http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/5456 Recent articles about Mats Sundin en-us Free Agnecy Seems like Mark Recchi will be packing it in after this upcoming season, writes Fluto Shinzawa. Did the Blackhawks mishandle the team’s qualifying offers to specific young players? The Wings were not surprised that they were not able to re-sign Mikael Samuelsson to a new contract. “Obviously (the money) was the key, I shouldn’t lie,’ said Samuelsson [...] Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:00:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/770004 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/770004 Sorry for the influx of posts, but here is a list of the free agents still available who can help a team. Or, in the case of Ryan Hollweg, Marek Malik, Yann Denis, and Thomas Pock, a list of ex-Islanders and Rangers of whom it will be interesting to see if they sign anywhere.<br /><br />Ales Kotalik, Alex Bourret, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Alexandre Giroux (AHL MVP), Andrew Alberts, Andy Hilbert, Antero Niittymaki, Anthony Stewart<br />Blair Betts, Bobby Holik, Brendan Morrison, Brendan Shanahan, Brent Johnson, Brian McGrattan<br />Chad LaRose, Chris Chelios, Claude Lemieux, Cory Murphy, Curtis Sanford<br />Dan Fritsche, Dean McAmmond, Dennis Seidenberg, Derek Armstrong, Derek Morris, Derian Hatcher, Dmitri Kalinin, Dominic Moore<br />Eric Perrin, Eric Reitz<br />Francois Beauchemin<br />Garth Murray<br />Jakub Petruzalek, Jason Krog, Jay Ward, Jay Williams, Jed Ortmeyer, Joel Lundqvist, Joey Crabb, Joey MacDonald, Jordan Leopold<br />Ken Klee, Kevin Weekes, Kurtis Forster, Kyle Calder<br />Manny Legace, Manny Malhotra, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Marek Malik, Mark Bell, Mark Parrish, Mark Recchi, Martin Biron, Martin Gerber, Mathieu Dandenault, Mathieu Schneider, Mats Sundin, Maxin Afinogenov, Mike Peca, Michel Ouellet, Mikhail Samuelsson, Mike Comrie, Mike Grier, Mike Sillinger, Mike York, Miro Satan<br />Nick Boynton, Nik Antropov, Noah Welch<br />Olaf Kolzig, Olli Malmivaara<br />Patrice Brisebois, Paul Mara, Petr Sykora, Philippe Boucher<br />Radek Bonk, Rhett Warrener, Richard Zednik, Rob Davison, Rob Scuderi, Robert Lang, Ruslan Fedotenko, Ryan Hollweg<br />Saku Koivu<br />Thomas Pock, Todd Bertuzzi, Travis Moen<br />Yann Denis<br /><img src="file:///Users/zach/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///Users/zach/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1002229537919919484-2801117521589645972?l=www.nyhockeyrivalry.com'/></div> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:43:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/763920 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/763920 The wait is finally over. At noon on Wednesday, the NHL will open the doors of the free agent market, allowing players without a current contract to negotiate with whatever teams they are interested in playing for. Some teams will be looking for a final piece or two in a potential puzzle that includes a Stanley Cup. Other teams will attempt to make a splash by landing a big name or two. A few teams have plenty of money to spend, while a select group of teams will be battling with the salary cap during the summer months. All of these different scenarios should make for another interesting July in the world of hockey.With the final hours ticking away, teams have been working extremely hard to keep some of their players in the system. Tuesday's biggest news came from Calgary, where the Flames prevented defenseman Jay Bouwmeester from testing the market, signing him for five years and $33 million. The San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils, and Dallas Stars were also busy on the eve of the big day, re-signing Rob Blake, Johnny Oduya, and Jere Lehtinen. On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins locked up one of their keys to victory, keeping Bill Guerin in the fold for one year and $2 million.While signings are certainly fun, there should be a decent amount of trades going down as well. On trade occurred on Tuesday, as the Montreal Canadiens acquired Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers in exchange for Christopher Higgins. A few minor league players were also included in the deal. It looked like there would be another trade, but a certain player wouldn't allow it. Dany Heatley refused to waive his no-movement clause on a move that would have sent him to the Edmonton Oilers for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, and Ladislav Smid. Apparently, beggars can be choosers in this situation, as Heatley was the one who got the ball moving by requesting a trade in the first place. The Ottawa Senators would probably like a mulligan for the day, as they also found out that restricted free agent Chris Neil rejected their contract offer.Tuesday's final piece of news came from Boston, where the Bruins opted to buy out the contract of Peter Schaefer. Schaefer was making $2.1 million last year while playing in the AHL with Providence. Because this was a buyout, Boston will be forced to carry $566,667 against the cap for each of the next two seasons. This is the second year in a row that the Bruins have made such a decision, as Glen Murray's $1.383333 million buyout is still on the cap this season.So, what about the market? Well, there are names, names, and more names. The free agent list includes hundreds of players from various levels of the game, all looking to secure a destination for the 2009-10 season. Starting at the top of the charts, there are ten free agents (all unrestricted) that made more than $5 million this past season. They are: Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Nikolai Khabibulin, Scott Niedermayer, Mats Sundin, Alex Tanguay, and Sergei Zubov. Sakic and Zubov are both nearing the end of their careers, while the other eight will likely land a pretty penny or two.Most of the higher priced free agents are unrestricted this summer, meaning that there should be some intense bidding wars between clubs. In terms of money, the top two restricted free agents are forward Nikolai Zherdev of the New York Rangers and goaltender Kari Lehtonen of the Atlanta Thrashers. Both made at least $3 million this past season, and both are eligible for arbitration.Aribitration could play a factor into some players' decisions. Every restricted free agent that made at least $1 million this past season is eligible for aribtration, while quite a few others also qualify if they opt to go that route. At this point, it's tough to say whether arbitration will be a smart route to take or not. If a player had a successful season, it isn't necessarily a bad move. In past years, rulings have been on the high side of the dollar sign, which could lead more players into taking that chance. The deadline to request arbitration is July 5th. However, players and teams do have the opportunity to mutually back out if an agreement is reached. That happens frequently, as neither side usually wants to wait for a neutral party to make the ultimate decision.With rumors swirling about a significant drop in the salary cap for 2010-11, a lot of people have talked about this offseason as possibly being a slow one. I agree in the sense that I don't believe players will get monumental amounts of money. However, I think there will be a decent amount of movement and signings. I expect Wednesday's storyline to mostly feature players being re-signed, as teams will be trying to beat the 12:00 deadline. After that, let the party begin. Some of the bigger players might get the offer they are looking for, while others will just be happy to get a respectable deal done. In the grand scheme of things, I expect that the higher priced talent will go later. A few might go early, but most will wait. First, they will want to see other players set the bar, allowing them to know where their potential ballpark is. Second, that cap scare for next season will scare some teams into waiting. When players wait, they get impatient, which plays into the hands of the teams, as they will likely get more affordable deals done.For those looking for numbers as a base, we travel back one year to July 1, 2008. Five trades were made, 14 players re-signed with their previous teams, and 33 players signed on with somebody different. My prediction for this year is four trades, 18 players re-signing, and 26 players signing somewhere new. 12:00 can't come fast enough! Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:20:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/761736 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/761736 I find it very amusing that 40 minutes from now, Islanders writer Bryan, will be either celebrating with thousands of other fans - by the way, apparently the way to sell out an Islanders game is to give away free tickets - or drowning his sorrows in pretzel twists.<br /><br />Contrary to popular belief, I am not rooting against the Islanders picking John Tavares. I am hoping they do, and I'm hoping that all the "will they/won't they" about Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene will go the way of the Mats Sundin to NY stories (as well as the Michael Peca and Dave Scatchard to the Rangers rumors).<br /><br />No matter who they pick, they'll be getting a great player. Hedman is a beast and very well could be their #2 guy behind Mark Streit tomorrow, and Duchene could be a nice compliment to Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey. However, Tavares is the real deal, and I've been saying for 2 years now that I think he'll be better than Sidney Crosby.<br /><br />Enjoy the show.<br /><br />P.S.: Hey, you think Olli Jokinen will be moved again? I think he has been traded 3 times on draft day: from LA to the Islanders; from the Islanders to Florida; and from Florida to Phoenix.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1002229537919919484-436564863867290484?l=www.nyhockeyrivalry.com'/></div> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:35:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/744648 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/744648  Canucks center Mats Sundin said Sunday he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Olympics in February. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:16:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/726898 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/726898 STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6n4ms7GJZpYLgUlwGLcqCNACVfY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6n4ms7GJZpYLgUlwGLcqCNACVfY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6n4ms7GJZpYLgUlwGLcqCNACVfY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6n4ms7GJZpYLgUlwGLcqCNACVfY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/rss/si_hockey/~4/bCOWLLH9NPc" height="1" width="1"/> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:06:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725590 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725590 STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NGLA37P3jm6vASpHINw9gl7Z9Z0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NGLA37P3jm6vASpHINw9gl7Z9Z0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NGLA37P3jm6vASpHINw9gl7Z9Z0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NGLA37P3jm6vASpHINw9gl7Z9Z0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/rss/si_topstories/~4/KbLLMXR0j_o" height="1" width="1"/> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:06:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/726123 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/726123 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:12:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725441 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725441 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. "There will be no Olympics in Vancouver for me next year," Sundin said in a story on the Web site of the Swedish newspaper Expressen. The 38-year-old Sundin, who played for the Vancouver Canucks last season after spending most of his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was one of Sweden's key players in the 2006 Turin Olympics.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=5de4923d00031e0e462809cfee792675&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=5de4923d00031e0e462809cfee792675&p=1"/></a> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:46:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725438 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725438 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:30:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725363 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725363 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:30:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725394 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725394 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:30:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725437 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725437 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:26:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725351 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725351 Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:23:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725334 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725334 From CBC.ca: Veteran centre Mats Sundin will reportedly not play for defending champion Sweden in the Olympic hockey tournament next year. ‘There will be no Olympics in Vancouver for me next year,’ Sundin was quoted as saying Sunday on the Swedish newspaper Expressen’s website. ‘I will not change my mind,’ Sundin told the newspaper. ‘I think it’s [...] Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:51:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725275 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/725275