Islanders To Miss Streit, Okposo For Extended Periods Of Time

The New York Islanders were hardly expected to win the Stanley Cup this year. Making the playoffs alone was a far-reaching goal. But to obtain some marked improvement over their 26th place showing in the standings last year was on the radar. And it would take the great play from all of the assets on this rebuilding squad to accomplish that.

That could become a difficult task this year now that the Islanders will go extended periods of time without their top defenseman (and perhaps best player) and top right wing. Both Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo sustained devastating injuries in training camp that will have the latter out of the lineup an indefinite amount of time and the former perhaps for the entire season.

Streit was the first one to go down after receiving a cross-check from teammate Matt Moulson in a morning intrasquad scrimmage this past Saturday that sent him awkwardly into the boards. Tests would reveal that Streit suffered a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder – an injury that will require surgery putting Streit out for at least six months, according to Newsday.

"I don't think anyone replaces him," Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon said. "You're talking about a guy that was in the top three in scoring on our team as a defenseman. That's pretty hard to match that; guys that do that are all-stars. I like who we have, but you can't expect them to be Mark Streit."

The Islanders brought in several new faces to the defense corps over the summer, including Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton as free agents and James Wisniewski in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. On Monday, General Manager Garth Snow also pulled the trigger on a two year contract for Mike Mottau, who spent the past three seasons with the New Jersey Devils. But as Gordon stated, none of those guys can match what Streit brings to the table. They can only hope to lessen the blow.

Streit was officially joined on the shelf Tuesday by Okposo after a weekend of evaluations revealed that the 22-year old needed surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder. There is no definitive timeline for Okposo’s return. However, Newsday estimates he will be out of the lineup for two-to-three months. That would put him out until at least very late-November.

Okposo is also believed to have injured his shoulder during a team scrimmage. Katie Strang notes that this injury was suffered last Thursday and was believed to have occured "when Okposo extended his arm to reach back for a puck."

The former-first overall selection by the Islanders back in 2007 has steadily grown into a strong offensive weapon on Long Island. He posted career-highs last year in goals (19), assists (33), points (52), power play points (22) and game-winning scored (4). When put together on a line with John Tavares and Matt Moulson, Okposo truly excelled as a good all-around talent and should have continued developing down that path on the same line this upcoming season. Unfortunately, he will now have to wait a few months to see if his progress and chemistry with those linemates grows further moving forward.

Svatos Heading To Omsk On One Year Deal

Marek Svatos burst into the NHL as a rookie back during the 2005-06 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche and posted 32 goals in 61 games. Unfortunately, he was unable to join his team during the nine postseason games the Avs played that year, as well as the final 19 regular season games, thanks to a right shoulder injury. And thus began the frustrating career of Svatos in the NHL.

A young Slovakian native with offensive potential capable of netting him perennial in 30-goal seasons would never be able to truly shake a rash of injuries that prevented him from playing more than 69 games in any particular season.

Now 28 years of age after spending all six of his NHL seasons in Colorado, the unrestricted free agent was unable to find a home during the offseason with the Avs or any other club in the league. Perhaps teams are hesistant about throwing a large sum of cash toward a player that always misses a healthy amount of games and only managed seven goals in the ones he did play just a year ago.

With no options in the NHL, Svatos has decided to join the Kontinental Hockey League and signed up with Omsk for a one year deal, according to TSN. The KHL is notorious for taking any player from the NHL with any semblance of name value and Svatos certainly fits the bill.

For Svatos' benefit, the one year pact enables him to seek a return to the NHL next summer if he's able to prove he can go a season without any major injuries and puts up some goals like he did during his rookie campaign five years ago.

Boynton Given One Game Suspension For Throat-Slash Gesture

The NHL preseason has just begun, and so has the handing down of punishments by the league office. On Thursday, Chicago Blackhawks' defenseman Nick Boynton was given a one game suspension by the league for making a throat-slashing gesture toward Tampa Bay Lightning forward Blair Jones during a preseason game on Wednesday. The gesture made by Boynton occured after the two engaged in a pretty heavy round of fisticuffs.

As can be seen in the video, Jones went right for Boynton after the defenseman checked one of his Lightning teammates straight to the ice. They grappled for a bit and then Boynton unleashed a few rights. But once Jones could get himself loose, he dropped Boynton with a left-handed bomb to take the victory. Boynton appeared to have a bit of a bloody mouth and the need to save some face by waving his hand in front of his throat and saying what appears to be, "I'm unfriending you on Facebook later." Or something like that - I never did learn how to read lips.

While I want to say this is an overreaction by the league, I'll actually support it. Nothing good ever comes from slashing someone's throat, and I can't imagine this is the image the NHL wants put forth to its fans. However, it's apparently still not as bad as using the term "sloppy seconds" in a pregame interview.

Boyton may continue to play in the remaining games on Chicago's exhibition schedule. He will sit out the team's regular season opener at the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 7.

Poti, Capitals Agree To Two-Year Extension

The Washington Capitals took a proactive approach with one of their top blue line assets Tuesday by signing Tom Poti a two-year, $5.75 million extension that will kick in during the 2011-12 season. Poti will see $3 million of that money in that campaign while earning the remaining $2.75 million in 2012-13. He will count as a $2.875 million cap hit against the Capitals' payroll during those years. He is set to earn $3.5 million this upcoming season in the final year of a four-year, $14 million signed back in 2007 with Washington.

"I think we have a chance to win here," Poti told Katie Carrera of The Washington Post. "I've played in the league 12, 13 years and still haven't won. I think this is the best chance for me to get a Cup. Not just one Cup but more than one Cup, hopefully. I was willing to give up some money, leave some money on the table, to have a chance at that."


While Mike Green is the alpha defenseman for the Capitals, Poti ranks pretty much at number two on the positional depth chart. The 33-year old, 11-year veteran is a solid all-round presence. His offensive prowess has been on the decline, but he's still capable of putting up points, especially on the power play. He can also log a ton of minutes and use his size efficiently to play a steady defensive presence for his club.

He's had some injury concerns over the years that make him a bit of an risk. But Poti can still be counted on for around 70 games a season at this point.

Last year, he posted four goals (half on the man advantage) with 20 assists and a plus-26 rating in 70 games played. He added four assists in six postseason games before Washington was ousted prematurely in the Conference Quarterfinals by the Montreal Canadiens.

Preseason Actions Begins Tonight

Before we can drop the puck on the regular season, we need to go through a few weeks of preseason games to allow teams to set their rosters and so the players can get themselves into game shape when the contests actually matter. Tonight begins the preseason schedule with nine games on tap.

(Times listed are EDT)

7:00 pm

Florida Panthers @ Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers
Ottawa Senators @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Atlanta Thrashers

8:00 pm

Colorado Avalanche @ St. Louis Blues

8:30 pm

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Dallas Stars

9:00 pm

Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Flames

10:00 pm

Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks
Phoenix Coyotes @ Anaheim Ducks

Rangers Likely To Open Season Without Captain Chris Drury

The New York Rangers and Chris Drury received a tough break Monday morning when the 34-year old captain broke his left index finger during a team scrimmage while attempting to block a shot. He is expected to be out for four weeks, which would have him back on October 18 - or nine days after the Rangers open the regular season on October 9 against the Buffalo Sabres.

“It’s a tough break for him,” Head Coach John Tortorella told Jim Cerny of newyorkrangers.com. “He’s a big part of our club as far as what he brings on and off the ice. I know he was anxious to get back at it this year, but you never know with a guy like him how quickly he can come back."

Drury has been pretty durable for the Rangers during his previous three seasons with the club. He missed five games last season with a concussion, but otherwise has only missed a total of six games out of a possible 246 with New York.

“He’s our captain, a big part of our team, so it’s bad news,” top line right wing Marian Gaborik said. “He works hard every game, does his job on both ends of the ice. We are going to miss him, but we have to manage to do the best we can without him.”

Drury is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $35.25 million contract signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2007. He has largely failed to live up to the offensive expectations as a clutch goal scorer earned as a member of the Buffalo Sabres and the Colorado Avalance. However, he remains a tremendous leader for the organization on and off the ice, as well as a key two-way asset with good penalty killing skills.

Blue Jackets Extend Steve Mason's Contract For Two Years At $5.8 Million

Steve Mason may be coming off a poor sophomore season, but the 22-year old is still being counted on to sport the crease for the Columbus Blue Jackets. On Monday, Mason and the Blue Jackets agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $5.8 million. Mason will earn $2.6 million in 2011-12 and be compensated the remaining $3.2 million in 2012-13. His annual cap hit to Columbus' payroll will be $2.9 million.

"Steve Mason is a young goaltender with great size and athleticism and we are very pleased that we were able to agree on this contract extension," General Manager Scott Howson said in a statement on the Blue Jackets' website. "He is an important member of our team and we're excited that he will continue to be a significant contributor to our hockey club in the future."


Mason is entering the final year of his entry-level contract in which he will be paid $765,000 in base compensation with the possibility of another $50,000 coming his way in performance bonuses. His cap hit to the team next season will be $905,000.

This was a bit of a gamle for Howson, who witnessed Mason put forth a horrendous showing last year. Mason only won 20 of 58 games played while sporting a 3.06 goals against average and .901 save percentage. That was a far cry from a tremendous rookie campaign a year earlier that earned Mason the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year. In 2008-09, Mason went 33-20-7 in 61 games played with a 2.29 goals against average, .916 save percentage and a league-leading 10 shutouts.

If Mason fails to play like he did as a rookie and the sophomore slump we saw last season was simply a sign of things to come, then this extension will be difficult digest down the line. However, there is a lot of hope that Mason will bounce back to that form and perhaps that's something Howson fully expects to see. His confidence could get him in trouble. But by inking Mason to an extension now, he avoids possibily having to pay Mason more money next summer as a restricted free agent.

"Get Pucked Up!" Hockey Feature In October Issue Of Maxim Magazine

For those who thought Maxim was solely for viewing half-naked women in all sorts of compromising positions, well - you're half-right. The October 2010 issue might just go down as Magazine of the Decade for three reasons: 1) they have an Anna Kournikova photo spread in 3D, 2) there is a pretty solid story about the new season of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck, and 3) there is a four-page feature on the NHL. That's got to be more coverage than ESPN The Magazine provides for the NHL all year!

The NHL article is titled "Get Pucked Up!" and discusses the 20 reasons why you should be watching hockey. If you're reading this blog, I would hope you already do. And this is likely an abbreviated overview since we all know there's plenty more than 20 reasons to be watching hockey.

Some of the topics covered in this piece include new New York Rangers overpaid enforcer Derek Boogaard's advice for winning a hockey fight, America's increasing success in international play and the NHL Draft, players' pre-game superstitions (Alexander Ovechkin's is pretty incredible), Duncan Keith's teeth-dropping Game 4 in the Western Conference Finals, hockey wives and girlfriends (i.e., Puck Bunnies), and the Sidney Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry from Sid The Kid's viewpoint.

All in all, this is a well-done edition of Maxim. The hockey coverage would have been enough. But add in Anna Kournikova in 3D and some UFC talk, and can it get any better than that? Probably. But this is still pretty solid.

(For those wondering - and I know most of you are, the 3D photos of Anna Kournikova are up on the Maxim.com website. Without a copy of the magazine, you will need to dig up your own pair of 3D glasses.)

Goaltenders Ready To Battle It Out For Starter Spot

For teams like the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, there is little doubt as to who will be starting in net when the puck drops to start the regular season. No matter how well Johan Hedberg, Martin Biron and Cory Schneider impress in training camp, none of them will supplant Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist or Roberto Luongo.

Many teams, however, enter camp with at least two options that have realistic chances of taking the No. 1 role when the regular season beings on October 7. While one may have a greater shot than the other, nothing is set in stone for either player and training camp will provide the perfect opportunity for both goaltenders to prove their value to the organization.

Here are a few teams that will need to observe their options closely and select the man most capable of defending their net during the season ahead.

Atlanta Thrashers: Ondrej Pavelec vs. Chris Mason

When the Atlanta Thrashers traded Kari Lehtonen last season to the Dallas Stars, they made the statement that they were ready to move ahead in a new direction between the pipes. Lehtonen had been their guy for a number of years. But his player never equaled expectations and he had a myriad of injuries during his time with Atlanta.

Ondrej Pavelec was the guy waiting in the wings once the Thrashers gave up on Lehtonen. Previous to last year, he played a total of 19 games over two seasons and failed to impress. Last season, he played 42 games (starting 40) and did not do much better as the No. 1 man. He finished the season with a 14-18-7 record to go with a 3.29 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Needless to say, the different direction Atlanta was planning to go in did not pan out much better than the original with Lehtonen.

The new look Thrashers will likely give Pavelec a shot at claiming that No. 1 role for next season. And he will probably be given the benefit of the doubt for his youth and considering they drafted him in the second round of the 2005 NHL Draft for the purpose of sporting their crease in a major way.

But when the St. Louis Blues signed Jaroslav Halak, they allowed Chris Mason to leave via free agency. The Thrashers swooped right in on the opening day of free agency and granted him a two-year deal for $3.7 million. Mason played incredibly well for the Blues during his two years of service with the team and completed last season with an impressive 30 wins.

At 34 years old, Mason may come into training camp as the backup to the 23-year old Pavelec. But Mason has performed better than Pavelec recently and any slip by the youngster can be instant cause for the Thrashers to go with the veteran.

Who Should Be The No. 1 Goalie? - Chris Mason
Who Will Be The No. 1 Goalie? - Ondrej Pavelec

Savard Out At Bruins Training Camp With Post-Concussion Syndrome Symptoms

An already eventful summer for Boston Bruins center Marc Savard added another twist on Friday when training camps opened around the NHL. While the Bruins watch 56 players hit the ice for the beginning of their camp, Savard was not one of them. General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that the 33-year old informed the organization "during the latter part of the summer" that he had been suffering from symptoms consistent with post-concussion syndrome.

Savard suffered a concussion on March 7 when the Bruins played against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While taking a wrist shot from near the point in the Bruins' offensive zone, he was clocked with a now infamous blindside hit from Penguins agitator Matt Cooke and had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.

Obviously an injury of that nature needs to be handled with care. But this absence comes as a bit of a surprise considering Savard was cleared to play in the Eastern Conference Semifinals opener against the Philadelphia Flyers after having missed all of the Bruins regular season and playoff games since being taken out. Savard netted the game-winner in overtime to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the series.

Kuba Injures Leg On First Day Of Training Camp



UPDATE: TSN is reporting that Filip Kuba will miss 5-6 weeks with a broken right leg following the results of his x-rays. While he will miss camp and the beginning of the regular season with this injury, he should be back by November following that timetable and that's not a drastic amount of time for the Senators to be without him.

ORIGINAL: It's never a good sign when players start going down on the very first day of training camp. For the Ottawa Senators, it's especially not great that it happened just 15 minutes into their camp to a 33-year old defenseman coming off back surgery over the summer.

On Friday, Filip Kuba suffered a leg injury after skating into a rut on the ice surface. The severity of the injury not know, but he was expected to be taken for x-rays Saturday afternoon.

Aside from losing their second best offensive defenseman, the Senators face the loss of a player that does not need any more injuries on his record. Kuba had back surgery this offseason as a result of an injury that forced him to miss the final 11 regular season and all six postseason games for Ottawa last year. Prior to that injury, a number of other ailments forced Kuba to miss games in spurts throughout the year, leaving him to skate just 53 games total during the 2010-11 campaign in his second season as a Senator.

Head coach Cory Clouston is prepared to go forward as necessary if the x-rays reveal some negative news.

"We had to play a lot without him last year, and obviously we may have to start the season without him again. I guess if you are going to do it, doing it at the start of the season is better than at the end of the year when we would miss him for the playoffs," Clouston said.

It's true that the timing of this injury, though not the injury itself, is beneficial for the Senators. Training camp provides plenty of young guns and outsiders an opportunity to earn roster spots. Therefore, options exist for Clouston to fill Kuba's role if it's expected that the Czech-native will miss a significant number of games. The prime candidate to step into his spot will likely be Brian Lee, who has 82 total NHL games to his credit but has spent most of his time the past three years being passed around the Ottawa its AHL affiliate in Binghamton.

Staal Remaining On Broadway Blueline With New Five-Year Deal

Glen Sather is mostly criticized for taking a proud big-market franchise and leaving its fans to simply hope for a playoff berth ever year. His outlandish free agency spending on the wrong kind of players while quibbling over deals for young internal talent has led to much frustration among fans of the New York Rangers. But every once in a while, the general manager does something right and deserves a pat on the back.

One of those should come his way thanks to finally inking a new deal with 23-year old restricted free agent defenseman Marc Staal. TSN’s esteemed hockey analyst Bob McKenzie broke the news via Twitter that a new five-year, $19.875 million deal was agreed upon for the star defensive defenseman. While on Broadway, Staal will count as an average annual cap hit of $3.975 million – or less than two-thirds of what Wade Redden will cost at about four times the talent.

ESPN’s E.J. Hradek broke down the deal year-by-year with these annual salaries:

2010-11: $3.1 million
2011-12: $3.675 million
2012-13: $3.775 million
2013-14: $3.875 million
2014-15: $5.45 million

Additionally, Hradek points out that Staal did not receive a no-trade or no-movement clause in the contract.

League Hands Down Kovalchuk-Penalty To Devils

Even though the New Jersey Devils have their Russian sniper for the remainder of his career and the collective bargaining agreement has been amended to prevent future contracts like one Ilya Kovalchuk received from ever happening again, that does not mean all is well. The NHL still had the option of punishing the Devils for attempting to circumvent the salary cap in their original offer to the 27-year old that included $102 million in compensation over 17 years.

On Monday evening, the league handed down its ruling that includes a mixture of fines and loss of draft picks to New Jersey. Per the NHL's statement, the Devils will lose a first round selection in one of the next four years, as well as a third rounder in 2011. The Devils have the choice of which year between 2011 and 2014 they wish to cede their first round pick and must advise the NHL the day following the completion of the Stanley Cup Finals of that year. These picks are simply eliminated from their respective year's draft.

Additionally, the Devils will pay a $3 million fine. However, that is strictly money and the team will not suffer any kind of salary cap hit. According to Tom Gulitti, the money will go to the NHL Foundation.

In all, that's a pretty hefty price to pay for a move I'm still convinced General Manager Lou Lamoriello did not want to make in the first place, but likely did so at the pushing of ownership. The $3 million is not that big of a deal, but the loss of at least the first round pick hurts a team that always touts its drafting prowess and will need its minor league system more than ever as New Jersey transitions away from guys like Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias.

The Devils have the option of appealing this ruling, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. But that appeals process goes through the NHL Board of Governors, so the Devils would likely have very little luck there.

Roberto Luongo Relinquishes Captaincy, Pressure As Canucks Captain

When the Vancouver Canucks chose to designate Roberto Luongo as team captain two years ago, it was kind of groundbreaking. Not only would he be just the sixth goaltender in NHL history to assume the role, but it had been 60 years since Bull Durnam was captain of the Montreal Canadiens and effectively forced the NHL to prohibit goalies from acting as a captain or alternate captain. You see, Durnan would lug himself out of the goal crease so often during games to argue calls that opponents complained it gave the Habs frequent unscheduled timeouts. Thus, the “Durnan Rule” was put into effect and no netminder since him would be granted a “C” or “A”.

To this day, the NHL still restricts goalies from wearing those letters on their jerseys and cting as a captain when it comes to talking with officials or taking ceremonial faceoffs. However, a goalie can be designated a captain for locker room purposes. And it only took six decades for a team to finally do it.



At the time that the Canucks tabbed Luongo as their lead man and painted a “C” on his mask instead, it was the right move for the team to make. Previous captain Markus Naslund vacated the spot when he left for the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent and nobody else on the team embodied the leadership and experience required to lead on and off the ice like Luongo.

“Selecting Roberto Luongo as our Captain is a significant decision for our entire organization,” General Manager Mike Gillis said in a statement on Sept. 30, 2008. “Alain [Vignault] and I were looking for someone to lead this team, who inspires his teammates, is respected for his on-ice accomplishments and who embodies the core values we are striving for as a hockey club.”

To be fair, offense was down as the team shifted to become more defensive, the Sedin twins had not yet completely broken out as studs and Luongo was the face of the franchise. The team’s success was believed to be on his shoulders in every conceivable way.

That's not quite the case anymore and Luongo has decided being captain is not the best fit for him. He met with Gillis on Sunday evening and the GM informed the rest of the world on Monday the team would be seeking a new man to sport the “C”.

The Beginning of Crosby's Cross-Over Baseball Career?

Sidney Crosby is more than just one of the best hockey players skating NHL ice today. He is an athlete at the core. So while taking some batting practice swings with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Sept. 8, it should have come as no surprise that the captain of the Penguins was able to smack one about 360 feet.

Crosby explained to a reporter after his long ball swing that he played baseball until he was 13 years old. In contrast to Tom Glavine but just like pretty much every other Canadian, Crosby chose to pursue hockey. Hopefully that works out for him.

If Crosby does decide to eventually have a Michael Jordan moment, he should find little problem immediately making the Pirates' roster. After all, there is always an open spot from the constant trading done by the organization of any player that can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. A couple more home runs like the one he hit last Wednesday, though , and he could end up on the block, too.

News From Around The Crease: Fedotenko Attending Rangers Camp, Thrashers Moving Byfuglien To D, Avs Re-Sign Mueller

~ A career-worst performance with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year brought his two-year tenure with the club to an end. At 31 years old and still an unrestricted free agent, Ruslan Fedotenko has decided to accept an invitation from the New York Rangers to attend their training camp on a tryout basis and potentially earn a contract to reunite with head coach John Tortorella from their Tampa Bay Lightning days.

Larry Brooks of The New York Post broke the news Tuesday that the Rangers invited Fedotenko to camp, and TSN confirmed on Friday evening that Fedotenko did accept the offer.

This is a case of the Rangers trying to catch a guy rebounding off a bad year in hopes that he can rekindle his success as a depth player capable of netting important goals in critical situations. He only posted 11 goals and 30 total points last season to go along with a horrendous minus-18 rating with the Penguins. But he typically is a 15- to 20-goal scorer with a pretty decent playoff history and two Stanley Cups to his name. He scored 12 goals in the 2004 postseason in which the Lightning won the Cup, including both goals in Game 7 of the Finals against the Calgary Flames.

Since this is strictly a tryout, it's really is a no-risk situation for the Rangers. If he plays hard and will agree to essentially a minimum salary contract, New York can definitely benefit from the the veteran playing a wing position on the third or fourth line. If he fails, they cut him loose and he'll probably end up in Russia. Either way, the Rangers get to see what he has to offer. And if anybody can push him to be his best, it's Tortorella.

NHL And NHLPA Accept Kovalchuk's Deal As Part Of Amending CBA Rules For Future Long-Term Contracts

The saga that started almost a month and a half ago has finally reached its conclusion (pending the completion of paperwork expected to hammered out very soon.) TSN's Darren Dreger has reported that Ilya Kovalchuk is on his way to becoming a New Jersey Devil for the next 15 seasons as part of an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA to amend the rules of the collective bargaining agreement regarding long-term contracts from here on out. Kovalchuk's deal, valued at $100 million over those 15 seasons, will be the last of its kind and any further contracts will play by new rules.

According to Dreger, long-term contracts are now clearly defined as those consisting of five or more years. The new rules essentially target the ages of 35 and 40 when it pertains to player contracts.

The first change calls for any contract signed by a player beyond the age of 40 years old to have his annual average salary (i.e., cap hit) only calculate for those years up to and including the season in which he is 40 years old.

For long-term contracts extending beyond the age of 40, the contract's average annual value for the years up to and including 40, are calculated by dividing total value in those years by the number of years up to and including 40. Then for the years covering ages 41 and beyond, the cap charge in each year is equal to the value of the contract in that year. (credit: Darren Dreger)

Niemi Joining Sharks On $2 Million Deal

The loss off the Chicago Blackhawks is now the gain of the team they eliminated in the Western Conference Finals during last year's playoffs. It is being reported that the San Jose Sharks have inked 27-year old Finnish netminder Antti Niemi to a one year deal worth $2 million.

Niemi was let go by the Blackhawks after months of contract negotiations gone awry and a salary arbitration award of $2.75 million that was deemed too much for an organization with limited cap flexibility. General Manager Stan Bowman chose to cut ties with Chicago's Stanley Cup winning goaltender and instead signed Marty Turco for $1.3 million next season. Niemi instantly became an unrestricted free agent a year earlier than he normally would have and was free to seek the best offer from teams still in need of a No. 1 goalie.

The San Jose Sharks was one of the most logically landing spots for Niemi. While General Manager Doug Wilson wanted people to believe that a combination of recently signed Antero Niittymaki and still unproven Tomas Greiss was a suitable, cheap replacement for Evgeni Nabokov, that 1-2 punch left a ton to be desired. No official decision has been made with regard to the goaltending depth chart in San Jose. But it's safe to assume that Niemi will sport the crease as the top option while Niittymaki will receive the first crack at No. 2 duties.

Niemi will now have the perfect opportunity to prove his true value in the NHL as a top-tier goaltender. While he did win the Cup last season and placed a crucial role in Chicago obtaining its first hockey championship in 49 years, there were also doubts looming over the head of a one year veteran with 42 regular season games of experience and some flawed postseason performances. In San Jose, he will play for a perennial contender that is constantly looking to get past poor playoff showings. Now that the Sharks managed to make it to the Western Conference Finals, they will look to move on from getting swept by the Blackhawks during that round and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. The onus of backstopping the Sharks there will rest on the shoulder of Niemi.

A solid season topped by the ability to do just that in San Jose will likely land Niemi more than the $4 million a season he was seeking earlier on this offseason when he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent yet again next summer.

Failure to do so, however, could just render the decision made by Chicago the right one.

The Kovalchuk Contract Saga Continues On

If patience wasn’t already wearing thin with regard to the Ilya Kovalchuk and New Jersey Devils contract situation, the NHL and NHLPA have allotted two more days of frustration before rendering their decision regarding the deal's legality under the collective bargaining agreement. An originally set deadline of 5 p.m. on Wednesday evening was extended just prior to that cutoff time by both parties, opting instead to mull over this decision until 5 p.m. on Friday.

"We remain confident that the terms of this contract comply, in every respect, with the CBA and meet both the NHL’s concerns and the principles of arbitrator Bloch’s decision," Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement released by the team. "We remain optimistic that this extension will result in an approval of the contract and that Ilya Kovalchuk will remain a valuable member of the Devils for the balance of his career."

The Devils and Kovalchuk were forced back to the drawing board when a $102 million over 17 years was challenged by the NHL and rendered null and void by Arbitrator Richard Bloch. The deal was deemed a “retirement contract” that would never reach its conclusion, artificially lowered the salary cap hit with just $3.5 million set to be paid out in the final six years of the contract, and included a no-movement/no-trade clause shifting that would have given the Devils an “out” of the contract.

What General Manager Lou Lamoriello and Kovalchuk’s representatives came up with was a deal two years shorter and worth $2 million less than the original. According to sportsnet.ca’s Nick Kypreos, the new deal submitted to the NHL on Friday consists of $100 million over 15 seasons and includes a salary cap hit of $6.67 million, as opposed to the $6 million in the original offer. Additionally, the contract would expire when Kovalchuk is 42 years old instead of the 44-year old concluding age in the original.

The year-by-year breakdown of the new proposal is as follows:

2010-11: $6 million
2011-12: $6 million
2012-13: $11 million
2013-14: $11.3 million
2014-15: $11.3 million
2015-16: $11.6 million
2016-17: $11.8 million
2017-18: $10 million
2018-19: $7 million
2019-20: $4 million
2020-21: $1 million
2021-22: $1 million
2022-23: $1 million
2023-24: $3 million
2024-25: $4 million

While the point of this contract is essentially the same as the first one - get Kovalchuk under contract for the money he wants at an affordable cap hit to the team, it is more in line with other approved deals of this nature, does not go under $1 million in any given season and pays out reasonable salaries in the final few years. There is no word yet on any kind of no-movement or no-trade clause, which was a pretty big sticking point to Bloch in the old offer.

If the NHL chooses to challenge this contract, as well, and either the NHLPA does not file another grievance or fails in doing so, there is a strong chance the 27-year old sniper will return to his native country of Russia and play in the Kontinental Hockey League next season. Kovalchuk's Russian agent Yuri Nikolaev has already stated that Kovalchuk will spend at least one full season in Russia if he signs a deal in the KHL, meaning there will be no out-clause in his deal to return to the NHL at some point during the 2010-11 campaign. SKA St. Petersburgh is the most likely team to sign Kovalchuk and is believed to already have a big offer on the table for Kovalchuk's services.

If the deal is approved, then the Devils will need to act quickly in shedding just under $4 million in salary to become cap compliant for next season. They can remain 10 percent over the $59.4 million ceiling ahead of the start of the regular season on Oct. 7, giving them just over a month to clear salary.