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"Hockey Hearsay" for September 7 @ 9:00 AM

Copied from www.sportsnet.ca


Cooke ready to sit
The contract talks between Matt Cooke and the Vancouver Canucks may have hit a wall, writes the Vancouver Sun.

Despite several offers tendered by Canucks GM Dave Nonis, all have been rejected by Cooke and his agent Pat Morris.

It's believed Cooke is looking for a two-year deal worth $1.25 to $1.5 miilion.

"I'm not going to get into any numbers publically,' Cooke told the Sun. "It's not a public battle. It's a battle between Pat and Dave and myself. I believe in what I believe. This is what I've set myself up to do and I'm willing to be patient if that's what I need to do. I just want fair market value, that's all I want."


Leafs after Czerkawski
It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are interested in signing another reclamation project.

The Toronto Star is reporting the Leafs are interested in signing former 35-goal scorer Mariusz Czerkawski.

Sources have told the Star the Leafs have spoken to Czerkawski's agent and are looking to sign him to a one-year deal worth $500,000.

Last season, he struggled in the Swedish Elite League, scoring 15 goals and 24 points for Djurgarden.


Oilers Markkanen breaks collarbone
The season hasn't even started yet and the Oilers are already losing players to the DL.

Goalie Jussi Markkanen fractured his left collarbone during a game in Finland Aug. 30 and is expected to miss training camp and the majority of the Oilers eight pre-season games, writes the Edmonton Sun.
 

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Montreal Canadiens sign defenceman Jeff Paul to a one-year contract

Copied from www.NHL.com

09/07/2005 4:58 PM EDT

MONTREAL (CP) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed defenceman Jeff Paul to a one-year contract.

The 27-year-old from London, Ont., had a goal, two assists and 137 penalty minutes in 54 games for the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates last season.

Paul, six foot four and 225 pounds, was drafted 42nd overall by Chicago in 1996. He played two regular season games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2002-03 and has played in the AHL for Hershey, San Antonio, Hartford and Portland since then.
 


NHL Transactions for Wednesday, September 7

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim - Signed restricted free agent defenceman Ruslan Salei.

Boston Bruins - Signed center Tyler Redenbach to a three-year contract; signed right wing Colton Orr and left wings Pat Leahy and Jeremy Reich to one-year contracts.

Detroit Red Wings - Signed restricted free agent forward Henrik Zetterberg to a four-year contract.

Montreal Canadiens - Signed defenseman Jeff Paul to a one-year contract.

New York Islanders - Re-signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a one-year contract.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Signed defenseman Todd Rohloff to a one-year contract.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Signed restricted free agent forward Alex Ponikarovsky to a two-year contract.
 

Sabres blueliner Patrick retires

TSN.ca Staff

9/8/2005 12:32:44 PM

Buffalo Sabres defenseman James Patrick has retired from the NHL after a 21-year career.

The 42 year-old accumulated 639 points in 1280 career games with the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres.

A first-round pick, 9th overall, of the Rangers in 1981, Patrick was a reliable, puck-moving defenceman for many years, recording a career-high 71 points with the Rangers in 1991-1992.

Patrick, who did not play hockey last year, will immediately join the Sabres coaching staff as a skill development coach.
 

No progress between Jokinen, Panthers

Canadian Press

9/8/2005 2:15:12 PM

The Florida Panthers have yet to re-sign centre Olli Jokinen, their top scorer from the last two seasons, as training camp approaches.

"Absolutely nothing is happening," Todd Diamond, who represents Jokinen along with Mark Gandler, said Thursday. "We're waiting to hear from them. I don't know what they're doing. We've heard nothing from them for probably close to a week now."

Panthers GM Mike Keenan said he's had talks with Gandler over the last few weeks - including last Friday - and plans to get back to him in the near future.

"I needed time to review our financial situation and some of the things we discussed in terms of what approach we might take with Olli and what would work best for both sides," Keenan said Thursday. "That's really how it's been left. I said I would get back to him by the end of this week."

Jokinen, 26, earned $2 million US in 2003-04 when he had 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points, tops on the struggling Panthers, but down from the career-high 65 points and 36 goals he put up in 2002-03.

At issue is not only the raise that Jokinen is looking for, but also the fact he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer should he play under a one-year deal this season.

For Jokinen to forego that privilege, the Panthers will need to ante up. The Panthers could get him cheaper under a one-year deal but then risk losing him.

"There's advantages or disadvantages for both parties in both scenarios," Keenan said of signing a one-year or multi-year deal.

Perhaps hurting Jokinen's leverage is the signing of unrestricted free-agent centres Jozef Stumpel and Joe Nieuwendyk, both of whom could fill in as the No. 1 centre. Stumpel will earn $1.5 million this season while Nieuwendyk checks in at $2.25 million.

Keenan also added veteran free agents Martin Gelinas and Gary Roberts, both wingers, and centre Chris Gratton.

"The position Olli is in had nothing to do with it," said Keenan. "Our hockey club, from my perspective, needed to have a more balanced experienced level of player. My feeling is that the Florida Panthers had far too many young players to deal with the demand of an 82-game schedule. That was the No.1 criteria for our organization was to secure experienced players.

"That we've signed a couple of experienced players at centre - even if Olli was signed we would have tried to acquire those players. We just felt we needed that kind of depth."

Jokinen's possible absence from the start of training camp is exactly what Keenan wanted to avoid with goaltender Roberto Luongo. That's why Keenan forced his No. 1 goalie to arbitration last month.

Luongo was publicly bitter about it but Keenan wanted to make sure Luongo would be under contract.

In the meantime, Keenan offered the 26-year-old goalie a multi-year deal - believed to be $25 million over five years - an offer that was still on the table on the eve of Luongo's arbitration hearing. Luongo turned it down and was awarded $3.2 million for this season.

The Panthers will likely approach Luongo about an extension later this season. The new CBA stipulates both sides can't talk again until January.

"We definitely view that as an option," Keenan said. "We tried to find a solution on a long-term basis and we'll continue to do that again beginning in January."
 

Blues' MacInnis set to retire

TSN.ca Staff

9/8/2005 2:21:58 PM

TSN has learned that Al MacInnis will retire from the National Hockey League on Friday.

MacInnis, 42, tallied 1274 points in 1416 games with the Flames and St. Louis Blues during his illustrious career, striking fear into goaltenders throughout the league with a legendary slapshot.

He also added 160 points in 177 playoff games, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 1989 when he led the Calgary Flames to the Stanley Cup.

A four-time First Team NHL All-Star, and three-time Second Team All-Star, MacInnis won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenceman in 1999.

A member of the 2002 Canadian Olympic Men's Hockey Team that won gold in Salt Lake, MacInnis missed 79 games in 2003-2004, his final NHL season, due to an eye injury.
 

York done in Ottawa

Copied from www.sportsnet.ca

09/08/05 10:20 AM

Free agent defenceman Jason York is probably finished in Ottawa.

According to the Ottawa Sun, York has only been offered a two-way contract which he turned down. York will entertain other offers with the Leafs, Panthers and Canucks all believed to be interested in the blueliner.
 

Bruins Boynton, Raycroft waiting for deals

TSN.ca Staff

9/8/2005 5:35:59 PM

The Boston Bruins are downright giddy about their chances this NHL season after a busy period of free-agent signings, but two of their core players remain unsigned with training camp days away.

No. 1 goalie Andrew Raycroft and all-star defenceman Nicholas Boynton are restricted free agents who have yet to find a resolution with GM Mike O'Connell.

"They made a one-year offer that we don't see as being even close to being fair value," Boynton's agent Anton Thun said Thursday. "Where are we right now? I'm not sure."

Boynton, 26, is two years away from possible unrestricted free agency. The Bruins declined to pick up a $1.9-million US option on Boynton. He then rejected a $1.33-million qualifying offer.

A call to O'Connell was not immediately returned Thursday.

A one-year deal appears the only solution unless O'Connell trades away a salary. His free-agent signing spree (Alexei Zhamnov, $4.1 million a year; Brian Leetch, $4 million; Glen Murray, $4.15 million; Dave Scatchard, $2.1 million; Shawn McEachern, $1 million) coupled with re-signing captain Joe Thornton at $6.66 million a season and defenceman Hal Gill at $1.6 million a season has left him with little room under the salary cap _ about $5 million _ to get either Boynton or Raycroft under a long-term deal. That's because it's the average of a contract that counts against the salary cap, not the actual salary this season. So backloading a deal doesn't help.

"I've spoken with Mike a number of times and given him a variety of proposals that we're open to doing," Thun said.

Raycroft, meanwhile, only has one full season of NHL hockey under him but what a year it was.

The 25-year-old won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year after going 29-18-9 with a 2.05 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Like the Boynton camp, he's been waiting for O'Connell to come back with an offer.

"There hasn't been a whole lot of activity is really the best way to describe it," Raycroft's agent Jordan Neumann said Thursday. "The ball's in their court. It's been in their court for a couple of weeks now. We're waiting."

Neumann is hoping that Rick DiPietro's signing of a $2.5-million, one-year deal with the New York Islanders on Wednesday will help expedite matters. DiPietro has played 74 career games to Raycroft's 78. DiPietro's career GAA is 2.71 while Raycroft is 2.22.

"Now that Ricky got done, we see that really helping define that market," Neumann said. "Their career numbers and the fact they've both had really one year as the No. 1 guy is incredibly similar."

Raycroft would have preferred a multi-year deal but Boston's cap problems has nullified that.

"We intended to do a two-year deal, we thought that was the best way to get a fair deal," Neumann said. "But since their cap space is so limited they've let us know that a one-year deal is really all they can do. Although it's not our preference, we're certainly willing to accommodate them."

But time is running out before camp starts next week.

"With each passing day, the chances are slimmer (that Andrew will be at camp)," Neumann said.

Boynton is also coming off a huge NHL season. He played in his first NHL all-star game in 2003-04 when he had career highs of 30 points and 24 assists. He has 72 career points (17-55) in 245 career games.

There's not much Boynton can do other than sit at home and wait. The ultimate scenario, barring re-signing with Boston soon, would be for another club to submit an offer sheet. That hasn't happen since Sergei Fedorov got one from Carolina in 1998 but agents around the league believe the new CBA should lend itself to a couple of offer sheets in the next few years.

The Bruins would have the right to match the offer or could receive compensation in forms of draft picks.
 

More "Hockey Hearsay" from Sportsnet.ca

Hatcher hampered by injury
September 8 @ 5:07 PM

Derian Hatcher's debut with the Philadelphia Flyers may be delayed. The monstrous defenceman injured his knee during action at Team USA's Olympic orientation camp in Colorado Springs and has returned to Philadelphia for further evaluation.

Sources tell Sportsnet the Flyers expect to know the extent of the injury and Hatcher's prognosis either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
 

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