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Traverse City Cup: Advantage Sabres
September 9, 2013, 3:01 PM ET [12 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
Updated 7pm EDT:


Both head coaches are tweaking their lineups for for tonight's championship game:





















Advantage: Buffalo


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Nazem Kadri isn't feeling the love from the Toronto Maple Leafs today. The player and the team are at odds over Kadri's value to the team. Kadri's an RFA and he wants a long term, fat money contract extension. He wants it now.

The Leafs are not budging off of their stance that Kadri has yet to prove himself at the NHL level. Kadri and the Leafs are waging an uncomfortable public contract dispute.

In contrast, the Buffalo Sabres and their RFA center are Cody Hodgson appear to be in a good place right now. Hodgson spoke publicly last week about his confidence that his contract will be done in the near future. Hodgson likes Buffalo. Buffalo likes Hodgson. His new contract is a one-timer from the slot away. The Brampton Battalion alum has been skating in Buffalo with his teammates.

Unlike Kadri, Hodgson doesn't appear to be ambivalent nor is he harboring ill will towards Darcy Regier.

In fact, this photo which was tweeted by the Sabres suggests that Hodgson in feeling pretty good about the Sabres these day.

This photo was clicked at a Sabres alumni event at the Niagara Health site in St. Catherines on Monday. Why would Hodgson pose for a photo opp in his Sabres sweater if he was feeling uncertain or unsure about his status with the Sabres?








I would not be surprised at all if the Hodgson contract is done and the Sabres are just waiting to announce it when training camp opens this week.



Darcy Regier has been in Traverse City, Michigan to observe in person his prospects. The Sabres play the Red Wings for the championship tonight. Regier will be back in Buffalo on Tuesday. Back to business as usual.

Will Regier and Hodgson get together in Buffalo Tuesday?

Just do it, Darcy! Cody's a great kid. He's about to have his breakout NHL season. Lets get this deal done now!


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Former Sabres winger Brad Boyes was invited to NY Islanders training camp. The Islanders are one of two teams interested in the sniper.


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Is Dan Cleary a Philadelphia Flyer?

If Flyer insider Rick Tocchet's tweet is true, then the Flyers just got themselves a pro's pro in Cleary.

The 34 UFA turned down a three year deal with the Detroit Red Wings before the UFA market on July 5. Once the market opened, the Wings moved swiftly and aggressively and signed UFAs Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss. Thus, eating up all of the roster space and roster spots.




The Red Wings invited Cleary to their training camp where he would have to compete for a job. He gave them eight great seasons and wasn't about to go to camp on a tryout contract, so he opted instead to take a guaranteed contract in Philly. He was also pursued by Dallas and Pittsburgh.








Assuming the Cleary news is true, the Flyers will have to trade a contract in order to welcome Cleary to their roster.

The Flyers are over the cap right now.


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The Ottawa Senators have made a smart move by locking up power forward Colin Greening to a three year contract extension today. His contract is a $2.65 million AAV per season. nice contract for a useful, resourceful player.


Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today that the club has signed forward Colin Greening to a three-year contract extension through the end of the 2016-17 NHL season.

Greening, 27, played in 47 National Hockey League games for Ottawa in 2012-13, registering 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists), a plus-five rating, 11 penalty minutes and 122 hits. He also appeared in each of the Senators’ 10 playoff games, recording three goals and four points. He became the 14th player in Senators franchise history to record a post-season game-winning goal in overtime, with his double-overtime marker against the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 19 (2-1 win).

A native of St. John’s, N.L., the 6-2, 217-pound forward has recorded 31 goals, 38 assists and 67 penalty minutes over 153 career NHL games, all of which have occurred with Ottawa. Greening made his NHL debut on Feb. 1, 2011, and played in 24 games during his first NHL season of 2010-11. Following the completion of the NHL campaign, he was assigned to the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators, where he helped the club win the 2011 Calder Cup.

Prior to playing professionally, Greening played four seasons with the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s Cornell University Big Red. He was selected the ECAC hockey-student athlete of the year and was recognized with the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA men’s division I hockey, at the conclusion of his senior season.

Greening was Ottawa’s seventh-round selection, 204th overall, in the 2005 NHL Draf
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