Tag Archive for 'Hockey'

Is Brian Burke Jumping Coasts?

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BlueIndian
on November 13, 2008
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From ESPN:

Brian Burke won’t have to wait long to take calls from other NHL teams now that he has stepped down as Anaheim Ducks general manager.

“After he helps us with the transition, he’ll be free to talk to other teams about employment,” Ducks CEO Michael Schulman announced at a news conference Wednesday. “That will probably be a week or two.” Bob Murray, who has been the Ducks’ senior vice president of hockey operations since 2005, replaced his good friend Burke, who has been Anaheim’s GM since June 2005 and watched the team win the Stanley Cup in 2007. “There’s only 30 of these jobs available and it’s an honor and a privilege and it’s exciting for me take over,” Murray said. “I can’t wait to take over. I’ve been taught properly by Brian and we will go on the same way that we have since the beginning. “People are worried about transition when these things happen. Well, from day one, from when Brian and I took over this organization, he has included me in everything he’s done. All of our hirings, all of our trades.” The Ducks will inform the NHL’s front office that they are giving the rest of the league access to Burke, who has long been linked to the Toronto GM job. Cliff Fletcher is filling the role on an interim basis.

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Hawks Dump Salary, Age & Scoring?

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BlueIndian
on September 13, 2008
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From the Chicago Tribune:

The Blackhawks solved their salary cap issues and shifted focus onto younger players Friday when they traded veteran center Robert Lang. The 37-year-old, entering the final season of his contract, had 21 goals and 33 assists in 76 games last season. The Hawks sent Lang and his $4 million salary to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round draft pick in 2010.

“We’re very happy with the direction we’re headed,” Hawks general manager Dale Tallon said. “Our young guys have taken great steps this off-season conditioning-wise. We have so many young players that sooner or later we have to open the door for them.”

The Hawks had been above the salary cap by more than $2 million after the July free agent signings of defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. The team is now about $1.5 million below the cap and is likely to use that money to sign a veteran forward. The complete article is here.

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Does Leaf’s Nation Say Goodbye McCabe on Tuesday?

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BlueIndian
on September 1, 2008
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This is from Sportsnet.ca:

A trade to send Leafs defenceman Bryan McCabe to Florida, first reported by Sportsnet, should be announced on Tuesday. The Leafs are expected to get defenceman Mike Van Ryn from the Panthers in return.

McCabe, who has a no-movement clause in his contract, has agreed to waive the condition in order for the trade to be completed. The deal is a major step in Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher’s wish to remake the under-performing team’s roster.

Fletcher originally tried to deal McCabe, along with several other Leafs veterans, at the February trade deadline shortly after Fletcher was hired to replace the fired John Ferguson Jr. But McCabe, along with captain Mats Sundin,  Darcy Tucker, Thomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina, all refused to waive their no-trade clauses.

Tucker was bought out by the club in June and subsequently signed with Colorado while Sundin opted for free agency once his contract runs out and remains undecided on whether he will even play this season. Kaberle and Kubina remain with the Leafs. The Leafs missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season in 2007-08.

McCabe spent seven seasons with the Leafs, scoring 83 goals and 214 assists. In June 2006 he signed a five-year, $28.5 million deal that also included the no-movement clause.

Van Ryn, 29, was a first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1998 and has played the past four seasons with the Panthers.

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Leafs Summer Updates

Published
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BlueIndian
on August 22, 2008
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So we are a month or so away from the start of the 2008-2009 NHL season.  Training camp will open with, as promised, a lot of new faces in Maple Leaf land.   The questions still loom though: Will Mats Sundin be there? Will Brian McCabe be there?  Who will be the Captain?   As far as Mats is concerned, I am done caring.   I was hoping he would come back but then I realized that even though he is a good and likeable captain, he has provided the city of Toronto zero in the form of success.   No Cups, No conference finals, squat!  So if he decides to come back, great.  If he doesn’t or goes to play for another team?  Who cares.

Brian McCabe on the other hand seems to be on his way out.  All the published reports have him going to Florida in exchange for Sean Van Ryan.   I used to like McCabe, but like everyone else turned on him.  He signed a huge deal and his play went to crap.   Maybe he will get a fresh start in the Panthers organization.

Who’s going to be the Leafs captain?  Who knows.   I think it should be Thomas Kaberle. But then again it could be any of them.  Hopefully new coach Ron Wilson has a better idea than the rest of us.   Let the countdown to traing camp begin.

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So What Did the Leafs Get on July 1st? The Finger.

Published
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BlueIndian
on July 3, 2008
in Hockey
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With Bryan McCabe about to get the boot, Cliff Fletcher paid dearly to give the Maple Leafs defence the Finger.

But the general manager is convinced free agent Jeff Finger is part of the answer for his blue line, at $14 million US for four years, with at least one more defenceman and forward to be added by free agency or trade.

Finger and Finnish-born left winger Niklas Hagman (four years, $12 million) topped yesterday’s opening of shopping for the Leafs, who also brought home Curtis Joseph to play out his last days as a backup goalie for $700,000.

Read the rest of the article from the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby

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