Toronto does head into the contest on Tuesday night as the favourite with home ice advantage after finishing 2^nd in the western conference with 96 points and a North Division title. Abbotsford finished just four points back of the Marlies in 4^th and disposed of it’s first round opponent, the Milwaukee Admirals in three straight as well. So what makes the Heat so red hot?

The Calgary Flames AHL affiliate finished the season with a 11-1-0-1 record in it’s final 13 regular season games, including two against Toronto to close out the season two weeks ago and won eight not including the sweep of Milwaukee which saw them win the first two on the road. Like the Marlies the Heat benefited substantially from its parent club, the Flames missing the playoffs and re-assigning some key players. Krys Kolanos who played in 13 games for Calgary recording just one assist but, was a point per game player in 47 games with Abbotsford and collected eight points in the first three playoff contests. Greg Nemisz, Clay Wilson, Akim Aliu, Joe Piskula, Guillaume Desbiens, Roman Horak and Paul Byron also all saw a hand full of games at the NHL level this season and will use it has quality experience in this post season. Goaltender Danny Taylor who was between the pipes for all three first round games has won his last eight starts and has made it impossible for head coach, Troy Ward- who is using this playoff run as an addition for the Flames coaching job- to replace him with Calgary’s goalie of the future Leland Irving who saw seven games of action with the Flames this season.

Toronto isn’t scared by any means by this team even though they lost their final two regular season games 3-0 and 5-4, because they outpaced Abbotsford 5-0 and 5-2 earlier in the season at Ricoh coliseum meaning the extra game on home ice could be very crucial. Toronto was led offensively in the first round by second year forward Jerry D’Amigo who netted 5 goals and 1 assist, including the game winner in both game one and two in the final minutes of the third period.

Head coach, Dallas Eakins said at practice Monday, “They(Abbotsford) were the best team we’ve played in the last 25 games”. Defenceman, Jesse Blacker who was cleared to play Tuesday for the first time in three weeks after a shoulder injury said the same thing as his coach “They are probably the best team we’ve face in awhile”. Blacker is hoping to draw back into the lineup but Eakins said he would decide on Tuesday. Blacker’s spot was filled by 2011 first round pick, Stuart Percy who joined the team at the end of the regular season after his OHL team; the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors were eliminated from the playoffs. After the first two games of the Marlies opening round series Eakins said “Jesse will have to fight for his spot back the way Stu is playing”. Carter Ashton is out for game one, his second straight game with a concussion suffered in game two in the Rochester series.

A well rested Ben Scrivens will start in net for Toronto as he and his teammates have had eight days off. The first two games will be played at Ricoh before heading west to Abbotsford for the next two and possibly three. If necessary the two teams will be back in Toronto for game six and seven.

The weekly rankings are determined by a panel of OHL Central Scouting Staff and represent the top teams that are competing to play in the annual year-end championship tournament March 13-18, 2012, at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, ON.

The 2012 OHL Cup includes six teams from the GTHL including league champions the Toronto Marlies and GTHL finalists the Mississauga Rebels, along with wildcard invitees the Don Mills Flyers, North York Rangers, Toronto Young Nationals, and Vaughan Kings.  The tournament also includes ALLIANCE champions the London Jr. Knights Gold and finalists Sun County Panthers, along with wildcard invitee the Huron Perth Lakers.  Representing the OMHA are league champions the Whitby Wildcats, the second place Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs, third place Southern Tier Admirals, and wildcard invitee York Simcoe Express.  Representing Ottawa are the ODMHA champions the Ottawa Jr. 67’s and finalists the Ottawa Valley Titans.  Furthermore, the Thunder Bay Kings will represent Hockey Northwestern Ontario while the Great North Midget League Selects will represent the NOHA, with three select teams competing from the United States including the Detroit Little Caesars Selects, New Jersey’s Elite Hockey, and TPH Thunder.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2012 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament – Week 20

The puck drops on the 2012 OHL Cup with four games tonight beginning with the Vaughan Kings and the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs at 6:45 pm with round-robin action continuing through Friday at the Hershey Centre.  The top two teams in each division qualify for one of the four Quarter-Final matchups on Saturday morning, with Semi-Final games played Saturday night at Hershey Centre.  The Championship Final is set for 3:00 pm at Herb Carnegie Arena in North York.

Rogers TV will be broadcasting select games of the 2012 OHL Cup.  Please check www.rogerstv.com for your local airtimes.

The 2012 OHL Cup is proudly supported by affiliate sponsor Jack Link’s.  Please visit www.jacklinks.com for more information.

Last season the Toronto Marlies won their third OHL Cup title in seven years with a thrilling 5-3 win over the Don Mills Flyers.  First round OHL picks David Perklin of the Marlies and Max Domi of the Flyers were named Players of the Game in the Championship Final which was broadcast live on Sportsnet Ontario.

A total of 147 players that competed in the 2011 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament were selected in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection including 16 players chosen in the first round.  The Marlies led all minor midget teams with 13 players that were later selected in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection including first round picks Nicholas Ritchie who was selected second overall by the Peterborough Petes, Jordan Subban who was selected fifth overall by the Belleville Bulls, and Perklin who was chosen 17^th overall by the Ottawa 67’s.  The Flyers had 12 players selected including first round picks Max Domi, Adam Bateman, and Darnell Nurse who was the third overall pick to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Three of the last four players selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft are OHL and OHL Cup graduates including Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers, John Tavares of the New York Islanders, and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  2011 NHL Rookie of the Year Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes also competed in this event.

For more information please visit www.ohlcup.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 24

This post is by the OHL/CHL’s, Paul Krotz.

The weekly rankings are determined by a panel of OHL Central Scouting Staff and represent the top teams that are competing to play in the annual year-end championship tournament March 13-18, 2012, at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, ON.

Last week it was announced that eight teams from across Ontario including six teams listed in the current rankings had officially qualified for the annual showcase tournament by virtue of advancing to the championship round within their respective leagues including the GTHL’s Toronto Marlies and Mississauga Rebels, the ALLIANCE’s London Jr. Knights Gold and Sun County Panthers, and the ODMHA’s Ottawa Valley Titans and Ottawa Jr. 67’s.

Furthermore, the Thunder Bay Kings will officially represent Hockey Northwestern Ontario in the event, while the Great North Midget League Wolves will represent the NOHA.  The remaining 12 teams to compete in the 2012 OHL Cup will consist of the finalists in the OMHA along with 10 wildcard teams as identified by the tournament selection committee.

The remaining tournament representatives will be announced next Monday March 12.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2012 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament – Week 19

*officially qualified for 2012 OHL Cup

Last season the Toronto Marlies won their third OHL Cup title in seven years with a thrilling 5-3 win over the Don Mills Flyers.  First round OHL picks David Perklin of the Marlies and Max Domi of the Flyers were named Players of the Game in the Championship Final which was broadcast live on Sportsnet Ontario.

A total of 147 players that competed in the 2011 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament were selected in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection including 16 players chosen in the first round.  The Marlies led all minor midget teams with 13 players that were later selected in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection including first round picks Nicholas Ritchie who was selected second overall by the Peterborough Petes, Jordan Subban who was selected fifth overall by the Belleville Bulls, and Perklin who was chosen 17^th overall by the Ottawa 67’s.  The Flyers had 12 players selected including first round picks Max Domi, Adam Bateman, and Darnell Nurse who was the third overall pick to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Three of the last four players selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft are OHL and OHL Cup graduates including Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers, John Tavares of the New York Islanders, and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  2011 NHL Rookie of the Year Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes also competed in this event.

This post is by the OHL’s Paul Krotz.

In just their fourth season in the OUA the University of Ontario Institute of Technology men’s hockey program has grown leaps and bounds and took a major step forward on Saturday at Yost Ice arena.

The UOIT Ridgebacks-like many teams- tour the United States before their OUA and CIS season starts playing exhibition games against elite NCAA hockey programs. On October 1^st, 2011 the Ridgebacks were in Ann Arbor Michigan to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines. Michigan has been a College hockey powerhouse for over 20 years. UOIT has only been around for three seasons before this campaign so, I think it’s safe to say that’s a David and Goliath comparison.

To sum up the difference between the two clubs, Michigan has 24 NCAA frozen four appearances, nine national titles, nine CCHA conference championships, 11 NHL draft picks on their current roster and a Hall of Fame head coach in Red Berenson who’s entering his 29^th season as the Wolverines bench boss. UOIT on the other hand made their first post season appearance in the OUA last season in just their third season. Their roster consists mostly of ex CHL graduates and former Junior A players. Their coach Marlin Muylaert has made a living in the OUA. A former Guelph Gryphons coach took over the Ridgeback program with hopes of creating a winning tradition for years to come.

Listen to coach Muylaert’s interview with Norm Rumack:

Download

Two teams at complete different ends of the spectrum facing off in a game Michigan was expected to dominant and UOIT was suppose to use as a learning tool, except that’s not happened.

The Wolverines jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Greg Pateryn put home a power-play goal a little more than six minutes into the game. The goal was assisted by Chris Brown and Mac Bennett.

In the second period trailing by just one with pressure on the reining CCHA champs the Ridgebacks found their swagger scoring twice. The first shorthanded netted by Stouffville, Ontario native Brenden Wise and than just six minutes later it was freshman James Woodcroft that put the Ridgebacks ahead 2-1 and silenced the rowdy Michigan fans decked out in maize and blue.

In the third period UOIT continued to roll adding an insurance marker just over five minutes in as Jesse Stoughton found the back of the Wolverines cage. Michigan freshman Phil Di Giuseppe made things interesting as he cut the Ridgebacks lead to 3-2 with 10 minutes remaining. That’s as close it would get for the maize and blue though as UOIT netminder Jason Guy turned away 18 shots in the final frame and 54 in total.

It may have just been an exhibition game but, for the lesser known UOIT skaters it was a monumental victory that will always be remembered in their school’s short history as the day David conquered the giant know as Michigan.

18-year-old Ben Fanelli is returning to the ice for the Kitchener Rangers for the first time in two years after taking a viscious hit to the head from Erie Otters forward Michael Liambas. Fanelli was left with a cracked skull and a severe concussion that had him in intensive care as well. Liambas was suspended for the remainder of the season, which ended his OHL career.

Here’s the hit:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/TZy51zzFPmw" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]

Fanelli, though took the high road after the hit and kept quiet about his thoughts on the check and instead became a huge advocate for brain injury awareness and lead the charge to inform people about his Head Strong campaign, which was also supported by his two possible former teammates Ryan Murphy(Carolina) and Gabriel Landeskog(Colorado) who were selected in the first round of last June’s entry draft.

The Oakville, Ontario native’s decision to return to the game he’s played for most of his young life surprises me because being a supporter of brain injury awareness would have him very invested in the recent NHL headlines over the last two weeks. Obviously the tragedy that took place with Belak would have anyone thinking about their future in the game, but just a day before Belak took his own life Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that center Marc Savard wouldn’t be back for the 2011-2012 campaign and maybe even forever due to post concussion symptoms. Add in the rumors about Sidney Crosby and his setbacks with concussion problems and you have to start to wonder if Fanelli is making the right decision?

I understand that it’s a dream to one day play in the NHL for Fanelli and I respect and admire him for his perseverance, but as our newest  member of Sportsnet Radio THE FAN 590 Mike Farewell found out in a interview with Ben’s mom Sue Fanelli. Mom isn’t absolutely on board with his return.

This hits home for me and by no means is my story even close to the level of pain the Fanelli family went through. When I was 15-years-old I dislocated my shoulder playing AAA hockey for the North Central Ontario Predators. I tried to rehab it without surgery and returned for the final game of our season and dislocated it again. This meant I had to go under the knife to repair it. Because I didn’t let it heal properly it was going to be tough for the surgeon to repair it enough so I could play contact hockey again. Luckily for me, my surgeon was great and fixed me up enough that with lot’s of rehab I would be able to return. After a year of rehab I was back, this time playing with the Markham Islanders.

What changed the most about my hockey career after the injury was off the ice for me. After 11 years of long road trips, bad arena coffee and early morning practices my mom wasn’t so eager to watch me like she once did. I know my injury is very minor compared to what Fanelli went through, but what isn’t different is the idea of the person that brought you into the world being scared of seeing you in pain again.

Sue Fanelli is always going to support her son in whatever he wants to pursue, that’s what makes her a great mother, but does that make it fair she has to watch in fear?

Follow Matt Brown on twitter- twitter.com/mbrown590

The camp wasn’t just for GM’s, coach’s and scout’s to experiment with rules it was also the chance for them to get a first hand look at the players that will be front and center come next year’s draft in June. Sure it’s a little early to start talking about the draft, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

With everyone at the Mastercard Centre scouting and preparing for a draft that’s still 10 months away it caught my attention that the so called off-season is no more for NHL prospects.  10 of the 36 NHL hopefuls were skating in front of the NHL’s brass and top scouts just days after returning from Slovakia where they competed in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial under 18 world championships. Add in that many of them went through an evaluation camp in Calgary before the tournament and it shows that these 17-year-old teenagers haven’t had a chance to breath since the end of their season.

A great example of this grind is Owen Sound Attack forward Jarrod Maidens, who it seems hasn’t taken off his skate’s since last off-season. The Grimsby, Ontario native made the Attack after being selected by the club in the first round of the 2010 OHL priority draft and went on to have a crucial role in Owen Sound winning it’s first ever OHL title. Maidens, who put together a solid rookie season scored the biggest goal of his young hockey career for the small town Attack in overtime of game seven of the OHL championship. There was no time off to celebrate and rest after that as Owen Sound than went on to represents the OHL in the Memorial Cup in Mississauga. With injuries to some of the Attack’s veteran players and top scorers Maidens was forced into a bigger role and log more minutes up front. Add in the Under 18 evaluation camp, than the trip to Slovakia winning the Gold and now he has the pressure of performing in front of scouts and GM’s. What off-season did Jarrod Maidens have?

Sure he’s a rare example but with CHL training camps just a week away, one has to wonder when a kid like Maidens starts to burn out and maybe slip in the draft rankings?

I talked to former NHLer’s Mathieu Schneider and Brendan Shanahan about the 24/7 life of hockey for these kids and got a great response from two players that carved out pretty good career’s themselves. Both talked about how when they were at that age they were out playing lacrosse, baseball, soccer, etc during their summers and taking their minds’ off of the idea of prepping for their draft year. They also mentioned that come training camp you have an eagerness to get back on the ice and back to the grind of the regular season.

I understand that the game has changed since then and that if these kids aren’t training 12 months a year than they’re only hurting themselves. All I ask is that we start to let them have a summer again enjoy the fresh air around them because before they know it, it will be gone, along with their glory years of being a teenage boy.

Follow Matt on twitter: twitter.com/mbrown590.

The NHL wrapped up their second straight Research and Development camp held at the Maple Leafs first class practice facility in Etobicoke, Ontario this week. Last year might have been a little to much on the experiment side when it comes to improving the game, but this time around Brendan Shanahan and 30 General Managers, along with many other of the great hockey minds in game got it right when it comes to exploring ideas to create a safer and more entertaining NHL.

To sum it up after the second and final day of the camp it was pretty much a lock that come October there would be at least one new rule or modification that was discovered at the camp instituted for the start of the season. To tell you the truth I bet you a large double double that there’s three new adjustments to the 2011-2012 opening night.

Here they are:

Shallow nets- For the second straight year some of the NHL’s top eligible prospects scrimmaged for two on ice sessions with shallow nets. A regular size NHL net is ’44 inches deep. These new nets are only ’40 inches shallow and allow defenceman more room to maneuver behind the net. Both Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett and Pittsburgh bench boss Dan Byslma were very pleased with the extra space behind the cage and got the same response from Shanahan and many other GM’s.

Curved glass- A new style of glass will most likely be installed in all 30 NHL rinks for this season. The glass is curved so the stanchions at the end the of player benches is much more forgiving than the old one’s that helped Montreal forward Max Pacioretty suffer a severe concussion and broken vertebra. The glass will also give a better sightline for fans sitting behind the benches.

Aided video review- High-definition video cameras mounted inside the nets, which feature thinner mesh and plastic on top of the net to make it easier and quicker for the video review. A “verification line” will be painted a little over three inches back of the goal line to help the off-ice officials determine if the puck fully crossed the line better.

These are the rules and modifications that will be instituted this season. That doesn’t mean they were the only ideas that were well received. Some GM’s and coach’s liked the thought of switching ends for overtime, meaning teams would have the long change. There was also the proposal of 3 on 3 instead of 4 on 4 in the extra frame, which had mixed reviews but will definitely be explored again at the GM meetings.

There were also new rules on the special teams that could increase scoring. The first one tried out was not allowing the shorthanded team to ice the puck, meaning that if they cleared the puck down the sheet they would be called for icing and unable to change. The second experiment was a two minute major penalty, meaning a player given a two minute penalty would have to spend the full time of the infraction in the sin bin, no matter how many goals are scored. Some liked this idea and some thought it was too much, but enough agreed that it would be discussed further.

A new face-off violation was also brought to the table, with a “penalty line” painted a foot back of the dot for the eager centermen that wants to cheat on the draw. Many of the prospects testing out the rules said they could notice a drastic difference in their leverage when penalized on the draw. If the skater violates the rule twice he’s assessed a two minute penalty.

The other rule that caught some eyes and maybe for the wrong reason was Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke’s “Bear Hug” proposal. Burke’s idea was that players would grab the opposing player and tie him up along the boards instead of drilling him dangerously into the boards. It’s an idea that has the player’s safety in mind, but maybe just a little to old school.

Listen to Mathieu Schneiders take on the camp and the “Bear Hug”- Download

Many of the proposals and ideas brought to the two day event in Toronto were well received and brought the same thought to coach’s and GM’s minds that the game isn’t in any trouble but always gives them the chance to improve it for the player’s sake and the fans.

Most of the big names like Brad Richards, Tomas Vokoun, Simon Gagne and etc are off the market, even many premier second and third line players have been scooped up, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still players out there that could make a big contribution in 2011-2012.

Teemu Selanne- Selanne is the highest producing skater left unsigned with an 80 point season last year. It’s almost a guarantee Selanne wouldn’t be available if he wasn’t still on the fence about retirement and has let it be known Anaheim will be his first choice if he does return for an 18^th season.

Alex Kovalev- The 38-year-old is no where near where he was in his early Pittsburgh days and Montreal years. That doesn’t mean an NHL club struggling for offence won’t take a chance on the three times All-Star. Kovalev’s stock definitely dropped after scoring just 2 goals and 5 assists in 20 games with Pittsburgh after being acquired at the trade deadline, he collected just 2 points in the Pens seven game series against Tampa Bay as well. By no means will Kovalev bring instead offence to a club but if the asking price is right you never know what you will get from the super skilled winger.

Chris Drury- The two-time Stanley Cup champion was bought out by the New York Rangers this off-season and still has no home come October. The 35-year-old had his worst season last year recording just five points in 24 games and was sidelined most of year with finger and knee injuries. Drury is still in my eyes a player that can bring a lot of good characteristics to a contender, his ability to win face-offs in key situations is a crucial part to winning both regular and post-season games, he can kill penalties and even fill in on the power play if needed and brings a winning mentality that rubs off on everyone else in the dressing room.

Bryan McCabe- Like Kovalev McCabe did little to help the New York Rangers after the trade deadline last season. He still has a booming shot from the point and would be a solid pick up for a cheap contract to play on your third pairing. His defence isn’t any thing special but will be good enough if he finds is offensive game again.

Cory Stillman- Stillman was great for the Hurricanes after being acquired at the deadline last year, notching 16 points in 21 games. His Stanley Cup experience is huge in a young NHL. The obvious question is his age? At 37-years-old you wonder how much the Peterborough, Ontario native has left in the tank?

Scott Hannan- The steady stay at home blueliner just never really seemed to fit in Washington, where they desperately hoped he would. At 32 Hannan won’t be getting any contract over two-years, but is a player you could grab at a good price and fill your five or six spot on the backend with a player that competes hard every night.

Brent Sopel- The NHL journeyman has wore six different sweaters and will likely be putting on number seven come next season. The 34-year-old played for a depleted Montreal team last season after being traded for at the deadline. The Stanley Cup champion is still an elite shot-blocker and seems to fit well with young teams, as he showed with Chicago the year they went all the way.

Mike Grier- Grier has been to the post-season the last six seasons with the Sabres and Sharks and always seems to elevate his game that time of year. It’s his speed; physical play and penalty killing that make him so valuable come April. So why is he still a free agent? At 36-years-old many teams might be wondering if he can go through another 82 game season and still perform come the playoffs.

John Maddon- Much like Grier Maddon is a player that can add so much defensively and on special teams. After a great year with the Hawks and helping them capture Lord’s Stanley, Maddon took a step back with Minnesota. He might have been showing his age at 38, but still says he has lot’s left to contribute to an NHL club. He’s the type of player that has no problem taking a fourth line role and will only help the younger players on the team.

Marty Turco- Signed last season by Chicago as the guy to replace Antti Neimi, Turco found himself as the back up half way through the year after Cory Crawford stole the reins. Turco knows he’ll be hard pressed to be in a No. 1 role come October. The former All-Star won’t be expected to carry a team to the Cup, but could take the work load of a premier starting goalie that will keep him fresh for a long playoff run.

Player profiles credited to NHL.com

A plenty of other deals have also went down in the hours leading up to the kick off of free agency.

The Vancouver Canucks locked up both Sami Salo and Chris Higgins before they hit the open market, The Detroit Red Wings re-signed Patrick Eaves, Jonathan Ericsson and Drew Miller, The Minnesota Wild reupped with Josh Harding for one more season, Cody McCormick avoided free agency re-signing with Buffalo and Tyler Kennedy and the Pittsburgh Penguins finally struck a deal before noon to keep him in a Pens sweater.

Since noon, just a few minor deals to report.

Sean O’Donnell, one-year $850k with Chicago.

Mathieu Garon, two-years $2.6 million with Tampa Bay.

Ben Eager, three-years $3.3 million with Edmonton.

Jose Theodore, two-years $2 million with Florida.

Adam Pardy, two-years $4 million with Dallas.

Jamal Mayers, one-year $55oK with Tampa Bay.

Jeff Halpern, one-year $825K with Washington.

Scottie Upshall, four-years $14 million with Florida.

Mike Smith, two-years $2 million with Phoenix.

Jaromir Jagr, one-year $3 million with Philadelphia.

Raffi Torres, two-years $3.5 million with Phoenix.

Mark Mancari, one-year $525K with Vancouver.

Boyd Gordon, two-years $2.65 with Phoenix.

Ed Jovanovski, four-years $16.5 with Florida.

Jakub Voracek, one-year $2.25 with Philadelphia.

Tim Brent, two-years $1.5 with Carolina.

Radek Dvorak, one-year $1.5 with Dallas.

Andrew Brunette, one-year $2 million with Chicago.

Matt D’Agostini, two-years $2.3 million with St. Louis.

Vernon Fiddler, three-years $5.4 million with Dallas.

Marcel Goc, three-year $5.1 million with Florida.

Jan Hejda, four-years $13 million with Colorado.

Andreas Lilja, one-year N/A with Philadelphia.

Derek Meech, one-year $700k with Winnipeg.

Max Talbot, five-years $9 million with Philadelphia.

Brian Boucher, two-years $1.9 million with Carolina.

Peter Budaj, two-years $2.3 million with Montreal.

Steve Sullivan, one-year $1.5 million with Pittsburgh.

Mike Commodore, one-year $1 million with Detroit.

Mike Rupp, three-years $4.5 million with N.Y Rangers.

Jiri Tlusty, one-year $525K with Carolina.

Joel Ward, four-years $12 million with Washington.

Marty Reasoner, two-years $2.7 million with N.Y Islanders.

Michael Ryder, two-year $7 million with Dallas.

Alex Auld, one-year $1 million with Ottawa.

Cam Barker, one-year $2.25 million with Edmonton.

Darcy Hordichuk, one-year $800K with Edmonton.

Ville Leino, six-year $27 million with Buffalo.

Beniot Pouliot, one-year $1.1 million with Boston.

Johan Hedberg, one-year N/A with New Jersey.

Marco Sturm, one-year $2.25 million with Vancouver.

Alexi Ponikarovsky, one-year $1.5 million with Carolina.

Sheldon Souray, one-year $1.65 million with Dallas.

Jim Vandermeer, one-year $1 million with San Jose.

Tomas Fleischman, four-year $18 million with Florida.

Curtis Sanford, one-year $6ooK with Columbus.

Eric Belanger, three-year $5.25 million with Edmonton.

Chuck Kobasew, two-year $2.5 million with Colorado.

Francis Lessard, one-year N/A with Ottawa.

Jean-Sabastien Giguere, two-year N/A with Colorado.

Brian Elliott, two-year $1.2 million with St.Louis

Ryan Potulny, N/A, N/A with Washington.

Brad Richards, nine-year $60 million with N.Y Rangers.

Matt Gilroy, one-year $1 million with Tampa bay.

Chris Bourque, one-year $1 million with Washington.

Nolan Baumgartner, N/A, N/A with Vancouver.

Tim Connolly, two-year $9.5 million with Toronto.

Anthony Stewart, two-year $1.8 million with Carolina.

Simon Gagne, two-year $7 million with Los Angles.

Alex Bolduc, one-year $575K with Phoenix.

Ian White, two-year $5.75 million with Detroit.

Randy Jones, two-year $1.15 million with Winnipeg.

Tomas Vokoun, one-year $1.5 million with Washington.

Kent Huskins, one-year $1 million with St. Louis.

Rick Rypien, one-year $700k with Winnipeg.

Cory Potter, one-year N/A with Edmonton.

Tanner Glass, one-year $750K with Winnipeg.

Dan Carcillo, one-year $775K with Chicago.

Sean Bergenheim, four-year $11 million with Florida.

Ruslan Fedotenko, one-year $1.4 million with N.Y Ranger.

Michal Handzus, two-year $5 million with San Jose.

Niclas Bergfors, one-year $750k with Nashville.