NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

Blues' Orszagh to undergo knee surgery
TSN.ca Staff
9/12/2006 7:45:16 PM

St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Orszagh will undergo surgery on his left knee.

As a result, Orszagh will be out of the Blues lineup for an undetermined amount of time.

Last season, Orszagh scored four goals and added five assists in 16 games for the Blues. The Slovakian native started the season with the Phoenix Coyotes before being claimed off waivers by the Blue in December.

He missed the last 24 games due to a leg injury.
 

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Report: Flyers Primeau to retire
TSN.ca Staff
9/12/2006 8:06:27 PM

Keith Primeau expects to announce his retirement by the end of the week according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday.

"I've had those discussions with my wife and I will have something more to say about it either Wednesday or Thursday," Primeau explained to The Inquirer.

"It's very tough to face," explained Primeau regarding leaving the team and the game behind. "I have not talked to the club since last week. I had been looking to get myself back into a position to play."

The 34-year-old has been battling post-concussion syndrome after taking a blow to the head from the Canadiens Alexander Perezhogin last October.

Primeau has spent parts of 6 seasons with the Flyers and was named captain in 2001. He has played 909 games over his 14 seasons in the NHL with Detroit, Hartford/Carolina and Philadelphia. Over his career he recorded 266 goals and 353 assists.
 



Agamon said:
And the Isles gong show continues. Wow. Just wow.
Click to expand...

Don't you mean the Isles "wang" show. :p

Seriously, I feel bad for Islanders fans. They don't deserve this.

News inserted (I missed this one)...

Clark named captain of Caps
Canadian Press
9/13/2006 4:25:57 PM

WASHINGTON (CP) - Chris Clark is the new captain of the Washington Capitals.

The 30-year-old winger becomes the 13th captain in franchise history after Jeff Halpern left via free agency this summer.

''The true leader in our dressing room has always been our goalie Olaf Kolzig but it's a technicality (league rules) that he can't be the captain,'' Clark told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. ''So I really had not thought too much about it until Monday when (coach) Glen Hanlon called me in for a meeting and told me about it. It's a huge honour.''

The Caps had been considering franchise player Alexander Ovechkin but the Calder Trophy winner politely declined, saying he wants to improve his English before taking on such a huge responsibility.

''Just him saying that, taking himself out of consideration, shows that he is a leader,'' Clark said of Ovechkin. ''To be 21 years old and say something like that, it shows huge maturity. And he's always showed maturity. He's definitely the best player on the ice for us and eventually this team will be his and he'll be ready for it.''

Clark played on Ovechkin's line last season, putting up career highs in goals (20) and points (39) while also registering 110 penalty minutes.

''Leadership is not a sometime thing or a come and go thing,'' said Caps GM George McPhee. ''It is an all-the-time thing. Chris Clark has all-the-time leadership qualities. He is a leader in the mold of one of our all-time favourites, Dale Hunter; a quiet man off the ice, a cantankerous, ultra-competitive player on the ice.''

The six-foot, 200-pounder was acquired from Calgary in August 2005 along with a seventh-round draft choice in the 2007 entry draft in exchange for a seventh-round choice in 2006 and a sixth-round choice in 2007. He has 55 goals and 55 assists in 356 career NHL games and was part of the Calgary Flames team that reached the Stanley Cup final in 2004.

After struggling to stay in the NHL earlier in his career, Clark never once thought he'd ever be an NHL captain.

''No, never,'' he said with a laugh. ''My first two years were up and down with the minors and I was battling. My goal was just to stay in the league, never mind ever be a captain. It never crossed my mind.''
 
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Avalanche sign Brunette to extension
Canadian Press
9/13/2006 12:31:25 PM

DENVER (CP) - The Colorado Avalanche extended forward Andrew Brunette's contract by one year on Wednesday, keeping him with the team until 2008.

The 33-year-old had a career-high 24 goals for Colorado last season and was already under contract at US$800,000 for this year. Terms of his one-year extension beyond that were not released.

"Andrew had a very strong season last year," Avs GM Francois Giguere said in a release. "He's been a solid, consistent performer throughout his career and we're looking for much of the same from him over the next two years. He's a gifted athlete and a key contributor to our offence."

Brunette has 145 goals and 407 points in 624 career games for the Avalanche, Washington, Nashville, Atlanta and Minnesota.
 

Clarke goes on offensive defending offer
TSN.ca Staff
9/13/2006 1:35:53 PM

For all the NHL general managers, or anyone else for that matter, who are enraged over the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet to Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, Flyer GM Bob Clarke has a message:

"I don't give a (expletive deleted) if nobody likes me, I could care less," Clarke told TSN. "But they shouldn't be getting mad at me, I didn't put the (offer sheet) rule in the collective bargaining agreement. If they're mad, they should call Gary Bettman and complain to him. Get mad at Gary Bettman. He's in charge of the rules, not me. I didn't realize there were some rules we're not allowed to use."

Clarke said he knew when he extended the one-year, $1.9 million offer sheet to the 22-year-old Kesler, a 10-goal scorer last season who was on the verge of re-signing for half that much with the Canucks, that he would incur the wrath of his brethren.

Too bad, Clarke said.

"I'm trying to make my team better," Clarke said. "There's a rule that says we can put out offer sheets. So I did it. You know, it's funny, they made new rules so we're operating in a system where we all get to spend the same amount of money. Philadelphia and Detroit can't spend any more than Nashville or Anaheim. Those are the rules. We all live by them. No one can accuse Philadelphia or Detroit of spending more money than everyone else now. But when I go and use a rule that is there, everybody is all over me about it."

And Clarke was just getting warmed up.

"To me, our thinking is completely backward," Clarke said. "I lost Kim Johnsson to (unrestricted) free agency because the Minnesota Wild gave him $4.8 million. Well, the Flyers had to give (revenue sharing) money to Minnesota and other teams and I don't like that but it's the rules. And then Minnesota takes that money and signs my player and there are no rules to say I can keep him if I match. I wish I had all the options with Kim Johnsson that Vancouver has with Kesler. They can match and keep him or they can let him go. It's up to them."

As for those who suggest Clarke should not have tendered the offer sheet because Vancouver will match and the market value for 22-year-old, 10-goal scorers will be inflated, Clark took umbrage with that.

"Sure, in the old system, teams always matched offer sheets but this is a new system with a salary cap and you have to make hard decisions that affect your team not just for this year but the years to come, too," Clarke said. "I don't know that Vancouver will match. Maybe we get the player. That's the idea. It's a few days to training camp, the player wasn't signed and we have a need for that type of player in our organization. Why wouldn't I try it? Everyone says it's causing salaries to go up. That's crap. We've all got salary caps and if it is true it drives up salaries, well, doesn't Boston signing (Zdeno) Chara to a $7 million deal or Chicago signing (Martin) Havlat to a $6 million deal drive up salaries, too? Give me a break.

"A lot of guys in this league like the rules when it suits them and they don't like them when it doesn't. Too bad for them. I'm just playing by the rules that are there. To be honest, I'm surprised more teams aren't doing it.”
 

More on the Kozlov signing!

Isles sign Kozlov; invite Park, Dunham
Sports Ticker
9/13/2006 2:13:18 PM

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CP0 - This time the New York Islanders settled for a one-year deal.

A day after handing goalie Rick DiPietro a record US$67.5-million, 15-year contract, the Isles handed unrestricted free agent Viktor Kozlov an $865,000, one-year contract.

The 6-5, 230-pound Russian centre had 12 goals and 13 assists in 69 games with the New Jersey Devils last season. He also went eight for 12 in the shootout.

"Viktor brings a lot to the table," said Islanders GM Garth Snow. "He can be a centre or wing on any of our top three lines and be solid in all zones. This is an excellent addition for our team as we head into training camp."

The 31-year-old Kozlov has 144 goals and 247 assists in 668 NHL regular-season games with San Jose, Florida and New Jersey.

The Islanders also announced that veteran goalie Mike Dunham and winger Richard Park - both unrestricted free agents- will attend training camp on a tryout basis.
 

Blue Jackets sign Anson Carter
TSN.ca Staff
9/13/2006 5:03:48 PM

Faced with the prospect of unsigned offensive forward Nikolai Zherdev playing this season in Russia, the Columbus Blue Jackets have agreed to terms with free-agent winger Anson Carter.

Sources tell TSN Carter will receive $2.5 million on a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets and Zherdev have been at loggerheads over a new contract. The Blues Jackets recently offered Zherdev a series of proposals -- $1.25 million on a one year deal; $3.9 million on a two-year deal; and, $6.9 million on a three-year deal -- but general manager Doug MacLean received no response from Zherdev or his representative.

Zherdev is currently playing in Russia, but if he plays a game there after the NHL regular season begins he will have to clear waivers before returning to the NHL this season. He does have an escape clause in his Russian contract if he signs with Columbus prior to Oct. 4.

Carter, who scored 33 goals for the Vancouver Canucks last season will bolster Columbus's attack and provide some insurance in the event Zherdev doesn't re-sign with the NHL team. Zherdev had 27 goals and 54 points last season for Columbus.

"Anson Carter is a big, strong power forward who is a proven 25-30 goal scorer in the National Hockey League and we are very excited to welcome him into our organization," said MacLean. "We are committed to putting a winning team on the ice for our fans. Bringing in a player of Anson's caliber is another step in that direction and we'll continue to work daily towards that end."
 


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