PuckUpdatePuckUpdate: A Blog Dedicated to Hockey NewsWhat's So Great About North America- June 30, 2008 I'm always behind in reading ESPN the Magazine. In fact, I usually finish one and get the new one like a day later. So this is a little late, but the magazine had a cool update on first-round bust Alexandre Daigle. It's a nice article, but the gist of it is that he's very happy playing in the Swiss League, a lower-level European league. Daigle was never a good fit for the NHL, in that he had the weight of the world on his shoulders but no strong to desire to meet anyone's expectations. Playing.http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_29-2008_07_05.html#002390 Theodore: "It's Not Personal. It's Just Business"- June 27, 2008 Adrian Dater weighs in on goalie Jose Theodore opting to hit the open market rather than re-signing with the Avs. Dater says the Avs deserve a little bit of a hometown discount for saving Theodore's career. While I understand that, I don't think the Avs would have given a contract based on last year's .910 save percentage and 2.44 goals against if he had put up numbers like 2006-07's .891 and 3.26. It's frustrating, but it's a business. Speaking of business, I like how the cap keeps going up....http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_22-2008_06_28.html#002389 Bouwmeester: 'Can Someone Describe the Post-Season to Me'- June 26, 2008 Steve Zipay has an interesting item: "With the trade of Olli Jokinen, a person close to Jay Bouwmeester told Newsday that the defenseman wants out of Florida. Unsure whether — or when — the Rangers can get him here, but boy, if the deal was right, JayBo would be a high-quality get..." I'm not sure why he wrote in the style of Larry King. He usually doesn't do that. Bouwmeester in play is very interesting, though. You can see why Bouwmeester might want out of Florida. It sounds like..http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_22-2008_06_28.html#002388 NHL Keeps on Waiving and Trading- June 25, 2008 The Flyers continue to revamp their defense, trading for Janne Niskala from Nashville. Unlike previous seasons, Philadelphia doesn't seem to be going after the big free-agent names (although we'll see what happens with that next week). Instead, the Flyers, who made it to the second round of the playoffs, are modestly upgrading their slow blueline. Even trading away forward R.J. Umberger might not dramatically reduce their offense if Simon Gagne is healthy next season. Jean Lefebvre weighs in on.http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_22-2008_06_28.html#002387 What's So Free About Free Agency- June 24, 2008 There are some very interesting players in this year's free-agent crop. New York Ranger Sean Avery is expected to hit the open market, with Avery supposedly asking for between $3 and $4 million per year. Now I don't know what NHL GMs think about Avery, but on sports talk radio, blogs, and message boards, fans are asking how an enforcer can possibly be worth that much money under a salary cap. The only stat Avery's people really have is that the Rangers have a dramatically better record with him.http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_22-2008_06_28.html#002386 You Can't Avoid the Draft- June 23, 2008 Wow. Kind of an exciting draft weekend. Although I am with Jeff Z. Klein in that I too find it a little annoying that you don't know if a team had a good draft for something like five years. That's why I like draft-day trades. They're way more immediate. The Flames got Mike Cammalleri from LA and shipped Alex Tanguay to Montreal.It was a great move for Calgary, that let them get a little younger and a little cheaper, and Cammalleri, should he stay healthy, has a lot of upside. I think he has...http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_22-2008_06_28.html#002385 C. Everett Koop: 'Don't Split the Sedins!'- June 20, 2008 I wish I could get more into the NHL draft. It all seems so speculative. You won't know which teams won the draft for years. It does seem fairly certain Evgeni Malkin isn't getting traded to the Kings for a first-round pick. I have no idea why that rumor picked up so much traction since it seems pretty crazy for the Penguins. If they wanted to trade the guy who carried the team when Sidney Crosby went down, they could probably get some more NHL-ready talent. Alanah takes some nice shots at...http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_15-2008_06_21.html#002384 Tampa: 'Hey Flyers! Do You Want Insurance on that Rental'- June 19, 2008 I don't know if anyone in the NHL head office is actively looking for a new project, but if anyone is, he should look into boomerang trades (where an NHL team trades a player away, only for the player to boomerang back in the off-season). Vinny Prospal is the latest boomerang, with the Flyers trading Prospal's rights back to the Lightning. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren admits he had an understanding with Prospal: "Right after we made the trade in February when I talked to him, he let me know he...http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_15-2008_06_21.html#002383 Malone: 'Thanks, But I Kind of Wanted to Sign with a Good Team...'- June 18, 2008 Unrestricted free agent Ryan Malone is a smart guy. Yesterday, there were reports the Penguins were going to trade his negotiating rights to the Blue Jackets. All I could think was 'Why would anyone want to play for Columbus' Especially when the only Columbus player worth being on a line with, Rick Nash, is a left wing, like Malone. Malone told teams not to give up any players in a trade for his rights and to wait for him to hit the market. Obviously, this takes the puck off of Pittsburgh's...http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_15-2008_06_21.html#002382 Capitals: 'Can Someone Sign Green for Us We're Swamped'- June 17, 2008 Yesterday, I mentioned the Caps are low-balling restricted free agent defenseman Mike Green. Today, Tarik El-Bashir reports the Caps will match any offer sheets Green gets. In other words, the Caps are going to let another team negotiate an inflated contract with one of the key components of their future, rather than just sitting down with Green and giving him a fair offer. I don't get it. Unless Green doesn't want to be in Washington for some reason and is asking for outrageous money. Or the...http://www.puckupdate.com/archives/2008_06_15-2008_06_21.html#002381 |