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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 3031435" data-attributes="member: 2012">From Sportsnet.ca!Hockey HearsayHitchcock pleased with PrimeauAugust 26, 2006Most hockey pundits have closed the book on Keith Primeau's career, but Flyers' coach Ken Hitchcock is not one of them.Hitchcock, who watched Primeau skate in Voorhees, Camden County, saw no reason why the captain cannot be back with the team when camp opens in September."Primeau has been flying on the ice," Hitchcock said yesterday. "I've been watching him. He looks like a man ready to play."The 34-year-old center has not played since Oct. 28 at Carolina because of post-concussion syndrome. He had been hit with a flagrant elbow to the head three days earlier in Montreal by Alexander Perezhogin. There was hope he would be back for the Flyers' playoff run in 2006, but headaches kept him away.Primeau aside, Hitchcock also told reporters there is no truth to the rumour that Simon Gange will be traded, Gagne is currently unsigned, and the team hope to follow the Bruins example and get the young centre to agree to a deal similar to what Patrice BErgeron received in Boston."I talked to him 10 days ago, and we expect him," Hitchcock said. "There are a number of players like him... who could be unrestricted in a year or so who have not signed. After this year, Simon would be unrestricted. Like Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins wanted to get him signed through unrestricted free agency and they did that."Traded stars on iceAugust 26, 2006For a brief moment the Florida Panthers must have thought they'd won the player lottery as both Todd Bertuzzi and Roberto Luongo worked out together on the ice in Florida.Traded for each other at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the duo skated as teammates during scrimmages."It's kind of weird being back out here with him because, really, it seems like everything is the same," team captain Olli Jokinen told the Miami Herald. Jokinen organized the offseason workouts that brought Luongo and Bertuzzi together.Luongo -- who now is back in his native Montreal -- admitted it was a bit surreal to take his familiar spot in net, to put on his old yellow and white pads as well as his Florida-themed mask. It also was strange to work alongside old friends and teammates such as Jokinen, Joe Nieuwendyk, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton.Luongo remains bitter towards the Panthers for portraying him as the bad guy in trade, saying he told the team he would sign if a number of concessions were met."I really don't know what happened in those final hours," he said. "You never know what can happen in the future and I don't want to burn any bridges. I feel bad because of what happened, but that's part of the business and things happen. . . . I was portrayed as a greedy player. People who know me know that's not how I am. I basically agreed to the deal. And that's hard to take."Leafs to invite only the eliteAugust 25, 2006The Maple Leafs aren't going to bother with the fringe players this year at training camp, preferring to go with players that have an actual shot at making the team.When camp opens in September, the Buds will invite 50-odd players; 15-20 fewer players than they usually invite, reports the Toronto Sun."One of the main benefits is that we'll have players making hard, NHL passes right away," Maurice told the Sun. "Nothing against the kids, but some don't have the physical maturity for some of the work. You don't want to have to slow down."Defenceman Jay Harrison is glad there will be a more condensed camp, but said that doesn't make it an easier route to earning a full-time position."It all means the tempo will be hot about 30 seconds after we pick up our sticks."</blockquote>

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