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Entries with the tag: radim+vrbata

Sykora May Be A Better Fit In Tampa Than Tanguay

by Paul on 07/21/09 at 04:09 PM ET
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from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

It’s not the worst thing in the world for one’s career to play with Lecavalier, especially when you are trying to revive your career, which both Tanguay and Sykora have to do. Much of the talk the past few weeks is about how much Tanguay would help the Lightning. But I say Sykora, who has 53 goals, including 28 on the power play the past two seasons for the Penguins, offers more. And he has more to prove after his playoff flop, though he also had a second-degree shoulder separation.

added 4:13, also from Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes,

The Lightning was able to rid itself of $6 million in payroll the next two seasons by trading disappointing right wing Radim Vrbata to the Coyotes, the team he left to sign with the Lightning as a free agent. The names of the two players coming back were not immediately available.

added 4:49pm, Regarding the trade, the Lightning get Todd Fedoruk and David Hale in return.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Tanguay, Petr+Sykora, Radim+Vrbata,

Radim Vrbata Available

by Paul on 07/09/09 at 11:29 AM ET
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from Damian Critodero of Lightning Strikes at the St. Peterburg Times,

Rich Evans, agent for Lightning right wing Radim Vrbata, said his client “100 percent” wants to return to the NHL next season. That leaves Vrbata in a bit of a pickle as Tampa Bay GM Brian Lawton said Vrbata does not fit into the team’s plans, and Vrbata will end up in AHL Norfolk if he cannot be moved to another team.

Toward that end, Lawton said he has given Evans permission to search the league for a team that will pick up Vrbata’s contract that pays $3 million for the next two years.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Radim+Vrbata,

Tampa Places Vrbata on Waivers

by Alanah McGinley on 12/08/08 at 12:31 PM ET
Comments (6)

According to Bob McKenzie on NHL Live this morning, the Tampa Bay Lightning has placed Radim Vrbata on waivers.

12:40pm ET Update: Noted by RDS, it was both Vrbata and Chris Gratton that were placed on waivers.

1:00pm ET Update: From TSN, Vrbata asked to be waived --

The free-agent winger, who was signed to a three-year, $9 million free-agent contract in the off-season is apparently heading home to the Czech Republic to finish the season there. The Lightning will apparently not be responsible for paying him for the balance of this season but the contract will remain in force for the second and third years should he choose to return to the NHL.

“Radim is a great guy and he came into our office on Sunday morning and just told us his confidence is low and he would like to head home to the Czech Republic to finish the season,” Lightning owner Oren Koules told TSN. “He just wants to take the rest of the year off (from the NHL) and try to get his game back over there. If he wants to come back next season, great. That’s his call. This is all very amicable. He’s a great guy who’s really struggling right now.”

added 3:38pm (Paul), via Jamie’s Hockey Blog at About.com,

A bad contract dissolves in a puff of smoke and the cap room magically reappears.

Though the team is framing it as Vrbata’s choice, management must be thrilled to find a dumping ground for the player, the contract and the cap hit.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chris+gratton, radim+vrbata, waivers,