| Blake happy to be a Shark | Thursday 7/3, 11:31 PM CT |
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The San Jose Sharks sign unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year, $5 million contract on Thursday, this according to TSN of Canada.
Our View: Blake played in 71 games for the Kings and scored 31 points, 22 were helpers. He should team with Dan Boyle to form a lethal power-play duo on the points. |
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| Stastny re-signs with Blues | Thursday 7/3, 7:57 PM CT |
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The St. Louis Blues re-sign forward Yan Stastny to a two-year contract on Thursday, this according to TSN of Canaday.
Our View: Stastny played in only 12 games for the Blues last year but was productive during his ice time scoring a goal and a helper on the season. |
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| Jones re-signs with Coyotes | Thursday 7/3, 7:55 PM CT |
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The Phoenix Coyotes signed restricted free agent defenseman Matt Jones to a two-year contract on Thursday, this according to TSN of Canada.
Our View: Jones played in 45 games for Phoenix last season scoring two points on the season with a -13 (+/-). |
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| Pittsburgh inks Satan | Thursday 7/3, 3:59 PM CT |
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Miroslav Satan has signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million to play in Pittsburgh next season, according to ESPN.com.
Our View: Satan put up 41 points, and should see his fantasy value increase if he should see ice time with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. |
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| Fedotenko signs with Pittsburgh | Thursday 7/3, 3:57 PM CT |
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Ruslan Fedotenko has signed a one-year deal with the Penguins worth $2.25 million, according to ESPN.com.
Our View: Fedotenko did not have much fantasy value last season, as he put up just 33 points. However, playing with Pittsburgh's young talent may help improve his game, so he could warrant a look in fantasy leagues. |
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| Laraque signs with Canadiens | Thursday 7/3, 3:15 PM CT |
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Georges Laraque has signed a three-year, $4.5 million deal to play for the Montreal Canadiens, according to TSN.com.
Our View: Laraque's value lies with his fists more than his hockey stick. He doesn't do enough to have much value in fantasy hockey leagues. |
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| Avalanche ink Tjarnqvist | Thursday 7/3, 3:12 PM CT |
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The Colorado Avalanche have signed Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year deal.
Our View: The 31-year-old Tjarnqvist played last season in Russia, though in 37 games with Edmonton in 2006-2007, he put up 15 points, so there is an outside chance he could have some fantasy value this season. |
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| Hale inked by Coyotes | Thursday 7/3, 1:48 PM CT |
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David Hale has been signed to a two-year contract by the Phoenix Coyotes, according to the Arizona Republic.
Our View: Hale has yet to score a goal in his NHL career, and he is the prototypical stay-at-home defenseman, with just 11 career assists in 215 career games. He should not be considered for fantasy hockey. |
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| Lightning ink Smith | Thursday 7/3, 1:26 PM CT |
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Wyatt Smith to a one-year deal, according to the Miami Herald.
Our View: The 31-year-old had just three assists in 25 games with the Colorado Avalanche a year ago and should not be an option in fantasy hockey leagues. |
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| Fleury signs for $35 million | Thursday 7/3, 1:08 PM CT |
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Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven-year, $35 million deal that includes a limited no-trade clause that begins in the 2010 season, according to TSN.com.
Our View: This move was expected to come soon, and it has. Fleury is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL and for fantasy hockey. |
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| Wisniewski tears ACL | Thursday 7/3, 1:06 PM CT |
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James Wisniewski has a torn ACL and will require surgery, according to the Miami Herald. He is expected to return at some point during the season.
Our View: Wisniewski was a decent option for fantasy hockey, accumulating 26 points and 103 penalty minutes with a +/- of +12. His exact return date is unknown. |
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| Wilson signs with Stars | Thursday 7/3, 1:01 PM CT |
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Landon Wilson has signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars, according to TSN.com.
Our View: Wilson has spent the last four seasons in Europe, and the last two playing in the Swiss Elite League. The 33-year-old will provide depth at forward. |
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| Montreal signs Henry | Thursday 7/3, 12:58 PM CT |
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Alex Henry has been signed to a one-year deal by the Montreal Canadiens, according to TSN.com.
Our View: Henry spend last season in the minor leagues and is not a consideration for fantasy hockey. |
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| Bouchard may opt for arbitration | Thursday 7/3, 11:17 AM CT |
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Pierre-Marc Bouchard has not received an offer from the Minnesota Wild other than their qualifying offer, and he may opt to take the team to arbitration, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Our View: Bouchard put up 50 assists this season while scoring 13 goals. The 24-year-old former eighth overall pick has scored at least 57 points in each of his last three seasons and is a good player to have in fantasy hockey lineups. |
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| Boyle not long for Tampa | Thursday 7/3, 11:03 AM CT |
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Dan Boyle is being shopped to teams around the league, according to Slam Sports. Boyle signed a six-year, $39 million deal with the team in February that includes a no-trade clause, and if he does not lift it, the team may decide to waive him.
Our View: Boyle will be a better fantasy option this year if he can get out of Tampa. He scores enough to help fantasy owners, but his +/- of -29 hurt. Going to a better team will certainly help raise that number. |
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| Capitals sign Aucoin | Thursday 7/3, 10:41 AM CT |
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Keith Aucoin signed a two-year deal to play for the Washington Capitals, according to Slam Sports.
Our View: Aucoin isn't much of a fantasy option, and he spent time in the minor leagues last season. In 38 games in Carolina, he scored five goals and had eight assists. |
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| Jagr probably won't re-sign with Rangers | Thursday 7/3, 10:07 AM CT |
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Jaromir Jagr is unlikely to re-sign with the New York Rangers, according to the New York Daily News. The team has offered him a one-year deal worth $6 million, but he has better offers to play elsewhere. "It doesn't look to me like I was their first choice. And I don't know if I was No.2 or No.3," Jagr said.
Our View: Jagr is still a very good fantasy player, and that will only change if he takes a deal to play overseas. It is rumored that Omsk-Avangard, a team in the Continental League in Russia, has offered him a lucrative deal. |
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| Meszaros could get multiple offers | Thursday 7/3, 9:53 AM CT |
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Andrej Meszaros, a restricted free agent, is on the radar of teams such as the Blue Jackets, Thrashers and Canucks, according to Slam Sports.
Our View: Meszaros, a 22-year-old defenseman, had a good season for the Senators, and the former first-round draft pick will only get better, regardless of the team he lands with. Fantasy owners should have him on their radar as well, as Meszaros puts up quality offensive numbers, especially on the power play, where he scored six goals and had 10 assists in 2007-2008. |
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| Vermette a hot commodity | Thursday 7/3, 9:47 AM CT |
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Antoine Vermette is a wanted man, as the restricted free agent is drawing interest from the Canucks, Blue Jackets and Thrashers, according to Slam Sports.
Our View: The soon to be 26-year-old is coming off a very good season, registering 24 goals and 29 assists. He is certainly a nice option for fantasy squads, and should only improve his numbers. |
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| Discussions on Stamkos contract to begin | Thursday 7/3, 9:17 AM CT |
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Tampa Bay will begin contract discussions next week with the agent for number one overall pick Steven Stamkos, according to the Tampa Tribune.
Our View: The Lightning shouldn't have a problem getting a deal done with Stamkos, and all indications are he will make an immediate impact on offense for Tampa. |
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| Niskala signs contract | Thursday 7/3, 9:14 AM CT |
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Janne Niskala has signed a one-year deal worth $600,000 after being acquired in a trade with Philadelphia, according to the Tampa Tribune.
Our View: The 26-year-old defenseman has offensive skills, tallying 19 goals and 25 assists in the American Hockey League last season. He would be a help to fantasy teams if he can deliver numbers approaching those next year. |
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| Fleury close to long-term deal | Thursday 7/3, 8:20 AM CT |
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Marc-Andre Fleury is close to signing a long-term contract with the Penguins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The deal will be for five or six years, and just a few minor details remain before it is official.
Our View: Great news for Pittsburgh fans, as Fleury is one of the top netminders in the game. He should be one of the first goalies taken in fantasy hockey drafts. |
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| Sanford re-signs with Canucks | Thursday 7/3, 8:08 AM CT |
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Curtis Sanford has re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks, according to The Sports Network.
Our View: Sanford is strictly a back-up for Roberto Luongo, so his fantasy impact is limited barring an injury to one of the best goalies in the game. |
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| Laraque rejects Predators bid | Thursday 7/3, 8:05 AM CT |
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Georges Laraque will not be joining the Nashville Predators after the team made him a free agent offer, according to The Tennessean.
Our View: Laraque has more value as an enforcer than as a scorer, so his fantasy value is minimal. He isn't only a goon, though, as he did score four goals to go with nine assists last season. |
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