Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Kris+Versteeg
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 01/14/12 at 03:42 PM ET
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“I think that was a pretty strong reflection of what my feelings were on his play and that’s not a one-game snapshot. I don’t do that based on one game. I think there’s been a stretch of games where he …is such an important leadership role for this team need to play a higher level of hockey.”
-Kevin Dineen, head coach of the Florida Panthers on the recent play of Kris Versteeg who played a little over a minute in the 3rd period last night. Via Harvey Fialkov of the SunSentinel.
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Morning Line
by Paul on 02/16/11 at 09:50 AM ET
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“I wasn’t given an opportunity in some senses to fit.”
-Kris Versteeg of the Philadelphia Flyers talking about his time in Toronto. More from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.
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LLL - Versteeg Deal is a Win for Toronto
by Shiv on 02/15/11 at 04:51 PM ET
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Kris Versteeg will find himself on a line with either Jeff Carter or Mike Richards. And he will put up some solid numbers – at a rate that could potentially be considered Line 1 production.
But obviously, Versteeg is not a 1st liner.
There has been a bit of an uproar in Leaf Nation following this trade (when is there not an uproar?). The contention is that Brian Burke has made trades of conflicting philosophies in the last two weeks by landing Joffrey Lupul to get help now but then trading away Kris Versteeg for help later.
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Burke Goes Shopping For Deals
by Paul on 02/15/11 at 08:03 AM ET
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from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
Everyone happy now?
Of course not. The fact the Maple Leafs now own a 2011 first-round draft pick might please some, but others will moan that it’s not the right first-round pick.
It’s also not what Brian Burke really wanted.
Yes, Kris Versteeg did fetch a first and a third from a Philadelphia club eying the Stanley Cup, but Burke would rather have received a player than the first rounder.
It’s pretty clear he wanted lanky centre James Van Riemsdyk, but the Flyers wouldn’t do the deal. Weeks ago, Burke might have hoped he could pry pivot David Booth out of Florida for Versteeg, but the Panthers didn’t want to do that. So he settled for a low first, lower than what Ottawa got for Mike Fisher from Nashville, which makes sense given that Fisher is the better player.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Versteeg Now A Flyer
by Paul on 02/14/11 at 06:17 PM ET
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via Bob McKenzie tweet,
TOR trades Kris Versteeg to PHI for two draft picks, including a first rounder.
The picks are a first and third according to another tweet from Bob.
added 6:44pm, (Philadelphia) - The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have acquired 5-10, 182-pound right wing Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first-round and a third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
“Kris is an exciting young forward,” Holmgren said. He’s 24 years old and he’ll fit in with our group of players here. He’s a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team. He can move up and down our lineup. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. We think he’s a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he’s going to be a really good addition to our team.”
“Right away I was extremely excited to join this team,” Versteeg said. “They’ve had a lot of success this season. They had a great playoff push last year and I’m excited to try and have a good one this year. I like to make plays and score goals at the same time, maybe go out there and be an agitator at times too. I’m going to try and do it all and have fun doing it.”
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Versteeg Gets A Message & Leafs Defend Their Image
by Paul on 01/31/11 at 08:45 PM ET
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from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,
The 24-year-old recently got the equivalent of a cold shower when he came upon his black Audi R8 and found that it has been spit on, with some nasty messages in the dust on the car written to him.
“They were writing stuff all over my $150,000 car,” Versteeg told reporters after practice on Monday.
Versteeg said it was clear that the perpetrators knew it was his car. In all likelihood, Versteeg said, the police will become involved.
Do the messages mean it is not fun to play in Toronto?
“That has nothing to do with that,” Versteeg said. “I definitely like it here and everybody has been good to me. No complaints. Those things are going to happen.”
from TSN,
A day after a CBC/NHLPA player poll indicated that Ron Wilson was the coach that NHL players would least like to play for, members of the Maple Leafs organization stepped in to defend their beleaguered bench boss.
“The evidence says otherwise and it wasn’t because we could offer more money because on the younger guys, we couldn’t. It was a level playing field and they chose Toronto and to play for (Ron Wilson),” said GM Brian Burke. “Ron has 600 NHL wins, he won a World Cup and has a silver medal from the Olympics.”
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Thinking Out Loud
by Paul on 01/03/11 at 04:54 PM ET
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Pierre LeBrun mentioned on Saturday night the Toronto Maple Leafs received an offer for Kris Versteeg and it appears it made some sense to them.
So the Leafs put the word out, seeing if they could get a better offer than the one that was made.
Now let’s look at this from as a Detroit/Toronto scenerio. Leafs need help at center, Wings could using some scoring on the wing.
How does Valtteri Filppula for Kris Versteeg sound?
Filppula is 26 years old, makes $3M per year and is signed through the 2012-13 season while Versteeg is 24, earns just over $3M and is signed through the 2011-12 season
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Kris+Versteeg, Valtteri+Filppula,
Leafs Thinking
by Paul on 01/01/11 at 09:07 PM ET
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Pierre LeBrun on the HNIC Hotstove said the Leafs are not shooping Kris Versteeg but did recently receive a phone call about him that made them do some thinking.
Other teams now make make an offer for him too, so something to keep an eye on.
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Can Versteeg Keep Playing Like This?
by Shiv on 11/18/10 at 04:06 PM ET
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Kris Versteeg’s 2-Goal effort against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday was the first time the Leaf winger has scored more than once in a game this season – not exactly a surprise considering he has only 4 goals on the season thus far. In fact, this was only the 4th moment in his 186-game NHL career that Versteeg has found the back of the net multiple times, and the first since November 19, 2009.
It is safe to say, then, that on Tuesday, Versteeg had one of the better offensive nights of his career in the regular season. His effort was a sigh of relief to Leaf fans, who have been waiting for the former Chicago Blackhawk to provide some much-needed secondary scoring.
Missing in the glory of a comeback victory, however, is the fact that a calamity of factors contributed to how well Versteeg played against the Predators.
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Versteeg’s Back Issues Flare Up
by Paul on 10/29/10 at 02:10 PM ET
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from Jonas Siegel of am640,
Sidelined in Boston on Thursday, Kris Versteeg visited a doctor Friday for a back problem that’s troubled him the last few days. Following a light practice Friday afternoon, Ron Wilson indicated the possibility of an MRI for the 24-year-old Versteeg.
“He’s had issues with his back,” said Wilson. “It gets sore every once in a while and he needs to rest it.”
“He’s gone to see the doctor, maybe along the way get an MRI, I’m not really sure.”
Versteeg was a late scratch for the Leafs 2-0 loss in Boston Thursday night, after missing practice a day earlier with stiffness in his back. In his last two seasons with Chicago, Versteeg was the picture of health, missing just six games due to injury.
“You always are concerned,” said Wilson, “but I’m not gonna speculate [on the severity] right now. I have no idea.”
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Versteeg Not Used To Losing
by Paul on 10/19/10 at 07:28 AM ET
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from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,
Kris Versteeg hadn’t lost a real game since winning the Stanley Cup with Chicago, and the taste of defeat was much different than champagne.
But Leafs Nation did find out their new first-line winger truly hates to lose.
“It’s crappy,” Versteeg said after his goal was taken away on a controversial call, he was given a rough ride and took a retaliation penalty and, especially, after he lost control of an overtime breakaway on bad ice, all in the course of a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. “We controlled the game the whole way, it wasn’t even close.”
He didn’t take the gracious way out either, when it was suggested that New York’s 41-year-old fountain of youth, Dwayne Roloson, was just too much for his team.
“I don’t care about how Dwayne Roloson plays. I care how we play,” Versteeg snapped.
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Imagine The Leafs Winning The Stanley Cup
by Paul on 10/06/10 at 09:59 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
...Let’s get serious here, there ain’t no Stanley Cup coming to Toronto this season. Still, it’s telling coming from Versteeg’s perspective that winning a Stanley Cup in Chicago last season, and reviving a great Original Six city in the process, would not compare to what it would mean in this city.
In no way is that a disrespect to Chicago, its great fans, the anthem experience and arguably the loudest rink in the NHL. But it’s a reminder of what the game means here north of the border, and in a city that has had little to cheer about when it comes to the team that matters so darn much to them.
“It’s nuts,” Versteeg said. “I haven’t even been in the city for three weeks yet and people already recognize you and know who you are. It’s pretty crazy. It shows how much they want to win. They come up to you and talk to you about it. It’s almost like every person in Canada is a coach, they know the game so well.
“But it’s true—this is our game, it’s a Canadian game, and they want winners in Canadian cities.”
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Versteeg Scores A Dream Goal
by Paul on 05/04/10 at 05:46 AM ET
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from David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune, So many times as a kid skating outside on a frozen pond in Lethbridge, Alberta, or inside a crowded rink, Kris Versteeg shot the puck imagining a goal that would mean something this big.
So many times as a boy, Versteeg had rehearsed the celebration he unleashed Monday night in joyfully dropping to his knees and pumping his fist after a Game 2 goal with 90 seconds left that perhaps saved the Blackhawks’ season.
“It’s something you grow up dreaming about but when it happens like this it’s hard to describe,’’ Versteeg said after the biggest goal of his career gave the Hawks their first lead in a 4-2 comeback win over the Canucks.
continued and watch his goal below…
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Money Won’t Change Versteeg
by Paul on 09/17/09 at 06:42 AM ET
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from Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times,
As a restricted free agent, Versteeg would have been given a 10 percent raise on his $490,000 salary from last season. But when the offers weren’t received in time—which eventually led to the ouster of former general manager Dale Tallon—Versteeg was paid millions more. He signed a three-year deal worth $9.25 million, meaning he’ll earn more than Patrick Kane ($875,000), captain Jonathan Toews ($850,000) and defenseman Duncan Keith ($1.9 million) this season.
‘‘I still took less money,’’ Versteeg said. ‘‘If I had gone onto the open market, I could have gotten much more. But I signed for less money to stay with the Hawks because I love the Hawks, I love my teammates, my fans and the city of Chicago.
‘‘But I don’t see myself not working harder and taking this season serious just because I got more money. I’m here to win, and I want to win really bad. That’s why I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can.’‘
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Versteeg Contract Finalized
by Paul on 07/08/09 at 05:59 AM ET
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via Tim Sassone of Between The Circles,
A source confirmed the Hawks and restricted free agent winger Kris Versteeg have finalized a three-year deal worth more than $9 million. The contract could be announced officially by the team on Wednesday.
Signing Versteeg for roughly $3 million puts the Hawks just about at the $56.8 million salary cap. A $3 million cap hit for Versteeg would put the Hawks’ payroll at approximately $55.578 million, not counting the salary for the backup goalie.
It’s looking more and more that a trade will need to be made to move out some salary, possibly Versteeg or Cam Barker or even Patrick Sharp.
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Versteeg Negotiations Progressing
by Paul on 07/07/09 at 01:29 PM ET
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from Roman Modrowski of ESPN Chicago,
The agent for Kris Versteeg said he is in ongoing negotiations with the Chicago Blackhawks and hopes to get a deal done soon.
Versteeg is the last of the Hawks’ seven restricted free agents who received qualifying offers after the June 29 deadline. The Blackhawks re-signed the other six on Monday.
The National Hockey League Players Association filed a grievance Monday over the Hawks’ handling of the qualifying offers. If the NHL rejects the grievance, the matter will go to an arbitrator. At that point, it would be possible for Versteeg to be declared an unrestricted free agent, and the Hawks could lose the talented, young forward on the open market.
But Versteeg’s agent David Kaye said he doesn’t want it to get to that point.
“We’ve been negotiating with Chicago fairly regularly here, and I expect hopefully something will get done in the next few days,” Kaye said Tuesday.
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Versteeg Knows Not To Talk Bad About Gretzky
by Paul on 12/09/08 at 06:00 PM ET
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from Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily-Herald,
If anyone was waiting to hear Kris Versteeg fire back at Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky in response to the Great One’s comments following Sunday’s game at the United Center, it’s not going to happen.
For one thing, Versteeg said, it’s Wayne Gretzky.
And two, the Blackhawks rookie winger would never hear the end of it from his father.
“My dad’s got this big wall full of Wayne Gretzky stuff,” Versteeg said Tuesday. “So if I ever wanted to say something bad about Wayne Gretzky, he’d be the first guy here to give me a slap upside the head.
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Versteeg Awaits Suspension News
by Alanah McGinley on 12/08/08 at 02:17 PM ET
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From TSN:
The Chicago Blackhawks are awaiting word from the NHL on whether rookie forward Kris Versteeg will be suspended for one game and head coach Joel Quenneville fined $10,000 for Versteeg being assessed an instigator penalty in the final seconds of last night’s 7-1 win over Phoenix.
NHL rules call for an automatic one-game suspension for the player and a $10,000 fine to his coach for any player who instigates a fight in the final five minutes of a game, but the league reviews each one case-by-case and, in some instances, rescinds the suspension and fine.
Update 3:52pm ET: From TSN, Versteeg suspended one game and Quenneville fined $10,000.
Here’s the video clip, via HockeyFights.com:
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Tags: fighting, kris+versteeg, kyle+turris, suspensions,
Two Rookies On The Radar
by Paul on 12/05/08 at 12:23 PM ET
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from Jeff Hale of Slap Shot at the NYT,
Hands up out there if you had Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks as your candidate for the Calder Trophy this season.
Versteeg, 22, leads N.H.L. rookies in points (22), assists (15) and plus-minus (+13). Versteeg’s route to prominence was a long one. He has escaped major notice because he was drafted four years ago in the fifth round by Boston, who dealt him to Chicago for Brandon Bochenski in February 2007. The Bruins would probably love to redo that deal.
It’s possible that Versteeg’s main challenger could be just as unexpected. Steve Mason, 20, the goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is 6-3-1 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average. He also has two shutouts.
continued with some WHC and Phaneuf talk included.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
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