NHL Today: Leafs Trade McCabe and Preds suspend Radulov

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The Toronto Maple Leafs did what many said they couldn’t… they successfully traded veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe, and by doing so, removed their biggest contractual obligation. The trade sees Bryan McCabe and a 4th round draft pick go to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Mike Van Ryn. McCabe waived his no trade clause to make this trade possible.

“We are very pleased to have acquired a player with Bryan’s talent level and playing experience,” Panthers general manager Jacques Martin said in a statement. “Bryan is a big, strong, hard-hitting defenseman who also possesses the ability to be a goal-scorer and play on special teams. He will be counted on to play an integral role on our defense and to help bring future success to our franchise.”

The Alexander Radulov saga in Nashville may be finally coming to and end. The Nashville Predators today suspended Radulov without pay after the forward refused to return to the NHL from his Russian KHL team. Radulov was the Predator’s third leading scorer last season with 58 points.

“At some point, we hope Alex will have a desire to return to the NHL and compete in the best league in the world, with and against the best competition. We will re-visit his status at that time,” Poile said. Until then, we are focused on the players who are representing the Predators and providing them the necessary support and guidance. We will not allow Alex’s situation to be a distraction and, as such, will have no further comment on Alex or his situation.”

The Vancouver Canucks have traded forward Ryan Shannon to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat. Shannon was a member of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup winning team, and was traded to the Canucks that summer. In his time with the Canucks Shannon put up 5 goals and 13 points in 27 games.

Source: Yahoo! Sports | TSN | NHL.com

Technorati Tags: toronto maple leafs, florida panthers, anaheim ducks, ottawa senators, vancouver canucks, nhl, ice hockey, hockey

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Sakic Returns For A 20th Season

The answer to whether Joe Sakic would return for another season has finally been answered. The 39-year old captain of the Colorado Avalanche will be returning for another season, his 20th in a long and successful NHL career.

Sakic signed a 1-year $6 Million dollar contract with the Avalanche on Wednesday, ensuring hockey fans will get to see the captain put on the blue and maroon sweater in the 2008-2009 NHL season.

“Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing,” the 39-year-old captain said in a statement released by the team. “I’m comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I’m ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season.”
- Yahoo! Sports

Sakic has had a successful NHL career, putting together 623 Goals, 1006 Assists for 1629 Points in 1363 games, almost 1.2 points per game.

Coming off a low season where he only dressed for 44 games (13G 27A) due to a sports hernia, Sakic will be hoping to again set himself on pace for a point a game and attempt to lead his team deep into the playoffs.

Technorati Tags: nhl, ice hockey, colorado avalanche, joe sakic

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The “1 2 3″ on why Brunnstrom is great for the Stars

While we await the start of the NHL training camps, there has been a lot of talk about the 2 top signings by the Dallas Stars; Sean Avery and Fabian Brunnstrom.

While Avery is known to everybody (if you don’t know who Avery is, get out from behind your rock), Brunnstrom is a mystery. We’ve all read the reports about how he was referred to as “the best player outside of the NHL right now” (Malkin got this same label, btw) or how he’s overrated, but in truth we really know very little.

So here are 3 small things about Fabian Brunnstrom that (in my mind at least) make him a great addition to the Stars.

1. He’s a battler
At the age of 19, Brunnstrom quite literally crashed out of the Allsvenskan Hockey League, a division below the Elite League. To many, such a situation would destroy their career, but to Fabian, the demotion to Div 1 gave him a choice; battle and become the best or accept defeat. He chose to fight, and in doing so not only proved to himself he was destined to be an NHL hockey player, he proved it to the scouts, and eventually to Brett Hull and Les Jackson of the Dallas Stars, who signed him to an NHL contract. If you wonder why being a battler is great… go back and watch Stephane Robidas get his nose broken in last seasons playoffs and watch how he went right back out there, unable to breathe, probably in pain and gave it his all.

2. Alfy V.2
Brunnstrom is said to play a similar game to Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson. According to most scouting reports, he is a speedy skater with soft hands, good technical skills and a strong offensive upside. Most importantly, much like Alfy, he also has very good hockey sense and a strong positive attitude.

3. A moldable player
Brunnstrom himself states he is unsure if he’s ready for the next big step in his career, the NHL. He is however willing to throw himself in the hands of the Stars front office and coaching staff and allow them to help him become “that” player. While many may see his doubt as negative, his attitude and willingness to trust the coaching staff is a major positive.

I for one am more than pleased with the Stars organization for winning the “Brunnstrom Sweeps”. It does have risk involved, but the upside far outweighs them.

Technorati Tags: nhl, ice hockey, fabian brunnstrom, dallas stars

Penguins Whitney out 3-5 months

News came down the wire earlier today that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney will be out between 3 to 5 months after having surgery to correct a chronic issue with his left foot.

Whitney, who dropped in production last year after a breakout 2006-2007 that secured him a 6-year, $24 million deal tried everything he could to avoid surgery that he knew would put him off the ice long-term.

“We’ve tried everything to avoid surgery because we knew it would mean missing a chunk of the season, but nothing worked.”
-Whitney to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Whitney, a 6 foot 4, 219lb defenseman is said to be the eventual replacement for Sergei Gonchar. Like Gonchar, Whitney is a strong offensive upside to his game. The loss for the Penguins on the blue line should not be too bad, however players like Kris Letang will need to step up their game to fill the gap.

Technorati Tags: ice hockey, nhl, pittsburgh penguins, ryan whitney, kris letang, sergei gonchar

Aussies waiting for the NHL in winter

The sun has just set and tonight the temperatures will drop below freezing. There may even be snow on the ground tomorrow morning. You could be forgiven for thinking that the ideal evening pastime would be to get in the car, or in front of the TV and watch the NHL.

For those of us down here in Australia however, these cold winter months are the worse time of year for dedicated NHL hockey fans. The NHL starts in our Spring, just when the temperatures are warming up, and runs through to Autumn.

So what do hockey fans do down here during the winter months? For the die-hard hockey fans, Australia has the AIHL, Australian Ice Hockey League, which consists of 8 teams spread across the country. The amateur league is a far cry from the big lights of the NHL, but has a growing fan base from around Australia, and in fact, from around the world.

Over the last 4 seasons teams across the country have had import players from a wide range of leagues, including the QMJHL, LNAH, CIS, AHL and even the NHL. 2 big name players that have seen time in the Australian league are Steve McKenna (who played for the Adelaide Avalanche) and Rob Zamuner (Brisbane Blue Tongues).

The AIHL will be all over in the next few weeks, with the top 4 teams battling it out to take home the Goodall Cup (one of the oldest hockey trophies in the entire world!).

After that, Australian hockey fans will begin to get excited about he upcoming NHL season.Technorati

Tags: aihl, nhl, brisbane blue tongues, gold coast blue tongues, adelaide avalanche, ice hockey

Hull, Leetch, Richter and Granato to Hockey Hall

Former NHL all-stars Brett Hull, Brian Leetch & Mike Richter, along with Cammi Granato are members of the 2008 class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Brett Hull, one of the all time leading scorers in hockey won 2 Stanley Cups with Dallas and Detroit. His NHL career spanned 20 years in which it put up 741 goals and 1391 points.

Brian Leetch, an 11 time all-star played 17 of his 18 year career with the New York Rangers. His trophy cabinet include 2 Norris Trophies and was also a Stanley Cup MVP.

Mike Richter also played for the New York Rangers and spent 14 years in the NHL between the pipes.

Cammi Granato is the all time scoring leader for the United States Women’s Hockey Team, putting up 343 points in 205 games.

Congratulations!

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Technorati Tags: all-star, nhl all star, new york rangers, dallas stars, detroit red wings, hockey hall of fame, us hockey hall of fame

Kings sign first-round draft choice D Doughty

Reproduced article from Yahoo! Sports.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with defenseman Drew Doughty, the second overall pick in the 2008 draft.

The 18-year-old Doughty had 13 goals and 37 assists in 58 regular-season games for Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League last season. The 6-foot, 219-pounder had three goals and six assists in 10 playoff games.

Doughty was one of four draft-eligible players to help Team Canada win a gold medal at the world junior championships this year. He was chosen as the top defenseman of the tournament after recording four assists in seven games.

Technorati Tags: los angeles kings, nhl, ice hockey, drew doughty

3 in the running to be Islanders coach

The New York Islanders coaching saga might be finally coming to an end. Isles GM Garth Snow has narrowed the field down to just 3 candidates.

After a painstaking interview process in which he spoke with eight known candidates and contacted a few others, an NHL source indicated Snow has narrowed his list to three finalists. Former Atlanta coach Bob Hartley, former Toronto coach Paul Maurice and current AHL Providence coach Scott Gordon still are in the running, and Snow is expected to name one as the Isles’ next coach early this week.
- Newsday.com

Recently ruled out of the running were former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella and former Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville, both of whom were originally favored to be very good chances at the job.

After last seasons conflicts between Garth Snow and coach Ted Nolan, Snow is taking his time to ensure the new head coach of the Islanders works well within the teams front office system.

Technorati Tags: new york islanders, garth snow, nhl, ice hockey

Sundin - Toronto or Nothing?

According to an article in the Toronto Star, Toronto General Manager Cliff Fletcher has stated that Mats Sundin has started working out in preparation for what it appears could be another year in the NHL.

“He’s working out off the ice and he’s supposed to start on the ice the beginning of the week.(in Sweden)”

Could it be a case of Toronto or Bust for Sundin? Turning down the huge offer from the Canucks or $20 million over 2 years sure gives the impression that Sundin is not interested in donning another teams jersey.

And why should he? We’re talking about a guy who has put his heart and soul into the Leafs, and who through all the years has been a solid ambassador for the game. He deserves the right to stay in Toronto and finish his contract there.

Technorati Tags: toronto maple leafs, mats sundin, nhl, ice hockey

Daryl “Razor” Reaugh on NHL Off-Season

Daryl Reaugh is known for his humor. As color commentator for the Dallas Stars, “Razor” has even created his own language known as “Razorisms”, with such phrases as “succulent saucer pass” and “Turcolicious”.

Recently Razor posted his thoughts on the NHL off-season on his blog, “Razor With An Edge“.

He talks about topics ranging from the New York Islanders coaching positions…

The Isles tend to do their thinking outside of the box and in that vein I suggest they resurrect the old “player/coach” double-duty and give the job to former Star, Bill Guerin. Billy G would be perfect. He’d be a latter day Reg Dunlop — sans the tan leather suit, the Hansons, and the inability to skate…

to Mats Sundin and the Maple Leafs…

Any moment now Mats Sundin is going to tell us all whether or not he feels his kids’ children’s offspring may need an influx of cash some day. I’m not sure if it’s sad or purely dumbfounding that $20,000,000.00 for two years worth of skating and shooting just isn’t intoxicating enough to be a no-brainer…

and of course, NHL off-season TV…

With no hockey to watch during the off-season the best “guy shows” to watch are…

Grab a drink, take a seat and have a read of yet another class Razor blog post!

Source: Razor With An Edge

Technorati Tags: nhl, ice hockey, dallas stars, toronto maple leafs, new york islanders, mats sundin, bill guerin, daryl reaugh