NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

Lightning re-sign forward Craig
Sports Ticker
7/15/2006 12:54:42 PM

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) - The Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday re-signed center Ryan Craig.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Craig made his NHL debut last season, scoring 15 goals and adding 13 assists in 48 games. He ranked sixth on the team with six power-play goals and was the first Lightning rookie to score 10 goals since Brad Richards in the 2000-01 season.

"Ryan had an outstanding rookie campaign last season and we look forward to seeing him build on his performance this season," Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said. "His drive and determination make him not only a coach's dream and someone you can rely on in so many situations, but he is also a tremendous team player."

An eighth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2002, the 24-year-old Craig began last season with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League. In 28 games with the Falcons, Craig collected 12 goals and 16 assists.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Ducks' Bryzgalov sees himself as No. 1
TSN.ca Staff with Reuters files
7/15/2006 2:08:18 PM

One of the last things an NHL team wants to endure is a goaltending controversy, and the Anaheim Ducks could have their hands full next season with their two netminders.

Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov told a Russian newspaper Saturday that the team wants him to be the No. 1 goaltender next season instead of Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

"I got a call from the club and they told me that they see me as their number one goaltender," he told Sovietsky Sport newspaper. "They also want to trade Giguere but no one wants him."

When asked about his relationship with the 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Bryzgalov told the paper, "I don't want to say anything about him because we play on the same team and I can't say anything bad about him."

Giguere backstopped Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003, ultimately losing in Game 7 to the New Jersey Devils. He also recorded five shutouts in 21 games, including a shutout streak of 217 minutes and 44 seconds.

Giguere then signed a four-year contract that summer with the Ducks worth almost $20 million US. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of the deal and will make $3.99 million US next season.

Giguere won 30 games in 60 regular season appearances last season with a 2.66 goals against average, but struggled in the playoffs as the Ducks turned to Bryzgalov.
 

From TSN.ca!!!

Ice Chips for Saturday, July 15

> Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon says he is done looking for a power play quarterback because of rookie Cam Barker's strong play at prospects camp. However, those plans could change again if Barker shows in the preseason he is not ready. - Daily Herald Times

> The Stars visited with Eric Lindros and are trying to woo the free agent into becoming their second-line centre. Lindros earned $1.55 million last season. - The Dallas Morning News (See photo, below)

> Wings general manager Ken Holland said Friday the club made a contract offer to Ed Belfour's agent, Ron Salcer, earlier this week. Holland said he expects to hear from Salcer before the weekend is over. In the past few days, Holland, too, has had his phone ring with trade options in case the Belfour negotiations don't materialize. Jean-Sebastien Giguere or Ilya Bryzgalov, of Anaheim, Vesa Toskala or Evgeni Nabokov, of San Jose, and Martin Biron, of Buffalo are among them. But signing an unrestricted free agent such as Belfour, and not losing anything in a trade, is preferable. - Detroit News

> Jason Arnott will make his Predators debut in jersey No. 19. Arnott wore No. 7 during his 4-1/2 seasons in Edmonton, No. 25 during his 4-1/2 seasons in New Jersey and No. 44 for his three-plus seasons in Dallas. - Tennessean

> Penguins forward Colby Armstrong and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have until 5 p.m. today to accept their qualifying offers, and general manager Ray Shero said Friday that he didn't know which way either was leaning. He planned to call the agents for both players last night. - Tribune Review

> The process of selecting a bidder for the Penguins is expected to continue into next week, two people familiar with the situation said yesterday. Although it was thought one of the five bidders would be picked to enter into a letter of intent to buy the club by yesterday, Allen and Company, the New York firm brokering the sale, apparently is still analyzing details of the offers. The price for the team is expected to top $150 million, with bids from those looking to move the team believed to be higher than the rest. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

arnott_new_jersey_275w.jpg

Photo by John Russell
Predators head coach Barry Trotz (right) presents Jason Arnott with his Predators jersey Friday.
 
Last edited:

Hockey Hearsay

Bruins' pick hints at school return
July 15, 2006
If the reports prove true, the Boston Bruins will have to wait one more year for top pick Phil Kessel to turn pro.

The Bostonherald.com is reporting Kessel, the fifth overall pick in this year's Entry Draft, will be playing at least one more year of college hockey at Minnesota.

Bruins assistant general manager Jeff Gorton was neither surprised nor bothered by the report, though he said he believes Kessel’s final decision for next season hasn’t yet been made.

“I think at this point with the players we’ve added, we’re kind of feeling that out. The way we’ve always had it here is that we do not force a guy to leave college. We’re certainly not going to rush him into something he’s not ready for. He’s in a good program, one that challenges for the national championship every year.”

Despite the top five selection, criticism has followed Kessel through the college ranks, and another year of varsity hockey might help the player's maturation. As a freshman last season, Kessel had 14-28-42 totals in 34 games.


Belfour deal stalls on bonuses
July 15, 2006
The Detroit Red Wings are keen to sign veteran goaltender Ed Belfour, but it won't happen unless the two sides can agree on bonuses -- which will count against the salary cap.

The two sides are reportedly fine with the base salary -- believed to be in the $500,000 to $1 million range -- but the sticking point is performance bonuses. The WIngs have approximately $6 million in cap room, and do not want to risk alloting a large portion of that to Belfour.

Holland wants to add one or two forwards, and a defenseman, to the roster in addition to a goalie. The Wings are not relying only on the Eagle, and may pursue one of the free-agent goalies via a trade.

"There are goalies available," Holland told Detroitnews.com.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere or Ilya Bryzgalov, of Anaheim, Vesa Toskala or Evgeni Nabokov, of San Jose, and Martin Biron, of Buffalo are among them. But signing an unrestricted free agent such as Belfour, and not losing anything in a trade, is preferable.

One name no longer in the mix is former Wing Dominik Hasek.

"We just decided to go in another direction," Holland said.


Leafs close to re-signing Allison
July 14, 2006
Jason Allison is lobbying hard to return to Leafs, albeit at a much lower salary than he earned last season.

Ken Campbell reports in today’s Toronto Star Leafs GM John Ferguson has been in regular contact with Allison.

Ferguson has not spoken with Mike Peca's agent Don Meehan in more than a week.
 

Johnson traded for salary reasons
TheFourthPeriod.com
July 14, 2006

When the Coyotes traded winger Mike Johnson to Montreal on Wednesday, it was due to salary cap purposes, reports the Arizona Republic.

Coyotes GM Mike Barnett said the move was made for financial reasons, but that another trade is not on the way.

"It was time to make the move now because it facilitates the player getting adjusted to the new team, the new city, the new residence, all those things," Barnett told the Republic.

"Another deal isn't imminent at all. It's simply a matter of acquiring more (salary) cap space."

The Republic suggests the money saved ($1.9 million) could go toward signing another unrestricted free agent, making a trade for another forward, or helping the club re-sign restricted free agents Ladislav Nagy and Mike Comrie.

Meanwhile, the paper also claims the Coyotes are not interested in free agent Eric Lindros.
 

Lord Zardoz said:
If Toronto does get into the playoffs this year, I want to see them make it all the way to the Cup final. Not because I think they play entertaining hockey or particularly deserve to win it. Its because after seeing Calgary go nuts in 2004, and Edmonton do much the same, it proves that Cup starved Canadian Hockey Fans are entertaining to hear / see / read about when they have a good faith beleif that they can win the cup. And with Toronto's massive fan base, and the fact that they are coming up on 40 years without a cup win, the fan riots that would ensue would be worth watching.
Click to expand...

Yeah, me, not so much. I would like to see Ottawa finally win, though.
 

Stranger things have happened

Oilers in hunt for free agent Lindros
TSN.ca Staff
7/15/2006 4:10:15 PM

Eric Lindros is expected decide on which team he will sign with by the end of the weekend, and the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers believe they are very much in the mix.

The Oilers, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be the front runners in landing the veteran centre, who became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Lindros, 33, played for the Maple Leafs last season and earned $1.55 million US, but suffered a wrist injury that limited him to just 33 games.

The Maple Leafs offered him a one-year, $750,000 deal, according to Toronto newspapers. The Dallas Stars' offer was reported to be between $1 million US and $1.5 million US.

Lindros was the first overall selection by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and has played 12 seasons in stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Maple Leafs.

He scored 11 goals and 22 points last season and has 367 goals and 839 points in 711 career games.
 

Capitals re-sign Eminger, Gordon, Beech
TSN.ca Staff
7/15/2006 4:10:42 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenceman Steve Eminger and forwards Boyd Gordon and Kris Beech.

In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Eminger, 22, has spent the first three years of his NHL career as a Capital, recording five goals and 19 assists for 24 points and 150 penalty minutes in 124 games. He enjoyed the best season of his career last year, finishing third among Capitals defensemen with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 66 games. Eminger was second on the team with 120 blocked shots and third on the team with 21:16 average ice time. He was also runner-up for the NHL's Defensive Player of the Week award, Oct. 17, 2005.

Eminger was the Capitals' first-round choice, 12th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft.

Gordon signed a two-year deal that will see him in a Capitals uniform through 2007-08. The 22-year-old has played 66 games for the Capitals during parts of the past two NHL seasons, his first years as a professional, scoring one goal and adding six assists. Gordon averaged 5:06 of penalty killing time per game with the Capitals, second-best in the NHL. In 2005-06 he had five stints with Washington, totaling 25 games.

Appearing in all 21 playoff games for the 2006 Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears (AHL) last season, Gordon posted two goals and six assists for eight points. He tallied 16 goals and 22 assist for 38 points in 58 regular-season games with the Bears. Included in his 16 goals were seven power-play goals, two shorthanded goals and two game-winning goals. He was third on the team with a plus-9 in the regular season.

Gordon also represented Canada in the 2003 World Junior Championship, earning a silver medal with fellow Capital Steve Eminger.

The Capitals first-round draft selection in 1999, Beech, 25, was reacquired by the Capitals at this year's trade deadline and was a member of the 2006 Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). He ranked second on the team in playoff points with 28 (14 goals, 14 assists) in 21 games.

Beech appeared in 10 regular-season games for Hershey, posting 14 points (eight goals, six assists). Prior to joining the Capitals, Beech was playing for the Nashville Predators' AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. In 48 games with the Admirals, Beech ranked third on the team in goals (18) and points (50). In 58 regular-season AHL games this year, Beech scored 64 points (26 goals, 38 assists), tops among Hershey players. He also appeared in five games for the Capitals last season and has played 104 career NHL games with the Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Predators, recording 11 goals and 19 assists (30 points).

Beech was originally drafted by the Capitals in the first round of the 1999 Entry Draft (seventh overall). The 6'2", 208-pound native of Salmon Arm, B.C., played four games with the Capitals in 2000-01 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 11, 2001, with Ross Lupaschuk, Michal Sivek and future considerations in exchange for Jaromir Jagr and Frantisek Kucera.

Beech was traded from Pittsburgh to Nashville on Sept. 9, 2005, and appeared in five games for the Predators this season, recording one goal and two assists.
 

Sharks sign Goc, Fahey, Murray, Stevenson
TSN.ca Staff
7/15/2006 5:25:27 PM

The San Jose Sharks announced Saturday that the club has agreed to terms with restricted free agent defencemen Jim Fahey, Doug Murray and Garrett Stafford, centres Marcel Goc, Tomas Plihal and Craig Valette and right wing Grant Stevenson.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Murray played in 34 games with the Sharks, notching an assist and averaging almost 14 minutes of on-ice time.

Goc made his NHL regular season debut with the Sharks last year and scored eight goals and 14 assists in the regular season. In the Sharks playoff run, Goc tallied three assists in 11 games played.
 

Knightfall1972 said:
> Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon says he is done looking for a power play quarterback because of rookie Cam Barker's strong play at prospects camp. However, those plans could change again if Barker shows in the preseason he is not ready. - Daily Herald Times
Click to expand...

Pfff. Barker had trouble QBing the Tiger's PP, I don't think he's ready to do so for the Hawks. Dion Phaneuf, he ain't.
 

Remove ads

Top