Kukla's Korner

Grading the Blueshirts on July 1

Blog: Goal Line Report By Patrick Hoffman

07/02/09 at 12:09 PM ET | Comments (0)

If I had to grade New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather on yesterday’s performance on the first day of free-agency, I would have to give him an incomplete. Yes, he signed two players and yes, one of them has a lot of potential to succeed on Broadway but we’ve all seen Sather do stuff like this before and nothing ever come to fruition.

Signing Marian Gaborik was extremely risky. On one hand, Sather managed to sign an offensive superstar who has scored 30-or-more goals in five of his eight seasons, including a career-high 42 in the 2006-07 season. He totaled 437 points in 502 career games, all with the Minnesota Wild, and he’s just 27 years old. If these were the only things that Ranger fans knew about him, there’d be no problems and even Sather thinks that the team improved with this signing.

“Gaborik is an exciting guy to watch play,” Sather told Jim Cerny of NewYorkRangers.com. “He can skate, and he does a lot of great things. He’s a great player, and he’s young. I certainly think he’s in the top ten in this league.”

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
  Tags: donald+brashear, free+agents, glen+sather, marian+gaborik, minnesota+wild, new+york+rangers, washington+capitals

Team Canada Orientation Camp Roster

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 12:01 PM ET | Comments (0)

Follow the link to Hockey Canada for the roster.  46 players have been invited.

added 10:18am,

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced on Thursday the roster of 46 players that will attend Canada’s National Men’s Team orientation camp from August 24-27 in Calgary.

These 46 players have been identified as candidates for upcoming international events in the 2009-10 season: the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and 2010 IIHF World Championship.

The camp roster includes five goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 25 forwards. The list of players includes 40 players with senior international experience, either at the Olympics, IIHF World Championship or World Cup of Hockey/Canada Cup, while 36 of the 46 players played for either the National Junior Team or National Men’s Under-18 Team.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: team+canada

Burke Gets Busy

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 11:50 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

Well, let’s just say right now only the thick and misguided would have much doubt about what the plan is for the Leafs with Brian Burke at the controls.

Get tough. Get more North American. Then get tougher.

Last weekend, Burke drafted seven players, including among them one of the better fighters in the Ontario Hockey league and two big lads, one 6-foot-5 and the other 6-foot-6.

If they ever make it, it won’t be because they’re good stickhandlers.

Yesterday, after making a fruitless trip across the ocean to make a face-to-face pitch to Henrik and Daniel Sedin, only to find they’d signed back with Vancouver before anyone else could make them an offer, Burke didn’t whine or complain.

He got busy.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

You Woke Up This Morning…

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 11:28 AM ET | Comments (0)

,,, with what feelings about the first day of the UFA signing period.

I woke up feeling refreshed after a very long day and night.  Now waiting for the Wings to sign someone, anyone and keeping an eye on some the bigger names available, wondering where they may end up.

How about you?

Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Anderson Always Wanted To Play For The Avs

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 10:56 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Adrian Dater of All Things Avs,

It used to be everybody wanted to come to Denver to play for the Avalanche. Not so, anymore, as a last-place finish and a much tighter payroll have taken some of the luster off Colorado as an NHL destination.

To Craig Anderson, however, the Avalanche might as well still be considered Shangri-La.

Spurning offers from several other teams, Anderson signed a two-year, $3.6 million free-agent contract with the Avs on Wednesday and is expected to be the team’s No. 1 goalie this coming season.

“It’s a dream come true,” Anderson said. “It was the place I wanted to be, a city I’ve always loved. I think it’s a great opportunity for me, and I want to be part of the solution bringing the team back.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: craig+anderson

Kings Had Interest In Hossa

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 10:52 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings,

OK, here are all the quotes from tonight’s interview with Dean Lombardi. I typed fast, so excuse any typos.

Can you go through the day, and talk about anything you might have been close to getting done?

LOMBARDI: ``Obviously we went into this for wingers. Like I’ve said, it’s one of the positives of being in our situation now, as opposed to three years ago, when we were looking for everything and signing seven guys. The No. 1 guy we targeted was Hossa. I got permission to talk to Hossa at the draft. There were three teams, us and two others. Detroit gave me permission, and we started the dialogue at that time. Detroit, if he got signed, they would get compensation.

read on for more on the Kings…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Rick Nash Contract Extension Talks Start Off On The Wrong Foot

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 10:42 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Aaron Portzline of Puck-rakers at the Columbus Disptach,

After an early-evening meeting with his agent, Joe Resnick, Nash told The Dispatch last night that the initial offer from Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson yesterday fell short of what he had in mind.

“Things didn’t line up the way I anticipated them lining up,” Nash said. “I thought we had a solid chance of getting (a contract) done, especially with all the interest they said they had going into this.

“If this doesn’t happen in the next week, and we can’t hit a number where we’re both satisfied and we both feel it’s fair … if they want me that bad, they’ll get it done.”

Neither Howson nor Nash would reveal specifics in the contract, but sources indicated to The Dispatch that the offer had a five-year term.

read on

I am a bit surprised Nash would say anything after the first day of negotiations.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: rick+nash

One Big If For The Rangers

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

07/02/09 at 10:32 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Last night’s conference call in which the Rangers announced the signing of marquee free agent Marian Gaborik was interrupted after just about 30 seconds.

Let’s hope this was not a harbinger of things to come.

If he’s healthy, Gaborik is a great player; an electric offensive machine as capable of carrying his team as he is at carrying the puck and creating scoring chances for himself. He’s a pure finisher; a dynamic skater with remarkable offensive instincts and skills; and a creative soloist.

He is the go-to force the Rangers haven’t had since Jaromir Jagr in the first year after the lockout.

He is all that. He is all that if he’s healthy and can stay healthy.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: marian+gaborik

Quenneville: Hossa May Start Next Season In Goal

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By IwoCPO

07/02/09 at 04:31 AM ET | Comments (0)

Here’s what you do when you reach the Conference Finals and you fall short.  You spend some money.  And you spend it with one thing in mind and that’s taking the next step.  You came so close that getting past the team that beat you is an obsession.  We know all this.  The Wings have been there.  Twice in the last twelve years.  A Conference Finals loss does weird things to you.

In Chicago’s case, it led them to sign Marian Hossa and his Mini-Marian, Tomas Kopecky. They also signed John Madden.  They became stronger and they are going to be giving the Wings one heck of a run for the Central Division title next year.  We knew this the moment Hossa signed.

But…

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Some Poorly Run Teams

Blog: The Puck Stops Here By PuckStopsHere

07/02/09 at 03:14 AM ET | Comments (0)

Last year, I wrote that a team is poorly run if they go into the draft and free agent signing period without a clear coach and general manager.  These are the key times when a team is built for next season (and beyond) and not having the people in charge that will run those teams when those decisions are made is a problem. 

The Florida Panthers do not have a clear general manager for next season.  After Jacques Martin left to coach in Montreal, they have had Randy Sexton as the acting GM, but it is expected that somebody else will be brought in long-term.  That is a crazy way to run any organization.  Whenever the new GM comes into place, it will be too late for him to make any major moves for next season.  He will basically inherit a team and not be able to make significant changes to it for months.  Should Florida decide they want Sexton as GM, they should make it official.  Sexton has GM experience.  He was the Ottawa Senators GM during some of the franchise’s darkest years when they were among the worst teams in the league. That doesn’t give him the most impressive resume, but it is better than some people who are hired as NHL GMs.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
 

« Previous       ‹ First  < 3301 3302 3303 3304 3305 >  Last ›      Next »