Monthly Archive for August, 2005Page 3 of 3

Dandenault signs with Montreal

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Matt Saler
on August 3, 2005
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TSN reports that Mathieu Dandenault has left Detroit after a 9-year career here and signed with the Canadiens, a four-year, $7 million deal. Dandenault’s ability to play both forward and defenseman made him both a highly versatile player and a valuable commodity in today’s NHL. His good speed makes him even more desirable for teams looking fill out their rosters.

The Habs needed another defenseman after not picking up their option on Patrice Brisebois and so signing a player like Dandenault was a good move by them. Particularly since they stole him right from underneath the Mighty Big Buck Red Wings’ nose.

(This is not what I wanted to see after a long day at work. Ugh.)

I have to say I am very disappointed that Ken Holland did not find a way to keep Dandenault in Detroit. Kenny’s done a great job over the years keeping the team stocked with talent but he blew it by letting this one go. Dandenault is not a powerhouse scorer or bruising defenseman but he has experience and is steady enough to throw some money at. The Wings definitely had a need for him, with their defense as weak as its likely to be. They should have been able to play drum up some loyalty from the guy, you’d think. They did draft him afterall and give him paychecks for nine years, not to mention the opportunity to play on three Stanley Cup teams. I’m wondering just how hard Holland went after him, if at all. It’s hard for me to imagine he’d just bolt like that. Ah well.

The Wings are even slower now that Dandy’s gone and aren’t going to be getting any faster if Holland doesn’t get some guys off the market. I know he’s not sitting idle in his office but I’d like to hear about something getting done in Detroit, rather than having to read about all the other teams that are making moves. Signing Steve Yzerman to a one-year contract is not enough, Ken. And losing Mathieu Dandenault to Montreal is unacceptable. Let’s get on the ball (or stick, to use one of my dad’s phrases), please? That doesn’t mean sign Chris Chelios. It means sign Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Then get a top-four defenseman, a starting goaltender and a 20-30 goal scorer.

I know it’s just the end of the third day of free agency but time’s a wastin’!

Update (7:00 PM ET): According to Sportsnet.ca’s Free Agency tracker, Mathieu Schneider has signed a two-year deal with the Wings. As far as I know, no one else is reporting this so I’m inclined to disbelieve it for now. If it’s true, then my anger against Ken Holland, for his apparent inaction, is assuaged.

Yzerman, Hatcher, & McCarty updates

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Christy Hammond
on August 3, 2005
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Yzerman stays in Detroit for one more year
Steve Yzerman will remain as the Wings captain for his 19th year. He can’t rule out a 20th year, but most likely Yzerman will help link the Stanley Cup/lots of money/Hall of Famers era to the salary cap/youthful era. “I’m hesitant to say it’s my last year,” Yzerman said, chuckling, “but I have to be realistic.” While this may be his last year out on the ice, Yzerman sees himself in a management position down the road. “My goal is to one day run a hockey team, to be the guy responsible for putting everybody in place, for signing players to contracts,” Yzerman said.

While details of the contract haven’t been released, The Detroit News reports that Yzerman will earn $1.75 million with bonuses reaching $2 million.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about it, going back and forth, and in the end, I just felt if I didn’t come back, I’d be wondering if I could’ve played,” Yzerman said Tuesday from his Canada vacation home. “I wanted to give it my best shot. I’m not afraid of the challenge, and this year, there’s a lot to try and accomplish. I wanted to see if we could correct some areas and have better feelings than we had two years ago.”

The decision was a challenging one for Yzerman, who rented ice time Tuesday - his first time since March. He will participate in the Team Canada’s Olympic training camp on August 14th.

“I went through periods when I thought, this is tough, I’m too old to do this stuff, maybe it is time to retire,” Yzerman said. “But then there were periods when I felt good and energetic. What it came down to was, Kenny and Jimmy D. expressed they really wanted me to be part of the team. If I felt they were jammed on the cap, I’d have moved on. Now I’m excited about playing again.”

While Yzerman understands that the landscape of the Wings will ultimately be different, he believes that the team will remain a Stanley Cup contender. “Our team is going to be good,” he said. “You add a couple of young guys like (Niklas) Kronwall and a few free agents and I expect us to be a strong team. I don’t know about favorites, because I think Tampa Bay and Philadelphia are real strong. But I expect the Red Wings to be Stanley Cup contenders.”

Yzerman has already talked to Babcock and his role on the team will be worked out over time. He believes that he’ll be playing more on the wing likely with Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby.

In the contract, there are clauses that would “reduce the cap impact if he misses games,” but he doesn’t expect to miss much. “My approach is, I’m not just trying to survive, I want to be a good player, but I’m prepared to accept any role,” Yzerman said. “I don’t expect any handouts. Sure, the fans may want to see familiar faces, but then they’re gonna want to see performance, and if the familiar faces aren’t performing, they won’t be happy.”

Hatcher to Philly
Derian Hatcher is leaving his hometown and heading to Philly where he will play there for four years while making $14 million. “He believed in me a long time ago,” Hatcher said. “I had five good years with Ken Hitchcock in Dallas. And the terms of the deal mattered, too. I have a family, and I didn’t want to be moving around every two years.” The Flyers also signed defensemen Chris Therien and Mike Rathje. “Derian’s a guy who plays big minutes and heavy minutes,” said coach Ken Hitchcock, also Hatcher’s coach in Dallas.

McCarty heads for Calgary
The Detroit Free Press reports:

McCarty joins Flames: Calgary signed unrestricted free agent forwards Darren McCarty and Tony Amonte, according to TSN.ca.

McCarty signed a two-year deal for $1.6 million Canadian ($800,000 per season). Amonte also signed a two-year contract at $1.85 million per season. McCarty’s contract was bought out by the Red Wings last week. Amonte’s contract was bought out by the Flyers.

Yzerman Signs One-Year Deal

Published
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Brian List
on August 2, 2005
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It’s official. Steve Yzerman, 40, has signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings, which will bring him back for his 22nd season. Terms have not been released, but it is believed to be worth between $1.5-2 million. Says GM Ken Holland:

“I’m very pleased to have Steve re-sign for another season with the Red Wings. I’m confident that he has a lot of great hockey left to play.”

The signing is a relief to all Wings fans. It was a concern that Yzerman’s final time on the ice would stand as Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against Calgary, when he was severely injured by a puck to the eye. Beyond that, it is great to hear that the Wings signed Yzerman for a reasonable $1.5-2 million (I had him for $1.5M in my payroll analysis), when he was slated to make $4.5 million in 2004-2005. Clearly the Wings could not afford that type of number again.

Russia Rejects New IIHF-NHL Transfer Agreement

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Brian List
on August 2, 2005
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In a stunning turn of events, the Russian hockey federation unanimously rejected the IIHL-NHL transfer deal at a Monday meeting. This jeopardizes the NHL’s participation in the Olympics, world championships, and even the World Cup. Says IIHF spokesman, Szymon Szemberg:

“Everything between the IIHF and the NHL in the collective bargaining agreement would be void. There would be no NHL participation at the Olympics, at the world championships or a possible World Cup. There would be no transfer agreement.”

IIHF president Rene Fasel is planning an emergency trip to Moscow to plead with the Russians to sign the agreement. There is question whether the NHL would ratify the IIHF-NHL Transfer Agreement with Russian disapproval. Says Szemberg:

“If the agreement doesn’t happen, if Rene Fasel can’t persuade them to change their minds, we will have a chaotic situation on the transfer market.”

Using a formula tied to draft order, the new agreement increases the amount of compensation the NHL pays to European federations for signing players in their system. But the Russians want the freedom to negotiate their own transfer deals directly with teams to maximize their compensation. By refusing to sign the new agreement, however, the Russians could go without compensation when they lose a player. Szemberg remains hopeful:

“The Russians are willing to discuss it further so you have to be optimistic. We reached a deal last time. And we have never been without an agreement in recent years. I think reason will prevail and an agreement will be reached.”

Yzerman’s future still undecided

Published
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Christy Hammond
on August 1, 2005
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Early this morning, numerous sources reported that Steve Yzerman would meet with Detroit Red Wings officials sometime today to discuss the offer. Unfortunately, Ken Holland was too busy sorting out the free agency mess that the two sides were unable to meet Sunday or Monday. “Ken and Steve never connected today,” Wings PR executive John Hahn said Monday afternoon. “With the opening of free agency, Ken spent most of his time on the phone. He hopes to speak with Steve by Wednesday.”

The Detroit Free Press reports that:

A source close to the Detroit Red Wings said Monday it’s 95 percent certain captain Steve Yzerman will return for another season, but an official announcement may not come until Wednesday…Now the middle of this week may reveal the answer, which, according to the source, is that Yzerman will be back for a 22nd year. The source said Yzerman accepted how he fit into the fiscal picture under the new $39-million salary cap.

If Yzerman was to get $2 million for one year, that would leave the Wings with $12 million left under the cap with only 11 players. For Pavel Datsyuk to stay here in Detroit, the Wings will likely have to pay him around $2.5 million. Datsyuk’s agent, Gary Greenstin, said today that Datsyuk “would like to play in Detroit, but he also has to make decision that is right for Pavel. But right now, all signs point to Detroit Red Wings.”

The Wings are looking for a new starting goaltender to fill Curtis Joseph’s vacancy. Manny Legace is not seen as starting material here in Detroit so the search is under way. Rumors have it that Tampa Bay’s Nikolai Khabibulin has been interested in Detroit. However, he has two objectives. First of all, he wants a lot of money. Like the maximum of $7.8 million. Secondly, Khabibulin is going after a long term contract. Both of which don’t fit into Detroit’s scenario. Lets Go Wings’ rumor mill reports the following regarding the goaltending situation:

Rumors continue to run rampant that the Red Wings are going to make a hard push for free agent netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, with a Chicago paper going as far as to state the Wings may be willing to not only offer Khabibulin a long-term contract but also offer near the league maximum salary of $7.8M per season.

That, however, remains unlikely. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Khabibulin’s former team, reportedly offered the netminder a five-year contract worth $5-6M per season that was turned down.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland has regularly stated that a No. 1 netminder is the team’s top priority in this abbreviated off-season, and Khabibulin is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the goaltenders available. Forming Wing Chris Osgood is very likely Detroit’s secondary option.

Since Darren McCarty was bought out last week, rumors have been circling as to where McCarty is heading. The Detroit Free Press reports that a source close to McCarty believes he is close to a two year deal with the Calgary Flames. Both McCarty and his agent were unavailable for comments.

Dandenault to Montreal?

Published
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Brian List
on August 1, 2005
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According to rds.ca, TSN’s French affiliate, Mathieu Dandenault is interested in joining the Montreal Canadiens. It’s not much of a surprise to me. Dandenault was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1993-1996 with his hometown Sherbrooke Faucons. Montreal is about 90 miles from Sherbrooke, and GM Bob Gainey is looking for a replacement for longtime Hab defenseman Patrice Brisebois. Also, Gainey is making serious offers on the market to solidify the Canadiens as a competitive team: one report is that Mike Modano might sign a three-year, $7.5 million with the Habs. That all makes me worried that Dandenault, our two-way threat, could be gone.

The Wings’ first moves in free agency

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Matt Saler
on August 1, 2005
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Today, the Wings gave qualifying offers to their Group 2 free agents (Darryl Bootland, Matt Ellis, Tomas Kopecky, Niklas Kronvall, Joey MacDonald, Jason Williams, Henrik Zetterberg).

The most important names on that list are obviously Kronvall, Williams and Zetterberg, three players the Wings hinge much of their future on. Starting today, the team will have to begin the process of fighting off other teams in the league who will now be able to make offers to those players.

If Nick2 (hey, I have to call him something and “Nick”is already taken), Williams and Hank agree to terms with another team, the Wings will be able to match that offer to keep them from leaving (a la Sergei Fedorov in 98 with Carolina).

If the Wings choose not to match another team’s offer, they will receive, from that team draft-pick compensation, based on that offer’s value:

Offer (Compensation)
$660,000 or below (None)
Over $660,000 to $1 million (Third-round choice)
Over $1 million to $2.0 million (Second-round choice)
Over $2.0 million to $3.0 million (First-round and third-round choice)
Over $3.0 million to $4.0 million (First-round, second-round and third-round choice)
Over $4.0 million to $5.0 million (Two first-round choices, one second- and one third-round choice)
Over $5 million (Four first-round choices)

Given reports that have come up recently, I don’t expect negotiations with Zetterberg to go all that smoothly. It sounds like he may have an inflated idea of his own worth and that will make it harder for the Wings to fit him under the cap. I don’t know of any such troubles with Williams or Kronvall but given his great year in the AHL, Nick2 may be looking for more as well.

Also, rumors are floating around that the Wings are in trade negotiations with the Boston Bruins. The player reportedly involved from the Boston end is Joe Thornton and the player on the Detroit end is supposed to be Pavel Datsyuk. The merits of such a trade, at any time, are debatable, but the situation is such that I can’t really see it happening at this time. Thornton is a Group 6 UFA and is so is not signed by Boston. Pavel Datsyuk is a RFA and is not signed by the Wings. Instead, he is contemplating staying in Russia for next year. Given those facts, I find it unlikely that either team would risk losing their franchise players (current and prospective) to a trade when they could lose what they got to free agency. Besides, however much Pavel Datsyuk wants, it’s not likely to be the $4.5 to $5+ million Joe Thornton is likely to get on the free market. Despite Pavel’s age, they might be better served paying him that much if they are willing to pay Thornton it. Pavel’s upside is pretty big.

I would like to see Thornton in the Winged Wheel though. Have for years.

UPDATE 8/1 8:45 pm (Brian)

The Russian hockey federation might not sign the new NHL-IIHF agreement, which could be a problem if Datsyuk has signed with Moscow Dynamo for next season already. Escape clauses aren’t as easy to use without an NHL-IIHF agreement.

The Carnival is coming!

Published
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Matt Saler
on August 1, 2005
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I am happy to announce that ‘On the Wings’ will host the fourth ‘Carnival of the NHL’ this Friday. The OtW crew is proud to make our little piece of Hockeytown available to the great acts that are sure to be in this week’s edition.

We will be checking out as many hockey blogs as we can between now and Thursday night, looking for the best of the past week but if you bloggers out there have something you’d like to have included for sure, drop me (Matt) an e-mail by 7:00 PM ET Thursday night (subject: ‘Carnival of the NHL submission’).

Hey Eric, if the competition to host this thing starts to heat up more, maybe you should start a sort of “Hockey Blogoshere Carnival Commission” (Off Wing readers, perhaps?) to vote on awarding the Carnival to sites after they present bids (like the IOC does with the Olympics).