Category Archives: Free Agents
Are the Wild ready to Offer Parise a 13 year contract?
If need be, the Wild would be willing to offer presumptive New Jersey Devils free agent Zach Parise from Minneapolis a 13-year guaranteed contract.
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_20874782/charley-walters-tim-herron-cant-solve-tough-u
World’s highest-paid player?
Alexander Radulov is believed on his way back to the KHL in light of an offer from Sergei Fedorov’s CSKA club that considering tax implications, we’re told, would make him the world’s highest-paid hockey player.
The regret regarding the Stanley Cup Finals is Ilya Kovalchuk’s back injury deprived the Devils of the club’s most singular, dynamic weapon against the Kings. It’s not as if the Devils are unique in dealing with a significant injury to a significant player. The Canucks had to deal with issues that eliminated Ryan Kesler as a factor in the 2011 defeat to the Bruins.
It’s just unfortunate that, if for nothing else but the sake of entertainment value, the most explosive and compelling player on either side was so diminished.
Rangers’ prospect Jesper Fast will be attending the club’s development camp following the Entry Draft, but the 20-year-old winger is contractually committed to playing the 2012-13 season for HV-71 of the Swedish Elite League.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/blueshirts_still_targeting_nash_9m9dPQb45DU7297YL5PVlN
Penner indicates he wants to stay with Kings
Penner said Thursday that he wants to re-sign with the Los Angeles Kings and indicated he would take less money to do so. Penner is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Penner said of the chances of returning to the Stanley Cup champions, “I’d say they’re pretty good. I want to be back.” Asked if he would settle for something different in regards to his salary, he said yes.
Penner had a salary cap hit of $4.25 million this past season. He came to the Kings from the Edmonton Oilers in a 2011 trade deadline deal for a first-round pick in 2011, prospect Colten Teubertand a conditional second- or third-round pick in 2012.
Penner was not only quiet for most of this regular season, he had knee and hand injuries and a back injury and was a healthy scratch as recently as February. His play drew sharp criticism from new coach Darryl Sutter.
But Penner awakened during the Kings’ run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was promoted to the second line with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter at the end of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Vancouver Canucks. He had seven goals and 10 assists in 65 regular-season games but finished with 11 points in 20 playoff games, including the series-clinching goal against the Phoenix Coyotes in the conference finals.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=634797
Wild to go after Parise
Zach Parise declined to discuss his future on Monday night after the New Jersey Devils’ season came to an end with a Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals, but the expectation remains that the Minnesota Wild will make a very strong push to sign the unrestricted free agent.
Former North Stars president and general manager Lou Nanne confirmed as much on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on “Reusse and Mackey” on 1500 ESPN. Nanne said that after talking to Wild owner Craig Leipold last week he believes, “the Wild are going to throw the kitchen sink” at the winger in order to land him.
Nanne said he thinks the fact the financially strapped Devils lost in the Cup finals make it less likely that Parise will stick with that organization. Parise has spent his seven-year NHL career with New Jersey and served as the team’s captain.
“I was under the belief that he would have to win the Cup to come to Minnesota until I talked to Craig Leipold last week,” Nanne said. “I’ve gotta tell you, the Wild are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. I think there’s a good chance he ends up in Minnesota, because I don’t see anybody in the National Hockey League willing to give as much to Parise as the Wild are going to be willing to give. So I would not be surprised if Zach Parise came home.”
Nanne went on to say that the Wild will pursue Parise and Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, who also will be a free agent on July 1.
“They’re going to do everything in their power to get them,” Nanne said. “And I would not be surprised if they got them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t get them. But I have to tell you, if they don’t get them it’s going to be confusing to me — especially Parise, because I really believe the Wild will pay more than anybody else for him.”
The Red Wings, Rangers and Penguins also have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Parise, whose father J.P. played with the North Stars.
Parise heir to L.A. throne?
Up next for the Los Angeles Kings: First, a parade. Then, the pursuit of free agent Zach Parise come July 1.
These Kings have no intention of winning just one Stanley Cup. They want more. And they are not in any kind of salary cap conundrum, the way past winners have found themselves . They won’t have to dish off quality players – or any players really – the way the Chicago Blackhawks did after winning two years ago.
And while they won’t say so because they can’t legally say so, the captain of the New Jersey Devils is No. 1 on their off-season shopping list.
They want Parise, as do many teams, and they want him badly.
Parise fits perfectly into the Kings’ ultra-competitive philosophy, led by general manager Dean Lombardi and his able assistant, Ron Hextall. What they determined on their way to the Stanley Cup was what so many have known already. But until you witness it up close, experience it with your players – that fine line between success and failure often comes down to little more than effort.
And it’s not just effort. It’s a willingness to compete at a level beyond the norm. That willingness, when combined with superb goaltending by Jonathan Quick, terrific team altering leadership from coach Darryl Sutter, and all-world play from defenceman Drew Doughty, is why the Kings came out of the eighth seed and won 16 playoff games, losing just four, and now have an entire summer to celebrate.
In the post-game hysteria, Hextall, who was once the ultimate competitor himself, approached defenceman Rob Scuderi in the all the noise and spray of the Kings dressing room. He saw Scuderi, with a broken nose, a cut on his lip, a cut on his chin, is face looking like a work of abstract art, all from the game and series changing hit by Steve Bernier of the Devils and had to tell him rather loudly. “You’re the reason why we won the Stanley Cup.”
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/06/12/la-has-no-intention-of-winning-just-one-cup
questions about his future begin for Zach Parise
Zach Parise interrupted the question as soon as he heard the words “future” and “now that it’s over.”
He is 18 days from becoming the biggest free agent in the NHL, but in the aftermath of the Devils’ 6-1 season-ending loss to the Kings Monday night, he wasn’t about to address it.
“I’m not going to talk about that,” the Devils captain said. “I’m not going to talk about that.”
But his future Hall of Fame teammate — another free agent — said Monday night that the team needed to move quickly to lock up their captain before he ended up in another uniform.
“I think Zach is a big thing that the organization has to take care of first, there’s no doubt about that,” Martin Brodeur said.
“They need to try to lock him in and lure him into staying.
“He’s a franchise player. He’s a guy fans love, and as a captain, he’s a great leader. He did a great job in his first year as a captain to bring a team that was counted out early in the season to what we almost accomplished. It was pretty impressive.”
Will the Devils be able to keep him? The only thing they know for sure is that they’ll have plenty of competition. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and yes, the hated Rangers, are all believed to be in the market for the perennial 30-goal scorer.
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2012/06/stanley_cup_finals_are_over_an.html
Twitter post about Smyth
As I wrote a few weeks ago, Oilers will offer Smyth a one-year deal with bonuses. Unlikely to get a two-year pact. Tambellini said as much.
Devils’ Parise will soon wear new jersey
The clock is not only ticking on the Devils’ season, but on Zach Parise’s career in New Jersey, for when the puck is dropped tonight for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, it will start the countdown at T-minus-60 on the captain’s impending unrestricted free agency
This all but certainly will be the final summer in which, a) players will be allowed to sign front-loaded contracts with huge signing bonuses that this year will also serve as lockout-protection; and b) players will be permitted to sign contracts without term limits.
Indeed, Parise can expect offers modeled after the nine-year, $60 million contract Brad Richards signed last summer with the Rangers, under which the center is receiving $24 million the first two years, including a $10 million signing bonus last July and an $8 million signing bonus due next month.
Parise, who will turn 28 next month, could attract offers of up to 12 years. He will certainly receive front-loaded, bonus-laden offers from the Rangers and Red Wings, who have millions to spend and the inclination to do so.
The Wild will be in, though Parise might want to think more than twice about going home to join a team in which he would be the best player by leaps and bounds.
The Sharks could be in. The Maple Leafs will be, though current general manager Brian Burke doesn’t believe in front-loaded deals. The Bruins could become a serious contender. There will be others.
Given the financial realities in New Jersey, it’s almost impossible to conjure the scenario in which ownership could cut Parise a $10 million check on July 2. And again, that’s even assuming Parise’s first choice is to remain a Devil.
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Lidstrom’s retirement leaves hole on Red Wings blue-line
Holland is eyeing Nashville’s Ryan Suter if the Predators can’t sign him. Holland has said with respect to the prize free agents (Zach Parise is in the same boat), he would be willing to trade for their negotiating rights, usually a window of a few days around the draft and before July 1 when they hit the marketplace for one and all.
“I’ve never done it and it would depend on what the price is, but I’m not opposed to anything,” said Holland, who knows the Philadelphia Flyers have made a history of trading for negotiating rights of UFAs such as Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen and the Predators’ Dan Hamhuis. They signed the first two, and couldn’t work out a deal for Hamhuis in 2010. They dealt his rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins six days later.
The salary cap is going up to $70.3 million from $64 million as of July 1, but only until a new collective bargaining agreement comes in, when the cap will likely drop substantially because the owners don’t want to give the players 57 per cent of the league revenue, more like a 50-50 split. The Red Wings, like most teams, are likely operating under the old model, so they won’t be spending fools. But they would love Suter; they’ve played against the Predators constantly in the playoffs. Parise, they envision, could play with Datsyuk.
For now, they have Niklas Kronwall, Ian White, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl as their top five on defence, with two huge holes. Holland knows he’ll have to get somebody to replace Stuart too, but he doesn’t have a lot to trade.
Are the Oilers looking at McCabe?
the Oilers’ back end also needs a puck-moving defenceman. There’s no sense having forwards Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi and Ales Hemsky come back 180 feet to get on the attack, when one 60-foot head-man pass will send them on their way.
That’s a longer story for another day, but Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini certainly is looking. Yes, we know young Carl Gunnarsson’s name keeps coming up because the Toronto Maple Leafs have too many blue-liners and badly need forwards — where the Oilers are top heavy — but is the Swede really the answer? Or has Tambellini filed away the cellphone number of free agent Bryan McCabe?
Bryan McCabe still waits for deal
The 36-year-old unrestricted free agent is hanging out at his South Florida home still pondering his future.
“There have been discussions with several teams,” his agent, Ian Pulver, told ESPN.com on Monday. “Bryan is still considering his options.”
Kaberle yet to cash in on unrestricted free-agent status
It’s a tough time to be a free agent.
Tomas Kaberle, Christian Hanson and Darryl Boyce are finding that out as unrestricted free agents.
Clarke MacArthur and Tyler Bozak are going to find that out as restricted free agents.
Tuesday is the deadline for MacArthur and Bozak to file for arbitration. If it goes that far, arbitration on their cases could go as late as the first week of August.
MCKENZIE: FLAMES HAVE MADE A LEGITIMATE OFFER FOR RICHARDS
Brad Richards has a connection with the New York Rangers because of his association with head coach John Tortorella from 2004 when they won the Stanley Cup together in Tampa Bay.
Well, the Calgary Flames have a connection to Richards of their own.