NHL summer movement thread

He reportedly wanted to be guaranteed a No. 1 spot (of course he wasn't going to get that in Florida). And the Wings didn't want to guarantee him that either. Apparently Belfour didn't want to have to, you know, EARN his starting spot.



And the Wings have signed Danny Markov.


Wings ink Markov to deal

 

And Double J's buddy Chris Neil re-signed with the Sens.

 

"Well, with your bad back Ed, you shouldn't be throwing anybody."

 

Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun hands out his report card for the wheeling and dealing so far.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/FreeAgents/2006/07/27/1704966-sun.html

Biggest winners so far? Blues and Wild.

Biggest losers? Duh. Islanders & Oilers

 

And in possibly the biggest signing of the off-season: The Hamburg Freezers land NHL-star Cory Cross !
http://www.sport1.de/de/sport/artikel_243166.html

He's a good guy and all, but even on his best nights in my most biased writting I could not call him an NHL star. ;D

 

I love that his wife was an Edmonton cop.

 

One of the few Canadian University hocikey players that made the NHL (U of Alberta). Sreve Rucchin is another I can think of (U of Western Ontario)

Cory Cross can't skate worth shit but he's a dependable guy in his own end.

NHL Star? Hell, he wouldn't be an AHL star.

 

P.J. Stock went up from the AUS. Played for St. FX (ahem, helluva school, too).

 

And here's the story I wrote about it for today's paper. Feel free to trash it.


Go ahead, ask Chris Neil how he's doing.

He'll tell you he feels like a million bucks.

That's what the Flesherton native will be paid next season by the Ottawa Senators.

Neil, a restricted free agent, agreed Wednesday to a three-year, $3.3-million contract with the National Hockey League team.

The deal, which cancels an arbitration hearing scheduled for today, will pay the 27-year-old right winger $1 million in 2006-07. He'll get $1.1 million in the second year of the contract and $1.2 million in the third year, a substantial hike from the $585,000 he earned this past season.

Neil said from Ottawa that he knows the onus is on him to prove he deserves the big bucks.

"I've worked hard in every off-season to get in better shape and be a better player and I think it's paid off every year for me," he said. "I'm planning on having an even better year next year. Good things happen when you compete hard."

"He's a millionaire. He's doubled his income," said agent Don Reynolds of Uptown Sports Management, adding the raise reflects Neil's career year in 2005-06.

Neil scored 16 goals and added 17 assists for 33 points, all new single-season highs for him in the NHL.
He also compiled 204 penalty minutes and was one of three players in the league with at least 15 goals and 150 PIMs.

"He transitioned from being an enforcer to being a real effective player and he's been rewarded for it," Reynolds said. "We're proud of him."

Neil went through a frustrating time in the lockout season of 2004-05. His eagerness to finally begin his fourth season in Ottawa was on display last fall. At one point early in the campaign he was leading the league in both penalty minutes and power-play goals.

"They knew what I was capable of doing and they gave me an opportunity to succeed," Neil, who wound up with eight man-advantage goals, said of the Sens' management and coaching staff. "That's part of the reason why I was able to put some numbers up and still play a physical game.

"With them bringing in a guy like (enforcer) Brian McGrattan, it takes some of the pressure off me as a fighter and I'm able to concentrate on playing a little more. But I'm still out there being a physical presence and my role doesn't change a whole lot. I get to focus on driving to the net hard and putting (opponents') D through the end boards."

He was hoping a deal would be worked out prior to arbitration, having made no secret of his love for Ottawa and his desire to continue to play for the team that chose him in the sixth round of the 1998 draft. That desire grew stronger after the Sens recently re-signed his close friend, defenceman Wade Redden.

The two became even tighter last season, during which both of their mothers died. Bonnie Neil was killed in a car crash not far from the family home in November and Pat Redden died of cancer in April; both men made a point of supporting each other publicly and privately.

Neil missed three games after his mother's death. At the time, he said that while he had three brothers at home, he had 20 waiting for him in Ottawa and he was counting on their support. He says now that he can't adequately thank the entire Sens organization and its fans for their love and compassion.

"They made it very comfortable for me to come back and get right back into the lineup, get back into my routine, get my mind off everything," he said. "When you're away from the rink you're always thinking about it, but there's that three hours when you're out there playing a game. It goes through your mind every now and then, but you're able to get away for those three hours and that helped out a lot."

So has his relationship with longtime girlfriend Caitlin Sorensen. The couple was married two weeks ago.

With all the changes in Neil's life over the past year, he's hoping for another one in the near future - a long playoff run for the Senators.

He said the team can take a lesson from the unheralded Edmonton Oilers, who went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes.

"They got there on hard work and determination," Neil said of the gritty Oilers, who were almost the antithesis of the flashy but soft Sens.

"It doesn't mean you're going to win just because you have the most skilled team. It's the team that works the hardest and works together well. . . and this is going to be an exciting year for us. "It's a dream come true for me to be back playing in the best and most competitive league in the world."

 

Let's not forget the cheapest team in league.

IMO, losing McKee doesn't hurt that bad. He was the fourth or fifth best D-man on the team and signing Spacek certainly helps. Losing Grier hurts a lot even though he was just a role player. He was loved in Buffalo and will certainly be missed on the ice. Briere going to arbitration is the icing on the cake...good-freaking-god! Oh BTW, Miller has yet to be signed.

 

Double J, nice story. Neil sounds like a good guy.

Neil's from Shelbourne, right? Or is it Flesherton? Or Durham?

One of those godforsaken towns in your neck of the woods.

Edit. Reread your article. He's from the booming metropolis of Flesherton. Nice town, that.

 

AP reports Scott Gomez and Devils agree on 1-year deal for $5 million.