NHL Teams Continue Making Roster Moves–Olympics Raise Some Concerns.
Even though we’re in the off season, NHL teams have been very active in making roster changes hoping to find the right combination to lead them to the promised land, the Stanley Cup Finals. The Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of goaltender Curtis Sanford to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2009-10 season. Over the past two seasons, Sanford posted an 11-11-1 record with a 2.69 goals-against average, and a .903 save percentage in 35 regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks. Sanford also played 16 regular-season games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in 2008-09. Montreal also has re-signed restricted free agent forward Tomas Plekanec to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million. By agreeing to a deal, the team and player avoided a salary arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for July 30. Plekanec, 26, played in 80 games for Montreal last season, and scored 20 goals and 19 assists.
The NHL Players’ Association is recommending that players skip the on-ice portion of Olympic orientation camps because of insurance concerns. The NHLPA doesn’t believe the federations are providing enough insurance to cover players’ current contracts and potential future earning power in the event of an injury. NHL teams are not responsible for insuring their players at Olympic events.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed goaltender Brent Johnson to a one-year contract on Tuesday to backup Pens starter Marc Andre-Fluery. The 32-year-old netminder appeared in 21 games with Washington last season, going 12-6-2 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Johnson is 111-94-12 with a 2.63 GAA and .903 save percentage in 247 career NHL games with the Washington Capitals, the Phoenix Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues. He has also appeared in 12 playoff games, posting a 5-6 mark. During the 2001-02 playoffs with the Blues, Johnson established a franchise record with 206:45 straight shutout minutes and tied an NHL record by recording three consecutive shutouts in a postseason series.
The Edmonton Oilers have signed restricted free agent defenceman Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year contract worth $3.15 million. Last season Gebeshkov scored seven goals and 32 assists for 39 points in 72 games, more importantly he and the Oilers avoided salary arbitration.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced the re-signing of free agent forward Andre Deveaux to a one-year contract. He is a native of Freeport, Bahamas and became the first Bahamian to play in the NHL when he made his debut on November 27 at Ottawa. The 6-4, 232-pound forward collected one assist and 75 penalty minutes in 21 games.
Jul 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 am
What type of insurance policy have the Montreal Canadiens taken out with the signing of goalie Curtis Sanford. They already have two goalies under contract in Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak. Is Sanford destined for the minors. As far as the Olympic Orientation camp and as well as the Olympics in February 2010 I can guarantee right now, that a few high end players will end up injured and be lost to their team for an extended period. Is it worth it for players to compete, as well as teams that they are playing for during the regular season. They can only gain prestige and not any financial rewards.