Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Nikolai+Khabibulin
Kings Showed Interest In Khabibulin
by Paul on 12/23/08 at 01:59 PM ET
Comments (0)
via Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings,
...the Kings were, until late last week, in the running for Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. No longer, it seems. Talks ended without a deal, but it had nothing to do with Khabibulin’s salary or any injury concerns. But that should answer the question about whether the Kings are willing to go after a veteran goalie this season.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Has Been Great
by Paul on 12/20/08 at 08:50 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Tim Sassone of Between The Circles at the Chicago Daily-Herald,
Where would the Blackhawks be if another team had claimed Nikolai Khabibulin on waivers back in training camp?
They probably wouldn’t be 17-6-7 today and the talk of the NHL.
Khabibulin has been nothing short of sensational for the Hawks, and he was just that again Friday night in the 3-2 overtime win over the Flames. As he has done most of the year, Khabibulin kept the Hawks in the game long enough for the offense to do its thing.
Khabibulin has lost once in regulation, his record now at 10-1-4. Once.As we walked out of the Saddledome Friday night into the unbearable Alberta cold, Chris Kuc of the Tribune mentioned how Khabibulin should be going to the All-Star Game, and he is absolutely right.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Injured - Status Unknown
by Paul on 11/27/08 at 08:34 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Tim Sassone of Between the Circles,
We might not know until Friday how badly Nikolai Khabibulin and Aaron Johnson are hurt.
Khabibulin went down in the final minute of the second period of Wednesday’s 3-2 OT loss to the Sharks with what appeared to be a groin or hamstring problem. Joel Quenneville didn’t know if Khabibulin would be examined Thursday in San Jose, where the Hawks were to practice, or if he would need to return to Chicago. If the injury is serious, Cristobal Huet would vault into the spotlight and we’d likely see Antti Niemi recalled from Rockford to be the backup.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Red Flags Removed
by Paul on 11/14/08 at 12:43 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
In the post-lockout NHL, the trading game usually grinds to a halt between the second week of the season and the middle of February, but the one player that may legitimately get moved is the Blackhawks’ Nikolai Khabibulin, who inches closer to free agency every day; sees the dollars click off that $6.25-million (all currency U.S.) annual salary – and continues to play great. Khabibulin was sensational in last week’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins. Apart from the money, performance and attitude were the two red flag for teams pondering a move on Khabibulin had to consider. It doesn’t seem as if either is an issue at the moment.
many more hockey notes plus Burke made for Toronto…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
An Obvious Team For Khabibulin- Colorado
by Paul on 10/16/08 at 07:45 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Terry Frei at ESPN,
The obvious choice as a possible Khabibulin suitor now is Colorado, with Budaj struggling horribly out of the gate in his latest opportunity to nail down the Avalanche’s No. 1 job. Colorado has about $5.5 million in cap room available, so it would take some tinkering or sending the Blackhawks a significant salary in return to make room.
Simply sending Budaj to Chicago to serve as Huet’s backup wouldn’t quite be enough, because Budaj’s cap figure is “only” $800,000 this season. In fact, how’s this for a contrast in allocating resources in the cap age: Chicago’s two goalies are making $12.3 million this season; at Colorado, Budaj and Andrew Raycroft are pulling in a combined $1.6 million. But Colorado could find a way to pull it off.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Deal May Take Some Time
by Paul on 10/08/08 at 03:16 PM ET
Comments (0)
via Sportsnet,
Jay Grossman, the agent for Nikolai Khabibulin, told Hockeycentral it might take some time to find a fit for the goaltender with another team. Khabibulin passed through waivers last week and Grossman said he was surprised something didn’t get done with either another NHL team or one in the Continental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia.
Grossman has been granted permission by the Blackhawks to speak with other teams about his client and though he has had talks with several teams, Grossman has been unable to secure a deal. The Blackhawks were hoping Grossman could arrange a loan agreement with a KHL team that would at least alleviate the financial burden.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Still With Chicago
by Paul on 10/07/08 at 04:14 PM ET
Comments (0)
from TSN,
The Chicago Blackhawks sent goaltender Antti Niemi to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, opening the possibility of the team starting the season with Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin.
Khabibulin is expected return to the team this week and resume practising, and could possibly play at some point.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin’s Agent Negotiating With KHL
by Paul on 10/07/08 at 07:31 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Chris Kuc of the Icing blog at the Chicago Tribune,
Tallon and the Hawks remain in a holding pattern with Khabibulin as they wait for his agent, Ron Grossman, to negotiate with the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. A decision on whether the sides work out a loan agreement or Khabibulin stays with the Hawks will be decided by Wednesday at 3 p.m., when the Hawks have to turn their roster into the NHL.
more on the Blackhaws…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Tallon Talks about Khabibulin’s Future
by Alanah McGinley on 10/03/08 at 02:03 PM ET
Comments (1)
Nick Kypreos and Daren Millard at the Fan 590 spoke with Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon this morning.
The GM of the Hawks joins Hockeycentral at Noon to discuss the progress of the Khabibulin situation, whether the team would consider sending him to the AHL, and how soon we could expect another development with the goalie.
Tallon expects the situation will be resolved before the start of his team’s NHL season. Listen to the complete interview.
Update 2:28pm ET: At Sportsnet.ca another interview cited from Fan590 which featured these comments from Jay Grossman, Khabibulin’s agent:
“There are several teams that have expressed interest, with our permission being given by Chicago to talk to those teams. At the same time, Chicago is aware of a number of options they have by virtue of trade, whether it be now or whether it be down the road. We assume that at least as far as the start of the season is concerned that (Khabibulin’s status) would be determined well before then.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dale+tallon, nikolai+khabibulin,
Khabibulin Wants To Get Back On The Ice
by Paul on 10/02/08 at 05:51 PM ET
Comments (0)
from TSN,
Khabibulin’s agent, Jay Grossman told TSN that his client has playing options with the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL).
“Nik has several options, both here and over there,” Grossman told TSN.
“However, nothing has been finalized and by no means is anything imminent.”
Grossman admitted that he would like to get a deal worked out quickly so that Khabibulin could get back on the ice.
“Nobody is looking to drag this thing out,” he told TSN.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Another Option For Khabibulin
by Paul on 10/02/08 at 07:43 AM ET
Comments (13)
from Sportsnet,
Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin could be headed to Russia after clearing waivers earlier this week.
In order to shed payroll, the Blackhawks are to prepared to loan their high-priced former all-star to a club in the Continental Hockey League (KHL), Sportsnet has learned.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Next Option For The Blackhawks
by Paul on 09/30/08 at 04:46 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
“We’re weighing our options and we’ll decide in the next couple of days what we do,” Blackhawks GM Dave Tallon said via telephone Tuesday. “We’re under the cap, we’re fine. We don’t have a gun to our head. But we’ll decide in a few days what we’re doing.”
Khabibulin became expendable once the Hawks signed Cristobal Huet on July 1. Youngster Corey Crawford is ready for the NHL, as well.
The problem when trying to make a deal like this at this time of year is that everyone basically thinks they’re fine. The puck hasn’t dropped yet. Once the losses start piling up for a team that was supposed to be better, that’s when the trade talks start to heat up.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin On Waivers
by Paul on 09/29/08 at 12:32 PM ET
Comments (19)
Bob McKenzie of TSN just mentioned on NHL Live that Nikolai Khabibulin is on waivers. Bob said maybe Tallon knows someone will pick him up, or, if not, he comes back on re-entry waivers at half price and maybe gets picked up.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Chicago Has A Few Options With Khabibulin
by Paul on 08/28/08 at 09:02 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Darren Dreger of TSN,
Khabibulin has informed the Blackhawks he wants to play 60 games this season.
With newly signed Cristobal Huet soon to make his debut, that’s unlikely to happen.
Also unlikely is a team willing to give up more than a draft pick or a prospect for Khabibulin who has one year left at 6.75 million dollars.
Tallon isn’t desperate to move Khabibulin, but he is eager, and will patiently wait to see if an injury pops up around the league that may heighten interest....
If no deal surfaces, Chicago who will soon have cap issues of their own and may have to place the former Stanley Cup champ on waivers.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Could End Up With Colorado
by Paul on 07/10/08 at 03:07 PM ET
Comments (6)
via Adrian Dater of All Things Avs,.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Nikolai Khabibulin become an Av at some point. No, probably not before the season. But come trade deadline time - if Huet is playing well in Chicago and Peter Budaj isn’t here - I think it will be an easy call that the Avs would be among the highest bidders for his services.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Something’s Gotta Give in Chicago
by Alanah McGinley on 07/01/08 at 05:57 PM ET
Comments (0)
From Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News,
There must be a second part to this move.
The Chicago Blackhawks signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a deal worth $5.625 million per season for four years, THN has learned.
Now, the Hawks still have No. 1 goalie Nikolai Khabibulin on the books for a very cap-unfriendly $6.75 million next year, so something’s gotta give here.
Not only do the Hawks now have quite a lot of cash tied up in goaltenders, but the funny thing about that position is you can only have one on the ice at any given time and most starting netminders tend to want to be out there as much as possible.
On TSN about 15 minutes ago, Darren Pang reported that in his conversation with GM Dale Tallon today, Tallon claimed they would be carrying both goalies into next season. To add intrigue, Bob McKenzie also mentions that Tampa goalie Mike Smith—who just signed an extension earlier today—might now be shopped.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: cristobal+huet, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Is The Key
by Paul on 12/13/07 at 10:18 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily-Herald,
This is not to suggest Khabibulin should be traded. That is the business of Hawks general manager Dale Tallon, who has given no indication of being either eager or willing to do it. Tallon wants to make the playoffs and likely realizes the best chance for that to happen is with Khabibulin in goal.
But what if Khabibulin’s game stays where it’s at? What if Tampa Bay comes calling offering either Martin St. Louis or Brad Richards in a deal? There has been an ownership change in Tampa, and there probably isn’t another team in the league that needs better goaltending than the Lightning.
At this point, the assumption has to be made that the Hawks are going to keep Khabibulin and let him play into next season, the last on his contract. Coach Denis Savard never misses an opportunity to back his No. 1 goalie to anyone questioning the quality of play the Hawks are getting out of the position, which is fine.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
The Improved Khabibulin
by Paul on 11/24/07 at 09:47 AM ET
Comments (0)
from the Chicago Sun-Times,
‘’He looked so comfortable, so confident,’’ goaltender coach Stephane Waite said of Khabibulin’s last two outings. ‘’He’s found his comfort zone.’’
Khabibulin hasn’t been able to explain why, because he has paid the price for both of those hard-earned victories. He experienced dehydration in both and had long intravenous treatments immediately after leaving the ice.
‘’He lost 12 pounds against Detroit and probably about nine [at Calgary],’’ Savard said. ‘’Khabby takes a lot of fluids. He has this purple drink he takes between shifts. He’s always been like that. It’s not unusual.’’
Something is different about Khabibulin’s play, though.
Savard lauded Waite’s work after the Calgary win.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chicago+blackhawks, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
No Matter What, Khabibulin Must Play Better
by Paul on 09/17/07 at 06:01 PM ET
Comments (0)
from the Chicago Daily Herald,
Maybe the Blackhawks will score more goals on the power play.
Maybe the pieces will fall into place on defense.
But for the Hawks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, it’s likely going to come down to whether they get consistently good goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin.
Now halfway through his four-year, $27 million contract, the richest in team history, Khabibulin hasn’t lived up to expectations - though in his defense there hasn’t been a good team in front of him for those two seasons.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chicago+blackhawks, goalies, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
