Predators Open Trade Deadline Day, Reunite Kostitsyn Brothers

Trade Deadline Day 2012 has officially opened with the first trade heading into the 3 p.m. final curtain. The Nashville Predators, in hopes of upping their offensive game going into the final stretch of the season, have reunited a couple of brothers. Andrei Kostitsyn moves from the Montreal Canadiens to play once again with his brother Sergei, and the Habs will get a 2013 second round draft pick and the conditional selection they previously dealt to the Predators in exchange for defenseman Hal Gill.

This is undoubtedly a risky move for the Predators. Kostitsyn has been an underwhelming player for the Canadiens in recent years, failing to meet the mid-to-high 20-goal mark he achieved back during the 2008-09 season. Although far from the only reason, it is a significant one why the Canadiens are sitting last right now in the Eastern Conference. There is no guarantee his production will change just because he's back with his brother considering that experiment failed during their days in Montreal together.

But, we all like to play the change of scenery card. And that could be something Kostitsyn needs - a change in culture. The Predators are rarely one of those high-scoring teams in the NHL, making a player with even 20-goal potential highly valuable. If he can just stay within himself without having to face the same pressure that comes from wearing a Habs uniform, it could result in some more pucks going into the net for him.

And for such a relatively low cost, Kostitsyn is a low-risk pickup. He can just be let go at the end of the season as an unrestricted free agent should things not work out.

For Montreal, this was simply a way to dump a bit of salary from an underperforming players while adding a pick or two to their pile. The Habs are 10 points out of the final playoff spot with under 20 games to go and little hope to leap over the other teams in front of them. Looking forward to the draft and next season is really the way to go. With Kostitsyn set to go on the market this summer and no reason to re-sign him, it only made sense to get a pick or two in his place.

Paul Kariya Retires After 15 NHL Seasons

One of the most gifted goal scorers in NHL officially called it a career Wednesday afternoon after a lack of progress in recovering from post-concussion syndrome. After sitting out the entire 2010-11 season in an effort to get over the ailment and resume his NHL career, Paul Kariya elected to go the safe route and end his tenure in the NHL after 15 seasons between the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.

"Today, I announce my retirement from professional hockey," Kariya said in a statement released by his agent, Don Baizley. "I would like to thank all of those who have been part of so many great memories - my teammates, coaches, team management and staff."

Kariya entered the league by way of being drafted in the first round (fourth overall) by the expansion Ducks as the franchise's first selection as a member of the league. He was coming off winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top U.S. collegiate player as a member of the University of Maine and would go on produce three 40+-goal seasons, including a 50-goal and 108-point campaign in 1995-96, in nine years with the Ducks. Before leaving for free agency to join Teemu Selanne with the Avalanche, Kariya helped guide the Ducks to their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2003, where he scored a remarkable goal in Game 6 after recovering from a late, blindside hit to the head from New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens that saw him get knocked out and wake up on national television.




Kariya and Selanne failed to achieve their dream of winning the Stanley Cup in Colorado despite taking lower salaries in an attempt to form a super-team of sorts alongside Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic. After the 2004-05 lockout, Kariya chose to join up with the Predators, where he made more money and rekindled some of his scoring touch with 31 markers - the first time since the 2001-02 season that he had reached the 30-goal plateau. After two years in Nashville, in which he helped the organization make the playoffs each season, Kariya signed with the Blues and closed out his career with them while suffering a few different injuries along the way.

Kariya is exactly a point-per-game producer with 989 points in 989 games played. He is also a mutli-time All Star with an Olympic Gold Medal as a member of Team Canada in 2002 and two Lady Byng Memorial Awards to his credit. But the debate begins as to whether he is a Hall of Fame, since the Stanley Cup eluded him and he doesn't really possess any other scoring titles. I'd give him the vote and I'm sure he will eventually find his place among the other hockey greats. He just might have to wait a few years to get the nod.

Either way, it's nice to see Kariya step aside when he knew the time was right and avoid suffering any further damage to his health. He had a bright career, will go down as one of the league's best offensive threats during his prime and should have no regrets about stepping aside after 15 truly entertaining seasons.

Carrie Underwood (along with Mike Fisher) Traded To Predators

This one came a bit out of left field and I would have thought Alexei Kovalev would be the first player dumped by the 14th place in the Eastern Conference Ottawa Senators, but Carrie Underwood - and Mike Fisher by dealt - was dealt Thursday evening to Music City's Nashville Predators, where she will surely be more at home to advance her country music career.

As for Fisher, the 10-year Ottawa Senator now going to only his second NHL team, now moves to Nashville in exhange for a first round pick this year and a conditional 2012 selection. That 2012 pick will be  a third rounder if the Predators advance one round in the playoffs or a second rounder if they win two or more rounds, according to TSN.

Fisher has been one of many Senators to have a down year this season, with just 14 goals and a minus-18 rating through 55 games. But he is still a solid two-way player who should up his game with the change of scenery the Predators offer as a team firmly in the postseason hunt.

"We were seeking a top-six forward and Mike Fisher was the player we set our sights on," Predators general manager David Poile said in a statement. "He plays playoff-style hockey all season long. He plays on the power play, kills penalties, is strong on draws and can match up against any opposing line."

Poile is especially excited about the playoff experience Fisher will bring to the team. And Fisher is equally excited about this new opportunity, in addition to the comfort his wife will find in their new hometown.

"They're a very good team, and it'll be kind of like going home for me," Fisher said. "I'm sure my wife won't be disappointed, either. But I think it's a great place for me and family and everything."

Fisher is in the third year of a five-year, $21 million contract extension signed with Ottawa in 2007. He will count as a $4.2 million cap hit to the Preds in each of the following two seasons.

Canadiens, Predators Exchange The Rights To Kostitsyn, Ellis

 

With unrestricted free agency less than 48 hours way, teams are trying to get one final leg up on the competition for soon-to-be free agents. On Tuesday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators participated in an exchange of rights for players and future considerations. The Predators dealt goaltender Dan Ellis, forward Dustin Boyd and future considerations to the Canadiens in exchange for Sergei Kostitsyn and future considerations. Kostitsyn and Boyd are set to become restricted free agents, while Ellis will be of the unrestricted variety.

The Canadiens hope to sign Ellis prior to the opening of free agency at noon on July 1, when any organization can make a play for his services. There isn't much time to get that done, but a Twitter post by Ellis indicated he is excited about the idea of joining the Habs:

Very excited about the trade! Its an honor to be part of a team with such great tradition and passion! Hope we can figure something out!

The team plans to either utilize the 29-year old as a backup or an equal employee in net with Carey Price, who was extended a qualifying offer by the Habs and will soon become a restricted free agent.

Ellis is the latest victim of a constant rotating door of goaltenders in Nashville. He had a tremendous rookie campaign in 2007-08, going 23-10-3 with a 2.34 goals against average, .924 save percentage and six shutouts. But his play slipped over the past two years and Pekka Rinne emerged as the new No. 1 in Nashville, making him expendable.

Boyd, 23, will provide depth at the forward position as a dependable two-way center or forward. He is not a dynamic offensive contributor, but scored 11 goals in each of the last two seasons and 20- to 25-point capability.

Going the other way is Kostitsyn, who is the younger brother of Andrei Kostitsyn. The 23-year old Belarusian has endless offensive potential but an attitude that prevents him from fully reaching it. In three NHL seasons, he has yet to reach the 10-goal plateau and has been unable to avoid a stint in the AHL as a way of maturing his game and him as an individual. According to TSN, the troublesome winger has been suspended by the organization in the past and criticized by teammates for lack of effort and other behavior matters.

Kostitsyn will need to grow up and get his game on course if he is to help a Predators organization in need of an offensive boost. He has the skills and ability to be a top-notch scorer and playmaker. But if his attitude continues to get in the way, he will be just as much of a frustration for Nashville as he was to the Canadiens.

Hamhuis' Rights Get Dealt Again

TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Friday night prior to the 2010 NHL Entry Draft that contract negotiations between the Philadelphia Flyers and recently acquired pending unrestricted free agent Dan Hamhuis were "not at all close." It appears they were far enough apart for the Flyers to give up just one week after gaining his rights from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Ryan Parent. Shortly after the completion of the first round of the draft on Friday, the Flyers moved Hamhuis' rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third round selection in next year's draft.

Although the Flyers would have loved to get Hamhuis inked, they essentially gained a conditional seventh rounder (acquired with Hamhuis from Nashville) and a third rounder next year for Parent, who was largely underwhelming in his four seasons with Philly.

The Penguins may have just acquired their replacement for Sergei Gonchar, who is still in talks with General Manager Ray Shero but is probably pricing himself out of the Penguins' budget by seeking somewhere between $5 to 6 million per year on a three-year deal. Hamhuis is not quite as offensively gifted as Gonchar, but is a solid all-around defender with physical ability and the occasional scoring touch.

Predators Deal Arnott, Right To Hamhuis

The Nashville Predators made two cost-cutting deals Saturday afternoon with a couple of Eastern Conference contenders. The first of those saw them ship the rights to pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a conditional draft choice in 2011 to Philadelphia in exchange for Ryan Parent.

This trade was an indication of just how badly the Flyers wanted Hamhuis on their blue line, and how little faith or little desire the Predators had in retaining him based on the contract he is likely to demand. Philadelphia has targeted Hamhuis for quite some time, even creating speculation last season that they were looking to acquire him in a trade deadline deal. And they managed to gain a 12-day window for sole negotiation opportunity with him. This is not the first time Philadelphia has utilized this strategy for bringing in pending free agents, especially not with Nashville in particular. In 2007, the Flyers acquired the rights to defenseman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell in exchange for a first round selection pick in that year’s draft just 13 days prior to the opening of free agency. Both players were signed almost instantly.

Hamhuis just finished off a contract that earned him $8 million over four years. He made $2.5 million of that last season and counted as a $2 million cap hit annually during its duration. Now, it’s believed Hamhuis could be seeking a deal worth about $4 million per season, which is a bit too rich for Nashville’s blood.