- Aaron Ward via twitter: “Further clarification to NHLPA proposal to limit non player spending by teams.Player concessions in 2005 lowered player costs while” … “non player costs sky rocketed.These costs can be defined as GM/Coaches salaries on down to Jet Fuel.Speaks to proposal theme of shared” … “financial responsibility in the PARTNERSHIP.The extra draft pick for teams in financial trouble is very discretionary and would be” … “mutually agreed upon by NHL/NHLPA on case by case basis with the intent to target the market/team in need.This would be very limited but” … “the pick itself would serve the purpose of helping to revitalize a team.Lastly,a franchise in distress under special circumstances,would” … “be permitted to trade/sell up to $4 million in cap space to another team giving the team a way of getting another ‘paycheck’.This would be” … “VERY limited and only available to teams in need.”
- TSN Video Link: Aaron Ward on that’s hockey talking about CBA.
- Allan Walsh via twitter: Gary Bettman’s response to the NHLPA’s proposal: “The sides are far apart, there’s still a wide gap between us with not much time to go.” Don Fehr on Bettman’s response: “When you start with the proposal the owners made, how could it be otherwise. Consider what the (NHL) proposal was.”
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly’s agent on contract negotiations:
“I can’t comment on the negotiations, other than to say we are still working on it and will likely speak again next week.”
- George Malik via twitter: Allhockey.ru is reporting that Alex Kovalev told a Swiss team (HC Geneva) that he’s received offers from North American teams.
- Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer: The Hurricanes may still look to add some 4th line muscle. “What’s gone relatively unnoticed is the lack of concrete change on defense, an area where the Hurricanes have struggled since the core of the 2002 and 2006 teams moved on. Corvo is underrated defensively, but of the Hurricanes’ two free-agent departures, he’s more of a replacement for Jaroslav Spacek than he is Bryan Allen.”
- Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin thinks it could be difficult for 2012 1st round pick Alex Galchenyuk to make the team.
“It will be difficult because he didn’t play much hockey last season, but we’ll see how he does in training camp,”
Brian Gionta have recovered from his torn bicep and Bergevin isn’t concerned with Brandon Prust’s hand surgery this offseason.
- Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times: Mattias Ohlund’s hockey career is still up in the air after 6 months of recovery from major knee surgery (“a thin layer of titanium was used to resurface his femur at the patellofemoral joint behind his kneecap. That created a cushion where cartilage had flaked away and bone-on-bone rubbing caused severe pain”).
“Do I have a dream to still play hockey? Yeah, I do,” Ohlund, 35, said Monday after a workout at the Ice Sports Forum. “I’m slowly getting better. But I don’t know what the end result will be.”
“Significantly improved,” Poirier said. “When he left me he could only get to 10, 12 reps; it was painful. Now he can do 15 to 20 reps without pain. The next step is to build him up even more.”
“Nobody has told me this is impossible,” Ohlund said of a comeback in his 14th NHL season.
- Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers goalie prospect Olivier Roy will likely split time with Yann Danis in the AHL. Tyler Bunz will likely take Roy’s spot as the starter in the ECHL.
- Andy Strickland via twitter: The Flyers have signed Wayne Simmonds to a 6 year, $23.875 million contract extension. It works out to just over $3.97 million per season.