Andrew's Dallas Stars Blog

Another goalie signed

Sportsnet is reporting that Brian Boucher has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Two years at $925,000 per year. He joins Ty Conklin, Craig Anderson and Dwayne Roloson as the goaltenders who have changed teams today. 

For a change of pace…

The Stars forwarded this little tidbit to me. It comes from ESPN The Magazine and it’s a ranking of professional sports franchises “when it comes to paying fans back for their investment of time, money and passion.” The Stars come in at No. 22 on the list, and eighth among NHL teams. Details are below. 

read more...»

The goalies are moving fast

The latest goalie to change teams is Dwayne Roloson, who has signed with the New York Islanders. TSN has his contract at 2 years for $2.5 million per year. So, that’s Roloson, Craig Anderson and Ty Conklin off the market.

TSN was also reporting that Leafs GM Brian Burke was in Europe, apparently making the push to land Jonas Gustavsson. 

Another goalie gone

Ty Conklin has signed with St. Louis, according to TSN. Two-year deal worth $1.3 million per year.

TSN coverage

TSN’s free agent coverage is now on NHL.com and the NHL Network in the U.S. 

One goalie off the market

The Denver Post is reporting that the Avalanche have signed Craig Anderson. Sratch him off your list, if he was on it. I

From the rumor mill

From the Pittsburgh Tribune concerning defenseman Rob Scuderi:

SCUDERI: Minnesota, New York Rangers and Dallas are top contenders to land his services; Tampa Bay may also be in mix.

Off and running: Ohlund to Tampa

TSN reports that Tampa Bay has signed defenseman Mattias Ohlund to a seven-year contract worth $3.75 million per year.

Happy free agent day

Happy Canada Day, too. Well, free agency gets under way at 11 am (CT) today. The Sedins got locked up by the Canucks before they hit the market today. TSN is reporting that the pair re-signed 5-year deals worth $6.1 million per year. Scratch them off your list.

Free agency is one of the most exciting times of the year in the NHL, but I expect the Stars to be fairly level headed and prudent at a time when teams can make some poor decisions and throw money around recklessly.

Let’s face it, the money is tight this year. It’s tight for a lot of people, but Stars owner Tom Hicks has some things on his plate with his sports empire that need to be resolved and that makes things a little tighter in the case of the Stars. Things could change, but for now the Stars are on a budget. Exactly what it is, I don’t know. They’ve already got about $41 million or so committed in actual payroll (not cap costs) for 18 likely roster players. I get a sense there might be some flexibility if needed. But when you are on a budget, throwing money around starting July 1 is not how you stay within your budget parameters.

The Stars answered one of their free agency question yesterday, re-signing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year deal. He gets $1.5 million in base salary and $1 million in incentives that are based on games played and playoff rounds. It’s a good deal money-wise and when he’s healthy Lehtinen is still an effective player. What happens with Sergei Zubov, who will hit the open market today, remains up in the air.

The Stars still have the goaltender issue out there. Swedish goalie Jonas Gustavsson threw a bit of curveball when he decided to put off his decision until after July 1, but all that means is the Stars proceed is if they don’t have him and explore some other options. If they get Gustavsson, fine. If they don’t, then they are going to need to lock up another option.

As for the market itself, I still think they need some help on defense. I don’t expect a big name splash, but I think there’s a chance they might be able to get a good player somewhere along the lines in free agency. If not, there’s always the trade option somewhere down the road.

I haven’t counted up the numbers on the prospective players for Austin next season, but I’d expect to see some players signed that can help there and maybe provide some depth for the big club as well. 

Lehtinen signed

Here’s the release:

Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk announced today that the club has re-signed right wing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year contract for the 2009-10 season. His deal includes a $1.5 million base salary, and as much as $1 million more in incentives.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Jere Lehtinen back with our club next season,” said Nieuwendyk. “He has been one of the cornerstones of this franchise for many years, and we feel he will continue to be a significant contributor going forward. Jere is a consummate professional on and off the ice, and we look forward to his healthy return next season.”

Lehtinen, 36, skated in 48 games for Dallas last season, notching eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points with eight penalty minutes. He missed 34 games in 2008-09 due to injury, but skated in his 800th career NHL game on Feb. 23 vs. San Jose, becoming just the fifth Dallas Star to do so.

Dallas’ fourth-round selection (No. 88 overall) in the 1992 Entry Draft, Lehtinen has skated in 817 career NHL games, all with the Stars, registering 497 points (239 goals, 258 assists) and 202 penalty minutes. In 108 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has earned 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points with 12 PIM, and was a member of the Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup championship club.

Among Stars franchise leaders, Lehtinen ranks third in game-winning goals (37), fourth in games played (817), seventh in goals (239) and power play goals (76) and ninth in scoring (497). His seven seasons of 20-or-more goals are third all-time in franchise history, trailing only Mike Modano (16) and Brian Bellows (10).

Lehtinen is one of just three players in NHL history to have won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward three times (also Bob Gainey, 4, and Guy Carbonneau, 3). He has represented Finland at the Winter Olympics on four occasions (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006), winning a silver medal in Torino in 2006 and a bronze in Nagano in 1998. He also led his home country to a gold medal at the 1995 World Championships.

Page 89 of 177 pages « First  <  87 88 89 90 91 >  Last »