The Official NHL Thread

[Matt White]

Re: Yzerman signs one year deal with Detroit

Originally posted by guwapo_rocker
TSN.ca Staff



8/2/2005 1:48:23 PM

Steve Yzerman looks set to finish his career where it all began, signing a one year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Terms were not immediately announced.

"I'm very pleased to have Steve resign for another season with the Red Wings," said general manager Ken Holland.

"I'm confident that he has a lot of great hockey left to play and his return, along with return of Red Wings hockey to Joe Louis Arena this fall is great news for our fans and our organization."

The 40-year-old, who was scheduled to earn $4.5 million US during the wiped-out 2004-05 season, was said to be contemplating retirement after suffering broken bones near his eye during the 2004 playoffs.

Yzerman, who has helped lead Detroit to three Stanley Cup championships, has a franchise-record 70 playoff goals and 181 points in his 21-season career with the Red Wings. In regular-season games, Yzerman has 1,721 points, trailing only Marcel Dionne, Ron Francis, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky in league history.


Link

THE CAP 'N' gets his "Farewell" tour!!!

EXCELLENT!!!

[guwapo_rocker]

Iginla to sign 3-year deal with Flames

8/3/2005 11:23:22 AM

Jarome Iginla is staying in Calgary - for the next three years.

The Flames have scheduled a news conference for 4:30 ET at which they are expected to announce the signing of Iginla to a three-year deal worth $21-million. Iginla was a restricted free agent.

Calgary has been active in the early days of the free agent signing period. After losing playoff hero Martin Gelinas, the Flames countered by signing Tony Amonte to a $3.7-million, two-year deal and Darren McCarty to a $1.6-million, two-year deal.

Link

And the Leafs do nothing!!!

[Full Bug]

Thats good news, since Toronto isnt going to do anything but make the team worse this year I will be cheering on the Flames....

[guwapo_rocker]

Yep!!

We're back to the Ballard days it looks like.

[guwapo_rocker]

Penguins sign Gonchar to $25-million deal

Associated Press

8/3/2005 1:34:24 PM

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Sergei Gonchar, the NHL's highest-scoring defenceman over the last six seasons, agreed Wednesday to a $25-million US, five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins - the team's first big-ticket signing in eight years.

With No. 1 draft pick Sidney Crosby on the way, an NHL salary cap in place and the twice-bankrupt franchise now on better financial footing, general manager Craig Patrick promised 10 days ago the Penguins would be active in free agency for the first time in years.

Gonchar, 31, would seem to be a perfect fit for a team that plans to rebuild what once was the NHL's highest-scoring offence now that the league plans to enforce obstruction rules and encourage offence.

Known for his passing skills and hard slap shot, Gonchar had 148 goals and 277 assists in 669 career games. Despite having a disappointing 2003-04 season - he had a career-low 11 goals in 71 games - he led NHL defencemen with 47 assists. He was the first Russian-born defensemen to score 20 goals in a season, netting 21 with Washington in 1998-99.

New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer was considered to be the top defencemen on the market, and he is expected to command a salary between $6 million and $7 million. Gonchar was thought to be on the next level, on par with or slightly above Adam Foote - who signed a three-year, $13.8 million deal with Columbus - and Adrian Aucoin, who agreed to a four-year pact with Chicago worth $16 million.

Click here to find out more!


"Sergei had interest from numerous clubs over the past two days. The market for defencemen accelerated very quickly Monday night and all day Tuesday," J.P. Barry, Gonchar's agent, said Wednesday. "We had several teams interested, but from a hockey perspective Pittsburgh was clearly the best fit for Sergei. When we were able to finalize the compensation, it was an easy decision."

Gonchar, long a Penguins antagonist while with the Washington Capitals, has 113 goals and 213 assists since the 1998-99 season. After nine seasons in Washington, Gonchar was dealt to the Bruins late in the 2003-04 season and was offered a four-year by Boston last month. He had won a $5.5 million arbitration award for the 2004-05 season, which wasn't played due to the NHL labour dispute. He made $3.65 million in 2003-04.

With Crosby's arrival pumping up ticket sales - the Penguins have sold thousands of season tickets since winning the draft lottery July 22 - and restoring interest in a team that has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the team felt it could afford to re-enter the free agent marketplace.

Since signing former NHL scoring champion Jaromir Jagr to a $38 million contract extension in 1998, the team went into bankruptcy, then spent most of three seasons shedding players it could no longer afford, including Jagr, Alex Kovalev, Martin Straka, Robert Lang and Darius Kasparaitis.

Owner-player Mario Lemieux, who bought the team after the bankruptcy filing, also is selling the franchise, to San Jose-based businessman William (Boots) Del Biaggio - a move that should also improve the struggling team's finances.

The Penguins reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2000-01 after Hall of Famer Lemieux unexpectedly ended a 44-month retirement but has failed to reach the playoffs since. The Penguins lost 18 consecutive games and had the league's worst record during the 2003-04 season.

Coincidentally, Gonchar left the Capitals late in the 2003-04 season during a Penguins-like burst of salary shedding that included the departures of Jagr and Lang, who had come to the Capitals after Pittsburgh began downsizing its payroll, and team career scoring leader Peter Bondra.

Link

And the Leafs do..........nothing!!!!!

[Full Bug]

Re: Penguins sign Gonchar to $25-million deal

Originally posted by guwapo_rocker

And the Leafs do..........nothing!!!!!

GM ruining Leafs
So far, Ferguson out to lunch in new NHL
By STEVE SIMMONS

JOHN FERGUSON hasn't looked so cool with how he has handled some of the Maple Leafs' affairs. (Michael Peake, SUN files)
TWO DAYS into the brave new hockey world and already John Ferguson's reputation is taking a pounding.

What, players and agents are wondering, is the general manager of the Maple Leafs doing?

The answers, however varied, are not encouraging.

Ferguson's clumsy handling of negotiations with Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk -- where he attempted to have close friend Roberts undercut close friend Nieuwendyk -- sent a cryptic message to those within the industry. And then, to follow that up with a desperation offer to Nieuwendyk, after first trying an end run on him, only demonstrated his own inexperience in deal making.

Players talk. Word gets around fast. The Leafs have suddenly become an exit ramp instead of a destination. Those who play for the team and those who want to play for the team now wonder amongst themselves about the lack of buyouts, about free-agent qualifying offers, about a team that appears to be heading nowhere.

There were 57 messages on Roberts' cellular phone on Monday, almost of all them from players around the NHL. Not coincidentally, Adam Foote, hoping to play for the Leafs, signed a long-term contract in Columbus, where no one grows up dreaming of playing for the Blue Jackets.

Just last week, board chairman Larry Tanenbaum described the Leafs as the "No. 1 franchise in the National Hockey League." Today, we might demand a recount, as the No. 1 franchise is finding itself forced to dine out on other people's table scraps.

The way Ferguson has positioned this team in the post-lockout NHL has one wondering exactly why Pat Quinn was replaced as general manager in the first place.

Ferguson insisted the Leafs would be competitive this coming season. He has not wavered from that stance. But how is that going to be possible?

Ferguson has said he had a plan heading into the re-establishment of the NHL, but no plan is evident. And the notion that he is clearing cap room to take a run at younger free agents a year from now makes nice logic if: a) you believe it; b) you think players such as Vinny Lecavalier, Joe Thornton and Jarome Iginla won't be signed long term by then; c) he has the foresight and long-term confidence to write-off an entire season and deal with the fall-out from that.

The largest problem for the Leafs is how little money they have and how the player market -- post lockout -- hasn't corrected itself as much as many expected it to. Conventional wisdom was there would be a significant drop in player contract values in the new economic world.

So far, that hasn't been the case.

Quality defenceman such as Foote, Adrian Aucoin, Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje have all signed in the $3-million to $4-million range per season. That's more money than even some optimistic of agents were banking on.

Yesterday, quality forwards but not star players such as Glen Murray, Bobby Holik and Pavol Demitra all signed contracts for more than $4 million a season. Which is out of the Leafs' price range because of the way they've bungled their cap situation.

With only a maximum of $9 million left to spend -- and remember, the Leafs and every team have to leave some room available in order to make moves during the season -- Ferguson has the ability to sign one reasonably priced player and not much more than that.

So he will gamble on Jason Allison, who hasn't played a full season in four years and he will hope. And he likely will gamble on Eric Lindros, who he can afford because Lindros missed 100 days of hockey last time there was a season and qualifies for performance bonuses and he will hope.

The No. 1 team in hockey, built on gambling, hoping and inexperience.

A year ago, the Leafs had Nieuwendyk and Roberts and Alexander Mogilny and Owen Nolan and Brian Leetch and Tie Domi -- all of them real pros -- on a team that wasn't considered good enough.

How is John Ferguson going to fix that now?

[guwapo_rocker]

Yep, read that over a beer after work.

The thing with Simmons though, is that he is buddies with Roberts.

But there are valid points in that article.

[Full Bug]

I prefer Al Stachan the writer from the Sun myself...

[guwapo_rocker]

HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

Flyers land Forsberg

TSN.ca Staff

8/3/2005 6:47:51 PM

Peter Forsberg is going back where he started. TSN has learned that the Philadelphia Flyers have signed Forsberg to a two-year deal worth $10.7 million.

Forsberg will get $5.7 million in the first year of the deal and $5.0 in the second year.

The aquisition of Forsberg puts the Flyers over the NHL's salary cap, but GM Bob Clarke expects to make a trade within the next two days to get back under the league's financial limit.

The player most likely to go is veteran Jeremy Roenick, with NHL sources suggesting he is about to be moved to the L.A. Kings.

Forsberg was orginally drafted by the Flyers, 6th overall, in 1991. He was then traded to the Quebec Nordiques in the Eric Lindros deal in 1992 before ever playing a game with Philadelphia.

Forsberg has 741 points in 580 NHL games. He was considered the top forward available in this off-season's free agent crop.


Link

AND THE FUCKING LEAFS DO.......NOTHING!!!!

[guwapo_rocker]

We're done....toast...it's over before it began....again.

[PHOENIX]

Montreal Canadiens re-sign forward Alexei Kovalev and add Detroit's Dandenault

August 3, 2005
MONTREAL (AP) -- Alexei Kovalev and former Detroit forward-defenseman Mathieu Dandenault each signed four-year contracts with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Kovalev, acquired at the 2004 trade deadline from the New York Rangers, decided to stay with the Canadiens after spurning other offers -- including one to return to Pittsburgh where he enjoyed his best seasons.

The right winger will earn $4.5 million per year. Dandenault will receive $1.7 million in 2005-06, $1.7 million in 2006-07, $1.75 million in 2007-08 and $1.75 million in 2008-09.

Kovalev, one of the top forwards available on the unrestricted free agent market, had 10 points in 11 playoff games with Montreal in 2004. He scored a career-high 44 goals during the 2000-01 season with Pittsburgh

Dandenault had spent his entire NHL with the Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cup titles in nine years in Detroit.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Well, FINALLY the Pens get the ball rolling...

Excellent signing with Gonchar.... I'd have been happy with either him, Neidermayer, or Rafalski.... Seriously doubt that they'll get either of those two now...

That power play is gonna be FUCKING AWESOME... Can't wait until the road trip to the palacial Pojo mansion on Oct. 7th....

Even ONLY the D-men on the PP will be great.... Gonchar, Tarnstrom, and Jackman (Thanks again Leafs !!! ).... Then throw those other scrubs in there, like Lemieux, Recchi, Crosby, Malone....

Really surprised that Kovy didn't come back to the Burgh, but obviously the Habs must have jacked up their money to get him....

They need to sign a good RW now... Who knows who at this point...

Read a handful of different reports that Cujo is basically signed by the Pens (Thanks AGAIN Leafs !!!)... Also reading that Sean Burke may be coming as well (hope that's not true)....

[Roth & Roll]

Bobby Clarke is a moron. He's already maxed out his payroll which means he's going to be handcuffed if and when injuries start rolling in, and again at the in-season trading deadline.

The new CBA is really going to let the good GM's shine. I like what Bob Gainey is doing in Montreal. He's already stated that he wants to start the season with a $30 million payroll so he can have some flexibility to plug holes on the roster during the season. Now if only the Habs would sign Brendon Shannahan.......

[ALinChainz]

Damn, I for one am glad the game is back.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by Roth & Roll
Now if only the Habs would sign Brendon Shannahan.......

Coming back to play with the Wings this season.