Winnipeg Jets Unveil Logos

For anybody hoping the Winnipeg Jets would simply adopt the logo used during the team's past tenure in the NHL, you were left sorely upset on Friday. The new owners of the Jets, True North, unveiled the franchise's new set of primary and secondary logos. According to a statement released by the team, the logos were developed in partnership with the NHL and Reebok, and they are inspired by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

“True North Sports & Entertainment felt it was important for the new Winnipeg Jets to develop a strong new identity,” said Mark Chipman, Chairman & Governor of True North Sports & Entertainment. “We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the new logo does that through its connection to our country’s remarkable Air Force heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces.”

Merchandise is available for Jets fans hoping to adorn their club's new logos at the Jets Gear Authentic Team Store located at the MTS Center.

Richards Picks Rangers

There was a big separation between Brad Richards and everybody else available on the unrestricted free agent market this summer. Any team in need of a veteran top-line center who can log a healthy number of minutes, play in all key situations and produce significantly on the scoresheet was taking a keen interest in Richards' availability on Friday.

Richards spent the better part of the day listening to presentations from at least six reported clubs and took the night to sleep on his decision. It apparently became clear to him Saturday morning that the popular frontrunner ended up being his chosen destination.

Richards has decided to take his talents to Broadway, where he is set to compete for the New York Rangers on a nine-year, $60 million contract. The deal will serve as a $6.67 million annual cap hit to the Rangers' payroll but looks far more unique on a year-by-year salary basis according to TSN's Gord Miller:

2011-12: $12 million - $10 million signing bonus and $2 million in salary
2012-13: $12 million - $8 million signing bonus and $4 million in salary
2013-14: $9 million
2014-15: $8.5 million
2015-16: $8.5 million
2016-17: $7 million
2017-18: $1 million
2018-19: $1 million
2019-20: $1 million

Rangers general manager Glen Sather is not typically known for tossing around contracts of this nature - ones including cap circumventing-oriented years toward the end. But when playing ball against other teams offering similar deals for even more money, Sather couldn't simply stand on principle and take the risk of losing the player. He had to play ball, too. And he did.

"With the growth and youth that we've been able to accumlate and put together here now, we needed somebody like this that's going to take us to the next step," Sather said in a conference call. "We think it was a great opportunity for us."

Avalanche Fill Goaltending Vacancies By Way Of Trade & Free Agency

The biggest gaping hole for the Colorado Avalanche heading into next season was undoubtedly in between the pipes. Amidst a bit of a rebuild, having dependable goaltending is crucial for the Avs and therefore required careful consideration to any available options by way of free agency or trade. As it turns out, Colorado went both routes.

The Avalanche first made a play for Semyon Varlamov from the Washington Capitals, who was likely headed to the KHL had he been unable to find an NHL suitor willing to pay him reasonable dough and offer him acceptable playing time. Colorado somewhat ignorantly surrendered a potential lottery pick in the first round next year, as well as a second rounder in either 2012 or 2013, in exchange for a goalie that's claim to fame is one splendid playoff series against the New York Rangers two years ago. It became even more questionable when Varlamov was signed on a two-year deal worth $2.75 million per season - or a figure that only would have cost Colorado just a second round pick had it been tendered via an offer sheet. Avs general manager Greg Sherman, however, contends Washington would have matched it - a point I find debatable considering there was relatively little future left for him with the Capitals. Now, the Caps lose a goaltender they weren't really going to invest into all that much further and have a potential lottery pick in their pocket considering Colorado is still a ways away from being playoff contenders.

While a move of that nature made it logical to assume the 23-year old Russian would be Colorado's No. 1 netminder, a later move made for either an interesting training camp or legitimate splitting of starts for next year.



The Avalanche followed up Varlamov's acquisition with the signing of Jean-Sebastien Giguere to a two-year, $2.5 million contract. At $1.25 million per season, the 34-year old former Stanley Cup Champion and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient is a nice veteran addition to the team. Maybe his best days are behind him and he can't quite come up as huge as he did on a nightly basis as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. But Giguere is not yet a mere backup and will surely compete for the starting job against Varlamov, who is still largely unproven over the long haul. And though Varlamov may be the guy Colorado is hoping will develop into their franchise goalie of the future, I'm leaning toward Giguere turning into the more rewarding of the two additions.

The Avalanche ended last year with Peter Budaj and Brian Elliott sporting their crease, so Varlamov and Giguere are obvious upgrades now that Budaj signed in Montreal to backup Carey Price and Elliott will assume a similar role behind Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis. But Colorado really paid more than it needed to for a questionable young goalie, especially right before signing a still reliable veteran that may end up becoming the Avs' top option for the next year or two anyway.

Panthers Remember They Still Have More Money To Spend, Ink Bergenheim

Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon was going to call it a night. But then he remembers, "Hey! I still have to spend some more money!" He looked at who was available, figured a deal with left wing and Tampa Bay Lightning postseason standout Sean Bergenheim wouldn't take too long to hammer out (15 minutes to be exact) and pulled the trigger on his sixth free agent signing - seventh overall transaction - of the day. That salary floor is getting nearer and nearer.

Thanks largely to a playoff performance for the Lightning that included nine goals and 11 points in 16 games en route to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Bergenheim received a payday from the other Florida team at a rate of $2.75 million per season over the course of four years.

Now, Bergenheim is basically a 20-30 point regular season contributor and has no real playoff success to his record prior to last year. But when teams have money to just throw around, and Joel Ward just inked a $3 million per year deal with the Washington Capitals for essentially pulling off a similar postseason uptick in performance, financial gain tends to follow.

For all this insane spending on Day 1 of free agency, I do wonder if Tallon is really just spending money to reach the cap floor or if he genuinely has any kind of clue about how all of the new pieces are actually going to come together as a team. There is still no actual superstar in their organization - just a bunch of compliment pieces.

Panthers Keep Hurling Money, Some Lands In Fleischmann's Lap

It has to be fun spending somebody else's money. That's what Florida Panthers general manager Dave Tallon has been doing today with almost reckless reguard. He needs to hit the minimum salary of $48.3 million and dishing out some wealthy contracts to get that accomplished in almost record timing. He had already added Brian Campbell's monstrous contract before Friday. Then he added Jose Theodore, Scottie Upshall, Ed Jovanovski, Marcel Goc and Kris Versteeg between four signings and a trade to add some talent and a higher payroll to make the Panthers cap compliant. But Tallon had another move up his sleeve.

Perhaps an underrated center because of injury but no schlub in performance Tomas Fleischmann was able to snag some of the money being thrown around today by the Panthers as its latest addition. He joins the party for the next four years at the sum of $18 million.

Fleischmann split time last season between Washington and Colorado, putting up a total of 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games combined before missing the final 36 games of the season due to a chest injury. He did also miss 13 games in 2009-10, but was able to post 23 goals and 51 points.

Suiting up for at least 70 games and putting up the plus-20 goal campaign like two years ago would make this a reasonable investment for Florida - and a much cheaper option at center than what the big dog Brad Richards is going to command. Plus, Tallon continues to work the Panthers toward that salary floor.

It's an overpayment, but not the worst we've seen today. That may just be one of Tallon's other investments from today.

Sabres Continue Spending Spree With $27 Million Offer To Leino

The spending spree in Buffalo continues under new owner Terry Pegula. In the department of spending money because they now have it, the Sabres inked one of the prized middle-level talent free agents available this offseason in the form of Ville Leino for the next six years at $27 million. He will see and count as a cap hit annually at $4.5 million - ranking third most among Sabres forwards in salary.

Leino was essentially finished in Philadelphia when the team needed to start losing salary in an effort to sign goaltender Ilya Byrzgalov ... and then Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot.

Leino put up decent numbers last year with the Flyers by netting 19 goals and accumulating 53 points through 81 games. His playoff performance wasn't memorable, but the seven goals and 21 points he put up two years ago in the postseason was rather impressive.

But this is still an overpayment of sorts for a player that only has a few years of experience and lacks a consistent level of play. If this deal doesn't work out, the Sabres are going to be regretting it all the way through the 2016-17 campaign.

Panthers Also Add Kris Versteeg Via Trade With Philly

The Florida Panthers sure are active today and general manager Dave Tallon is not ready to call it a day until he reaches that salary floor and/or adds every single player he had in Chicago on his team in Florida. The Panthers swung a trade with Philadelphia that brings winger Kris Versteeg to Florida in exchange for a second round pick in either 2012 or 2013 (Florida chooses which one) and a third rounder in 2012.

Versteeg, 25, is entering the final year of a deal that will see him earn $3,083,333. He is eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Aside from being yet another guy that Tallon had in the Stanley Cup mix over in Chicago, Versteeg is a nice 20-goal, 40-50 point producer who should help provide some scoring depth for Florida. Though he was still an offensive asset splitting time between Toronto and Philadelphia last year, he didn't seem to be as comfortable and accountable as he was as a member of the Blackhawks. Perhaps reuniting with Tallon and playing for a team that seems to be going the same way Chicago did will provide Versteeg a nice change of scenery.

Panthers Continue To Open Wallet For Theodore, Jovanovski, Upshall & Goc

Florida Panthers general manager Dave Tallon apparently isn't kidding around with his desire to change the organization around from consistent cellar-dweller to contender and he's throwing money around as if it's going out of style. Through just about two hours of free agency on Friday, Tallon brought in four new faces to the Panthers franchise at a total of $38.6 million.

In a move that basically calls an end to Tomas Vokoun's run between the pipes in Florida, the Panthers inked Jose Theodore to a two-year deal worth $3 million. Scottie Upshall was signed for four years at $14 million to bring his 20-goal ability to Florida. Ed Jovanovski joins Brian Campbell (acquired during the draft from Chicago) as another high-priced blueliner by returning to Florida for $16.5 million over four years. And Marcel Goc will get $5.1 million over three years.

I'm sure most, if not all, of these moves were made in part by Tallon as a way to meet the $48.3 million minimum allowable payroll per terms of the CBA - something several teams throughout the NHL need to work toward. These moves also provide a mixed bag of highly questionable additions and ones that can certainly pay off for the Panthers.

When the Panthers traded for Campbell and the remaining five years of his contract at a cap hit of $7,142,875, it was certainly in part because they needed to add the salary. But Tallon was the guy who handed him the contract while GM of the Blackhawks and believed their history together would benefit the Panthers organization. Giving Jovanovski a huge deal at a $4.125 million cap hit per year is a little less explainable. He's still decent, but hasn't lit the world on fire recently with the Phoenix Coyotes and is nearing the tailend of his career at 35 years old. A four-year contract at high-end money is a debatable gamble for somebody with just 14 points and 32 missed games last year. Having Campbell at his salary and remaining years was risk enough.

Contrarily, Upshall is a nice compliment forward who finally broke the 20-goal plateau last year in time split between the Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets. The 27-year old is nice for depth, but could potentially see top-six minutes on a Florida team with more open spots on the top two lines. At $3.5 million per year, he's perhaps a bit overpaid at a $1.25 million raise over last year. But he has a style of play that fits Florida and should have a greater impression on their team as they attempt to move in a winning direction.

Theodore at $1.5 million is a cheaper route than what Vokoun likely would have cost and provides Florida with a goaltender that can play excellent when not forced to carry a heavy load of the NHL schedule. But by adding a guy who can at least split time with Scott Clemmenson, Tallon has provided Florida a nice 1-2 punch in goal that is extraordinarily cost efficient.

Goc, 27, is a decent third-fourth line pickup that is coming off an upper body injury that cost him the final 24 games of the regular season and all playoff contests with the Nashville Predators last year. He's not a superstar, but did put up 12 points and 30 points two years ago with the Preds, making a $1.7 million annual salary a low committment to a player that clearly has potential based on his first round (20th overall) selection from 2001 with the Sharks.

Shockingly, the Panthers still are not at the lower boundary of cap compliance. They sit at just under $37 million, according to capgeek.com, and will need to add almost $11 million before the start of the regular season. But Tallon is clearly making moves - some good, others questionable - to add that salary and change the culture of losing hockey in Florida.

Jaromir Jagr Gets Over Pens, Signs With Rival Flyers

Well, it didn't take long for Jaromir Jagr to find another team to call home in his NHL return after the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings took themselves out of the mix. Instead of going home to Pittsburgh, he will apparently being heading to their closest rival - the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers' official Twitter account announced the news about an hour and a half into free agency that general manager Paul Holmgren inked Jagr to a contract. TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting the deal is worth $3.3 million for one year.

So, clearly for somebody that was willing to take less money than he could get by staying in the KHL, he wasn't necessarily willing to take less than the highest offer. That has to be a swift kick in a no-nos to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who reached out to their former franchise winger in an effort to close out his career where it started and get No. 68 lifted to the rafters to hang forever next to No. 66. Instead, Jagr may have burned a bridge or two with the club he won two Stanley Cups with alongside mentor Mario Lemieux by going to the team hated by them the most.

Is the opening of NHL free agency ever not interesting?

Penguins Pull $2 Million Offer To Jagr Off Table

When Jaromir Jagr had yet to make up his mind about the one year, $2 million offer Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero tabled him by the opening of free agency on Friday, he completely lost the ability to do so. Despite Shero's goal to ink the former Penguins for one more campaign in hopes of finishing out his career where it started, Jagr apparently took too long to make up his mind about a desired return to the NHL and the Steel City. Shero had other issues on his plate and those needed to be addressed without the burden of signing Jagr hanging over his head.

"We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir on Tuesday, based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins," Shero said in a statement released by the Penguins. "We made our best offer from the start, given our salary cap structure, in an attempt to facilitate a deal. But now, after several days, with an extended time frame for making a decision, and additional teams getting involved, we have decided to move in a different direction. It was never our intention to get involved in a free agent bidding war, and we have to focus on our team. Jaromir is one of the greatest players in Penguins history, and we wish him all the best."

Shero immediately turned around and gave that money to Tyler Kennedy, who will not see $2 million in each of the next two years on a total $4 million contract.

Limited in the cap space department, Shero didn't really have any other option but to pull out on Jagr. In order to keep components that were important to the long-term success of the franchise, he had to make this call after giving Jagr ample time to come back to Pittsburgh had that truly been his desired destination. Now the Penguins can be a player, albeit somewhat limited due to only have about $3-4 million remaining under the cap, on the open market.

It's also being reported that the Detroit Red Wings have taken themselves out of the mix for Jagr's services. They, too, have made a few moves and general manager Ken Holland has elected to go in a different directions, as well.

The Montreal Canadiens may still have an interest in the 39-year old Czech winger. There has also been a mystery team in the fray, though that could just be smoke being blown by agent Peter Svboda.

While there was a promising outlook on a Jagr return to the NHL when his intentions were first advertised, his options are not dwindling and going back to the KHL might be his lone card left to play.

Lightning Stick With Roloson Another Year

When Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman swung a deal last season to acquire Dwayne Roloson, he could have hardly expected the 41-year old netminder to put up the stellar performances that enabled his squad to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Based on his strong play in 17 playoff games and 34 regular season contests after being acquired from the New York Islanders, Yzerman elected to keep Roloson for another year at $3 million. Roloson can earn an extra $500,000 in performance bonuses based on how many playoff rounds the Lightning are able to win next year.

Yzerman will surely keep an eye out for a more long-term option going forward. Despite his strong play, Roloson clearly doesn't have too many years left in the tank. But for the time being, he is as good an immediate option as Yzerman is likely to find considering the relatively weak free agent class. Plus, $3 million is a low-end investment - an especially important component considering Steven Stamkos' current negotiations for a new deal that will reach the $7-8 million range.

Hurricanes Keep Jokinen, Pitkanen on Three-Year Deals

The Carolina Hurricanes were in danger of losing one of its top defenseman and a clutch forward to unrestricted free agency. But thanks to a couple of enticing three-year deals, Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen will remain in Carolina for $13.5 million and $9 million, respectively.

Pitkanen, 27, will enter his fourth season with the Hurricanes in 2011-12 and is known for being strong, albeit non-consistent at times, offensively with an ability to log big minutes. He scored five goals with 30 assists for a 36-point campaign last year and matched a career-high with 46 points two seasons ago between six goals and 40 helpers.

The former first round (fourth overall) draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2002 will earn $4.5 million in each year of the contract and will count equally as a cap hit to the Hurricanes' payroll.

Jokinen, 28, will make and count as a cap hit annually at the rate of $3 million. Jokinen, who was acquired by the Hurricanes in 2009 from the Tampa Bay Lightning a year after the Lightning acquired him in the Brad Richards trade to Dallas, scored 19 goals and posted 52 points in 70 games last year. He set career highs in goals (30) and points (65) during the 2009-10 season and also came with some important offensive showings during an 18-game playoff appearance with the Hurricanes back in 2009 with seven goals and 11 points.

For a player that can go in multiple situations and has a knack for coming up in the clutch, this is a great value re-signing for the Hurricanes.

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.

Sabres Add Ehrhoff To Defense For Next 10 Seasons

Under the reign of new owner Terry Pegula, the Buffalo Sabres have become extraordinarily active this offseason with little mind paid to financial restrictions that previously hindered the organization's ability to make high-valued additions. The Sabres recently pulled off a deal with the Calgary Flames that enabled them to acquire veteran defenseman and Tyler Myers soon-to-be mentor Robyn Regehr, as well as return Ales Kotalik to the city where he was once a consistent 20-goal scorer.

One day ahead of the opening of the unrestricted free agent market, the Sabres plunked a whole lot of money down for another defensive addition. TSN's Bob McKenzie broke the news that Buffalo signed defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a whopping 10-year deal worth $40 million. The Sabres acquired Ehrhoff's negotiation rights from the New York Islanders for a fourth round pick Wednesday after the Islanders failed to reach an agreement following the acquisition of his rights from the Vancouver Canucks for their own fourth rounder.

This contract will count as a $4 million annual cap hit and, according to McKenzie, includes a modified no-trade clause and breaks down year-by-year as follows:

2011-12: $2 million in salary with an $8 million signing bonus
2012-13: $3 million in salary with a $5 million signing bonus
***note, Ehrhoff will see $18 million in his first two years with the Sabres***
2013-14: $4 million in salary
2014-15: $4 million in salary
2015-16: $4 million in salary
2016-17: $4 million in salary
2017-18: $3 million in salary
2018-19: $1 million in salary
2019-20: $1 million in salary
2020-21: $1 million in salary

So, two things seem certain from this deal - the Ilya Kovalchuk situation from last year taught general managers absolutely nothing and that it's a good bet we can plan Ehrhoff's retirement party for June 2018, which would be a bit early at right around 36 years of age.

At a $4 million cap hit, Ehrhoff certainly does provide the Sabres a good deal of value. He has proven over the past two seasons with the Canucks that he is a real offensive threat from the blue line and is especially effective on the man advantage. He posted 14 goals in each of the past two seasons and scored a career-high 29 points on the power play last year.

But a 10-year deal is a heavy committment, especially for a player that is not even remotely a superstar talent in the NHL. And while they will hope to reap the benefits from his scoring potential, they will need to deal with a defensive liability for the next decade, as well, as witnessed by a minus-13 effort in the recent postseason.

Buffalo may be happy that they now have an owner willing to spend, but it's rough to applaud an addition that could at least partially doom the future financial flexibility of the franchise. Not only are there players the team won't be able to get because of his cap hit, but also imagine just how much Tyler Myers' asking price just went up when he's ready to start hitting the bargaining table for a new deal!

Drury's Final Year Bought Out By Rangers

When the New York Rangers dealt Scott Gomez to the Montreal Canadiens two years ago, general manager Glen Sather was able to rid the organization of one of the two disastrous contracts he saddled the team with during the summer of 2007. On Wednesday, he was finally able to get rid of the other.

Chris Drury will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 following the Rangers' buyout of the final year of his five-year, $35.25 million contract. He was slated to earn $5 million in salary next season, but would have counted as a $7.05 million cap hit against New York's payroll. Bought out contracts still count against a team's cap, but at two-thirds of the remaining money owed divided over double the amount of years remaining. The Rangers will therefore owe Drury $3.77 million at a rate of $1.66 million against the team's cap in each of the next two seasons.

“Chris is a consummate professional, a tremendous competitor and an even better person,” stated Sather. “He gave his heart and soul to the Rangers organization in his time here and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The need to end Drury's tenure with the Rangers was esssentially two-fold. First, he had failed to live up to his expectations since signing with the team four years ago. He came from Buffalo known as a 30-goal scorer with tremendous leadership qualities and a knack for coming up in the clutch. While the leadership part enabled him to be a captain during his entire tenure with the organization, he never scored more than 25 goals in a season with New York and barely ever came up big in the heat of the moment.

With the free agent market set to open at noon on July 1, there was also a need for more financially flexibility to sign somebody like Brad Richards and start throwing out offers to pending RFAs Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. The $5.39 million saved in cap space by dropping the largely ineffective Drury will go a long way in accomplishing those tasks.

Drury, to his credit, handled the matter with the class and dignity he has exhibited during his entire 12-year career in the NHL.

"It was a great honor and privilege to be a New York Ranger for the past four years, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to fulfill that childhood dream," Drury told The New York Post. "The Rangers are a first-class organization with great people in the hockey, public relations, team services and community relations departments."

"I would also like to thank Ranger fans. They always inspired me to do the best I could in whatever role I was asked to play. Playing before them in the Garden was a thrill of a lifetime. I wish all the fans and the entire Ranger organization the best of luck in the future."

With a relatively weak free agent class this summer, Drury should not find it too difficult to find work - albeit at a much lower pricetag than the past four years. Drury still possesses strong leadership skills and remains a good two-way player, face-off specialist and penalty killing asset. For a team in need of a third line center, Drury could be a welcomed, cost-efficient option.

Flames Trade Regehr to Buffalo, Re-Sign Tanguay

After a bit of a delay, the Calgary Flames were able to complete a deal Saturday with the Buffalo Sabres that sent longtime Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr, forward Ales Kotalik and a 2012 second round draft pick to the Sabres in exchange for defenseman Chris Butler and center Paul Byron. Regehr needed to waive his no-movement clause in order for this deal to be completed, which is what held up the process as Regehr wanted to find out what other options were available. Apparently, there were none.

This is a tremendous acquisition for the Sabres, who gave up some decent talent to acquire Regehr but nobody that can't be replaced. Regehr is a 31-year old veteran of the game who has long been one of the better defensive talents in the NHL. He will bring a great deal of experience and leadership to a squad that could certainly use him for a boost at the backend - and somebody to influence youngsters like Tyler Myers. In fact, it was exactly Regehr's size and experience that general manager Darcy Regier had in mind when making this deal.

“Not just veteran leadership, but the added size as well. With the history that he has and the age he’s at, with years ahead to play, I think he can really do a lot for our younger defensemen,” Regier said. “We think that he can help and do a lot for someone like Tyler Myers. That combination of the youth and experience, that blend will do well for us.”     
This trade also marks a return to Buffalo for Kotalik, who has failed to be the same kind of offensive asset that he was before leaving the Sabres. Kotalik started his career in Buffalo and spent seven seasons with there, posting multiple 20-goal campaigns. But he was traded to Edmonton at the deadline in 2009 and signed with the New York Rangers via free agency that summer. He was then moved to Calgary in the Olli Jokinen trade and split times last year between the Flames and its AHL affiliate, Abbotsford. Perhaps a return to the team that drafted him in the sixth round (164th overall) back in 1998 will boost his performance.

Regehr is still owed a pretty penny money-wise, set to earn $8 million over the course of the next two seasons with an annual cap hit of $4.02 million. Kotalik will also earn $3 million in the final year of his current deal.



And the ability to dump that salary was a big reason why the Flames elected to deal both players. With the cap relief the Flames gained from the trade, they were able to re-sign winger Alex Tanguay to a five-year deal worth $17.5 million - or $3.5 million in salary and cap hit each season. This represents a $1.8 million raise from what he made on a one year deal with the Flames last year.

"As we looked at the potential [unrestricted free agent] market, we didn't see a player that was going to replace [Tanguay] and be as productive as we believe he can and will be," Flames general manager Jay Feaster told the press during the NHL Entry Draft weekend. "So, we're happy to have him back."

Tanguay, 31, made an impact in his return trip to the Flames last season, scoring 22 goals and 69 points in 79 games. It's production like that which made captain Jarome Iginla push very hard, according to Feaster, for his stay in Calgary to be extended.

"I think that the guy with the biggest smile today in Calgary isn't Alex, it's Jarome Iglina," Feaster said. "That's one guy that Jarome has made very clear that he very much wants back and wants to be able to play. And certaintly our entire organization is thrilled to have him back."

Setoguchi Shipped Off To Minnesota A Day After Signing New Deal

Apparently, the San Jose Sharks took a day to think about it and decided they had no interest in paying Devin Setoguchi the $9 million owed to him over the next three years, as per the terms of the new deal agreed upon between the two parties just one day ago. On the night of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Sharks shipped Setoguchi and his new contract, as well as a this year's first round (28th overall) draft pick and last year's first round (28th overall) selection Charlie Coyle, to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Brent Burns and a second round selection in 2012.

"Brent is an elite first-pairing defenceman that is just coming into his prime," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a press release. "We feel that he gives our blue line tremendous depth and versatility and will augment our existing core. He combines a dangerous offensive prowess with an abrasive presence in the defensive zone."



Burns, a 26-year old 2011 All Star, scored a whopping 17 goals last year and had 46 points overall. Both were career-highs and something that can only be improved as Burns enters the prime of his career. He will join Dan Boyle as two key blueliners capable of responsible work on both ends of the ice, though Burns brings with him the added benefit of size at 6'5", 219 pounds.

Burns enters the final year of his current contract, making $4 million in salary and counting as a $3.55 million cap hit to San Jose's payroll. It will be a priority for San Jose to get Burns inked long-term or face losing him to unrestricted free agency as early as next summer.

Setoguchi joins a lower pressure situation in Minnesota, where maybe a change of scenery can help him become a more consistent player. The Wild are always yearning for more scoring despite their defense-first mentality and Setoguchi should have little problem offering up top six forward numbers with them.

With the 28th overall pick, the Wild grabbed center Zack Phillips from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, where he played the pivot alongside third overall selection from the Florida Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau.

Toronto Maple Leafs Add Defenseman John-Michael Liles

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is always active around this time of year. And he was just ahead of the draft by pitching a deal with the Colorado Avalanche to add a weapon along the blue line in the form of 30-year old veteran John-Michael Liles.

It seems like Liles has been a rumor of trade bait for quite a few years already, so it's not entirely shocking that he was eventually dealt by a Colorado organization that he has spent his entire career with but is also trying to get its team somewhat rebuilt. The fact that the Maple Leafs only needed to let go of a second round pick in this weekend's draft is a bit baffling, however.

Liles essentially replaces Tomas Kaberle, who Toronto dealt to Boston near the trade deadline last season. In fact, it was the same second rounder that Burke acquired from the Kaberle deal that he sent right over to Colorado.

Liles could afford to be more consistent in his play, but he remains one of the league's better scoring defenseman with excellent value on the power play. He is coming off a season with six goals and 46 points with 18 total power play points. He boasts career-bests of 14 goals during both of the immediate seasons coming out of the lockout and racked up an impressive eight scores on the man advantage in 2006-07.

He will enter the final year of his contract next season, which pays out $4.5 million but counts as a $4.2 million cap hit to Toronto's payroll.

Oilers Select C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins With First Overall Pick

The first overall selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft went to the same team that possessed the pick a year ago - the Edmonton Oilers. In 2010, the question presented to them was a simply matter of Taylor (Hall) or Tyler (Seguin). This year, it was a bit more complicated. Did general manager Steve Tambellini want to continue building his team's offense, fill a position that is lacking on defense or perhaps even trade the pick to move down and acquire more assets?

When it came time for him to kick off the selections at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, he went with the centerman from Red Deer, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Hopkins was the consensus top offensive players available and will be paired up soon enough with a couple of Edmonton's other top scoring threats, including last year's first overall pick Taylor Hall and 2011 Goal of the Year Award winner, Jordan Eberle.

In 69 games this past season with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL, he posted 31 goals and a league-high 75 assists for 106 points. He added four goals and seven assists in 11 postseason contests.

The Colorado Avalanche followed the Nugent-Hopkins pick with another offensive selection. The Avs grabbed 18-year old Swedish winger Gabriel Landeskog of the Kitchener Rangers. Playing a more North American style game, he netted 36 goals and 66 points in 53 games for the Rangers last season. He was also plus-27 with 61 penalty minutes.

The Florida Panthers grabbed center Jonathan Huberdeau with the third overall pick. A center with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, Huberdeau is coming off winning the Memorial Cup MVP. During the regular season, he had 43 goals and 105 points while adding 16 goals and 30 points during the playoffs.

The New Jersey Devils broke the offensive mentality of the draft by finally grabbing defenseman Adam Larsson out of the Swedish Elite League. The Devils are known for their defense, but it has been lacking in recent years. Larsson was the undoubted top defensive pick in the draft and TSN's Pierre McGuire considered him a steal at the fourth overall spot. The 6'3", 200-pounder is considered a great puck-moving defenseman that can play both ends of the ice well. He isn't an offensive dynamo, but can produce on the score sheet as witnessed by his four-point performance at the World Junior Championships.

Brewer Dealt $16 Million Over Four Years To Avoid Free Agency

Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman has perhaps his biggest task ahead of him in the coming months with the need to ink pending restricted free agent (and NHL 12 cover athlete) Steven Stamkos to a new deal. But he made a little time Friday ahead of the NHL Entry Draft to re-sign an important defenseman from their postseason run. The Lightning and former first round (fifth overall) pick of the New York Islanders from 1997, Eric Brewer, will remain together for at least the next four seasons at the price tag of about $16 million.

Brewer was acquired late last season by the Lightning from the St. Louis Blues for propect Brock Beukeboom and a third round selection in tonights draft. He went on to player 22 regular season games for Tampa Bay, putting one goal and an assists with a plus-5 rating en route to the playoffs. In his first postseason showing since 2003 with the Edmonton Oilers, Brewer added a goal and six assists while remaining a steady defensive presence for Tampa Bay.

The two concerns that come along with the 32-year old veteran are his health and his consistency. This is not the first big-money deal he has come across, as he is coming off a four-year, $17 million that he signed as a member of the Blues. He was a great leader, but questions did arrise as to whether he played his best hockey on a nightly basis. He's also been a bit limited due to injuries over the last few seasons. The 76 games he played between Tampa Bay and St. Louis last year were the most since he suited up for 77 back in 2007-08. Otherwise, he played just 54 games in 2009-10 and 28 in 2008-09.

In Tampa Bay, he won't carry as much of the workload as he did a lot of the time in St. Louis and can afford to remain more of a defensive presence than force an offensive push thanks to the many scoring threats the Lightning have on their roster. Staying healthy and working off the upswing in his game that came during the playoffs last year could make him a valubale asset to the Lightning for the duration of the deal.

Brewer's contract will count as a $4 million annual cap hit, which may be a bit less than he actually would have seen had he hit the free agent market. And it helps the Lightning work toward at least hitting the minimum allowable payroll of $48.3 million, as they currently sit at about $41 million. Of course, Stamkos' eventual deal will likely do more than enough to make them cap complient.

Steven Stamkos Graces Cover Of NHL 12

During the 2011 NHL Awards Wednesday night in Las Vegas, the announcement was made that the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 12 video game is none other than Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. The 2008 first overall draft pick has notched an amazing 96 goals over the past two seasons, scoring 51 in just his sophomore campaign in 2009-10 to take claim to the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. He breaks the two-year streak of Chicago Blackhawks players - Patrick Kane in 2010 and Jonathan Toews in 2011 - adorning the cover of what is a constantly improving franchise under the EA Sports umbrella.

NHL 12 will be available for Playstation 3 and XBox 360 on September 13.

Setoguchi, Markov Get Three-Year Deals to Stay Put

The blockbuster news of the day is naturally Philadelphia dealing away their top players for the ability to sign goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. But the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens were also busy in this pre-draft phase of the NHL offseason, tendering three-year deals to particular pending free agents.

The Sharks inked right wing Devin Setoguchi, who was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, to a three-year deal worth $9 million. He will count as an annual $3 million cap hit, but will make $2.75 million next season, $3 million in 2012-13 and $3.25 million in 2013-14. Setoguchi earned $1.8 million on a one-year deal with the Sharks last season.

He is coming off a 22-goal campaign that saw him heat up in the second half of the season after leaving a bit to be desired in the early goings. He added an impressive sevel goals in the playoffs, including two overtime game winners. The Sharks would love to see the 24-year old put up more of a consistent effort over the course of an 82-game schedule. But what he is able to produce when on his game makes him worth the extension, which could even be deemed a nice little discount if he gets back to his 2008-09 form.

The Sharks now possess a payroll of $55,337,500, leaving them with just under $9 million in cap space to fill up the roster.

Montreal also dished out a three-year contract of their own. Despite racking up injuries that only allowed him to play a total of 52 games over the last two seasons, defenseman Andrei Markov decided to avoid unrestricted free agency and instead re-upped with the team he's played for his entire career for $17.25 million. He will see $5.75 million in each year of the deal, which is equal to what he made in each of the last four seasons and the annual cap hit against the Canadiens' payroll.

Drafted by Montreal in the sixth round (162nd overall), Markov has spent each of his 10 NHL seasons with the organization. Unfortunately, knee injuries have been a detriment to him and have caused the 32-year old, two-time All Star to miss all but seven games last season. He suffered a season-ending injury to his right one back on Nov. 13. Montreal is obviously hoping Markov can avoid the bad luck that has plagued him in the health department recently, as he brings a strong offensive presence from the blue line - especially on the power play - to their lineup. In his last "healthy" year in 2008-09, Markov potted 12 goals and 52 assists for 64 points in 78 games. He notched career-highs of 16 goals and 10 power play markers a season earlier.

The Canadiens still have just under $15 million left to play around with under the salary cap.

Flyers Dump Richards, Carter To Sign Bryzgalov

To say the Philadelphia Flyers went through a massive overhaul on Thursday would be an understatement. General manager Paul Holmgren was certainly busy just one day ahead of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, dealing away two of his franchise's key players while signing their long-awaited savior in net to a long-term, high money contract.

Former 40-goal scorer Jeff Carter was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for winger Jakub Voracek, a first round draft pick (8th overall) and a third rounder. The Flyers followed this move up by dealing captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings for forwards Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds, as well as the Kings' second round selection. With the money saved by dealing those two, Holmgren was able to sign Ilya Bryzgalov - whose rights were acquired by Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago from Phoenix in exchange for a third round pick, Matt Clackson and future considerations - to a whopping nine-year, $51 million contract that will see him donning the black and orange into his 40s.



There are certainly two schools of thought to this for Philadelphia. On the one hand, they were able to develop enough cap space to sign a top-level talent at the position that has been their downfall for numerous seasons. And in dumping salary, they were also able to acquire a good deal of young talent that could surely help the Flyers down the line. On the other hand, the Flyers just dealt away a combined 59 goals and 132 points from last season - not to mention Richards' strong leadership and two-play, as well as Carter's legitimate 40-goal ability.

The big issue at hand for Philadelpia was to gain enough flexibility under the salary cap to sign Bryzgalov. He was reportedly seeking a long-term deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $6-7 million a year. And even with cap going up to around $64 million for the upcoming 2011-12 season, that would still require Holmgren to shed some salary off the team's $59,626,551 payroll. While it was assumed Richards and Carter were made available based upon their contracts - Richards entering the fourth year of a 12-season deal at a $5.75 million annual cap hit and Carter about to start his 11-year extension that would provide a $5,272,727 cap hit annually, it was never figured that Holmgren would actually deal both of his team's 2003 first round draft picks.

Niklas Lidstrom Returning To Captain Red Wings Another Season



After another disappointing second round exit from the playoffs this past May, the Detroit Red Wings developed a laundry list of priorities that needed to be taken care of by general manager Ken Holland before the puck drops on the 2011-12 campaign. None of those tasks, however, were more important than learning of their captain's decision on whether to return for his 20th season in the NHL and with the team.

Detroit found out Monday that Lidstrom, 41, will give it at least one more go. He will do so on a one year deal at a pricetag of $6.2 million, according to The Associated Press.

Lidstrom is coming off another tremendous campaign in which he posted a league ranked second best among defenseman of 62 points while playing a full 82-game schedule. Lidstrom's 32 helpers on the power play ranked No. 1 among his position. Contribution like that are reasons why the Red Wings are thrilled to have him back. It's also why he is up for the James Norris Memorial Trophy on Wednesday for the 11th time over the past 13 years.

Lidstrom's decision was motivated by both his ability to still play at a high level and to help remove the bitter taste of departing the playoffs in the second round for the second straight season. Whatever the reason, however, Holland is just thrilled to have him back.

"I don't even want to think about the Detroit Red Wings without Nick Lidstrom," he said.

Already without Brian Rafalski due to his retirement following Detroit's elimination, losing Lidstrom would have created another huge void among an NHL defesensive corps that would have seen Niklas Kronwall and Brad Staurt carry the load in front of goaltender Jimmy Howard. Now, Holland only needs to immediately concerns himself with using the $6 million left by Rafalski's retirement to acquire just one big name asset. He does not need to panic at the moment about having to replace two key cogs.

But despite his reluctancy to envision a team without Lidstrom, it will happen at some point. And Holland should be thinking forward about what the team will be like without the franchise's best defenseman. For a team constantly saying it needs to get younger but not entirely following that credo, perhaps planning a course of action for when Lidstrom does finally decide to hang them up might not be the worst idea.

For now, though, Holland can rest a little easier and look forward to the draft and free agency - and decide whether 39-year old Jaromir Jagr is that young stud forward they desire to fill a top six spot alongside Pavel Datsyuk next year.

NHL's Salary Cap Set To Rise Again To $64 Million

It seems almost baffling now that we lost the entire 2004-05 season because players and owners could not agree on the financial state of the league. While players obviously wanted their share of the pie, owners relentlessly contended that the league could not continue in its then-situation of economic peril if player costs were not reduced. And thus, a much debated salary cap was instituted that called for team payrolls to not exceed $39 million for the 2005-06 campaign.

But according to the collective bargaining agreement, that figure could rise each year based on league-wide revenue. And every year since the lockout, that's exactly what has occured. Now, coming off the 2010-11 season in which the cap was at $59.4 million, teams and player agents have been informed that they should expect another $4.6 million addition. According to TSN, the salary cap will be $64 million - a staggering $25 million increase over the course of six years.

The salary floor will move to $48 million.

This will naturally be welcomed news to all high payroll teams that desperately need that extra cushion. The Philadelphia Flyers immediately come to mind as a squad that needs to ink recently acquired goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov before he can go unrestricted on July 1, but will have a hard time squeezing his salary in based on the reported $6-7 million per season he is reportedly seeking. The New York Rangers, who are juggling whether or not they can buy out Chris Drury or wish to do the same with Wojtek Wolski, will also benefit from an extra $5 million their pockets to pursue pending-free agent center Brad Richards.

The Inevitable Vancouver Riot

UPDATE: There is now a Facebook page opened up for folks to post Vancouver Riot Pics. Sgt. Peter DeVries would like posters to include some location information to help investigators.

ORIGINAL: It just wouldn't be a championship moment without the losing team setting things on fire, flipping cars and causing all sorts of other mayhem in the streets. After watching the Vancouver Canucks blow Game 7 and the Stanley Cup, the fans did their damage.
  
As mentioned in the video, this is reminiscent of what happened when the Canucks lost in seven to the New York Rangers back in 1994.

As of right now, there have been no reported injuries as a result of the chaos. However, several arrests have naturally been made.

Be safe, Canada.

Video courtesy of Versus postgame coverage. Check out more video and photos over at Puck Daddy

Boston Bruins Secure 2011 Stanley Cup Championship

This was perhaps one of the most intriguing and awkward Stanley Cup Finals series in recent memory. Two teams that longed to hoist the greatest prize in the games; the Vancouver Canucks having never won one in its two previous tries and the Boston Bruins last declaring itself as champion 39 years ago despite every other sports franchise in its city feeling the glory of title success over the past decade.

For Vancouver, home ice advantage meant everthing. Though doing so narrowly, they took each game on Rogers Center ice prior to Game 7. Contrarily, each game held at TD Garden went Boston's way in convincing fashion. But all bets are off when its left to the do or die Game 7 - and the road team finally snagged a victory when it mattered most.

Courtesy of a two-goal nights from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, as well as another perfect performance from 37-year old Tim Thomas in between the pipes, the Bruins secured a 4-0 win and snagged the Stanley Cup for the first time since defeating the New York Rangers in 1972.

Bergeron got the scoring going late in the first period when he netted a pass from Brad Marchand that slid just to the right of Roberto Luongo. Marchand added his first goal 7:47 into the second period with a wraparound on an out-of-position Luongo. Bergeron posted his second goal of the game a bit over five minutes later with a drive into the crease that enabled him to slide the puck past Luongo. And finally Marchand popped in his second to put the nail in the coffin on the Canucks with an empty netter with 2:44 left in the game.

A four-goal night put the Vancouver fans in silent mode, but it was undoubtedly another splendid showing in net from Thomas that enabled Boston to come out on top. The Conn Smythe Award recipient for Finals MVP posted his second shutout of the series and fourth overall of this year's playoffs on a 37-save effort - a number matching the age of the Flint, Michigan native likely set to add another Vezina Trophy to his accolades of the 2010-11 season.

Vancouver's downfall was being unable to consistently come up strong against the Bruins. Key players such as Ryan Kesler, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and Luongo were all unable to follow through on the key contributions they offered throughout both the regular and postseason prior to the Finals. They were completely flat on the road, surrendering losses of 8-1 (Game 3), 4-0 (Game 4) and 5-2 (Game 6) in Boston. It also didn't help that Vancouver provided plenty of motivation to the Bruins players when Nathan Horton, who had some clutch performances through these playoffs, was knocked out of the series with a concussion courtesy of a late, blindside hit from defenseman Aaron Rome. Rome was subsequently suspended for the remainder of the series.

Canada's drought of playoff success now reaches 18 years, with the Montreal Canadiens being the last squad from up north to take Lord Stanley on the shoulders of goaltender Patrick Roy.

Of note, this was Mark Recchi's third Stanley Cup Championship during his 22 years in the NHL. He previously hoisted the trophy in 1991 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 43-year old forward illuded in post-game interviews that retirement is likely on the horizon.

Gary Bettman's 5 Step Plan For Curbing NHL's Concussion Problem

When the NHL General Managers' meetings took place on Tuesday, the topics right at the forefront of their discussions were expected to be hits to the head and concussions. In many cases, the two go hand in hand and they have been very prominent concerns over the last few years considering the consistency and frequency of NHL talent being put on the shelf with career- and life-threatening injuries.

The Commissioner of the National Hockey League, Gary Bettman, addressed this issue a day before those GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida by outlining a five-step process that will be implement to try and curb the problem dangerous hits and resulting concussions have become throughout the league.

Bettman did caution that there is no quick, single fix considering there are various causes and results for concussions throughout the league. And that was made evident by the NHL reviewing each incident resulting in a concussion this year. But Bettman put into place a few procedures that can help slow down the problem.

1. NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Development Brendan Shanahan will work with the NHL Players' Association in an effort to reform equipment mandates that will better protect players during gameplay.

2. The current concussion protocol will be revised within a week's time, according to Bettman. This week timeframe is so that the league can conduct conference calls with physicians in order to ensure they understand procedures.

The new procedures will call for the immediate removal of a player suspected of having a concussion from the game and bench area. He will be placed in a quiet area where a medical doctor will examine him. A SCAT Test will then be performed before a player is allowed to return to the game.

3. In the case of repeat offenders when it comes to hits to the head, penalties will be assigned to teams and head coaches in addition to the actual player. Possibly influenced by a letter from Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux, Bettman enacts this rule as a way to place some level of responsibility when it comes to discipline on the shoulders of the team employing players constantly making questionable plays on the ice.

4. A safety evaluation will be conducted by engineers in all 30 hockey arenas. Obviously brought upon as a result of the Zdeno Chara hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty, areans may need to revise their rinks to conform to newer standards.

5. A panel consisting of retired defenseman Rob Blake, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk and Shanahan will be established in order to monitor the issue of concussions.

Pacioretty Stretchered Off Ice After Being Sent Into Boards By Chara



It's almost commonplace in the NHL today to see some pretty scary things go down. The physical play throughout the league has come under constant scrutiny, especially with abundance of industries - especially those of the concussion variety. The Tuesday evening showdown between the Northeast Division rival Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins is sure to put another black mark on the game and lead to endless debate over who is at fault, if anyone is at all.

With approximately 20 seconds remaining in the second period, Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara partook in a race for the puck near the blue line by Montreal's zone. Pacioretty chipped the puck down the ice and skated close the boards, where Chara met up with him and rode him into the glass extension separating the two benches. Pacioretty immediately fell to the ice, squirming at first before remaining completely motionless.

As Pacioretty was stretchered off the ice by practically all available medical personnel, the officials elected to call a close to the second period with 15.8 seconds remaining. A smart move considering the obvious all-around concern for the fallen Hab. For the incident, Chara was given a five-minute interference major, a game misconduct and a very big bullseye on his back for the next time these two teams square off on March 24.

Pacioretty was taken to a nearby hospital and it has since been reported by the Canadiens that he was moving his hands and feet, regained consciousness and was talking. That's pretty much as good as anybody could ask for right now considering the how devastating it looked when his head went crashing into the glass.

While the primary concern is Pacioretty's health, there is sure to be plenty of focus over what happens to Chara now. Was this a purposeful play on the defenseman's part, or was it simply an accident resulting from Pacioretty's own momentum and location?

It's going to be very difficult to pin this down as an intended hit by Chara, who I don't believe is the kind of player seeking to injury others. He's a big man who plays a physical game, but he's not known for succumbing to dirty plays. He's always better player and person than that.

But there is history between these two players from when Pacioretty scored an overtime game-winner in Montreal back in early January. And revenge is always a motive to make even smart people do dumb things.

Plus, there are certain aspects of the play that make me question just how accidental it was.

Chara looks up as he's riding Pacioretty across the boards and should have full awareness of where he is on the ice and the nearby surroundings. It should be clear to him that the glass extension is right there. Plus, this wasn't a simple check into the boards, whereby Chara runs his body into Pacioretty. Instead, he pushes Pacioretty with his hands in a matter that appears to be aiming for that extension.

Of course, this is all speculation on my end (noted by the shoulds in italics), which is what all analysts are doing at the moment. But certain intracies of that play don't smell right to me and are hard to overlook in favor of granting Chara absolute innocence. And by simply saying it was all just a matter of time and place, there's almost an element of blame being put on Pacioretty for nothing being in a different spot on the ice to accept the hit.

My gut tells me the NHL will review the play, but won't ultimately hand down a suspension. Chara was remorseful and called the incident "unfortunate" several times, according to Connor McKenna of Team 990 in Montreal. And, again, he doesn't have the reputation for being the kind of player to pull of dirty hits.

But there will still be a lot of debate as to whether Chara should receive some sort of extra punishment or if what went down Tuesday night was just a by-product of being in the moment.

Rangers Add Veteran Defenseman Bryan McCabe

With two days remaining before the trade deadline hits in the NHL, the New York Rangers acquired a veteran, offensively-talented defenseman that they have longed for during most of the season. The Rangers were able to add Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Tim Kennedy and a third round pick in June's NHL Entry Draft.

"Bryan McCabe adds an established veteran presence to our young defensive corps," general manager Glen Sather said in a statement released by the Rangers. "He can help provide offense with his strong shot on the power play, and his versatility allows him to play either the left or right side effectively. Bryan also brings outstanding leadership qualities, having served as team captain for Florida for the past two seasons."

The 35-year old, 14-year veteran now joins his sixth NHL team after being drafted in the second round (40th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. Since then, he has made stops in Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto and most recently Florida. The Panthers brought McCabe aboard back in 2008 in a February deal with the Maple Leafs for defenseman Mike Van Ryn and last year's fourth round draft choice.

With a plethora of injuries and having remained under the salary cap all season, the Rangers stashed enough financial flexibility to be active around this time of year. Much of the discussion surrounding New York has been centered on acquiring Brad Richards from the Dallas Stars. But with Richards health in question, a no-movement clause in effect, Dallas not officially announcing that he is available and general manager Joe Nieuwendyk reportedly asking for a package consisting of Brandon Dubinsky, Derek Stepan and Marc Staal, it's unlikely Sather will pull the trigger on him before 3 p.m. Monday afternoon.

McCabe, however, fills an even greater need for the Rangers and comes at a much cheaper price. The Rangers haven't had great success finding a power play quarterback for essentially the past few years. Many have tried to man the helm and all have failed to solidify themselves along the blue line. From free agents (Wade Redden) to draftees (Michael Del Zotto, Bobby Sanguinetti), New York has been unable to come up with that one defenseman who can run a power play consistently and effectively while adding to his scoresheet.

There is no guarantee McCabe will be any different. He has only netted five goals and 22 total points in 48 games with Florida this season - just seven of those points coming on the power player. But Florida as a whole has been second to last in the league on the man advantage at 13.7 percent.

McCabe still offers a terrific shot from the point and plenty of evidence from prior to this season that proves he can help the Rangers fix their own 21st-ranked power play. He has scored eight or more power play goals in a season five times, including a career-high 13 for the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2005-06. Overall, he has scored 15 or more goals of any variety in a season five times as well, also putting up his career-high of 19 with the Leafs in 2005-06.

Perhaps his production has dipped. Or maybe its just the Panthers, in general. But McCabe is as good a bet right now for New York and they made a wise gamble.

To get McCabe, the Rangers really gave up very little. Kennedy was signed during the offseason by the Rangers when the Buffalo Sabres refused to cough up his $1 million arbitration award. But the 24-year old failed to win a roster spot and has spent the entire campaign with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL. In 53 games there, he has 42 points. He is a pending restricted free agent once again this summer.

Michael Del Zotto was assigned to the AHL in order to open up a roster spot for McCabe. McCabe is scheduled to go unrestricted this summer, unless New York elects to retain him and is able to work out an extension prior to July 1.

Avs, Sens Swap Goaltenders

The Ottawa Senators have been dumping players left and right over the past few days in an effort to begin the rebuilding process that should keep the Senators out of the playoffs for the next few years. Their latest departure comes in the form of goaltender Brian Elliot, who heads to the Avalanche in a straight up one-for-one deal that has Craig Anderson coming back to Ottawa.

The Senators realized that Elliot was simply never going to emerge as their bonafide No. 1 goaltending option. The 25-year old is struggling in his third NHL season with a goals against average at 3.19 and a save percentage clip at .894. Perhaps it was just the way things were going to go with anybody sporting a Senators jersey. But the time came for general manager Bryan Murray to cut ties with the team's ninth round pick from 2003.

Murray received Anderson in return. Anderson was a journeyman backup goalie for most of his NHL, but he came out of nowhere last season with a tremendous overall campaign in his first year as a free agent pickup with the Avalanche. He played over 70 games with Colorado in 2009-10, sporting a 2.63 goals against average and .917 save percentage as he backstopped the Avs into the playoffs.

But he hasn't brought upon that same type of magic this season. The Avs are very much on the outside looking in on the playoffs picture, and his statistics similar to those of Elliot in 33 games this year have not helped.

For Murray, this is an opportunity to get rid of a goalie that he didn't feel would ever live up to the expectation of starter and bring in a more veteran presence who had at one point showed the ability to be a No. 1. If things work out, Murray could re-sign Anderson over the offseason at what would likely be a very reasonable rate.

"The good thing about it is we get a chance for 20-something games to look and watch (Anderson) and, during that time period, I would think that we'll have discussions and we'll see where we want to be and where he wants to be," Murray said.

Bruins Acquire Kaberle, Peverely and Valabik

One would think that today was the NHL trade deadline considering the amount of deals that went down really over the last few hours. The deadline is still a week and a half away, but that did not stop the Boston Bruins from tinkering with their roster now. In two separate deals, Boston brought in defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik, as well as center Rich Peverely.
The Bruins acquired Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward prospect Joe Colborne, Boston's first round pick this year and a conditional second rounder. Kaberle, who has been on the block for a few years now, has previously been reluctant to waive his no-trade clause in past seasons. But he did so this year to head to Boston, which ends a 12-year run with the organization that drafted him 204th overall back in 1996.

“On behalf of our entire organization I would like to thank Tomas for all of his many outstanding contributions to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice, and in the community," general manager Brian Burke said in a statement released by the Maple Leafs. "He has been a model citizen and it’s never easy to trade a player that has conducted himself as professionally as Tomas has for the past 13 years.”

In 58 games this season, Kaberle has posted three goals and 35 points for 38 points. He has yet to register a goal on the power play, though 22 of his helpers have come on the man advantage. The Bruins will benefit from that offensive upgrade on the blue line from the 32-year old pending unrestricted free agent.

The price tag was also relatively cheap for what will probably be a rental player. Colborne is a good prospect who was taken back in 2008 by Boston at the 16th overall position. But there's no guarantees with prospects and the Bruins still have plenty of depth in their system. Giving up the first rounder to Toronto also isn't a big deal since they still possess the Maple Leafs' first round pick this year from the Phil Kessel trade. And that selection will be high on in the draft - possibly even a lottery pick.

The Bruins also completed a separate trade with the Atlanta Thrashers that netted them Peverely and Valabik in exchange for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart. This deal will aid both teams as they compete for vastly different positioning in the postseason.

It's hard to say which side "won" this trade, as the Bruins were able to bring in a better offensive player and center in Peverely. Yet, they gave a bit on the defensive end by dealing a good two-way player in Wheeler and a better defender in Stuart. This trade just feels like a tinkering move between two general managers and should drastically change the fortunes of either team. If anything, the Bruins were able to cut a litlte payroll.

Byfuglien, Thrashers Extend For Five Years And $26 Million

When the Atlanta Thrashers acquired Dustin Byfuglien during the offseason from the cap-strapped Chicago Blackhawks, they fully anticipated he would emerge as one of their top assets. The big, versatile Minnesota-native who can play both forward and defense (where he was moved back to by Atlanta) brings a tremendous mix of physical play and offensive skill to his game. And the young 25-year old pending restricted free agent has since emerged as a key to the Thrashers' roster as well as their playoff hopes.

Fully realizing how important he has become to the team and how critical he can be to the success of the franchise over the long haul, general manager Rick Dudley was able to lock Byfuglien down with a five-year, $26 million extension Tuesday.

“Dustin has emerged into an elite player this season and been invaluable as a leader both on and off the ice," said Dudley. "It was a priority to sign him and we’re looking forward to witnessing his All-Star caliber play for many years to come.”

Byfuglien, who is earning $3 million this year, will see his salary rise to $4.25 million in each of the next two campaigns, $5.75 million in 2013-14 and 2014-15, and $6 million in 2015-16. His annual cap hit will be $5.2 million.

With 43 points in 58 games, Byfuglien is Atlanta's leading scorer and ranks fifth among defenseman across the entire league. His 17 goals and seven scores on the power play rank him atop all NHL defenseman, as well.

Lemieux Emerges To Vent Against NHL ... Again

This past weekend was not a good one for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They were brutalized both on the ice and on the score sheet by the New York Islanders Friday night before heading to Madison Square Garden for a matinee matchup against the New York Rangers that resulted in a come-from-behind loss. And to make matters worse, their delusional co-owner, Mario Lemieux, emerged from his cave to express his disappointment with the league he has always had issue with. Surprise, surprise! 

With thoughts of Brent Johnson’s knockout punch to Rick DiPietro that left the oft-injured Isles starter on the shelf for four-to-six weeks with facial fractures still on their mind, New York entered their rematch against Pittsburgh with intentions of garnering some revenge. What ensued was a game that saw 346 total minutes in penalties and a 9-3 shellacking by the Islanders over the undermanned Penguins.

Following that fiasco was a set of suspensions and fines by league disciplinarian Colin Campbell. The Penguins’ only punishment was an automatic 10-game suspension to Eric Godard, who left the bench in defense of Johnson when Michael Haley pursued a fight with the netminder. As for the Islanders, the organization received a $100,000 fine while Trevor Gillies received a nine-game suspension for delivering several blows to the head of Eric Tangradi and Matt Martin got a four-game ban for sucker punching an unsuspecting Maxime Talbot in the head.

None of that was good enough for the Penguins owner.

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Forsberg Set To Skate For Avs Against Columbus


It's been about three years since Peter Forsberg last skated on NHL. But he is set to make his return with the team he has spent most of his NHL career with - the Colorado Avalanche.

The Denver Post's Adrian Dater reported Thursday morning that the 37-year old forward would make his comeback tonight and skate on the left wing side of a line alongside Matt Duchene and Milan Hejduk.

"I'm excited - and nervous," Forsberg told The Denver Post, after taking part in the morning skate with teammates at Nationwide Arena. "I don't know how it's going to go, but I'm going to be skating with two great players, so hopefully they can help me out a little bit out there."

Forsberg left the NHL after last playing in Game 3 of the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals due to his lingering foot problems that hampered him since his days with the Philadelphia Flyers. He has played, albeit in a limited capacity, over in Sweden with MoDo over the past two years and even managed to suit up for Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

A return to the NHL was a long shot, however. He began working out with the Avalanche recently with the intent of judging how possible a comeback would be. Apparently, everything went well and he inked a pro-rated $1 million contract on Sunday.

Nobody should honestly expect the Forsberg of old. He is older, three years removed from the most intense league in the world and has not shown a true ability to hold up very well over the long haul. But Forsberg is also one of the greatest offensive players intellectually of all time and was at one time considered the best playmaker in hockey. He is also a tremendous playoff performer and helped guide Colorado to two Stanley Cups during his first tenure with the organzation.

For a team that needs an offensive boost and the quality leadership skills Forsberg can still bring to the table, it's definitely worth a shot to see if Forsberg can help. Just don't expect him to play every game or be on the score sheet in every single game he does play.

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.

NHL Trade Breakdown: 2.9.2011

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, set to go in effect at 3 p.m. eastern time on Monday, February 28. With just about two and half weeks remaining, it's time for teams to decide whether they are buyers or sellers and for general manager to start negotiations in hopes of building for the playoffs or giving themselves a better shot for next season.

A good numbers of deals went down today, signaling that perhaps the ball is rolling from here on out for these trades to take place. Lets take a look of some of these deals and break down how they affect the teams involved.

Toronto Maple Leafs trade defenseman Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional 2013 fourth round pick:

Over the last few years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have constantly been a rumor mill for trades, especially involving defensemen. It seems impossible for Tomas Kaberle to avoid this at every twist and turn of his season from a yearly basis. This year, however, he was not alone on the trade block. Francois Beauchemin had long been considered available to any team willing to offer general manager Brian Burke something of substance.

It seems that Anaheim was able to cough up something to his liking. By sending Joffrey Lupul, former first rounder (17th overall in 2008) Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth round pick in 2013 to Toronto, the Ducks were able to bring a familiar face back to The Honda Center. Beauchemin, 30, spent four seasons with the Ducks and has a Stanley Cup to his credit from playing on their 2007 championship team. And that familiarity to the Ducks, as well as a renewed sense of motivation for playing on a championship contender, could make this a worthwhile acquisiton for the Ducks. It also doesn't hurt that the Ducks managed to shed about half a million bucks in cap space in the process.

But it doesn't come without risk. Beauchemin has largely been a disappointment for the Maple Leafs this year and carries a hefty $3.8 million cap hit this year and next for what has thus far been subpar play. Lupul may not be a gamebreaker, but he is a decent contributor with 25-goal, 50-point potential when healthy that should fill Toronto's need of scoring more goals. And the Leafs gave up an intriguing 20-year old defensive prospect that could have grown into a key asset on Anaheim's blue line along with the likes of Cam Fowler. For a player that has been struggling like Beauchemin, that's not necessarily the greatest gamble.

If Beauchemin truly takes this deal as a reason to step up his game and play with a renewed energy to his game, he can be a nice veteran pickup for a team currently holding onto a seventh-seed playoff position out West by just one point. But if he plays just as he did in Toronto, the Ducks would have been better off holding onto Gardiner and monitoring his progress.

A Reason Why The NHL NEEDS Ray Emery

Goalie fights are always fun. Though rare, few things in hockey are more exciting than watching one goalie rush down from his crease to the opposition's in order to lay the hurt into the other team's netminder. And even with all of the pads that they wear, it's not always just fun and games for these guys when they do decide to drop the glove and blocker. Sometimes, they do get hurt. Just ask Rick DiPietro, if he can even hear you after getting his face destroyed with a one-punch KO from Pittsburgh Penguins backup Brent Johnson.

Just one week after that scrap that, surprise surprise, put DiPietro back on injured reserve, fans were treated to yet another goalie brawl. I use the term 'brawl" loosely on this one. This time it was between Montreal Canadiens starter Carey Price and a man who should be lock to pick up the Vezina this year, Boston Bruins starter Tim Thomas. Unfortunately, this fight was a major letdown and shows that not every goaltender is capable of living up to the standards set by Dan Cloutier and Ray Emery as it pertains to goalie fights.

That was simply awful and makes me even more thanful that the Anaheim Ducks signed Emery. Here's to hoping Emery proves himself in the AHL to get a callup. The NHL needs him desperately to set things right in the world of goalie fights!

Running Low On Goalies, Isles Swing Deal For Al Montoya

When Rick DiPietro is tabbed as your franchise's No. 1 goalie, you become accustomed to having some level of inconsistency in between the pipes. But this year has been a bit ridiculous for the Islanders, who have utilized the services of five different goaltenders this season and tried to enlist Evgeni Nabokov until the should-be Detroit Red Wing reminded them there was no purpose in him being a part of their organization. Thus far, only two of the goaltenders they did use could really be considered NHL caliber - the oft-injured DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson, who was mercifully dealt to the Tampa Bay Lighting where he is now shining even at 41 years old.

New York found itself in an emergency situation on Tuesday when their newest starting tender Kevin Poulin suffered a knee injury in pre-game warmups prior to taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs. That led to the Islanders going with backup Mikko Koskinen. The native of Vantaa, Finland went on to surrender five goals on 26 shots in a 5-3 loss against Toronto. It was revealed Wednesday that Poulin will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated left knee cap.

In a relative state of emergency, TSN's Darren Dreger reported early Wednesday in The Dreger Report that Isles general manager Garth Snow was looking to swing a "soft" deal for a new body to sport their crease. By "soft" deal, Dreger explained this trade would not include any high-end talent or early round draft picks. According to Dreger late Wednesday, the Islanders managed to get that deal done relatively quickly. By send a sixth round pick over to the Phoenix Coyotes, Snow picked up former New York Rangers first round pick (6th overall in 2004) Al Montoya.

Montoya has never had a real opportunity to play in the NHL and has just five games in the big league to his credit. While he was selected by the Rangers seven years ago with the intention of being grooming into their next starting goalie, Henrik Lundqvist emerged as the King of New York and Montoya was eventually shipped out in a trade deadline deal with the Coyotes in 2008. Montoya's chances of seeing more playing time in Phoenix was slim, however, as the team already had Ilya Bryzgalov in between the pipes.

But in his very limited amount of NHL action (five games - four of which were starts), Montoya put up a very impressive 3-1 record with a 2.08 goals against average, .925 save percentage and a shutout in his very first NHL start against the Colorado Avalanche. With the Isles' goaltending situation completely depleted at this point, Montoya should have no trouble generating legitimate playing time with an opportunity to prove he can contribute over the long haul as he did two years ago.

That is, of course, until DiPietro returns from his latest facial injury to steal a few games before heading back to the shelf with another guaranteed ailment.