The Los Angeles Kings long contract negotiations with forward Patrick O'Sullivan ended Tuesday with the young forward inking a three-year contract extension.

O'Sullivan will be paid $4 million for this season but over the course of the deal the cap hit for the Kings will be $2.95 million per season.

By getting O'Sullivan under contract now the Kings avoided a potential contract holdout, something that's become a rarity in the NHL's salary cap world.

O'Sullivan had a breakthrough performance in 2007-08, with 22 goals and 53 points in 82 games as part of the Kings "young guns" with Anzer Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov, and is seen as a key piece of the club's rebuilding program.

If he can post up similar or better numbers over the next three seasons that $2.95 million per will be considered a bargain, and in this era when teams re-sign young players to lengthy contract this one seems more prudent, although it was rumored the Kings were seeking a lengthier deal.

It'll also move O'Sullivan to within one season of his eligibility for unrestricted free agency upon the contract's completion.

He also missed all of training camp and pre-season and that could have an adverse effect on his play early in the season. History has shown that players who miss that preparation time struggle early and become susceptible to injury. Hopefully for O'Sullivan and the Kings that won't be the case.

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke has been very busy over the past week, shipping Mathieu Schneider to Atlanta and signing forward Teemu Selanne. The latter however put the Ducks over the salary cap by $1.22 million, requiring another move to cut salary and get back under the cap.

Burke made the move today by shipping veteran blueliner Sean O'Donnell to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a condition pick in 2009.

The trade moves O'Donnell's $1.25 million salary off the books and places the Ducks just under the $56.7 million cap.

It also addresses two needs for the Kings, acquiring an experienced "stay-at-home" blueliner and adding more salary to nudge them closer to the league's mandatory minimum cap level of $40.7 million.

For O'Donnell it brings his career full circle, returning to the team where he began his NHL career and spent six seasons until moving on to seasons with the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes and the Ducks, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2007.

The Mathieu Schneider trade watch is finally over.

After months of speculation the Anaheim Ducks today dealt the veteran blueliner to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Ken Klee, forward Brad Larsen and a minor league prospect.

The move provides valuable experience and depth to the Thrashers defense corps, giving them three strong puck-moving defensemen with Schneider, Tobias Enstrom and Ron Hainsey.

For the Ducks they move his expensive salary, which gets them under the league's $56.7 million salary cap, but in taking on the combined salaries of Klee and Larsen ($1.9 million) it might not leave enough cap space to sign UFA winger Teemu Selanne.

The Ducks were sitting at just over $58 million prior to the deal, so dumping Schneider's salary should push them under $52.5 million, but in adding the Klee and Larsen salaries that'll likely push the payroll over $54 million.

Now if Selanne is willing to consider signing for, say, less than $1.5 million, it's not a problem, although it would leave the Ducks with little available cap space for possible roster moves later in the season.

It's possible Ducks GM Brian Burke might not be done dealing.

The following notable players are either on training camp tryouts with NHL teams or are on two-way contracts for this season hoping to land spots with their respective teams.

Anaheim Ducks: Eric Boguniecki, Teemu Selanne.

Carolina Hurricanes: Jeff O’Neill, Dan Lacouture.

Chicago Blackhawks: Keith Carney.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Richard Matvichuk.

Dallas Stars: Nolan Pratt

Detroit Red Wings: Darren McCarty.

Florida Panthers: Jassen Cullimore.

New York Rangers: Petr Nedved (hat tip to Chip)

Minnesota Wild: Krys Kolanos.

Ottawa Senators: Luke Richardson

Philadelphia Flyers: Jim Dowd, Bryan Berard (hat tip to "midknt").

San Jose Sharks: Jeff Friesen, Alexei Semenov.

USA Today reports the Anaheim Ducks have placed defenseman Mathieu Schneider on waivers in hopes a rival club will claim him thus clearing his $5.75 million salary off their books.

Ducks GM Brian Burke is believed hoping to sign former Ducks winger Teemu Selanne to a new contract but  he's currently over the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap by nearly $2 million. By moving Schneider he would not only get comfortably under the cap but would also free up space to sign Selanne.

It's been widely speculated that the Ducks were shopping Schneider, with some suggesting the holdup was due to teams interested in the veteran blueliner were also interested in former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, presently in Sweden still undecided over his playing future.

The more likely possibility is Schneider's salary is too steep for most teams to take on at this time of the year having already commited most of their available cap space earlier in the off-season.

Burke had hinted he'd spoken with LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi regarding Schneider but nothing was worked out. Subsequent reports in the LA media suggest Lombardi is interested in a more defensive blueliner rather than an offensive one like Schneider.

It remains to be seen if anyone claims Schneider off waivers but given his salary that appears doubtful. Burke could demote Schneider and then place him on recall waivers, but then if a team claims him the Ducks will still be on the hook for half his contract.

That'll put the Ducks under the salary cap but leave them very little available cap space for the season, let alone enough money to sign Selanne.

He could also leave Schneider in the minors which will clear his salary completely from their salary cap count but they'd still have to pay him the full $5.75 million, which is a lot of money to spend on one player to ride the buses with the farm team.

As one of my readers pointed out, because Schneider is over 35 and in the second year of a contract two or more years in length, his salary would not be cleared from the Ducks cap if he's demoted to the minors. The recall rule however whereby half his salary is picked up by any team claiming him remains in effect. Hat tip to 'maytag' for the heads-up.

I'll update this post accordingly if Schneider clears or is claimed.

Update: Schneider cleared waivers today at noon ET.

With the opening of NHL training camps drawing ever nearer business is certainly starting to pick up around the league. 

In recent days we’ve seen several trades (see my most recent posts since August 29th) and now we’re starting to see some movement in the free agent market.

The big news today comes out of Los Angeles, where the Kings announced the signing of forward Jarret Stoll to a four-year, $14 million contract.

Stoll was acquired by the Kings from the Edmonton Oilers earlier this summer in exchange for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky.

His new contract breaks down as $3.5 million per season against the Kings salary cap, a significant raise over the $2.2 million per season he earned over the last two years with the Oilers.

Stoll got that contract thanks to a 22-goal, 68-point performance in 2005-06, but a concussion the following season and the lingering after-effects hampered his performance since then, with 39 points (in 51 games) in 2006-07 and 36 points in 81 games last year.

The Kings may be taking a chance on Stoll regaining that 68-point form as it appears he hasn’t been the same since the concussion, but if he can round back into form he’ll be worth that kind of coin.

At least cap-wise the Kings are now a little closer (now less than $10 million closer) to the NHL’s minimum cap of $40.7 million.

In Detroit meanwhile comes a signing that surprises no one, that of Chris Chelios returning for another season at a very affordable $850K.

The ageless Chelios is obviously not the great defenseman he once was but is still capable of playing 14-16 solid minutes per game and has proven to be a valuable member of Detroit’s defense corps.

However, that move will likely come at the expense of another Red Wings d-man, as GM Ken Holland recently suggested he’ll likely need to pare down between $100K-$300K from his payroll and could look at shipping out a defenseman to do it.

It certainly won’t be the 46-year-old Chelios.

And finally, after some speculation that Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray was perhaps interested in bringing in a veteran free agent winger, comes the announcement the Sens have signed Brad Isbister to a one-year, two-way contract.

For those Senators fans hoping that Murray was looking at Brendan Shanahan, Glen Murray or Mark Parrish, please try to contain your disappointment.

Fact is, Murray doesn’t have a lot of cap space to play with, and with this signing combined with his recent acquisition of winger Ryan Shannon from Vancouver, it’s clear at this point he’s going for affordable depth rather than squandering precious cap signing an aging veteran to a one-way contract.  

The San Jose Sharks on Wednesday announced the re-signing of defenseman Marc-Eduoard Vlasic to a four-year, $12.4 million contract extension, which breaks down to $3.1 million per season commencing in 2009-10.

This signing follows the trend of most NHL general managers under the current collective bargaining agreement, re-signing promising young talent based more on potential than their experience.

Vlasic, 21, is entering his third NHL season and had 14 points in 82 games with the Sharks last season. His new contract will take him up to age 26, by which time he’ll have seven NHL seasons under his belt and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency.

If he performs as expected this new contract could work out to be a bargain for the Sharks, but they should also anticipated that if he meets or exceeds expectations his value as a UFA in five years time could be worth considerably more than $3.1 million.  

The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

---

I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

Nearly two weeks into the NHL’s UFA pool and the depth is getting shallower.

The biggest free agent signing of note over the past several days was that of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Williams, who after several days of speculation out of Ottawa had him signing with the Senators (“Done Deal” according to some internet sites) would up inking a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Williams, 27, is coming off an injury-shortened season which saw him net 13 goals and 36 points in 43 games (four of those goals game-winners), leading the Blackhawks in power-play ice time until a sports hernia sidelined him for 35 games.

This is a good signing for a Thrashers team thin on offense heading into next season. He can play center or right wing and it’s possible he might be placed on the same line as star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, especially on the powerplay.

In a move suggesting a trade is in the offing the Anaheim Ducks signed former Florida Panthers defenseman Steve Montador to a one-year, $800K contract.

Montador, 28, had a career year with the Panthers last season, with 23 points in 73 games and plus-minus of +1.

The Ducks are expected to dump some salary to free up valuable cap space before the start of next season with Mathieu Schneider and his $5.75 million contract for next season considered the likely candidate and Montador filling his spot on the Ducks blueline.

Tampa Bay Lightning ownership continue to load up at forward, re-signing veteran center Chris Gratton to  a one-year contract.

With seventeen forwards currently on the roster (including 2008 first overall pick Steve Stamkos) it believed the Bolts will soon shop one or two forwards for some much needed veteran depth on their blueline.

Frequently suggested trade candidates include Jussi Jokinen and Michel Ouellet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed a need for more toughness, acquiring checker Ryan Hollweg from the NY Rangers for a fifth rounder in 2009.

Hollweg’s aggressive style should make him a good fit on the Leafs fourth line.

As expected former Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Morrison was signed on Monday, and stayed on the West Coast, joining the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Terms have yet to be disclosed but it’s reportedly either a one or two year contract.

It’ll be interesting to see what Morrison’s new contract will be, given the Ducks are currently sitting around $54 million in cap space.

Of course the Ducks coud get some additional cap relief if as rumored they end up peddling Mathieu Schneider’s $5.75 million contract for next season.

Morrison’s performance has been hampered by injury over the past three seasons, two of which he played through nagging pain which clearly affected his play. If he can stay healthy this season however he could be good for 55-60 points this season and provide valuable offensive depth to a Ducks club lacking scoring punch last season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile continued to add to their forward depth by signing veteran forward Mark Recchi to a one-year, $1.25 million contract.

For those wondering why the Bolts are loading up at forward at the expense of their defense, it’s believed they’re planning to shop a forward (possibly Jussi Jokinen or Michel Ouellet) for a defenseman.

Recchi had a rough start to last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, netting only 8 points in 19 games and becoming a healthy scratch, but rallied after being dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers with 40 points in 53 games.

If Recchi can manage that same pace for a full season with the Bolts he could be a good, affordable addition.

From the NHLPA:

TORONTO (July 5, 2008) – The following players have elected Salary Arbitration:

Boston Bruins
Dennis Wideman

Carolina Hurricanes
Chad LaRose

Colorado Avalanche
Marek Svatos
Detroit Red Wings
Valtteri Filppula

Florida Panthers
Jay Bouwmeester

Minnesota Wild
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Stephane Veilleux

Nashville Predators
Ville Koistinen

New York Islanders
Sean Bergenheim

New York Rangers
Dan Fritsche

Ottawa Senators
Antoine Vermette

St. Louis Blues
Jay McClement

San Jose Sharks
Marcel Goc

Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich
Shaone Morrisonn

The deadline for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration notification is July 6, 2008 at 5 p.m. ET. Hearings will be held in Toronto from July 20 to August 4, 2008."

More significant is the fact that these players are now ineligible to receive offer sheets from rival teams.

After two weeks of speculation originally dismissed by the new owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning the club has traded defenseman Dan Boyle.

Only four days after his new contract with a no-trade clause came into effect, Boyle agreed to waive the clause to be dealt to the San Jose Sharks.

Going to the Sharks with Boyle is veteran defenseman Brad Lukowich in exchange for defenseman Matt Carle, blueline prospect Ty Wishart, a first round pick in 2009 and a fourth round pick in 2010.

After signing an aging Rob Blake from the LA Kings the Sharks have now given themselves what they hope to be the final missing piece of the puzzle in Boyle to put them over the top as a Stanley Cup contender.

Boyle turns 32 in July and despite missing considerable playing time last season to a freak dressing room injury (a skate blade severed tendons in his wrist) he’s still in his prime and was capable of posting up 25 points in 37 games last season.

His -29 plus/minus rating ranked among the worst in the NHL but that is partially due to a Lightning team that was in disarray late in the season and in freefall in the standings.

On a better team like the Sharks Boyle should be a strong factor in their offensive game, particularly on the power-play, and with his experience as part of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup playoff run makes an upgrade over the departed Brian Campbell.

It’s difficult to understand the mindset of the Lightning’s new ownership. They were considered the driving force in the Bolts re-signing Boyle last season to a five-year, $6.67 million per season contract before they’d officially taken over ownership of the team.

Then came the Lightning’s recent acquisitions of forwards, such as Ryan Malone ($4.5 million per season), Vaclav Prospal ($3.5 million per season), Radim Vrbata ($3 million per season) and Gary Roberts ($1.25 million), and suddenly the Lighting were pushing perilously close to the salary cap, and that meant something had to give.

Moving Boyle frees up considerable cap space and the additions of Carle and Wishart will replace the gaps on the blueline left by the departures of Boyle and Lukowich, although they won’t replace the experience of the two and Carle will face the pressure of being one of the Lightning’s top two defensemen.

Freeing up cap space and getting younger is one thing, but then why did they even both re-signing Boyle in the first place if the plan was to load on offense?

Carle and Wishart also won’t address the fact that the Lighting blueline was thin before they dealt away Boyle and Lukowich.

Carle and Ranger will probably be the top two pairing, leaving Filip Kuba, Shane O’Brien, Alexandre Picard, Doug Janik and Wishart as the remainder of the defense corps.

The Lightning now look like a team with strong forward depth, decent goaltending in promising Mike Smith and recent acquisition Olaf Kolzig, and a defense corps that could be the club’s Achilles heel.

It’s been an exciting off-season thus far for the Lightning with all their recent moves, as well as the re-signing of franchise player Vincent Lecavalier and the selection of future star Steve Stamkos in the entry draft.

It’ll be interesting to see how well this team, with a suspect defense and a new head coach who hasn’t been behind an NHL bench in 13 years, looks on the ice next season.  

It may be the start of the Independence Day long weekend in the United States but  Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier had a busy Fourth of July.

Regier first dealt forward Steve Bernier to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a draft pick next season and in 2010, then acquired defenseman Craig Rivet from the San Jose Sharks. It’s believed those picks were the ones acquired from the Canucks.

Bernier’s now on this third team in a year, having been shipped to the Sabres from the San Jose Sharks last February. He made a sensation debut in his first game with the Sabres, scoring twice and defending Derek Roy late in the game, endearing himself to the Sabres faithful, but his production tailed off in the final games of the season.

The Canucks will be hoping he can provide some much-needed scoring depth in the wake of the departures of Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison to free agency.

Regier was seeking a veteran defenseman with Dmitri Kalinin signed by the Rangers and Teppo Numminen not expected to return. It had been rumored Maxim Afinogenov might be dangled but his poor performance last season may have scared off suitors.

Rivet had one of his best season of his career in 2007-08 with the Sharks, with a career-best 35 point performance, and having played most of his career with the Montreal Canadiens he’s no stranger to the Eastern Conference and the Northeast Division.

He’s signed through to 2010-11 at $3.5 million per season and with his experience could be a good addition to the Sabres defense corps.