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Parrish struggling, but is he done in Minnesota?
2008-03-25 01:21:00
Both Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune and John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press report on forward Mark Parrish and his struggles with the Minnesota Wild. The 31-year-old has seen his ice time reduced from fourth-line minutes to zero, as he has been made a healthy scratch in three of the teams last past eight games. “Uh, I mean … aahhh, hmmm … I don’t know what to say,” he said before answering most questions. “I feel bad because I don’t have answers.” “I just don’t know what to do or say. It’s playoff time. It’s crunch time. I don’t want to be a distraction,” Parrish said. “The only thing I care about is the team winning and these guys in the locker room. The last thing I want is to be viewed as a distraction or negative thing. I want to cheer these guys on.” Might the Minnesota-native demand a trade in the off-season? His fall from favor with the coaching staff and ...

Will finances break up Malone, Penguins?
2008-03-25 00:56:00
Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review suggests that Pittsburgh Penguins pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Malone will hit the open market come July 1st. While Penguins GM Ray Shero has reportedly offered Malone a contract, he is not willing to pay him much more than the $1.45 million Malone is making this season. Rossi believes that the 28-year-old could get upwards of $3.5 million per season on a three-year deal in the off-season, pricing himself right out of Pittsburgh. The Penguins simply cannot afford to retain Malone at such a salary, even if the cap is supposed to increase by as much as $4 million. The Penguins are already committed to a number of high-priced players on their roster, including forward Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million salary cap hit), defenseman Sergei Gonchar ($5 million), and defenseman Ryan Whitney ($4 million). The club also has a number of key restricted free agent forwards they would like to re-sign long-term, namely forwards Evgeni Malkin ...
More About: Break Up , Finances , Break

Panthers’ Playoff Hopes
2008-03-24 22:41:00
The Florida Panthers have made a valiant effort here, coming down the final stretch. Winning seven games straight then losing to a Panther killer team, the Carolina Hurricanes in the shootout. The Panthers have always had a problem with Carolina, always. One must wonder why the Panthers really just have such a hard time winning against such a depleted team. The fact is, even when they are depleted, they still seem tough as ever. That’s with losing Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore to trade, Rod Brind’amour to injury and Justin Williams, others as well. Yet they keep moving along like nothing has ever happened. Quite amazing to me. A team so injury plagued, they still put up a fight each night and victorious on most. Even new comers to the team like Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo look like they could have been there all season. Is it Peter Laviolette? Or is it just the amount of skill and experience the team itself has. I’d think its both, they don’t get rattled ...
More About: Hopes

Flyers Dominate Islanders 4-1
2008-03-24 19:41:00
Another game against the Flyers …..another loss for the Islanders. Philadelphia continued their winning ways against New York last night with an authoritative 4-1 victory. The Flyers got goals from Vinny Prospal, Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn to seal the victory. The Isles’ lone tally was provided by Miroslav Satan. Joey MacDonald got his first start in goal for the Islanders this season and acquitted himself reasonably well. There wasn’t much he could do on the majority of Philadelphia’s scores. The game (and, indeed, the season series) could best be described as “A Tale of Two Power Plays”. The Flyers have an excellent one. The Islanders (to put it mildly) do not. Philadelphia scored three times with the Man Advantage, making them 14 of 32 on the PP against New York this year (an unusually high 44% conversion rate.) The difference between the two teams could not be more apparent and is not just due to the disparity of ...

Morrison says he wants to stay, but will Canucks meet his asking price?
2008-03-24 02:46:00
Pending unrestricted free agent forward Brendan Morrison tells Tony Gallagher of The Vancouver Province that he wants to re-sign with the Canucks and continue his career in Vancouver. “I’m not just saying I want to stay because this is my home town,” says Morrison. “If this team was a bottom feeder, there’s no way I would want to hang around. I want to win as much as the next guy; I happen to think that’s possible with this team.” However, salary and term will play an important factor in where he will play next season and beyond. Whether it’s in Vancouver, or elsewhere, Morrison doesn’t appear too interested in accepting any less than what he sees as fair value. “… I’m not going to sit here and say the numbers aren’t important. Any player who would say money is not important is lying because you only have so many years to make a living in this business and you have to take advantage of the opportunity ...
More About: Meet , Price , Stay

Blue Jackets to overhaul blueline?
2008-03-24 02:32:00
Aside from signing a couple of free agent forwards to bolster their attack, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets will also try to re-shape their blueline. Mainly, the Blue Jackets will look to add a couple of puck-moving defenseman. With all of Rostislav Klesla, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Kris Russell signed through at least next season, the Blue Jackets have three spots to fill in their top-six. Dick Tarnstrom is unlikely to return. And then there’s restricted free agents Jan Hejda and Ron Hainsey, who may not be brought back if Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson finds their asking prices too costly. Hejda is likely to get a raise on his current $1 million salary, and it is thought that Hainsey may seek upwards of $3-4 million per season. Staying in-house is an option for Howson. The Blue Jackets have Marc Methot and Aaron Rome in their system (both RFAs) who “are held in high” by the club. The Blue Jackets could also brin...

Carter, Peca, Miller, Tucker, Halak, Murray, and Ranger
2008-03-23 18:30:00
Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe reports that the reason the Philadelphia Flyers were willing to part with pending RFA forward Jeff Carter and a first-round draft pick for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle, is because of financial concerns. The belief is that Carter will seek a similar deal to the one signed by teammate Mike Richards, who signed a 12-year, $69 million contract extension earlier in the season. Carter and Richards have similar career statistics, and so would be comparables during negotiations. Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch suggests that the Columbus Blue Jackets may re-sign pending UFA forward Michael Peca because he has a great “dressing room presence” and could help guide Rick Nash through the “early stages” of his captaincy. Portzline also speculates that the Buffalo Sabres will botch contract negotiations with goaltender Ryan Miller much in the same way they did with forwards Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, and d...
More About: Tucker , Murray , Ranger

Bruins, Wideman on course for arbitration?
2008-03-23 18:20:00
Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe reports that the Boston Bruins would prefer to take pending restricted free agent defenseman Dennis Wideman to arbitration than ink him to a multi-year deal. Not because they want to be stingy with their only NHL-ready puck-moving blueliner, but because they want to determine if the 25-year-old’s breakthrough season was a fluke or not. The Bruins would like to see Wideman sustain his level of play for at least one more season before deciding to lock him up long-term. Wideman, who is expected to get a raise either way, has a few options at his disposal: “accept a one-year qualifying offer and hope he has another solid season in 2008-09; sign a multiyear extension; or go to arbitration.” His current comparables include Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brent Burns of the Minnesota Wild, and Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings. They all earn at least $3 million per season. Of course, Wideman’s representatives w...
More About: Arbitration

Senators potential off-season departures, and re-acquisitions
2008-03-23 17:40:00
According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, Ottawa Senators pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Commodore would like to play for the Ottawa Senators past this season. However, Commodore tells Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun that before he makes such a decision, he will have to assess if the club’s style of play suits him. “Before I sign a contract here, I have to see if I can play here,” he said. “The way it’s been going, I’ll wind up being a minus-300 player for my career.” Commodore has been struggling since his arrival form the Carolina Hurricanes. He tells Koshan that his awful statistical numbers are a result of his inability to adapt to the club’s system, rather than effort. “Not through a lack of effort, but for whatever reason, the system change has been a struggle for me. In Carolina it was always get up the ice when you can, make the play and go. Here it is more back off, let the forward do the work...
More About: Season , Acquisitions , Off Season

Komisarek Out For Two, Or Three Weeks
2008-03-23 06:07:00
RDS is reporting that Montreal Canadiens blue-liner Mike Komisarek will be side-lined for a period of 2, or 3 weeks after being repeatedly hit by the Boston Bruins during Thursday night's game.
More About: Weeks

Habs Sweep Bruins
2008-03-23 05:06:00
The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 in a shoot-out to sweep the season series 8-0, and make the Bruins sweat a little as they are in the final play-off spot and falling fast.
More About: Sweep

Isles Topple Devils 3-1
2008-03-22 19:45:00
What a beginning to Kyle Okposo's career. The highly touted prospect of the New York Islanders scored his first NHL goal last night (the Game Winning goal, no less) and contributed an assist in the Islanders' 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils last night at the Prudential Center. The win broke New York's losing streak at 6 games. Blake Comeau and Trent Hunter (empty netter) also contributed goals for the Islanders. Travis Zajac tallied for the Devils.

Kubina loving it in Toronto
2008-03-22 18:05:00
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Pavel Kubina tells Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun that he would love to remain with the club.
More About: Toronto Maple Leafs , Toronto , San Jose Sharks , Loving

Dubielewicz, Zhitnik, Chelios, Stuart, and Flames
2008-03-22 18:00:00
Does Wade Dubielewicz want to re-sign with the Islanders? Is Alexei Zhitnik done with the Thrashers? Will Chris Chelios continue his NHL career past this season? Do the Red Wings want to re-sign Brad Stuart ? What will the Flames do if they lose key forwards via free agency?

Kubina, Predators, Roenick, and Jokinen
2008-03-21 22:59:00
Can Maple Leafs deal Pavel Kubina this summer without his approval? Will the Predators ink any of their potential free agents before July 1st? Is Jeremy Roenick ready to call it quits? Were teams interested in Olli Jokinen at the deadline?
More About: Toronto Maple Leafs , Florida Panthers , Nashville Predators , San Jose Sharks

Malone says he?d like to re-sign with Penguins, but will he?
2008-03-21 22:57:00
Pittsburgh Penguins pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Malone tells Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that he'd love to return to the club.
More About: Pittsburgh Penguins , Sign

Oilers, Huselius, Stillman, and Laich
2008-03-21 17:11:00
Are the Oilers intent on bolstering their forward group during the off-season? Will Kristian Huselius get a raise this summer? Does Cory Stillman want to remain a Senator? Is Brooks Laich in line for a raise with the Capitals?
More About: Edmonton Oilers , Florida Panthers , Ottawa Senators , Washington Post , Washington Capitals

Zednik Back On Skates!
2008-03-21 05:48:00
RDS is reporting that Richard Zednik is back on skates again after suffering a bad injury at the hands of his own team-mate.
More About: Press Releases , Back

Zednik Back On Skates
2008-03-21 05:48:00
RDS is reporting that Richard Zednik is back on skates again after suffering a bad injury at the hands of his own team-mate.
More About: Florida Panthers , Back

Habs Down Bruins 4-2
2008-03-21 03:58:00
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2 tonight, although it wasn't all fun and games as Mike Komisarek left the game in the first period with a lower body injury.

Double-edged Dilemma in Leaf Nation
2008-03-20 19:48:00
Not all ramifications from the less-than-spectacular 2008 Trade Deadline for the Toronto Maple leafs were negative. Mats Sundin and Pavel Kubina are out to prove that not waiving their no-trade clauses was not a mistake!
More About: Toronto Maple Leafs , Opinion , Double , Nation , Leaf

Are Marketable Players Goons??
2008-03-20 06:11:00
Let's get some perspective on a few things, the NHL has said in the past that they would like to market the game in the U.S., but the U.S. doesn't like violent sports, really?
More About: Players , Opinion

Are Marketable Players Goons?
2008-03-20 06:11:00
Let's get some perspective on a few things, the NHL has said in the past that they would like to market the game in the U.S., but the U.S. doesn't like violent sports, really?
More About: Players , Opinion

Theodore Playing Hero Again?
2008-03-20 02:50:00
Colorado Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore is having a good year this season, there's only one problem, this is his last contract season, it seems he's doing the same thing he did in Montreal.
More About: Opinion , Hero

Smith, Gauthier, Malkin, Capitals, Lecavalier, Senators, and Lucic
2008-03-20 01:31:00
Did the Flyers try to trade Jason Smith ? Will Flyers place Dennis Gauthier on waivers? Would Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin if he becomes too pricey? Are the Capitals expecting to re-sign any of their trade deadline pick-ups? Is Vincent Lecavalier in line for a new contract? Will Senators have to trade Ray Emery to make room for free agent signings? Have the teams been calling the Bruins about Milan Lucic?

Penguins, Malone decide to halt contract talks
2008-03-20 00:28:00
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero tells Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that he and pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Malone have agreed to postpone contract negotiations until the season is over.
More About: Pittsburgh Penguins , Contract

Leafs Spoil Okposo?s Debut; Beat Isles 3-1
2008-03-19 18:44:00
It was a typical Good News-Bad News day in Islander country yesterday.  On the plus side, highly touted prospect Kyle Okposo made his NHL debut and acquitted himself well, showing glimpses of his vast potential in the 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs .  On the negative slant, the team revealed that All Star goalie ...
More About: New York Islanders , Beat , Debut

Habs Lose To Blues In A Shoot-out
2008-03-19 04:00:00
The Montreal Canadiens lost to the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in a shoot-out tonight, in a game which was not well played by the Habs, they didn't play horribly, but not well enough to win either.
More About: Shoot

There is no rumor about this year?s MVP
2008-03-18 16:25:00
It?s quite possible that you don?t care about this. But almost two years ago, I offered a worded argument for Sidney Crosby as the 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year. If you remember, his biggest challenger at that time was eventual winner Alex Ovechkin, Washington ?s two-years older, negative-adjectiveless 2004 draft pick. I specify because, as I ...
More About: Rumor , New York , Pittsburgh , Opinion

There is no rumor about this year?s MVP
2008-03-18 16:25:00
It's quite possible that you don't care about this. But almost two years ago, I offered a worded argument for Sidney Crosby as the 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year. If you remember, his biggest challenger at that time was eventual winner Alex Ovechkin, Washington 's two-years older, negative-adjectiveless 2004 draft pick.
More About: Rumor , New York , Pittsburgh , Atlanta