The NHL’s unrestricted free agent market starts on July 1st, 2008. Here’s a listing of the top UFAs as per their current teams (hat tip to NHLnumbers.com).

ANAHEIM: Selanne, Teemu
Weight, Doug

ATLANTA: Hedberg, Johan
Holik, Bobby
Recchi, Mark

BOSTON: Auld, Alex
Metropolit, Glen
Ward, Aaron

BUFFALO: Kalinin, Dmitri

CAROLINA: Samsonov, Sergei
Wesley, Glen

CALGARY: Conroy, Craig
Huselius, Kristian
Joseph, Curtis
Langkow, Daymond
Nolan, Owen
Vandermeer, Jim

CHICAGO: Williams, Jason

COLUMBUS: Hainsey, Ron
Tarnstrom, ####
Vyborny, David

COLORADO: Brunette, Andrew
Finger, Jeff
Foote, Adam
Forsberg, Peter
Liles, John-Michael
Sakic, Joe
Sauer, Kurt
Theodore, Jose

DALLAS: Hagman, Niklas
Holmqvist, Johan
Miettinen, Antti
Norstrom, Mattias

DETROIT: Chelios, Chris
Hasek, Dominik
Lilja, Andreas
Stuart, Brad

FLORIDA: Montador, Steve

LOS ANGELES: Blake, Rob
Nagy, Ladislav

MINNESOTA: Demitra, Pavol
Rolston, Brian

MONTREAL: Ryder, Michael
Streit, Mark

NASHVILLE: Ellis, Dan

NEW JERSEY: Asham, Arron
Pandolfo, Jay
Salvador, Bryce

NY ISLANDERS: Berard, Bryan
Satan, Miroslav
Vasicek, Josef

NY RANGERS: Avery, Sean
Malik, Marek
Mara, Paul
Rozsival, Michal
Shanahan, Brendan
Straka, Martin

OTTAWA: Commodore, Mike
Kelly, Chris
Redden, Wade
Stillman, Cory

PHILADELPHIA: Prospal, Vaclav
Smith, Jason

PHOENIX: Vrbata, Radim

PITTSBURGH: Conklin, Ty
Hossa, Marian
Laraque, Georges
Malone, Ryan
Orpik, Brooks
Roberts, Gary
Ruutu, Jarkko

SAN JOSE: Campbell, Brian
Roenick, Jeremy

TORONTO: Sundin, Mats

VANCOUVER: Miller, Aaron
Morrison, Brendan
Naslund, Markus

WASHINGTON: Cooke, Matt
Fedorov, Sergei
Huet, Cristobal
Kolzig, Olaf

I've previously posted the following on my website.  Given the NHL trade deadline is only a month away as well as the rise in recent weeks of really stupid trade rumors -many involving players with no-trade/no movement clauses or expensive long-term contracts that are almost unmovable - I've decided to re-post this here.
 
Consider the following to be helpful tips for internet and media rumormongers - who'll never listen anyway but what the hell - in hopes that it'll improve their creativity:

1. Players with no-trade/no-movement clauses almost never waive them unless they're in the final season of their contract and stuck on a non-playoff team, and then only in the weeks heading into the trade deadline to facilitate a trade to a playoff club. They don't waive them mid-way through their contract or in the middle of the summer.

2. Teams almost never trade a talented young player for picks and prospects, especially when that player is one of their most talented.

Last August a rumor flying around had the Boston Bruins trading Patrice Bergeron to the NY Islanders for picks and prospects. Come on, at least be more creative! Claim the Bruins are shopping Bergeron for, oh, say, Trent Hunter and Mike Comrie, or Comrie and Marc-Andre Bergeron. Sure, those rumors are unlikely too, but at least they're not incredibly  stupid.

3. General managers are not on the phone every day trying to swing trades, ok? I keep hearing that nonsense and it's simply not true. If it was, they'd have no time to devote to other aspects of running a team, like scouting, managing payroll, and player development. Yes, they have assistants but GMs must stay involved in day-to-day activities.

Most general managers aren't talking trade in August, because most have already committed their cap space for the upcoming season and have yet to fully evaluate their new rosters during training camp and pre-season. Cap constraints during the season means the earliest trades will occur is mid-to-late November, as salaries start to become more affordable.

Usually, the bulk of the deal occur in February, the same month as the trade deadline, and most who get traded fall into the category noted in my first point (Impending UFA playing on non-playoff club willing to waive NTC to play for a contender).

4. Remember the salary cap. A team with limited cap space is not going to take on a player carrying a hefty salary without dumping a lot of salary in return, and those deals almost never happen because of the potential adverse affect to roster depth.  More often than not, a team trying to move a high-salaried player is trying to free up cap space, not add to it. Those rumors are the easiest to debunk, folks, so do try to keep the cap in mind when you're trying to dream up who might be a good fit where.

5. Teams aren't going to trade one high-salaried player for another if the other player doesn't solve a problem area. It makes no sense to trade a high-salaried forward in exchange for a high-salaried netminder if said netminder won't help them, so please, no silly "Brad Richards to Colorado for Jose Theodore" rumors.

6. Correctly predicting one rumored trade doesn't make you a genius prognosticator if you're wrong most of the time. One rumor out of one hundred coming true is nothing to crow about.  If you were a weather forecaster with that kind of prediction rate you'd be unemployed in no time!

I'll be impressed if you can be accurate with your calls at least ten percent every season. Remember, a stopped clock is right twice a day but no one considers it an accurate measure of time.

Just follow these simple rules and you too can come up with more creative trade rumors that at least have a foot partially in reality rather than both feet firmly planted on Fantasy Island.

Cheers.

Various sources report the Calgary Flames have today signed unrestricted free agent goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. TSN.ca reports with half the season already gone he'll earn $650K the rest of the way.

The popular “CuJo” became an unrestricted free agent in July 2007 but was unable to find any takers as his performance had declined over the last two seasons playing with the Phoenix Coyotes.

However, Joseph stayed in shape at his home near Toronto, and last month accepted an invitation to play for Team Canada at the annual Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where he backstopped Canada to victory in the tournament.

That performance considerably heightened interest in Joseph. In addition to the Flames, the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and NY Rangers were reportedly interested in his services.

The Flames signing Joseph should not be interpreted as a lack of confidence in current starter Miikka Kiprusoff, who’d struggled earlier this season but has played better since early December.

This move was done to spell off Kiprusoff, who’d started 44 of 45 games this season so far for the Flames, giving him someone to share the load and take a bit of the burden off his shoulders.

A Calgary Herald reporter expressed concern prior to today’s signing that perhaps Kiprusoff might be bothered by Joseph’s addition. If he is he’d better get over it quickly, as this isn’t about just Kiprusoff but rather insuring the Flames reach the playoffs.

The danger in having “Kipper” play so many games was the risk of burning him out down the stretch, leaving him with little left for the post-season. Worse, it increased the risk of his suffering an injury, something the Flames could ill-afford.

Put simply, the addition of “CuJo” is an insurance policy, nothing more. Kiprusoff’s still the starter in Calgary, and if the addition of an experienced veteran like Joseph pushes him to play harder, so much the better for the Flames.

If Kiprusoff should struggle again or get injured, it’ll be good to have Joseph there to bail them out.

- The Chicago Blackhawks today announced the re-signing of defenseman Brent Sopel to a three-year contract extension. Financial terms weren’t disclosed but when they are I’ll post them here.

Sopel was earning $1.5 million for this season having signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks as an unrestricted free agent last October.

He’s been sidelined since December 30th with a broken finger but is expected back soon. In 33 games Sopel had 10 points and was +10, earning praise from Blackhawks coaching and management staff for his steady defensive play and experience.

Those traits have made him valuable to a Blackhawks teams whose best blueliners have been young and promising (Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien) but still developing their respective games.

Considering that last summer Sopel struggled to attract interest in his services as a UFA and even considered playing in Europe this season it shows just how important he’s been to the ‘Hawks this season.

- In other news, the Blackhawks also traded veteran defenseman Magnus Johansson to the Florida Panthers for a late round pick in 2009.

Johansson, 34, played his entire career in Europe up until this season when he was signed by the Blackhawks.   In 18 games with Chicago he had 4 points and a plus-minus of –5.

- The Vancouver Canucks plucked centre Kris Beech off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Beech was once a highly touted draft pick (selected 7th overall in the 1999 entry draft) of the Washington Capitals who has never played up to lofty expectations.

The most notable thing about his career thus far is he was part of the package the Pittsburgh Penguins received from the Capitals in 2001 in exchange for Jaromir Jagr.

 He’s bounced around the NHL, from Washington to Pittsburgh to Nashville, back to Washington and then signing with Columbus as an unrestricted free agent last summer.  His best NHL season was 2006-07 with the Capitals, with 26 points in 68 games.

In 16 games this season with the Blue Jackets Beech had 9 points and a +3 rating.

Goaltender Chris Osgood is very happy to be a member of the Detroit Red Wings. So happy, in fact, that he was willing to take a discount to remain with the club for another three seasons.

The Detroit Red Wings announced on Wednesday re-signing Osgood to a three-year contract extension worth $1.5 million per season.

Osgood began his career with the Red Wings and was once considered their goalie of the future, even backstopping them to a Stanley Cup in 1998.

But despite that success his performance became plagued in subsequent years by inconsistency and a perception that he couldn’t win the big game for Detroit.

When the Wings acquired Dominik Hasek from Buffalo in 2001 the writing was on the wall for Osgood, and he was shipped to the NY Islanders, where again he was plagued by doubts, and dealt the following season to the St. Louis Blues, where he faced the same questions.

After the lockout the Red Wings brought “Ozzie” home by signing him as a free agent in 2005 but he was seen solely as a backup, first to Manny Legace and then last season to Hasek.

If that bothered Osgood it didn’t show as he was praised for his support of Legace and Hasek as well as for providing reliable netminding in a backup role.

But with age looking like it’s caught up to Hasek, Osgood has stepped up, playing his best hockey in years.  

“Ozzie” is making $800, 000 for this season, but his performance thus far – leading all goalies in goals-against average (1.62) and tied for the lead in save percentage (.932) whilst sporting a 19-2-1 record – would’ve qualified him for considerably more than $1.5 mil per season on the open market.

But today’s news makes it obvious that Osgood had no intention of leaving Hockeytown USA, and is yet another noteworthy chapter in what has to be considered a comeback season for the veteran netminder.

For the Wings this signing allows room to re-sign other UFAs like Daniel Cleary and Chris Chelios, and if Osgood’s performance should falter over the course of that deal makes him affordable to relegate back to a backup role or perhaps to trade him again.

If he keeps playing as well as he has thus far this season, “Ozzie” won’t have to worry about that possibility.

If he keeps playing like that over the next three seasons he’ll be one of the lowest paid, high-profile starting goalies in the league.

But that doesn’t matter to Osgood. For him, it’s good enough to stay where he’s happy.  

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. 

The New York Islanders signed UFA winger Bill Guerin to a two-year, $9 million contract. 

You read that right, folks: two years, $9 million.

Islanders GM Garth Snow was desperate to replace several key forwards that departed via free agency on July 1st, and I can certainly understand why he was interested in Guerin. I can even understand the willingness to overpay for a soon-to-be 37 year old winger who scored 36 goals last season split between the moribund St. Louis Blues and the playoff-bound San Jose Sharks, even if he did come up small in 9 playoff games with the Sharks.

But there's overpaying, and then there's overpaying far too much, and that's what Snow and the Islanders have done here.

They're hoping - heck, probably praying - that Guerin will pot 30 goals a season over the next two years, but surely to heavens they didn't have to pay $4.5 million per season for that gamble.

There's no question that Guerin's stock likely rose as this week progressed and the top UFAs were snapped up quickly, but again, he's an aging winger and not worth that kind of contract.

But when you're desperate like the Islanders, and have the cap space to spare, you happily pay it and hope that his play will justify that salary.  

The small but steady parade of veteran unrestricted free agent NHL players heading to Europe to continue their playing careers continues.

After recently rejecting offers from Swiss league teams in hopes of landing either an NHL or Russian Super League contract, winger Anson Carter signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA for the 2007-08 season and is expected to join them this week.

The Boston Globe had reported this past weekend that Carter’s agent claimed his client had fully recovered from the concussion he suffered in pre-season that effectively ended his tryout with the Edmonton Oilers. It was thought Carter might still attract interest around the league based on his 33-goal performance in 2005-06 with the Vancouver Canucks but as this signing indicates no GM in the NHL is willing to gamble their valuable cap space on him.

It’s possible Carter might find his way back to the NHL before season’s end but he’d first have to have an “out” clause and would then have to pass through waivers, which would make him further unpalatable to potential NHL suitors.

If Carter can play well for HC Lugano this season it might pique interest in him in next summer’s UFA market. If not, he’d better get used to the Swiss lifestyle because that could be the only league he’ll be able to play in.

Another former NHL forward heading to Switzerland is faceoff specialist and poker enthusiast Travis Green, who signed with EV Zug on Monday.

Green’s best season statistically was 1995-96 with 70 points in 69 games but he was probably at his most valuable during the 2001-02 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a faceoff and penalty killing specialist.

Sadly, his career has been on a steady decline since then. He was bought out of his contract with the Boston Bruins in 2006 and saw only 31 games split between the Leafs and Anaheim Ducks last season. His NHL playing career is probably over at this point.

Reports from Switzerland also claim Lugano made a contract offer to Phoenix Coyotes netminder David Aebischer, who’s presently toiling in the minors having failed to secure a spot on the club’s regular tandem.

The Swiss-born Aebischer has apparently told Lugano he wants some time to think about the offer, hoping he’ll get a chance to get back into the NHL either with the Coyotes or another team.

Another goalie who received an offer from a European team is Montreal Canadiens netminder Jaroslav Halak, who like Aebischer is toiling in the minors after failing to secure a roster spot with the Habs.

Halak received a contract offer from an unnamed Russian Super League team and it was rumored Halak was using this contract offer as leverage with the Habs to force the club into trading him to another NHL team but this was denied by Halak’s agent.

Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist signed with RSL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl after spending weeks entertaining offers from various European teams, as did former Maple Leafs forward Tony Salmelainen.

For those of you interested in Peter Forsberg’s future, I’ll be touching on that in an upcoming article.

Reports out of Europe claim three Swiss teams have expressed interest in signing unrestricted free agent winger Anson Carter to a contract but he’s rejected their offers, citing his intent to only entertain offers from North America (NHL) or Russia.

No word if any Russian Super League teams are interested in Carter but apart from a failed training camp tryout with the Edmonton Oilers there’s been no media reports of anything coming his way from NHL teams.

Some Canucks fans are still pining for the Canucks to bring back Carter, where only two seasons ago he had a 33-goal season playing with the Sedin Twins.  But comments made by GM Dave Nonis over the last two summer suggest he won’t be suiting up again for Vancouver anytime soon.

Nonis never really said it, but the implication seems to be that negotiations never went well between the two sides. The fact he struggled big time last season split between Columbus and Carolina didn’t help his free agent value.

Speaking of Swiss teams, HC Lugano is reportedly very interested in signing former Calgary Flames forward Jeff Friesen, who still remains available in the UFA market.

Friesen was still a capable checking forward but his best NHL seasons are now long behind him and it appears if he’s going to keep his playing career alive that it’ll have to be in Europe.

Looks like St. Louis Blues forward Petr Cajanek is headed to Europe after all.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday the Blues could be about to loan Cajanek to Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League, with that team picking up half his $2.1 million salary for this season.

Reports from Switzerland earlier this month had a couple of Swiss teams interested in him but Cajanek, who’d been demoted to the Blues minor league affiliate in Peoria, stated his intent to play in North America and try to get back into the NHL.

The Blues had placed Cajanek on re-entry waivers in hopes another club would be willing to claim him for only half his salary but received no interest.

Finally, the Detroit Red Wings have called up prospect forward Igor Grigorenko after poor conditioning landed him on their minor league affiliate to open the season.

Reports out of Detroit suggest if Grigorenko fails to earn a spot on the Wings that he might return to Russia, possibly never to return to the NHL.

Grigorenko was considered one of the Wings’ top prospects and battled back to salvage his career after it was nearly ended several years ago in a car accident.

Eurohockey.net reported earlier this week former Philadelphia Flyers netminder Robert Esche had signed to play with Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League this season.

Esche was one of the few goalies of note (Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour being the other two) still available in this year’s unrestricted free agent market. Joseph is believed working out back in Toronto awaiting an offer whilst Belfour has signed to play in Sweden this season although it’s believed he might have an “out” clause in his contract should an NHL club come calling.

It’s not surprising Esche didn’t get any takers thus far, as his last two NHL seasons were not memorable. Apart from a decent showing against the Buffalo Sabres in the opening round of the 2006 playoffs, Esche simply didn’t play as well as he did prior to the lockout, resulting in his stock dropping dramatically heading into this year’s UFA market.

Some internet speculation last month had him possibly heading to the NY Rangers or Edmonton Oilers as a backup, but the Blueshirts are more concerned about their blueline depth whilst the Oilers have a very capable backup in Mathieu Garon.

It’s still possible that Esche could find his way back to the NHL this season as injuries and/or inconsistent goaltending could force a few teams to give his agent.

The Los Angeles Kings could head that list, as their goaltending continues to be their Achilles heel. Put simply, their best goalie is Jonathan Bernier, whom they returned to his QMJHL team for the rest of this season so as not to hamper his development or bruise his confidence by rushing him too soon into action.

Dan Cloutier proved an expensive, injury-ravaged bust. Jason Labarbera has yet to prove he’s anything more than a really good minor league netminder, and J.S. Aubin is better used as a backup, not a starter.

Goaltending isn’t their only concern as the Kings defensive game needs improvement but it would go a long way to calming their blueline corps down if they know they’ve got a decent starting goalie behind them to cover their mistakes.

Granted, Esche didn’t have a very good 2006-07 season, and was uneven the previous year, but he could well be determined to improve his game and to make the most of a second chance. It wouldn’t be the first time a player left unsigned because of weak performances shone when given another opportunity by an NHL team.

Esche could probably be had for a reasonable, incentive-laced contract for this season, plus he’s not too old, like Joseph and Belfour, nor does he have lingering back problems, like Belfour. And unlike a trade, signing him won’t cost them players or prospects in return.

The only signing problem is that since he’s now playing in Russia he’d have to clear waivers before reporting to the Kings, so it would likely be best to get him soon before other teams start having goalie woes and look to Esche as a solution.

Barring either a character or physical flaw that would scare away Kings management, Esche appears to be the best solution to their goaltending problems right now.

At this point, what have they got to lose?  Carrying on with what they’ve got could eventually cost them the season anyway, so it’s worthwhile to give Esche a shot.

As expected the number of UFA signings within the NHL has all but dried up with the approach of training camp. Don’t expect any significant player movement over the next couple of weeks, but as the start of the regular season approaches there could be some possible signings or trades near the end of September.

The only significant UFA signing this past week, apart from the previously reported Jeremy Roenick signing with the San Jose Sharks, was the Toronto Maple Leafs inking winger Tony Salmelainen to a one-year, two-way contract.

Salmelainen was involved in a trade in July where he and defenseman Jassen Cullimore were dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for winger Sergei Samsonov. The Habs subsequently bought both players out of their contracts.

For the past several weeks the most significant player moves has been the steady stream of NHL free agents signing with European teams.

Jeff Friesen, who was a member of the Calgary Flames last season, will be joining Ed Belfour with Leksand of the Swedish "Allsvenskan" League, signing a one-year contract with the club.

Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Janne Niinimaa had been rumored close to signing with Swedish club Linkopings HC, but he instead signed with Swiss Hockey Club Davos.

Jan Bulis, who played last season with the Vancouver Canucks, is now confirmed to have signed a one-year contract with Russian club Khimik Mytischy.

Finally, former Flames goaltender Jamie McLennan won’t be playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League after all.

The team’s management was apparently unhappy with McLennan’s performance during pre-season play and released him from his contract. It remains to be seen if “Noodles” will be signing with another European team or try his luck back in the NHL.

It figures; I take a short sabbatical and a weird signing occurs.

For those who missed it, unrestricted free agent center Jeremy Roenick was able to forestall retirement by signing a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.

This is a weird one by Sharks GM Doug Wilson, who made all the right moves this summer by re-signing Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek and in June resolving both his goaltending controversy and dumping a headache by trading goalie Vesa Toskala and troubled forward Mark Bell to Toronto for draft picks.

The reasons given for this signing are Roenick’s experience and leadership, his former connection with Wilson during their playing days in Chicago, and the possibility he could bounce back into perhaps a 20-goal scorer on a deeper team after two lousy seasons with weaker clubs in Los Angeles and Phoenix.

“JR” can certainly be counted on to be vocal, particularly if he or the team struggles, but he no longer has the talent to back up his words as he used to.

Sure, it’s possible Roenick might regain at least some of his scoring form with the talented Sharks, but if I’m a Sharks fan I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

Don’t read this as an “anti-Roenick” diatribe. I’ve always found “JR Superstar” to be as fast with a quip as he was with his shot, considering him one of the most entertaining players in the league.

But let’s face facts here, gang, Roenick’s game was in decline even prior to the lockout. He followed up a 76 point season in 2000-01 with seasons of 67, 59 and 47 points in the three seasons prior to the lockout (the last in 62 games) on a talented Philadelphia Flyers club.

He managed a “last hurrah” in the 2004 playoffs with 13 points in 18 games playing some of the best hockey of his career.

Since the lockout, however, the slide not only continued, it worsened, netting only 22 points in 58 games with the Kings in 2005-06 and 28 points in 70 games with the Coyotes.

Roenick is willing but it’s obvious that at 37 he can no longer play at the high level that was once his hallmark. His best shots now come from the lip, not his stick.

For Wilson, at best this signing could provide his team with vocal leadership and perhaps a decent third line center. At worse, this signing provides the Sharks with a vocal benchwarmer.

- Looks like there’ll be a competition to determine this season’s goaltending tandem for the Los Angeles Kings.  

Earlier this week the Kings signed former Toronto Maple Leafs backup J.S. Aubin to a one-year contract, creating a potential logjam in goal as he joins Dan Cloutier, Jason LaBarbera and Erik Ersberg in battling for the two available spots.

Cloutier is considered the de facto starter provided he finally overcomes the injuries that dogged him for much of the last two seasons. LaBarbera has shown a lot of promise on the Kings farm club, while Ersberg was signed as a free agent after spending the last two seasons in the Swedish Elite League.

Aubin’s biggest problem is consistency. Once thought to be starting goalie material when he broke into the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins eight seasons ago, he since bounced between the NHL and the AHL and is now considered a backup.

Two seasons ago he nearly saved the Toronto Maple Leafs season, taking over down the stretch from an injured Ed Belfour and a struggling Mikael Tellqvist and posting a 9-0-2 record in 11 games, with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage.

Last season, his last with the Leafs, wasn’t as spectacular, going 3-5-2 in twenty games with a 3.43 GAA and a .876 SP.

- It appears former Vancouver Canucks winger Jan Bulis won’t be playing in the NHL this coming season.

Reports out of Russia have Bulis signing with Khimik Mytischy in Russia. No word for certain on how much he’ll earn but there’s some speculation he signed for $1.3 million.

Bulis’ stock fell dramatically last season with the Vancouver Canucks after building a reputation with the Montreal Canadiens as a reliable two-way forward.  Despite this Bulis seemed to struggle last season under Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault. He lost playing time and at one point last February his agent claimed Bulis wanted a trade, something he quickly denied.

He changed agents this summer and a report in the Vancouver Province had his new agent suggesting Bulis could be signed soon by an NHL team.

Either his signing with Khimik was an insurance move for Bulis, there simply isn’t any genuine interest by NHL GMs in his services, or (most likely) none willing to pay the kind of money he can get in Russia for his services.

- The Atlanta Thrashers bolstered their blueline depth this week by signing UFA defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski to a one-year, two-way contract that’ll pay him $600K at the NHL level.

Kwiatkowski might be able to earn a spot as a sixth or seventh d-man in training camp on the Thrashers, but if not he could provide vital veteran depth later in the season should injuries take their toll.  He’s spent most of his pro career split between the NHL and the AHL.

- Finally, it appears reports of former Edmonton Oilers d-man Daniel Tjarnqvist signing with a Russian Super League team were premature.

The Edmonton Journal last week reported Tjarnqvist denied reports he’d signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the RSL. He’s presently recuperating from off-season surgery and while he doesn’t rule out possibly signing with the Russian team might also sign with Djurgardens, his former Swedish Elite league team.

With the start of NHL training camps set to start in roughly two weeks time there’s been very little unrestricted free agent signings to report. Indeed, the most significant moves have been UFAs signing with European clubs.

That’s because the salary cap has forced most general managers to be more frugal with their money, even those still possessing plenty of salary cap space.

Most GMs appear intent on evaluating their rosters during training camp and pre-season to determine if their lineups need bolstering via free agency or trades. Some might even wait until the opening weeks of the season.

That means available UFAs like Danny Markov, Jason Allison, Curtis Joseph, Ossi Vaananen, Mike Johnson and Brent Sopel could continue playing the waiting game for some time yet.

The Edmonton Journal recently reported UFA defenseman Bryan Berard has accepted an invitation from the New York Islanders for a training camp tryout in September.

Berard, who began his NHL career with the Islanders (winning the Calder trophy as rookie of the year in 1997), spent the past two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets but back injuries limited him to only 55 games.

Despite having lost most of the sight in his right eye in 2000 during a freak injury he’s proven that this hasn’t hampered his game, posting good offensive numbers prior to hurting his back. He’d also received a two-year suspension from international competition for use of a banned substance, which he claimed was unintentional but took full responsibility for his actions.

It’s likely the back injuries rather than his right eye or his claim of unintentional use of a banned substance that killed off most interest in him as a free agent. He’s fortunate to get a tryout invitation, but if he proves to have made a full recovery from his back surgery and has a good camp he could earn himself a contract with the Isles, although it’ll likely be worth less than $1 million.

Now for the continuous parade of players heading overseas.

It was announced today that former NHL goalie Ed Belfour had indeed signed a six-month contract with Leksand of the Swedish second league.

A recent report on Belfour claimed he looked sharp in recent practices but apparently not sharp enough for an NHL club to take a chance on him.

That doesn’t mean necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of “Eddie the Eagle” in NHL action as it’s possible he might return at some point this season should an NHL club come calling, but of course that contingent on Belfour having an “out clause” with Leksand.

If an NHL club does sign him they’ll have to do it prior to the start of the upcoming season, otherwise he’d have to pass through waivers where he could be plucked away by another NHL team.

Former Tampa Bay Lighting and Chicago Blackhawk forward Nikita Alexeev has signed with Ak-Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League.

Drafted 8th overall in the 2000 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alexeev was once considered a promising prospect and early last season appeared poised for his long-awaited breakout season with 15 points in his first 20 games, but his production tailed off dramatically.

The Bolts finally lost patience with Alexeev and dealt him at the trade deadline to Chicago but he failed to catch on with the Blackhawks, who cut him loose at season’s end.

Janne Niinimaa’s career as an NHL defenseman is likely over but he may have found a new place to continue his playing career, as he's rumored to be signing with Swedish club Linkopings HC.

Niinimaa’s performance tailed off significantly after the 2003-04 season, where injury and an inability to adapt to the post-lockout style saw him bounce from the NY Islanders to the Dallas Stars to the Montreal Canadiens over the last two years.

Former Florida Panthers winger Juraj Kolnik will be playing next season in Switzerland as will former Atlanta Thrashers winger J.P. Vigier. Both signed with HC Geneve-Servette of the Swiss National League last week.

Finally, former NY Rangers center Jarkko Immonen signed with JYP of the Finnish League.

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed perhaps the most popular player in its history today, signing Trevor Linden to a one-year contract.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed but reports out of Vancouver suggest Linden has agreed to the league minimum $475K, down from the $600K he earned last season, in order to give Canucks management a bit of cap flexibility for the upcoming season.

I have to be honest, folks, by the midpoint of last season I consider Linden a spent force and said as much, yet he proved he still had a bit left in the tank with a strong finish down the stretch and tying for the team’s playoff points lead.

There’s been some suggestion that the reason it took so long for the Canucks to re-sign Linden was perhaps the team’s unwillingness to have him on the roster when the results of the NHLPA’s internal investigation into the hiring of former executive director Ted Saskin are reported.

Linden was the NHLPA president during the lockout, worked closely with Saskin and was considered responsible for firing Bob Goodenow as executive director and replacing him with Saskin.

However, I believe the reason it took so long to sign Linden was perhaps more due to management’s desire to bolster it’s offensive depth and Linden’s potential role with the team than anything to do with his role in the Saskin affair.

Linden’s best days are behind him but he’s still a proven leader on and off the ice and valuable in a checking line role. This, however, is likely his swan song as an NHL player so Canucks fans should enjoy every game that Linden plays this season.

The Los Angeles Kings further bolstered their blueline depth recently by signing former Dallas Stars defenseman Jon Klemm to a one-year, two-way contract.

Klemm is obviously a replacement for Oleg Tverdovsky, who bolted for Russia rather than face the possibility of starting next season in the minors.

His experience and defensive skills should make him a valuable addition to the Kings defense corps, plus his two-way contract makes him an affordable pickup. It remains to be seen if he’ll start the season with the Kings but if not he should see ice time with them as a call up when injuries inevitably strike.

Scratch defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist off the list of available unrestricted free agents.

Swedish sports paper Expressen reported Tjarnqvist has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League apparently worth $2 million for the upcoming season.

Understandable that Tjarnqvist would opt for the possibility of earning that much in Russia since he likely wasn’t going to earn that in the NHL.

No word if he’s got an “escape clause” that would allow him to return to the NHL.