The Official NHL 2006-2007 Season Thread

[Malcolm]

Report: Muckler out in Ottawa

According to the Toronto Sun, the Ottawa Senators have fired general manager John Muckler.

Muckler wouldn't discuss the issue with the paper, directing all inquiries to Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.
"I haven't been told anything," Muckler told the Sun when asked about potential changes.But two senior NHL executives told Sun Media they believe Melnyk gave Muckler his walking papers on Friday. The Sun notes that Melnyk's spokesman, Ken Villazor, would not deny the report, saying "the owner has released a statement that he was reviewing all management with the club."

Melnyk's statement, to TSN's Bob McKenzie on Friday, was as follows:
"We are continuing to have ongoing discussions with management on the future direction and therefore the roles of everyone at the senior level. We had a great year and I am very proud of what my team has achieved. Saying that, I am always evaluating what we can do, both short term and long term, to continue the momentum and lead us to a Stanley Cup victory next year and for years to come."The Senators had 105 points in the regular season, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, and reached the Stanley Cup final, where they were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in five games.

I personally think this is a bad move if its true, Muckler got them to the finals, let him finish the job

[Malcolm]

Sens promote Murray to GM, fire Muckler

OTTAWA (CP) - Less than two weeks after losing to Anaheim in the Stanley Cup final, the Ottawa Senators have shaken up their front office.

The team fired John Muckler as general manager Monday and promoted head coach Bryan Murray to the job.

Murray's contract was set to expire June 30 and owner Eugene Melnyk said the timing was right to move him into the job.

''He has shown what he can do as a general manager,'' Melnyk via telephone at a news conference Monday. ''We just thought if there's going to be a crossroads it's got to happen now and it has to happen prior to the draft.''

Murray, who signed a three-year deal with an option, was GM of the Anaheim Ducks from 2002 to 2004 and was also the executive of the year in 1996 when he was GM of the Florida Panthers.

 

''The assistant GM left last year and there was no successor that was obvious other than Bryan,'' said Melnyk. ''It just happened to be the end of his coaching contract.''

The NHL draft is Friday and Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

Muckler was offered another job in the organization but declined.

Melnyk said he's looking to the future.

''You have to think in the long-term,'' said . ''The one thing we didn't want was to become a one-trick pony where we have one great year and then we starve for the next four or five.''

Murray said the team will begin searching for a new head coach in the next couple weeks.

The Senators went an impressive 48-25-9 in the regular season, and advanced to the Stanley Cup final, shaking off the tag of post-season underachievers. But they seemed to run out of steam in the final, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.

Despite the disappointing final result, at the end-of-season news conference, Muckler, who had one year left on his contract, said he had every intention of returning for his final year and had no desire to leave.

''I'm having too much fun,'' he told reporters.

Muckler, a five-time Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers, joined the Senators in June of 2002.

[Malcolm]

Flyers acquire Hartnell and Timonen

The Philadelphia Flyers have dipped into the free agent market a little early, thanks to the Nashville Predators.

Because of Nashville's uncertain ownership future and an expected tight budget in the coming year, sources tell TSN the Predators arranged with the Flyers to give them exclusive negotiating rights to two coveted free agents - defenceman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell.

Sources tell TSN the Flyers have now signed both Hartnell and Timonen to long-term contracts.

Hartnell, who was scheduled to become a free agent on July 1, signed with Flyers on a 6-year, $25.2 million deal for a cap hit of $4.2 million per year.

The Flyers also agreed to terms with Timonen on a 6-year, $37.8 million contract for an annual cap hit of $6.3 million.
In exchange for giving up the rights to the two free agents the Predators knew they would not be able to sign, Nashville received back its own first round pick that it gave to the Flyers as part of the Peter Forsberg trade.

[Malcolm]

Niedermayer contemplating retirement

The Anaheim Ducks knew they might lose veteran winger Teemu Selanne if they won the Stanley Cup. But losing superstar defenceman Scott Niedermayer was never in the cards.

Until now.

''Scott has indicated that he's thinking about retirement,'' Ducks GM Brian Burke told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

The Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP informed Burke of the possibility during the players' exit interviews a few days after Anaheim won its championship.

Niedermayer confirmed the rumours of his possible retirement in an ESPN.com story Monday and said he wasn't leaning either way.

 

''I think every player, as they get older, begins to think about how much longer they're going to play,'' Niedermayer told the website. ''I know I think about it.''

Niedermayer's agent Kevin Epp spoke to his client Tuesday afternoon.

''He hasn't made a decision at all,'' said Epp. ''He's got lots of things to think about.''

While the fact that he's even thinking about retirement may be a shock to most, since Niedermayer is only 33 years old, it doesn't surprise the people close to him, including former New Jersey teammate and standout blue-liner Scott Stevens.

''When I was playing with him, he never seemed, in my opinion, like he was planning on playing that long - or as long as I did,'' Stevens, who played 22 NHL seasons, told CP on Tuesday. ''I kept saying to him, 'You'll have no trouble surpassing my amount of games and this and that.' And he'd say, 'Oh no, you won't see me doing that.' But there's no question the guy can play as long as he wants.''

Stevens spoke to his former defence partner last week.

''I said to him, 'It's not an easy decision. It has to come from within you,' '' said Stevens.

It would be a gigantic blow to the Ducks, who have Niedermayer under contract for two more years at US$6.75 million per season.

''We have not given him a deadline (for his decision) and he's not given us a time frame,'' added Burke. ''Obviously, Scott Niedermayer has earned the right to walk away if that's what he wants to do.

''Obviously we're hoping he plays again.''

Niedermayer turns 34 on Aug. 31. But perhaps the native of Cranbrook, B.C., who began his NHL career at age 19, feels he's got nothing else to play for. He's the only player in hockey history to have won the six championships any Canadian-born player cares about: Stanley Cup, Memorial Cup, world junior gold, men's world gold, Olympic gold, and a World Cup of Hockey title.

[CheapJon]

he's only 34? man he can't retire

[Malcolm]

Walker re-ups for 3 years with Hurricanes

Scratch another name off the July 1 free-agent market.

Scott Walker re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, agreeing to a US$7.5-million, three-year contract. He would have been unrestricted July 1.

''Keeping Scott in Carolina was one of our top priorities this off-season,'' Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said in a statement. ''He brings skill and grit to our forward lines and he has become one of our team's leaders on and off the ice.''

Walker, 33, joined the Hurricanes in a trade last summer from Nashville. He had 21 goals and 30 assists in 81 games last season. The Cambridge, Ont., native will enter his 13th NHL season in 2007-08. In 688 career regular-season games with Vancouver, Nashville and Carolina, Walker has 127 goals, 215 assists and 976 penalty minutes.

I liek this guy I think hes a good player

[RebelRose89]

Sabres are going to have quite the shake up in the offseason... and it's going to be tough letting go of either Drury or Brierre - or even both!?

[Communist China]

Board of Governors approves four rule changes

NEW YORK - The National Hockey League's Board of Governors today approved four rules changes, effective the start of the 2007-08 season.

Rule 24 -- Gross Misconduct. The term "Gross Misconduct" was eliminated from the rule book. Any act that would have been assessed a Gross Misconduct penalty will receive a Game Misconduct penalty. Accumulated Game Misconduct penalties can lead to fines or suspension.

Rule 25 -- Penalty Shot. A player may be awarded a penalty shot if he is fouled on a clear breakaway outside his defensive zone (i.e., anywhere in the neutral zone or in the attacking zone). Previously, a penalty shot was awarded only when the player on a clear breakaway was fouled on the attacking side of the center line.

Rule 56 -- Interference. Referees were given discretion to assess a major penalty and a game misconduct when an injury results from an act of interference. Previously, only a minor penalty could be assessed for interference.

Rule 76 -- Face-offs. All face-offs must be conducted at one of the nine face-off dots painted on the rink. Previously, there had been instances, such as when a puck left the playing surface, which caused the face-off to occur on unmarked ice, parallel to the dot nearest the place where the puck departed.

[Mal Brossard]

No change to the instigator rule?

Pathetic.

[Communist China]

No change to the instigator rule?

Pathetic.

Agreed. I like the face-off change though.

[Malcolm]

Panthers, Horton agree on six-year deal

Sources tell TSN that the Florida Panthers and Nathan Horton have agreed to terms on a six-year, $24-million contract.
The final three years of the deal, which would have been his unrestricted free agent years, contain a no-trade clause.
The 22-year old Horton enjoyed a breakout season last year with 31 goals, 31 assists and a +15 rating while playing in all 82 games.Horton was chosen 3rd overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft.  He has 73 goals and 58 assists in 208 career NHL games.

Lightning re-sign O'Brien to 2-year deal

The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenceman Shane O'Brien to a two-year, $2 million contract.O'Brien will receive $875,000 in the first year and $1,125,000 in the second. O'Brien, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound native of Port Hope, Ontario, made his NHL debut last season, playing in 80 games with the Lightning and the Anaheim Ducks, scoring two goals and adding 14 assists.  O'Brien, 23, also tallied two game-winning goals and one power-play goal.  He ranked seventh in the NHL among rookie defensemen with 16 points and tied for first with two game-winning goals.  His 176 penalty minutes also ranked him fourth in the NHL.

[gnrgnr06]

Damn Florida got a steal with Horton. I can see him scoring 50 goals next year

[Mal Brossard]

Horton just needs to stay healthy.  That shoulder has been problematic until this season.

[Malcolm]

Ducks sign Giguere to 4-year extension

The Anaheim Ducks have announced the signing of goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere to a reported four year, $24 million contract extension."J.S. Giguere has been an instrumental part of this franchise for the last six years," said Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke said in a statement. "We view him as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL today, one with tremendous character and competitive fire, traits we value greatly in this organization."Giguere was integral in helping the Ducks capture the franchise's first ever Stanley Cup this past season.  In 18 playoff games he posted a record of 13-4 with a 1.97 goals against average and a .922 save percentage."I'm very excited to be staying with the Ducks," said Giguere in a statement. "Orange County has been a great place for my family over the last six years, and we are grateful to the entire organization for the opportunity to stay here."

Bruins name Julien new head coach

Claude Julien wants the Boston Bruins to play more aggressively. Maybe that will make his bosses less aggressive in changing coaches.Sitting in the same room where Dave Lewis was introduced as coach less than a year earlier, Julien vowed Thursday to turn mild-mannered forwards into hard-hitting forecheckers for a team that hasn't won an NHL playoff series in eight years.''We want to be aggressive, a physical type of team,'' the Bruins' new coach said.Julien is the third Bruins coach in the last year and 17th person to hold the job in the last 30.''I didn't really look at that at all because you just have to feel confident in your abilities to do the job and I do feel that,'' said Julien, fired April 2 as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Leafs sign Colaiacovo to 3-year extension

TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a millionaire out of Carlo Colaiacovo, their oft-injured defenceman who has played a grand total of 73 NHL games.The NHL team announced a US$3.85-million, three-year contract renewal with the 24-year-old blue-liner Thursday."He made some great strides, last year especially," said GM John Ferguson Jr., who apparently has a lot of money to spend. "He's got some real good upside."We look forward to having him as an integral part of our defence for the next three years."Colaiacovo, who grew up in Toronto, appeared in 48 games in 2006-07 and scored eight goals while assisting on nine and getting 22 penalty minutes. He was a plus-5 on the plus-minus scale. Among rookie NHL defencemen, he had the second-most goals and was sixth in points.

[gnrgnr06]

Yeah Colaiacovo!
He is going to be a solid D-Man next year.
Hopefully we get rid of McCabe and bring Stralman in

[Malcolm]

Aucoin on his way to Calgary

Chicago defenceman Adrian Aucoin has waived his no-trade clause and is on his way to the Calgary Flames, sources tell TSN.The Flames were in the market for a defenceman and zeroed in on Aucoin, who has a history with new head coach Mike Keenan. In 1998-99, Aucoin scored 18 of his 23 goals on the powerplay for Keenan's Vancouver Canucks. At $4 million a season, Aucoin carried a price tag the Blackhawks were looking to shed.

[Malcolm]

Leafs get Toskala and Bell from Sharks

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Vesa Toskala and winger Mark Bell from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for first and second-round picks in 2007 and a 2009 fourth-round pick.Toskala, 30, was 26-10-1 with a 2.35 goals against average and .908 save percentage with San Jose last season.  The Maple Leafs are working on a contract extension for the Finnish keeper who was a fourth-round pick of the Sharks in 1995 and earned $1,375,000 last season.Bell was a major disappointment in his first season in San Jose.  Brought in from Chicago to play on Joe Thornton's wing, 26 year-old Bell responded with a career-low 21 points and was a healthy scratch at times late in the season. Bell earned $2,000,000 last season and has two years remaining on his current contract.

Penguins re-sign Roberts, Recchi

Veteran forwards Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with the Pittsburgh Penguins, sources tell TSN.Both players were scheduled to become free agents on July 1.Amid reports that both the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs would pursue Roberts heavily, Roberts agreed to a deal worth $2.5 million.Recchi's deal is worth $2 million against the salary cap and includes bonus provisions to get to that amount.

[gnrgnr06]

GREAT trade for T.O. Expect Ian White, Mat Stajan and Pavel Kubin to be shopped for a 1st rounder

[Malcolm]

Avalanche re-sign Arnason for two years

DENVER ? The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Tyler Arnason to a two-year contract through the 2008-09 season.Arnason, 28, finished sixth on the Avalanche in scoring last season with 49 points in 82 games.  Arnason, who was one of only five Avalanche players to appear in every game last year, has now played all 82 games in three of the past four seasons."Tyler had a good season for us last year and we look forward to him building upon that success," said Avalanche Vice President & General Manager Francois Giguere.

Senators re-sign McAmmond

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators have re-signed veteran centre Dean McAmmond to a multi-year contract.McAmmond, 34, recorded 14 goals, 15 assists and 28 penalty minutes in 81 games with the Senators in 2006-2007. He also contributed eight points and 11 penalty minutes in 18 post-season games before suffering a concussion in the final.

Panthers get Vokoun from Predators

The Nashville Predators have traded goaltender Tomas Vokoun to the Florida Panthers for a first-round pick and two second-round picks.Vokoun, 30, was 27-12-4 with a 2.40 goals against average and .920 save percentage in 44 games with the Predators last season.  He missed time in the middle of the season with a thumb injury, and backup Chris Mason ended up putting up even better numbers (24-11-4, 2.38, .925).Vokoun has four years remaining on a contract extension signed before the 2006-2007 season, while Mason has one year remaining on his current deal. 

Sharks re-sign Rivet to four-year deal

SAN JOSE - The San Jose Sharks have re-signed defenceman Craig Rivet to a four-year contract.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TSN has learned it if for $3.5 million per season for a total of $14 million.Rivet, 33, was acquired on March 25 along with a fifth-round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenceman Josh Gorges and a first-round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In 17 regular season games with the Sharks, he posted eight points and was a plus-eight.  In 11 playoff games, Rivet had five points and a plus-5.

Balsillie out as prospective owner?

Nashville owner Craig Leipold has advised the NHL to no longer consider Jim Balsillie as a prospective owner of the team pending the completion of a binding agreement between the two parties.Sources say Leipold told the league the absence of a finalized sale agreement and Balsillie's desire to move the franchise to Hamilton are the reasons for his decision."We did send the NHL a letter today requesting that it not do any further due diligence on Jim Balsillie's offer for the Nashville Predators until we reach a binding agreement," Leipold said in a statement.  "If Jim is interested in reaching a binding agreement, we are prepared to move forward."It's the second time Balsillie has been spurned in his efforts to buy an NHL team. He backed out of an earlier agreement to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins.Balsillie had agreed to pay up to $238 million for the Predators.  There was a deadline of June 30th put in place to complete the details of the sale.

Blackhawks take Kane first overall

With the first pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected American Patrick Kane of the London Knights.It was a sign of things to come, as Americans were the story, along with some players who slipped further than expected.  Americans ended up going one and two for the first time, and a record-tying ten U.S. players were selected in the first round.Meanwhile, Russian star Alexei Cherepanov, the top player at the world junior championship, fell all the way to the New York Rangers at 17.  Angelo Esposito, who was the top-ranked player at mid-season, fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins at number 20.There was no such drama for Kane.  The Blackhawks had fielded some trade nibbles, but elected to hold their pick and go with Kane, a dynamic right winger who was ranked number one in TSN's draft rankings.

Ducks re-sign O'Donnell and Huskins

ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks re-signed defencemen Sean O'Donnell and Kent Huskins to two-year contract extensions Saturday.O'Donnell will received US$1.25 million per season while Huskins' deal covers $1.25 million ($600,000 next year and $650,000 in 2008-'09).O'Donnell, 35, a 12-year NHL veteran, completed his second season with Anaheim, recording two goals and 15 assists in 79 games. He added two assists in 21 playoff games in helping the Ducks win their first NHL title.Huskins, 27, appeared in 33 games this season with Anaheim, registering three assists. He added an assist in 21 playoff games.

[RebelRose89]

wow... I used to play hockey with and against Pat Kane - jesus    - well he was talented back then! Good for him  and I hope he succeeds in the NHL!