Tampa set for Season

(Tampa) - The Tampa Bay Lightning are going into the season with more confidence and look to have a better start then they did last season. Out of the gate, the team performed badly and only a late collapse of the Devils allowed them to make the playoffs. This year, the team is more confident and look forward to a big year.

"This season we have a new goalie who should really bring us a few more wins and the scoring should be balanced over 3 lines for sure. The defence hasn't looked this good ever and right now the team is very confident they can bring the cup back to Tampa." Gm Sprackman stated today.

"I think we can play with anyone in the league right now and our top 5 Dmen are extremely strong. Up front, I hope to have a big year this year and playing top line with Milan should really help out my scoring ability." Calder stated at his summer home.

Gm Sprackman was still looking to make a trade or two but right now, the team seems set and will go into the season with what they got. The Jr's are ok and should do a little better then last season. Hopefully a turn around year for them and let some of the youngsters develope even more for the Bolts to use down the road.

Capitals Ink Saprykin

The Washington Capitals signed left wing Oleg Saprykin to a four-year deal recently. The Russian came to the club last season in a trade with Boston, but he did not suit up after failing to sign a contract.

Saprykin, 25, is a gritty player with good speed and skill. He's strong at both ends, especially in his own zone, and he loves to hit. In 71 games two seasons ago he scored nine goals and assisted on 19 others with 48 PIMs and 128 hits.

Oleg will play the third line with Artem Chubarov in the middle and a right wing to be named later. The club expects big things from him in his first season.

A New Beginning

The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the leagues most potent offences just a few seasons ago. Now a team that has been through many changes all over is starting to take form but will not be near contending for atleast 3 maybe 4 seasons. Several seasons after nearly making it to the CLUTCH finals the team has seen many changes that will impact in a positive way down the road.

Joe Sakic, Jaromir Jagr, Olli Jokinen and Petr Sykora are just a few names that have come and gone from Philly. Several new faces have come to town including a new young goaltender who will be looking to change the face of the team for the future. Martin Gerber has been very stellar during his junior campaign with the Flyers team. In 69 games last year for PhillyJR, Gerber posted a solid 3.03 Goals Against Average and a .895 Save Percentage. A team once known for their goaltending troubles now have 2 solid young goaltenders to help lead the way in the future. Antero Niittymaki is ready to step up and fight young Gerber for the number one spot on the team.

The Flyers have loads of potential for future on offence. They have young Kyle Wellwood and Hugh Jessiman at center, Matt Stajan and Marian Cisar at leftwing and at rightwing they have three solid up and coming studs in Jamie Lundmark, Scottie Upshall and Alexander Steen. Philadelphia also has potential superstar Wojtek Wolski playing in Junior for the next few seasons hoping for him to gain more confidence and pave his way to becoming a superstar in CLUTCH.

With the team getting the #4 overall selection in this years entry draft, the future looks very bright for the Philadelphia Flyers organization.

Capitals Re-Sign Marleau

The Washington Capitals announced the re-signing of star center Patrick Marleau recently. The team's captain inked a four-year deal worth $4,400,000 per year with a $5,500,000 signing bonus.

Fresh off a 68 point season, Marleau, 27, signed an offer sheet with the Dallas Stars. Washington was quick to match the offer and ensure the return of one of the club's best players. Patrick scored 29 goals and assisted on 39 others last year to finish second on the team in scoring. He was also a club-high +16. Two seasons ago, he scored 17 goals and dished out 26 assists.

Marleau has great speed and skating skill, and he's very good at both ends of the ice. His durability is fantastic, and he's a strong leader for a team on the rise.

Canucks add Ward

Vancouver Canucks are pleased to announce that they have aquired Aaron Ward from the pittsburgh organisation.Aaron should provide us with some stability on the blue line.We have traded for defencemen just coming into their prime since late last season.We added 25 year old Holquist ,26 year old Leopold and 27 year old Rachunek.So the addition of Ward should show these boys the tricks he has learned over the years.Gone fron the Canucks is Jonie Pitkanen a player the Canucks found expendable.
With Douville and McCarthy chopping at the bit to hit the big time we feel we have enough depth at the position to deal away a youngster.
Now its time to mull over the RFA offers and hopefuly get this nasty buisness out of the way.

Panthers Roster Moves

FLORIDA - The Florida Panthers are not making much noise with any free agent signings but they have turned some heads with their latest acquisitions.

With the team wondering how they were going to deal with the loss of star defenceman Mike Rathje, who became an unrestricted free agent this summer and signed a 4 year 21 million dollar contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, they looked to the Stars.

The Panthers acquired centerman Alexander Daigle, defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky and a 2nd round from Dallas in exchange for young centerman Artem Kruikov.

"We are happy to introduce to the city and the fans of Florida Alexander Daigle and Lubomir Visnovsky." GM Perrault said at the National Car Rental Center news conference. "Both these players have good passing and puck control skills and can score. Our team becomes more of an offensive threat with these two players."

"I am excited to be a part of this team." Daigle ( pictured) said "It is a lot easier to take when your told you are being traded that your going to one of the elite teams in the league. To get an opportunity to play with the likes of Bondra, Tucker, Novo and Weiss just to name a few and have a legitimate chance at the Cup is going to make this year very exciting for me. I know that my roll on this team will be quite different then it was in Dallas but I am looking forward to helping this team get to the next level."

In Dallas Daigle was the go to guy and played on the top lines. In Florida he will be playing mostly on the third line and pp.

Lubomir on the other hand will have a similar roll in Florida as he did in Dallas. "I am ready to get going." Lubomir said. "It is always a shock when you are told that you are traded. I enjoyed my time in Dallas. I am not getting any younger though and it will be exciting to be part of a team that has a legitimate chance at winning the cup. The expectations on this team are to win and win now. It is not good enough to just make the playoffs. I am very happy to get this chance to play in Florida and can't wait to get things going."

Capitals Sign New Goaltender

The Washington Capitals announced the signing of goaltender Kevin Weekes recently in a move to shore-up the backup position. Weekes will replace veteran Peter Skudra who performed admirably last season.

Weekes, 31, inked a four-year deal worth $1,500,000 per season. In 27 games last season with St. Louis, Kevin was 7-5-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .902 save percentage. Weekes has solid speed and puck control and a high level of intensity. He should be comfortable playing behind Manny Legace and Washington expects good things from the veteran.

Two seasons ago, Weekes was the starter for the frequently pathetic Atlanta franchise. With little talent or effort in front of him, Kevin went 15-47-7 with a 3.99 GAA and .867 save percentage.

Kubina welcomed back

(Tampa) - The Lightning were a little disappointed Pavel Kubina wanted to test the market, but like Gm Sprackman told every gm, he would match any offer given to the top player for Tampa. Even after that statement, there was one Gm willing to try and get the hulking Dman out of Tampa. St.Louis Gm wanted to try and offered a big contract to lure Pavel from Tampa, but like he said he would do he matched the offer and Kubina will once again wear the C for the Lghtning. His contract is a bit steeped but with some playing around of players, the team will be fine come season time for the cap.
"I said we would match any offer on him and we did. Pavel's contract is a bit higher then what we would like, but we will survive and get through this. The compensation was a joke for the skills of such a player and would have set this franchise back a long way without the star player in the line up." Gm Sprackman stated today.

What does this all mean, well look for a combo of Lehtonen and LeClaire playing on the farm this season and maybe Williams. We shall see what combo's Gm Sprackman can come up with and still field a great line up. He has also been shopping Satan, Nylander, Schneider and Varlamov but there has only been inquires into the services and some low offers, nothing to entice Gm Sprackman into making a move. Right now he is just happy the team won't have to wait 20 games for the Captain to play for this team.

Senators First Line Looking Sharp

After a long, long....long season last year the Senators have been spending cash and scrambling to build a playoff worthy squad in this offseason. So far, the team looks to be much improved from last season, namely, the first line.

Last year the first line was led by Center Brendan Morrison who led the team in scoring. This year Morrison is said to be the weakest link on that first line in between stars Teemu Selanne and Alexei Kovalev.

Selanne spent the offseason training and improving. He had a weak showing last year and only bolstered a weak 76 OV rating. Now, the new and improved Teemu has returned to training camp with a load of new skills. Teemu has a new 82 OV rating with an identical scoring rating. He's quicker, stronger and should score more goals in this, the last year of his contract.

Selanne's new skill and fire should compliment nicely the newly signed Alexei Kovalev on the opposite wing. Kovalev was named Franchise player last season and graciously signed a 4 year deal worth 3.2 million. WOW! Kovalev reportedly wanted to play out the rest of his years in Ottawa for some weird, unknown reason...probably a woman!

Thus, the Senators may not be quite a playoff team yet, but, they are definitely looking much better!

Blue Jackets land free agent defenseman Mike Rathje, acquire Raffi Torres

Columbus, OH

The first round of free agency was very good to the Blue Jackets as they land defensemen Nolan Pratt and Mike Rathje as well as center Bryan Smolinski. Rathje was the key addition as the Jackets look to improve team chemistry now and improve the teams performance. Rathje brings a solid leadership quality to a new defensive corps in Columbus.

In a trade with the New York Islanders, the Jackets sent Long Island native Eric Nystrom home in exchange for two way forward Raffi Torres. Torres will be a welcomed addition to the Jackets top six forwards, taking some pressure off Christian Berglund to put up important goals. Torres will likely flank centerman Brian Sutherby and winger Matt Cooke. This will be a very strong defensive minded line, which could be very productive.

Columbus has also begun negotations to grant a trade request by defensman Deron Quint, who has become the odd man out and wants more ice time.

Sens Sign Key Defensemen

The Ottawa Senators dipped their hands into the Free Agent market this week. The Sens put in hefty offers on D-men Franisek Kaberle and Hal Gill. Both of these veteran pros should fit in nicely this season as the defensive core of the Senators appears to be it's weakest link.

Kaberle is a swift, skilled defenseman who will be extremely valuable on the Powerplay. The Senators feel that being paired on the first PP unit with Tarnstrom should prove to be a mighty improvement from last year.

Gill is a big, strong defenseman who should prove valuable on the PK and as a 2nd line D-man. He may be slow, but being paired with youngster Ryan Whitney or Filip Novak will create an excellent balance of finesse and toughness.

GM Schmucky stated today, "we plan on having a better season this year and this was a step we needed to take. They were costly in the cash department but since CLUTCH bucks are fake..who the hell cares? We had to deepen our defensive core to protect our new tender. He can't do everything, but now he has no excuses."

Oilers Sign Dimotrakos

The Edmonton Oilers added more depth to their line-up signing winger Niko Dimotrakos. Niko is a well rounded player and hopes to make the Oilers pro team on the 3rd or 4th Line. Niko Played 82 games with the Rangers last year notching 15 pts and a +3 rating. The Oilers also signed a farm prospect 25 year old Steve Shrum to a 4 year deal. Steve is expected to be sent to the Oilers farm team in order to fill out roster violations. Round 1 was a good round of Free Agency for the Oilers and they hope to have the same all-out success in signing people in round 2.

Oilers sign Bates Battaglia

The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't want to pay Battaglia what he was worth so he ended up one of the most wanted players in the Unrestricted Free Agent market this off-season. Battaglia led the Penguins in scoring last year, Scoring 31 goals and adding 47 assists for 78 pts in 82 games played. Battaglia has a natural scoring touch and showed great leadership last year on the penguins. Battaglia will fit on the 2nd line well and help on the power play. The Oilers was one of 4 teams bidding for Battaglia and ended up offering the most money. When questioned about his new home Battaglia said "I'm happy to be going to such a talented team, I think I have a good chance of winning a cup on the Oilers they're team keeps getting better and better". GM Kyle Schmuck is known for spending every penny he makes towards making the team better and he wasn't counting his pennies this year when the 1st round of Free Agency started, He spend $10,000,000 in signing bonuses alone and has his roster skimming the cap as usual. Although the Oilers won't be the richest team in the bank account this year, they've traded it off to be one of the richest teams in Veterean talent with one goal in mind; A CLUTCH Cup. More on the Oilers other signings tomorrow....

A Fleury of RFA action sees the Leafs come out empty handed and scratching their heads.

It was one year ago, right around this time of the offseason, when the new Leafs gm started in this league, and his first line of duty was a difficult one, having to release Vinny Lecavilier. The good news was they got decent picks back for him. But, the lesson was learned. Today, the Leafs tried to address their goaltending needs , taking the advice of a few "knowledgeable gms" and were agressive in bidding 7.6 million pr yr for 4 yrs on Avs goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.



The Leafs GM knew full well that unless they were serious with their bid, they wouldnt have a chance to sign anyone, and weaker bids on players like Tanabe, Kubina, Freisen were proof of that, since they were all easily matched. At the same time, they didnt want to bid insanely like has happened in the past. So what happened? Well, the Avs had stated they wanted to keep MAF, and would match most bids, but possibly not an insanely high one. This seemed to make sense, as even at 7.5 mill for Toronto or 8.3 mill for the Avs, both teams could send MAF to the farm, and restructure his contract at a later date. The Avs gm did match, and right after the match was done, they dealt MAF to the Thrashers for a few high first rounders, where they no doubt will be drafting a goalie.

This begs the question of why you would trade a 22yr old established star goalie, for a pick who may or may not be ready to play in net on the pro as a backup, for anywhere from 3-6 seasons?

I dont have the answers. Perhaps the Avs fellow gms got a kick out of seeing him vent and fester after getting word of the bid amount, and then trading him away. I have no idea. All we know, is unless you want to sign an RFA, you have to at least put out a serious bid on guy. We did that, and would have been very pleased to have signed him.

So, there goes Leafs plan A...next up? Plan B...or should we call it plan "C".

David Leneveau wins Junior Vezina

The Oilers Junior team did not do well at all last season but it wasn't as a result of their Goaltending which was considered the best aspect of the Junior team's lousy performance. In what was his 3rd season with the Oilers team he stood out this year tremdously. Starting 61 games, posting a Goals against average of 2.23 and an outstanding save % of .917 Leneveau showed a maturity in his style of play that could've lead a better offensive team to the playoffs or further. This year with an older more experienced squad in front of him Leneveau hopes to have some success and maybe lead his team into the playoffs for a change. Leneveau received top honours this off season; The Junior Vezina. Is this a sign of things to come when Leneveau creeps his way onto the Oilers Pro roster? The Oilers can only hope so. The Oilers have as high of expectations for their Junior Squad as they do their pro squad this year. All the way to the cup.

Bondra, Weiss Win Awards

FLORIDA - The C.L.U.T.C.H Awards were handed out this week and a couple of Panthers were rewarded for their performances this past season.

Left Winger Petr Bondra showed this year that he still has game by winning the "Wayne Gretzky Award" given to the player with the most assists during the regular season with 72 which is the second most in C.L.U.T.C.H history.

The 38 year old was also honored when he was awarded the "Bill Masterson Trophy" that is awarded to the C.L.U.T.C.H. player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

"This is a great honor." Bondra (pictured) told reporters. "To win the Gretzky Award at my age is not only a testament to my play but to my team mates as well. I have been fortunate to play on a great team with great players that made it fun to come to the rink and play."

" Winning the Bill Masterson Trophy is a special honor. It is always nice to be recognized by your peers."

Bondra is in the last year of his contract and was asked if he is considering retiring at the end of next season.

"I am not even thinking about that at this point." Bondra responded. "I feel if your even contiplating retirement you should because it takes your focus away from the game. All I am thinking about is getting ready for the season. Once the season is over I will weigh my options but until then its the furthest thing from my mind."

From the oldest player on the team winning to the youngest on the team winning.

23 year old Stephen Weiss was voted as being the best defensive forward in the league and won the Frank J. Selke Award.


"This is totally unexpected." Weiss told reporters. "I would like to thank everyone who voted for me. I learned a lot playing with Petr this year and it obviously has paid off."

Stephen was awarded with a new 4 year $4 Million per year contract to go along with his Selke.

"I couldn't of asked for a better end to the season......well except if we had won the cup ...but besides that It has been exception season for me. I was happy that the Panthers re-signed me and now to win the Selke......wow."

Westcott, Beauchemin signed

Columbus, OH

The restructuring of the beleaguered Columbus Blue Jackets continues to move forward. New General Manager Peter Dell'Olio announced the signings of defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Duvie Westcott. The Jackets also sured up Josh Hennessy and Jeff Tambellini to long term contracts.

All four players are expected to have big roles this season as the Jackets will continue to add youth and look towards the future.

In a related story, former GM, Tom, was found in a crack hotel with blank checks signed by Blue Jackets ownership, they had no comment on the story.

Eric Staal rewarded in more way than one.

Leaf Jr makes the move to the pro team and makes waves in the process.



Eric Stall was recently promoted from the Leafs Junior squad. He brings with him a JR Calder trophy award after being voted the winner by his peers. This just capped off a splendid season for the youngster, who was earlier rewarded with a generous rerate.

84 Eric Staal C L 0 69 72 78 91 94 59 78 87 82 66 85 49 45 83

When asked if this rerate justified his talent level, Staal had this to say....

"Am I that good? Heck no, not yet, at least I dont think so.I have along way still to go before being compared to some of the top players, however, im flattered by this and hope to live up to the teams expecattions. My JR teammate Alex Ovechkin told me that this will impress the ladies though. There can never be too many ways to score in this league. Im guessing he will be in a similar sitation soon next season. We will have lots of chances to score together after he gets his big rerate. Watch out ladies!!"

I would gather from these types of comments, that the underlying message is the Leafs are still not going to be serious contenders for a while. Look for them to make a splash in the RFA market, with names like Cheechoo, Fluery, Tanabe out there, their GM will be busy. Rumors out of Leafland have starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov unhappy with the teams direction and possibly wanting out. Could MAF be on the Leafs radar? or is this another sign of a contract sell off to rebuild.

Arnott leaves town

The Vancouver Canucks continue to move the big ticket underachievers out of town.I could not justify these contracts to the youngsters coming behind them.So Arnott was moved to the Dallas Stars For veteran Mike Knuble.By moving Arnott for Knuble we save 2.9 in cap space.We also fill our 2nd line rw spot a definate weakness on this club.We are now in a position to work on the contracts of the guys holding out.We have the flexibility to match offers or take the compensation without much worry of the new 56 million dollar cap.Also on the move is brandon Nolan for some draft picks.The Canucks have an abundance of centerss and will use the picks to fill other holes in the organisation.

Senators Release Brathwaite

The Ottawa Senators have released 3rd string goaltender Fred Brathwaite. The club bought out the final two years on his contract to relieve them of some cap space and make room for Osgood and Turek to carry the load.

"Well, Fred was unfortunately signed to too big of a contract to allow him to play on the Farm club. We love Fred and he did a decent job for us last season. However, as the club moves forward in our quest to get out of the CLUTCH basement, changes must be made."

With Brathwaite out of the picture, the Sens make room for some of the contracts of their 5 callups, the potential resigning of Fata and Alexeev later in the season, and any potential UFA signings in the future.

It is also well known that the Sens are in the hunt for a 3rd line Defenseman but have had no luck. The rumour is that Fahey will be let go this year as his demands for a 1-2 million dollar deal are not in the Sens plans as he is not a worthy player of that type of deal.

Roman Malek - Banned from Boston

The odds said no, but the Evil Lords of CLUTCH said yes.

Roman Malek, the Boston Bruins third string netminder, has told the club that under no circumstance will he sign with the club. The real surprise to many is that more of the Bruins have not told the Club the same thing, even though most are under contract.

"The kid must have got cocky after getting in one stinkin' game last year," GM Joshua Anderson said when discussing the rejection. I mean, he lets in a goal on seven shots, has a 3.19 goals against average, and suddenly he thinks that because it is the best on the club, he can swing his dick around?"

Anderson continued the rant, shouting "Well guess what Roman! Sit your ass at home. You're going nowhere. No one is going to sign your sorry twenty-nine year old ass, and they sure as heck are not going to give up anything to get it. Deteeriorate on the couch, bitch."

The club had offered Malek a two year deal, allegedly at $500,000 a season. Given he saw a whopping nine minutes of ice time this year - just under, actually, at 8:48 - to reject the offer gives this reporter newfound respect for Malek. His balls must chafe in his pants, cause lord - they gotta be huge and swinging.

John Grahame returns

The Bruins have announced they have came to terms with backup goaltender John Grahame.

Terms of the three year deal were not released, as with all Boston deals, but sources close to the league offices intimated that it was an offer of $1,400,000 per season put out by the Bruins. A $500,000 signing bonus also allegedly changed hands.

Grahame started ten games for the Bruins last year, with a 4-10-0 including games he spelled Raycroft. He had the tenth highest goals against average of all goalies with more than twenty games played, and fifth highest among goalies with more than thirty games.

Similarly, he was number fifty-six of sixty of goalies with more than twenty games played, and he was forty-third of forty-four goalies with thirty or more games played in save percentage, besting only Michael Garnett of Atlanta.

By comparison, Andrew Raycroft was tenth overall in save percentage, thought thirty-third in goals against, providing additional support once again that the Bruins defense just sucked last year.

"We're excited to have John back next year," GM Joshua Anderson said. "We think that an additional year in our system can only serve to better him and our team. Furthermore, it gives us some leverage with other free agents that maybe we won't just go out and free spend since we already have a compotent backup - so why overpay you?"

Bruins buyout Petr Sachl

With a slew of call-ups from their farm club, the Boston Bruins were put in the unusual position of having to make something happen roster wise.

A decision has been made, therefore, to buyout Petr Sachl from the remaining year on his contract.

The left wing journeyman had one year left on a $300,000 contract he signed under the previous regime, it is believed. He has accepted a $150,000 release settlement as part of the buyout arrangement.

Sachl did not play for the Bruins last season. The team will instead go with two rookies pushing Matt Hartigan and Pierre Turgeon as they prepare to break camp.

The team wishes Sachl well and has set out change jars at the Official Bruins stores in an effort to help him get by. You know, in addition to the $150,000 he was given.

Meszaros comes to terms

With the simple phrase "We have reached an agreemeny with Andrej Meszaros", a vast sigh of relief was exhaled from Boston Bruins fans across New England and the world.

The stud defensive prodigy had been holding up the completing of the call-up announcements while and his representatives taunted the Boston franchise with threats of plaing in Europe.

"Our hands were tied by CLUTCH rules which mandate the length of contract," General Manager Joshua Anderson explained. "Andrej's people wanted a shorter term deal to try and milk more frequent bonuses out of us, but frankly, we couldn't do anything different there. But we finally came to terms, and we cannot be happier."

The prospect was a fine player in Providence last year, but was unable to showcase all of his skills due to the defenses focusing on him. "The way we saw it," Anderson continued, "what we witnessed was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

Already all but handed the number three defensive spot in Boston, Meszaros will contend for the second spot as well. "As we said before, we expect to need to play our hand in free agency for some defense. That may move Andrej down the chart a bit, but it may be safer for him so he is not exposed right away to unnecessary risks," Anderson said.

With that, the call-up class of 2006 was completed. The Bruins added seven rookies, split five - two between front and back ice. Addressing the state of Providence's squad, Anderson said, "Thankfully, we are not taking all of the talent from Providence this year. And frankly, its not as if the play there can drop off at all after this season's results. Plus, there is still the draft, where we hold several picks, in addition to our bonus pick after the second round."

Andreas Lindstrom earns his way up

The Boston Bruins held yet another press conference today to announce the arrival of Andreas Lindstrom with the parent club.

"We felt we could no longer justify Andreas' remaining in the juniors. We wanted to leave him there as long as possible, so he could gain experience, but last year showed he was as ready as he could be," GM Joshua Anderson stated.

Lindstrom was the second leading scorer on the Providence roster for last season, accumulating 21-31-52 for the season in seventy-seven games. Eight of his goals were on power play, and three were game winners. He also racked up two hundred eighty-eight penalty minutes for good measure, showing he is a complete player.

Anderson continued, "Outside of the gaudy statistics, what we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

Lindstrom is expected to make a run at the fourth left winger spot. His scoring touch is without a doubt the best of the contenders, and he has the largest presence on ice, but he is the biggest defensive liability of the four.

As typical for the Bruins, terms were not released of the deal. It is known the deal was for two years, and it was purportedly $500,000 per year. A $650,000 bonus was unconfirmed as being included.

AND A NEW ERA BEGINS

Well with Todd Bertuzzi shuffled out of town it was not much of a surprise to hear that his friend and Canucks captain Ed Jovanoski was next to go.After a disappointing season there were rumblings that a major shakeup was coming.No way i could justify paying those 2 players over 11 million and be cap strapped for another season.The final nail in the coffin was Eric Cole decideing to test the open market.Sowith all this hanging over the Canucks head it was decided to go younger.
Feelers were quitely sent out throught the league to GM,s who were in the room.The blues showed the most interest and after some discussions the names Brad Richards and Karel Rachunek were finalised.We are pleased to get the talented Richards to play along with newly aquired Rick Nash.Rachunek fits nicely into a defence led by Jordan Leopold and some other youngsters who should help the canucks hopefully make the playoffs this year.Next step is to fix the goaltending problem.The Canucks are not done yet.

Canucks sign Nash

After the shock of getting stiffed by the rolls the Canucks decided to roll the dice one last time.In a move that stunned local fans the Canucks moved huge but unmotovated Todd Bertuzzi for young unsigned Rick Nash.Its not often a young superstar becomes available and the canucks decided it was worth the risk.
So after the trade late friday night the Canucks flew in the youngster to show him the beautiful west coast.A charter boat was the first stop and a few salmon and beers later it was loking good for the Canucks gm to get a deal done fast. After a long discussion over dinner the Canucks were able to sign Nash to a 4 yr deal.
We are pleased to have a young francise type player locked up for 4 yrs and we will now be moving in a new direction.Watch for more moves in the near future.Rumor has it that another big name is close to being dealt.

Blues rework lineup

After last season maricle run the Blues have made an early offseason splash aquiring defencemen Ed Jovonoski and LW Eric Cole and JR Dmitri Vorobiev in exchange for last seasons leading scorer Brad Richards and recently aquire Karel Rachunek. The move is a gamble for GM Foley who will have to try and get Cole signed to a long term contract. The move will give the Blues a clear cut top line D to lead the youngsters Hamhuis and Tytutin and have the experience and leadership to help develope these players into the stars they are destined to be. Not since the likes of Chris Pronger and Al macinnis petroled the blueline for the Blues have they had such a potent defence. With the team reaquiring defencemen Barrett Jackman and the emergence of Hamhuis Tytutin and Orpick the Blues should have a solid defence that will give Brodeur a security that he did not have last season.
Up front however there is a lack of scoring depth for the Blues. Perhaps the biggest move was the aquisition of Ales Hemsky and now Eric Cole who if he signs will give the Blues a solid top line of Handzuss Cole and Erat. With the move of Richards the Blues will now have to decide who will be there captains and assistants will be as the team has now traded all the players they named last season to lead the team. Speculation is that Handzuss has done a strong job as a leader in the room and is the frontrunner to wear the C. As for the assistance with a lack of good leadership who have played the minimum games required look for a guy like Hamhuis and Corbiel or perhaps even Erat to maybe wear the A this season. When asked if any decisions had been made on this subject GM Foley had these comments, "Our team has many great locker room leaders and a lack of leadership on the team has never been a problem. Dealing Richards who would have been the clear cut leader for the team will only make the decision harder. We feel that this deal however will help us in the long term and are happy to get the players involved. Both Cole and Jovanoski are solid top line players and I am looking forward to getting them into camp this season."

Lightning acquire Denis

(Tampa) - The Lightning shored up its goaltending last night with the acquisition of Marc Denis from the Buffalo Sabres. It was a surprise deal, considering Tampa has youngsters Leclaire and Lehtonen but Gm Sprackman stated that he wanted a goalie to carry the team into the playoffs again.

"If you look at our team, the one area we really needed some help was in net. Lehtonen and Leclaire are the future of the team but right now we think we have a damn fine goalie with Denis and a damn fine defence. If we get some scoring we should do alright this year and not rely on a collapse from another team to get in." Gm Sprackman stated today.

"I am extremely happy to be a Bolt. I know they won the cup 2 seasons ago and I hope I can help them get there once again. I don't have any pressure coming in here, since no one really expects a lot from Tampa but now I can show what I can do and not be a back up like I was in Buffalo." Marc Denis stated.

With the team still a a little pissed at Kubina and his holding out, Gm Sprackman has not entertained any thoughts of trading his big Dman. Instead, he has stated over and over that any offer made would be matched and then the team will sort through its financies. Hopefully some Gm doesnt get any great idea's but this team has seen it before, so a stupid offer is almost something they are waiting for.

The team is now set in net for atleast 10 more seasons and should be once again the strength of the team. Look for more moves as Gm Sprackman continues to tinker with his team.

Oilers show Confidence with a Healthy Wager vs Canes

The Oilers are showing their confidence with the new look of the Oilers roster this year. So much confidence in fact that General Manager K. Schmuck of the Oilers has placed a 5 million dollar bet that they will out perform the Carolina Hurricanes this upcoming season. 2 million goes to the team who does better on the Carolina vs Edmonton season series, another 2 million goes to the team with the better regular season performance and 1 more million to the team who does better in the playoffs. Are the canes players open to bribes that GM Mark Lohaus doesn't know about? or are the Oilers just that confident they are the better team this year?

Oilers Trade Grand-Pierre

The Oilers have moved some of their un-needed depth at defense in Exchange for CenterMan Jeff Halpern who was holding out in Columbus. The Oilers managment are looking to conjure up an appropriate deal with the hard hitting power forwed Jeff Halpern, If they can't he's likely to be moved around once more.

Boston Bruins decline to make offers to five free agents

In a second press release, the Boston Bruins have announced they will not be making offers to five players whose contracts expired with the final horn of the season.

None saw action last season with the Bruins, which is probably a telling statement on their abilities.

The five players were thirty-four year old center Kip Miller, thirty-three year old center Brian Holzinger, thirty-four year old goaltender Jim Waite, twenty-eight year old right wing Kevin Caulfield, and thirty-two year old right wing Mike Peluso.

Most were signed last year to complete roster requirements, which the Bruins feel they have under appropriate control now.

The decisions were not terribly difficult to make, General Manager Joshua Anderson said, due to the influx of talent from the junior club. From there, the club promoted a center (Pierre-Luc Emond), two right wingers (Jiri Jakes and Rick Kozack), a left winger (Martin Samuelsson) and a defenseman (Tuuka Makella). At this time, the club is also still negotiating with defenseman Andrej Meszaros and left winger Andreas Lindstrom on their contract options.

"The influx of five players, and potentially seven if we can reach agreement all around, frankly meant something had to give," Anderson stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Unfortunately, these guys had contracts coming up. That made the decision an easy one. If they had negotiated longer terms with us last year, well, they'd still be wearing our sweater."

When pushed for comment on goaltending, Anderson said the decision was not complex. "We wish Jimmy the best. Honestly. But we wanted to try the market for goalies and see if a more suitably priced option was out there. If not, we'll work with his people to bring him back - after all, he knows our system and our defenses. But we out it to the greatest fans in the world - right here in Boston! - to try for an improvement. And who knows - maybe everyone will get the bump down if we pick up the right player. But for now, Jim was the odd man out."

How this plays out will be an interesting experience for the Bruins and their fans. Two other Bruins goaltenders are pending free agency as well - primary backup John Grahame and lead farmtender, Roman Malek.

"If either of those guys reject our offer outright, we will consider making an offer to Wait to ensure we stay in compliance with the league rules," Anderson stated.

Martin Samuelsson moves up

Martin Samuelsson, who scored twenty-one goals and added twenty assists in seventy-two games last season with the Providence Bruins, had his contract option picked up to join the parent club in Boston for next season.

This was the fifth such announcement from the Boston organization today, sixth if you count the non-announcement on defenseman Andrej Meszaros.

"We are eager to see what Martin can do with the big boys," GM Joshua Anderson said as he and Samuelsson posed for pictures. "What we do know is last year, we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

The wing will be put in competition with two current Bruins for the fourth left wing spot. Another player, Andreas Lindstrom, may also be put in contention for the spot if his contract option is exercised. Last year, the Bruins used Pierre Turgeon and Matt Hartigan in the role. Both return to the club this year. Samuelsson is considered to be a stronger all-around player, but Hartigan has the nod in scoring and puck control ability. Samuelsson is better defensivly, which could play in his favor as many times the Bruins fourth wing matches up against a double-shifting line for the opposition. However, Samuelsson is also considered to be "near-thug" by his peers, though sneaky at it - he was whistled for only thirty-four penalty minutes in Providence last season.

Samuelson represented more than one-tenth of the total offense for the Providence club last season, including two power play goals and four game-winners, a team-high. The Bruins need such a killer instinct in the hopes of improving on last year's failed run at the playoffs.

Terms of the deal were not announced, but league rules require all call-ups to sign a two-year deal. Unconfirmed reports say the twenty-five year old signed for $700,000 a season with a signing bonus of $700,000 as well.

Double J is a B

That's right - Jiri Jakes is the latest Bruin from Providence to get the call to the parent club, the team announced in an early afternoon press conference.

"Double J is going to be joining the Little B's to begin the season, likely playing in direct competition with Rick Kozack for the top spot on the right side," GM Joshua Anderson announced.

The scorer of nineteen goals and twenty-four assists for the wretched Providence club, Jakes finished fifth in scoring for the team. Three of his goals were game winners, tied for second most on the team with potential fellow call-up Andreas Lindstrom.

Anderson continued, "It was not just the numbers we could read on the stats sheets that made this decision easy for us. No, what we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

Jakes' contract, like all others in the Boston organization, was not released. However, when talking with WGBH about the contract, he expressed amazement about the amount. "To be making $700,000 a year? I never DREAMED of that as a child!" A signing bonus of $700,000 was also said to be included.

Darren McLachlan not exercised

The Boston Bruins passed on a press conference and instead, released only a brief statement to announce they would not be exercising their call-up option on left wing Darren McLachlan.

The CLUTCH Hockey Club of Boston, the Bruins, wish Darren McLachlan well in his future endeavors and hockey playing. We have negotiated terms today with representatives of Mr. McLachlan to allow him to explore his options with other franchises.

We appreciate the efforts he put forth during his tenure with the Bruins family. However, we do not feel our current roster make-up and his skills mesh to the point he could contend for a spot with the club.

His fourteen points in last season's effort with the Providence club do not speak to the magnitude of his personality and persistence he put forth. He was a guiding force in the club house, and if not for rules imposed by the league, we would happily welcome him back to Providence. Last year, he developed as a player, but the team does not believe he has the potential to bloom even further. If it is to happen, it will happen in something other than a a Bruins sweater.

McLachlan and his agent can be reached at www.darrenmclachlanneedsajob.com for other clubs who wish to tender him an offer.

Peace in the Middle East. And word to your mother.

Bruins hold press conference to announce...

Nothing.

That's what the Bruins announced in an impromptu conference at the Fleet Center this afternoon, amid their numerous OTHER press conferences today.

"We've been asked repeatedly today about the status of Andrej Meszaros and whether he will be joining the Bruins' roster for the upcoming season," GM Joshua Anderson addressed in the session. "We are eager to see what the big guy can do on the pro ice, but at this time we are working with his representatives to make that happen."

Mezaros, who, despite his hyped pedigree, was a fair-to-middling defenseman with the junior club, has been seen working out extensively with personal trainers and was spotted being tutored by Cam Neely in recent weeks.

Anderson reemphasized his desire to make something worked out with Meszaros. "Frankly, what we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

The player's agent was seen on the fourth floor of the arena, but did not appear to be smiling. That does not appear to be a positive sign for Bruins fans.

Rick Kozack packs for Boston

"We're sort of sorry to keep calling you in," Boston Bruins GM Joshua Anderson said as sportswriters filed in, "but we just want to announce everything while players are here and the ink is drying. That's why we are pleased to welcome the next right wing for the Boston Bruins, Rick Kozack."

As Kozack filed to the main stage and posed awkwardly for pictures with the GM, a review of his statistics in Providence showed why the team was happy to bring him up. Kozack was the third leading scorer on the team in goals and points, with twenty goals and twenty-five assists. He was one of the few Providence Bruins to be positive in the plus-minus, and amassed only eighteen penalty minutes in his seventy-two games.

Kozack also scored seven goals on the power play and one on penalty kill, potentially bringing a skill set the Bruins desparately need on the special teams.

"We expect Rick to continue his development with the Bruins "B" team here in Boston," Anderson said. "We were pleased with the output, but what we really saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

Terms of the deal were unannounced, but Kozack's representatives confirmed it was a two year deal worth $650,000 per year. An additional $800,000 signing bonus was tossed in to help Kozack with moving expenses and strippers.

Many reporters were staying close to the Fleet Center, both because of the free food, but because several other Bruins prospects were spotted on site. Among them were Jiri Jakes, Martin Samuelsson, and Darren McLachlan. Announcements are expected to be forthcoming announcing their signings.

Tuuka Makela gets "the call"

The Boston Bruins made the second announcement of the day when they debuted Tuuka Makela in his Boston third sweater at a press conference late in the morning.

"Tuuka net nine goals and twenty assists for us in significant minutes with Providence last season, but more importantly, while his plus-minus may not show it, he was a force for the defense - and he did so cleanly," GM Joshua Anderson proclaimed while singing Makela's praises. "He was credited with two hundred and twelve hits over the season in seventy-seven games, yet was assessed only fifty-four penalty minutes. Not too shabby, if you ask me. More importantly, what we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

As the roster is made up currently, Makela would fall in as likely the fourth defenseman. "Our defensive corp is passable but needs some improvement," Anderson stated. "Tuuka could well be part of that improvement, we hope. However, we also expect to have to be a player in some free agents to shore up the defensive unit, and frankly, so be it. We're not done with our call-ups and negotiations, and we'll do what we have to."

As with all Bruins signings, the terms of the deal were unannounced, but inside sources report the twenty-five year old defenseman will receive $700,000 a year, supplemented by a $600,000 signing bonus.

A third Bruins press conference is scheduled for shortly after lunch, and the team has pledged to have sandwiches. This will likely be the most well-attended conference of the year, since sportswriters are known for their love of free food.

Bruins call up Pierre-Luc Emond

The first of what will undoubtedly be several call-ups for the Boston Bruins was made today when the franchise and Pierre-Luc Emond came to terms on a two year deal, pursuant to league rules.

"PL, as we call him, put up forty points for the team last year in primarily a third line spot," GM Joshua Anderson said in the press conference. "But what we saw was him develop as a player, and we believe he has some potential to bloom even further. We want that to happen in a Bruins sweater."

The terms of the deal were unannounced, but inside sources report the twenty-four year old center is receiving $650,000 a year, complemented by a $650,000 signing bonus.

Emond is expected to contend for the fifth center spot, putting him number one on the farm roster. Anderson also hinted Emond may contend with Andy Hilbert for the fourth center spot.

"Obviously, we don't want to rule out anything. But we consider to be a better scorer and passer - two keys for a center - and holds a definitive edge in defense. However, these are almost negated by his lack of discipline and puck control skills. Basically, we'll throw them both in for some runs in the preseason and see what develops. I don't believe farm club time would be a bad thing for PL, but if he is ready, he is ready."

The Bruins had a second press conference scheduled for later in the morning, where it is expected another in a series of call-ups will occur.

JOKINEN READIES AS CENTER ATTRACTION

Carolina

With a season that was less than impressive, offensive sniper Olli Jokinen has spent much of his summer in Helsinki and parts of southern Lapland in his cottage.

Jokinen, 27, has made himself front and center in Carolina as the newly acquired pivot will center one of the league’s newest big lines between Dany Heatley and Brian Gionta.

"It is setting up to be a very exciting year for us in Carolina," said Jokinen. "I have not spoken to any of the team yet and we have not held a practice so I am sort of up in the air as to who is who, but I will get familiar when camp opens."

Jokinen has spent a lot of time this summer with Canes prospects Lauri Tukonen and Lauri Korpikoski in Helskinki. Both prospects have felt the influence of Jokinen and spoke highly of their new tutor.

"Olli is sort of a hero here because he is one of the top Finnish players in the league," said Tukonen. “"He is probably the most skilled Finnish player at least and he has definitetly helped the two of us develop this summer. I hope that some day in the future, we can be a line and see what happens but right now, I am enjoying this time."

Jokinen has one year left on his deal and the hope in Carolina is that the talented centerman gives the club reason to sign him long term. That is especially true considering the Canes dealt highly touted young center Kyle Wellwood to acquire Jokinen.

NY Shocker! Nash dealt for Bertuzzi!

The New York Rangers parted with the Rick Nash who they has professed over and over again to be their franchise player after he held out on them during negotiations. The Rangers acquired one of the biggest stars in the league in Todd Bertuzzi in return.

"There is no I in TEAM," said an obviously tired and despondent GM Burns. "We will not sacrifice our salary structure for one player. We negotiated in good faith with Nash but he got greedy. When he told us he was holding out and talking to other teams we felt we had to deal him before another team put in a ridiculous 7-10 million dollar contract which we would then have to match. This would have pushed us too close to the cap to improve in other areas. We wanted to build the team around him and we're very disappointed in his decision."

"Having said that we are absolutely thrilled to have Todd Bertuzzi on our team. We talked to almost every GM in the league at length and had some great offers but getting Todd's blend of ferocious power and sublime skill is a real exciting thing for us. He's a difference maker every time he steps on the ice."

"We had trouble scoring last year but that shouldn't be the case this year with Bertuzzi, Alfredsson, Sundin, Bure, Dumont, Ribeirio, Ponikarovsky, Redden, and Pilar in our line up. We're very excited about our team."

Call-ups begin

The Boston Bruins, whose farm club was simply terrible last season, faces the unenviable task of decided what to do with some of the bums for the coming year.

"First off, we want to applaud Mark Lohaus for his proposal to extend the Junior Age limit," Anderson stated in a press conference to discuss the farm team. "Not only is it prudent in the face of the concerns he laid out, but it is going to be beneficial to the Bruins organization and hopefully to those players."

The Bruins farm system performed even worse than the parent club did, managing just over a .300 winning percentage. Jordan Sigalet took the brunt of the abuse in net, accounting for nearly eight-five percent of the losses behind a defense which featured a maturing - though still developing - Andrej Meszaros, who no one would confuse with a future talent for his time in Providence. Zach Tarkir was the only mediocre performing defenseman on the roster, a sure sign of trouble for the goalie.

"We will be thoroughly evaluating all talent in the Junior System and expect to have decisions on the majority by sunrise. This is what we call a Goofball Night back home," Anderson mused. "We're all gonna be hopped up on goofballs, and we'll see what develops."

Bruins prepare to roll the dice

It may be literally a dice roll for contracts, but it will be a figurative one as well. The Boston Bruins appear to be at a cross roads related to the future of the franchise.

General Manager Joshua Anderson took over a team about one year ago which was in shambles - no cash, few prospects, little talent, and some godawful ugly contracts.

Due to constraints out of his control related to a career change and moves, Anderson was unable to do much to help the franchise in his first offseason. Overwhelmed and underresourced, he made attempts to get the team by. Few, if any, improvements were made, and those that were done were minimal.

Furthermore, his attempts to make some free agency moves were thwarted when the St. Louis Blues tried to poach Tim Connolly via free agency. All money which had been stockpiled, as well as an emergency fund, were diverted to the Keep Tim in Boston act. The move ultimately proved successful, but hamstrung the franchise for some time.

Sitting with Keith Tkachuk as its biggest name - and contract - Anderson considered moving the talented though maddening wing. Due to the gargantuan contract, though, Tkachuk would fetch nowhere near fair value. A push was made, successfully, to buy down the contract, which helped alleviate some of the Bruins fiscal woes. A surge on the ice improved attendance, and the team sits in better, though not spectacular, position fiscally.

The team also made a sizable push in activity, ultimately coming in second to a deserving John Henry of the Washington Capitals in the final Activity Points standings. The move helped to net a supplemental draft pick for the Bruins which will aid in the rebuilding of a woebegotten farm system.

So as the Bruins prepare to roll the dice tonight related to their free agents, they will be doing so with many thoughts. The team suffered an epic collapse in the last month of the season, when GM Joshua Anderson was unreachable during the stretch run in Europe. This bookended the teams godawful start, drawing the question of just how good are these bums?

The team will undoubtedly make a run for their own RFAs, if for no other reason but to secure their rights. But if the bidding goes high, or the bonuses demanded are outrageous, what will they do? Match the demands... or start over?

Do the Boston fans have it in them to suffer again through a painful season? Do Anderson and his notorious southern drawl and Irish temper have the patience? Is a short term gain worth the long term cost? Only the future knows for sure. Maybe the dice can give us a glimpse to which path it will be.

Sens make HUGE deal for a Goalie!

The Ottawa Senators have FINALLY acquired a legitimate #1 Goalie. GM Schmucky announced on Thursday that the deal between the Flyers and Sens had been approved which sees veteran tender Chris Osgood come to Ottawa in exchange for a JR D man in Hendrikx and their 2nd round pick.

"It's great to have a goalie of Ozzy's calibre. No excuses in net this year. Ozzy has 2 CLUTCH cups with 2 different organizations so he not only adds talent in net but he also brings with him leadership and experience."

It is likely that Roman Turek will stick around and assume backup duties but that leaves Fred Brathwaite on the backburner. Fred makes 1.5 million this year and will most likely be bought out by the club in order to save cap space.

"It's not like we're predicting a cup this year now, but we should be a lot better! Goaltending was among one of our biggest issues last season."

Osgood, who was a protected UFA this offseason would only agree to a short term deal putting Schmucky in a sticky spot for the upcoming offseason when he decides to protect or trade either Osgood or Selanne.

"We'll figure that out when the time comes. If the team looks shaky, we could move more than just those two this season. If we are solid, that is when it will be a tough call!"

CANES MOVE PICKS FOR JUNIORS

After a disappointing first round loss, the Carolina Hurricanes added some junior help for the upcoming season. Mark Mancari and Andrej Sekera were acquired in exchange for a 4th and 5th rounder and an undisclosed amount of cash.

In Mancari, the club has picked up a powerhouse forward with a big shot and some aggression. Mancari, the former standout of the Ottawa 67's, has always been known as a big body with soft hands.

Sekera also was picked up. The former Owen Sound Attack defenseman had a brilliant junior career ended early with an injury and is looking for some redemption this year with the junior Canes.

"These two fill a void for us that we needed addressed," said head coach Craig Hartsburg. "Both guys have skill and both should be able to contribute this season."

Mancari especially should be front and center in the Canes plans. The big forward has a knack for scoring big goals and is ready to step up.

"Guys around the league know all about the Canes junior club," Said Mancari. "They are deep and very dangerous. I know they have a pile of guys graduating this year, but from what I can tell, they have a wild group of guys returning. I am hoping to get in the lineup and make some noise this year. This is sort of the year for me. I either step up or decide to make a new career for myself."

Sekera will likely have a more difficult time making the club. With several returning and talented defensemen all vying for the same spot, Sekera will have to show off his skills early in camp. Craig Harstburg looks forward to the competition in camp.

"We have the six defense already decided on this year. If Andrej wants to be a part, this is where he proves he belongs. I am more than comfortable with the guys we have this year so he has to show me something. Depth is always a bonus though when you are a coach and I look forward to the options."

CANES ACQUIRE D-MAN

With the offseason rolling along, the Canes identified a position which was lacking on the blueline. The Canes sent out some feelers around the league and found a solid offer on the table from the Buffalo Sabres in Toni Lydman, the skilled, smooth skating defender.

"The offer came in that the Sabres were looking to acquire a solid two way type of forward," said head coach Joel Quenneville. "We had several discussions previously about who we felt could be moved and who we were planning on using. McCauley was the guy we felt would likely see the least amount of time and we, as a collective group, felt he was too good to sit. The deal was pretty much a given."

Lydman will bring solid puck moving skills and a speedy player on the backend, something that could be easily used with the departure of Carlo Colaiacovo in the Dany Heatley deal.


"We really felt Lydman would benefit us. Off hand, I would suggest he will be lined up with Dion Phaneuf, our young rookie. I could also suggest he might see time with Jeff Woywitka. He and Carlo played well last season and maybe that is the role I would want of Toni. Time will tell there."

The Canes latest deal also added an additional 600 thousand to the cap. With Jeff Friesen currently holding out, the Canes might have to shuffle bodies to make the room needed.

Bruins excited about rerate for Meszaros

"We're quite pleased that the league saw and accepted our arguments," Boston Bruins General Manager Joshua Anderson stated. "With his rerating, we believe Andrej Meszaros can be a productive part of our team and our future, as we always expected and hoped."

The Bruins had hoped their farm system prodigy would be able to step up to the pro level in the upcoming season based on his performance in the NHL last year. While the CLUTCH Powers had not rated him as favorably originally, there was little denying what his performance would allow for in the coming years.

"Well, now we have to pay him to come to the big leagues... but I think that is a price we are comfortable with for his current talent and his long-term potential," GM Joshua Anderson stated. "We're a bit disappointed they did not set his defensive and passing stats a bit higher, but we can accept it."

Bruins emerge from hibernation

After a several month delay, the Boston Bruins have emerged from hibernation to discover they missed very little.

"Wow... I mean, for as long as we slept, we figured something would have gone on. Guess not..." said Bruin the Brown Bear, team mascot.

"Good to see we have not yet lost anyone though. Well, excpet for that Columbus Blue Jackets GM, but he seemed to be a putz anyway. Who quits in a huff like that? How about we bring back Tom? I'm kinda hungry, and he looks like he has some meat on him." Bruin the Brown Bear continued.

As Bruin rubbed the sleep out of his eyes - which, pardon the pun, is a bear to do after several months - he blinked a couple of times. "I had no idea we were hanging out in the GFHL. Who is teaching Ryan how to run this place? George Bush?"

Reading the message board, Bruin the Brown Bear decided it was time for him to go back to sleep. "Wake me when we're ready to go," he mumbled.

Rangers Tender Offers...Await Players Response

The New York Rangers sent offers to their player agents yesterday and await the response from their agents.

Who will sign on the dotted line?

Rumour has it that career minor leaguers Dale Purinton, Tomi Karlsson, Kristofer Ottoson, and Brad Church have all accepted contracts and that Espen Knutsen and Niko Dimitrakos will both be cut loose by the Rangers.

The Rangers are in good position going into the resigning period in terms of the number of players without contracts as they only have four. Management in New York still has to be sweating a bit though as team leading goal scorer Pavel Bure, captain JP Dumont, assistant captain Mike Ribeirio, and young superstar Rick Nash are the players in question.

"We've got a dilemma in terms of who to use our Franchise Player option on," said GM David Burns in an phone interview. "Those are four very important players to our team. We want them all back but contract negotiation is a tricky business. Pavel is unrestricted so our chances of retaining him are about 50/50 without the Franchise player option. With our RFA's we're about 75% sure they'll sign. There's three of them so the odds are still in our favour but we're really worried about losing any of them. We dealt a quality scorer in Radek Dvorak to get Mario in the hopes of making a cup run so we can't afford to lose any more players. Our biggest concern on the RFA front is retaining Rick Nash. We're leaning towards using our Franchise Player option on him or Bure."

If the Rangers come out of the re-signing period unscathed they'll have a solid core and some cap space to go after some free agents. If one or more players hold out the Rangers are hinting that they will match any offers and trade the players. Whatever happens the next few days will be critical in determining the Rangers chance bettering last years excellent season.

Bruins continue to be amazed by Saprykin

Free agent negotiations with Oleg Saprykin continue to go splendid. The Boston Bruins were, of course, surprised - though of course, extend their sympathies to the Washington Capitals, who are now stuck in the same SapryRut.

Once again, Saprykin has deemed he will "never, ever" sign a contract with the franchise holding his rights.

"We worked with Oleg and his representatives every step of the way to try to get him back in a Bruins sweater," GM Joshua Anderson said when told Saprykin had rejected the Capitals overtures. "When it became evident he was just not going to work with us, we dealt him to Washington. I feel for John Henry, knowing the position he is now in. Frankly, I question whether Oleg even WANTS to play hockey anymore."

Told of these comments, representatives for Saprykin only laughed. "Of course he wants to play hockey - he just wanted nothing to do with that loser franchise in Boston!" his lead agent guffawed.

When asked about rejecting the Capitals offer as well, the agents had no comment at this time.

Kubina Tests Waters !!!!!

(Tampa) - Today, team captain and the leader for 5 seasons, Pavel Kubina turned down a contract and decided to test the restricted free agency that he is entitled to. This was something Gm Sprackman wasn't looking forward too but has already stated that any offer made to his Dman will result in a match.

"I will not let my top player walk away for measly picks and cash. Thats just retarded and I will not allow such a thing to happen. If some dumb ass Gm offers a great big contract to him, I will match and dump some younger, mid range contracts on the farm to stay under the cap. After that I will get some cash and renegotaite the contract to a reasonable contract for my team. I certainly hope that people understand that having Kubina leave would be a big mistake and one I am not going to do." Gm Sprackman stated.

Besides that the team faired well in the rolls with only a couple of no name players not getting a contract. With the jr's coming up, there shouldn't be any holes for the pro team. The jr's however are a different story and will be talked about later.

Oilers Make Final Cuts and Sign Junior Call-Ups

The Edmonton Oilers concluded their cuts today and trimmed down their roster to 30 pro players. The signing started with Power Forward Brian McConnell, Known for dropping his gloves and being one of the Junior Oilers top enforcers Brian was able to tally 38 pts when he wasn't in the box. McConnell is expected to spend a lot of time in the AHL while playing a limited role from time to time as a 4th line center/enforcer for the Oilers. The Oilers 2nd signing was Left Winger Alexei Mikhnov who led the Junior Oilers in scoring with 59 pts in 81 games. Alexei will be competing for a Left Wing starting position with veteraen Yachmenev and the Oilers 3rd signing of the day Salmelainen. Tony Salmelainen's speed may be his ticket over Mikhnov and Yachmenev for a starting spot in the line-up. He has been out skating some of the better pro players in camp. Recently acquired Right Wing Junior Lessard received a 2 year deal as well today. His scoring touch in training camp is untouchable compared to the other juniors. Last season he played on the Junior Hurricanes, Notching 25 goals and adding 39 assists for a total 64 pts which would put him on top of the Junior Oilers in scoring. Expect to see Lessard in a constant pro roll on the 4th line in Edmonton. Paul Flache was the last junior to make the team. Flache a solid defensman last year for the Junior Oilers showed a lot of maturity this year in training camp and the Oilers are graduating him to their AHL farm team to grow more as a defensman and see if he is right for the Oilers pro line-up.

Oilers sign Amonte & Aucoin

The Edmonton Oilers managment solidified two of their best players early today. They made a deal with Unrestricted Free Agent Tony Amonte for 3 years. Amonte is a key right winger and it would be hard to see him go to the free agent market. Amonte was acquired late in the season from the Devils and was expected to play the open free agent market but he liked where he was in the Oilers line up and clicked well with the Oiler players. Amonte had 77 points last season including 31 goals and 46 assistes. His veterean prescence goal along well with the Oilers theme and he will be able to fill Frolov's spot who was traded this off season. Adrian Aucoin was acquired as a soon-to-be UFA as well and the was the Oilers top defenseman. Aucoin held out for more money (some critics say more then he's worth) but the Oilers couldn't let him go and signed a long term deal with their star defensman. The Oilers have went ahead and solidified their roster even before the Free Agent market opened and all they will need to add would be considered a bonus to their existing roster.

JR Callups Could Look Good in Ottawa

As the Ottawa Senators await the results of their offer sheets put out on Saturday, GM Schmucky is hard at work trying to sort out the mess that is JR Callup time! With 6 players no longer fit for Junior, GM Schmucky will have some tough decisions to make. Is there room for all 6 on the pro farm roster or will some have to be sent off to free agency?

Today we will discuss the top 3 JR callups for the Sens that definitely will not be left unsigned:
1) RW Chris Kelly - Kelly put up solid numbers last year for the Sens placing 3rd in team scoring. However, his biggest role this year with the Pro Sens could be on the Penalty Kill. Kelly's summer camps have focused solely on Defense as he tries to find a weakness in the pro squad that he could fill. With 77 DF, Kelly could see himself on the Sens Checking line to start the season and 2nd PK Line.

2) C - Nick Tarnasky - Tarnasky led the JR Sens in scoring last season and had plans of leading them to a JR Cup run before those bastard Panthers got in the way. Tarnasky has a great scoring touch but it is his Strength and Puck Control that make him a force on the ice. At 22 years old, Tarnasky will most likely see himself with the Farm Squad for most of this season which should give him time to grow and develop into a useful pro player.

3)RW - Tomas Plihal - Plihal had an outstanding year with the JR squad. Moving himself from a 67 OV rating to a 72 this year just goes to show how much this youngster has improved; and that improvement came without training camps due to his age. Plihal is not a scoring winger as much as he is a fast, passing player that soars down the wing always looking to make a play. Plihal will stay with the Farm squad as well this season looking to improve just a little more before cracking the youthful Senators Pro roster.

Sens GM Has Fingers Crossed!

Sens GM Jason Schmuck has his fingers crossed after submitting his presignings to the Commissioner's office this weekend. With a this season finally in view, GM Schmucky has prepared his offer sheets and is hoping for the best, especially when it comes to his key players.

First off is newly acquired superstar, Alexei Kovalev. The Senators chose to use their Franchise Player tag on him this year to ensure that he remains with the club for at least one season. In keeping with club policy, no details on the offer have been released. However, it is rumoured that the Sens have offered Kovalev a long-term deal with hopes of locking Selanne up next season.



Next up is youngster, Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Schmucky has been keen on this guy since the get-go but is still extremely disappointed that the previous GM encouraged Bouchard to jump to the CLUTCH so quickly, rather than spending a year or two in the Junior ranks. However, Bouchard has improved greatly over the past 2 years and should be a force out on the ice this year as he secures a 2nd line Center job, pushing veteran Nedved to the checking line.

Finally, superstar defenseman Ryan Whitney is reported to be on the Senators list of players that must be resigned. Whitney improved a great deal this season moving into the 80's in DF and being known now as one of the premiere young D-men in CLUTCH. Again, the terms are undisclosed but it is reported that the Sens are trying to lock Whitney up for a long-term deal as well as Bouchard and Kovy.