Mike Fisher has been mulling retirement since his Nashville Predators lost Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It appears the free-agent center is nearing a decision as to whether he wants to return for another NHL season.
"He is on vacation, and I have been away and (focused on preparing for arbitration hearings)," Predators general manager David Poile told Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. "I'm hoping to talk to him later this week to see where he's at. I'd say by next week, we should have an update."
Even in his age-36 season, Fisher was still a valuable player for the Preds. He scored 18 goals, tallied 42 points, and won 54.9 percent of his faceoffs.
With Nick Bonino now in the fold, Fisher would be able to slot in as the team's third-line center - a much more fitting role for the 37-year-old.
With few remaining centers left in free agency, the Preds would likely turn to in-house options Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons, or Frederick Gaudreau to fill the third-line vacancy left by Fisher if he opts for retirement.
Hockey Canada unveiled the management team Tuesday that will be tasked with building the country's Olympic roster for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Former NHL goalie Sean Burke, currently scouting for the Montreal Canadiens, will serve as general manager, while Martin Brodeur, assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, will be part of the management team.
Former Vancouver Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins will coach the club.
Burke and Brodeur will work alongside Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney, president and COO Scott Smith, and vice president of hockey operations Scott Salmond.
Filling out the rest of Desjardins' coaching staff will be assistant coaches Dave King, Scott Walker, and Craig Woodcroft.
"This is an exciting time for Hockey Canada and for our national men's team program, and it will be an exciting season for Canadian hockey fans," said Renney. "The goal is always to field the best possible team in all upcoming competitions, including this February when we hit the world's biggest sporting stage in Pyeonchang. The faces on our Team Canada rosters may be different than in previous years, but the expectations will be the same; with the addition of Sean, Martin, Willie, Dave, Scott, and Craig, we have assembled some of the best hockey minds out there to help us meet those expectations of on-ice success."
In the 2018 Games, no NHL players will be loaned to their respective countries. Due to that wrinkle, Canada will compete in various tournaments starting in Russia in August in order to properly evaluate potential players.
"These first two events allow us to continue a player evaluation process that began last season with our Deutschland Cup and Spengler Cup teams," said Salmond. "We will continue to look at the best available players to us - these two tournaments being the next opportunity to see some of the talent we can select from."
Canada is looking to capture gold in men's hockey for the third straight games and the fourth time since 2002.
James Bisson celebrates the 25th anniversary of the 1992-93 season with a look back at the most memorable moments of the greatest campaign in NHL history. This edition centers around Manon Rheaume, who became the first woman to compete with a men's North American pro sports team when she played an exhibition game for the Tampa Bay Lightning:
The final line score might not look that impressive: two goals against on nine shots in 20 minutes of an exhibition game. But for Manon Rheaume, all that mattered was the real result: the 20-year-old had made history as the first woman to appear in a men's professional hockey league.
Not bad for a woman who played in just one major junior game in her career - a stint with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in which she received a rude awakening to live action, as she explained to NHL.com's Arpon Basu in a 2012 interview:
I think I finished the second period and I started the third, but I got a slap shot in the third period and it cut my mask. My cage broke and it cut my eye. As I'm playing, I could barely see because the blood was coming in my eye, but I didn't know I was cut at the time and I was wondering what was going on. I kept playing until the whistle, and when the whistle blew I took my helmet off and I had blood all over me. They had to take me out of the game to get stitches.
That high heater to the mush might have knocked her out of action, but it did nothing to sour veteran Tampa Bay scout Jacques Campeau, who sent general manager Phil Esposito a tape of Rheaume's performance from that night. Esposito was suitably impressed - and that was before he discovered that she was, in fact, a female.
With the expansion Lightning set to begin their inaugural season that fall, Esposito realized that bringing in a woman could generate big publicity - so he did just that, inviting Rheaume to camp in Tampa Bay.
Rheaume was no stranger to high-level hockey. She allowed just two goals in three games played while leading Canada to gold at the 1992 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship in Tampere, Finland, posting a .957 save percentage in the process. But this was different - much different. And at 5-foot-3 and 135 pounds, she and her small stature stood out in a big way.
Esposito dealt with criticism from within the organization over the decision to bring Rheaume to camp. He outlined his response to Basu:
I said, 'Guys, we're an expansion team. We're not going to win (anything) anyways. We need the publicity.' Why do you think I drafted Brent Gretzky in the third round (of the 1992 NHL Draft)? We had to get people in the building. My whole strategy was once we get them in the building to see the game, we've got them. I did what I had to do. No matter what it took, we were going to get it done.
As for Rheaume, she recalled being so nervous "I could barely breathe" in an interview with Lonnie Herman of the Lightning's official website in 2010, but received a wonderful surprise prior to stepping onto the ice for an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues:
I had a big bouquet of flowers from a Quebec radio station and a card saying 'you can do this, we’re all behind you.' It made me feel great. I had my parent’s support and my friend’s support but to have my home town sending me this and telling me that they are behind me, it made me feel better and helped take the nerves away.
Rheaume showed some early jitters, allowing a Jeff Brown goal from 35 feet out; it still sticks with her, as she shared with Basu:
The long shot (by Brown), I was not happy with that. It was a long shot, it was a little bit outside the blue line, it hit the inside of one pad and the inside of the other pad and went in. It was just one of those fluky goals. But as upset as I was about this goal, every year when I watch the NHL it happens three, four or five times a year. It could have happened to anybody, it just so happens that it happened to me. But, obviously, there was so much on me that day - I wish I had that one back.
A Brendan Shanahan one-timer eluded her later in the period, but that was it - she stopped everything else that was sent her way, leaving to a warm ovation before giving way to Wendell Young for the start of the second period.
Rheaume went on to sign a pro contract with the IHL's Atlanta Knights and suited up for two games with the team, stopping 29 of 36 shots. She would also spend time in the ECHL and the WCHL before calling it quits to focus on her family. Her best stint came with the ECHL's Nashville Knights in 1993-94, when she went 3-0-0 with a 3.64 GAA and a .901 SV% in four games.
While Rheaume's achievement hasn't since been repeated at the NHL level, she inspired countless young girls to take up the sport - and other women have enjoyed success at a professional level even without reaching the top league in the world. Hayley Wickenheiser is the most notable example, playing 23 games for Salamat of Finland's second-division league in 2002-03.
Rheaume told Herman the significance of her accomplishment 25 years ago at Expo Hall in Tampa took a while to sink in:
I had no clue that my life would change the way it did. To be honest with you, I didn’t understand the impact it would have until later in life. Now I have young girls coming up to me and saying, ‘you inspire me.’ I never imagined it would affect so many people’s lives. I had no clue.
Mueller's deal is for two years and will pay the 22-year-old $775,000 this upcoming season and $925,000 in the 2018-19 season. Blandisi's contract is a two-way deal for two years and will pay him $660,000 and $700,000 in those respective years. Finally, Wedgewood will earn $650,000 on a one-year, two-way contract.
Mueller was acquired from the San Jose Sharks during the draft in a deal that also included a swap of draft picks. In 54 career games over the last three years, he's tallied two goals and six points.
Blandisi is coming off his second season split between the Devils and their American Hockey League affiliate in Albany. In 68 games at the NHL level, the 23-year-old has put up eight goals and 26 points.
Wedgewood missed most of the 2016-17 season with an injury and played exclusively in the AHL, but made a strong first impression in the NHL in the prior campaign: He suited up in four games, going 2-1-1 with a .957 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average.
Streit concluded the 2016-17 season as a member of the Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins. He began the year with the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring five goals and adding 16 assists in 49 games played. He was briefly traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning before being flipped to Pittsburgh.
Streit was rarely used during the Penguins' journey to the Cup, averaging just 15:03 of ice time per game in only three appearances, but did contribute two assists.
He last played for the Canadiens in 2007-08, scoring 25 goals and recording 109 points over a three-year span which began with the 2005-06 season. He left the Canadiens to join the New York Islanders via free agency, and went to post a total of 179 points over 286 games.
Both sides had a 9 a.m. ET arbitration meeting on Tuesday, but came to terms on a deal prior to a third-party's decision.
The deal appears to be a big win for Zibanejad. who was asking for $5.35 million per season from the Rangers, who were reportedly countering with a contract valued at $4.1 million per season, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Zibanejad is coming off his first season with the Rangers since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators for forward Derick Brassard. The 24-year-old was limited to just 56 games due to injury, posting 14 goals and 37 points.
Zibanejad proved his worth in the postseason, where he led the club in scoring with nine points in 12 games.
The team that finished the 2016-17 NHL season with a league-worst 48 points has largely remained intact this offseason.
The Colorado Avalanche re-signed restricted free-agent forward Matt Nieto to a one-year contract worth $1 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday. The resolution was completed in advance of a meeting with an arbitrator.
The deal with Nieto leaves defenseman Nikita Zadorov as the Avalanche's lone remaining restricted free agent.
Nieto began last season with the San Jose Sharks, posting just two assists while averaging 12:13 of ice time in the team's first 16 games. He was eventually placed on waivers and claimed by the last-place Avalanche, where he showed some improvement while seeing his ice time increased to 15:56 per game. He scored seven goals with four assists in 43 contests with Colorado.
Nieto has totaled 81 points in 264 games over his four-year career thus far.
James Bisson celebrates the 25th anniversary of the 1992-93 season with a look back at the most memorable moments of the greatest campaign in NHL history. This edition focuses on the 1993 All-Star Game, a one-sided affair in which the Wales Conference steamrolled its Campbell Conference counterpart:
Considering everything else that helped solidify it as one of the greatest seasons in NHL history, the 1992-93 campaign deserved a memorable All-Star Game - and boy, did it get one.
Led by New York Rangers winger Mike Gartner and his stunning four-goal performance, the Wales Conference cruised to a 16-6 drubbing over the Campbell Conference, establishing a single-game goals record that stood until 2015. Gartner wasn't even supposed to play, but was named as a late replacement for teammate Mark Messier, who was nursing a wrist injury.
Gartner's scoring exploits put a cap on one of the most entertaining All-Star weekends in history, even with two of the league's biggest stars out of action. In addition to Messier sitting out, Pittsburgh Penguins megastar and league scoring leader Mario Lemieux was forced to miss the game due to treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Even still, both sides had plenty of star power. The Campbell Conference's starting lineup featured a Hall of Fame sextet that included Chicago Blackhawks netminder Ed Belfour, Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman, and St. Louis Blues sharpshooter Brett Hull. Among the reserves: A Los Angeles Kings trio of Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Jari Kurri. Not bad.
The Wales Conference boasted plenty of firepower itself, headlined by an all-Pittsburgh Penguins starting forward line of Rick Tocchet, Kevin Stevens, and Jaromir Jagr. Gartner was joined on the reserves list by fellow snipers Peter Bondra of the Washington Capitals, Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres, and Joe Sakic of the Quebec Nordiques. Equally not bad.
Yet, despite the perceived parity in lineups, this one was over in a hurry. Gartner scored a pair of goals on his first shift, and his hat-trick marker with 6:38 remaining in the first period put the Wales Conference ahead 6-0. He added his fourth of the game 3:33 into the middle frame.
It was a defining moment for Gartner, who spent the majority of his career in the shadows of Gretzky, Lemieux, and others despite reaching the 700-goal plateau. He'd entered the 1992-93 season as the only player in NHL history to register 14 consecutive 30-goal campaigns, and even showed off his wheels by winning the Fastest Skater competition a day earlier - at age 33, no less.
The four-goal burst tied him with Gretzky, Lemieux, and Vincent Damphousse for the most in a single All-Star Game - a mark that's been equaled by Dany Heatley (2003) and John Tavares (2015). Gartner's linemates tried setting him up for a fifth, but it wasn't to be.
While Gartner made the biggest headlines, he certainly wasn't alone. Rick Tocchet (No. 22, shown below) had a pair of second-period goals, including the eventual game-winner just 19 seconds into the frame, while Pierre Turgeon of the New York Islanders added two goals and two assists in the win. Adam Oates of the Boston Bruins chipped in with four assists.
Even defenseman Brad Marsh of the expansion Ottawa Senators got in on the action, tallying at 12:52 of the third period to give the Wales Conference an absurd 15-2 advantage. How significant was that goal? Marsh, the commissioner's pick for the Wales roster, finished his NHL career with just 23 goals in 1,086 games. (Hey, when you're hot, you're hot.)
It was a rough day for the Gretzky-Robitaille-Kurri Campbell Conference triumvirate, which finished without a point. Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks scored a pair of goals in defeat, while Jeremy Roenick of the Blackhawks, Kelly Kisio of the San Jose Sharks, and rookie phenom Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets each added a goal and an assist.
To no one's surprise, Gartner was awarded All-Star Game MVP honors, taking home a 1993 Chrysler Intrepid for his efforts. And he had a message for the guy whose roster spot he claimed.
"Mark Messier gets a big handshake and a thank you very much," Gartner joked with reporters after the game. "If you're watching, Mess, thank you. I'll buy you dinner for this."
The concussion lawsuit between the NHL and its former players is about to get rolling.
According to TSN's Rick Westhead, the two sides have a court date set for Oct. 11, when the lawyers for former players will argue the case should qualify as a class-action suit.
Should the court agree, upwards of 5,000 alumni who suffered from concussion-related problems will instantly become plaintiffs. In that case, only players who elect to opt out of the case would be excluded from the proceedings and any potential payout.
The lawsuit began with 10 players, including former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Rick Vaive, but quickly grew to over 100 names.
Lehner started 79 games for the Sabres over the past two seasons, posting a record of 28-35-13 with a .921 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average.
The 26-year-old was originally selected 46th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 draft. He owns a career .918 SV% and 2.76 GAA through 155 starts and 166 games played.
The short-term pact will have Lehner become a restricted free-agent at the end of the season. Veteran Chad Johnson will serve as the Sabres' backup goaltender this coming season and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Twenty-three-year-old goaltender Linus Ullmark is viewed as the future of the team in the crease, but he has appeared in just 21 NHL games over the past two years and struggled to a .909 SV% in 55 games at the AHL level last season.
According to Cap Friendly, the Sabres have two remaining RFAs in forward Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. They are currently an approximate $11 million below the 2017-18 salary cap.
