pondering whether to go back to Minnesota.

2:10 PM - Leafs have a lot of interest in several different player, possibly more than half a dozen per the Fan 590.

2:06 PM - According to Roto News, Patrick Lalime could be headed back to…Ottawa *hide*. Why not? He’s regained confidence and could back up Gerber. TSN also confirms the Brunette to MIN signing.

2:05 PM - $10 million for Sundin? Are we going towards another lockout? Your thoughts?

2:02 PM - Chad sends in: Any rumblings regarding the Colorado Avalanhce?  Especially in the crease?

Nothing really, except that the Avs are expected to go with Peter Budaj as their #1 next year, according to some reports earlier this morning.
They should target a guy like Olaf Kolzig or Ty Conklin to bring some stability in the backup role though, and Francois Giguere came onto a French radio station this morning and said he doesn’t expect to make any big moves.

1:59 PM - TSN UPDATE on Mats Sundin situation:
The threat of retirement is not standing in the way of NHL teams taking a hard run at free agent forward Mats Sundin.

Sources tell TSN as many as four teams have table offers for the 37 year old, including one undisclosed team who has offered a whopping 10 million per year on a multi-year contract.

*Drop dead*

1:58 PM - Just to let you all know, nothing here is made up like our buddy Eklund likes to do, much of this has been speculation due to the lack or available rumours; the signins/rumours all have sources in the media (usually Spector’s and newspapers). It’s been kind of slow for a bit now, hopefully it will pick up in the next hour.

1:53 PM - Some clarification on the Denis Gauthier to LA: he was dealt there along with a 2nd rounder for Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic.

1:49 PM - Some more from ESPN’s Andy Strickland:
-Rolston has received a whopping TEN offers already.
-Cristobal Huet is getting lots of interest, and the Caps are still in it.

1:47 PM - Renewed speculation that Doug Weight is entertaining an offer from the Islanders to reunite with buddy Bill Guerin, according to Andy Strickland from ESPN.

1:45 PM - Rolston may be going back to Minnesota, per the Fan 590. The possibility of Huselius going to the Pens is on the rise.

1:42 PM - Activity has historically picked up between 2 and 3 PM every free-agent frenzy, so bear with us, we’re almost there. Wellwood’s deal, btw, is actually worth $997,500 and not exactly $1 million, for you precision freaks!

1:38 PM - Kyle Wellwood agrees to a new deal with Vancouver paying him about $1 million per season.

1:37 PM - The Kings have picked up Denis Gauthier. See, that didn’t take long, he needs a fresh start.

1:35 PM - ESPN via CKAC is reporting that the Oilers are in bigtime talks with Marian Hossa.

1:33 PM - No word yet on the salary for Andrew Brunette, Zidlicky is a good offensive pointman, and the Wild sent Ryan Jones and a 2009 2nd rounder to the Preds.

1:32 PM - Brunette signs with Wild, Marek Zidlicky dealt to Wild as well, more to come…

1:30 PM - Correction: I reported earlier a Kyle Norton to Colorado signing, that is false, sorry guys. Norton doesn’t even exist on hockeydb and the source wasn’t good who originally told me.

1:28 PM - NHL.com now confirming that Kolzig to TB rumour.

1:26 PM - Rick sends in the following on Mike Ryder:
Question about your speculation about Ryder possibility to Toronto…. If he goes to a rebuilding team like TO. Do you think its possible he could have one of those 30 goal seasons like he had a few yrs ago with Montreal..

I think all Ryder needs is a change of scenery, and he could explode like did a few years ago. I gotta warn you Leafs fans, he’s terribly inconsistent, despite the fact he has good numbers in the end.

1:24 PM - Eklund is now reporting that Huselius is an “e4″ to the Pens, something I claimed earlier (that he was linked to them)

1:21 PM - $60 million for Brian Campbell? link

1:17 PM - Correction: Clemmensen isn’t with the Marlies anymore, my bad guys.  (thanks Dylan)

1:16 PM - Oilers need to push for Hossa/Spezza. That could really guarantee them a division title, after dumping Dwayne Roloson of course

1:15 PM - Olie Kolzig pondering whether to go and play for the Bolts. I say no to this move, Mike Smith has enough experience and Kari Ramo has good upside; let them battle it out, don’t bring in and old washed-up has been who needs to retire to a nice villa in Zurich.

1:14 PM - Speculation is the Bruins might try and clear salary to acquire Mathieu Schneider from Anaheim.

1:12 PM - With Joseph signing in TO, this will push Justin Pogge a year closer to making his debut; he’s developping well with the Marlies in the AHL, and one more year is probably what he needs. Plus he’s got Scott Clemmensen there to help him out.

1:10 PM - Cujo signing official, no word on the amount yet, but it’s probably between 600-900K.

1:06 PM - Pat sends this in about Cole/Pitkanen deal:
“…AWESOME deal for both teams.” Could be — what’s your thinking on it? I haven’t seen Pitkanen play, but know he’s regarded as something of a project still. As for Cole, we all knew he was likely gone, but we could hope….

I think it’s an awesome deal because it fills two big needs for both teams. Pitkanen isn’t really a project but rather a work in progress. He’s been oft-injured, though filled with plenty of promise and skill, he hasn’t been able to put up the kind of numbers that’s been expected of him after a few stellar years in Philly. He’s a good PP quarterback, I’ll give you that, and not too shabby in his own end; he’s not an underachiever like I’m making him sound, per say, but he’s still got a bit of time to fill his potential out, and I have no doubt he’ll have a great chance of doing that with the Canes.
He’ll fit greatly in their quick and smart style of play, and will help the powerplay. Now, only gotta hope Samsonov doesn’t bust and that Williams stays healthy. As for Cole, the Oil needed someone to replace Jarret Stoll, and he’s a perfect fit.

1:04 PM - The Wild have signed Tomas Mojzi, as previously reported by their beat writer Mike Russo (thanks Rick).

1:03 PM - Did anyone else catch McKenzie with Landsberg on OTR yesterday, when asked about tampering, Bob answered “Plenty going on”. Not too much of a surprise.

1:02 PM - Kristian Huselius has been linked to the Pens, to replace Marian Hossa/Ryan Malone. He could command $3-4 million a season

1:00 PM - Vrbata’s deal is 3 years long per the NHL Network (thanks Rick) and Blake Wheeler officially signs with the B’s (reported a while ago)

12:56 PM - Norm from Lasalle, Ontario sends this in the following on Sundin/Shanahan/Montreal/NYR:
I’ll predict that if Montreal is not able to sign Sundin, especially if the Rangers do, then they will target Brendan
Shanahan. They tried very hard previously to sign him as a UFA a couple of years ago, so it would not surprise me to see Bob Gainey try one more time.
Also, if the Rangers sign Sundin for $7-8M, and resign Jagr, they should not have the cap room to keep Shanahan.

Norm, this is a possibility for the Habs, but it’s not one I see them pursuing. Shanahan was 2 years younger when Gainey pursued him and the team was in a different situation. Now, they want to win the Cup and they need a guy like Sundin or Rolston, a big impact centre to carry the load. Shanahan is on a decline and he could really sink to the ground as of next year, it’s a big risk I don’t feel Gainey should take.
As for the Rags not having any space, by losing Jagr and Straka, they have some cleared up…besides, Shanahan shouldn’t cost too much.

12:54 PM - Kyle Norton to the Avs, 2-year deal.

12:52 PM - Pitkanen is apparently working on a deal with the Canes and it could be announced later tonight.

12:51 PM - The Lightning are going to be freakishly scary next year: Malone, Roberts, Stamkos, Vrbata, Prospal (Rolston)…now they need a pointman and to lock up Mike Smith.

12:48 PM - Radim Vrbata signs with the Bolts, more to come: $3 million per season, unkown # of years for now.

12:43 PM - After a fiery start to the hour, things have cooled off a bit.

12:38 PM - Michael Ryder could end up in Toronto, he likes it there, according to the Fan again.

12:37 PM- The Rangers could pursue Brian Campbell. Shanahan to NJ a strong possibility.

12:34 PM - Mark Streit…$4.5-5 million. Wow. Wow. Wow. According to the Fan 590, he could cost this. Is this for real? $3 million is already fair enough. Welcome to the new old NHL. Like I said, the market is inflating, and this could be a consquence, sadly.

12:31 PM - Leafs could target Ron Hainsey, terrific idea, seriously, the guy is only getting better.

12:30 PM - The Kings apparently could take a run at Sean Avery, something I find hard to believe, seeing they parted ways rather nastily and he’s not the type of guy they need to rebuild, same as the Leafs.

12:27 PM - Isles are going after Rolston/Hossa, interesting but expected, they are desperate and really really need a bigtime player to help with the offence.

12:25 PM - As usual, the Habs are being very very quiet about whatever they’re doing.

12:19 PM -  Corey Perrey deal official; 5-year/25 million

12:17 PM - Amazing…Jose Theodore is looking for 5-6 million per season according to RIS. Would any team be dumb enough to give him that kind of money again?

12:16 PM - Pitkanen needs a new deal, an extension from the Canes before a potential offer sheet.

12:13 PM -  Stuart’s deal pays him $3.75 per, like I said, the market is going to be tough.

12:12 PM - It’s official, Erik Cole to Edmonton for Joni Pitkanen, AWESOME deal for both teams.

12:09 PM - Rene Bourque dealt to Calgary from the Hawks for a 2nd rounder (sorry, FOC went down for a bit there!)

12:03 PM - The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed Brad Stuart to a new deal, details to come…

12:00 PM - FREE AGENCY BEGINS

11:59 AM - ONE MINUTE, craziness is setting in. Oilers have more caproom now that Torres’s salary is out.

11:57 AM - Dupuis’ deal is 3/4.2

11:55 AM - FIVE MINUTES NOW

11:53 AM - Various sources (Howard Berger and the NHL Network) reporting that CuJo to TO a done deal.

11:52 AM - Rick sends in again some more tidbits on Sergei Brylin and Arron Asham:

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello also announced that they have passed on the option on Sergei Brylin’s contract for $1.52 million. Lamoriello did not rule out signing Brylin at a later date, but said Brylin will become an unrestricted free agent at noon. Arron Asham will also become an UFA. 

11:51 AM - The Pens have reupped with Dupuis, terms to come.

11:50 AM - JUST TEN MORE MINUTES!

11:47 AM - Speak of the Devil (pun intended): NJ agrees to terms with F Jay Pandolfo and David Clarkson while declining the option on C Sergei Brylin.

11:46 AM - Brendan Shanahan to the Devils anyone? So much speculation floating around the net now, it’s overwhelmingly awesome.

11:43 AM - Kukla is reporting that Cristobal Huet is going to hit the market for sure now. Ottawa may have interest. He is seeking a 3+ deal worth around $5 million per.

11:42 AM - Pitkanen to Carolina rumours intensifying, with either Justin Williams or Erik Cole going the other way.

11:38 AM - A friend of mine, Jackets nut Bethany Porter, is happy with the deal. Brule didn’t progress as expected has not lived up to his original draft hype. I may have overreacted a tad when I first announced this, Torres fills a gritty scoring need for the Jackets but they’re already overstocked at the LW position.

11:34 AM - Simon Deslauriers sends in the following, heard on CKAC 730 (Sports radio station) in Montreal
-Brian Campbell is strongly considering joining the Devils and could negotiate a deal with Lou Lamoriello, who’s very interested, once free agency hits in 25 minutes.
-Andrew Brunette and Kurt Sauer won’t be returning to the Avs next year.
-Jose Theodore will, according to them, not be back either and that they’ll give Peter Budaj a shot to be the number one.
-Perry going for a 3-4 year deal at $5.3 million per soon…the Ducks are running out of cap space.

11:30 AM - Rick sends in the first email of the day!
Minnesota Wild Newspaper writer Michael Russo wrote rumours have Andrew Brunette signing with Minnesota and just wondering what are the chances of this happening.

I think the chances of this happening are believable. Brunette is a former Minny player and he could bring some qualities that Brian Rolston had there. However, there is still the issue of potentially losing Pavel Demitra to free-agency, so the Wild are going to have to pick up a center to help out Marian Gaborik next year should they lose him. As for Brunette, he may want to go where the money is best for him first, seeing this is his last big chance to cash in, but IMO I’m confident the Wild will take a run at him.

11:25 AM - Wow, is this for real? I just got a message saying that Gilbert Brule is going to Edmonton from Columbus for Raffi Torres?! What a rip for the Jackets if true, unbelievable. Brule is a top prospect who hasn’t developed nearly as fast as expected whereas Oil head coach Craig McTavish doubted whether or not the veteran Torres would have a spot on the team next year. Sad to see they gave up on him so quick.

11:21 AM - Funny. Darius Kasparaitis is officially a free-agent today at noon.

11:16 AM - I expect the Yotes to target a defenceman, such as Ron Hainsey or Brad Stuart to fill the void left by Keith Ballard in the Olli Jokinen deal.

11:05 AM - TSN (well, Darren Dreger) is reporting that the Pens and Malkin are close on that extension I reported last night (5/42.5).

10:52 AM - Bill Watters from 640 AM in Toronto is reporting Curtis Joseph will likely return to backup Vesa Toskala with the Leafs next season on a 1-year/700K deal. Maybe CuJo will retire with the team he created his legacy in… link

10:38 AM - I hope there’s a signing before the usual 2-2:30 PM that everyone’s used to this year.

10:35 AM - RDS reporting that Jaromir Jagr will hit the open market today. At least this could clear up space to sign a big name for Glen Sather, as Jagr’s salary is potentially off the books.

10:34 AM - Looks like the market for defencemen is going to be expensive this year, so it should come as no surprise the top prize Brian Campbell will become the highest paid player at his position in the NHL.

10:30 AM - The Devils have re-signed defenceman Bryce Salvador to a 4-year deal that will pay him just under $3 million per season on average.

10:20 AM - Renewed speculation that the Jackets are going to go terribly hard for Brendan Morrison, and probably overpay badly in the process. Wade Redden is still on their radar.

10:13 AM - Still nothing new to report. Send in your emails and we’ll chat a bit.

9:52 AM - Bob McKenzie article on the disappearing of that bonus cushion that allowed some teams to wiggle around cap-wise. Yes, it’s been boring for the past half an hour or so. For example, the Lightning have to treat Steven Stamkos as a 3 mil + player rather than the rookie minimum of 850K (850K+any bonuses)

9:42 AM - Rolston to FA (eTSN). Looks like he took my advice.

9:34 AM - Noon is too far away, and no TSN coverage today makes this a little less exciting than it should be.

9:27 AM - BD Gallof  suggesting the Isles could add Doug Weight. They need to get younger and better, signing Guerin last year was enough, now Weight? Come on Snow. However this isn’t totally his fault, seeing the Islanders organization is a complete mess right now…the arena, the owner, the mediocre team, the inexperienced GM, the nicer alternative being the Rangers…they’re at a big disadvantage, and it could cost Snow today.

9:20 AM - Interesting…the Devils like Brian Campbell and Lou Lamoriello is hot for him. This could be an interesting scenario for Campbell, one he could’ve hoped for if more teams bid for his services, potentially assuring him of a $8 million salary (holy overpayment Batman!)

9:17 AM - How low has Dan Cloutier fallen? The Kings don’t even consider him an option anymore. They tried to buy him out recently, but the oft-injured in question is pleading to go to arbitration, claiming that he’s not medically cleared to play next year. Give it up Dan, your salary is ridiculous and you’re the biggest bust signing that’s been made for a goaltender since Jose Theodore agreed to that monster deal with the Habs a few years back. Speaking of LA, Dean Lombardi is expected to stay quiet and address depth needs.

9:15 AM - The Pitkanen for Cole rumours are back. Kevin Lowe has to unload a pointman after picking up Lubo Visnovsky, and this trade would make perfrect sense for both clubs. As I stated before, the Canes are in big need of a blueliner while the Oilers need to replace Jarrett Stoll.

9:13 AM - Jackets GM Scott Howson will try hard to entice a big name free agent to sign with his club this offseason, such as Brendan Morrison, Kristian Huselius, Radim Vrbata, Michael Roszival, Wade Redden and Mike Commodore. I have my doubts that any of these guys would be willing to go to the Jackets at this point, seeing they’re the only team left not to qualify for a playoff spot in the history of the NHL (but that’s exaggerated too, seeing they haven’t been around as long as some other big time losers out there).

9:12 AM - Avs fans can expect a quiet few days: Francois Giguere says he won’t commit to any new splashes this offseason after Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan last year, despite the fact $22 million in cap space is free.

9:10 AM - Green’s deal is at 4 years, and a total of $21 million. A big payday for the young and feisty offensive defenceman, hopefully for Caps fans Cristobal Huet follows suit, though I have my doubts he’ll sign before noon.

9:09 AM - The Capitals have re-signed restricted free-agent Mike Green to a new deal per TSN worth $5.25 million per season

9:08 AM Canes GM Jim Rutherford is looking to shore up his blueline. He needs to pick up an impact pointman, seeing Brett Hedican and David Tanabe are on the way out the door, Glen Wesley isn’t getting any younger. Plan A was initially thought to be John Michael Liles, but he reupped with Colorado a couple of days ago.

9:06 AM - Sorry for the brief outage, had to get to work today (yes I am being forced to come in on Canada Day, joy…). Before I left, I checked the Bruins cap stats and they just don’t have enough space to pick up Marian Hossa or Joni Pitkanen, if anything, they’ll need to find a suitor for the struggling Glen Murray and his $4 million salary.

8:49 AM - Don Waddell denies yesterday’s wackjob of a rumour suggesting he’d offer $8.4 million to Brian Campbell.

8:46 AM - Brian Rolston is apparently mulling over whether to accept a reported deal in the range of 4/16 5/20 with  the Lightning or test the free agent market. This is a lucrative offer, if true, but he’d better take a wait and see approach and contemplate other offers in order to either drive this price up accordingly, or, just considering a true contender (sorry Bolts fans, Tampa isn’t a contender just yet).

8:45 AM - Denis Gauthier was officially bought out today by the Flyers, who waived him yesterday. He could possibly find a job elsewhere, but he’ll need to prove himself all over again in the minor leagues.

8:40 AM - Speaking of NY, one team in dire need of something, anything, is the New York Islanders. They were at the bottom of the pack for offence last year and no Isle cracked 60 points last season.

8:24 AM - Some Ranger related tidbits from Larry Brooks this morning:
-The New York Rangers want Mats Sundin and Jagr (one year deals).
-Jaromir Jagr arrived in New York yesterday
-It’s believed that the guy everyone’s talking about, Mats Sundin, will ultimately choose between the Rangers or Wings.
-Leafs, Hawks and ‘Nucks are the top suitors for Sean Avery, with more that will surface
-As I posted before, 12/100 is likely for the Bruins to offer Hossa
-The Rangers have interest in Brian Rolston
-The Blueshirts have essentially targeted four free agent defensemen of whom they hope to sign two - their own Michal Rozsival, Ottawa’s Wade Redden, Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik and Montreal’s Mark Streit.
-Michal Rozsival rejected a 4/20 deal from Glen Sather, and I don’t blame him.
-Rangers have zero interest in Campbell’s 7M contract demand
-Orpik wants a 6 year, 4 million per contract with a NTC. NYR might offer 4/16 + NTC
-Streit will ask for about 3-3.5M (thank God Bob won’t give it to him, Streit’s a versatile player who wants to only play defence, and not forward. Sadly, he’s not very good with the puck in his own end and may never put up the same number of points with another team again.)

8:18 AM - Should the Habs go after another player should they fail to sign Sundin/Hossa?

7:35 AM - The Leafs may pursue Kristian Huselius, if the price is right, per THN. Remember how dangerous he was at one point last season? His offence kind of dried up in the second half, he fell out of favour with the management and likely blew his chance at a bigger deal than he’s going to get today (or in the coming days).

7:26 AM - Free Agent Frenzy day is HERE! Hurrah! To kick this day off, I’d like to first off post this wacky and unbelievable rumour I just read in the NY Post: Boston is prepared to offer Marian Hossa a 12-year/$100 million deal. Wow. Wow. That’s unbelievable, we’ll just have to wait and see, but I get the feeling Hossa will redefine the highest salary in the league later today.

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9:40 - There isn’t too much to report, until tomorrow…make sure to tune in, it’ll be plenty of fun, starting at 9:00 AM (with an update or two before) all day long.

9:05 - Corey Perry is close to a deal similar to Ryan Getlzaf’s that was signed last year. A deal that could pay him upwards of $5 million per season, plus, Rolston is itching closer to a deal with Tampa that could pay him $4 million each year.

8:52 - Ryan Miller is the Sabres next target; Darcy Regier is going to open talks with the goalie tomorrow. Don’t be surprised if he ends up with the Wings, it’s not as if Buffalo has any trouble keeping their impending FA’s out of the reach of other teams…[insert sarcasm]

8:48 - Lubo Visnovsky not happy with the way the deal to the Oil went down last night; apparently, the Kings promised they wouldn’t trade him before his NTC kicked in and he had no idea he would be dealt. I can’t blame him though, I mean, that kind of sucks, seeing his NTC kicks in tomorrow. Ouch. TSN story

8:46 - Interesting tidbit: Avery could join the Maple Leafs per Bob McKenzie earlier today. I think he isn’t the type of player Toronto needs in the middle of this sort of “rebuild/rebrand” stage. Really Leafs fans, do you want Avery on the team? If anything, he’ll be a bigger scrutinized distraction for the team.

8:43 - Malkin to sign a 5/42.5 deal with the Pens, according to Pittsburgh Live

8:35 - Cristobal Huet and the Caps reportedly have a 3-year/$15 million deal on the table but Huet could test the market and see if he gets a better offer; he wants to stay with Washington and they certainly want (and need) him back.

8:31 - A few more signings that took place today: Paul Gaustad (future Sabres captain) agrees to a 4-year/$9.2 million deal with Buffalo; the Sharks kept goon Jody Shelley in the fold for 2 more years; defenceman Andreas Lilja re-upped with the Wings for 2 more years ago while Petteri Nokelainen signed a 2-year/$1.7 M deal with the B’s.

8:25 - Dan Boyle is being shopped? Really? Wow. He has a NTC so there is no way he’d waive it to be honest. Tampa seems determined to win next year, by adding Stamkos, Malone, Prospal, Roberts and possibly Brian Rolston, they’re getting there. However, their defensive and goaltending issues need to be resolved. Hopefully, Mike Smith and Kari Ramo can handle the load for the Bolts; they should make a good tandem.

8:22 - Rumour has it Brian Campbell could be offered a whopping 8.4 million per season deal by Atlanta. You heard it here first, the NHL will have problems in a few years financially; heck, most teams are having problems REACHING the minimum (the cap ceiling) required by the NHL. There is a huge contrast between the current high-market teams like the 6 Canadian ones and the bottom place Hurricanes, Capitals, Predators, etc.

8:19 - Rostislav Olesz was locked up by Florida today; 6/$3.2 per. He’s a touted prospect in their system and this could potentially pay off in the long run; Jacques Martin still has to sign franchise player Jay Boumeester to an extension.

8:13 -It’s looking more and more like Mats Sundin is headed to July 1st, and I can’t say I totally blame him. I don’t buy into the BS he’s contemplating whether to play or not, heck, if he was going to retire he would’ve already done so, if not for one thing holding him back that will probably bring him back: Lord Stanley’s mug. He hasn’t won it yet, and there is no way in my mind Sundin walks away from a chance to win it all next season, no way. Montreal seems to be the only logical choice in my opinion, I’m a Habs fan, but can you really tell me the Rangers or Senators would be better suited for him? Lord, the Rangers picked up the creme of the crop during last summer’s signings and their offence was ridiculously bad (you’d think Chris Drury and Scott Gomez would spice it up more, but Jaromir Jagr obviously missed Michael Nylander, who signed in Washington)
So yeah, as for Bob Gainey…Bob, PLEASE don’t wait for Sundin, give him a deadline; tell him “Mats tell us tomorrow if you’re coming back or retiring so we can work out a deal”. Don’t forget, Gainey still has to sign Andrei Kostitsyn, who’s a potential offer-sheet target and get an impact player plus, MAYBE, a #4 defenceman? He can’t wait for Sundin, or the rest of the gems available (aka Hossa, Rolston) will sign away.

8:09 PM UPDATE: Less than 17 hours away from noon tomorrow, but the frenzy will likely begin before then! Scrounging the net for rumours/news, be back in a few! (tomorrow’s updates will be minute by minute, so don’t worry about today, the frenzy is close to breaking out!
Remember, if you have any questions/comments, don’t hesitate to email us at faceoffcircleblog@gmail.com, and I’ll gladly chat up with you until I pack it in, in just a few hours.

UPDATED 12:33 PM Denis Gauthier on waivers, again, his salary is what’s keeping him away from most teams. Plus Sundin has reportedly signed with Montreal per the official channel of the NHL on XM Radio.

12:22 PM: Colorado re-signs defencemen Adam Foote to a 2-year deal worth $6 million, paying him $2.75 million next season and $3.25 in 09-10 plus John-Michael Liles to a 4-year/$16 million deal.

It’s become a tradition here at the Faceoff Circle to live-blog the craziest time of year hockey fans sweetly call the Free Agent Frenzy. Tune into this year’s installment starting today, as we break the latest signings/news/talk/speculation and discuss your emails.

Tune into this year’s installment starting today, as we break the latest signings/news/talk/speculation and discuss your emails.

Since the Frenzy officially begins tomorrow, today we will only post the signings/trades that are reported, whereas the real fun will take place in 24 hours as the non-stop all day blogging will keep you up to date and informed on the latest and greatest.

Watch this space!

-BBeR