Kukla's Korner

What Offer Is Right For Kaberle?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 08:51 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Michael Traikos ot the National Post at the Montreal Gazette,

“We’re not asking for anything,” Burke said. “We’re fielding offers. We’re either going to get an offer that makes sense for Tomas Kaberle or we’re going to keep him.”

The difficulty is figuring out what offers might make sense.

It is no secret that the Leafs, who appear to be starting the season with sophomore Tyler Bozak and rookie Nazem Kadri as their top two centres, are incredibly thin up front. The team needs players who can put the puck in the net. So any deal would have to include a top-six forward.

But with 180 top-six forward positions in the league, the quality varies.

“Is it Sidney Crosby or is it someone who got 21 goals last year?” asked one league GM, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It would depend on what your qualifications on a top-six forward are. I would assume that Burkie is talking about a guy that could bring some offence.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Tomas+Kaberle,

Questions for Blueshirt Fans

Blog: Goal Line Report By Patrick Hoffman

07/29/10 at 08:48 PM ET | Comments (1)

As we head into the month of August, I figured now was as good a time as any to ask my Ranger fan readers out there their thoughts on the following questions:

- Is the Alexander Frolov signing a good one or bad one? Why?

- Where do you see Frolov fitting into the lineup? Why?

- With the Frolov signing, could the team really go ahead and demote Wade Redden?

- How will Frolov signing be different from when the team signed Nikolai Zherdev in the off-season of 2008?

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
  Tags: Alexander+Frolov, New+York+Rangers,

Wheeler Gets $2.2M In Arbitration

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 08:38 PM ET | Comments (0)

via Fluto Shinzawa of Bruins Blog at the Boston Globe,

Blake Wheeler has been awarded a one-year, $2.2 million arbitration award. The decision was made today following Wheeler’s arbitration hearing on Tuesday in Toronto.

Wheeler has yet to sign a contract for the award, but that is considered a formality.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Blake+Wheeler,

Sharks GM Talks Thornton Deal

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 06:37 PM ET | Comments (1)

via Craig Custance of The Sporting News,

Sharks GM Doug Wilson has done well to keep his core together this summer, re-signing Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski through the 2013-14 season, and would ultimately like to add Thornton to that list.

“The onus is on us to make this a place guys want to play and stay at,” Wilson said. “The group of players that we have, that have complemented us as an organization, that’s something we hope to continue.”

Thornton, who had 89 points in the regular season, added 12 points in 15 playoff games as the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference finals.

While Wilson won’t publicly comment on negotiations with Thornton, he made one thing clear: He won’t be doing any Kovalchuk-like deal with his franchise center, even if an extended long-term deal would help drive down the salary cap hit.

“We don’t have any contracts longer than four years,” Wilson said. “We are a player payroll team. We operate the way we operate. Under the CBA, people have options and choices. We have our own structure.”

Craig also points out the Bruins have had preliminary talks with Zdeno Chara.

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Joe+Thornton,

Evening Line

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 06:23 PM ET | Comments (0)

Doesn’t appear like there’s many, or maybe any, major fires left in the Sabres’ iron. Regier said he’s looking to putting together a Portland roster and to training camp. That doesn’t sound like Lee Stempniak, Kevin Bieksa, Tomas Kaberle or anyone else new is walking through the door any time soon, folks.

-Mike Harrington of Sabres Edge at the Buffalo News.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Buffalo Sabres | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Shoulder Surgery Sidelines Matt Greene

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 05:38 PM ET | Comments (0)

via Kings.com,

Kings defenseman/assistant captain Matt Greene recently underwent shoulder surgery. Expected recovery time from the surgery is approximately three months.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Matt+Greene,

Peter Regin Signs Two Year Contract With Ottawa

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 04:56 PM ET | Comments (3)

OTTAWA, ONTARIO-- Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today the club has re-signed forward Peter Regin to a two-year contract.

Regin, 24, played his first full National Hockey League season with the Senators in 2009-10, contributing 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 75 games. In six playoff contests against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he ranked first among Senators (tie) in goals with three, including the game-tying goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period of Game 5, which went on to become the longest game in franchise history and a 5-4 overtime victory for Ottawa.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Peter+Regin,

Tom Larscheid Says Goodbye To The Vancouver Radio Booth

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 02:56 PM ET | Comments (2)

from Ian MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun,

Tom Larscheid had his ace on Wednesday. Vancouver Canuck hockey fans had their ace for most of the last 33 years.

It is the end of an era for the National Hockey League club and broadcasting in Vancouver as the Team 1040 is replacing Larscheid with analyst Dave Tomlinson on its radio broadcasts next season.

An under-sized running back from California who moved to Vancouver to play football in 1962 and never left, Larscheid’s remarkable reign over the airwaves here is unlikely to be repeated either in duration or style.

He was the colour-man on Vancouver hockey broadcasts for all but four NHL seasons since 1977, and for more than a generation of hockey fans Larscheid’s insight and instincts provided a blunt barometer of the team’s performance – good or bad.

continued and listen below to Tom tell it like it is before game 5 of Chicago/Vancouver this spring…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Tom+Larscheid,

What Happens If Niemi Is Awarded A High Dollar Award?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 02:33 PM ET | Comments (13)

from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Within 48 hours, an arbitrator, who heard evidence from the Blackhawks and netminder Antti Niemi’s agent Thursday morning, will deliver a decision on just how much a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender is worth.

If the arbitrator decides Niemi’s worth much more than $3 million a year, Bowman may have no choice but to walk away from the decision, making Niemi an unrestricted free agent shortly before his 27th birthday.

The Blackhawks, already over the salary cap and facing a huge salary crunch before the start of training camp, will have 48 hours after the arbitrator’s decision to make up their minds.

There are rumors the ‘Hawks will accept the decision and then try and trade Niemi so they don’t end up losing a top asset without getting anything back in return. But the marketplace for goaltenders is soft to begin with, and any team dealing with the Blackhawks, let’s say Philadelphia or San Jose or Washington, all Cup contending teams that could use goaltending depth, will know they’ve got the team over a barrel and will be offering little in return.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Antti+Niemi,

Afternoon Line

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/29/10 at 02:30 PM ET | Comments (0)

“The offers have been below our expectations of what the players’ market value is today,.  As the drum beats towards training camp, I think there’s going to be signings and a market developing for some of theses guys more closely aligned with their expectations.”

-player agent Allan Walsh.  More on this topic from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.

Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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