All righty, now that I'm back, I can't get into Bethany's post. Hopefully this will be the end of the swap 'em!
DID I MISS SOMETHING?
If I did or if you just want to talk hockey, email me at saj.gunner@gmail.com
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11:34 pm - Ian Pulver, the agent for Scott Gomez was on TSN show "Off the Record" today and he said that the final teams that were Gomez's final choice were the LA Kings, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens. Gomez wanted to play for a big market team in a pressure-filled situation. Looks like he got his wish!
And with the throw into commercial, it is time for me to bid you adieu. It's been fun hanging out with you guys for the day and thanks so much for all of your e-mails and comments. Please tune in tomorrow as I believe BBR will be back to keep you updated with your liveblog. Be sure to keep checking in for updates! And feel free to check out my other blog Scarlett Ice for all the latest in Senators news and HLOG as well for what the Hockey Ladies are saying.
10:22 pm - So it's been over an hour and there hasn't been any news. I've elected to start playing Guitar Hero so it probably means the news will be dying down. Meanwhile, Peter has written in with this e-mail about the Rangers payroll situation:
An earlier fan wrote that because washington pays half of jagr's salary, the half the rangers pay is the only amount that goes towards the cap, that is FALSE !! The full amount of his salary applies to cap.....
another fan earlier said the rangers still have money to spend, not really, they are at appx 42 mill and still need to sign lundqvist , avery, prucha, hossa nand at least four minor leaguers at 450k each..they also need a backup goalie...
remember you have to have a 25 man roster and there are only about 18 rangers signed right now....if that many.....
9:11 pm - RBK Edge update! Your head honcho BBR has sent us this preview of the new RBK Edge Habs Jersey: (EDIT: a projection sent in by "Lynne"
I suppose 'slick' and 'stream-lined' is what they're going for. But I think it just sort of destroys the classic-ness of the old look. There's just something off about it.
9:04 pm - Eagle-eyed reader Earl Sleek of Battle of California fame has pointed out that Brad May, Brad Stuart and Brad Ference and Brad Lukowich were all signed on the same day. There must be a special sale on "Brads" today.
8:41 pm - Los Angeles Kings have re-signed RFA goaltender Jason Labarbera to a new two-year contract worth $400,425.
Again, with the whole 'slow news day' but I suppose the business day is winding down to an end. I'll be around for a little while longer or so if you guys still want to send along some questions/e-mails and such.
8:24 pm - With all of the rumour-mongering that's been going on for any clue as to who's going next, we've been looking for clues everywhere we can before there's actually been an official signing of some sort. Kuklas has the latest clue that Brad Ference may be headed to the wings.
8:04 pm - Reader Jason (not the one from before) sends in this e-mail:
Hi. I am a die-hard ranger fan and season ticket holder since I was 18. I love what they did this summer, its not like past summers when we lured free agents to come here because of money. Gomez and Drury wanted to be rangers. The point I want to bring up that everyone is missing is that yea Jagr makes 8.3 million a year but only 4.1 million goes agaisnt our cap because the capitals pay half his salary. So we will be able to sign Lundqvist, Shanny, prucha and Hossa.
I'm sure that Gomez and Drury wanted to be Rangers, but then again, they also "really wanted" to stay with the old teams. How much of this 'want' is due to the money? And if they really wanted to be Rangers, why couldn't they have signed for less money so the Rangers would have more wiggle room under the cap? I'm not saying that's the reason why, but that would certainly be something to consider.
I have my doubts that the Rangers will be able to sign all 4 as I'm thinking they're all due for raises. I can see Shanny perhaps giving the Rangers a discount but Lundqvist might make a compelling person for a GM to make a qualifying offer to.
Peter writes in as a rebuttal to the other Jason's point about Souray:
in response to jason's rebuttal about my calling ryder one dimensional and jason saying souray is the same......
I listed everything else souray does such as leading the team in game winning goals, being the first to defend a teammate on ice by dropping gloves, playing through injuries such as broken wrists in playoffs a few years back, being a locker room presence, 2nd on team in ice time, clearing guys out from in front of net after our goalie has made a save.....
jason writes...... "Should he be making twice what Ryder is making because he plays D instead of wing?" Yes, he absolutely should. Guys like Ryder are a dime a dozen, can you say the same about Souray?
7:45 pm - Again from TSN: The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenceman Brad Stuart to a one-year, $3.5-million contract.
7:24 pm - As per TSN: The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenceman Brad Lukowich to a three-year contract.Stuart finished last season with 22 points and a minus-10 rating in 75 games with the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames.
The Kings are Stuart's fourth team in eight NHL seasons.
The six-foot-two, 213-pound blueliner was San Jose's first-round pick and third overall in the 1998 entry draft. He played for San Jose for 5 1/2 seasons before being shipped to Boston with Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm on Nov. 30, 2005, for then-Bruin captain Joe Thornton.
7:20 pm - In happier Oilers news, they have re-signed Raffi Torres to a 3-year deal:
6:55 pm - Just released, the Oilers may take legal action against the Washington Capitals in regards to the signing of Michael Nylander. In a statement released just moments ago, the Oilers state the following:The Edmonton Oilers have resigned restricted free agent Raffi Torres to a three-year, $6.75-million contract
The Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club is compelled to clarify the unfortunate and unprecedented circumstances surrounding the Edmonton Oilers and Michael Nylander.
On Sunday, July 1, 2007, Kevin Lowe, Oilers General Manager, and Mr. Mike Gillis, Certified Agent for Michael Nylander, negotiated and agreed to a multi-year NHL Standard Players Contract, starting in 2007/08. Mr. Gillis confirmed same to the Oilers in writing.
The Oilers then proceeded with preparations to announce Mr. Nylander’s contract agreement on July 2, and concurrently continued with the process of negotiating with other free agents based upon Mr. Nylander being an important roster ingredient for the future.
However, while the Oilers were expecting the returned, signed agreements from Mr. Nylander and Mr. Gillis, the Oilers discovered through public announcements made mid-afternoon on July 2, that Mr. Nylander had subsequently entered into a long-term contract with the Capitals.
The Oilers can find no precedent for such conduct in our history. The Oilers are examining and pursuing every course of action available in the best interest of the team and our fans.
6:50 pm - We'll be taking a brief intermission as this live-blogger goes to eat dinner. Never fear though, we will be keeping the lines open so if something comes down the wire, or if you have a question, feel free to send it our way. We'll be back in about an hour or so! Keep the e-mails/comments coming.
6:35 pm - It's been well reported that Joe Sakic personally called Ryan Smyth to convince him to sign with Colorado. Now, Michael Whalen of TSN reports that Bob Gainey had Jean Beliveau to try to convince Daniel Briere to sign with Montreal.
Paul Kariya was introduced to the St. Louis media today and said that he wanted to go there because they're an "up and coming team" and that he's "super-excited" about the direction of the team. He's considerably less awesome to me right now.
Darren Dreger is reporting that the Penguins are working on a long-term extension for some guy named Sidney Crosby.
Dreger is also reporting that Alexei Yashin apparently has some offers on the table, one of them being the Edmonton Oilers. He will most likely make his decision latest the end of the week.
Ed Jovanovski is apparently also available via trade. Jovo has a NTC in his contract so any movement would require for him to waive it.
TSN has also confirmed that Curtis Sanford has signed with the Canucks for $600,000.
6:29 pm - A break in the dinner making to tell you guys that the Minnesota Wild have re-signed Wes Walz to a new deal:
Walz has been a member of the Wild since its inception in 2000. Only Marian Gaborik can make that claim as well. The 37-year-old has played more games (427) than anyone in a Wild uniform, and he ranks second on the all-time franchise scoring charts in goals (81) and points (178). He also has scored 14 shorthanded goals, which leads second place Brian Rolston's six.
Spector also reports that former Blues goaltender Curtis Sanford may have signed on with the Canucks:
SANFORD SIGNS WITH CANUCKS.
HOCKEYBUZZ.COM REPORTS FORMER ST. LOUIS BLUES GOALTENDER CURTIS SANFORD HAS SIGNED A ONE-YEAR, $600K CONTRACT WITH THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS.
6:17 pm - Okay, it is officially time for Sherry to make dinner. If anything happens I promise to report to you guys as soon as I can, even if something is burning on the stove.
6:06 pm - Reader Adam writes in with this e-mail:
I am a big rangers fan and I think what they have done this summer has been impressive, with the draft and cherepanov to these two signings. In many cases I think that the rangers had gone overboard on Gomez and Drury because it would have handcuffed them financially with the cap in a couple years but since Jagr is retiring after his contract expires, that is another 7 mil they can spend in a couple years. But getting to the point, could you clarify the shanahan situation. The math says the rangers have about 12 mil to spend on restricted free agents they need to sign. Looking at the list (Lundquist, Prucha, Shanahan, Hossa) I assume it would cost more then that. I read about the scenario with Shanahan signing for 2 mil then 2mil in bonuses but it also said the only way the bonuses do not count against the cap is if he doesn't reach them. What if he does? And to prevent that do they just set the bonus requirements unattainably high and pay him under the table later?
Bonuses for forwards are mostly based on goals scored or playoff performances. Realistically, if the Rangers see signing Shanahan as a priority, they must declare how much money is given plus bonuses as the official amount and if that puts the Rangers over the cap, they must find a way to cut salary somehow.
5:51 pm - Islanders re-sign UFA LW Andy Hilbert: 2 years at US$1.35 million.
I think it's a given that things have slowed down considerably here. The door is still open for e-mails/comments if you guys have any questions or discussion. Would I be missing too much if I decide to go make dinner right now?5:41 pm - The Nashville Predators have re-signed Ville Koistinen to a 1 year deal worth $475,000.
2006 - 07 Stats (With Milwaukee)
59GP 9G 32A 41PTs -4 44PIM
5:38 pm - The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Wade Brookbank and prospect J.D. Forrest. Both to two-way deals
Wade Brookbank
| 43 | GP1 | G 0A | 1PTs | -4 | 131PIM |
5:35 pm - Reader Quadd sent an e-mail asking what we've heard about the Senators being interested in Peter Forsberg and Bill Guerin:
I've heard a lot about the Senators being really interested in Bill Guerin and as far as I know, talks are still on-going.
As far as Forsberg, I've only heard people saying it's a possibility. Forsberg had surgery about a week ago and his status to return is still unknown. I think the Senators will be more focussed on Guerin than they would Forsberg, if there's been any interest in the latter at all. Guerin, at least doesn't have the injury liability that Forsberg would. Guerin, I believe will also fit the Senators' style and needs than Forsberg would.
5:28 pm - Via the Minnesota Wild site, the Wild have signed goaltender Nolan Schaefer:
Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed free agent goaltender Nolan Schaefer to a multi-year contract.
“Nolan is a young goaltender with a strong record in the minor leagues and some experience in the NHL, and has great potential to become a full-time NHL goaltender,” said Assistant General Manager/Hockey Operations Tom Lynn.
Nolan, younger brother of Peter Schaefer had been quite a highly touted goaltending prospect when he was with the Sharks organization, after a brief stint with the Penguins, he's now landing with the Wild. The Wild recently traded Manny Fernandez to the Wild and it is expected the starting goaltender will be Backstrom and Harding as the back-up.
5:21 pm - Okay, since the talk has died down I'm opening up the comments/e-mail requests again. I can take a break from frantically catching up from what I missed after the Bethany hand-over. Got something on your mind you really need to get off your chest? Have a secretly planted source in some poor team's front office that you want to tell me about? Heard a rumour from the paper-boy of Sheldon Souray of where's heading next? Send them my way!
5:03 pm - Some minor signings to tell you about: Brad May will be back with the Ducks, signing a two-year deal with the Cup Champs.
The Edmonton Oilers have signed unrestricted
free-agent goaltender Mathieu Garon to a two-year contract.
The 29-year-old went 13-10-6 with the Los Angeles Kings last season
with a 2.66 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.
The Oilers were looking for a new backup to starter Dwayne Roloson
after deciding not to re-sign Jussi Markainen.
Poor Jussi. Nobody to love his shiny, shiny teeth.
The Lightning have signed two prospects: David Schneider and Jay Leach.
I'm not going to be asked to explain the difference between a Cory Schneider, Mathieu Schneider and a David Schneider now am I?
Brad May
24 GP, 0 G,
4 A, 21 PIM
Mathieu Garon
32 GP, 13 W,
10 L, .907 PCT
| 73GP | 2G | 5A | 7PTs | +1 | 128PIMs |
The numbers for the Zubrus deal has also been revealed to be a 6-year, $20.4 million contract.
3 fanatics have replied:
Haha I love it Part 3.5.2!! Is it wrong that the Ducks actually frighten me!?
go ahead and have dinner, you deserve it, greatt job filling in for bbr!
Hey thanks for doing this Sherry!! You rock!!
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