Pesky forward Sean Avery is taking his act to the Lone Star State.

The Dallas Stars signed Avery to a four-year, $16 million contract, worth $4 million per season against the Stars cap.

Stars co-GM Brett Hull was apparently instrumental in bringing Avery to Dallas, as the two used to be roommates when they played for the Detroit Red Wings earlier in the decade.

Avery is a very good physical forward with a decent scoring touch whose abrasive style should be a good fit with the Stars in the short term, but his act tends to wear thin after a couple of seasons so it’ll be interesting to see how things work out for him in Dallas.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had cleaned house in June to free up cap space to facilitate their rebuilding process, but have thus far made a couple of questionable signings.

The first of course was second year d-man Jeff Finger to a four-year, $3.5 million per season contract that has observers shaking their heads.

The latest is forward Niklas Hagman to a four-year, $12 million contract, which breaks down to $3 million per season against the cap.

That’s right, $3 million per season for a winger who, prior to this past season, never had more than 34 points in a season.

In 2007-08 Hagman had 27 goals and 41 points in 82 games with the Dallas Stars but most of that might’ve had to do with linemates like Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards. In the playoffs in 18 games he managed only 3 points.

If Hagman were a promising young forward one could chalk this up to Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher paying for potential, but Hagman will turn 29 in December and it remains to be seen if he’s a classic late bloomer due for better things or if this past season was a one-off.

For the Leafs and their fans, I sure hope it’s not the latter.

Sorry for the absence, folks, I took a day off on Friday and my wife and I are spending some time with my son before he heads out for basic training with the Naval Reserve on Sunday.

Lots of activity leading up to July 1st as teams scramble to lock up their RFA players and cut loose some cap space via waivers and buyouts. Here’s the most significant as of today (June 28):

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired the rights of forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2009. Should the Bolts re-sign Malone prior to July 1st the pick is upgraded to a third rounder.  

It’s a bold move by the new Lightning ownership to gain an inside track on signing one or both, but if it doesn’t work out all it costs them is a mid-round pick next season, one that could be easily replaced by trade between now and next year’s draft if required.

If it does pan out and they manage to sign one or both it’s a small price to pay.

The Philadelphia Flyers as expected re-signed forward Jeff Carter to a three-year, $15 million contract extension, and no, this isn’t a “sign and trade” on their part.

This signing pushes the Flyers payroll to over $51 million next season so if they’re still looking at landing a quality puckmoving blueliner via free agency they’ll still have to find a way to free up more cap space.

The Anaheim Ducks bought out the remaining season of Todd Bertuzzi’s contract in a move designed to free up cap space to re-sign key free agents like Corey Perry but they might still need to move another player, possibly Mathieu Schneider, now that Scott Niedermayer has decided to return with the Ducks to play out the final season of his contract.

As expected the Calgary Flames announced the re-signing of impending UFA center Daymond Langkow to a four-year, $20 million contract, but also re-upped Craig Conroy to a two-year, $2.1 million contract and retained forward Eric Nystrom and goaltender Curtis McElhinney to one-way contracts, suggesting the latter two have locked up roster spots for next season.

A solid playoff performance by Loui Eriksson likely cemented a new two-year contract extension worth $3.2 million ($1.5 million for next season and $1.7 million for 2009-10), who also had 31 points in 69 NHL  games last season.

A Campbell was re-signed but it wasn’t the Sharks’ Brian, but rather Gregory Campbell of the Florida Panthers to a two-year contract believed worth more than the $525K per season he earned in his previous contract.

The Panthers also bought out the final season of forward Jozef Stumpel’s contract while the NY Islanders have bought out the remaining season of Shawn Bates’ contract and the Columbus Blue Jackets did the same with Duvie Westcott.

Nothing like a $6 million jump in the salary cap to spur some teams into using the buyout option. Last season only one player of note, the Islanders Alexei Yashin, was bought out; this season, nearly a dozen, although two, David Tanabe and Dan Cloutier, intend to fight the buyout by insisting they’re not medically cleared yet to play next season.  

The Swedish paper Aftonbladet reports veteran NHL defenseman Mattias Norstrom has decided to retire effective immediately.

Norstrom began his NHL career with the NY Rangers in 1993-94 but would play the bulk of his fourteen NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, where he would eventually become team captain and earned a reputation as one of the top defensive blueliners in the game.

He took over the captaincy of the Kings in 2001 after Rob Blake was traded to Colorado, a role he would hold until he was dealt to the Dallas Stars at the February 2007 trade deadline.

The 35-year-old Norstrom’s physical style began to take its toll on him this season, when he appeared in 66 games with the Stars, the first time he played less than 73 games in a season since the 1995-96 season, when he played 36 split between the Rangers and Kings.

His final playoff run however was a memorable one, appearing in all 18 of the Stars games and notching five points, including two goals, accounting for all but two of his career 7 playoff points.

It was thought that his strong performance in this spring’s playoffs might entice him back for another season with the Stars, who’ll now have to find a replacement for Norstrom either within their organization or via trade or free agency.

The Dallas Stars made their second significant free agent re-signing of this spring by signing forward Toby Petersen to a two year, $1.1 million contract.

Petersen’s new salary will count as $550K per season against the Stars salary cap.

The well-travelled Petersen has spent the last eight seasons split between the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and all their respective farm teams, never seeming to stick with an NHL team for long as a marginal checking line forward.

Indeed, this past season the 29-year-old Petersen played only 8 regular season games with the Stars and appeared headed to this summer’s UFA market

His energetic play however during the Stars surprising run to the Western Conference final not only earned him playing time in all but two of Dallas’ 18 playoff games this spring but also kudos for his speed and hard work, and a new two-year contract with the Stars.

Former Star Niko Kapanen has decided to sign with Russian team AK Bars Kazan for next season.

Kapanen, 30, played last season with the Phoenix Coyotes. He began his NHL career with the Dallas Stars in 2001-02, playing four seasons with the Stars and one with the Atlanta Thrashers until he was dealt to the Coyotes in February 2007, all in checking line roles.

With the Coyotes pushing their youth movement it was unlikely Kapanen would’ve been re-signed and he’ll likely earn more money in Russia than he would’ve received in this summer’s UFA market, if there were any interest in his services.

The Dallas Stars have wasted little time since being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in getting a jump on preparing for next season.

Co-general managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson and head coach Dave Tippett have been re-signed to three-year contract extensions and long-time Stars forward Mike Modano announced his intention to return for another season in 2008-09.

This week they’ve made their first significant roster move, re-signing young defenseman Trevor Daley to a three-year, $6.9 million contract extension, which will count as $2.3 million per season against their cap.

"At just 24 years of age, Trevor continues to grow as a hockey player and we are looking for his game to improve over the next three years," said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. "He is a valuable member of our hockey club and is a key part to our strong nucleus of younger players."

The Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle summed up Daley’s performance this past season: “A good contract for a player who quietly logged 20 minutes a night over 82 games this season.”

Daley made significant strides this past season with the Stars, in part due to injuries suffered by veterans like Sergei Zubov, Mattias Norstrom and Phillipe Boucher. He rose to the challenge, posting 5 goals and 24 points.

He has a bright future with the Stars and should continue to provide a strong physical presence on their blueline.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis they’ll have to find another backup goaltender for Manny Legace, as reports out of Europe claim Hannu Toivonen has signed with a team in his native Finland.

It’s possible Toivonen may have signed this contract as insurance in case he fails to land a better deal with the Blues as a restricted free agent or if cut loose by the club as an unrestricted free agent this summer, but given the lack of progress of his NHL career to date, odds are he’s decided to return home.

Toivonen made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins in 2005-06, posting a 9-5-4 record with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage until a high ankle sprain sidelined him for the rest of the season.

That sparkling performance had him in line to compete for the starting goalie job with the Bruins heading into the 2006-07 season, but he struggled through a 3-9-1 record with a lofty 4.23 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage, and was demoted to the minors for most of the season.

He re-signed a one-year contract with the Bruins last April but the club dealt him to the Blues last summer.

The change of venue did little to help Toivonen improve, with a 6-10-5 record in 22 games, a 3.44 GAA and a save percentage of .878.  

The Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes finally came to an end this week and the Dallas Stars emerged the winners.

After months of being courted by as many as twenty NHL teams Brunnstrom signed a two-year entry level deal with the Stars, which with bonuses could add up to $2 million per season.

Give credit to his agent, JP Barry, for stoking interest in his client, especially with a recent tour of several NHL cities where he was courted by the management of the Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and others.

I’ve previously written about Brunnstrom wondering if he’s worth the hype. Many of the teams interested in him obviously did their homework on this guy,  but one has to wonder if a player who had only 9 goals last season in Sweden, who never earned an invitation to play for their national team in the World Hockey Championships (currently being held in Halifax and Quebec City), is good enough to have earned the attention he’s received in recent weeks.

Brunnstrom has also set the bar high for his NHL debut by seeking top six forward minutes, which was the sticking point that apparently cooled some teams’ ardor in this services, which must’ve been the main selling point for him signing with Dallas.

He at least wisely opted not to make his debut in a bigger hockey center. No offense to Dallas, but he won’t face as much pressure with the Stars in their market as he would’ve had he signed with Detroit, Montreal or Toronto.

For the Stars it’s a gamble but an affordable one, even with the high number of free agents they have to re-sign this summer. At best, he’ll cost them nearly $2 million per season which means he’ll be a top player for them if he does. At worst, he’ll cost them the league maximum for entry level contracts (less than $1 million per season) if he doesn’t, a figure they could always erase from their cap by demoting him to the minors.

Check 'em out in detail here.

In short, Pens and Wings in Six.

Oh, and just a coupla points regarding predictions:

1. I don't mind folks disagreeing with me, but please, spare me the profanity-laced tirades if I didn't pick your team. I'm not disrespecting the Flyers and Stars, their fans or respective cities, ok, and if you feel otherwise you really, REALLY need to lighten up.

2. Like most commentators - media, blogger or fan - I do predictions for fun, not as a life and death scenario where the value of my "cred" is based on how they pan out. The late, great Canadiens coach Toe Blake dismissed predictions as "for gypsies" which is an opinion I share. The fact TSN employs a #### to spin a wheel to make predictions after their hockey minds sagely make theirs tells you all you need to know about how seriously they take them. In other words, they make them for fun!

3. I do appreciate hearing from hockey fans but disparaging my predictions doesn't hold much weight if you wait to do it midway or 3/4 of the way through a series when the outcome is pretty much a foregone conclusion. That only makes you a troll and no one likes trolls. Have the guts to make your calls before the series start or don't waste my time or those of other commentators.

4. I don't mind if my picks are wrong because I really do enjoy upsets. OK, not if my favorite team is at the receiving end but hey, that's playoff hockey for you. If every series went as predicted it would be boring as hell. Upsets add ####e and make things interesting.

5. Enjoy the Conference Finals!

Fresh from NHL headquarters:

2008 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES M                                #2 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Philadelphia
Friday, May 9, 2008                                Philadelphia at Pittsburgh        
Sunday, May 11, 2008                                Philadelphia at Pittsburgh                
Tuesday, May 13, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia                
Thursday, May 15, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
*Sunday, May 18, 2008                        Philadelphia at Pittsburgh                
*Tuesday, May 20, 2008                        Pittsburgh at Philadelphia                
*Thursday, May 22, 2008                        Philadelphia at Pittsburgh

                                               
2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES N                                #1 Detroit vs. #5 Dallas
Thursday, May 8, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                        
Saturday, May 10, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                        
Monday, May 12, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas
Wednesday, May 14, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas
*Saturday, May 17, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit                
*Monday, May 19, 2008                        Detroit at Dallas                
*Wednesday, May 21, 2008                        Dallas at Detroit

Lost in the media kerfuffle over Sean Avery’s hospitalization, the Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes and of course the Stanley Cup playoffs was news earlier this week that gritty agitator Steve Ott had been re-signed by the Dallas Stars to a multi-year contract.

Ott, 25, will according to TSN’s website earn $1.35 million for next season and $1.5 million in 2009-10 for a total of $2.85 million over two years. That’s break down as $1.425 million per season against their cap starting next season.

Stars co-GM Les Jackson praised Ott for developing “into a valuable piece in our team chemistry and he brings a solid work ethic to our hockey club day in and day out.''

He certainly has earned it as Jackson suggested. As per TSN:

"The 25-year-old Summerside, P.E.I., native set a new career high in goals (11) this season and tied his career-high of 22 points. He led the team in faceoff percentage (183-311, 58.8%) and penalty minutes (147), and ranked third in hits (182). In the first eight games of this playoff run, he has collected two goals, including a game-winner in Game One of the first round at Anaheim."

In other words, he’s one of those players that you hate to play against but love to have on your team, so it’s not surprising the Stars re-upped him for two more years.

Read 'em and weep. Or rage. Or laugh. Or question my sanity. Whatever, just keep it clean and remember, if I didn't pick your team to win, don't take it personally, it's just an opinion, and as the great Toe Blake once said, "predictions are for gypsies". I look forward to your responses, but please, if you disagree, keep it clean, and let's just have some fun, ok?

I'll have the Eastern Conference preview and predictions on Tuesday, April 8th.

Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators: Wings won the season series 5-3. Detroit was the top team in the NHL this season, while the Predators barely scraped into the post-season on the last week of this season. The Predators are well coached and possess good goaltending, a solid defensive system and a dangerous first line centered by Jason Arnott, but have yet to win a playoff series and were barely above .500 down the stretch.  Red Wings are deeper in talent and experience and have proven capable of adjusting to a more physical post-season style. Questions have arisen of late regarding their aging goaltending tandem of Hasek and Osgood and injuries have dogged them in the second half. This could be a closer series than expected but ultimately Detroit’s depth will see them through.  RED WINGS IN SIX.

San Jose Sharks vs Calgary Flames: Flames won the season series 3-1, but down the stretch the Flames were merely a .500 club whilst the Sharks were red-hot, losing only once in regulation in their last 22 games. The Sharks received Vezina-worthy goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov and possess a good defense corps buoyed by recently acquired Brian Campbell. Their offense has significantly improved in the second half, led by Joe Thornton who’ll once again try to answer his critics with a strong post-season. The Flames playoff hopes will once again rest with captain Jarome Iginla, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and blueliner Dion Phaneuf. However, Kiprusoff has had an average season, Phaneuf has yet to step it up in the post-season and concerns over their offensive depth should once again hold them back.  SHARKS IN SIX.

Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche: Wild won the season series 5-2-1 and clinched the Northwest Division, while the Avs battled through injuries to finish sixth overall. Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in the league so expect them to aggressively check the Avs and make the most of their offensive opportunities, led by offensive star Marian Gaborik. There is however concern over their lack of depth at center, and if the Avalanche can match their physical play the Wild could find it rough going. The Avs have experienced leadership in Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth, Foote and Hejduk, rising young players like Paul Statsny and solid netminding in Jose Theodore. Still, most of their key players are long in the tooth and it remains to be seen if they have enough in the tank for a long playoff grind. WILD IN SIX. 

Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars: Stars won the season series 5-3, but down the stretch these were two teams going in different directions, with the Stars floundering and the Ducks surging. Anaheim is the defending Stanley Cup champion, possess a proven playoff goalie in JS Giguere, the deepest blueline corps in the league and can wear down opponents with their physical play. The Stars enter this series with too many questions. Can Marty Turco win big in the playoffs? Can they recover from the loss of Sergei Zubov to injury? Can Brad Richards find his scoring groove in the post-season? Can they physically match up against a driven Ducks team?  DUCKS IN FIVE.

Perhaps the biggest swap of the 2008 trade deadline took place between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars.

The Lightning shipped forward Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern.

This move was made by the Lightning due to a change in ownership, a need to free up cap space as well as both improve between the pipes and add depth elsewhere in the lineup.

For the Stars, they wanted to make a splash heading into the deadline and by acquiring Richards they’ve certainly done that.

Richards won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2004 helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup, and it was because of his playmaking efforts and smart play that garnered him a whopping $7.8 million per season contract.

Unfortunately his large contract combined with those of Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis tied up too much of the Lightning’s money in three players, giving them little room to bring in much-needed depth.

As a result Richards play suffered this season as he lacked quality linemates to receive his slick passes.

That’ll change on a much deeper team in Dallas, which were looking not only for more scoring but also have an eye on eventually replacing long time Stars center Mike Modano when he retires in a couple of years.  Richards certainly has the talent to step in and replace him down the road.

Holmqvist also gives the Stars a seasoned backup for Marty Turco.

In Smith, the Lightning are gambling that this time they’ve landed that promising starting goaltender they’ve lacked since Nikolai Khabibulin left town three years ago. He played well over the last two years in Dallas, and earlier this season split the duties fairly evenly with Turco when the latter got off to a slow start.

 He’s also a very affordable acquisition salary-wise so if he doesn’t work out his salary can be easily moved to the minors.

Jokinen is a slick playmaker and shootout specialist and should be a good addition to the Lightning, and could end up seeing playing time on the Lecavalier line. Halpern meanwhile is an experience veteran forward who should be a good fit on the Lightning’s checking lines.  Halpern is signed through to next season, Jokinen is an RFA this summer and should be an affordable re-signing for the Lightning.

Bolts management probably didn’t want to make this trade, but they get back some affordable assets that could provide the depth they’ve lacked this season.  

It’s that time of year again, folks, when the rumor mill goes into overdrive churning out all sorts of speculation as the NHL trade deadline nears.

And as always, a lot of what’s being spewed out is downright wacky.

Montreal trading Michael Ryder to Calgary for Alex Tanguay or to Atlanta for Marian Hossa?

Sure, if one overlooks the fact Tanguay has no desire to waive his “no-trade” clause to play in Montreal and that Thrashers GM Don Waddell isn’t an ####.

The Los Angeles Kings trading Rob Blake to the Anaheim Ducks?

As if Ducks GM Brian Burke’s blueline isn’t deep enough! Besides, Burke’s interest is in bolstering his offence, not adding another big-name defenseman to an already loaded defense corps.

Tampa Bay trading Brad Richards to Chicago for Nikolai Khabibulin?

Look, I know the Bolts desperately need a quality starting goaltender, but Khabibulin isn’t one anymore, and his salary ($6.75 million) is almost as pricey as Richards’ ($7.8 million), and oh yeah, Richards has a “no-trade” clause and no intention of waiving it.

Dallas trading Marty Turco to Tampa Bay for Martin St. Louis?

Which part of “no-trade clause” did you not understand?

The Carolina Hurricanes trading Eric Staal to the Edmonton Oilers?

I didn’t realize Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford wanted to get out of his contract to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs that badly.

Maybe these trades happen if you’re in a fantasy league or playing NHL 2K8. They don’t happen in today’s NHL.

Expect more wild and wacky rumors between now and the trade deadline on February 26th, which is now mercifully close meaning we won’t have to hear these nonsensical speculations for much longer!

Yet another NHL player has been removed from the list of this summer’s potential unrestricted free agents.

The Dallas Stars have re-signed center Mike Ribeiro to a five-year, $25 million contract extension.

Ribeiro was acquired by the Stars at the start of the 2006-07 season from the Montreal Canadiens and has seen his career flourish since arriving in the Lone Star State.

Last season Ribeiro led a low-scoring Stars club in team scoring with 59 points in 81 games, his second-best single-season total at that time.

But it’s this season where the 27-year-old Ribeiro has shone, with 21 goals and 44 points in 40 games. He’s already topped his career best for goals in a season and is well on his way toward a career high 41 goals and 87 points.

Clearly, leaving the harsh spotlight of Montreal has done Ribeiro a world of good. During his final two seasons with the Canadiens he showed signs of his offensive potential, with 65 and 51 points respectively.

However, there were reports in the Montreal press of Ribeiro, along with then-teammates Jose Theodore and Pierre Dagenais, enjoying the Montreal nightlife too much and creating some friction amongst their teammates.

Regardless of whether or not those stories were true it was clear by September 2006 that Ribeiro and the Canadiens would part ways.

In Dallas, Ribeiro hasn’t had to worry about being hounded by a voracious media as interested in his personal life as in his professional one.  He’s fit in very well with linemate Brendan Morrow, giving the Stars a lethal offensive punch.

More importantly, Ribeiro appears to have gained a maturity that was lacking during his days with the Canadiens, showing more attention to the defensive side of the game as well as the offensive. He’s also ditched a rather annoying habit of taking dives to draw penalties.  

But as well as he’s played in the regular season, Ribeiro hasn’t had much post-season success, with only 8 points in 24 NHL post-season games, and now that he’s become the Stars top offensive forward he’ll face considerable pressure to step up his playoff performance.

It could also be argued that the Stars are taking a bit o####amble paying Ribeiro such a hefty contract ($5 million per season) for such a long time, as he’s never scored beyond 65 points prior to this season.

Certainly there’s no guarantee that he'll match or exceed this season's expected totals in the future, but if the Stars didn’t pay that kind of money, another team would’ve if he’d hit the UFA market this summer.

With long-time Stars forward Mike Modano now clearly in the twilight of his career, the Stars simply couldn’t afford not to pay “Mickey Ribs” that kind of cash. 

Dallas Stars co-general managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson made their first trade on Monday, less than a week after being hired to replace Doug Armstrong.

The Stars acquired defenseman Bryce Lampman from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for minor league defenseman Mario Scalzo. Lampman will be assigned to the Stars minor league affiliate in Iowa.

Lampman appeared in ten NHL games over three seasons with the New York Rangers and was acquired from the Rangers by the Lightning this summer, and spent this season on the Bolts farm team in Norfolk.

Looks like those who reported the Stars could soon make a trade were right after all. Ok, it's not the big move the trade gossips suggested, but it's still a trade, and it's possible Lampman could be called up at some point this season if injury should start biting the Stars blueline.

As for the Bolts, they've been paring down payroll as much as possible with recent demotions to the minors, and this move pares things down a bit more, as Lampman was eligible to earn just over $556K this season if he were called up. It's another cost-cutting move.

So, after weeks of no real trade activity, we've had two trades today, although both were minor deals. It could be a sign of the trade market slowly stirring to life, although there could be more deals of today's caliber between now and the Christmas "trade freeze" commencing December 19th.

The major deals are likely still another month and a half away.