Showing posts with label Free Agents Signing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Agents Signing. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Will the Wings offer Schultz a contract?

Justin Schultz's agent from Meehan and Arnott of Newport Sports is going to be a busy man this upcoming weekend – the same agent represents Zach Parise as well.
Redwings Front–Defenseman Justin Schultz hasn’t played a game in the National Hockey League, but that’s not stopping the Wings from all but guaranteeing the soon-to-be free agent a spot on their roster.

“He’s close to being an NHL defenseman,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “He’s a young player. We’re prepared to give him the opportunity to be on our team.”

Schultz, who turns 22 on July 6 and played three seasons at Wisconsin, was drafted by Anaheim in 2008 prior to starting college, 43rd overall, but couldn’t reach a deal with the Ducks, who had until Sunday before he could begin talks on a contract with any other team.

And the Wings seem prepared to get a deal done.
If Schultz goes to the Detroit Redwings he would be one of the few players names that we can pronounce and or spell correctly.

But I digress.

It will be interest to see where everyone ends up after July first signing period. Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Justin Schultz are going to get a lot of interest and we might not know till Monday or Tuesday where these highly sought free agent players end up.

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, there have been 26 teams that have already expressed interest in UFA Justin Schultz.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Zach Parise rated number two Free Agent

Zach Parise prepares to start in a game for th...
Zach Parise prepares to start in a game for the New Jersey Devils (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here are the top 12 unrestricted free agents according to Ryan Porth – Sportsnet.CA
2011-12 salary: $6 million
As for Parise, he may be the best free-agent forward since teammate Kovalchuk signed his 15-year, $100 million contract with the Devils two summers ago. Despite coming off major knee surgery, Parise scored 31 goals in 2011-12 -- his fifth 30-goal campaign since the lockout -- and was a factor in getting the Devils to their first Stanley Cup final since 2003. Some pundits doubt the Devils have the goods to match any contract offer Parise would receive in the frenzy. Like Suter in Nashville, it comes down to Parise’s commitment level to the Devils, the only organization he has ever known. Parise is the captain of the Devils and the heartbeat of the offense, but money speaks volumes.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Minnesota Wild get more local talent: Sign Apple Valley/Burnsville product

Ok, he's no Brent Burns. In fact, he's not even a top pair defenseman, but the Minnesota addressed their hole in defense by adding Burnsville product and Apple Valley High School graduate (not to mention UMaine alum) Mike Lundin.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman and Minnesota native Mike Lundin to a one-year deal.
The 26-year-old Lundin had one goal and 11 assists in 69 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He averaged more than 20 minutes per game and blocked 106 shots and will be counted on to bolster the blue line after the Wild traded top defenseman Brent Burns to San Jose on draft night.
The signing brings Lundin home. He is a native of the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville and played high school hockey at Apple Valley, where he was a finalist for the state's prestigious Mr. Hockey award in 2003.
He played in college at Maine and was a fourth-round pick of the Lightning in 2004.
(Article made by the Associated Press and can be found here)

I am no Wild fan, Goon is. I don't think Lundin is anything to write home about. He's not going to blow it out there on the ice, but he's not Brent Burns either.

Should you be excited?

I guess. The sad truth is: Mike Richards was the big name. And there is so little other notable names floating out there that Jaromir Jagr is coming back to the NHL to try again and that made almost as big of a splash as Richards' signing with the Rangers.

I expect that the major moves are done with the offseason already, which will make the NHL fan stir crazy for the season to begin. I do not foresee many big trades being made and there is certainly, in my opinion, nothing going on of note with free agency.

I do not foresee the Wild being much better this next season, but unlike in previous years, there wasn't many names they could go after to make the team much better than it is. Sure, losing Burns will hurt, but they gained Dany Heatley and Devon Setoguchi. That being said, the Wild aren't going to amount to much for a long time because of the state of affairs Risebrough left in regards to the Wild's minor league and prospect talent depth (that being fairly solid defensively and grit-wise but almost completely bereft of finishers and playmakers).

All in all, Wild fans should be happy that the Wild are active and seem to be trying to address some of what they need. But in the end, I fear that the Wild are still 2-4 years away from making any sort of noise. And how much noise that may be is still very much uncertain.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Sunday, August 01, 2010

You can't be serious.... (RW77)

I'm not making this up!! I swear!

Carey Price, the most overrated goaltender in the NHL.... is going to hold out from signing his contract with the Canadiens.

This is a kid with a complete lack of maturity, lack of focus, and an ego that's cost his team a number of times who saw his season fall apart last year, lost his starting role to a guy who demanded a trade before the season began, watched as that same goaltender made him look downright incompetent by comparison, and yet he still ends up being the one the Canadiens gave, gift wrapped, their #1 goaltending role to despite it all... AND HE WON'T DO IT?!?!

Ok, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that his agent and his advisors may all be high on crack, meth, weed, and has gone on a drunken bender that would make Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton go "DANG!!! You need rehab!!!" In other words, his agent might be telling him that he deserves better and inflating that silly ego of Carey's. It's not uncommon for athletes to be surrounded by morons.

Although I'm not altogether sure if it is the money or the length of contract, as both sides were seeking a long term agreement (foolish on Montreal's part but wise on Price's part), but Canadiens GM Gauthier hasn't exactly been idle either. Carey is one of the few remaining restricted free agents the Habs have yet to sign.

Carey Price should have gotten the advice that would have been a hard pill to swallow, sure, but one that would have ingratiated himself towards the Habs organization and given them cause to believe that he has matured at least a little. That means compromising a bit on price and/or length of contract. He should instead (assuming he hasn't) gone more in the direction of incentives, trying to pull a Jonathon Toews. For example, a $2 million bonus for winning the Vezina wouldn't be altogether a bad deal for either side. Price sticks it to the Habs by winning it (which benefits the Habs despite it) and it doesn't cost the Habs anything (since miracles only happen once in a great while).

I hope the Canadiens trade the rights to Price to another team and sign Turco or acquire a goaltender. Maybe they can trade the rights to Price to the Capitols for Neuvirth? Of course there will have to be sweeteners added to the deal by Montreal but that would be a VERY good deal for Montreal if they could pull it off.

Other wise, maybe they can walk away from this somehow and make a run at Turco?

I don't think there's a goaltender in the league that I'd rather not have my team have on their roster than Carey Price. Yes, Huet sucks and is a sieve, but he's not immature either. It's not Huet's fault Tallon had a brain seizure during his contract negotiations. And, sad as it is for me to say it, Huet has his name on the Cup... something I HIGHLY doubt Price will do in the near future.



BallHype: hype it up!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Meh Free Agency News (RW77)

Ok, this free agency period is really really boring. I was hoping for more excitement, perhaps some movement. But, alas, it's just another typical off season.

There was some tidbits of news:

The NY Rangers are close to signing Frolov. This guy isn't anything special anymore. He was pretty dynamic pre-NHL and his rookie year. I thought he'd be an Anze Kopitar or an Alexander Semin type. Instead, his offensive production has decreased consistently the past 3 years. It will be interesting to see how he could possibly succeed in underachieving even worse than he did before. Then again, he's in the second best team to accomplish this feat as a forward (only Montreal's forwards can underachieve more).

Aron Aasham (sp?) is trying to return to Philly. The question is: Has Aasham reappeared yet from his Copperfield impersonation during the postseason?

Mason Raymond has done good. He just signed a 2 year contract with the Canucks. I knew he was good with tUMD and I think he may be the best recruit Sandelin ever got with the Bulldogs, imo.

Oh, and the only bit of excitement is more like a soap opera with bad acting. The Player's Association has filed a grievance on Kovalchuk's contract denial. The problem is, the PA is like Forest Griffin without any muscle or skill. Just a monkey looking posturing punch line thanks to the fact that they have no real head of the NHLPA and therefore, no real direction.

Here's another tidbit: Today Nashville signed D Ryan Parent to a 2 year deal. He was traded (back) to Nashville from Philadelphia for Hamhuis. Good news, Philly fans! He didn't sign with Philly! (SARCASM). So, in essence, Philadelphia traded Parent for cap room... or nothing, whichever.

Life is so slow that NHL.com put up a story on Zetterberg's wedding. Seriously, good for the man. He married a model. No big deal. May they swim in 1 million fjords in perfect bliss and happiness.

DROP THE PUCK ALREADY!



BallHype: hype it up!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

El Rocco coming to UND Campus in 2011 and Random Notes (RW77)


Rocco Grimaldi Commits to Sioux

US NTDP standout forward Rocco Grimaldi committed to UND according to UND blogger and Herald Sports Writer Brad Schlossman.

He was deciding between Notre Dame and Denver before selecting UND as his final destination before the pros.

Right away, the guy reminds me of someone.... Ah yes. Ryan Duncan. Why? Because he's 5'6" and 160 pounds, which, IIRC, is right about Duncan's size. However, what he also does is remind people about a certain BC standout that had UND's goat...ahm... Nathan Gerbe anyone?

Rocco's hometown is listed in Michigan but he's actually from California. He has done well for himself everywhere he's been at, winning the championship for his midget team (Little Caesar's AAA Midget), winning the U-17 tourney, and the U-18 tourney.

He had 20 points in 32 games with the NTDP this year, including a team high six goals on the powerplay. He was also the top scorer in the U17 Challenge.

He served as Team Captain as well, which is another standup quality for the young man.

Here's the USHL link

Random College Notes:

-- UND's roster will be finalized this month. Most of the pontifications on this blog and the Siouxsports.com forums have pretty much nailed what's expected already so no surprises are expected.

-- Four Frozen Four Sites have been announced. 2011 is Minnesota's home ice advantage XCel Energy Center, 2012 is Tampa (whooo! That's going to be as packed as that sell out was in Anaheim a few years back!), 2013 in Pittsburgh and 2014 in Philly. Boston snubbed again. The good news is maybe ESPN can entice Sidney Crosby to come to the show in Pittsburgh so they can find something OTHER than college hockey to talk about (aka Edwards and Moriarty with Doug Flutie in 2000)

-- Chay Genoway is working out but not yet cleared medically to play... to the knowledge of Brad Schlossman (who I believe will be the first person outside of UND's Athletic Department, UND's players and coaches, Chay's friends and family to be notified)

NHL News and Notes:

-- HEY GUESS WHAT! A Canadian news agency proposed to televise the Ilya Kovalchuk "decision" in, yup, an hour long special. No, I'm not being cynical or making this crap up. Thank you LeBron. I hope you get burned big time.

-- Philly re-signed thug cave-man intellectual equal Danny Carcillo today. I don't know how much he was paid, but whatever it was, even if it was one penny above league minimum, it was too much.

-- Modano may not end up in Detroit after all. Looks like bygones will be bygones and the Wild may sign him. It's nice to know that Modano can turn the other page after Risebrough gave him the middle finger when Modano all but volunteered to play for the Wild after the lockout and Risebrough said no.

-- Niemi's arbitration date has been set. He's looking about somewhere around $3 million+ a season thanks to STL and Halak. It will be very interesting to see what the Hawks do.

BallHype: hype it up!

Monday, July 12, 2010

More Moves and More Bad News for Chicago (RW77)

Former Sioux Get Pro Contracts

Former Sioux Alternative Captain Darcy Zajac signed a 2 year deal with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL). Albany is currently the AHL Affiliate of Darcy's older brother's team, the New Jersey Devils. This isn't an NHL deal so it would take another contract for him to play with the Devils, but it does give Darcy some notice by Lamoriello, a GM who has been very favorable to UND and college hockey in general.

Former Sioux Goaltender JP Lamoureaux signed a 1 year agreement with Abbotsford of the AHL. Abbotsford is part of the Calgary Flames organization. I wish the best for JPL but I don't have any expectations that it could develop into an NHL contract. Calgary is run by Brent Sutter, a guy who is almost as notorious as being anti-NCAA as the people who run Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and the staff of the Atlanta Thrashers (see the situation with current UML recruit drafted by the Thrashers who are pressuring him to go MJ). Despite this, I hope he does a great job with Abbottsford and that gets him some notice.

Chicago's Situation Gets More Tense

Today Chicago GM Stan Bowman said that they'd match San Jose's offer to Niclas Hjalmarrssen for 4 years $14 million, but that means someone else has to go. The Hawks are dangling Brian Campbell out there but they will probably move Patrick Sharp instead due to contract issues.

This is too bad, but not unexpected. I'm not expecting much from the Hawks next year. The I attrition is simply too high. This is the result of terrible cap management and poor GM decision making, which is tough for me to swallow because I think so highly of Dave Tallon.

I think they had to, but what really hurts now is that they can't get out of Christobal Huet's abomination of a contract. And he's not going to give that money back. And I don't blame him. Stupid is as stupid does and Tallon was retarded.

I just don't see the Hawks being effective without their big guns. Toews and Kane will still be there, but gone will be Versteeg, Ladd, and either Sharp, Campbell, or both. Then there's the mess about Niemi.

I wouldn't be surprised now if Niemi walks if arbitration asks for too much. It'll be too bad that they couldn't get compensatory draft picks when Niemi walks though.
BallHype: hype it up!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The list of UFA transactions so far. (updated - 07/10/2010)

Here is the updated UFA tracker, not much has gone on as of late because free agency is pretty much at a stand still as teams are vying for Ilya Kovalchuk who is the NHL version of LeBbron James.

Jul 7 Lebda, Brett D Detroit Toronto $2.9M 2 $1.45M
Jul 7 Corvo, Joe D Washington Carolina $4.5M 2 $2.25M - Western Michigan
Jul 7 Niedermayer, Rob C New Jersey Buffalo $1.15M 1 $1.15M
Jul 6 Boulton, Eric LW Atlanta Atlanta $650K 1 $650K
Jul 6 Stone, Ryan C Edmonton Calgary $500K 1 $500K
Jul 5 Clark, Brett D Colorado Tampa Bay $3.2M 2 $1.6M
Jul 3 Giroux, Alexandre LW Washington Edmonton $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Mitchell, John C Toronto Toronto $750K 1 $750K
Jul 2 Quincey, Kyle D Colorado Colorado n/a 2 n/a
Jul 2 Winnik, Daniel C Colorado Colorado n/a 2 n/a - New Hampshire
Jul 2 Montoya, Al G Phoenix Phoenix n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Lepisto, Sami D Phoenix Phoenix n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Craig, Ryan C Tampa Bay Pittsburgh $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Andrew Ebbett n/a Minnesota Phoenix n/a 1 n/a-Michigan
Jul 2 Lombardi, Matthew C Phoenix Nashville $10.5M 3 $3.5M
Jul 2 Winchester, Brad LW St. Louis St. Louis $700K 1 $700K-UW
Jul 2 MacIntyre, Steve LW Florida Edmonton $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Konopka, Zenon RW Tampa Bay NY Islanders n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Parenteau, P.A. RW NY Rangers NY Islanders $600K 1 $600K
Jul 2 Jurcina, Milan D Washington NY Islanders $1M 1 $1M
Jul 2 Eaton, Mark D Pittsburgh NY Islanders $5M 2 $2.5M-Notre Dame
Jul 2 Higgins, Christopher RW Calgary Florida $1.6M 1 $1.6M-Yale

Jul 2 McCormick, Cody C Buffalo Buffalo $500K 1 $500K
Jul 2 Strudwick, Jason D Edmonton Edmonton n/a 1 n/a
Jul 2 Kubina, Pavel D Atlanta Tampa Bay $7.7M 2 $3.85M
Jul 2 Jackman, Tim RW NY Islanders Calgary n/a 2 n/a-MSU-M
Jul 2 Ivanans, Raitis RW Los Angeles Calgary n/a 2 n/a
Jul 1 Prospal, Vaclav LW NY Rangers NY Rangers $2.1M 1 $2.1M
Jul 1 Scott, John n/a Minnesota Chicago $1M 1 $1M-MTU
Jul 1 Boyd, Dustin C Montreal Montreal $650K 1 $650K
Jul 1 Nystrom, Eric LW Calgary Minnesota $4.2M 3 $1.4M-Michigan
Jul 1 Reich, Jeremy LW NY Islanders Boston n/a 1 n/a
Jul 1 Raycroft, Andrew G Vancouver Dallas $1.3M 2 $650K
Jul 1 Cullen, Matt C Ottawa Minnesota $10.5M 3 $3.5M-SCSU
Jul 1 Burish, Adam LW Chicago Dallas $2.3M 2 $1.15M-UW

Jul 1 Koivu, Saku C Anaheim Anaheim $5M 2 $2.5M
Jul 1 Tambellini, Jeff LW NY Islanders Vancouver $500K 1 $500K-Michigan
Jul 1 Leopold, Jordan D Pittsburgh Buffalo $9M 3 $3M-Minnesota
Jul 1 Hamhuis, Dan D Pittsburgh Vancouver $27M 6 $4.5M
Jul 1 Volchenkov, Anton D Ottawa New Jersey $25.5M 6 $4.25M
Jul 1 Jokinen, Olli C NY Rangers Calgary $6M 2 $3M
Jul 1 Mason, Chris G St. Louis Atlanta $3.7M 2 $1.85M
Jul 1 Foster, Kurtis D Tampa Bay Edmonton $3.6M 2 $1.8M
Jul 1 Tallinder, Henrik D Buffalo New Jersey $13.5M 4 $3.375M
Jul 1 Sanford, Curtis G Montreal Montreal $550K 1 $550K
Jul 1 Whitney, Ray RW Carolina Phoenix $6M 2 $3M
Jul 1 Lydman, Toni D Buffalo Anaheim $9M 3 $3M
Jul 1 Martin, Paul D New Jersey Pittsburgh $25M 5 $5M -Minnesota
Jul 1 Boogaard, Derek LW Minnesota NY Rangers $6.5M 4 $1.625M
Jul 1 Ellis, Dan G Montreal Tampa Bay $3M 2 $1.5M
Jul 1 Shelley, Jody RW NY Rangers Philadelphia $3.3M 3 $1.1M
Jul 1 Morris, Derek D Phoenix Phoenix $11M 4 $2.75M
Jul 1 Malhotra, Manny C San Jose Vancouver $7.5M 3 $2.5M
Jul 1 O'Donnell, Sean D Los Angeles Philadelphia $1M 1 $1M
Jul 1 Perrault, Joel C Phoenix Vancouver $510K 1 $510K
Jul 1 Niittymaki, Antero G Tampa Bay San Jose $4M 2 $2M
Jul 1 Armstrong, Colby RW Atlanta Toronto $9M 3 $3M
Jul 1 Auld, Alex G NY Rangers Montreal $1M 1 $1M
Jul 1 Michalek, Zbynek D Phoenix Pittsburgh $20M 5 $4M
Jul 1 Tanguay, Alex RW Tampa Bay Calgary $1.7M 1 $1.7M
Jul 1 Gonchar, Sergei D Pittsburgh Ottawa $16.5M 3 $5.5M
Jul 1 Paille, Dan LW Boston Boston $2.15M 2 $1.075M
Jul 1 Biron, Martin G NY Islanders NY Rangers $1.75M 2 $875K
Jun 30 Leighton, Michael G Philadelphia Philadelphia $3.1M 2 $1.55M
Jun 29 Barch, Krys LW Dallas Dallas $1.675M 2 $837.5K
Jun 26 Wallin, Niclas D San Jose San Jose $2.5M 1 $2.5M
Jun 26 Nichol, Scott C San Jose San Jose $760K 1 $760K
Jun 25 Recchi, Mark RW Boston Boston $1M 1 $1M
Jun 24 Boychuk, Johnny D Boston Boston $3.75M 2 $1.875M
Jun 24 Marleau, Patrick LW San Jose San Jose $27.6M 4 $6.9M
Jun 22 Plekanec, Tomas C Montreal Montreal $30M 6 $5M
Jun 22 Darche, Mathieu RW Montreal Montreal $550K 1 $550K
Jun 22 Cooke, Matt LW Pittsburgh Pittsburgh $5.4M 3 $1.8M
Jun 21 Pyatt, Taylor LW Phoenix Phoenix $2M 2 $1M
Jun 17 Aucoin, Adrian D Phoenix Phoenix $4M 2 $2M
Jun 17 Bouillon, Francis D Nashville Nashville $2.7M 2 $1.35M
Jun 16 Bertuzzi, Todd RW Detroit Detroit $3.875M 2 $1.9375M
Jun 15 Rome, Aaron D Vancouver Vancouver $1.5M 2 $750K
Jun 14 Backlund, Johan G Philadelphia Philadelphia $1.6M 2 $800K

BallHype: hype it up!

Thursday, July 08, 2010

NHL News (sorta) and LeBron James

Ok, I'm lying about LeBron James.

I'll let all those basketball rubes inflate his ego beyond all precedence. He needs it. I disliked Kobe because of his antics in Colorado but now... well. I don't see how anyone can be a LeBron fan. Not even Jordan had this kind of ego. So much for LeBron being likable. At least, after tonight, ESPN can return to normalcy... waiting to hear what Brett Favre has in mind.

Anyways, similar to LeBron, everyone's waiting for Ilya Kovalchuk to hold a press conference to let us know how well orchestrated his obliteration of the fun of the early free agency period has played out.

Seriously, I hope he joins Evgeni Nabokov in SKA St Petersburg of the KHL. Leave the egos to the NBA and NFL.

Nabokov left for the KHL and with him, goes the best free agent goaltender on the market. I know he never quite did well in the playoffs. I know his work ethic was questioned at times. I know his inconsistency as the season wore on. However, I give you this for consideration: Watch San Jose this season. They'll be ok, but not as good as they were with Nabokov. Why? Because I think Nabokov meant more to the Sharks than most people realized. And when that happens, failure happens. The Hawks didn't win because of Niemi. In fact, I think Niemi was their weakest link (and he played well so...). The Pens didn't win their cup because of Fleury. Fleury is still the weakest goaltender still playing today whose name is on the Cup... I know I know, Chris Osgood sucks, but he's got an excuse. HE'S OLD!

Rumor Nabokov got paid $24 million over 4 years with the KHL. Good for him. No way was he going to get that kind of money in the NHL.

This leaves the Flyers looking for a #1 goaltender. They've shown interest in Tim Thomas, but that fell through. They showed interest in Nabokov, but that's out of the question. They are left with Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. They did great last post season but I doubt they'll repeat even with the dynamic defense Philly has put together.

So where does that leave them? They could stand pat (and they may have to) or they could go after Marty Turco (which is basically Turco's only shot at being the #1 at this point) or they could do what Chicago and Minnesota have done in finding a hidden gem in the Finnish Elite League.

Who knows.

In Detroit news, the Wings resigned former MSU Spartan Drew Miller and former Shattuck product Patrick Eaves. But they lost Lebda to the Maple Leafs.

They've made waves by going after Mike Modano, but I don't know if that's going to come to fruition.

I've maintained they need to get younger. And Modano isn't young.

They still have Meech, Abdelkader, and Helm unsigned and only $4.3 million to do it. If Modano signs with the Wings, ESPN suggests that it will cost at least $1 million. Abdelkader is going to be a multi year deal and could cost a pretty penny.

Unless they fail to sign the youth, this offseason is going to be long for a Red Wing fan.




BallHype: hype it up!

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Free Agency Reactions Part One (RW77)

UPDATE: First, I found a few errors in the TSN Free Agent Tracker so I'm going to correct them now.

Day one of Free Agency is now over and there were a lot of moves. Most of them, I don't care about or know too little about to make any sort of opinion about.

However, there were a few moves and a rant about monetary worth that I will share with you today.

First, former MTU defenseman (sorta) John Scott signed a 2 year $1.25 million contract with Chicago. Uh....... You could have signed Adam Burish back for 2 years $1.15 million and had a better all around player. But I guess not. Surely there were better options than Scott? The guy is only barely better than Boogaard defensively and equal to Boogaard offensively (in otherwords, non existent). They claim he's versatile and can play forward or defense... I guess so. They never claimed Scott could play either position well.

Check this out: John Scott signed a $612,500/year contract for having some basic fighting skills and being over 6'4 in height. Tambellini, a scoring forward (at least in college) was on the market and went for $500k. That's right... a guy with more offensive upside than Scott went for less.

UPDATE: Ok, it's not as bad as it was originally, but I swear to god there HAS to be a better defensive option than Scott. They haven't locked up Hendry or Hjalmarssen (though both are expected to be back) yet but I really don't see Scott as an every day player... even if it is 3rd pairing. He's another Boogaard. $500k/year is all he's worth. Oh, and by the way, apparently Scott turned down MORE MONEY to be a Hawk. I wish I knew which team had the bigger moron.

Kudos to the Wild for not falling for this crap. Shame on the Hawks for seeing Scott as being more valuable than anyone with ANY upside other than fighting. Scott isn't going to replace Byfuglien. Byfuglien may fight but he's not KNOWN for it. He's know for driving everyone on the other team nuts. Burish could have done that.

New Jersey says goodbye to Paul Martin and hello to Anton Volchenko. Volchenko was, according to ESPN people, a top flight defenseman coming into free agency but is he as good as Martin offensively? Well, he's certainly cheaper than Martin. So Martin is gone for sure (Skoula is probably also gone) and they pick up Tallinder and Volchenko.

Detroit has basically standed pat. They resigned Holmstrom and Lidstrom. They do have a few names as RFAs and UFAs such as Abdelkader, Meech, Helm, Lebda, Lilja, and Maltby. I see the Wings resigning Meech, Helm, and Lebda for sure (I read somewhere that the only reason why they haven't resigned Abdelkader yet is because they're trying to figure out length of contract not necessarily money). The others.... Larssen might get resigned for goaltending depth but I don't know much about him. Maltby, Williams, Janik, and all are replaceable IMO. Lilja might even be replaceable if they can find the right guy. He's 34 and I'd love to see Detroit get at least a little younger.

Still quiet on the front of the Blackhawks and their goaltending. No word on Niemi to my knowledge and Huet's contract is one of the worst in the NHL.

This is what I said originally:
Montreal's backup (that term used loosely) is now Dan Ellis. He'll play the role of backup to Carey Price for about the first half of the season. Then when they are 6-8 points out of playoff contention, the Canadiens will start panicking and bench Price and then once again make the playoffs. I don't know if they'll go deep, but will they get the idea that, after two straight seasons of the act of simply benching Price gets them to the playoffs teach them? Probably not because Price's agent isn't a moron. The Canadiens will spend big bucks on Price to keep him around and the Canadiens will be just as screwed as the Hawks with Huet.

Update with this:

Montreal's backup goaltenders are now Curtis Sanford and Alex Auld. Yup. I think Montreal wanted to make definitely sure that there was NO ONE in Montreal that will outplay Price this coming season. Sanford is a career bubble player who never really played well enough to get a shot but on the other hand never played poor enough to spend his entire career in the minors. Alex Auld is a conundrum to me. I don't see him as having ever been any more solid a backstop as Sanford yet he's gotten more shots wherever he went...Vancouver...Florida...New York (somewhat less than the others)...and will surely get some shots when Price shows how much he sucks. He was one of the cogs in the Luongo trade if I recall correctly.

More to come later.


BallHype: hype it up!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

If Wild Fan didn't hate the Ducks before, they have even more reason now...


If Wild fans didn't have enough reason to hate the Ducks before they just signed bad boy goon and resident thugh Todd Bertuzzi, so much for the new NHL eh? I wonder if the Wild GM will add two more goons to counter the move. Boogey man is going to have lots of dancing partners when they play the Ducks.