Yardbarker: Ottawa Senators

NEWS AND NOTES

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:27:10 -0500

--Here's a greater discussion of the 2008-09 Penguins schedule, which opens in Stockholm, Sweden against the Stockholm Ottawa Senators.

--The Pirates returned from the All-Star break and promptly dropped a 5-3 decision to the Colorado Rockies, who entered the game with the third-worst record in the majors. Paul Maholm gave up five runs in six innings and Adam LaRoche added two hits and two RBI. It was your typical, uneventful, leading-up-to-the-trade-deadline Pirate game.

--Greensburg's Rocco Mediate [legal name] is tied for the lead at the British Open with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby after one round of play. One shot back is Greg Norman (Greg Norman!), whose eventful summer included marrying Chris Evert and a $103 million divorce settlement from his ex-wife Laura Andrassy.

--The leaders of an investment team that soon could have a 75 percent stake in the upcoming downtown casino donated more than $200,000 to Governor Ed Rendell from 2000 to 2006.

--Juan Marichal is in town as the keynote speaker at a Negro League All-Star Gala.

--Don't forget, today is the semi-finals of ESPN 1250's Top Fan Contest at Mario's in the South Side from 3-7 PM. Show your support for Mondesi's House reader and contestant Marky Billson.

--A gay dating website has been using pictures of a bare-chested Brady Quinn in their ads without his knowledge. The hits just keep on coming for this guy, no?

Breaking Down The 08-09 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:54:14 -0500

The NHL schedule is out! What do the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins have facing them on their road back to the FInals? And when will Penguins fans get their opportunity to "welcome" Marian Hossa back to Pittsburgh?

Flyers Captain Signs With Senators

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:36:38 -0500

Flyers' captain Jason Smith signed a two-year, $5.2 million contract with the Ottawa Senators Monday. The 14-year veteran was an unrestricted free agent. According to Philly.com, The Flyers had let Smith know that with the contracts of Randy Jones and newly acquired Steve Eminger, he would not fit into team's budget for next season. Smith earned $1.9 million last season. In 77 games for the Flyers last season, Smith had 204 blocked shots and 142 hits, tops on the team. He had one goal, nine assists, and 86 penalty minutes. My response to this is, what the hell? The Flyers were very clear that they were not going to re-sign Smith, but I have to say I really don't understand why. This guy was their captain last year, and an integral past of their success. Who is going to take his place? Is eventual captain Mike Richards' time now?

Penguins Free Agency Update

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:57:18 -0500

It has been a week of good news and bad news for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they have seen several roster gains, losses and signings as the free agency market swings into full motion. Ray Shero is quick to emphasize that he managed to keep the core in place, yet he lost his #1 post-season priority as Marian Hossa opted to take a 1-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. While managing to keep their defensive core, centers, and starting goaltender in place, the Penguins have lost the majority of their active wingers to the free agent market.

Penguins extend Malkin, lose Ruutu

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:38:59 -0500

The Penguins have signed superstar Evgeni Malkin to a five year extension.

Rangers Sign Wade Redden

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:20:51 -0500

According to TSN, the Rangers have signed 31-year-old Wade Redden to a six-year deal worth $6.5 million per. The deal comes just hours after the team announced it had re-signed Michal Rozsival to a four-year, $20 million contract. Meanwhile, it was only moments ago that I got through telling you good people that Rozsival's deal reduced the chances of the team adding another top-tier defenseman. I guess next time I should wait for these things to play out… Redden should help fill a huge void on the blueline, where the Rangers have lacked a true point man for the powerplay since the NHL emerged from its lockout. Of course, the question becomes whether or not Redden can fill that void to the tune of $39 million. The answer? Probably not. Redden's 38 points last season tied him for 21st among NHL defenseman with Atlanta's Tobias Enstrom and - guess who - the Rangers' Michal Rozsival. Those aren't numbers that cry out 'SIX YEARS' or '39 MILLION' to me. Still, the Rangers had a need and it seems they've been aggressive here in addressing it. The money only becomes a factor if the offseason progresses and the team finds itself struggling to squeeze under the cap. I don't love it, I don't hate it. Most of all, I'm anxious to see what's coming next.

WHO WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS SIGN?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:45:43 -0500

by Mike Jack, Staff Writer

General Manager, Cliff Fletcher has accumulated quite the pile of money by relinquishing the likes of Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, Hal Gill, Chad Kilger, Kyle Wellwood and Wade Belak. Captain, Mats Sundin, Dominic Moore and John Pohl are unrestricted free agent that may not sign back with the team. The only restricted free agent from the Leafs is Matt Stajan. He's been given a qualifying offer by the Leafs which will apparently go to arbitration if he doesn't sign an offer sheet with another team. I think Stajan is too much of a Leafs fan to sign with another team though.

With the NHL free agent signing period just three days away (July 1^st), it could be a wild free agent season for the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs choose not to go for their own unrestricted free agents, they'll have about $18 million in cap space available to sign younger unrestricted free agents with their only real roster needs being three forwards and a back-up goalie.

So, with $18 million to spend, here are the top five players the Leafs should offer a contract to on July 1^st:

5. Jeff Finger, Defenseman

The Leafs may need a defensive defenseman on their second defensive pairing. Hal Gill was suppose to be that guy last year, but a younger defensive player like Finger or Brooks Orpik will do them one better. They'll definitely need another defenseman or two if they decide to trade Pavel Kubina this summer or if they send McCabe to the minors. If they make either of those moves, they may use the cap space they'll save to get a younger offensive defenseman as well.

4. Wade Dubielewicz, Goaltender

With the buying out of Andrew Raycroft and farmhand, Scott Clemmenson becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Leafs need a back-up for Vesa Toskala. Some may say they should give Justin Pogge a shot, but Justin Pogge definitely needs to learn how to be a consistent AHL goalie before he sees any time in the NHL. Pogge was Clemmenson's back-up for most of the Marlies play-off run. Unlike Raycroft, Dubielewicz know his role as a back-up. He prepares himself as such by training himself to be ready to save his team when his starter goes down. When Toskala was hurt last season and the Leafs needed Raycroft to step up, they went on a huge losing streak. Dubie may not have had a lot of wins last season, buy his .919 save percentage speaks for itself. Other younger back-ups the Leafs may go for should include Alex Auld and Curtis Sanford. Any of these goalies could be signed for less than half of what Raycroft was making.

3. Patrick Rissmiller, Winger

Rissmiller is a tough third line player that has played under coach, Ron Wilson. He along with newly acquired Jamal Mayers could help fill the gap in grit left by the absence of Tucker, Kilger and Belak. If they don't get Rissmiller, then maybe they could go for Matt Cooke.

2. Kristian Huselius, Winger

During this free agent season, the major thing the Leafs need is a super-star forward in their 20's - maybe even two or three if they decide to trade Jason Blake. Huselius may not be a super-star yet, but he is the second best younger unrestricted forward available. He had 25 goal and 66 points 2007-08, and 34 goals and 77 points in 2008-09. If he were on the Leafs, he'd probably see a lot of time on their top line. Other younger forwards that the Leafs may go for are Radim Vrbata, Ryan Malone, Niklas Hagman, Jason Williams, Josef Vasicek, Antti Miettinen and Pascal Dupuis.

1. Marian Hossa, Winger

Hossa is the younger super-star the Leafs need to get if they don't sign Sundin. Though Hossa had one of his worst regular seasons last year, he proved he can perform in the play-offs by finishing third in play-off scoring. Hossa has the potential to score 100 points this season and he's remained healthy virtually his entire career. Hossa is also eight years younger than Sundin. Sundin is apparently looking for $7 million next season, and Hossa is looking for slightly more. What kind of drama would this add to the battle of Ontario? Hossa was once a star on the Ottawa Senators before getting traded in the Dany Heatley deal.

2008 NHL Free Agency Explosion

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:57:34 -0500

Why wait until July 1st? Read now where Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, Ryan Malone, Sean Avery and all the other big free agents are going to sign when free agency kicks off in less than a week.

MAPLE LEAFS TUCKER, RAYCROFT & WELLWOOD AS GOOD AS GONE

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:43:59 -0500

by Mike Jack, Staff Writer

Earlier today (June 24, 2008), the Toronto Maple Leafs placed center, Kyle Wellwood and goaltender, Andrew Raycroft on waivers. TSN has also just reported that the Leafs have told winger, Darcy Tucker of their intentions to buy him out. These are just some of the many steps the Leafs have taken and will most likely continue to make as they've promised to rebuild the team that has, for the first time in team history, missed the play-offs for three consecutive seasons.

For Raycroft, this is likely the first step to buying out his contract. He is an obvious candidate for a buyout after recording only two wins in 19 games last season. He's scheduled to make $2.2 million next season. There will now be a 24 hour period where any NHL team can claim Raycroft off waivers. If Raycroft is not claimed, the Leafs can either assign him to their farm team, The Toronto Marlies, put him on re-entry waivers where they'd be responsible for half of his salary if he's claimed, or buy out his contract making them pay out 2/3 of his contract over two seasons. If the Leafs do decide to place Raycroft on the Marlies, his $2.2 million won't count towards their salary cap.

Many Leafs fans may be surprised that Wellwood will mostly likely not be with the team next season. You may think a rebuilding team would be interested in keeping a 25 year-old who scored 42 points in 48 games in 2006-07 and was once touted to hold the position of the team's second-line center. However, Wellwood has missed 56 games in the last two seasons mostly due to a sports hernia. Odds are the Leafs doubt the 5'10," 180lbs forward will ever recover. The team may also be impatient with injury prone players since leading the league in "man-games-lost-to-injury" during the 2006-07 season. Wellwood is currently a restricted free agent, but if he's not claimed on waivers and not presented a qualifying offer of 105% of last season's salary, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

Since Tucker has a no movement clause, the Leafs won't be able to put him on waivers. His contract will be bought out and he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Tucker was a hard-nosed fan favourite in Toronto much like Wendel Clark and Tie Domi. Tucker has had trouble with his knees causing him to see only 56 games in 2006-07 and his scoring pace slowed in 2007-08 to just 34 points in 74 games. The Leafs must pay Tucker $1 million for each of the next six seasons.

It still remains to be seen whether or not they'll buy out the contract of Bryan McCabe. Many have anticipated the buying out of McCabe, but it appears that the Leafs are unwilling to take the large cap hit that would be required over the next six seasons.

The only official buy out so far has the Ottawa Senators buying out the contract of goaltender Ray Emery. The Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning have also placed goalies on waivers. The Kings have tried to buy out Dan Cloutier, but they may not be able to because Cloutier claims he is injured and therefore ineligible for a buy out. Lightning goalie, Marc Denis has been placed on waivers and is eligible for a buy out tomorrow if unclaimed.

Atlantic Division 2008 Free Agency Preview

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:20:39 -0500

What will the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins be up to come July 1st? Will the Flyers be able to keep their young talent? How many players will the Penguins manage to keep in tow? Who will the Rangers overpay this year? Will the Devils finally find some offense?

Northeast Division 2008 Free Agency Preview

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:24:24 -0500

What does July 1st hold for the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs? Will Mats Sundin remain a Leaf? Can Ottawa reload, or do they need to rebuild? Can Montreal make the moves necessary to stay on top of the division? Can the Sabres find a replacement for Brian Campbell?

Flyers trying to keep team intact

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:23:28 -0500

The Philadelphia Flyers are still trying to figure out a way to keep last years intact and improve. That task is going to be a lot harder then most Flyers fans would think. The salary cap currently stands at $55 million for next season. To be able to keep the Big Three free agents and sign a top flight defense man need to occur.

Previewing the NHL Draft By Division: The Northeast Division

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:40:30 -0500

This is part six of a six part series. The Top 5 prospects rankings are according to Hockey's Future...

Oprah tells NHL: Hire good people, be successful like me.

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:50:04 -0500

Your teams' path is laid for the future through the executive restructuring ongoing throughout the Spring months currently upon us. How important are the decisions your team is making right now? Very.

All Is Right In The Eastern Conference

Mon, 19 May 2008 21:36:57 -0500

There's a familiar flightless bird atop the Eastern Conference as Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins have cruised to the Eastern Conference crown. What is the impact of this playoff run, and will they have enough left in the tank to take down the Red Wings?