Stan Fischler (StanFischler) on Twitter
If nothing else, Heatley has proven what we’ve known all along; that it’s a PLAYERS’ MARKET, and may the Senators suffer the consequences.
via Stan Fischler (StanFischler) on Twitter.
But I don’t think that’s what it proves.
Sean Leahy (Sean_Leahy) on Twitter
[Sens not stuck w/ bonus yet] McKenzie: As long as a Heatley trade done before midnight ET July 1night $ can be moved to new team #nhl
Chemmy (felixpotvin) on Twitter
I will seriously never stop laughing at the fact that a player that demanded a trade still didn’t want to play in Edmonton
From Bob McKenzie @TSN: HEATLEY REJECTS TRADE AFTER DEMANDING TRADE??
Now, it gets interesting.
Dany Heatley did not waive his no-movement clause to facilitate an agreed-upon trade between the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers that would have sent Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa.
For now, and quite possibly forever, the deal is dead.
via TSN .
Chemmy (felixpotvin) on Twitter asks the question:
Has there ever been a player who demanded a trade and then invoked his NTC?
New Post, in which, instead of earning money, I decide to crunch cap figures related to the preposterous Sedin twins to L.A. UFA rumor
Here’s why I don’t think the swedish twins in socal rumor makes any sense, especially not Deano sense.
Math.
The twins want $12MM/year. The Kings, after re-signing Johnson and Purcell, then adding $12MM for the Sedins, would be at at least $58MM. $59MM if Hickey makes the team. So we have to dump one big salary. There are exactly three candidates for dumping: Stoll, Frolov and Johnson. (Handzus has a NTC but maybe he could be shipped to a contender and he would be happy.) I would get rid of Stoll, because if you don’t, there is no place for Schenn to play EVER, since both [whichever Sedin is a center] and Kopitar would be your 1 and 2 centers for the next decade. So let’s say we dump Stoll for picks. Now we’re under the cap. And this is your Los Angeles Kings for 2009-2010:
Twin1/Twin2/Moller
Frolov/Kopitar/Williams
Purcell/Lewis/Brown
Cliche/Handzus/Simmonds
Johnson/Doughty
Quincey/Greene
Hickey/SOD
Drewiske
Quick
Ersberg
Not a bad line-up. However:
Now it’s next summer, June 30, 2010. The cap IS coming down. To around $50MM, maybe lower. The Kings are at $50MM now, but they have to re-sign Frolov, Cliche, Lewis, Quincey and Quick. Conservatively, that’s 5, 1, 1.5, 3 and 3MM. $13.5MM. Add that to $50MM, you’ve got $63.5MM. You’re $13.5MM over the cap.
Oops.
Now, Lombardi will have seen this coming a mile away. And he will conclude, in order not to be completely f***ed in 2010-2011, he’s going to have to have shed a bunch of salary during 2009-2010. Three players with decent salaries. Frolov is obvious, Johnson also…and…I don’t know…who’s left? We already dealt Stoll in the summer of ’09, and Williams and Handzus are ear-marked for jettisoning the following season (see The Doughty/Moller/Simmonds Nightmare of 2011, below). So I guess you dump Greene and hope that Teubert is ready to take his place.
Now you’re back under the cap, and your 2010-2011 Los Angeles Kings look like this:
Twin 1/Twin 2/Moller
Purcell/Kopitar/Williams
Clifford/Schenn/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds
Drewiske/Doughty
Quincey/Voynov
Hickey/Teubert
Quick
Bernier
Also not bad. However:
Now it’s summer of 2011, two years from now. Moller, Simmonds and Doughty are RFA. That’s another $9-10MM in cap space you need to create, at least. And if the twins don’t stink, Moller may be a thirty (or, worse, forty) goal scorer by then. But let’s be conservative. Call it $10MM of space we need to clear. 75% of that we clear by because Handzus and Williams are off the books as UFAs (probably traded for picks at the previous deadline, unless of course we’re on a cup run). So figure you lose those guys and re-sign the three kids and your cap goes up another three million.
And someone has to go. Who? Do you let one of Moller or Simmonds walk? I would cry. Purcell is affordable, since he will still be playing on the contract he gets this summer (unless he only signs for two years, in which case, he’ll be a UFA I think). Maybe you don’t re-sign Purcell (or trade, whatever) and trade another defenseman. Who’s expendable? Who knows. Say it’s Drewiske.
So, here’s your 2011-2012 Los Angeles Kings:
Twin 1/Twin 2/Moller
Wudrick/Kopitar/Loktionov
Clifford/Schenn/Brown
someone cheap/Lewis/Simmonds
Quincey/Doughty
Hickey/Teubert
Voynov/someone cheap
Quick
Bernier
Could be a great team. And all you have to do is:
Deal Stoll now. Deal Frolov, Johnson and Greene before next season’s trade deadline. Deal Handzus, Williams, Purcell and Drewiske before the deadline of 2010-11. Or else just let them all walk (well, not Drewiske, who will probably still be under contract).
Oh, and all these trades will be for picks and prospects, because we won’t be able to take any salary back. So it will literally be trade after trade after trade of “why did we just give up [core player x] for a measly 2nd round pick?”
Answer: because we’ll be over a barrel.
[Hilarious bonus irony: it used to be that teams in playoff contention picked up a few pieces to gear up for the playoffs, and teams that were out of contention dumped salary; NOW, we'll be dumping some of our best players exactly at the time we're gearing up for the playoffs. We'll be fighting for home ice advantage in the post-season, and we'll be SELLERS? How much fun will that be?]
And when Schenn, Loktionov, Voynov, Hickey and Teubert come up for contracts, and the Sedins are literally unmovable because of their huge contracts with 7 years left on them, you have absolutely no choice but to deal…
…Kopitar and Brown.
This is why I think it’s a bad idea.
The Hockey News: The Hot List – Draft aftermath
10. Brandon Kozun, RW – Calgary Hitmen (WHL): Think of Kozun as this year’s Justin Azevedo; a high-scoring small forward passed over in previous drafts, but picked up by the Kings nonetheless. Kozun wrecked the Dub for 108 points this year, good for second on the circuit. Drafted 179th overall by Los Angeles in 2009.
via The Hockey News: The Hot List: The Hot List: Draft aftermath.
And we already have last year’s Justin Azevedo.
(bored while waiting for UFA news) Kings U-22 Team
Schenn/Kopitar/Simmonds
Wudrick/Moller/Loktionov
King/Azevedo/Kozun
Clifford/Roe/Vey
Campbell/Doughty
Hickey/Teubert
Martinez/Voynov
Bernier
Jones
(It’s not easy to put a team together, using only players 18-21.)
Sharks 2009-2010 Lineup – Fear The Fin
The Sharks are 10.474 million dollars under the cap, and need to sign (bare minimum) five forwards, one defenseman, and one backup goaltender. Taking into account there will be healthy scratches, it’s safe to assume six forwards, two defenseman, and one backup goaltender will be signed.
Nine players with 10.474 million dollars available equals roughly $1.16 M per player.
2009 NHL Free Agency: What The Toronto Maple Leafs Might Do – Pension Plan Puppets
Mike Cammalleri turns his back on the Flames for the last time. Will he walk all of the way to Toronto?
via 2009 NHL Free Agency: What The Toronto Maple Leafs Might Do – Pension Plan Puppets.
TOLD. YOU. SO.
From Sportsnet.ca: A trade rumor I want to say is idiotic but is probably just … well, I hope it doesn’t happen. Not for Simmonds anyway.
Meanwhile, 300 km up Highway 2, rumours persist that Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini is shopping one of his four offensive defenceman in an attempt to kickstart the rebuild in Edmonton. We’re hearing Sheldon Souray to Los Angeles — where his children live with his ex-wife, a long distance relationship that Souray has found taxing through two seasons in Northern Alberta. The package coming back would include defenceman Jack Johnson, and we’re guessing a forward with some grit, like a Wayne Simmonds.
From Matthew Barry: Say What? Phaneuf to the Kings???
I was talking about the draft to a person with huge ties to the Kings and we started talking about the up-coming free agency period. He/She said “What would you think about the Phaneuf kid playing for the Kings?”
Of course I replied, “What do you know?”
A chuckle ensued followed by “Can’t tell you anymore”.
Thinking about it, it does make perfect sense. Calgary, if they’re going to ink J-Bo, they desperately need to shed salary. A Phaneuf/J-Bo combination would be deadly, but expensive.
But does Jack Johnson fit the bill of Phaneuf-lite? Yes, I know, it will take a LOT more for the Kings to pry Dion away, but as you can already note, Lombardi has made pretty good deals for Visnovsky and O’Sullivan.
Phaneuf would be the piece Lombardi is obviously looking for to go with his youth program. He can afford the cap hit without worrying about the next few seasons.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Say What? Phaneuf to the Kings???.
NHL Transactionist (NHLTransactions) on Twitter
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Made qualifying offers to forwards Blair Jones, Martins Karsums, Radek Smolenak and Lauri Tukonen…
From Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog: Still Pretending
I don’t know why hockey fans still get sucked in by all the trade talk in the period that leads up to the draft. I don’t know how hockey reporters can keep buying any of the trade whispers they hear. The fact is there are very few trades in this league. That should quash virtually all rumours as very unlikely, however logical they sound. Every year we hear about the big names who are about to move and every year nothing happens.Furthermore, the trades that are made usually turn out to be inexplicable. I haven’t heard a good explanation for either of the two trades made last weekend. Here’s Eric on Pronger:As GM after GM will tell you, the only real reason to make deals at the draft is if you’re after draft picks in return. The Anaheim Ducks received the equivalent of three first-round choices for defenceman Chris Pronger Friday night.I can understand why the Flyers would like to have Chris Pronger and I can understand why the Ducks wanted to deal him. But why did he cost so much? It seems a crazy price to pay for one year of Chris Pronger. On the other hand, the fact that Pronger is on an expiring contract could enhance his value.If that one seemed weird to me, the other “big” deal seems to be a waste of time. I don’t understand why Calgary bothered to send Florida a draft pick for Jay Bouwmeester a few days before Bouwmeester becomes a UFA, particularly since his agent made it clear he is going to test the free agent market.
Via Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog [just noticed the link is broken; sorry]
From HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry: Enough Draft Talk – It’s FREE AGENT Time!!!
With my unsolicited comments:
I still say Travis Moen is a King July 1st -
That would complete the Handzus/Simmonds line. Okay, that would be interesting.
I also think Samuelsson comes over to play with Simmonds and Handzus – -
Oh, wait. So, Moen would be … LW on the Stoll/Brown line? I think it would have to be one of those guys or the other. But what do I know?
– that is unless Dertoit DOESN’T sign Hossa or Cammalleri and DOES re-sign all of the players that actually GOT them to the finals.
Cammalleri wants Hossa-esque money, though, right? So that’s not going to work out. I still have my money on Hossa going elsewhere. Previously, I thought he might go for the $1MM Kariya contract, but now it sounds like, no, he wants more than 4 or 5. Therefore, I think Detroit keeps Hudler and Samuelsson and lets Hossa walk. And locks Cammy out.
The Kings will try and move Brad Richardson, who failed to make an impression and whom assistant GM Ron Hextall said “didn’t fit in”.
I missed that. But it’s not surprising.
They also have to try and find a sucker…er… taker for Manchester bound Tom Preissing who was impressive in Ottawa, but miserable in L.A. and surpassed by guys like Peter Harrold and Davis Drewiskie. Good luck getting rid of THAT contract.
Buy out? Or he just spends the year in the AHL…
The Kings need a veteran presence (other than Sean O’D) in the back, so look for a 2 year “bridge” player with some grit – I think Ohlund will be asking for too many years and the way Komisarek acted in the playoffs I’m sure turned off Lombardi for good.
Johnson-Doughty
Quincey-Greene
(Hickey or Voynov)-SOD
Drewiske
I don’t think there’s room for another defenseman, unless they think neither Hickey nor Voynov are ready. Which would make me sad. Of course, if one of these Johnson rumors turns out to be true, there will be a top-four hole that needs to be filled.
They also need scoring, but Lombardi has already stated “it has to be the right fit” – Could Lehtonen be the answer as a “filler”? Not for 4 million, but maybe if he wants 2 years at 6. It’s not Fedotenko. Trust me on that one.
That’s a lot of money for a back-up-plan UFA.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Enough Draft Talk – It’s FREE AGENT Time!!!.
Red Line Report’s list – USATODAY.com: “Somebody will get an itchy trigger finger early in the second round” — GUESS WHO!
Both Jerry D’Amigo and Kyle Clifford flew under the radar a bit despite coming from hockey scouting hotbeds in Ann Arbor, Mich. and Ontario. D’Amigo, a New York native who has been a member of the U.S. Under-18 team, has been overlooked a bit since he was not considered one of the flashy offensive stars of the national program. But he was consistently one of their most effective two-way performers all season, and has really worked hard in his two years with the Ann Arbor-based team rounding out the skills portion of his game. His puckhandling and finish around the net have improved vastly while he maintained his blue collar, lunch-pail work ethic.
Clifford didn’t bloom until the second half of his second season in the OHL, but he’s blossomed into a power winger who can skate, drop the gloves and pop the occasional goal. He’s a legitimate tough guy who skates quite well for a big man and has enough skill to play a regular shift. Lots of teams are laying in the weeds on this kid and somebody will get an itchy trigger finger early in the second round for fear that another club will jump up and grab him.
via Duchene, Tavares top forwards on Red Line Report’s list – USATODAY.com.
The Puck Stops Here : “There are a few things we can say about the draft which are probably true”
Yep.
On average three players selected in the draft will go on to have Hall of Fame careers. It is hard to identify them at this point. It is a reasonable guess that John Tavares may be one of them, but that is far a certainty. Probably at least one of them is not yet selected after the first day of the draft and may be found in the very late rounds of the draft. Several more players will go on to have significant careers, but fall short of Hall of Fame level. Again, identifying them is all but impossible. Some players who are highly rated and have scouts gushing over them today will fail to have any significant NHL career. Your guess is as good as mine for their identity.
It was NOT a surprise that the New York Islanders selected John Tavares with the first overall pick. I don’t care what was written by the media in the days leading up to the draft that suggested it wasn’t a given and tried to create a false controversy to gather further interest in draft coverage. Tavares looks like the best player at this point, he has looked like the best player for quite a while, he outplayed Victor Hedman at the World Junior Championships, if you are paying attention there is no reason not to pick him.
In terms of impact next season, this draft will have little. Maybe a handful of players selected will play an NHL game next year. About two of them will remain in the league all season, while the rest get quickly returned to their junior teams. I think the news that makes the biggest impact next season is the trade of Chris Pronger. The Anaheim Ducks traded Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle, an AHL forward with little potential to make an NHL impact to the Philadelphia Flyers for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, two first round draft picks (this year’s and next) and a third round pick to be taken in 2010 or 2011. It is a hefty price for Pronger, who will be 35 this October. I am surprised the Flyers believe they have salary cap room for Pronger. I don’t think they do. I think they are forced to make further moves to make the salary cap. I think this means Daniel Briere will be moved, likely for limited return, in order to do this. Anaheim will likely win this deal over the long term, but they should be weaker next year as much of their take is futures that won’t be ready to make an impact yet. I am not convinced Philadelphia will be any better with Pronger in the line up, given the other moves that will be necessary to make the salary cap. I think the big winner next year could be the team that gets Philadelphia assets (like Briere) at a cut rate price. If Briere can be healthy, that team will see a big benefit.
Klingberg, Budish, Shore, Brown, Nettinen
I think DL likes Budish. You heard it here first. But you didn’t. Because you don’t know where here is, and I have the stats to prove it.
From (the great) Matthew Barry: I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen!
1) Tavares – So Dreger and the Union Leader and almost everyone else on XM204 was saying Duchene was going first – THAT didn’t happen and it didn’t seem like there was ever any doubt it was Tavares.
Dreger – so plugged in, and yet…
2) Brian Burke’s failure to move up – yes, he good a great draft pick and that was a CLASSIC sound byte of him telling Bryan Murray “we’re taking your guy” – but what I loved even more was the look on his face when the Kings took Schenn.
What’s extra funny was that it was obvious even before I heard about the sound byte that this is exactly what he was doing. You don’t usually get a quote — much less an exact quote — and MUCH MUCH less a sound byte of an exact quote — of what would normally be a “photoshop a caption” moment. Also, I agree completely, the shot of Burke after Schenn was selected was like a Saturday Night Live parody.
3) As Ek mentioned, JayBo didn’t move – Vinny didn’t move – Jack Johnson and Alex Frolov are still Kings. Every time Bettman said “we have a trade” it was for draft picks. THAT’S HOW IT SHOULD BE – It was about the DRAFT and not trading players.
4) Flyers fans weren’t given a box of chocolates after being used, abused, and pounded like a slab of veal. FOUR first round picks???? FOUR for Pronger???? That’s just NUTS!!!!! The price just went UP, UP, UP on Heater and every other talented player. If you’re going to pay 4 1st rounders for a guy with 1 year left on his contract and will be on the other side of 35, what’s Heater and Gaborik and Hossa and all of the others worth?
I don’t think it’s going to inflate anything, for the simple reason that, in Heatley’s case, Murray is over a barrel, and the UFAs have to find someone with cap room, which is a rare commodity and getting rarer all the time. Also, to state the obvious, Philly is (probably) out of the UFA market.
Okay, okay, take it easy, I know Lupul was a complete salary dump and I’ll be so happy not to see Prongers stupid grin in the West anymore, but still, Sbisa and 2 first rounders is still a serious price to pay – Now, tell me, now that you ADDED a million dollars to payroll, who gets dumped next?
At least six million worth of somebody.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen! .
Just Saying: Philly is at $56MM and change with six players left to sign
They’ll need at minimum $5MM to do it, and they’ve got about $1.5MM in cap space. Let’s just pretend that they spend a reasonable $8MM on those six players. They’ve got to shed more than $6.5MM in salary by October. I guess maybe they can give Briere away; that would about cover it. Unfortunately, nobody wants that contract, do they?
If Burke wanted Schenn so bad, why was he holding on to Kaberle?
–The Thrashers, with the No. 4 pick, would have surrendered it for Tomas Kaberle and the No. 7 pick, paving the way for the Leafs to draft Brayden Schenn or Evander Kane. But Burke did not want to use Kaberle to move up in the draft, so that negotiation went nowhere.
via The Spin.
I’m surprised Burke wasn’t willing to part with Kaberle, given how miserable he looked when the Kings took Schenn. What — did he think he was going to luck out and the Kings were going to pick Cowan and PHX was taking MSP?
Frankly, it’s odd that he talked so much about moving into the top five since he was unwilling to deal Kaberle, who is the best chip he has to play. He was going to send him to Boston for Kessel anyway.
Weird.
Los Angeles Kings (LAKingsHockey) on Twitter
http://twitpic.com/8i8eu - Right now…Dean Lombardi and Ottawa GM Bryan Murray chatting in front of Kings table…stay tuned! DE
James Mirtle (mirtle) on Twitter
Eric Duhatschek says: “Almost everyone here thinks Matt Duchene is going to go No. 1 to the Isles now” http://www.theglobeandmail….
Right. Sure.
I assume that’s wishful thinking on the part of Toronto sports media people. Because if Tavares doesn’t go first, there’s an infinitesimal chance Burke can trade up and grab him. Or is it that I am still hoping DL trades up and grabs Duchene? Or-or…is Duchene Pat Falloon? What time is it?
StanleyCupofChowder (cupofchowdah) on Twitter
RT @BigLeagueScrew 38% of voters on ESPN think the league’s likely #1 overall pick John Tavares is a soccer player. http://bit.ly/M7YHz
And the only state where the majority of poll takers picked Tavares as a hockey player? Hawaii.
Andy Strickland – Will Ottawa Refuse To Pay Heatley His Bonus?
Murray is telling people that if they’re stuck paying Heatley his signing bonus on July first then they won’t be moving him. How awkward will that be for Heatley and everyone else in the Senators organization if he ends up playing in Ottawa this season?
Which to me means they HAVE to move him now. Or at least, Bryan Murray has to feel that way. In other words, NOBODY (e.g. the Kings) should overpay for Heatley.
Things would really be interesting if Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk sticks to his threat of not paying Heatley his signing bonus if they are unsuccessful in moving him. A league source tells me Melnyk has said “There is no way we are paying him his $4 million bonus, I don’t care if he sues us.” Who knows if Melnyk will follow through with such a claim? Can you blame him for being angry though?
Oh that’s so funny.
I’m not so sure they can find a way to get around paying Heatley, but it gives fans a idea of how upset the club is at their star player. Ottawa has bent over backwards for Heatley since the day he was traded there. His career was at a crossroads when you consider his off-ice issues combined with a serious eye injury he suffered. Ottawa did everything to protect him from the media when Heatley was performing his community service hours which was required as part of his plea deal. They also hired and paid for a personal driver to chauffer Heatley around after he had his driver’s license suspended. The bottom line is Ottawa went above and beyond for Dany Heatley to revive his career and this is what they get in return. Sources with first hand knowledge of the Senators tell me the whole Heatley situation has made Melnyk “sick”. There is no doubt he’s an awesome hockey player, but you can’t overlook what Ottawa has done to help this kid out.
But maybe he secretly has the Kings logo tattooed on his ass.
I think what Dean should say to Bryan Murray: “My offer is this: nothing, not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.” Of course, Bryan Murray says no, and then he wakes up in a brothel with a dead hooker and Ron Hextall standing over him saying, “now all that’s left is our friendship.”
via HockeyBuzz.com – Andy Strickland – Will Ottawa Refuse To Pay Heatley His Bonus?.
Darren Dreger (DarrenDreger) on Twitter
Tor, Philly, Minny and LA closing in on Ryane Clowe. SJ still trying to sign him.
Makes sense. Ko, Mo, Fro, Bro, O’D, Jo, Dough, Sto — CLOWE. [I didn't mention Mo(ulson), Bo(yle), Jo(nes), Ro(e), Lo(ktionov), Ho(lloway).] Also, Go(tee-ay). Naturally, this is why they want Ho(ssa).
OilersNation (OilersNation) on Twitter
RT @JasonGregor: Rumblings of souray and 10th to LA for 5th and something else. More at www.oilersnation.com
Ha ha. Sheldon Souray. Ha ha ha.
From Mirtle: More on the Salary Cap
In a general sense, a flat cap indicates flat revenues, although the 5-per-cent inflator we’ve heard so much about lately does tweak those results by about $2-million either way. Commissioner Gary Bettman asked the players to not use the inflator last season, but they disagreed and bumped the cap up to $56.7-million, which resulted in large escrow payments at the end of the year.
This time around, Bettman wanted the inflator used so that the cap would remain relatively the same rather than fall into the $54-million range. The danger there is that, if revenues fall this coming season, as expected, escrow totals would be even higher than this past season and take a big bite out of players’ paychecks.
No wonder we’re hearing about two potential big stadium games.
If I had to guess where the cap’s going in the future, my money would be on it remaining below $60-million for another season or two beyond 2009-10. If escrow continues to rise, the NHLPA will likely back off using the inflator and really tighten team payrolls on the top end.
And, by that point, we’ll be looking at the two sides working on a new CBA. Oh joy.
via Salary cap to stay in $57-million range – From The Rink.
From TSN: Salary cap will be approx. $57MM
The league has been telling general managers and owners that the cap number could be $57.1-million, up a few hundred thousand from last season's maximum of $56.7-million.
via
TSN
.
A thought
It will be interesting to see how much of all this twittering etc adds up to anything real in terms of actual deals, and how much of it is just occupying us like hamsters in a wheel without any cause and effect at all.
Los Angeles Kings (LAKingsHockey) on Twitter
I am really excited. great day for our franchise – Luc #NHL
I hope so, but does he know something we don’t know, or is he just being optimistic? I guess he could be saying, “it’s a great day for our franchise because whether we get Kane, Schenn, Cowan or MPS those are all great players with great potential.” I just don’t think that’s what he’s saying. Of course, with nothing else to do for the next nine hours, I may be prone to reading tea leaves.
Pension Plan Puppets (mlse) on Twitter
Cory Clouston just called Heatley a liar. Awesome.
Details, please.
Matt Reitz (ViewFromMySeats) on Twitter
The line of the day:
@mlse What? Cammy wont resign? What a shocker… Sincerely, Every Kings Fan Alive
NHL.com – News: Senators say there’s nothing imminent on Heatley – 06/25/2009
Assistant General Manager Tim Murray said Thursday that no serious offers for the services of Heatley had surfaced yet, despite published reports to the contrary.
Ottawa executive vice-president and general manager Bryan Murray is shopping Heatley after the sniper told the team during the Stanley Cup Final that he would like to be moved.
“I think there is a lot of tire-kicking going on,” Tim Murray said. “It doesn’t sound serious and then a team calls and makes a serious offer, which could happen at any time. Lots of discussions; I know that Bryan has talked to a number of teams. It doesn’t seem like there is a serious offer there right at this moment.”
Thank god.
via NHL.com – News: Senators say there’s nothing imminent on Heatley – 06/25/2009.
From Working the Corners: Agent on trade rumors: ‘I think Doug tried to see the value for Ryane Clowe’
Just talked with Ryane Clowe’s Quebec-based agent, Paul Corbeil.
He, too, had seen the TSN.ca reports from the NHL draft site saying Clowe was the subject of trade talks that Sharks GM Doug Wilson was having in Montreal with several teams, Toronto and Philadelphia among them.
Corbeil, of course, knows that Clowe’s current contract expires July 1, when he becomes a restricted free agent. Any team to which Clowe is traded would retain his rights for another year, when Clowe turns 27, but after July 1 his new team could have to deal with offers from other franchises that might be interested in luring him away.
Conceivably, that could limit what Clowe brings in return.
“You never know, Ryane could be traded,” Corbeil said. “But I think Doug tried to see the value for Ryane Clowe.”
Wilson did return my call early this evening, but he wouldn’t confirm or deny the reports on TSN.ca, saying only that negotiations with Clowe were ongoing. If one way for Wilson to strengthen his position is to see his value on the market, the GM wasn’t saying.
Corbeil backed up everything Clowe talked to me about yesterday. How Clowe wants to stay in San Jose and isn’t eager to test the RFA market, how he and Clowe both understand the salary cap restrictions that the Sharks are facing.
Corbeil wouldn’t provide details of his contract counter-proposal, but described the current one as “a real fair offer in the market right now. We don’t ask for the sky.”
The agent said he understood that Wilson needed to check out all his possibilities when it comes to Clowe’s future, and said it was the natural that rumors would be circulating just before the NHL draft.
“All the GMs are here right now and all the agents. All the journalists,” Corbeil said. “It’s the time for the rumors.”
Like Corbeil, I wouldn’t rule out anything. Both Wilson and Coach Todd McLellan were disappointed in the performance of the Sharks’ second line in the playoffs and Clowe is on that line. But I also wouldn’t automatically jump to the conclusion that he’s played his last game in teal.
via Agent on trade rumors: ‘I think Doug tried to see the value for Ryane Clowe’ | Working the Corners.
Darryl Evans via Twitter: Kings Interested in Ryane Clowe with two e’s
LAKingsHockeyRyan Clowe’s name came up today in trade circles here in MTL. From what I’ve heard, the Kings have shown interest. DE #nhl
via Twitter
I’m not sure if that makes me more or less secure re Frolov’s future with the Kings. Would he be a #2 LW behind Heatley, or a #3 behind Heatley and Frolov? Ugh.
From Sportsnet.ca: Cammalleri runs screaming from new coach’s defensive system (according to me, not Sportsnet; they just say he’s bolting from Calgary, but I think my headline is more accurate)
Barring a sudden development, it appears Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri will not sign a new contract with the club and will put his services on the open market when the free agent signing period begins July 1.
Cammalleri’s agent, Ian Pulver told Sportsnet Thursday, talks between Calgary and his client have grinded to a halt leading into the NHL draft this weekend in Montreal.
“There doesn’t seem to be a strong indication there’s a deal to be made prior to July 1,” said Pulver. “Mike’s prepared to start a new chapter in his career.”
Okay, so for everyone who thought it was a mistake to trade Cammalleri and somehow blamed the Kings for not being good enough for “Cammy” to want to stay, whereas in Calgary he would be playing for a winner and blah blah blah… Cammalleri didn’t re-sign with Calgary for the same reason he wouldn’t have re-signed with the Kings. He’s all about the money. If he weren’t, he would stay in Calgary, which arguably has as good a chance at the Cup as the rest of the top third of the league.
There is virtually no doubt in my mind that he will end up at a worse team than the Flames. The only question is, will he get anything approaching the $6.5MM he wanted from DL two years ago in arbitration. He might. But I wouldn’t be sad if he shot himself in the foot.
Russo’s Rants: Trade chatter
As of now, Chuck Fletcher is still trying to make a trade, with the emphasis on the trying. As proof by the crickets throughout the NHL, it’s not easy making a trade right now, not when as a colleague said to me today, there’s about 150 players on the block, of which 100 nobody wants. The problem I am sensing from the numerous execs I’ve talked to is sort of what I alluded either in an article or the blog or the Twitter — I don’t know, it all sort of runs together.
There are lots of teams looking to get rid of really good players, but good players with really big contracts. So those teams automatically want picks and prospects back, which as you know if you’ve been reading the Strib, the Wild isn’t exactly filled to the brim with. So, hence Fletcher’s problem. And hence, the league’s problem. You can’t just acquire a $4 million player in today’s game without giving up some dough.
He’s inquired about nearly 40 players, including Phil Kessel and Dany Heatley. But there are many others that I either don’t know about or don’t want to write because it’s just rumor, so who knows what Fletcher gets done — or quite frankly, if Fletcher gets something done.
I’ve been told Ottawa’s cut its targeted teams down to seven. I’ve been told the Wild is one of them. But I’ve also been told L.A.’s hot after him and would consider giving up winger Alex Frolov, a quality defenseman and the fifth pick, which let’s be honest, the Wild can’t contend with.
And, five minutes later, I still think it’s insane. Check out Hextall’s comments on the Kings website re Heatley. If anything, the red-flag comments seem more damning when you see them in context. Is the entire Kings brain-trust just blowing smoke up our a***s every time they talk about a potential trade? Are we supposed to take every interview or fan-chat as coded messages or shots across the bow of opposing GMs?
I still think it makes no sense to trade one LW for another. Yes, it’s an upgrade, in theory. But, forgetting the red-flags, like for example that Heatley is having a problem in OTT with their — wait for it — DEFENSIVE SYSTEM and doesn’t like — WAIT FOR IT — BEING BUMPED FROM THE FIRST POWER PLAY UNIT, how the hell is that supposed to work with Terry Murray, who bumps people from the first power play unit all the way down to the fourth line as punishment for a bad pass.
I just have to believe DL will not pull the trigger on a Heatley deal. Dealing Johnson I would be okay with. Not Frolov. And not the 5th.
If DL makes that trade, the only way he will be able to make it up to me is by signing Hossa next week.
Michael Russo (Russostrib) on Twitter
Appears L.A. Kings team to beat for Heatley; Alex Frolov, another & the fifth overall pick I’m hearing; No way Wild can beat that #nhl
Okay, that’s f’ed up. Russo is a real writer and a real reporter and is, as far as I know, always reliable. I guess I have to take back the “total b.s.” label for this rumor. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, red-flags etc.. And trading Frolov for Heatley doesn’t solve anything.
From The Hockey News/Ken Campbell: THN at the NHL Draft: Trade buzz building
The most likely player to be dealt is Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators, with the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild emerging as the front-runners. The Kings would likely have to give up a package that would include Jack Johnson and Alexander Frolov, while the Wild might surrender a package that would include second-year forward James Sheppard.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s utter b.s..
via The Hockey News: Ken Campbell’s blog: THN at the NHL Draft: Trade buzz building.
From Minneapolis Star Tribune: “The number of players on the trade market is overwhelming”
According to numerous NHL insiders who are in Montreal preparing for this weekend’s draft, the number of players on the trade market is overwhelming. The reason? With the economic future of the NHL uncertain, salary-cap strapped teams are trying to unload players before the cap potentially drops significantly after this upcoming season. The players on the market seem to be fitting into two categories: marginal players with exorbitant salaries, such as Philadelphia’s Joffrey Lupul (four more years at $4.25 million) and Buffalo’s Jochen Hecht (three more years at $3.53 million), and top players who warrant big raises on expiring or soon-to-be-expiring contracts. One player who falls into the latter category — and one who might intrigue the Wild — is Bruins sniper Phil Kessel, the former Gopher who scored 36 goals in 70 games last season. The 21-year-old Madison native is a restricted free agent and seeking a deal worth between $4.5 and $5 million a season. While the Bruins plan to meet this week with agent Wade Arnott in hopes of re-signing Kessel, the Bruins are $6 million shy of the anticipated salary cap for next season, and have several other key players to re-sign. According to numerous sources, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is fielding offers, but because he can’t take hefty salaries back, he’s looking for a first-round pick and at least one top young player.
Los Angeles Kings (LAKingsHockey) on Twitter
Just spoke with Hexy about what OTT is asking for in exchange for Heatley. He said “1 or 2 players and our fifth pick.” DE
Pass.
From TSN: Tavares or Hedman? Remember “Daigle or Pronger?”
Well if the year was 1993, the Ottawa Senators would select slick centre Alexandre Daigle and leave stalwart defenceman Chris Pronger for the Hartford Whalers. In some cases, having the second overall pick can work out pretty well.
The New York Islanders have a similar decision to make heading into Friday’s first round of the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, which you can watch live on TSN and TSN HD at 7pm et/4pm pt.
Should they keep the pick and select the unaminous top prospect in 6’0″, 200lb. high-scoring centre John Tavares? Or should they call out the name of Victor Hedman, the 6’5″, 210lb. defenceman? Or should they call the Lightning at No. 2 and work out a deal to flip picks?
Having the first overall pick does not guarantee the addition of a future Hall of Famer to your roster for years to come. For every Mario Lemieux and Dale Hawerchuk, there are names like Daigle and Patrik Stefan.
In 1999, the Atlanta Thrashers decided to take Stefan, who is now out of the league. Vancouver Canucks’ general manager Brian Burke made a big splash by making a number of trades to get the second and third picks, enabling him to take Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Daniel is approaching the 500-point mark as he, along with Henrik, continue to live up to expectations.
From Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog: Signing the Sedins
I don’t see what the statistical data has to do with anything. The Sedins are about to become free agents – after July 1st, they are worth whatever an NHL team is prepared to pay them. Emphasis on the word them. The ballpark here is not between $5 MM and $7 MM. It is between $10 MM and $14 MM. Gillis thinks – and I agree with him – that the pair should come a lot cheaper than individual players of similar quality. The Canucks are being asked to commit $126 MM and I think that’s way too much.
I don’t like these long term deals to lessen the cap hit and I’m happy Gillis doesn’t like them either. I expect that the next few years will be difficult ones for the league and the teams that maintain flexibility are the ones that will do best in that environment.
Gaborik as (part of) the replacement is fine by me.
via Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog » Blog Archive » Signing the Sedins.
Scott Burnside: Trades, rumors and who’ll be No. 1
Another guy bound to be in the middle of about a million rumors this weekend will be Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi, whose young Kings took a big step forward last season by hanging around the playoff picture well into the second half. Lombardi is now on the hot seat to get the Kings into the playoffs for the first time since 2002. He has cap space and is in the market for a big offensive gun to help solidify what should rapidly become one of the best young blue lines in the NHL. Will it be Lecavalier? Heatley? What about veteran leader Ryan Smyth, who is stuck in Denver where the Avs are in rebuild mode? Lombardi can always try the free-agent route if he cant get anything done draft weekend, but he will control the situation better if he can make a move sooner than later.
Via espn.com (trouble with the links for some reason)
Via Matthew Barry: Lombardi on Gauthier
Love him or hate him, Denis Gauthier was certainly a decent “filler”. “I told this to him twice“, Lombardi began. “I’ve just to keep my options open in terms of whether one of the kids is ready and what would fit with this group. The one kid who had moved along a little quicker was Drewiskie. This kid is so focused. He’s a coaches dream. We’ll know more about where he’s at in mid July and we still might have a box open, so to speak, and then it becomes an issue of “do we fill it” or do we et a guy that is maybe more of a puck mover, because Drewiskie would trend more towards the steady”.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Dean Lombardi Interview – PART 2 – Luc to the HHOF.
Something may be up – The Boston Globe
The Bruins also could have their eye on Zack Kassian, perhaps the toughest customer in the entire draft. The 6-3 Kassian, though, is more likely to be nabbed in the top 12-15 picks.
Via Faceoff.com: Tough, skilled Kassian has caught Burke’s eye
“He’s big, tough, skilled, hostile and belligerent. Naw, I don’t like him,” said Burke with tongue firmly tucked in cheek. “Why would I want a player like that?”
Indeed, if there’s a player in this Friday’s NHL entry draft who would appear to be exactly the kind of athlete Burke is looking for as he rebuilds the Maple Leafs, it would be Kassian, the nasty piece of business who patrolled the wing for ex-Leaf Ken McRae’s Peterborough Petes this past season.
Even better, Kassian is a pug with a scorer’s touch, a personality and a quick wit. He said he hasn’t bothered to take boxing lessons or instruction in martial arts like many hockey players.
“Nothin’,” he said.
“I just throw punches and try not to get hit too often.”
Asked if he has a suit for the draft, he said, “Oh yeah, I’m gonna look good.”
Kassian grew up in Lasalle, Ont., near Windsor, lost his dad at age 12 and idolizes his older brother, Mike, who keeps him on the straight-and-narrow. His mother cleans homes and his stepfather is an Ontario Provincial Police officer.
“I’ve had people say I’m a Burke-type player,” he said yesterday in an interview. “What does that mean? Well, I’m a big guy, physical, but I can play and I don’t mind fighting. That separates me from most guys in the draft. I wouldn’t be who I am if I just tried to score goals.”
Kassian laughed yesterday when he told of his first hockey fight during a bantam line brawl between his Windsor Jr. Spitfires and the Waterloo Wolves.
“It was just a mess. Guys got their teeth knocked out and there was blood everywhere,” he said.
“It was pretty fun.”
Back when I hoped the Kings would finish higher — and thus land a pick in the teens somewhere — Kassian was my favorite likely King pick. Now he’s gonna play for someone else. Too bad. But maybe DL will trade for a second 1st round pick. I know, ha ha.
leave a comment