Flyers F Cote retires

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Philadelphia Flyers forward Riley Cote(notes) has retired and will stay with the organization
as an assistant coach for the team’s AHL affiliate.

Cote announced his decision Monday. He played in 156 games for the Flyers and scored one goal with seven points and 411 penalty minutes from 2006-2010.

He joined head coach Greg Gilbert’s staff with the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms.

(Yahoo)

Ducks re-sign Selanne to 1-year deal

ANAHEIM, California (AP)—Teemu Selanne(notes) is returning to the Anaheim Ducks.

The team said Monday that the 40-year-old right winger has signed a one-year deal through the 2010-11 season.

Selanne had 27 goals, 21 assists and 16 penalty minutes in 54 games last season. He became the 18th player in NHL history to score 600 goals on March 21.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray says the team is thrilled to have Selanne back for his 19th NHL season and his 12th in Anaheim.

Selanne is the Ducks’ franchise leader in goals, assists, points, power play goals, power play points, game-winning goals, plus/minus rating and games played. He helped the team win its first Stanley Cup in 2007.

He played for Finland at the Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal.

(Yahoo)

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Dobar potez  ... veoma dobar veteran

Ilya Kovalchuk: Contract Rejected by NHL

Update: Arbitrator Richard Bloch has upheld the NHL’s ruling in the arbitration hearing regarding Kovalchuk’s contract, the Bergen Record reports. Kovalchuk is once again an unrestricted free agent.

Recommendation: This is viewed as a sizable victory for the NHL, who felt the Devils circumvented the cap in signing Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102 million contract in July. Kovalchuk is a free agent again and had also received interest from Los Angeles and SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.

(Yahoo)

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Kako me nervira ovaj Kovalchuk ... nikad mi nije bio dobar kao igrac ...

17 godina ugovor ? Daj molim te 

Blackhawks re-sign Hendry

CHICAGO (AP)—The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed defenseman Jordan Hendry(notes)  to a one-year contract.

Hendry appeared in 43 games, posting a plus/minus rating of plus-5 with two goals and six assists. He also appeared in 15 playoff games.

The Blackhawks have lost a number of players to free agency or trades since winning their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, including Andrew Ladd(notes), Ben Eager(notes), Dustin Byfuglien(notes), Brent Sopel(notes), Adam Burish(notes), Colin Fraser(notes), John Madden(notes) and Kris Versteeg(notes).

(Yahoo)

Sabres re-sign F Mark Mancari

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)—The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed forward Mark Mancari(notes)  to a one-year contract.

Mancari was a restricted free agent who spent most of last season playing for Portland of the American Hockey League. The 2004 seventh-round draft pick led the Pirates with 74 points (28 goals, 46 assists) in 74 games to finish eighth in AHL scoring.

He also had a goal and assist in six games with the Sabres. That gives him two goals and three assists in 16 NHL career games.

The Sabres announced the signing on Wednesday.

(Yahoo)

Leafs running out of time to move Kaberle

The clock is ticking on Tomas Kaberle(notes).  The Toronto Maple Leafs have until Sunday to move the veteran defenseman before his no-trade clause kicks back in. What has been talked about for years, what he has never wanted, now seems almost inevitable.

“If it happens, it happens,” Kaberle’s agent, Rick Curran, said Wednesday. “We’re all big boys. He gave it as good a run as he could. At this point, does he anticipate or expect to be traded? Yeah. He does. He’s not naïve. He’s been around long enough, been a Toronto Maple Leaf long enough, to know that anything could happen in Leafland.”

Kaberle knows the deal. He agreed to it when he signed this contract, allowing the Leafs a window to trade him between the draft and Aug. 15 if they didn’t make the playoffs. He understands he has only one year left until unrestricted free agency, and so this is the Leafs’ chance to parlay him.

But he wants to stay in Toronto after 11 seasons, and he’s unhappy with the way Leafs general manager Brian Burke has been so open about fielding offers for him.

“The only thing that Tomas gets upset about is this,” Curran said. “For anyone who knows him, he’s a very quiet, laid-back, conservative young man. He has made it very clear what his intentions are. He wants to stay in Toronto. He recognizes that he’s a chattel, that he can be moved. If that’s the case, then move him.

“What he does not appreciate, what he does not enjoy, is being front-page topic of conversation every time Brian decides that he’s got to churn the waters a little bit in order to create a little interest.

“That’s fine. Pick up the phone and call your general manager colleagues. Talk to them about it. But don’t make him front-page news. He didn’t ask for it. He realizes that it’s part of it, of being a Toronto Maple Leaf, but don’t ask him to sit back and enjoy it.”

Burke seemed taken aback by Curran’s comments. He said Curran did not bring up these concerns when they spoke Monday. (Curran said he appreciated that Burke called Monday to give him an update. He said it was the first time they had talked since before the trade deadline. Both men go way back and otherwise complimented each other.)

“I will address [his concerns] with him personally,” Burke said. “I have no desire to escalate this. But the fact is: He drafted this clause. This no-trade and the timing of it, this isn’t my handiwork. I’m dealing with what I inherited. And so if he doesn’t like the fact that it puts his client in this position, he can certainly accept some of the blame. I don’t have to.”

Curran negotiated this contract with former Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. He said Kaberle gave him simple instructions at the time.

“He said, ‘I love Toronto. I love being a Leaf. I have no interest in going anywhere else. I believe that the team will eventually put things together and be a winner. I can’t imagine another city being more exciting than Toronto if you have a winning team,’ ” Curran said. “He said, ‘I want to be here for it.’ ”

Curran said Kaberle accepted a deal – his salary is $4.25-million (U.S.) this year – “making sure that he could stay in Toronto and that no one at any time would suggest that he’s an economic liability.”

But it had the opposite effect. The price tag made him attractive to others, an asset to be traded.

The Leafs struggled. They brought in Burke and coach Ron Wilson. Teams called about Kaberle. The very things that Kaberle loves about Toronto – the hockey-mad, sophisticated fans and media – made life difficult at times.

“Over the last two or three years, it’s been brought to my attention that he had the ability to move somewhere but he’d have to approve, and each and every time, he said, ‘I don’t want to leave Toronto,’ ” Curran said. “Many of his friends, his colleagues, in some cases ourselves, we would talk about whether it might be in his best interest. He would continue to say, ‘I made a commitment to Toronto. It’s where I want to stay.’ ”

Curran said two seasons ago, the Leafs asked him for a list of teams to which Kaberle would accept a trade before the deadline. He provided a list. He said they asked for another list last season, but this time he said no. He said he did tell a Leafs official he would talk to Kaberle about a couple of teams, “but that is not a list, unlike what Brian suggested in his press conference following the trade deadline last year.”

Burke maintained that he has no burning desire to deal Kaberle. He cautioned that Kaberle is not up for auction now. The highest bidder won’t necessarily win. If Burke doesn’t receive enough value, he will keep Kaberle.

Kaberle, 32, is a puck-moving defenseman who might look better if he had better forwards to whom to move the puck. In fact, it’s no secret that forward help is what Burke is after. The Leafs are strong in goal and on the blue line, but thin up front.

“There’s no zeal to move the player,” Burke said. “There’s no desire to move the player. But there is an obligation, I think. I think I’m obligated to exploit this and explore this and see. Can we upgrade the forward group with something that makes sense? So that’s what we’re doing. We’re listening.”

And things are heating up.

“The deadline is Sunday, and I don’t expect to see anyone’s best cards until probably Friday,” Burke said. “That being said, the offers improved dramatically over the weekend. We’re at a double-digit number of teams that are in. Unilaterally, without any phone calls from us, two teams dramatically improved their offer over the weekend. It’s going the way I thought it would go.”

Kaberle has a little leverage left. Will a team give Burke the value he wants for a veteran defenseman with one year left on his contract?

“I would think that the club that’s going to acquire Tomas, to give up that asset value, would want to be assured that they’re getting more than a one-year hockey player,” Curran said. “As required, he will definitely report to whomever it is that trades for his playing rights as long as they understand they have a one-year hockey player. So whatever it is they’re about to give up in asset value, they better gauge it accordingly.”

The Leafs could give a suitor permission to talk to Kaberle about an extension. Curran said that has not happened, but if it does, “any conversation with regard to an extension would obviously be relative to where it is, who it is and how Tomas would feel about going to that place.”

If the Leafs don’t trade Kaberle before Sunday, the franchise’s current longest-serving player will have control again. He would have to waive his no-trade clause for the Leafs to make a deal before the deadline. Curran said knowing Kaberle will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 “would certainly sway any thought process or emotions that go along with it.”

Curran also said the Leafs already have asked if he would discuss an extension for Kaberle if there is no trade.

“Of course, I would,” Curran said. “Why would I not? It’s not like he wanted to leave Toronto. Every time he’s asked, he’s said, ‘I’d like to stay in Toronto.’ ”

Why does Kaberle love Toronto so much? Why would he want to stay when the talk is so often about his departure?

“That’s the kind of kid that he is,” Curran said. “He’s not a carpetbagger. He’s not looking to go running around for the big money anywhere or anything. And again, it’s kind of one of the reasons why he’s just so disappointed at the way things are going.

“He’s only human. At some point, even he would probably say, ‘Okay.’ ”

Curran sighed.

“At some point,” Curran said, “if they want to move him and they do move him, even he has to resign himself to, ‘Fine, you don’t have me to whack around any more. I’m gone.’ ”

(Yahoo)

Flames sign Conroy to 1-year deal

CALGARY, Alberta (AP)—Veteran forward Craig Conroy(notes)  has re-signed with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

Conroy received a one-year deal.

Conroy has appeared in 991 games—roughly half of them with the Flames— over 14 seasons. He has 180 goals and 360 assists for 540 points.

Last season, the 38-year-old had three goals and 15 points in 63 games.

Originally drafted 123rd overall by Montreal in 1990, Conroy has played for the Canadiens, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Calgary.

(Yahoo)

Alexander Salak: Loaned to Sweden

Update: The Panthers have loaned Salak to Farjestad BK of the Swedish Elite League for the upcoming season, the team’s official site reports.

Recommendation: Salak is still an exciting goalie prospect, but the Panthers have another highly touted netminder—Jacob Markstrom(notes)—who will likely get most of the playing time in the AHL this season. At least this way Salak will get a full season as a starter under his belt.

(Yahoo)

Chris Pronger: (Knee) Aims to be Ready for Opener

Update: Pronger, who had surgery to remove “loose bodies” from his knee July 27, will not be at 100 percent when the Flyers open training camp Sept. 17, the team’s official site reports.

Recommendation: Pronger, who is currently recovering and rehabbing at the Flyers’ practice facility, hopes to be ready for the regular season opener, but that’s not necessarily a lock. “I hope to be in the lineup but it is still very early on in the process to begin guessing on a time frame,” Pronger said. “A lot can happen over the next few weeks and months but absolutely that is one of the goals.”

(Yahoo)

Canadiens send Desjardins to Tampa

MONTREAL (AP)—The Montreal Canadiens traded minor league goaltender Cedrick Desjardins(notes)  to the Tampa Bay Lightning for goalie Karri Ramo(notes)  on Monday.

In 90 games with Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario, Desjardins was 49-27-5 with 2.34 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

He was an AHL All-Star last season while going 29-9-2.

Ramo, who has spent parts of three seasons with Tampa Bay, played for Omsk Avangard of the KHL in 2009-10 and was 21-17-4 with a 2.11 GAA and .913 save percentage.

(Yahoo)