I talked to a source today that indicated former Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi is close to making a decision on where he will play this upcoming season. It should happen over the next 48 hours.
According to this source, Niemi has offers from multiple teams. My guess is he’s weighing a short-term deal with a contender -- think San Jose -- rather than a deal with more security for a team that may not be ready to win.
Tuesday, August 31 (876 reads) ..................
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Winger Guerin will not return to Penguins
The Penguins have decided not to bring back veteran right wing Bill Guerin this season. Guerin was informed of the decision by Penguins general manager Ray Shero late Wednesday. Shero said last Friday after signing free-agent winger Arron Asham that a decision regarding Guerin's future would come this week. Guerin, 39, scored 21 goals for the Penguins last season, and his four playoff goals tied for the lead among wingers. Several times since the Penguins were eliminated in Round 2 of the playoffs Guerin stated his desire was to play a final NHL season with them. However, it was never clear if he was willing to accept a reduction on his $2 million salary.
Thursday, August 26 (372 reads) ..................
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Word on Mitchell could come Tuesday
If you're wondering how Willie Mitchell's doing, some shattered pieces of polymethyl methacrylate behind one of the nets at UBC's Thunderbird Sports Centre will give you an idea.
Mitchell, skating with a half-dozen other NHLers on Monday morning, stepped into a drop pass at the blueline, put all his weight into his 63-inch Easton and blistered a puck past the ear of goalie Martin Jones.
Mitchell's smile can be infectious and he sported one of his biggest after the glass splintered into hundreds of shards.
Tuesday, August 24 (533 reads) ..................
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Kyle Wellwood forced to play waiting game … and he's not alone
Kyle Wellwood, the laid-back former Canucks centre, has never been known to sweat the small stuff, but even he is getting nervous as the days of summer continue to slide by and he remains unemployed.
Wellwood isn't exactly pacing the floor of his Windsor, Ont., home, but he does wish that when the phone rings it would be his agent calling, not a reporter.
Thursday, August 19 (1269 reads) ..................
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Donovan itching to play in NHL
Shean Donovan has decided he’s going to play hockey this season.
He’s just not sure where.
Only 49 games shy of reaching the 1,000 milestone in his NHL career, the 35-year-old winger, a Carleton Place native who has suited up the past three years for the Senators, would like to play one more year.
Friday, August 13 (758 reads) ..................
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All quiet on Kariya front for now
As of late Thursday, Don Baizley, agent for Kariya and Teemu Selanne, had not responded to inquiries about the former Ducks captain and Ducks general manager Bob Murray isn’t commenting on whether he has talked to the unrestricted free agent.
That doesn’t mean nothing is going on, though.
Friday, August 13 (803 reads) ..................
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What’s next for Antti Niemi?
The Chicago Blackhawks have shed the salaries of many of their playoff heroes this summer. But when they walked away from goaltender Antti Niemi’s arbitration award, it set up a baffling scenario.
Yes, the 26-year-old starting goalie for the Stanley Cup-winning team is an unrestricted free agent. Sure, he didn’t play that well in the final against the Philadelphia Flyers, but his steady performances in the three rounds prior and the second half of the regular season make him an extremely
Friday, August 06 (2255 reads) ..................
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Willie Mitchell update
Willie Mitchell update: I hear he's gotten a clean bill of health and has begun taking physicals for a few teams. I think he'll sign soon. The former Wild defenseman, I'm told, actually could sign a contract with performance bonuses because he spent 100 days on injured reserve last year -- including the playoffs. The CBA doesn't spell out whether the 100 days is only during the regular season, so it appears after inquiries from Mitchell and the player interested teams, the league will allow this type of contract. I bet it'll be for a base of $1 or $1.5 million on a one-year deal plus bonuses.
Friday, August 06 (1166 reads) ..................
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Veterans iced out as cap, cash concerns chill free agent market
Free agents Kim Johnsson, Willie Mitchell and Mike Mottau were all 20-minute NHL defensemen last season, and none has a new contract for next season. Paul Kariya also hasn't found work, nor have Bill Guerin and Lee Stempniak, who had 21 and 28 goals, respectively, last season.
The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Monday parted ways with No. 1 goalie Antti Niemi because they considered his arbitration award too steep.
Thursday, August 05 (1708 reads) ..................
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HTR Feature Article: Chicago Blackhawks' loss of Antti Niemi could be San Jose Sharks' gain
Think they've about run out of cardboard boxes and packaging tape in the Chicago Blackhawks' dressing room? In the nine weeks since they hoisted the Stanley Cup, eight players have packed up and moved on as part of the team's salary-cap-induced bloodletting.
Off-season conditioning continues to go well for unrestricted free agent defenceman Willie Mitchell, who is coming off a concussion suffered in mid-January after being run from behind by Evgeni Malkin.
Tuesday, August 03 (933 reads) ..................
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Kurt Overhardt chuckled when I asked if he is worried that Marty Turco might not end up with a place to sit in this free agent game of musical chairs.
``You're the second guy to ask me that exact same question in that exact same manner,'' said the agent for Turco. ``The answer is no.''
Overhardt is confident that something will get done in the 7-10 days and that Turco, the all-time Stars win leader who was not offered a contract extension, will be on a contending team.
Once again, it appears the Ilya Kovalchuk saga is nearing its end, though the two-time 52-goal scorer still is deciding among a few teams, a source close to Kovalchuk says.
The inference is that the choice is among the Kings, Devils, St. Petersburg of the KHL or perhaps even some silent NHL bidder.
The Kings reportedly have been solving differences with Kovalchuk, while one source said the Kings believed they had a 50-50 chance of signing the 27-year-old.
Sunday, July 18 (1215 reads) ..................
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Latest on Mike Modano; Demitra to KHL
Mike Modano is 40 years old and his best hockey is behind him, but his All-Star career keeps him at the forefront of fans' interests.
I can't tell you how many times a day readers ask about the "latest on Modano." ESPN.com reached out to him Thursday after hearing a website rumor linking him to Chicago.
Haven't talked to them at all," Modano told ESPN.com via text message.
Friday, July 16 (998 reads) ..................
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Kings and Kovlachuk camp deadlocked in waiting game
After talking to a couple of people tonight, I can shed a little more light on the proceedings this week while unrestricted free agent Ilya Kovalchuk was in Los Angeles visiting with the Kings.
As the Los Angeles Times reported earlier, Kovalchuk left Los Angeles Tuesday while his agent, Jay Grossman, stayed behind for a while longer to meet with Kings general manager Dean Lombardi. Grossman then left Tuesday night without the sides reaching an agreement on a contract.
Wednesday, July 14 (1127 reads) ..................
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