Dog Days of Summer Links...

This summer has been slower hockey news wise than last summer – not a lot has happened this summer – last summer the college hockey world blew up, with the formation of the NCHC. Another two leagues, merged to form the nWCHA.

A lot of people are also watching the 2012 Summer Olynpics... I also must admit, that I have not watched any of the Olympics except for the woman's volleyball game yesterday between the USA and Brazil.

Looks like former Boston College Eagles Cory Schneider is going to be the man between the pipes for the Vancouver Cancuks and Roberto Luongo could be headed to South Florida. The fact the Panthers aren’t going to trade Gopher forward Nick Bjugstad also show how much they like the young forward.

Kevin Allen, USA Today --- 2. Roberto Luongo hasn't been traded: The Florida Panthers are the best fit for the Vancouver Canucks goalie, but GM Dale Tallon won't give up prized prospect Nick Bjugstad to land him. The Panthers are as excited about his potential as they are about Jonathan Huberdeau. Bjugstad is playing at the University of Minnesota and seems ready to play in the NHL. Luongo was popular when he played in Florida before, plus he could be the lift the team needs to offset big moves by the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. Canucks GM Mike Gillis is acting as if he is willing to go into the season with Luongo on his roster. But that would clearly be an uncomfortable situation with Cory Schneider seemingly set to be No. 1. Plus, no GM wants a $5.333 million cap hit as his backup goalie. Keep in mind that the Toronto Maple Leafs still are interested in upgrading their goaltending.

Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson is coming back to the Ottawa Senators for a 17th season, Alfredsson is 39-years-old and will turn 40 on December 11, 2012.

Redwing77’s favorite over-hyped goalie Cristobal Huet wants to play in the NHL after spending two seasons playing hockey in Europe.

Nail Yakupov, the Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick is going to play in the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge in Yaroslavl and Halifax, N.S., in August. The Oilers have gotten the first over-all pick in the past three drafts.

David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail asked the question if revenue sharing is the only way to avoid a lockout?

It is clear from union sources that whenever it is made, the players’ proposal will suggest far more revenue sharing between the league’s richest and poorest teams.

“It’s a key component of the system we have now and will be a key component of any system we have in place,” said former player Mathieu Schneider, special assistant to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr. “If the overall goal is the health of the entire league, then there needs to be some meaningful revenue sharing.”

When he was head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Fehr was the architect of the revenue sharing that was introduced in 1996. Now, 48 per cent of the revenue of MLB teams is subject to revenue sharing, which includes 31 per cent of the richest teams` local revenue.

It will be interesting to see if the bigger/richer teams will buy into revenue sharing or not?

Former SCSU Husky Matt Hendricks and former Fighting Sioux forward Zach Parise both think highly of the Capitals new head coach Adam Oates. The former Boston Bruins and RPI forward was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils last season.

Katie Carrera, Washington Post --- Matt Hendricks, who resides in his native Minnesota during the offseason, said he’s eager to work with the Hall of Famer. Before the hiring was even official, Hendricks received a strong endorsement of Oates from fellow Minnesotan Zach Parise when the two played in a charity game together.

Parise “said he had an incredible time working with him and that he learned a lot,” Hendricks said in a phone interview this month. “That’s definitely a good and impressive thing to hear coming from Zach Parise.”

Hendricks added that everything Oates said about ratcheting up the offensive game and playing a style similar to what the Devils and Kings displayed in the Stanley Cup final is appealing.

A Tradition of Excellence has the former Fighting Sioux players and who is left to be signed. Looks like Jason Blake and Mike Commodore are the two remaining players yet to be signed both are unrestricted free agents.

Jason Blake Anaheim UFA
Taylor Chorney Edmonton UFA St. Louis 1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Mike Commodore Tampa Bay UFA
Matt Frattin Toronto RFA Toronto 2 Years, $1.7 Million
Chay Genoway Minnesota RFA Minnesota 2 Years, 2-Way Contract
Brian Lee Tampa Bay RFA Tampa Bay 2 Years, $2.3 Million
T.J. Oshie St Louis RFA St. Louis 5 Years, $20.9 Million
Zach Parise New Jersey UFA Minnesota 13 Years, $98 Million
Chris Porter St Louis UFA St. Louis 1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Chris VandeVelde Edmonton RFA Edmonton 1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Matt Watkins Phoenix UFA NY Islanders 1 Year, 2-Way Contract

Skrudland, 'Rocco at 90 Percent'

I am just catching up with a few things after being in Orlando, Florida this past week. There were a few people that were concerned about Rocco Grimaldi's knee and how he was progressing.

I know Brad E. Schlossman had posted somewhere earlier this summer that everything is going fine for the UND forward Rocco Grimaldi and that he should be ready for the start of the season.

I know this tweet from Chris Peters has got a few people concerned as well. I would imagine if Grimaldi has a strong first half of the season he will get a look from Team USA for the WJC. I am hoping that Chris can get us some more details as the summer goes along.

On the 14th of July the Florida Panthers' Director of Player Development Brian Skrudland was on the Pipeline show with Guy Flaming asked Brin Skrudland if Rocco Grimaldi was able to take part in the Panthers prosepect camp.

“No… He [Grimaldi] has been on skates – he has been training hard – the decision was just in a sense that he is that he is just really starting to feel comfortable and the one things about these kids even though it’s a development camp the competition is incredible ,” Skrudland said.

“That’s what makes this guy’s such quality people, here we are and we are out having some fun but I will tell you that each one of these kids hates to lose. I would have hated to play marbles with these guys when I was younger cause they are all bigger stronger and they probably would’ve all beat the living crap out of me especially with the mouth I had when I played the game of hockey.

But you know – they … I think for in Rocco’s case and in Carter Brickley’s case these two dealt with some injuries this past season, they were working hard off the ice and on the ice with their trainers. …To come to camp and have a setback wouldn’t be the right directions. We want them both to go back to their teams this year have a fabulous year and next year will be another opportunity.”

Guy asked Skrudland, “any reason to think that he won’t be ready to start the regular season, Rocco I mean?”

“None what- so-ever, none what-so- ever; he’s… his rehab has been tremendous, he’s almost working at 90% right so, throughout the remainder of the... the summer that strength should continue he should be just fine.”

You can listen to this podcast from July 14, 2012 by clicking on this link. 

This past Tuesday, Dillion Simpson was on the Pipeline show this past week... [segment 1], [segment 2], [segment 3]

Brian Skrudland not concerned with Bjudstads development at Minnesota

Miami Herald photo

Guy Flaming co-host of the Pipeline show 1260 A.M. out of Edmonton, Alberta interviewed Brian Skrudland the Director of Player Development for the Florida Panthers. Guy asked Skrudland  if Bjugstad staying in Minnesota for another year would hurt his development as a hockey player. Here is what Skrudland had to say about the matter.

I'm not sure so I asked Brian Skrudland the question to see if the Panthers organization shared the same concern.

"Well... that is a concern," Skrudland admitted, "But when you've got such a quality organization as [the University of] Minnesota has provided there... the off ice strength and conditioning coach, Cal Dietz, has done a fabulous job with Nick. There are a lot of positive things about him going back. The only negative is that he won't be wearing a Panthers jersey and helping us score some goals next year."

"It's an opportunity for him to finish something that he started and we love that as far as the character of the person," continued Skrudland, "And it's an opportunity to go back and maybe win the Hobey Baker and hopefully a national championship as well."

It would appear that the Florida Panther don’t have the same concerns about Minnesota like Garth Snow of the New York Islanders had. That being said, it would appear that the Panthers wanted Nick Bjudstad to sign a professional contract.

Just for the record Guy Flaming and Dean Millard are very fair hosts and are by no shape of the imagination anti-NCAA hockey but in this case I also think that Guy might have a point…

Flaming posed this question Bjugstad… “Could his progress stagnate, or even regress, playing at a level that in many ways, he is already a dominant player?”

I think that is a good question and only time will tell – I think the Gophers will definitely benefit from another season of having Nick Bjugstad on their roster and his presence will make them one of the top teams to beat in the WCHA this season if the Gophers can figure out who is going to be the man between the pipes for the Gophers.

[click to listen to podcast]