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Boedker Signs, Hodgson Next?

September 7, 2013, 12:32 AM ET [23 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Updated 3:40 pm EDT:


Hodgson_prax
Photo courtesy, Dan Hickling

Busy day for RFA signings. This morning, the Washington Caps signed RFA center Marcus Johansson to a two-year bridge deal worth $4 million total.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed their RFA winger Mikkel Boedker to a two year bridge deal.





Begs the question?




The RFA pool is thinning with these recent signings.

Hodgson, Kadri, Cowen and Pietrangelo remain unsigned.

It would not surprise me in the least if Hodgson signs his new contract in the next two days. Its not like he's ambivalent and threatening to hold out. He'll likely get two years at $5.8-$6 million total, a smidge more than Tyler Ennis signed for last September. Ennis signed for two years and $2,812,500 per season.

Or.....

Will Hodgson get Adam Henrique's $4M AAV, or a little bit less per seaosn?

We'll know in a couple of days.





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Q: Whats wrong with this picture?





A: Darnell Nurse is a scratch for the Oilers in a "Young Stars" game vs. Winnipeg prospects.



Why?


Nurse, the 7th overall pick and second D-man taken in the June NHL Entry Draft, is a healthy scratch tonight. Seth Jones was selected 4th overall by the Nashville Predators.

Curious move by the Oilers as Nurse is not injured. I've read reports out of Edmonton that say that Nurse has struggled in Oilers rookie camp.

Nurse is a 6'5 200 pounder who plays a physical style. So why the struggles?

Its not uncommon for a young D to struggle during prospects camp. It happens all the time.

nurse will come around just like all rookies do. There's a "get to know you period" with NHL rookies. The Sabres prefer to conduct their rookie camp in July rather than wait for the end of summer to do so.

Advantage: Darcy Regier.

The Sabres held their rookie camp immediately after the NHL Draft in Buffalo. Their kids spent three days working the kinks out and getting acclimated to the NHL rink and the NHL grind. Buffalo rooki camp culminated with a Blue & Gold scrimmage. Their prospects were able to play at a high tempo against their peers and it yielded great results. Regier takes a lot of heat in these parts but I have to commend him for holding his rookie camp on July, directly after the NHL draft. The Sabres bring their kids in for fitness strength/conditioning, and team building. The Sabres demonstrate the NHL standard to their rookies immediately. Then, the kids are run through skills, drills and scrimmages. each player leaves Buffalo with a summer workout assignment. This summer, Sabres studs Grigorenko, Ristolainen, Zadorov, Bailey, and others stayed in Buffalo, skated daily with the skating coach, and worked out together. Such an approach helped the players to bond and to form chemsitry and rapport with one another. You are seeing the fruit of all of their labor at the Traverse City tourney as the Sabres rookies look like the most complete, balanced, polished team of the eight that are playing in the event.

Back to Edmonton where a contrast to Nurse's struggles is the thriving play of the Sabres 2013 first rounders Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov. The Twin Towers have been crushing their competition atthe Traverse City Prospects Tournament. They are playing like NHLers with a ton of poise, physicality and smarts. Ristolainen scored the GWG in Buffalo's first game vs. Columbus scored twice on Friday vs. NY Rangers, including the OT GWG.

Ristolainen and Zadorov have anchored Buffalo's impressive, undefeated team at the Traverse City tourney. There's already real speculation that both players will be competing for roster spots in Buffalo this season. Personally, I see Risto making the Sabres opening night roster and Zadorov heading back to OHL London to continue his wrecking ball ways against OHL opponents.

Its too early to tell, but perhaps Darcy Regier drafted the best two d in the first round in Ristolainen and Zadorov.

Nurse will be ok. He's an intense competitor.


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Josh Rimer reports that NHL UFA Hal Gill will attend the Philadelphia Flyers training camp on a tryout contract.


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Two games into the NHL lockout-shortened season, Colorado Avalanche SD'er Steve Downie was injured January 22 against the L.A. Kings at the Pepsi Center in Denver . It was later determined Downie had torn his ACL in one of his knees and would be out the rest of the season.

Downie is a little more than seven months past surgery. There are reports out of Denver that say that Downie is at 100%. Others say that the feisty winger may not be ready to start the season. Training camp physicals begin on September 11. If Downie is unable to pass his physical, that would leave a toughness deficiency in the Avs lineup.




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Thomas Vanek took to his blog at thomasvanek.at to address his current status with the Buffalo Sabres:

Summer is over and a new season is about to start. I’m back in Buffalo for about 2 weeks now and I’m really looking forward to the start of the season. We had some strong drafts in the last years and I’m really excited to see how the youngsters will do on the ice. Of course, we veterans are now also asked to step it up and lead those young players.

So, everybody wants to know how my future looks. As I said multiple times before, let’s wait and see. I really want to see our talents perform and what perspectives there are. My summer was pretty quiet and I could completely focus on my training. I never thought about a possible trade, simply because I have no say in this matter. I’m still very happy to live my dream and play in the NHL, that’s what counts most and will always stay that way. It’s going to be exciting to work together with Ron Rolston, who did a marvelous job, in my opinion, last season. Now he has the team for a full training camp and I think he has really deserved his chance as head coach.

Just a quick look into the future. I’m so looking forward to the Olympics in Sochi. That’s going to be such a great thing for our national team. That we even qualified was such a big surprise… But now we want more and show some good games in Russia. Until then it’s all about the Sabres. We want to prove to our critics that our team is not as bad as some want to make it out.


My takes:

* Vanek's message is consistent today with what it was when I spoke with him last week, when KSTP on Minneapolis spoke with him in July, and when he spoke on locket clean out day in Buffalo April. He wants to take a "wait and see" approach" before he makes a commitment one way or another about his future. To me, Thomas sees the glass as half full, not half empty. He loves Buffalo, their amazing array of young players, and the vets in the Buffalo room. He doesn't want to leave Buffalo. He's really taken to new head coach Ron Rolston and he wants to play for the man.


* I live how Vanek is carrying a chip on his shoulder by calling out the critics who say that his Buffalo squad doesn't measure up to the other top teams in the league. Vanek is an intensely prideful man, and he takes offense to the jeers and sneers thrown his team's way. Thats leadership in the truest sense of the word. Vanek can use his stick to shut the mouths of Sabres haters everywhere this season.

* I've said it for months. Thomas Vanek wants to be a Buffalo Sabre long after this season. he'll accept a trade if the Sabres wish to deal him before his contract expires in July, however, he wants to win a Stanley Cup in Buffalo. Don't think for a minute that Vanek has moved on mentally from Buffalo. To the contrary. Vanek is watching the results of the Traverse City Prospects Tournament. trust me when I tell you that Thomas Vanek is an analytical man. He respects the young talent that Darcy Regoer and Kevin Devine has drafted into the Buffalo organization in the past 3-4 NHL entry drafts. Vanek want sto play with super talented kids like Foligno, Grigorenko, Girgensons, Armia, Bailey, Baptiste, Catenacci, Ristolainen, McCabe, and Zadorov. Vanek told me last week that he feels the team is only a couple veteran players away from making a strong, respectable team this season. His take: surround the kids with 'teachers" who can metor and guide them in their development, the same way that Mike Grier and Chris Drury guided him in his early years in Buffalo. So get get him a Brenden Morrow or a Damien Brunner and lets get this party started right!!

Given the support that Vanek has consistently given his Sabres teammates, prospects and Ron Rolston, I don't see any reason why he'll be traded away from Buffalo. Vanek has a lot of skin in the game in Buffalo. Is that to say that he would veto a trade if presented with a proposal? No. The point is that Vanek is not, and has not been seeking a trade to get out of Buffalo. Should the Sabres trade him, he'll go along with it. He's not initiating trade talks. He's going about his business and getting ready fro another season in Buffalo.

Ryan Miller is the guy more likely to be dealt away, in my humble opinion.



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Two years ago today, tragedy struck the world hockey community when the airplane carrying KHL club Yaroslavl Lokomotiv crashed in Russia. The entire Yaroslav hockey organization was destroyed by the tragic crash.

Latvian-born Sabres center, Zemgus Girgensons, offers this touching tribute to fellow Latvian NHLer Karlis Skrastins who was among the passengers aboard the plane.




Steve Ott played with Skrastins in Dallas.




Sabres winger Thomas Vanek lost a family member in the Yarolsavl crash. Josef Vasicek, a Carolina Hurricane alum, was among the 43 people killed that day. Vanek and Vasicek were related by by marriage. Vanek's brother is married to Vasicek's sister.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Vasiceks, the Vaneks, the Skrastins, and the families of all of the Varoslavl Lokomotiv crash victims.





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Marcus Johansson has re-signed a two-year, $4 million contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Johansson will earn $1,825,000 in 2013-14 and $2,175,000 in 2014-15.


Classic "bridge contract". I feel like he left money on the table.

Johansson, 22, recorded 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists) in 34 games during the 2012-13 season. He ranked tied for fourth on the Capitals in assists and tied for fifth in power-play goals (3). Johansson saw a bump in his production in 2013 when he left his natural center position to play wing for Ovechkin and Backstrom.

The 6'1'', 205-pound center posted career marks during the 2011-12 campaign when he collected 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 80 games with Washington. He ranked third on the team in assists, tied for third in points and tied for seventh in goals.

The Landskrona, Sweden, native has collected 95 points (33 goals, 62 assists) and 22 penalty minutes in 183 regular-season games with the Capitals. Among his 2009 draft class, Johansson ranks fifth in goals and points, seventh in assists and eighth in games played. In addition, the center has recorded four goals and seven assists in 30 career NHL playoff games.

This signing is great news for George McPhee and the Washington Capitals because they get the player for a very cap-friendly number. I'm certain that the agents for still unsigned RFAs Cody Hodgson, Nazem Kadri, Derek Stepan, Mikkel Boedker, Hared Cpowen, and Alex Pietrangelo are not impressed with this deal. The unsigned young stars want longer term contracts at higher annual dollars now, not two years from now. Thats why they are all unsigned still.

Hodgson is in Buffalo right now, skating with the boys and preparing to take his physical when Sabres camp opens on Wednesday 9/11. Hosgson said this week that he is confident that his agent, Ritch Winter, and Sabres GM Darcy Regier will be finalizing a contract extension. The sabres are notorious for waiting to re-sign their RFAs. Last September 15, RFA Tyler Ennis was signed hours before the lockout began. In 2009, RFA Drew Stafford
was re-signed two days after training camp had begun.



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Whoever said that the Sabres lack size, skill, and scoring obviously didn't watch the game in Friday afternoon. The Sabres jumped out to a 5-2 lead, then hung on to force OT.

In the end, rookie Nikita Zadorov scored his second goal of the game, with 26 second left in OT to give the Sabres the exciting 6-5 win in Traverse City.

The Sabres brought their hitting game with them to Traverse City, and they controlled play for most of the 60 minutes of regulation hockey by finishing every hit and taking care of the puck.

The Sabres took 7 penalties in the game, the Rangers 5. The game featured Special teams galore.

Justin Kea answered the bell after he railed a Ranger forward from behind. Kea was challenged by Leroux and tossed the mitts in defense of his over zealous actions.


Thanks, Rangers.com



Rangers prospect Oscar Lindberg stole the show with a hat trick on Friday in a 6-5 overtime loss against the Buffalo Sabres in the second game of the Traverse City tournament.

The physical first period ended in a scoreless tie. Then Rangers super prospect Oscar Lindberg got the scoring started in the second period. Lindberg would later add two more goals in the third period. Lindberg now has four goals in the two tournament games, noth losses.

Then, the Sabres countered with three goals of their own.Baptiste, Nick Baptiste, Zadorov and Logan Nelson lit the lamp to give the Sabres the 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.

The the pond hockey game broke out in the third period. Penalties by both teams led to man advantage situations.

Lindberg’s second goal came at 5:59 of the third period to make it 3-2.

The one-goal game didn’t last long, as Buffalo added two goals in 22 seconds from Baptiste and Eric Locke to make it 5-2.

Looked like smooth sailing for the Sabres at that point. All they needed to do was control the puck and hold onto their three goal lead. The Rangers used their PP to get even with the Sabres.

The line of Kristo, Fast and Lindberg has been lights out for the Rangers in Traverse City. This line can do it all.

Lindberg’s hat trick goal and Danny Kristo’s goal made it a 5-4 game. Kristo, the University of North Dakota star ( 26 goals and 52 points in 40 games on 2013) made things interesting tournament.

Josh Graves tied the game at with 6:20 remaining in regulation to force OT. The Sabres PK had to stand up to heavy pressure by the Rangers PP in order to preserve the 5-5 tie and take the game to overtime.

Then, with 26 ticks left on the clock, the hulking Nikita Zadorov scored the OT GWG to seal the deal on Buffalo's 6-5 victory.



Thanks, Sabres.com

Eric Locke scored a goal and added three assists while Nick Baptiste scored two goals and added an assist for the winners.







The Sabres improved their tournament record to 2-0, and are in first place in the Lindsay division. They'll take Saturday off and will get back to the grind on Sunday afternoon at 4pm when they play Carolina.


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