NHL: Free Agency, Trade, Injury, and Rookie News!

Report: Boynton rejects Bruins offer

Canadian Press

9/28/2005 9:31:28 AM

All-star defenceman Nick Boynton remains unsigned as the regular season approaches.

Boston Bruins GM Mike O'Connell offered Boynton a one-year deal worth $1.75 million US a few weeks ago and it was rejected. Boynton wants closer to $2 million. The two sides haven't spoken since.

''It's disappointing,'' O'Connell said Wednesday from Moncton, N.B., where the Bruins were to face the Montreal Canadiens later that night. ''I really wish we could get him in here. I know he really likes the city of Boston and just hope he'll play with us.

"The money is fair, it's in line with what we've done with our players in the past.''

Boynton's qualifying offer was $1.33 million, which Boynton rejected. The Bruins' next offer was $1.6 million, again rejected, and then it was moved up to $1.75 million earlier this month, the same week goalie Andrew Raycroft accepted a $1.3-million, one-year deal.

Boynton, a restricted free agent, doesn't have many options other than to sit at home in Nobleton, Ont., and wait. His best hope is that another team will make him an offer sheet, something that hasn't happened since Carolina made one to Sergei Fedorov in February 1998 (which Detroit matched). Another hope would be a trade.

It's believed Anton Thun, Boynton's agent, has had talks with other GMs but no offer is on the table at this point.

''I really can't comment right now,'' Thun said Wednesday from his Toronto office. ''I'm going to be discussing things with Nick in the next couple of days and we'll see where it goes. I haven't spoken with Mike in a couple of weeks.''

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the offer sheet compensation for a $2-million contract would be a first- and a third-round draft pick, but that drops to a second-round pick if the offer sheet is $1.99 million instead.

Either way, O'Connell is ready for it.

''We'll match unless it's a ridiculous number,'' he said. `We would match and protect ourselves and hopefully have Nick on our team.''

A frustrated O'Connell hopes Boynton will end up accepting the $1.75-million offer.

''He has to make a decision whether he wants to play this year,'' said O'Connell. ''I know he wants to play for Boston, he's told me that, he likes it here. And we want him on our team. I don't want this to become personal, sometimes these things get out of hand.

''We drafted Nick, we developed him, he has diabetes and we helped him with that,'' continued O'Connell. ''We like him, we like what he brings to our team. We're treating him with respect and I hope he comes back to play for us.''

The 26-year-old Boynton would be the second-highest paid blue-liner in Boston at $1.75 million behind Brian Leetch at $4 million.

Boynton 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.
 

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He's holding out over a couple hundred k's for one year? What a loser. I hope he starts the season sitting at home, it amuses me.
 

Red Wings' defenceman Kronwall out at least six weeks with knee injury

Associated Press

September 28 @ 20:04, EST

DETROIT (AP) - Niklas Kronwall will be out at least six weeks with a knee injury, leaving the Detroit Red Wings without one of their top defencemen when they open the regular season.

Kronwall's left knee was injured when Colorado's Dan Hinote's hip checked him along the boards in an exhibition game Tuesday night.

"He has some ACL and MCL damage," general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday before the Red Wings hosted Columbus. "He's going to be examined Friday, and we'll know more about his status after we get some more opinions."

Holland said Kronwall, 24, could have had a season-ending injury, though the team is hoping it's not that serious. The Red Wings open the season Wednesday at home against St. Louis.

Under the NHL's previous collective bargaining agreement, the Red Wings might have traded draft picks and prospects for a high-priced defenceman, but that's not an option because of league's new salary cap.

"We have to roll with what we have because of the CBA," Holland said. "We're certainly not going to be able to make a move to replace Niklas Kronwall."

After playing 20 games during the 2003-04 season for the Red Wings, the six-foot, 195-pound Kronwall was voted the American Hockey League's top defenceman last season during the NHL lockout. Detroit selected the native of Sweden in the first round of the 2000 draft.

Last week, Detroit coach Mike Babcock said he was not surprised that Kronwall had been playing so well during the preseason.

"Last year at the world championships, he was a high-end player," Babcock said last week. "He buried some guys at the world championships because he's a really strong kid, who is also a good skater."
 

Still the Guy

Under the new CBA, if the 18-year-old Latendresse makes the Canadiens this season he will be eligible for free-agency at the age of 25.

(CP) -- Junior-age phenom Guillaume Latendresse has survived another round of cuts by the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens assigned former junior scoring star Corey Locke, first-round pick Andrei Kostitsyn and rugged winger Jonathan Ferland as well as defencemen Andrew Archer and Jean-Philippe Cote to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday.

The cuts left 27 players in camp.

Coach Claude Julien wants a closer look at the 18-year-old Latendresse, who had an overtime goal and an assist in a 4-3 NHL pre-season win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

The second-round pick in this year's draft was fourth in team scoring with three goals and two assists in three games heading into a game in Moncton, N.B., against the Bruins on Wednesday night.

If he doesn't make the team, Latendresse will return to the junior Drummondville Voltigeurs. He also has a shot at playing for Canada at the world junior championships in December.

Latendresse is also expected to see action as the Canadiens close their pre-season schedule with back-to-back games against Ottawa on the weekend.

"I saw him play a lot last year in Drummondville and already from then to now, he's a much better skater," Julien said. "So he's already improved a lot.

"The question is going to be where will he be improving this year. The way he's playing now, he's making us really think seriously about his situation. We'll have to get a good look at what he does in the next few games and then we'll have to make some tough decisions."

In other NHL moves on Wednesday:

-- The Calgary Flames cut down to 29 players by sending forwards Tomi Maki, David Moss and Brandon Prust to AHL Omaha.

-- The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned goalie J.F. Racine to the AHL Marlies, leaving Mikael Tellqvist and J.S. Aubin in camp fighting for the backup position behind Ed Belfour.

-- The New York Rangers included goaltender Al Montoya, the sixth overall draft pick in 2004, among five cuts that reduced camp to 27 players. Also assigned to AHL Hartford were forwards Garth Murphy and Craig Weller and defencemen Martin Grenier and Bryce Lampman.

Latendresse has become a fan favourite in Montreal, both for scoring goals and tenacious physical play.

"I wanted to prove to everybody what I could do on the ice," he said. "Everybody was saying my skating was a problem and I want to show that when you work hard you can get better and get strong enough to play here.

"Maybe I surprised some people because some scouts said my skating was bad. That's my goal. I want to surprise people."

The Canadiens will have a tough choice. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, promoting Latendresse now would make him eligible for free agency at 25. And he could displace a player on a one-way NHL contract.

Two or three forward jobs are open to young players, with Latendresse, Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Marcel Hossa and Alexander Perezhogin still in the running.

Size is an advantage for the six-foot-two, 225-pound Latendresse.

"It's his size and he loves to finish his checks," said Julien. "That's important to us.

"But players all have stronger and weaker points. A guy like Perezhogin is an extremely good skater, maybe not as physical, but his speed is an asset."

The cuts leave former first-round pick Ron Hainsey and Swiss national team captain Mark Streit battling for a spot on defence.
 

NHL rookie class more than Crosby

Canadian Press

9/28/2005 12:19:32 PM

Sidney Crosby isn't the only new face in the NHL.

The race to be the NHL's top rookie at the end of the 2005-06 season is shaping up to be the most intriguing in years.

There are talented players who would have been freshmen last season, only to have their entry postponed by the lockout, such as Atlanta goaltender Kari Lehtonen, Nashville defenceman Ryan Suter, Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin and Buffalo forward Thomas Vanek.

There is also that freakishly strong and deep class of Canadians born in 1985 who have arrived, including Calgary defenceman Dion Phaneuf, Philadelphia forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and Anaheim forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.

One significant effect of the lockout on this year's rookie class is that players have had another year of development in the minor leagues, the junior leagues or in Europe before their arrival.

"All of those kids have matured another year, they're a year stronger and a year older physically and mentally and that's a bonus," said Barry Trapp, the Toronto Maple Leafs' director of amateur scouting.

"That's a bonus for the teams that drafted them and for the kids personally."

Rookies who signed with their clubs under the new collective bargaining agreement will have lower salaries than their predecessors, but can look forward to unrestricted free agency sooner.

It was previously age 31, but now it's after seven full years of service in the pro leagues, which means 27 or 28 for some of these newcomers. For Crosby, it's 25.

An early candidate for the Calder Cup Trophy is Washington's Ovechkin.

The 20-year-old from Moscow has been playing with men in the Russian elite league for the last four years and has been ready for the NHL for the past two.

The first selection in the 2004 entry draft brings size, speed and skills to the table, but he'll be expected to carry the Capitals a lot more than Crosby will in Pittsburgh, however, as the Pens have surrounded Crosby with a deeper lineup.

Competition for the Calder should also include Vanek, an Austrian who has played both junior and college hockey in North America and was a 40-goal scorer for Rochester in the AHL last season. The 21-year-old makes the most of his six-foot-two, 207-pound frame and long reach.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff declared to the Buffalo News this week: "He's probably the most all-around gifted player I've been around."

Suter, whose father Bob won an Olympic gold medal in 1980, is everything you want in a defenceman: good skater, big strides, tough, smart passer and reads the play well. The six-foot-one, 188-pound former college star was a solid performer in the AHL for Milwaukee last season and is ready to step into the bigs.

The Thrashers have been carefully developing Lehtonen, the big Finnish goaltender they drafted second overall in 2002, but want him to assume the mantle of starter now. Atlanta signed veteran Mike Dunham earlier this month as insurance and it turned out to be a wise move as Lehtonen suffered a groin pull early in camp.

While Lehtonen's conditioning has come into question, his talent is undisputed. He put up excellent numbers in the AHL for Chicago last season, including a .929 save percentage.

Ottawa Senators forward Brandon Bochenski is creating a buzz on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. The 23-year-old former college star had great chemistry with Spezza in the AHL last season and Bochenski has been outstanding in the pre-season.

"We're going to be a run-and-gun offensive line," Bochenski said.

Among the younger players in the rookie class, keep an eye on Philadelphia's Carter. The towering, smooth-skating forward stepped out of junior hockey last spring into the AHL playoffs with the Phantoms and led all scorers in the post-season en route to a league championship.

And like Crosby, the 20-year-old is surrounded by a talented and well-rounded lineup. He can develop into an NHLer behind Peter Forsberg, Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne.

Phaneuf was considered the top NHL prospect in the major junior leagues that past two seasons while playing for the Red Deer Rebels.

Phaneuf, 20, has skills, poise and agility, plus a granite shoulder and a mean streak that he uses liberally on opposing players.

"Obviously he's got everything that a defenceman needs to play in the National Hockey League," teammate Roman Hamrlik said.

Here are some other rookies to watch this season:

Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes, 21 - The Canadian Hockey League's top goaltender in 2004 has the opportunity to be the 'Canes starter if Martin Gerber falters.

Rostislav Olesz, Florida Panthers, 19 - Forward turns 20 on Oct. 10. Great on faceoffs, excellent playmaker and finisher.

Rene Bourque, Chicago Blackhawks, 23 - Former college forward was passed over in the draft and signed by Chicago as a free agent last year. Albertan was the AHL's rookie of the year last season.

Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens, 22 - Forward led the Hamilton Bulldogs in scoring and was named MVP of the AHL all-star game last season.

Alex Steen, Toronto Maple Leafs, 21 - Leafs now have to develop talent instead of buy it and the son of long-time Winnipeg Jet Thomas Steen combines offensive flash with defensive responsibility.

Michael Richards, Philadelphia Flyers, 20 - Like Carter, was a standout for the Phantoms in their AHL championship run after his junior season ended. Captain of Canada's gold-medal junior team a fierce competitor.

Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 20 - Another towering forward in the mould of Carter. Effective in traffic and boasts a great shot.

Corey Perry, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 20 - Is a wizard with the puck around the net and has put in a strong pre-season performance with the Ducks.

Maxime Ouellette, Washington Capitals, 24, - Twice a starting goaltender for Canada's junior team. He'll serve as backup to Olaf Kolzig.

Chris Higgins, Montreal Canadiens, 22, - A solid two-way player fits at both centre and wing. Has a turn of speed that's hard to contain.

"I'd say the worst scenario is that he would become a third or fourth line player," Habs head coach Claude Julien said. "I think he's capable of being a top two line player."

Jim Howard, Detroit Red Wings, 21 - Fresh-out-of-college goalie will be thrust into NHL immediately as backup to Manny Legace as long as Chris Osgood is out with a groin injury.

Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils, 21 - Former North Dakota star and son of former NHLer J.P. Parise boasts excellent playmaking and scoring abilities.

Others young players making a case to stay with the respective NHL clubs include defencemen Braydon Coburn (Atlanta), Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Cam Barker (Chicago), Andy Rogers (Tampa Bay Lightning) and forwards Wojtek Wolski (Colorado), Colton Orr (Boston), Gilbert Brule (Columbus), Benoit Pouliot (Minnesota) and Guillaume Latendresse (Montreal).

Minnesota's Brent Burns, 20, isn't a new to the NHL, but he'll be a new face on the blue-line as the Wild spent last season turning him into a defenceman while he played for the AHL's Houston Aeros.

The pre-season is a time of hope and positive projection, so coaches and GMs are quick to say their prospects are future stars as the youngsters tear it up in exhibition games.

But there's a reality check coming when the lights go up on the regular season.

"The big guys don't play until the puck drops on Oct. 5 and then it becomes a tougher game," said Trapp.
 

Leafs' plans won't include Marchment

TSN.ca Staff

9/29/2005 11:57:06 AM

The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided against signing veteran defenceman Bryan Marchment.

Sources tell TSN that the Leafs have told Marchment they will not exercise an option to sign him to a contract for the 2005-06 NHL season.

Marchment, who played with the team prior to the lockout, had been at the Leafs' camp as an unrestricted free agent trying to earn a roster spot.

Marchment has indicated Toronto is the only team he was interested in finishing his NHL career with.

Sources say other NHL teams have inquired about his availability, but the veteran blueliner, to this point, has not been interested in uprooting his family from Toronto or leaving his family to play elsewhere.

Unless that changes, it is possible the 16-year career of the bruising blueliner could be over.
 

The Weighting Game: Tkachuk rejoins Blues

Associated Press

9/29/2005 12:13:13 PM

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Blues were impressed with Keith Tkachuk's first day on the ice Thursday - especially considering he'd missed nearly two weeks of training camp.

"He looked good," captain Dallas Drake said. "We had a pretty short practice but I thought he looked really good."

So good that Tkachuk, suspended at the start of training camp Sept. 16 after failing a physical, may play in the opener at Detroit next Wednesday. Tkachuk did little skating during the NHL lockout that wiped out last season, and reportedly showed up for the start of camp about 25 pounds overweight.

"I wasn't as prepared as I should have been," Tkachuk said. "But I'm telling you right now, if you watched me skate today I'm definitely prepared now."

Coach Mike Kitchen said the team was "kind of leaning" toward dressing Tkachuk in the opener.

"A lot of it will be how comfortable he is on the ice," Kitchen said. "It's getting in traffic and making plays, his timing, that type of thing. He'll have plenty of practice."

Tkachuk, the second-highest paid player in the NHL at $7.6 million US, worked with a personal trainer during the suspension, and had done some skating at area rinks. The Blues took the drastic step of banishing him instead of letting him work his way into shape with the rest of the team, and last week the NHL Players' Association filed a grievance on behalf of Tkachuk.

Tkachuk passed a physical Thursday morning.

"We wanted him back," general manager Larry Pleau said. "We need him back. He can be a heck of a player in this league."

Added coach Mike Kitchen: "It's nice to have our big guy back in the lineup."

Tkachuk, who led the Blues with 33 goals and 71 points in 2003-04, wouldn't say if he deserved the suspension.

"We've got to move forward," he said. "That's two weeks ago, it's over and I'm here now."

Tkachuk met with teammates and the coaching staff separately before hitting the ice. Drake said it wasn't a long talk with players.

"He said `Guys, I apologize for the situation I put you in, I put everyone in a bad spot a little bit,"' Drake said. "We didn't expect much from him, we were just happy he was back."

The same went for Tkachuk.

"It was awesome being out with the guys," he said. "I don't know if it was a combination of adrenaline and training, but I felt unbelievable."
 

Rookies play waiting game at camp

Canadian Press

9/29/2005 4:36:20 PM

TORONTO (CP) - A feeling of nervous excitement hung in the air of the Maple Leafs dressing room Thursday while a group of rookies talked in hushed tones about their chances of cracking the team's lineup.

With less than a week to go before the start of the regular season, the Leafs still have a large group of young players in camp and all of them think they are ready to play in the NHL this season.

"We know that there's an opportunity for us here," said 21-year-old Alexander Steen, who has been one of the most impressive players in training camp. "With the new rules it's opening up the game a lot for us young guys."

Standing in front of his stall just a few feet away, winger Kyle Wellwood summed up the situation in much the same way.

After two seasons with St. John's in the American Hockey League, the 22-year-old feels like he's ready to make the leap to the NHL.

"I'm just trying to bring a lot of energy to the team as a young guy, a lot of enthusiasm," said Wellwood. "It's an anxious time, but I'm really excited."

Toronto will conclude its pre-season with a home-and-home series against Detroit starting Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Leafs coach Pat Quinn will then decide which players to keep for the regular season opener against Ottawa on Oct. 5.

Essentially, Quinn has to decide whether young players like Steen, Wellwood and defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo deserve a place on the team ahead of veterans like Steve Thomas and Bryan Marchment.

"You have to measure in your mind whether or not you believe they'll continue to grow," Quinn said of deciding to whether to keep a young player or not. "These young men have to learn to play at this level and there'll be challenges all along.

"What you're trying to do is say, `Are they ready to take up that challenge?"'

Steen and centre Matt Stajan, a 21-year-old with one NHL season already under his belt, both seem likely to start the season with the big club.

Wellwood might be the odd man out among the young forwards, especially if Eric Lindros and Jason Allison are both healthy enough to start the season.

But nothing can safely be assumed because there are so many question marks surrounding the team.

Quinn still has 31 players in camp and says he isn't yet sure which of them will remain with the team when the season starts.

"A lot of the factors lean towards . . . as many as five of the (young players) being in the lineup," he said.

That means 23-year-old defenceman Staffan Kronvall could potentially play for the Maple Leafs along with Colaiacovo, Wellwood, Stajan and Steen.

The opportunity is right there in front of them, but the decision is out of their hands.

While admitting that it's tough not to be distracted by thoughts of making the team, Wellwood said he has an even bigger concern at the moment.

"The game in Detroit (on Friday) is a big one for me," said Wellwood, a native of nearby Windsor, Ont. "It's the closest I've played to home in years."

Quinn hopes to see the young guys play with enough passion in the final tuneups against the Red Wings that he has no choice but to keep them around.

Roster positions are there for the taking.

"They've been reminded that an opportunity is there for them, but not for passive people," Quinn said. "We want people to be assertive in their quest for a job on this team."

It'll only be a few days before they find out if they've earned one.
 

Flames lose Regehr for up to a month

Sports Ticker

9/29/2005 5:36:19 PM

CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) - The Calgary Flames will have to begin their defense of the Western Conference championship without Robyn Regehr.

The Flames on Thursday announced Regehr suffered a sprained knee in Wednesday's preseason victory over the Edmonton Oilers and will be sidelined up to one month.

The 19th overall pick in the 1998 draft, Regehr suffered the injury in the waning moments of the latest "Battle of Alberta." The loss of Regehr, whose brother Richie was signed by the Flames as a free agent in July 2004, all but assures 2003 first-round pick Dion Phaneuf a spot on Calgary's roster to start the season.

Born in Brazil, the 25-year-old Regehr appeared in all 82 games for the Flames in 2003-04, recording four goals, 14 assists and 74 penalty minutes. A member of Canada's 2004 World Cup of Hockey championship team, he has 12 tallies and 54 points in 363 career games.
 

Yzerman might miss start of season

Associated Press

9/29/2005 6:16:08 PM

DETROIT (AP) - Steve Yzerman might be sidelined with a groin injury for the Detroit Red Wings season opener against St. Louis next week.

''The injury has kept him off the ice this week and we'll know a lot more on Monday when he plans to skate again,'' general manager Ken Holland said Thursday. ''If he's not 100 percent healthy, he's not going to play because it's a long season and we're going to need him.''

The Red Wings open at home Wednesday against the Blues, then play at St. Louis the following day.

Yzerman leads all active players with 1,721 points.

After the NHL lockout canceled last season, the 40-year-old Yzerman chose to sign a one-year contract to return to Detroit for a 22nd season. The captain had to be helped off the ice in his last game after a puck broke bones near his eye during the 2004 NHL playoffs.

He'll play with a visor covering half of his face this season.

Detroit is expected to be without goaltender Chris Osgood (groin), while defenceman Niklas Kronwall (knee) is out for at least six weeks.

The Red Wings will have to count on younger players or veterans to fill in the gaps for injured players because the NHL's collective bargaining agreement limits them to a salary cap of $39 million, about half of what they used to spend.

''With the new CBA, injuries are really going to take a toll on teams even more than before,'' Holland said.
 

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