Kukla's Korner Hockey

These UFA Signings Look Good

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 02:39 PM ET
Comments (3)

from Sam McCaig of The Hockey News,

Here are five UFA contracts that should work out well for the player’s new team:

Mikael Samuelsson, Vancouver (3 years, $7.5 million)
For $2.5 million per season, the Canucks have added a two-way winger with a lethal, heavy shot. He loves to shoot the puck and has quick, accurate release....

Hal Gill, Montreal (2 years, $4.5 million)
A 6-foot-7 defenseman who has some mobility, plays physical and is a penalty-killing demon. All for the low, low price of $2.25 million per season. That’s pretty good bang for the buck, as long as Habs fans don’t look at the gargantuan Gill and start upsizing their expectations....

more

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Questioning The Ohlund Contract

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 01:12 PM ET
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from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

He’ll be 33 by the time training camp finishes this fall and when his agent began with an opening salvo of $5 million per for five years, Vancouver quickly determined he was too rich for their blood. It wasn’t fair to everyone else on his own team to pay that much.

But not Tampa. Not a team that sells $10 tickets and each year begs for NHL revenue sharing so that Vancouver fans, who so generously contribute to the fund, can shell out for such a team to take their better players. And take them at numbers which are so staggering, you’re left wondering about this league and the fairness of the collective bargaining agreement.

Ohlund’s deal begins with him making $4 million in the first two years, which is great, perhaps just about bang on where he should be, although the $2 million paid in signing bonus seems a bit over the top.

But then it turns into a pyramid, and Matty is mighty grateful to the Egyptians for conceiving of such a structure. At age 35, he’ll begin the third year at a cool $5.5 million and follow that up at 36 with another $5 million....

But here’s the kicker. How the hell do you agree to a contract structured so bizarrely 15 minutes into free agency without any tampering going on?

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Mattias+Ohlund,

Wearing #15 In Ottawa

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 09:29 AM ET
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from Bruce Deachman of the Ottawa Citizen,

I decided to buy one of these semi-precious Heatley jerseys—now a mere $99.99 plus tax—and wear it on Ottawa’s streets and in its sports bars to see what hockey fans had to say.

No sooner had I taken one off the rack when a customer in his early 50s commented: “You might get beaten up wearing that.”

A young woman looking at non-Heatley sweaters for youngsters, meanwhile, added, “You’re gonna get pelted.”

And as I left the store in the jersey, I heard a third customer, a teenager, call out: “You’re a brave man.”

more plus a chance to win that Heatley sweater…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Dany+Heatley,

How Did Chicago Get In This Mess?

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 09:14 AM ET
Comments (2)

from Josh Mora of CSNChicago,

How bout some fireworks from the Hawks for the 4th of July?  Late on Friday, TSN in Canada reported that the Blackhawks had misfiled the qualifying offers to their restricted free agents....

I was also informed by a separate source closer to the league that while clerical errors such as this are not common, they do happen more than occasionally.  So clearly, because this looks worse to the general public than to those more familiar with league operations, someone is trying to embarrass Dale Tallon by letting this leak out.  What are the possible scenarios and motivations for that to happen?

A) It could be an agent who was recently burned by the Blackhawks.
I find this scenario unlikely, because agents have to deal with teams all the time.  So even if, say, Allan Walsh is upset with what happened in Marty Havlat’s situation, he has other clients who may become Blackhawks in the future.  If he embarrasses a front office he does so at his own peril.

B) It could be an agent of one of the affected RFA’s. 
I could buy into this....

read on

thanks to The Third Man In for the pointer…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Chicago Stronger - Detroit Weaker

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 08:42 AM ET
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from Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun-Times,

In signing Hossa and Kopecky, the Hawks weakened their biggest Western Conference rival, the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings took another blow Friday when winger Mikael Samuelsson signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks. They also lost backup goaltender Ty Conklin, who signed with the St. Louis Blues. All the Wings have done in free agency is re-sign winger Johan Franzen.

In short, the Hawks got stronger and—perhaps just as important—the Wings got weaker.

‘’I never thought of that,’’ Tallon said, stifling a grin. ‘’Really, we just wanted to make ourselves better—and Detroit’s an elite team. Why wouldn’t you want to emulate what they do?’’

Sooner or later, the Hawks will have to beat the Red Wings to win their first Stanley Cup since 1961. But for that to happen, Tallon has a bit more work to do.

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Nash Now A Part Of Columbus

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 08:33 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch,

It’s intriguing to contemplate where the eight-year, $62.4 million contract Rick Nash signed with the Blue Jackets leads.

Nash is an excellent player, obviously, or he couldn’t have commanded those kinds of numbers. He is the team captain, an NHL All-Star and, hopefully, a major piece of a championship puzzle. In the near term and long term, this hockey marriage bodes well.

Nash has given the team and this city the kind of celebrity endorsement every business covets. When NHL free agents and Blue Jackets draft picks try to decide where to spend their futures, there is no stronger signal than the one the strapping winger gave with this signing. The signal is an emphatic thumbs-up, both for the franchise and the city.

But hockey is only part of it. Nash is about to become the kind of athlete we’ve never had here, one who spends most or all of his athletic career in the city, playing for a local team.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Rick+Nash,

Brashear Should Not Be Part Of The Rangers

by Paul on 07/05/09 at 08:15 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Let’s get this straight. The decision to sign free agent Washington thug Donald Brashear—who appeared to spend an inordinate amount of time since the end of lockout attempting to injure Rangers before finally succeeding with the Game 6 blindside blow to Blair Betts’ head that knocked him out of the playoffs with a broken orbital bone and concussion—represents an indelible stain on the family concept preached by head coach John Tortorella....

Obviously neither Tortorella nor GM Glen Sather thinks so, but it’s our belief the signing of Brashear breaks a bond with the team’s fan-base as well as with the team’s players. It shouldn’t matter whether Betts is here or not. This should not have been done.

more and other NHL notes…

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Donald+Brashear,

Qualifying Offer Mistake By Chicago May Cost Them

by Paul on 07/04/09 at 06:38 PM ET
Comments (21)

from Darren Dreger of TSN,

According to both the NHL and the NHLPA, the investigation into how and why the Chicago Blackhawks bungled a number of their qualifying offers is ongoing.

Neither side will comment, however since this story broke Friday evening on TSN.ca, interest into how the league and players association will respond is significant.

If the NHL grants leniency and attempts to sweep this issue away, it’s expected the NHLPA will swiftly file a grievance and the matter will go to a hearing.

Sources with hands on knowledge of how qualifying offers have to be filed say as innocent as this mistake may have been, there is no excuse for it, and the league should follow through with the ultimate penalty and declare all players who didn’t received proper notification, unrestricted free agents.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, NHL Talk, NHLPA | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

All Ryan Smyth

by Paul on 07/04/09 at 04:00 PM ET
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Ryan talks about his decision to waive his NMC and a few other topice with Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings,

Question: You talked about some of the discussion with your family. What were some of the factors you weighed?

SMYTH: “Obviously we have a beautiful home in Colorado, so we had to weigh the factors of all that stuff, and moving. Then you look at the hockey front. (The Avalanche) came to me and said they wanted to rebuild, and money was an issue, and obviously that goes hand in hand with my issue and my contract. It was mutual at the end of the day, and I have nothing but great things to say about Colorado.’’

Question: Playing in Colorado, you’ve had a chance to get a decent look at the Kings. What are your impressions?

SMYTH: “Watching these young kids play, and to see the energy and excitement and the direction the organization is going in, there’s nothing but upside. I’m honored to be a part of it and I hope I can contribute a lot.’’

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Smyth,

Saku Koivu May Be Concerned With Playing With Mikko

by Paul on 07/04/09 at 03:31 PM ET
Comments (3)

from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

The team continues to be patient as free-agent center Saku Koivu takes his time deciding where he will sign. It’s not looking good with Minnesota, and it doesn’t appear to be so much about money as a concern about playing with his brother, Mikko.

“We’ve put a lot of conversations and time into it,” GM Chuck Fletcher said. “Whatever decision he makes, I’m sure they’ll be for good reasons.”

If Saku Koivu doesn’t sign and Fletcher can’t make a trade, coach Todd Richards believes Pierre-Marc “Bouchard can be that guy” at No. 2 center.

more Wild talk…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Saku+Koivu,

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