Ohhh, Danny boy...

Daniel Briere has turned down a $25 mil, 5 year contract from Buffalo. I guess the Sabres were hoping for a loyalty induced discount, and that if they matched it with a longer term deal, they could sign Briere. Not so, as Danny seems to think he is worth more. Interestingly, Briere proposed this same package last year and the Sabres turned him down. I have to think that top players are going to expect 6-7 mil a year. Here is what players have been commanding so far this offseason:

JS Giguere, Anaheim: $24 mil/4 years

Kimmo Timonen, Philly: $37.8 mil/6 years

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit: $46.9 mil/7 years

Scott Hartnell, Philly: $25.2 mil/6 years

Craig Rivet, San Jose: $14 mil/4 years

And here is what a miffed sounding Danny had to say:

Multiple reports say it was a five-year, $25 million deal, the same pact Briere wanted last offseason. The Sabres said no and Briere was awarded a one-year, $5M arbitration award.

Briere told the Buffalo News he was headed to California to meet up with co-captain Chris Drury to discuss their futures.

[...]

"I wish things would have gotten done earlier with Buffalo, but they didn't," Briere said. "There's always a little fear that nobody's going to call and nobody's going to want you, but the point of going through this is you want to feel wanted, and you wonder how they're going to show it."

Here is the latest from the NHL rumor mill:

Could Avs bring back Drury, Forsberg?

Jun 29 - The Colorado Avalanche could have about $10 million to throw at free agents this offseason. If they do, depending on where the cap is set, some speculate they could be active in the market.

The Denver Post reported that the Avs could reach out to former Colorado stars Chris Drury and Peter Forsberg, both set to become unrestricted free agents Sunday.

[...]

The Avs are also interested in forward Ryan Smyth, who is also set to hit the market Sunday.

Agent: Two teams interested in Emery

Jun 29 - Ray Emery is a restricted free agent, but that hasn't stopped a few clubs from contacting his agent.

J.P. Barry told Sun Media that he's talked to two teams willing to make an offer for the Senators goalie.

"He is an elite goalie, so I'm not surprised by the fact some teams would consider making an offer for his services," Barry said.

Boston, St. Louis and Los Angeles are rumored to be interested because of their need for help in net. But Sun Media reported the Bruins are the most interested.

There is a connection there, too. Boston GM Peter Chiarelli used to work in the Sens' front office. According to the report, the GM might be working up an offer between $3.5 million-$4.7 million for Emery. If that's the case, Boston would have to give up a first-, second- and third-round pick in 2008 to Ottawa.

Wings try to lock up deals

Jun 29 - The Red Wings met with the agents for goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Todd Bertuzzi and defensemen Mathieu Schneider and Danny Markov at the draft and now GM Ken Holland is rounding them up again to try to finalize deals before Sunday's start to free agency.

All four are set to become free agents July 1.

Holland said he believes all four want to return, but "they've certainly got a salary expectation."

offseason silliness

My fellow HLOG'er Jordi suggested I make this bit of fun into a full post and I just had to oblige her. Because, making fun of celebrities is always a good time. Adding hockey to it? Double the fun. Then there is the fact that the most searched for items on my blog seem to be "Mike Fisher's girlfriend" or "Jordin Tootoo is hot". Get your mind out of the gutter people! This is a klassy blog.

So, this is pretty much a hockey version of matchmaker, but you need to give at least one valid (ok, it doesnt need to be
valid. In fact, it can be a completely made up) reason why the celebrity and the NHL'er should date. For example:

"Rod Brind'Amour should date Carol Alt since they both love working out, and she can teach him some fashion sense so he never wears an outfit like that to the NHL awards again. Plus, that means she can dump Yashin, hopefully emotionally scarring him enough that he doesnt attempt to play hockey ever again"

Gimme some of your own in the comments.

1) Mike Fisher and Britney Spears. He can show her the way to salvation, and she can show him her...well, I guess anyone can see that on PerezHilton.com. Maybe he can just buy her some underwear?

2) Mike Comrie and Dina Lohan. Both sleazy. And I just have this feeling that Comrie looooves older women. I can just see him in a white silk shirt and a gold chain, taking shots of Malibu with the Orange Oprah.

3) Mike Modano and ANYONE but Willa Ford. I would rather have Mike Modano marry a gorilla. At least they could have an intelligent conversation. Ca-ching! Folks, I'm here all week.

4) Ray Emery and Fergie. It would be flossy. I have to admit, the main reason I made this one up was to be able to say that I used the term "flossy" in a sentence.

5) Dion Phaneuf and Lindsay Lohan. Because I can completely see her in one of those little red t-shirts, flashing the TV and screaming "Let me lick your stick Dion!" at the camera while promoting her newest movie that is targeted at 6-10 year olds.

6) Ed Belfour and Tara Reid. An excerpt of the conversation between them:

Ed: Tara, have you seen my Cialis?
Tara: Oops, I thought they were my Valtrex and I took them.

7) Sean Avery and Star Jones. Can you imagine it? Seriously though, can you? Cause every time I think about it I start to feel like my brain might explode.

8) Mike Keenan and Dr. Ruth. Two words: anger management.

9) Evgeni Malkin and Paris Hilton. It wont be a problem that Malkin doesnt speak English since I sincerely doubt that dating Paris Hilton includes a lot of deep conversation.
NOTE: the author has admirably restrained herself from making any " her mouth would be full anyway" jokes here.

10) And my favorite: Sidney Crosby and Pamela Anderson. They could be nice to pets together and go to PETA meetings (you know Sid has got to have some pet bunnies named Flora and Fauna at home) and Pam could teach Sid about girls. Yes Sid, girls. And no, Uncle Mario never has to know.

Note: apparently I am not the only one getting lots of queries for "naked hockey player" on my blog. Is it wrong that I feel less special?

Thats Karl with a K

I saw this video over at Peerless of the Caps 5th overall pick in last week's draft, Karl Alzner.

Alzner is great. He's funny, humble, and looks really comfortable in front of the camera. The video is definitely worth watching to get to know the newest Capital (or Hershey Bear for the next few seasons).

Karl Alzner Press Conference, 2007 NHL Entry Draft

QA fun!

Tarik has the list of players who were made qualifying offers by the Caps :

Steve Eminger
John Erskine
Tomas Fleischmann
Jamie Hunt
Milan Jurcina
Jakub Klepis
Brooks Laich
Brian Sutherby
Dave Steckel

Guys who make $660,000 or less get a 10-percent raise (salary maxes out at $1million). Guys who make more than $660,000 get a 5-percent raise.

Here are the guys who didn't get qualifying offers, and thus are being cut loose:

Kris Beech (no surprise)
Jiri Novotny (no surprise)
Matt Stefanishion
Joey Tenute
Jonas Johansson
Louis Robitaille
Maxime Daigneault

I am fine with cutting Kris Beech and Jiri Novotny loose. Beech hasnt proven himself at this level, despite plenty of opportunity to do so while playing on a line with Alex Semin. Novotny was one of those young guys that we took during a trade. Sometimes GMGM gets the steal they were looking for (Jurcina) and sometimes they dont. Novotny just didnt look like he was playing for a roster spot.

But Joey Tenute? Boy makes me squee. He punctured a lung during Hershey's playoffs, and was back a month later in the lineup. Every team needs a couple gritty players who put the team first and Tenute is one of them.

As for the Caps we kept, I am really glad to see Eminger on that list. I know he can be a hot mess sometimes, but he is really young and definitely in development. The Caps did a disservice to their young D-men last season when many of them were not paired consistently with vets. The Caps didnt have much of a choice in that decision, but I think Eminger deserves a chance to prove himself. I know, I know -- if he sucks, then his value as trade bait goes down. But, I am hoping to see him out there in September.

John Erskine? He is awesome. Dude scares small children, but still manages to look like he has a chihuahua named CoCo Chanel at home.

It was terrific to see Tomas Fleischmann on the list of Caps who got QAs. Flash is going to be a solid, maybe even exceptional player for an NHL team. He's got moves, he can skate, and he's got curly red hair to match his jersey. Boy needs to gain a few pounds, but he can work on that.

Milan Jurcina is one of those gems that GMGM found and made the right trade for. We got him for a 4th round pick in 2008, and the Bruins can keep kicking themselves in the ass for that one. He eats minutes, lays crushing hits on guys, and you know he gives Shaone Morrisonn one of these on Valentines Day.

Jakub Klepis: glad we kept him, now he has got to show us what he has got...consistently. He kicked ass when we sent him back to Hershey, and we need him to show his skillz up here too.

Dave Steckel: He got a little bit of time with the Caps this season and from what I saw of him, he looked like he was fighting for a spot on the roster. Having seen him in Hershey, it seems like he is a big fish in a small pond down there and the reverse would be true in DC. I think he has definitely got potential, but isnt he a checking line forward with the Caps? And dont we have a glut of those? That said, I really like him and we'll see how it plays out at training camp.

We are all pretty familiar with Laich and Sutherby, so I am not going to bite into that one.

Now, lets see who gets traded, what free agents get signed, and how many times GMGM can make us squee this summer.

Jersey unveiling and draft roundup

I knew several weeks ago that I wouldnt be able to attend the Caps Draft Day party, but I wasnt too worried about it as the Caps have a lot of terrific bloggers, who in turn wrote a lot of terrific posts that I can link to.

Jerseys /Draft Party/Draft picks

DC Sports Chick

CapsChick

Bleatings from a Caps Nut

WaPo on tattoos of the new logo that fans got

Tarik on Karl Alzer as the fifth overall pick by the Caps


Oh, fog machines. Dearest fog machines. You bring back such fond memories of my sixth grade dance.

Draft Day!

Columbus has never looked prettier.

________________________(click for larger view)

More from the draft

and the awesome Bethany. This is the crowd waiting for Yellowcard to start playing.

________________________(click for larger view)

Jack Adams

Capital Addiction was not able to be at the 2007 NHL Draft in Columbus this weekend, so we sent a reporter to ask the hard questions and get the scoop (Bethany took pity on us and is passing along gossip and pictures).

Bethany snapped a pic of the Jack Adams, which seems to have been cruelly parted from Alain Vigneault already. Uhh, I know its not the Stanley Cup but jeez, let ol' Alain hang out with it for a few days. He might not scale a mountain with it, but maybe a few polaroids?

________________________(click for larger view)

Also, Bethany has informed us that she is slacking off in joining the other bloggers for a beer as she is busy collecting juicy gossip for us. Bethany, this is a tough one (because Capital Addiction loves juicy gossip) but go for the beer.

Raging teen hormones + Canadian teens + Russian teens = the Canada/Russia Super Series. I am all a-squee.

Well, I might have made up the part about raging teen hormones but a girl can hope.

CALGARY – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), announced Wednesday its roster of 26 junior aged players (born in 1988 or later) that will represent Canada at the Canada/Russia Super Series. The Canada/Russia Super Series, a one-time eight-game series featuring the best Under-20 players from Canada and Russia, will take place from August 27th to September 9th, with the first four games to be held in Russia, and the final four to be held in Canadian cities (Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Red Deer and Vancouver).

This looks like its going to a good showcase for some of the young hockey talent in the world. The Canadian roster includes Keaton Ellerby, Karl Alzner, Colton Gillies and a few other 2007 Draft first rounders on display. We'll also get a glimpse of some young Russian talent that we might not see soon (or at all) due to the battle that rages on about a transfer agreement between the NHL and RSL.

Random note: I linked to Sports Squee at the top of this blog, which is a terrific sports site. Margee at Sports Squee lost a bet to CapsChick and had to write a glowing blog about Alex Semin. Its definitely worth reading. You will never think of Semin the same way.

If you have nothing nice to say...

Apparently these pics MIGHT be the new Caps jerseys (its the post all the way at the bottom)





I cant say that I'm a big fan of them, but I have yet to see it in person so I will withhold comment till then.

Thanks to Rage for the heads up.

A busy Gainey and the return of Milbury?

The hockey world has been very busy and very productive this weekend. First, Bob Gainey managed to pull off another coup ( a la Jose Theodore) and dump Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov has been dealt to the Blackhawks, who I guess are desperate enough for some help that they are willing to take a whiny and under-achieving winger.

"We feel he has a lot left in the tank and playing under Denis Savard will bring out the offensive creativity that he has shown in the past," Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon said Saturday.

Translation: Our owner sucks and wont let us spend any money on bringing in talent while he has simultaneously ruined a once awesome hockey town. Nobody will sign with us because of aforementioned owner. We are desperate.

On paper, Gainey might not have gotten a whole lot in return but peace in the locker room is not to be under-rated. Do svidaniya Sergei.

Bob Gainey concluded his weekend by re-signing two players who have been an important part of the foundation in Habs-land, F Christopher Higgins and D Mike Komisarek. These guys are solid players who show up every night. And its pretty cool that both are American players.

Higgins, a former Yale star from Smithtown, N.Y., recently completed his second NHL season. He had 22 goals and 38 points in 61 games, missing significant time with an ankle injury.
Komisarek, who is from Islip Terrace, N.Y., is coming off his fourth year in the league. He had personal bests in games (82), goals (four), assists (15) and points (19).

Their signing is also an early test of what players will be commanding on the market come July 1st. Both were signed to 3.4 million dollar deals -- 1.5 mil the first season and 1.9 the next. So the question is this: what will free agents (Gomez, Drury, Briere, Giguere) be asking for? Enough to buy Long Island, most likely.

Its safe to say Dave Lewis had a craptastic weekend. After just one season as bench boss for the Bruins, he was sacked on Friday. I didnt follow the Bruins enough to comment on Lewis, but Heather does. Lewis is getting "reassigned" to another post in the organization. Lewis sounds just a wee bit pissed:

"As a coach, you go into a new organization not really sure what you have and not sure what you need. By the end of the year, I knew what we had and I knew what we needed and then you just don't get a chance to start on with the next season," Lewis said Friday in an interview with Boston's WHDH-TV.

But Boston has got bigger problems -- Mike Milbury is apparently being considered for the coaching job.

NHL awards

The NHL Awards are on tonight -- 7pm on every one's favorite station that they have never heard of: Versus.

I am deliberately making a stop at Stitch tonight to pick up some knitting yarn so that I can keep my hands occupied while watching the awards. Otherwise, my TV might be broken tomorrow à la Office Space.



Well, maybe not that bad but lets hope that Gary Bettman understands that he is GIVING the trophy away. I wouldnt mind another booing of him by the fans either.

more Swedish meatballs

says the vegetarian.

News from Tarik:

The Washington Capitals have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with defenseman Josef Boumedienne, General Manager George McPhee confirmed yesterday.

[...]

Boumedienne's addition also means the Capitals will cut ties with journeyman defenseman Bryan Muir, who played in only 26 games last season because of a broken foot. Boumedienne, like Muir, is a puck-moving defenseman capable of occasionally chipping in on the power play.

"The hope is that [Boumedienne] can help us," McPhee said. "But if not, it doesn't hurt us too much."

Boumedienne, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound native of Stockholm, appeared in 37 games for the Capitals during the 2003-04 season but spent the past three seasons in Europe because of a contract dispute. In August 2005, he rejected the Capitals' offer of a "two-way" contract, which would have allowed the club to send him to the minor leagues without penalty.

I see the point of signing him, so young Backstrom can a have a confidante. Hopefully Boumedienne ends up being a bit of a diamond in the rough. If not, its as GMGM said: "... it doesn't hurt us too much."

A bad idea

Mike Keenan has been hired as the head coach of the Flames. I didnt follow the Flames enough during the regular season to comment about Jim Playfair's coaching, but they completely fizzled in the playoffs. While some of that was the players fault, Playfair was part of it as well. Despite that, I dont know if Mike "Control Freak" Keenan is the best choice. In fact, I think Pearl might just be a better choice.

The Calgary Flames have hired Mike Keenan as their new head coach, sources confirmed to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. An official announcement on the hiring is expected Thursday or Friday. Current Flames coach Jim Playfair will remain as part of the Flames organization.
[....]

Despite his success, Keenan has had a mostly tumultuous career as a coach or general manager with the Flyers, the Blackhawks, the Rangers, the St. Louis Blues, the Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers.

He parted company with the Flyers in 1988 after four years as head coach despite twice guiding them to conference titles.

After coaching the Blackhawks to the Cup final, he resigned in the spring of 1992 after four years coaching and managing because the total control he craved wasn't forthcoming.

He won a title with the Rangers, but couldn't get along with GM Neil Smith well enough to stay for a second season.

One of the quirkier trivia tidbits from his nearly three years in St. Louis before he was fired was his refusal to allow the players to don newly designed alternate sweaters because he didn't like the way they looked.

He didn't mesh with GM Brian Burke in Vancouver and was fired, and there was a quick exit from Boston, too.

In his early days with the Panthers, he and then-GM Rick Dudley engaged in power struggles. Then he abruptly left the team just before the 2006-07 season got underway. Keenan never publicly addressed for his departure.

hockey rumors for today...

And here we go:

Jun 11 - Everyone knows Chris Drury is one of this offseason's biggest free agents, but one team will likely not be in the running for the veteran forward.

According to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers will not go after Drury because the price -- and fit into the roster -- isn't right.

The Inquirer speculated that the Flyers will turn their efforts toward soon-to-be free agent and longtime Devils veteran Scott Gomez.

If the Sabres don't re-sign him before July 1, Drury will hit the market. The Rangers and Sharks, among many others, are reportedly interested in the veteran.

Some have also speculated that the Kings could be a leading contender because Drury lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., during the offseason, not far from Los Angeles D Rob Blake.

Reports previously indicated the Sabres will have to offer Drury $6M-$7M per season, about what he'd be offered on the open market.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wings 45-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios still doesn't look as if he's ready for retirement.

According to local reports, the Wings and Chelios are close to signing a one-year deal.

"Nothing's signed, but we had a recent conversation and we're close," Wings general manager Ken Holland told reporters Thursday.

Holland added that if the team locks up Chelios, the Red Wings will look to shore up a few more defensemen and forwards, some from their own free-agent pool.

Chelios, G Dominik Hasek, D Mathieu Schneider, D Danny Markov, F Todd Bertuzzi, F Kyle Calder and C Robert Lang are all set to become unrestricted free agents July 1.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexei Yashin out of the picture, there are rumors swirling as to who might want to return to the Islanders given the Russian's buyout.

One of those players: Michael Peca.

The veteran forward and former Islander, whose rocky relationship with Yashin reportedly led to his trade to Edmonton during the 2005-06 season, could be interested in a return to Long Island, the New York Post reported Friday.

Peca, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, also played under current Isles coach Ted Nolan in Buffalo.

The possibility of Peca returning to New York all hinges on this week's talks with the Maple Leafs. In 2006-07, Peca played an injury-shortened season, posting 15 points in 35 games.

Yashin to the Caps?

UPDATE: From ESPN:
Jun 13 - Not even a few weeks after the Islanders bought out Alexei Yashin's contract, there is now speculation about where the veteran forward will land next.

According to a report from The Canadian Press, Yashin's agent, Mark Gandler, will reach out to some teams to gauge interest.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to be in my future. We'll see what happens," Yashin told The Canadian Press.

Gandler's list of potential teams to call: the Canadiens, Oilers, Capitals, Flyers, Devils and Senators.

The most intriguing is Ottawa, considering his controverisal time there earlier in his career. He was suspended for the 1999-2000 season for not honoring his contract, leading to his 2001 trade to the Isles.

After Yashin got dumped by the Islanders like a Hilton with herpes, his name floated around a bit as possible top center for the Caps. Personally, I'll pass. Here is why:

1) The Caps have a great locker room vibe from all accounts, and I dont think Yashin would be a help. He might not start fights in the back room, but by mailing it in, he certainly brings an attitude to the table that I dont want to see spread to other players. And there is no doubt that Yashin has checked out. I mean, the guy was CAPTAIN of his team and was benched during the playoffs.

2) After the Jagr period, the Caps have been pretty good with their money. They have an incredibly low salary total, and they have been acquiring "forgotten" players. Some work out (Milan Jurcina) and some stay forgotten (Jiri Novotny). Its part of rebuilding and overall I think GMGM has done a pretty decent job on a tight leash. Why spend money on Yashin? He has flaked in every way with the Islanders and as Greg Logan at Newsday notes, Alexei is a big boy. He knew what he was promising/getting into when he signed on to be a franchise player. If he didnt want to carry the Islanders, then he shouldnt have acted like he was up for the task (note here that I still think the Isles were dumbasses for signing him to such a large contract). Why spend money on dead weight?

3) I dont think Yashin's brand of laziness would be a good model for Alex Semin. I love watching Semin play and I think he is the future of this team, but I dont think his head is in the right place all the time. Thats all I am going to say on that so dont read anything else into this statement.

4) The Islanders had to get rid of Yashin in order to have Ryan Smyth take them seriously about re-signing. No one can call Ryan Smyth a prima donna for this -- the guy is just very, very focused on winning and takes leadership/loyalty seriously. Smyth is going to have his pick of offers when he becomes a free agent on July 1st so why would Captain Canada stay with the Islanders when the man wearing the "C" isnt a leader? In fact, why would any free agent take them seriously with a Captain like that?

At the end of the day, there are plenty of reasons on both sides of the column for Yashin. I also want to be clear that I think Yashin is a good guy, but I dont want to see him on the Caps. If the Caps are interested in making a a solid free agent acquisition and spending some dough on it, they can do better then this. I would rather see us put the cash towards a top D-man.

Please, somebody stop him

Governor Schwarzenegger helped the Ducks celebrate their Stanley Cup win on Saturday night. While it sucks that the Ducks didnt get a parade (they sure as hell deserved one) I think these comments from the Governator more then made up for it.

Schwarzenegger told the crowd that he had spoken with Canada's prime minister in Ottawa after the Ducks lost Game 3 and warned him that, "We'll be back."

"Then, when it came to the last game, it was, 'Hasta la vista, baby!"' Schwarzenegger said.

Bears lose Calder Cup

Sadly, the Hershey Bears lost the AHL Calder Cup to the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs goaltender was absolutely amazing in goal. It was a great season for the Bears and a great experience for a lot of Caps prospects. Here's to hoping I see a lot of those prospects in DC next season.

Carey Price led Hamilton to its first Calder Cup title, stopping 29 shots in the Bulldogs' 2-1 victory over the Hershey Bears on Thursday night in Game 5 of the American Hockey League championship series.

Price, the 19-year-old goalie who spent most of the season in junior hockey with the Tri-City Americans, was the playoffs MVP.

"I was just so relieved [when the game ended]," Price said. "They're a good team. They could have come back at any second. It's a nice way to top it off."

A telling quote

From Senators Coach Bryan Murray:

"I'd like to make excuses for them, but there's none I can really make at the moment, other than congratulate Anaheim because they did what they had to do to win it."

Who was on the ice tonight?

Because it didn't look like the Ottawa Senators. They didn't resemble the team that charged through the Penguins, locked down the Devils and ruined Sabres Nation's dreams for a Cup in 07. Where were Spezza and Heatley? The only people who seemed to have any hustle were Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson. And its not a stretch to say that Ray Emery resembled Bambi a lot more then Mike Tyson tonight. What happened?

Sens v Ducks, NBC 8pm EST GAME 5

Day-um

Goodbye human drain Alexei Yashin. The Islanders have bought out the remaining years of "franchise player" Yashin's contract. If you watched the Islanders in the playoffs, you might have had a hard time spotting Yashin, though he was on the ice.

The New York Islanders have bought out the remaining four years of center Alexei Yashin's 10-year, $87.5 million contract.

Yashin was owed $26.45 million on the deal. But under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, the Islanders are allowed to pay two-thirds of the remainder -- $17.63 million -- over the next eight years to buy him out, reported Newsday, which first reported the move. The team will be charged $2.2 million per season against the salary cap for the buyout.

Out of hibernation, and so are the Bears

I took off the hockey blinders this morning to find that the Hershey Bears have found a worthy opponent, Chris Pronger is an idiot, the Caps are going to be eating a lot of Swedish meatballs this season, and the Senators need to STEP IT UP.