Off-season NHL activity

StevoTG

Mark Recchi announced his retirement last week. Brian Rafalski has also retired. While those two great veterans have left the league, there are plenty of rumblings about Jaromir Jagr returning, apparently with the Red Wings as the most likely destination. I'd personally love to see Jagr back in the league.

Also, 17 Canuck's players from this season can become free agents in the summer.

tolosenc

15 UFA, 8 RFA for us.

Established members of the team who are out of contract have said they want to stay and are willing to take cuts to do so. Vancouver is a team that players want to play in.

Luongo, Schneider;
Hamhuis, Ballard, Edler, Rome, Bieksa, Salo;
Hank, Daniel, Burrows, Kes, Samuelsson, Higgins, Malhotra, Glass, Tambellini, Tanev, Oreskovich, Hodgson;

Should all be there next year.

I'd like to see Torres, Lappy, Bolduc, Ehrhoff, Hansen and Alberts still around too. From interviews, it does appear that Ehrhoff is all about the cash, and I've heard rumous of Detroit for him next year (he's unrestricted).

forzacalcio

Yeah usually listen to the Hockey podcast on Hockey Central and they were saying he may be back. The Problem is he is making huge money in Russia at the moment and the most he would be on in the NHL would be 1-2 million. If he were to come back to the NHL it would end up being a Schumacher-esque comback and I believe he will end up fading like a fart in the wind!

Shanannigan

brad richards for Rangers? Jagr possibly going to Pittsburgh

Rented Mule

Shanannigan wrote: »

brad richards for Rangers? Jagr possibly going to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has made their offer

The Penguins have made an offer to Jaromir Jagr to return to Pittsburgh and according to general manager Ray Shero, an answer is expected to come Wednesday.

StevoTG

Paul Kariya announces hit retirement and voices concerns over the attitude towards concussions in the league. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-06-29/paul-kariya-announces-retirement-has-sharp-words-for-nhls-concussion-policy

cena

StevoTG wrote: »

Paul Kariya announces hit retirement and voices concerns over the attitude towards concussions in the league. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-06-29/paul-kariya-announces-retirement-has-sharp-words-for-nhls-concussion-policy

I always thought Paul would be back with the ducks and I could see him play

Rented Mule

cena wrote: »

I always thought Paul would be back with the ducks and I could see him play

He has taken a beating over the years in the NHL. He scored 50 goals in the era of 'clutch and grab' and the 'trap'. Outstanding talent. Little man with a big heart.

Rented Mule

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Defenceman Christian Ehrhoff has a big surprise waiting for him when he wakes up at his home in Germany. Ehrhoff will learn he's with his third team in two days after the Buffalo Sabres acquired the free agent-to-be's rights Wednesday.

Draft picks are all the rage for the rights to the upcoming UFA class (which is the weakest that I can remember).

After announcing the trade, the Sabres then sent the rights to Steve Montador to Chicagot for a 7th round pick.

Later Wednesday, the Sabres traded negotiating rights to defenceman Steve Montador to the Chicago Blackhawks for a seventh-round pick in 2012 or 2013.

cena

Rented Mule wrote: »

He has taken a beating over the years in the NHL. He scored 50 goals in the era of 'clutch and grab' and the 'trap'. Outstanding talent. Little man with a big heart.

Why has been taken a beating from the nhl?

Rented Mule

cena wrote: »

Why has been taken a beating from the nhl?

Well, for one thing he was 175lbs soaking wet for most of his 15 year career. He was going up against much bigger and stronger players. There was never really any emphasis on the head shots/concussions. I remember when Gary Suter nearly took his head off in a game with a cross check.

The other thing is that the 'interference' penalty really wasn't called pre-2005 lockout. Once the Devils one the Cup in 1995 with the 'trap' the game changed for the worse for the next decade. It cut down on skills players ability to play. It slowed the game down and a beautiful aspect of it.

Rented Mule

Defenceman Christian Ehrhoff has agreed to terms with the Buffalo Sabres, signing a 10-year deal worth $40 million. The contract includes a no movement clause; as well as a modified no trade clause.

The price tag of $4 million doesn't bother me, but the no move/limited trade clause on a 10 year deal is insane. Ehrhoff will be 40 years old if he plays out this contract.

When are GMs going to learn from their mistakes of the past ?

Rented Mule

James Wisniewski has been signed to a six-year $33 million deal by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Wisniewski's rights had been traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick that now turns into a fifth rounder with the completion of the deal.

This is what happens when you continuously fail at the draft table as Columbus has done. You over pay for a mid-range D-man with some offensive upside.

Congratulations to Wiz on this deal. He is a great guy and I wish him the best.

Rented Mule

The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to terms with Jonathan Ericsson, inking the defenceman to a three-year, $9.75 million deal.

The club will take an annual cap hit of $3.25 million in the deal.

Ericsson, who was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, earned $900,000 last season.

This is a great year to be a young, mid-level D-man. The UFA class is very weak and teams have again lost their minds with some of the other signings. I think that the Red Wings overpaid, but not as much as others that i have seen in the past few days.

Rented Mule

The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with defenceman Steve Montador on a four-year contract.

The Blackhawks acquired the negotiating rights to Montador from the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday for a seventh-round pick in either the 2012 or 2013 draft.

Reported: four years @ $11mil. I'd say he came in @ $250k more per year than he is worth, but everyone is going to overpay this season.

Rented Mule

The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed Patrick Eaves to a three-year $3.6 million contract on Friday.

Eaves notched 13 goals and seven assists in 63 games for the Red Wings last season.

Eaves has found a home in Detroit after previous stops in Ottawa and Carolina during his six-year career. He made $750,000 last season.

The veteran checking forward has 70 goals and 132 points in 370 career games in the NHL.

The Red Wings have also re-signed Drew Miller to a 2-year, $1.65 Million contract.

The 27-year-old forward had 10 goals and 18 points in 67 games played last season, his second in Detroit.

StevoTG

Rangers have signed Brad Richards on a 58.5 million, 9 year deal. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Broadway-Brad-Richards-agrees-to-join-Rangers-f?urn=nhl-wp8524

Too much, too long. Hope I'm wrong though.

Rented Mule

StevoTG wrote: »

Rangers have signed Brad Richards on a 58.5 million, 9 year deal. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Broadway-Brad-Richards-agrees-to-join-Rangers-f?urn=nhl-wp8524

Too much, too long. Hope I'm wrong though.

I'm not sure when Glen Sather is going to learn his lesson when it comes to giving out these contracts. I have always held him partially responsible for the last lockout due to insanity like this.

Shanannigan

i wasn't too happy to see roman hamrlick leaving montreal.. don't get me wrong, markov deserves the loyalty of the habs, but what happens if he gets injured again in october? there comes a big hole in the montreal defence again.. other than that, the incoming players are a good addition..

StevoTG

Chris Osgood retires http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/19/red-wings-goalie-chris-osgood-retires-after-17-seasons-is-he-a-hall-of-famer/

Rented Mule

StevoTG wrote: »

Chris Osgood retires http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/19/red-wings-goalie-chris-osgood-retires-after-17-seasons-is-he-a-hall-of-famer/

If I was a Red Wing fan, I might take exception to the fact that he waited so long to announce his retirement. You could have seen Vokoun in a Detroit sweater this season.

Osgood made $1.45mil last season, and Vokoun signed for $1.5 in Washington.

smackbunnybaby

Is there enough interest on this board for Fantasy Hockey?

Has it been done here before?

There is a small competitive one in the baseball forum (12 teams) and the NFL one is massive.

StevoTG

I'd be interested anyhow

StevoTG

Nolan and Fedoruk get a trial in Vancouver! http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/6834019/vancouver-canucks-sign-owen-nolan-todd-fedoruk-tryout-contracts

Rented Mule

StevoTG wrote: »

Nolan and Fedoruk get a trial in Vancouver! http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/6834019/vancouver-canucks-sign-owen-nolan-todd-fedoruk-tryout-contracts

I have always been a big fan of Owen Nolan. I have been fortunate to meet him on several occasions and want to wish him the best of luck.

That being said, this is not a good situation for either him or the team. Owen is a career -40 +/- and was generally scored on the PP. He is not going to be putting up many points on the 4th line in Vancouver. While I completely agree he would bring the toughness (provided he stays healthy) that Vancouver desperately needs, I don't see him being successful at it.

Fedoruk, who has never been the player that Nolan has been, would be a better fit in this situation.

smackbunnybaby

Will probably start it's own thread , but Yahoo Hockey is open now

http://hockey.fantasysports.yahoo.com/hockey

MrJoeSoap

I'm up for Fantasy Hockey...