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Aug 25, 2005
Evgeni Malkin remains in Russia for the season
By Pavel Savchik (Sport-Express)
Translated by Alexei Belousenko (www.RusHockey.com)
The talented young forward Evgeni Malkin remains in Russia and will spend the coming season in Metallurg (Magnitogorsk). Malkin made the final decision today in Moscow after the conversation with his agents Dmitri Goryachkin and Gennady Ushakov.
By the time Metallurg was returning home from the training camp in Finland, the team spent just a few hours in Moscow. During these hours the meeting took place where the player got a chance to talk to his agents in person, and decide what is better: either going to Pittsburgh or staying in Magnitogorsk. As a result, Magnitogorsk’s arguments look weightier to Malkin. After all, the forward departed with the team to Magnitogorsk to continue the preparation to the regular season that starts on September 7th.
After the fact, the Sport Express correspondent talked to the Magnitogorsk’s GM Gennady Velichkin.
G. Velichkin: On August 25 we’ll present the internet-conference where we are going to get clear all of the arguments.
How long were you negotiating and did you influence on the young player somehow?
G. Velichkin: If we were pressing him, perhaps, he’d go to America. From the very beginning we agreed to make a decision constructively without any external affects. Malkin is smart. He was making a decision individually, considering all of the “yes” and “no”.
Probably, it wasn’t easy to persuade the player to remain in Metallurg.
G. Velichkin: What do you “persuade”? (Pause) We worked with Evgeni and his parents in all directions. Our head coach Dave King talked to him, his teammates and I talked to him, as well. Of course, Evgeni will go to the NHL, eventually. He’s one of the best young Russian players. But, in my opinion, Malkin is not mature enough in order to become a star in the NHL; it’s a little early for Malkin to go. Also, he needs to work on his English, as well. But the most important, he should return debts to his parents that brought him up, the club that made him a hockey player and spent much power and resources. He should help Magnitogorsk to win the Championship. This coming season we have the real chance to fight for the golden medals. Besides, we build the second line around him.
The player’s decision to stay shows us that we are able to argue with the NHL for our players.
G. Velichkin: Malkin has a contract with us until 2008. Yes, he may leave earlier than that, but he shouldn’t forget that he has such a team, as Metallurg, that can fight for him with any competitor. This fight would follow all possible civilized rules. No one is going to hinder Malkin to leave. Even this year no one prohibited him to go. If he’d bought an airplane ticket to America, than who would stop him? We made an effort to keep the player for Russian fans, especially, Magnitogorsk.
Malkin told me that you talked to him every day. Is that true?
G. Velichkin: The work is work. (laughing) I talked to Evgeni at mornings, nights, even during the travels. As you can see, I succeeded.
Does the Pittsburgh’s owner Mario Lemieux know about Malkin’s decision? Aren’t you afraid that he would make some kind of steps to entice Evgeni overseas?
G. Velichkin: Of course, I’m afraid. Give it a shot! (laughing)
http://www.rushockey.com/events.php?i=sl&stream=sl_interviews&id=289
Posted at 08:19 am by Panflo
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Aug 24, 2005
The roster hasn't been announced, but I'm going to see what it might look like.
Trades to Date
Czech import Jakub Petruzalek was dealt to Barrie Colts for 43rd pick in June's European Import Draft.
Possible Overagers (85 birthdays)
Danny Battochio (G)
Nick Van Herpt (LD)
Will Colbert (LD)
Julian Talbot (C)
Mark Mancari (RW)
Lukas Kaspar (RW)
Chris Hulit (RW)
Bryan Bickell (LW)
** Every OHL team is allowed 4 overagers (OA's), but only able to dress 3 a game.
Danny Battochio- He is guarenteed an OA spot if he is not signed by Chicago.
Nick Van Herpt- it is likely he will be traded.
Will Colbert- reported (by the Ottawa Sun) as going to St. FX next season.
Mark Mancari- is reportedly working on a deal with the Buffalo Sabres .
Lukas Kaspar- if San Jose doesn't sign him, Kilrea will trade Kaspar.
Bryan Bickell- will most likely be traded.
The three OA's will most likely include linemates Talbot and Hulit, and one of Battochio or Mancari.
Kilrea could also start with two OA's and aquire another through a trade.
European Players
Lukas Kaspar (RW)
Jakub Vojta (D)
Tibor Radulay (LW)
** Every OHL team is allowed 2 European players.
Lukas Kaspar- there is no room for him on the team. If he plans to stay in North America, he will go to another OHL team.
The two Europeans are Jakub Vojta ('87 birthday), and Tibor Radulay ('88 birthday). Vojta would be apart of the team for 2 years, Radulay 3.
The Current Roster is as follows:
Goalies
Danny Battochio *
Anthony Guadagnolo
Jason Spezza
One of Guadagnolo or Spezza will go. They are both 19 and the 67's have another goalie '88 born David Scamurra waiting in the lines.
Defensemen
Brodie Beard - Derek Joslin
David Jarram - Robbie Lawrence
Elgin Reid - Jakub Vojta
The pairings won't be like this, but the positioning is right. Vojta and Lawrence are both natural RD, and Joslin played RD last year. These 6 players have a lot of speed, but Kilrea will be looking to add more size and experience to this group. Look for Jarram or Lawrence to be traded.
Forwards
Jamie McGinn - Julian Talbot * - Chris Hulit *
Pat Ouellette - Logan Couture - Arron Alphonso
Tibor Radulay - Tomas Kiriakou - Matt Lahey
Jamie VanderVeeken
If Talbot and Hulit stay, then the first line from last season will stay in tact. Other lines are just to show the forwards' positions. Couture was drafted last month but has signed with the team, Tomas Kiriakou was a regular call up last season and will probably make this year's roster. Lahey made the team but was restricted to just a few games due to a concussion. Any number of past draft selections could make the team.
2005 Priority Selections:
http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/ps2005/
2004 Priority Selections:
http://www.ottawa67s.com/news/zoomNews.php?prID=188
Kilrea will most likely trade for a few older forwards. Once again, like the defense, more size is definitely needed. These forwards are very talented but VanderVeeken and Radulay are the only checkers on the team.
First Game: September 23 vs. Sault St. Marie Greyhounds.
First Home Game: September 30 vs. Toronto St. Michael's Majors.
It's going to be a great season, and I'm looking forward to seeing new faces.
Go 67's!
Posted at 11:49 am by Panflo
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Exciting isn't it? John Muckler finally decides to make a move, and shocks the entire city.
In light of these new events, some small happenings have gone barely noticed.
Ottawa Senators signed C Steve Martins, LW Brett Cloutier, and D Tomas Malec.
Ottawa Senators signed RW Patrick Eaves to a three year entry level contract.
However, lets not forget about our Major Junior A team. The 67's have been quiet, but as we are nearing training camp, let's look at the new team.
Posted at 10:38 am by Panflo
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HOSSA GRATEFUL FOR TIME IN OTTAWA
Ecstasy to Agony for Hossa
Marian Hossa watches the action at practice in Ottawa, Thursday, April 15, 2004. The Ottawa Senators have acquired sniper Dany Heatley from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forward Marian Hossa and another player, Heatleyis agent confirmed Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005. Marian Hossa was not angry ... just shocked and a little disappointed.
Only hours after agreeing to a three-year, $18-million (all terms US) contract -- which averted an arbitration hearing in Toronto -- with the Senators yesterday, Hossa, 26, was surprised to learn he had been dealt to Atlanta.
While there was speculation Hossa was going to be dealt because he had rebuffed a five-year, $25-million deal from the Senators on Sunday, he was excited about coming back to the only NHL team he had ever known.
"I'm not mad ... I'm shocked and I'm disappointed because I've been with that team for six years and I really enjoyed playing in Ottawa. I loved the fans there and I loved playing in the Corel Centre," said Hossa.
'TOUGH TO LEAVE'
"At the same time, while it's going to be tough to leave the Senators, I'm excited about going to a young team like the Thrashers. They've got a lot of good players and I want to help that team make the playoffs. I had no idea this was going to happen. I signed a contract with Ottawa because I wanted to be there."
Sources say Hossa requested a no-trade clause in his contract just minutes before the deal was signed but the club refused. The hearing was scheduled for a 9 a.m. in front of arbitrator Michael Picher, but was cancelled because the two sides came to an agreement at 8:55 a.m.
After the deal was signed, Hossa couldn't hide his excitement. He agreed to pose for photographs for local newspapers at a Toronto hotel before boarding a flight yesterday.
"We were back and forth on the phone all night. Do I have a message for the fans? I just want to say that this was never about me not wanting to play in Ottawa ... I've always wanted to play in Ottawa," Hossa said shortly after he signed the deal.
"I love playing in front of the fans there. This was always about me getting what I felt was fair value. I'm glad we were able to get this done. I grew up with that team. I've always wanted to stay there and help the team win a Stanley Cup."
That attitude had to change because Hossa is going to a team that will fight for a playoff spot. The Thrashers have made changes, but nobody is certain they're in a position to make the post-season. The Hossa camp knew there was risk involved when he told the Sun he wanted to make the kind of money top players like Calgary's Jarome Iginla are pulling down.
"I'm just shocked by this," said Hossa's agent Jiri Crha. "We weren't given any indication of this whatsoever.
"The Senators didn't make any mention of this at all. Marian is a top player in the game. This is going to be a big change for him. He's surprised, but he's going to go to Atlanta and do his best for that team."
Hossa said he has no hard feelings.
"I understand that this is a business and what this contract was all about is business. The Senators have to do what they feel is best for their team and they got a great player in Dany Heatley," said Hossa.
"I'm going to go to a place where they have a team that wants to improve. I have to go home and get ready for that. I haven't talked to the Thrashers (but) that is probably something that will happen in the next couple of days. I just have to get ready for camp."
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottaw...186164-sun.html
Posted at 10:28 am by Panflo
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HEATLEY EXCITED ABOUT NEW TEAM
Wow. What a great way to start the morning.
'Ecstatic' to join Sens
DANY HEATLEY needed a change of scenery, something to erase painful memories. The Senators paid a dear price to make his wish come true: Marian Hossa.
The winger, who had asked the Atlanta Thrashers to trade him, was moved to Ottawa yesterday in exchange for Hossa and defenceman Greg De Vries.
Just hours after Senators GM John Muckler signed Hossa to a three-year, $18-million (all terms US) contract to avoid an arbitration hearing, the club sent him packing to Atlanta and signed Heatley to a three-year, $13.5-million deal.
"I'm just ecstatic about getting to go to a team like Ottawa," Heatley told the Sun in an exclusive interview last night from Kelowna, B.C. "It's tough to leave a place like Atlanta, but I really felt at this point this was the best move for my career.
"With everything that has happened in Atlanta, I felt it would have been difficult for me to go back there.
"To get a chance to go to a Stanley Cup contender like the Senators is just great for me and something I'm really excited about. You never know where you're going to go when you ask to be traded ... to be moved to a place like Ottawa is just great news for me. I'm so excited."
While the Sun recently reported that Heatley was looking to be dealt, he only made the official request to Atlanta GM Don Waddell two weeks ago.
Heatley simply needed to get away from the place where a Sept. 29, 2003 car crash took the life of teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley was driving the car. Heatley said he did a lot of soul-searching before making the request, but felt it was the best move.
"It's not easy to ask for a change of environment and it was difficult for me ... probably one of the toughest decisions I've ever made and I had to talk it over with my family," said Heatley.
"But I felt it was best for me and it was time to move forward and get a fresh start. I thought about it a lot. I didn't just wake up one day and decide that I wanted to be traded. A lot of time and energy went into this before I made the decision to go ahead with it.
"It's tough to leave a place like Atlanta -- especially because the organization was so good to me and they supported me -- but I am going to a great team and I have some friends on the team (Chris Phillips and Wade Redden). I am excited about that."
Muckler said discussions to acquire Heatley started two weeks ago.
"I got the call from (Thrashers GM) Don Waddell and he explained the situation he had with Heatley in Atlanta," said Muckler. "He wanted to know what we were going to do about Hossa and thought we might have a fit. I phoned him back the next day to see if he was serious.
"We got a young player -- a goal scorer that we feel can help us -- and the Atlanta Thrashers got a terrific player in Marian Hossa. This is just the perfect trade for both teams because what it does is make both teams better."
Heatley was so excited about being dealt to the Senators, he boarded a red-eye flight to Ottawa last night and will attend a press conference this afternoon with Muckler and Senators coach Bryan Murray.
"If you look around the league, there are a lot of different places I could have ended up ... I don't think I could have asked for a better situation than Ottawa," said Heatley.
http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Hockey/2005/08/24/1185649-sun.html
Posted at 10:10 am by Panflo
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Aug 23, 2005
OTTAWA AND ATLANTA TRADE SUPERSTARS
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=134320
Shocking isn't it? Don't bother to answer Pan, that was a rhetorical question.
Senators deal Hossa for Heatley
TSN.ca Staff
8/23/2005 4:29:38 PM
The Atlanta Thrashers have arranged media availability for this afternoon at which time they are expected to announce that the team has acquired Marian Hossa and a defenceman from the Ottawa Senators for forward Dany Heatley.
"We had approached the Thrashers a couple of weeks ago requesting a change of environment," agent Stacey McAlpine told The Canadian Press. "It was an extremely difficult decision, but we all worked together to try and get things resolved and it looks like we were able to do that."
Heatley, drafted second overall by the Thrashers in 2000, has 80 goals and 181 points in 190 career games. His best season thus far came in 2002-03, when he set career highs in goals (41) and points (89).
Heatley played last season with AK Bars Kazan in Russia and SC Bern of Switzerland during the NHL lockout.
He is a restricted free agent and is on the verge of agreeing to terms with Ottawa on a new deal.
McAlpine said Heatley would meet the media Wednesday in Ottawa.
Hossa and the Senators avoided salary arbitration when they agreed to a new contract Tuesday morning, just before the case was scheduled to go to arbitration. A source said Hossa will earn $5 million this season, $6 million in 2006-07 and $7 million the following season.
Hossa recorded 36 goals and 46 assists in 82 regular-season games in 2003-2004. In 467 career games, the six-foot-two, 215-pound Slovak has 188 goals and 202 assists.
More to follow.
Posted at 05:11 pm by Panflo
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SENATORS AND HOSSA AVOID ARBITRATION
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=134320
Hossa and Sens Avoid Arbitration
Canadian Press
8/23/2005 12:47:38 PM
They waited until the last possible minute, but the Ottawa Senators opened the vault in order to keep Marian Hossa.
The star forward and the NHL club avoided salary arbitration when they agreed to an $18-million US, three-year deal Tuesday morning, just before the case was scheduled to go to arbitration.
A source said Hossa will earn $5 million this season, $6 million in 2006-07 and $7 million the following season.
Hossa, 26, had reportedly wanted between $5 million and $7 million a year while the Sens were hoping to pay him less than $4 million.
Hossa was the most prominent of the 11 players who originally had filed for arbitration. On Wednesday, Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo and San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Korolyuk will have their historic cases heard. Both were brought to arbitration by their clubs, which is allowed for the first time under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Some will say that the Senators are giving Hossa too much money, but in the end, the one positive that comes out of this is that the organization has our franchise player locked up for three years. The Sens need his services and made a commitment to him when they signed this deal.
Everyone's going to look back and say that Muckler probably could have made a long term deal for less, but personally I'm glad the two parties avoided arbitration. It's hard to suddenly become partners again when one side argues why the player in question, the player they hope to sign, doesn't deserve what he's asking for.
I would have probably prefered a three year deal worth 15-16 million, but that just didn't happen.
Now the big question is how this is going to affect the Senator's payroll not just this year, but in the following years.
Currently, the Sens already have their 22 player roster. The disclosed salaries add up to $33, 650,094.
The players that have the largest salaries for the 04/05 season are:
$5,000,000 Marian Hossa
$4,662,894 Daniel Alfredsson
$3,724,000 Wade Redden
$3,724,000 Zdeno Chara
$2,600,000 Martin Havlat
$2,280,000 Greg deVries
$2,242,000 Bryan Smolinski
For this season, trading away Greg deVries or Bryan Smolinski may be a quick solution.
Next season, a more prominent player such as Alfredsson, Chara or Redden may have to go.
It's not Hossa's salary that's dictating what this team will look like; he has a part but mostly it's the rising of so many young stars that's going to provide a problem.
Martin Havlat gets better year after year, and his salary will most likely be in the $3 millions next season. The very underrated Chris Phillips has gained some recognition over the past two seasons, and he was in fact the first overall pick in the 1995 draft.
Young players in Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher are in the $1 million range right now. However, if Spezza's point total skyrockets in a way that people think they are, then he's going to have a case when it comes down to making a new deal.
Overall, John Muckler is going to have to make some important decisions in the coming days, and it will be very interesting to see what he has planned.
Posted at 04:02 pm by Panflo
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August 22
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim- signed UFA RW Teemu Selanne
Columbus Blue Jackets- signed C Mark Hartigan, C Peter Sarno, and D Mark Flood.
Ottawa Senators- signed RW Patrick Eaves to entry level contract.
Phoenix Coyotes- signed UFA D Paul Mara.
There are tons more...
Selanne going back to the Ducks isn't a surprise. With Brian Burke there they'll be encouraged to play a more offensive style of hockey. Selanne's best days were in Anaheim, and with Sergei Fedorov there, he's got himself a quality centre.
Defencemen Mark Flood didn't work out a contract with the Montreal Canadiens unfortunately, and he will now rejoin a fellow former OHLer in Marc Methot.
The Sens finally sign the organization's top NCAA prospect, Patrick Eaves after drafting him in 2002. Now, if they could convince Alexei Kaigorodov to come to North America, that would be a very reassuring step in building a promising future.
Phoenix signed their top defense in Paul Mara avoiding arbitration. They have a good team on the horizon, Mara is an important piece of that.
Posted at 09:33 am by Panflo
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Aug 22, 2005
Everyone's heard it by now, but I feel like I'm in a good enough mood to mock them...
Posted at 05:34 pm by Panflo
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Season: 04/05 Goalies
Meet Danny Battochio. He's our season, playoff, and Memorial Cup hero. He's going to be attending Chicago Blackhawks training camp. If he doesn't get signed, 67's fans will love to have him back.
This is Anthony Guadagnolo. Yes, they are both Italian Canadian. When Battochio was out, Guadagnolo was always there.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/jana/67s20042005/
Matthew Spezza. Doesn't he look like Jason? He was traded from the Kingston Frontenacs to Ottawa. He didn't see much playing time as the third string goalie though.
Posted at 11:37 am by Panflo
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