Senators after Konopka?
July 2, 2008
Michael Sharp found this piece of news from the Ottawa Sun hockey blog
Compared to how busy other teams were, the Senators had a very quiet July 1. One of the less glamorous deals they’re working on, however, is an attempt to sign ex-67’s captain Zenon Konopka. He’s looking for a one way contract and there may be a team that will give it to him. The Senators could do a lot worse than the former Anaheim Duck and Columbus Blue Jacket.
The knock on Konopka is still his skating, although he has made some modest improvements in that area.What he would give the Senators is toughness, a good faceoff man/penalty killer, and plenty of character. If I were them, I’d look at moving Dean McAmmond to the wing and giving Konopka a shot at the fourth line centre’s job. In trading Brian McGrattan, Murray said he wanted a fighter that could play. Konopka can.
He could also be signed cheaply, something the Sens are looking to do with several UFAs that need to be signed.
Rangers sign Wade Redden
July 2, 2008
The New York Rangers added someone to quarterback their power play, signing defenseman Wade Redd to a 6 year contract.
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent defenseman Wade Redden.
Redden, 31, is a two-time NHL All-Star (2002 and 2004) and former NHL plus/minus award winner (2006, tie). A Gold Medalist at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, he was named Best Defensemen of the tournament by the Directorate at the 2005 IIHF World Championships.
Redden is coming off a lackluster season where he scored only 38 points for the Ottawa Senators. While a change of scenery might be what he needs, time will tell if he can handle the increased pressure of playing in NY. The Rangers still have several holes to fill on their front line with Jagr and Straka considering offers to play overseas.
Hossa signs with Red Wings
July 2, 2008
Less than a month since he faced off against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, Marian Hossa has a signed a 1 year deal to play for Detroit.
The $7.4 million that Hossa will earn next season, is the most Detroit would pay anyone - even an unrestricted free agent. The Red Wings were insistent that no one earn more money than six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom.
The 6-foot-1 winger scored 29 goals and 66 points in 72 games split between the Atlanta Thrahsers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Emery Gone
June 23, 2008
The Emery era is officially over in Ottawa. The Senators bought out the last 2 years of his contract and Emery will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Here is how the buy out will affect the Senators’ salary cap
Emery signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract in July of 2007 and has two years and $6.75 million remaining on his contract. Under CBA rules, the Senators are on the hook for one-third of Emery’s remaining salary, $2.25 million. That amount will be spread across twice the length of the remaining years of the contract, resulting in a cap hit of slightly less than $600,000 for the next four years.
Ottawa to buy out Emery
June 20, 2008
Less than 1 year after signing Ray Emery to a 3 year contract extension for taking the Senators to the Stanley Cup finals, Ottawa has placed the troublesome goaltender on waivers. This is the first step to buying out a player and it looks like Ray has seen his last game in a Senator’s uniform.
It appears as though the NHL buyout season has begun, leaving two underachieving goaltenders to look for new homes.
Goaltenders Ray Emery and Dan Cloutier have been put on waivers, the first step that must be taken to buy them out.
If not claimed by anyone, the respective teams can then proceed with the buyout.
“We will see if anyone claims (Emery),” Sens’ GM Bryan Murray. “If not, (enacting the buyout) is the plan. It’s unfortunate. I am sure Ray will one day get his game turned around and get things in order and be a good goalie for someone.”
Emery’s buyout marks the end of a tumultous era with the Ottawa Senators. At one time, Emery was considered the future of the Senators between the pipes. But a series of incidents this season, including showing up to practice late on several occasions, soured Emery’s relationship with the team.
Emery signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract in July of 2007.
Ottawa signs Colgate captain
March 25, 2008
Yesterday Ottawa signs Colgate senior Jesse Winchester after his team was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs. Ottawa plans to get Winchester on the ice ASAP. Good timing with many regulars down with injuries.
Jesse Winchester was signed to a one-year contract by the Ottawa Senators yesterday, but he won’t be eligible to play in the playoffs.
However, league rules also dictate that the former U.S. college player can’t be sent to Binghamton of the American Hockey League, either, so it’s expected the Senators will try to get him into the lineup as quickly as possible, perhaps as early as Thursday night at Scotiabank Place against the Buffalo Sabres.
They’d like to see if their newest acquisition, a native of Long Sault, Ont., can make the jump from college hockey to the NHL.
This signing tells me 2 things. First, Ottawa is actively pursuing ways to revitalize their depleted farm system. Second, there is no one in the farm system who could help them more than a rookie right now. No one can argue that the Binghamton team isn’t weak, but I’m curious to see how the B-Sens players respond. While several of them will get called up at the end of their AHL season to serve as emergency backups during Ottawa’s playoff run, there are several veterans and rookies who have been passed over all season long. Ottawa has relied on only Foligno and Bass to fill in and looked to trades to improve the team rather than any hot handed veterans. This could be the start of the end for B-Sens fans who have grown far to accustomed to watching AHL vets pack it in early rather than jeopardize their career with a late season injury.
Crosby a no-go vs Isles
March 24, 2008
I was looking forward to watching Crosby play tonight against the Isles. My boys are huge Sid the Kid fans and the Pens should be lighting up the lowly Isles.
Crosby said he feels better than he has in some time, but isn’t in game condition yet.
”I didn’t come in here expecting I would play tonight,” he said. ”My ankle is feeling pretty good, but I’m just not ready yet.”
Although he wasn’t set to go Monday versus the also-ran Islanders, the Penguins captain wouldn’t say if he would also sit out Tuesday at New Jersey in a key game against the Devils.
Hopefully we’ll get a chance to watch Crosby play Brodeur tomorrow night.
NHL Salary Cap Rises
June 29, 2007
Good news for free agents. The NHL salary cap will increase to $50 mil for next season, a $6 mil increase from last season. I think we’ll see plenty of clubs spending money on bad contracts once again. So much for fiduciary responsibility.
Riding the Pine
October 9, 2006
I was checking out the latest stories on TSN when I noticed this rumor:
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are looking to sign free agent veteran defenceman Brian Leetch.
The Flyers are without Mike Rathje for an indefinite period due to a herniated disk, and would like Leetch to solidify their power play.
Whoa…Brian Leetch is a free agent? I think this shows us what the salary cap is doing. It hasn’t stopped GMs from spending too much on players ($6 mil for Havlt in Chicago, $7 mil for Chara in Boston), but it may be cutting short the career of some veterans. Vaclav Varada was bought out by the Senators and is now skating in a Swiss league since no one in the NHL was interested in him. Leetch has been riding the bench waiting for someone to get hurt and open up a spot for me.
Why did these guys go unsigned? Because they are unwilling to play in the NHL unless they get the money they think they deserve. These guys are becoming the dinosaurs of hockey. Unwilling to adapt to the new marketplace and soon to be extinct. You have to wonder why a team like the Flyers would go after a player who is willing to sit out and face retirement rather than take a pay cut.
Who else is on the golf course this season waiting for that lottery phone call? Peter Bondra?
B-Sens Season Preview, Ottawa Flounders, Rangers Win
October 6, 2006
Michael Sharp has the B-Sens season preview in the paper today and also a new link for Binghamton Senators coverage. http://www.pressconnects.com/bsens
In other news, Ottawa got their asses handed to them 6-0 last night in the second half of the home and home with Toronto. I would argue that starting Gerber in back to back games was foolish, but it didn’t seem to bother Raycroft at all. The silver lining is that Denis Hamel and Tomas Malec were the ONLY Ottawa players not on the ice for a goal. As an added bonus, Malec Tuckered Tucker 
The Rangers had a much better home opener, defeating the Capitals 5-2. New captain Jaromir Jagr wasted only 29 seconds before getting his first goal of the season and Brendan Shanahan netted two of his own to reach the 600 goal plateau. The Garden was so fired up and the players looked so emotional at their reception, especially Jagr, that I was worried they have a shaky start. I think Jagr’s goal helped get them to focus and they made Washington look BAD…not that Washington needs much help looking bad. I couldn’t help but think back to Ranger openers from a few seasons ago when almost all the players would be met with boos. Last night was amazing. The crowd was absolutely deafening with their support for the team. There is NO place like MSG.
