It’s Official: Alexei Kaigorodov to join Senators
August 25, 2006
I posted the rumor last night and now the story is showing up on major news sites.
The Senators won’t need to pull a cloak and dagger move to get centre Alexei Kaigorodov out of Russia for training camp.
The Senators have come to an agreement which will allow Kaigorodov out of his contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk — contrary to the messy escape that Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Evgeni Malkin pulled off earlier this month.
Ottawa signed Kaigorodov to a one-way, 2 year deal for the league minimum which means he cannot be sent to Binghamton. If they decided he is not ready for the NHL he will go back to Russia. Muckler, however, was counting on signing Kaigorodov and did not both shopping for a new second line center. Expect Kaigorodov to start in Ottawa and get a chance at that second line spot.
While many in Binghamton will see this as a loss what this deal actually means to us is that one of the North American players signed earlier in the year will start the season with us. It seems likely that Serge Payer was signed as insurance incase a deal with Kaigorodov could not be worked out and now Payer might be playing in Binghamton and used as a fill-in if an Ottawa centerman gets injured.
Kaigorodov To Play in Ottawa
August 24, 2006
It looks as if Alexei Kaigorodov will make it to Ottawa afterall. The latest rumor is that he will be allowed to participate in Ottawa’s training camp. If he makes the team he will stay in Ottawa for the season. If he does not make the team he will return to Russia to play for Metallurg. He will not be playing in Binghamton. There has been no official press release yet, but the rumor has appeared on numerous forums and reported on overseas websites:
http://www.eurohockey.net/transfers/last_24_hours.html
http://metallurg.ru/news/24789/
Here is the babelfish translation of that second article:
As it became known For “se”, following napadayushchim Of “magnitki” by Yevgeny Malkinym for North America was intended to leave his partner upon command Aleksey kaygorodov. Yesterday the management of Magnitogorsk “metallurgist” decided to stop the action of contract with its player. Yesterday his commentary apropos of the departure Of kaygorodova into the club NKHL “Ottawa Senatorz” to correspondent “se” gave the general director Of “magnitki” gennadi velichkin. - on Tuesday Of lesha it approached me and said that he would want to leave in NKHL, explained Velichkin. - we perfectly well knew that the government of “Ottawa” has long ago been interested In kaygorodovym. I know also that they invite it in the place of tsentrforvarda of the second component, where they plan to play Al’fredsson and Khitli. For us, certainly, this is very serious step, but we made the decision to let go Aleksey. Even despite the fact that it has the acting contract with our club. Four years in a row Of kaygorodov did not leave, it remained in the command. But now, in the essence, it has last chance in order to leave. Indeed it was zadraftovan by “Ottawa” four ago and the club could lose after this season of right to it.
Clouthier to play in Europe
August 21, 2006
Brett Clouthier, the former Albany River Rat enforcer brought in to replace Brian McGratton, has signed with the Sheffield Steelers. Those were tough skates to fill and the fans never took to the big goon. Seeing very limited ice time, Clouthier managed 6 points and 202 PIMs. Although Clouthier will not be missed, Binghamton still lacks an enforcer to take his place. Guys like Bois will fill in admirably whenever team toughness is required, but teams in the AHL still need a fulltime enforcer to protect their top prospects.
Martins signs with Chicago
August 20, 2006
Chicago continues to grab up Ottawa talent, this time signing former B-Sen Steve Martins to a one year deal with their AHL affiliate. Details of the contract were not released, but I think it is safe to assume he has signed another 2-way deal and is likely to see time with the Blackhawks. Last season Martins was second in scoring for the Senators behind Denis Hamel with 22 goals and 58 assists. Known for his hussle and willingness to fight for the puck despite his size, Martins has always been a fan favorite in Binghamton and will be sorely missed.
Martins will join Martin Havlat, Bryan Smolinkski, and Brandon Bochenski as former Senators that have gone to the Chicago organization within the last year.
Binghamton Senators Record Breakers
August 19, 2006
Here’s a nice article on the Ottawa Senators website about some of the Binghamton record holders from the last four years.
Watson signs with Ice Pilots
August 19, 2006
Oft-injured former Binghamton Senator Greg Watson has signed with the Pensacola Ice Pilots in the ECHL. Watson always showed signs of being a rugged, power forward but recurring injuries never let him reach his potential. His season ended early last year when he finally gave in to his ailing back and had surgery. A stint in the ECHL will give him a chance to rebuild his stamina and try to breath new life into his career. Don’t be surprised if you see Watson skating for an AHL team by the end of the year.
Back Online
August 19, 2006
Sorry for the lack of news this past week, but I was on vacation in the North Country. I even got a chance to step over the border into Quebec for a day trip to Parc Safari where I am glad to report that Harry Dumas has gotten off the unemployment line and has accepted a new public position where his legions of fans can still see him.
The Ottawa organization was kind enough to hold off on any signings or trades in my absence ;) Seems like a picked a good week to miss. There were, however, news on several B-Sens alumni that I’ll discuss in subsequent postings.
Langfeld signs with Detroit
August 10, 2006
I couldn’t find a press release, but the NHLPA website lists Josh Langfeld as playing with the Red Wings next season. Langfeld was always a favorite of mine when he was in Bingo and I’ll never forget that unbeleivable month he had in Ottawa. It would be great to see him get more ice time in the NHL and playing with the Red Wings is a great opportunity for him.
Novak signs with Columbus
August 9, 2006
Former Binghamton Senator defenseman Filip Novak signed with the Blue Jackets yesterday to a two year 2-way contract. Novak had a great comeback season with Binghamton and showed a lot of promise. I was hoping he’d get another year of seasoning in Bingo before breaking the NHL, but now he’ll get that opportunity with another franchise.
The Columbus AHL affiliate is Syracuse so chances are good that we will see a lot of Novak next season wearing a Crunch jersey.
Binghamton Flooding
August 5, 2006
For B-Sens fans out of town you might not have heard about the flooding that occurred here at the end of June. Several days of heavy rain caused the worst flooding in recorded history. 4700 homes were damaged in the area including 818 that were destroyed in Broome County. The flood walls in Binghamton saved the city from serious damage, but the river came very close to going over the top of the walls. Here’s a couple pics from the height of the flooding.
