Hockey Info

The Predators announced today that they have resigned defensemen Greg Zanon and Kevin Klein as well as tough guy forward Darcy Hordichuk. While these are signings that will barely be a blip on the NHL radar for PReds fans these are huge!

Greg Zanon quickly became a fan and coach favorite with his unselfish playing style that saw him lead the team in blocked shots. Continually risking his body Zanon is a pure team player. While he will never awe you with his offensive prowess thats okay because he plays D and plays it well. Zanon was a key member of our PK last year and look for him to get lots of playing time there as well. Zanon signed a two-year deal that will pay him $700,000 and $750,000 over the next two seasons.

Kevin Klein (not to be confused with A Fish Called Wanda actor Kevin Klein) is one of several young guns that the Preds have groomed on D. Klein has the size and the shot to be potent blueliner in this league and his coming out party starts now. Klein signed a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $500,000 on the NHL level and $70,000 on the American Hockey League level. Though Klein has a two-way contract, he would still need to clear waivers if he returns to Milwaukee.I would have liked to have seen a longer term deal here but at least we have him locked up for the next year.

Rounding out the key signings is forward Dacy Hordichuk. Hordichuk accepted his qualifying offer, signing a one-year deal that will pay him $517,000. While Hordi sometimes found himself a healthy scratch last year when the team needed to go with a speed instead of a physical his presence is key. He is the guy that the Preds can put in when we need that physical force. He is not afraid to drop the gloves with anyone.

Like I said…I don’t think Eklund of hockeybuzz.com will spend alot of time disecting these siging but for us Pred fans this a good day.

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>The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Bill Thomas and goaltender David LeNeveu to one-year contracts Friday and signed free-agent left wing Tomas Survoy to a one-year pact.

>Thomas, 24, had eight goals and six assists in 24 games for the Coyotes last season along with 13 goals and 20 assists for their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.

>Thomas was signed as a free agent out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha in March 2006 and had one goal and two assists in nine games that season for the Coyotes.

>LeNeveu, 24, was a second-round draft pick of Phoenix out of Cornell, where he went 39-5-2 in two seasons. In 21 NHL games the past two seasons, LeNeveu has a 5-9-2 record and 3.38 goals-against average. He was 2-1 with a 3.86 GAA in six games for Phoenix last season in a backup role.

>Survoy, a 25-year-old Slovakian, played last season for Lulea HF of the Swedish Elite League and had 23 goals and 32 assists in 55 games.

>He was a fourth-round draft pick of Pittsburgh in 2001 and had 27 goals and 32 assists for the Penguins over parts of four seasons through 2006.
Source:Nypost

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Forleden fortalte NHL.com, at NHL-sæsonen 07/08 vil komme til at starte i London, hvor sidste sæsons Stanley Cup vindere fra Anaheim Ducks skal møde Los Angeles Kings to gange. Det betyder, at NHL-trofæet efter 115 Ã¥r kommer tilbage, hvor det blev købt i sin tid hos sølvsmeden G. R. Collins and Co. i Regent Street i London. Read more »

You’ve got to hand it to Islanders’ coach Ted Nolan. He’s really doing everything he can to remind current players of the franchise’s glory days. His most recent idea: Bringing back four-time Cup-winning coach Al Arbour to coach his 1,500th game. Of course, coaching is a strong word. According to the Times, Arbour won’t change lines; he’ll just kind of give between-period speeches.
Still, it’s a classy move by Nolan and a way of legitimizing a franchise that mostly has a reputation for long, bad contracts.
On the business end of things for the Isles, who are basically a small market team trapped in a huge market, Islanders’ great (and current executive director of corporate sponsorships) sent signed skates to 75 Long Island businesses in an effort to drum up corporate sponsorship. The Isles have got to be one of the most aggressive teams in terms of boosting their gate and trying to generate revenue. Very few things impress me about the Isles, but their marketing is pretty tight. Sometimes, I wonder why the business side isn’t helping the hockey side.

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Wow. I’m never going to coach the Devils. They’re freaking tough. From Larry Brooks:

With [GM Lou] Lamoriello attending to administrative duties and therefore absent from his usual perch at the rink, one of the veterans intentionally shot a puck at [coach Claude] Julien during a drill to test how the coach would respond. The story goes that when Julien refused to confront the athlete or even acknowledge the overt act of disrespect, the players concluded that the head coach would have to go, and essentially fired him.

Good luck, new coach Brent Sutter. Watch your head. Also, I love how the no one on the Devils would assume for one second that Julien would somehow assume the shot puck was an accident.

Also, Joe Watson and Derian Hatcher talking hockey is pretty cool (login info.). My favorite tidbit (and it’s all really interesting stuff):

Watson: You know what? The rule book in 1972 was [not very] thick. And when the Flyers came in, the Broad Street Bullies, all of a sudden the book went like that [fingers widening]. In what, 2 years, there were more rules. [President] Clarence Campbell was so confused. They instituted more rules against the Flyers in 2 years than they did the first 60 years of the National Hockey League.

Obviously, Watson, but also Hatcher, are not huge fans of what the NHL has become.

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I’m constantly shocked by the free agents the Devils are allegedly interested in: Alexei Yashin? I almost hope the Devils land Yashin and Sheldon Souray. I’d love to see those two &#151 together, of course &#151 try and execute Devils’ hockey.
I guess the one upside would be they would each have someone to talk to when they’re planted in the offensive zone, not playing any kind of defense.
Sadly, for me anyway, Yashin is threatening to play in Russia if teams keep making offers that take his massive Islander payout into consideration. Yup. No discounts for you, NHL!
Also, kudos to the always-excellent Mike Heika for writing what so many people are thinking: the NHL just doesn’t have enough talent to merit an expansion (login info.).

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Wow. Bill Guerin goes straight to the head of the line and is the new captain of the Isles.
It’s kind of a weird move since he’s only on a two-year contract and I can’t believe he’ll be on the Island past that.
Also, I’m not quite sure why they made it a surprise to Guerin. That’s kind of awkward for him, don’t you think? He can’t really say no in front of everyone. I think a cake would have been a much nicer surprise.
Also, Mike York is a Coyote. I have no idea how long they’ll be there, but the comments on the Arizona Republic site talking about how cheap the team is (scroll down) are pretty funny.
I don’t actually think York is a horrible choice. He has the ability to be a strong two-way forward &#151 he just hasn’t demonstrated the ability in quite some time. If I were the Coyotes, I’d also take a look at Eric Lindros. Mike York played some great hockey when he was on a line with Lindros and Theo Fleury in New York. Maybe they can recapture some of the magic in Arizona. I mean, given how both York and Lindros played last season, it’s a pretty huge if, but it’s interesting to consider. Plus, it can be done on the cheap, which the Coyotes love.

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OK. First, I’m going to apologize. I have to dip into ESPN Insider content, just because E.J. Hradek’s had some nice stuff yesterday. Like when he asked what exactly is wrong with Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe and his massive offer to Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek and his low-balling of team heart-and-soul Ryan Smyth:

In Friday’s case, the Sabres weren’t in a salary cap bind. After losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to unrestricted free agency earlier in the week, the Sabres weren’t ready to let another player go. And, they told the Oilers they planned on matching the offer. Basically, there was no chance the Oilers would get Vanek. That makes you wonder: Why did Lowe do it?
Maybe he wanted to make a statement to his fan-base. Or, perhaps, he’s gone a little batty after coming to the realization that players aren’t too interested in coming to Edmonton.

Larry Brooks brings up another interesting point: Why is small-market Edmonton over-inflating the market for guys averaging around 30 goals a year?
Edmonton isn’t the only dysfunctional stop in the NHL, though. I’m not quite sure what’s going on in Buffalo. Did they really not extend any kind of offer to Daniel Briere? And as Bucky Gleason suggests, why would anyone sign to play in Buffalo, given how they treat their players. Obviously, Matthew Barnaby, who loved playing in Buffalo and was treated like royalty there, is the exception to that question.
Also, how does Devils GM Lou Lamoriello think Sheldon “I Don’t Play Any Kind of Defense Ever” Souray is a good fit for the team? They can’t actually be pursuing him, can they? Is this the year the Devils move to a run-and-gun offense?
The Isles also might be interested, although late last week Hradek reported Souray might be holding out for the Rangers.
Also, some people want hockey to stay in Nashville.
Also, please don’t judge us by our most hipster-laden examples. Thank you.

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You really have to respect the Islanders. They were shut out of the top-tier free agents big time, but they didn’t fold. They’re still working hard. They just landed Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie . Depending on which Guerin shows up (Dallas/San Jose William or Boston/St. Louis/NJ Billy) the Isles could be getting the player of coach Ted Nolan’s gritty dreams. Of course, $9 million over two years is a little steep for a player who could just as easily disappear on the ice. Interestingly, Comrie and Guerin seem to working as a package, trying make sure they both end up on a competitive team. I don’t think Comrie has ever lived up to his playmaking potential, so like Guerin, he’s a risk. But a risk worth taking. Especially when you’re dealing with a coach like Ted Nolan, who really can elevate his players. And especially when the player is on a one-year contract, looking to show the NHL he’s a top-line NHL center.
The Isles are also said to be trying to pry defenseman Ed Jovanovski and his no-trade clause of Phoenix.
Also, from the no-trades-are-growing file, Slava Kozlov took less money from his hometown Atlanta Thrashers once they threw in a no-trade. Dallas seemed really hot for him, so that’s another free agent they’e missed out on.
Also, speaking of taking less money, Michael Nylander took less money from the Caps because his wife didn’t want to go to Edmonton. In a scene right out of JERRY MAGUIRE, Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe found himself trying to sign someone who had just signed someplace else. The whole thing seems like it was more horrible communication than malice, but that doesn’t really help Edmonton.
Edmonton lost Nylander at hello.

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