NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

Arbitrator awards Sabres' Mair $675,000
Canadian Press
8/6/2006 9:41:08 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - An arbitrator awarded Buffalo centre Adam Mair a $675,000 US, one-year contract Sunday, ending a two-week period in which the Sabres saw their modest $29 million payroll from a year ago increase substantially.

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the NHL, the Sabres have to automatically accept Mair's award because it is less than $1.4 million.

The ruling also starts the clock on the team's decision whether to winger J.P. Dumont's $2.9 million judgment that he received Wednesday. Buffalo has until Tuesday to decide.

If the Sabres walk away from the award, Dumont becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Buffalo has accepted Daniel Briere's arbitration award of $5 million handed down on July 23, a figure that set the stage for a dramatic change in the team's salary landscape.

The small-market Sabres reached the Eastern Conference final - losing in Game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes - with a payroll that was $10 million below last year's salary cap.

Including Dumont's and Mair's salaries, Buffalo's payroll is currently around $38 million, roughly $6 million below the league's upcoming $44 million salary cap.

The Sabres had a league-high 10 players file for arbitration, but were able to avoid seven of the hearings by reaching long-term deals with Maxim Afinogenov, Tim Connolly, Paul Gaustad, Ales Kotalik, Toni Lydman, Jason Pominville, and Henrik Tallinder. Each received a pay increase over 2005-06.

The payroll will likely take another hit soon, as goalie Ryan Miller and defenceman Dmitri Kalinin remain unsigned.

Miller is seeking a long-term deal that would significantly increase his salary from the $501,600 he made last year when he emerged as the team's No. 1 goaltender. The rookie won 30 games and posted a 2.60 goals-against average after wrestling the top job away from veteran Martin Biron.

Kalinin, who made $1.3 million, had a disappointing season and dropped down the team's depth chart. The addition of free agent defenceman Jaroslav Spacek has pushed Kalinin even further down the ladder.

Mair made $450,000 in an injury-plagued season last year, missing 36 games because of a concussion sustained against Phoenix on Jan. 12. He also missed the first six games because of a pre-season groin injury. In 40 games, the forward recorded seven points and 47 penalty minutes.

The 27-year-old Hamilton native was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round (84th overall) in 1997.

He has 16 goals and 33 assists in 252 career NHL games.
 

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Nagy awarded $3M; Coyotes to accept
TSN.ca Staff
8/7/2006 12:31:16 PM

An NHL arbitrator has awarded Phoenix Coyotes forward Ladislav Nagy a one-year $3 million contract for the 2006-07 season.

The Coyotes have agreed to the terms and Nagy will be under contract for the 2006-07 NHL Season.

''This means that Ladi will be in camp on time and ready to go,'' said Coyotes GM Michael Barnett. ''He's a huge piece of our club. At some point we'd like to lock him up on a multi-year deal, but for now this one-year award will work for both sides.''

Nagy, who notched 56 points in 51 games last season, earned $1.9 million last season, during which he ranked third on the team in point production with 56.

He underwent underwent knee surgery in February and missed the last 31 games of the season.
 

Report: Malkin to stay in Russia this year
TSN.ca Staff with AP files
8/7/2006 12:53:52 PM

Russian centre Evgeni Malkin has signed a new contract and will play in Russia for the 2006-2007 season, according to a report on the Magnitogorsk Metallurg website. However, his agents are hopeful that he will be playing in the NHL soon, as J.P. Barry has told the Associated Press that Malkin has indicated his preference is to play in the NHL this season.

The 20 year-old did have a contract with Magnitogorsk that ran through 2008, but that has reportedly been replaced by this new one-year deal, after which Malkin will become a free agent and presumably able to sign with the Penguins.

Widely regarded as the top prospect outside the NHL, Malkin was drafted second overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004.

There has been no shortage of drama since Malkin decided to stay in Russia last season. Barry has confirmed to TSN that he and Pat Brisson have taken over the hockey management side of IMG, whom Malkin fired in June, and Malkin has left Don Meehan and returned to be represented by Barry and Brisson.

"His wish is to play in the NHL, and in Pittsburgh," Barry told the AP. "We will continue to talk to him about his future, and we will decide the best course for him at this time."

Since the Russians decided not to honour the International Ice Hockey Federation's latest transfer agreement with the National Hockey League, there have been complications for NHL teams trying to bring over their Russian prospects, none more prominent than the Penguins with Malkin.

A premier offensive talent, Malkin led Magnitogork with 47 points in 46 games last season. The 6-foot-3 pivot was expected, along with phenom Sidney Crosby, to give the Penguins an elite one-two punch down the middle.
 

Rangers agree to terms with Hossa
TSN.ca Staff
8/7/2006 2:02:20 PM

New York -- The New York Rangers President have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Marcel Hossa.

Hossa, 24, appeared in 64 games with the Rangers last season, recording 16 points, along with 28 penalty minutes. Hossa also represented his native Slovakia at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward has skated in 123 career NHL games with the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, registering 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points, along with 52 penalty minutes.

The native of Ilava, Slovakia was originally drafted by Montreal in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

On September 30, 2005, Hossa was acquired by the Rangers from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left wing Garth Murray.
 

Bruins sign Dempsey, re-sign Jurcina
Sports Ticker
8/7/2006 5:04:45 PM

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins on Monday added a defenceman and re-signed one of their own.

Nathan Dempsey, a 12-year veteran, signed with the Bruins on Monday. Boston also re-signed defenseman Milan Jurcina.

Terms of both deals were not disclosed.

Dempsey, 32, had two goals and 11 assists in 53 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season.

An 11th-round pick in 1992, Dempsey split his first eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and their American Hockey League affiliate in St. John's. He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2002 and recorded five goals and 23 assists in 67 games.

Jurcina, 23, had six goals and five assists in 51 games with the Bruins last season. Four of his six goals came in a two-game span from January 7-10.

A native of the Czech Republic, Jurcina was an eighth-round pick of the Bruins in 2001.

The Bruins on Monday also re-signed left wing Pascal Pelletier on Monday.

Pelletier, 23, had 20 goals and 26 assists in 53 games for Providence of the American Hockey League last season.
 

Blackhawks sign goaltender Caron
Sports Ticker
8/8/2006 1:47:40 PM

CHICAGO (Ticker) - The Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday signed goaltender Sebastien Caron to a one-year contract.

Caron, who is expected to back up Nikolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime, split last season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. The 26-year-old went 8-9-5 with a .881 save percentage and a 3.98 goals-against average in 26 games with Pittsburgh and 3-3-0 with a 1.18 GAA with the minor league team.

In his 90-game NHL career, all with the Penguins, Caron is 24-47-7-5 with a 3.49 GAA.
 

Sabres walk away from Dumont award
TSN.ca Staff
8/8/2006 2:50:35 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Buffalo Sabres have decided to exercise their walk-away option on the arbitration award to forward J.P. Dumont.

Effective immediately, Dumont becomes an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any NHL team.

Dumont had his case heard by an arbitrator on Monday, July 31, and was subsequently awarded a one-year, $2.9 million contract.

Dumont, 28, scored 40 points in 54 games for Buffalo last season. Since being acquired with Doug Gilmour in a trade from Chicago for Michal Grosek on March 10, 2000, Dumont scored 223 points in 362 games with the Sabres.

For his career, Dumont has 256 points in 434 games with Chicago and Buffalo.
 

Free agent Legace signs with Blues
Canadian Press
8/8/2006 6:22:31 PM

After the Detroit Red Wings chose to cut ties with Manny Legace earlier in the summer, the veteran goaltender has signed with the St. Louis Blues.

''The Blues are thrilled to bring a veteran goaltender with a career winning record to our team,'' said club president John Davidson. ''With the addition of Manny, we feel solid with the depth we have in goal.''

Legace was 37-8-0 record with a 2.19 goals-against average last season but was blamed for the club's first-round playoff loss to Edmonton.

That didn't deter the Blues, who also have Jason Bacashihua and Curtis Sanford between the pipes.
 

Bruins News!

Wow, the end of an era!
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Report: Bruins' Sinden set to retire
TSN.ca Staff
8/8/2006 9:53:12 PM

It appears the Boston Bruins will enter a new era on Wednesday.

According TSN's sister station RDS, longtime Bruins president Harry Sinden will announce his retirement at a news conference in Boston.

Sinden has been an integral part of the Bruins for over 40 years, starting in the organization in the early 1960s as a player-coach at the minor league level. He progressed to head coach in Boston, then became the team's general manager for 28 seasons before taking on his current position as president.

During a four-year stint behind the Boston bench, Sinden coached Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and the rest of the Bruins to a Stanley Cup victory in 1969-70, their first title in over 30 years.

In 1972, he was behind the bench as Team Canada's head coach in the Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

In 1999, Sinden made history by becoming the first general manager to walk away from a salary arbitration award, letting Dmitri Khristich, a 29-goal scorer, become a free agent with no compensation.

Sinden was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1983.
 

Desjardins to call it a career
Associated Press
8/9/2006 9:46:46 AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Flyers defenceman Eric Desjardins, the second-highest scoring defenceman in team history, will retire this week, a team spokesman said Wednesday.

Flyers spokesman Zack Hill said the 37-year-old Desjardins, a native of Rouyn, Que., was going to make an official announcement Thursday.

A two-time all-star, Desjardins' 17-year career was slowed by injuries in recent seasons. He played only 45 games last season and just 48 two years ago and was not offered a contract by the Flyers this summer.

Desjardins, a seven-time winner of the team's most outstanding defenceman award, had surgery last season to repair a partially dislocated right shoulder and missed 29 games. He missed the 2004 playoffs with a broken arm.

Desjardins spent the last 11 seasons with the Flyers after he was acquired from Montreal in a 1995 deal that also brought John LeClair to Philadelphia. Desjardins had 396 points with the Flyers behind only defenceman Mark Howe's 480.

Desjardins finishes his career with 136 goals, 439 assists and 575 points in 1,143 career games. He was eighth in career games played with the Flyers with 738. He won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993.
 

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