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| Legein quitting hockey??? | Tuesday 8/19, 11:17 PM CT |
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The Columbus Blue Jackets got some shocking news on Tuesday when they learned that prospect Stefan Legein has decided to quit playing hockey, according to TSN.
Our View: According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets were informed of Legein's decision by his agent Doug Woods, telling them he won't be at training camp and has decided to hang up his skates at the age of 19. Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson confirmed the report to the Dispatch but when contacted by the newspaper, Legein's mother said she hadn't heard the news while his father denied the report. |
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| Wild may trade Gaborik | Tuesday 8/19, 6:34 PM CT |
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Wild assistant GM Tom Lynn has told reporters the club will have to consider trading star RW Marian Gaborik if he doesn't accept their contract offers, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "If he were to indicate he wasn't going to sign, then we'd have to make a decision about whether we'd want to play with that distraction," Lynn told the Pioneer Press. "We would have to weigh the pros and cons, and if that time came and he was not re-signing, then we would have to decide his trade value. But it's not an automatic."
Our View: Lynn told the Pioneer Press the Wild would contact Gaborik's agent, Ron Salcer, "soon" to talk contract. Wild GM Doug Risebrough and Lynn met with Gaborik last week in Slovakia to give him a sales job on the Wild's future and convince him to re-sign instead of pursuing unrestricted free agency next summer. Part of the discussions were spent trying to convince Gaborik that he can score just as much by staying as he would by leaving. Lynn and Risebrough showed Gaborik he is fourth in the NHL in goals per game [behind Alex Ovechin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley], first in even-strength goals per minute played and tied for second in goals per 60 minutes played [behind Ovechkin]. Gaborik, 26, will make $7.5 million this season. |
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| Sundin looking to New York | Tuesday 8/19, 6:30 PM CT |
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Mats Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry has been in constant communication with the Rangers because of the free agent center's interest in joining the team, according to the New York Post. No numbers have been exchanged, according to the Post, which said Sundin's second choice is Philadelphia. Barry downplayed the rumor, saying there have not been increased discussions with the Rangers, according to TSN.ca. "Everybody has been calling regularly trying to get an idea of when his timetable is. Mainly I have just told them we have talked about everything and right now it's just for him to decide," Barry told TSN.ca.
Our View: The Rangers have only around $2M in cap space and would have to shed some salary to pay Sundin in the $5M-$7M range. The Flyers are already above the salary cap. The future Hall of Famer continues to tell the press he is undecided on what he wants to do, and that retirement is still an option, but the works behind the scenes suggest his people are trying to get a deal done. We'll keep you posted. |
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| Shanahan considering all options | Tuesday 8/19, 6:27 PM CT |
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While the Rangers ponder what to do with veteran Brendan Shanahan, hoping to seal one last season with the Blueshirts with a new deal, the forward has told the press he will be willing to listen to offers from other teams if a one-year deal with the Rangers can't be worked out, according to SI.com.
Our View: Shanahan's agent, Rick Curran, recently shot down a rumor that he had rejected a one-year, $2M offer from the Canucks, according to The Province newspaper. Curran also told the Vancouver paper that San Jose and Montreal are not in the mix, either. Before the free agent signing period began, the New York Post reported Shanahan might move to the Devils. Rangers GM Glen Sather previously told the Daily News that he urged Shanahan to be patient while he sorted out the team's roster and salary cap this offseason. |
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| Crawford defends himself | Tuesday 8/19, 9:32 AM CT |
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Former Canucks head coach Marc Crawford defended himself in court documents, saying he had no control over Todd Bertuzzi when he attacked Steve Moore, seriously injuring him, in a game in 2004. Bertuzzi filed a claim saying Crawford should pay part of any damages received by Moore, who is suing Bertuzzi, according to the Toronto Star. In the statement, Crawford said in part that the attack "was not done under any specific or general direction or encouragement from Crawford, was a direct disobedience of the instruction that Bertuzzi had been given from the bench to get off the ice, and was a violation of Bertuzzi's duties."
Our View: Moore is suing Bertuzzi for $38 million. Hearings on the matter will begin sometime later this year. |
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