After the NHL spiked Ilya Kovalchuk’s massive 17 year, $101 million dollar contract, the league began looking into similar deals inked by other big-name players. Marc Savard’s contract was among the handful being re-evaluated by the league, and the NHL is even considering voiding the contract entirely. This news did not sit well with Savard’s agent, Larry Kelly, who dropped the hammer on Gary Bettman:

“I’d really like to see a true-commissioner -style , someone who has the best interest of the game in mind rather than the situation they have now… Bettman is (more like) the president of the league and he clearly is on the owners side on every issue. I really think it should be a commissioner. With a commissioner you have somebody who is totally independent and I think it would be a much less acrimonious situation.”

{Puck Daddy}

Does Kelly have a point here? Is the NHL over-stepping its bounds by threatening to void signed contracts? From a legal standpoint, the members of the NHLPA are employed by the league, and the NHL is well within their rights to terminate or revoke contracts as it sees fit. This situation really begs the question – where was Bettman when these deals were signed off on by the league? Why choose to re-evaluate these contracts right before the NHL starts working on a new collective bargaining agreement? Kovalchuk’s contract clearly struck a nerve within the NHL administration, and they had to draw the line with these ‘front-loaded’ deals at some point, but it seems a bit crass to threaten players like Savard and Hossa with the possibility of revoked contracts.

Yeah, the NHL has the right to do what they want with the contracts they issue, but the timing couldn’t be worse – if the league decides to start spiking more deals, they’ll agitate an already grumpy NHLPA, and further complicate the delicate process of establishing a new CBA.

The Sharks are close to landing former Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi, as reports are surfacing that the Finnish keeper has already signed a one year deal somewhere in the $2 million range.

“Stanley Cup-winning goalie Antti Niemi is reportedly set to sign a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks as early as Thursday according to ESPN Chicago and multiple other internet reports. The contract will pay Niemi $2 million for the 2010-11 season.

Niemi was awarded a one-year contract worth $2.75 million through arbitration last month, but the Chicago Blackhawks chose to walk away and let him become an unrestricted free agent. San Jose has been rumored as a likely destination for Niemi ever since the Hawks chose not to accept the arbitrator’s contract award on Aug. 2.

The Sharks were planning to enter the season with Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss as their goalie tandem, but Niemi’s presence will push Greiss to third on the depth chart and create competition with Niittymaki for the No. 1 job.

Niemi went 26-7-4 in the regular season and posted 16 wins, including two shutouts, plus a 2.63 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in the playoffs.” {NHL.com}

It’s something of a confusing move by Doug Wilson, as he’s just signed Antero Niittymaki, and essentially declared the starting job open to either Niittymaki and youngster Tomas Greiss. Some Sharks fans are a bit irked by this potential deal, as most feel like the team really needed a solid defenseman rather than another goaltender, but Wilson could have a trade on the way involving Greiss. We’ll likely know more tomorrow, as Nick Kypreos from Sportsnet claimed that Niemi would sign ‘as early as tomorrow’. More details as they emerge.

26 year NHL veteran Chris Chelios is finally throwing in the towel, officially announcing his retirement from the game yesterday.

” Chris Chelios, the longest-tenured defenceman in NHL history, is finally hanging up his skates.

After 26 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cups, Chelios announced his retirement Tuesday at the age of 48.

“I guess I’ve been dreading this day for a long time,” he said at a news conference in Detroit.

Chelios, who won three Norris Trophies during a career that included stops in Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, will become an adviser with the Red Wings. His new job will include working with Detroit’s front office and coaching staffs while helping to develop and mentor young players.

In NHL history, only Hall of Famer Gordie Howe was older than Chelios when he played, skating at 52 for the Hartford Whalers during the 1979-80 season almost a decade after leaving the Red Wings.

Chelios also is the only player in NHL history to appear in at least 400 games with three different teams.

Known for his strict workout regimen and surprising endurance given his age, he played the fourth-most regular season games in NHL history (1,651) and the most post-season games in NHL history (266).

Chelios said he has “nothing left in the tank.”

Chelios represented the U.S. on four Olympic hockey teams, including three as team captain — in 1984, in 1998, the silver-medal team in 2002 and in 2006. He spent seven seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in June 1990. He played nine seasons there before being traded to conference rival Detroit.

He was limited to 28 games with Detroit during the 2008-09 regular season because of a broken leg suffered during an exhibition game and the Wings chose not to bring him back following season. Not ready to retire just yet, Chelios signed a few months later with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, and in March was recalled by the Atlanta Thrashers, where he appeared in seven games.

“I loved every minute of it,” he said of his long career.

Chelios, who ranks second all-time among defencemen with 2,891 penalty minutes, had this to say Tuesday to the fans of opposing teams: “I hope you’ll forgive me for the things I did to some of the players on your teams.” {TSN}

Chelios walks away from the game with 1092 total points, racked up over the course of 1644 NHL games, which places him fourth overall in NHL history for total games played. A three-time Norris Trophy winner, Chelios also ranks eighth all time among defenseman with 763 assists, and is the only player in NHL history to play 400 games each for three different teams. His longevity was remarkable, and his ability to stay in the league well into his late 40’s was truly remarkable.

The Coyotes have finally agreed to terms with forward Lee Stempniak, signing the 28 goal scorer to a two year deal.

“The Phoenix Coyotes have re-signed unrestricted free agent Lee Stempniak to a two-year contract, the Arizona Republic reported on its website late Sunday.

A league source told the newspaper the deal is expected to be officially announced Monday.

The 27-year-old Stempniak joined the Coyotes at the trade deadline last season in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 18 regular-season games with Phoenix, the right-winger had 14 goals and four assists. He added two assists in seven playoff games.

Before getting dealt to the Coyotes, Stempniak had 14 goals and 16 assists in 62 games with the Maple Leafs.

A fifth-round draft pick of St. Louis in 2003, Stempniak has recorded 96 goals and 113 assists in 374 career games with the Blues, Maple Leafs and Coyotes.” {THN}

Stempniak was an unbelievable help to a surging Coyotes team – he scored 14 goals over 18 games, flourishing after the trade that took him out of Toronto. It’s a great signing for the ‘Yotes, but Stempniak represents a bit a risk. Which player will show up night in and night out? Will Phoenix see the return of the slightly-better-than-mediocre forward that Toronto and St.Louis loathed, or the dynamic forward that was almost at a goal-a-game pace towards the end of last season?

Nikolai Khabibulin will see at least 30 days of jail time for the DUI he picked up in Arizona last year, as reported by Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic:

“Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has been found guilty today of driving under the influence, according to Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic, who provided live updates from the Scottsdale courthouse where Friday’s trial occurred.

The official charges Khabibulin has been convicted of today:

- driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content above 0.08.

- extreme DUI

- excessive speed

A charge of “DUI with impairment to the slightest degree” was thrown out during the proceedings, according to McLellan.

As reported earlier this year, the “extreme DUI” charge, which means he operated a vehicle with a BAC between 0.15 and 0.20, comes with a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail.

The Copper & Blue had those details in February, via the Arizona Revised Statutes:

D. A person who is convicted of a violation of this section:

1. Shall be sentenced to serve not less than thirty consecutive days in jail

2. Shall pay a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars,

3. Shall pay an additional assessment of two hundred fifty dollars.

4. May be ordered by a court to perform community restitution.

5. Shall be required by the department, on receipt of the report of conviction, to equip any motor vehicle the person operates with a certified ignition interlock device pursuant to section 28-3319. In addition, the court may order the person to equip any motor vehicle the person operates with a certified ignition interlock device for more than twelve months beginning on the date of reinstatement of the person’s driving privilege following a suspension or revocation or on the date of the department’s receipt of the report of conviction, whichever occurs later.

6. Shall pay an additional assessment of one thousand dollars

7. Shall pay an additional assessment of one thousand dollars

At least 30 days in jail, hefty fines, possible community service, an interlock device on his car. A sentencing date has not been set just yet, but Khabibulin is going to jail.” {SBN}

I’m willing to bet the Oilers front office saw this ruling coming, and that’s why they picked up Martin Gerber. In retrospect, it definitely looks like an insurance move, in case this scenario played out with Khabibulin.

With NHL training camps just around the corner, hockey pundits everywhere are firing up their own 2011 predictions, and The Hockey News just published their pre-season power-rankings, and they’re predicting that a handful of playoff teams last season will miss the dance next year.

In the East, they’ve pegged the Panthers, Islanders, Rangers, Leafs, Thrashers, Senators, and the Hurricanes as non-playoff teams, while in the West, the Oilers, Blue Jackets, Wild, Stars, Ducks, Predators and the Avalanche carry the similar distinction.

THN has the Colorado Avalanche just missing the playoffs at ninth place, and with their second-half performance last season, it’s a surprise to see them miss the cut.

“The young Avs didn’t make any franchise-altering moves, but lost shot-block specialist Brett Clark to free agency. Colorado is relying on the same players it did last year when the team surprised everyone with a playoff appearance: Matt Duchene, THN cover boy Chris Stewart, T.J. Galiardi, Peter Mueller and more brought this team along last year and will be counted on to do the same. Craig Anderson had a terrific 2009-10, but in this volatile goalie age can he live up to expectations he didn’t have a year ago? After we saw another young team – the St. Louis Blues – burst onto the playoff scene only to fall back a little the year after, we’re anticipating much of the same from the Avalanche.”

They seem much like the Blues team in 2009 – a young team got hot at just the right time, and they got incredible goaltending from Craig Anderson, but can the 29 year old repeat his performance in 2011? The loss of Wojtek Wolski is significant as well, as he’s flirted with the 20 goal mark consistently since breaking into the league.

THN has also placed the Ottawa Senators on the no-playoff list, burying them at 10th place in the East:

“Unrestricted free agency cost the Senators a tough-as-nails defensive defenseman, but they gained one of the best, albeit aging, puckmoving blueliners in the game. Sergei Gonchar was brought in to help out the league’s 21st-ranked power play next to youngster Erik Karlsson. Without any other off-season moves to address a shaky situation in goal, however, it will be a touch-and-go year in Canada’s capital. Without an extravagant 11-game winning streak in 2009-10, the Sens wouldn’t have finished as high as they did and a run like that can’t be expected again.”

The addition of Gonchar will help the Senators immensely, and while I also think they won’t repeat their second-half streak next year, I think Ottawa will definitely find themselves in the playoffs again, although at a lower seed. The Senators have a situation in net, but it’s nothing a deadline deal (maybe with Spezza?) couldn’t fix.

The Chicago Blackhawks have finally found a home for ridiculously overpaid backup, Christobal Huet, as he has signed a one-year deal with C Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss National League A.

“Chicago goaltender Cristobal Huet has signed a one-year deal with HC Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss National League A, and the Blackhawks have agreed to loan his services, according to RDS. One issue that still remains, however, is determining the date Huet can be re-assigned. Chicago is working on that now.

The move would clear cap space for the Blackhawks, who signed veteran netminder Marty Turco to a one-year, $1.3 million contract earlier this month.

In 48 games with Chicago last season, Huet posted a 26-14-4 record with a 2.50 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage.

He has two years left on a deal with Chicago that pays him an average of $5.625 million per season.

Huet played four seasons in the Swiss league before joining the Los Angeles Kings in 2002. {TSN.ca}

This move probably most benefits the Hawks. There was absolutely no way Huet would see any time at all with Chicago, and this move helps the Blackhawks deal with their cap problems without having to prawn off Huet’s huge contract in a trade. There’s been some rumors about Niemi following suit, but he’s come out on record saying that he wants to stay in the NHL, so I’d expect a club to pick him up before training camps begin.

I was hoping some video would surface from the NHL’s R&D camp, and lo and behold, a handful of clips have been published, showcasing some of the changes the NHL was toying around with. Re-arranged faceoff dots, hybrid icing calls, life-guard style referees, and even clear nets all made an appearance.

The NHL infamously botched a decent amount of goal calls last season, partially because of obstructed camera angles, leaving the goal judges unable to correctly observe the position of the puck – this was one of the changes implemented to remedy this, evidently:

It’s an interesting concept (although I would like to see a couple shots hit that top shelf to see how it bounces), but it doesn’t address the biggest problem with traffic goals – being able to see the puck underneath all of the players. A digital rendering, or ‘chip’ inside the puck would be able to reveal the location of the puck, regardless of who’s on top of it. I doubt this will ever see an NHL game, just because it doesn’t solve the root problem of the problematic garbage goal.

The League was also testing alternate positioning for their on-ice officials. The three-ref system has drawn a decent amount of criticism, and the NHL tested the idea of placing an official in a perch just above the plexiglass above the penalty box.

“I think there is good and bad to it,” he said. “It’s good in regard that when (Lewis) isdown at the net I can see what is going on behind him. Say we have a scrum at the net and the D-men come in, I can always communicate with him. I can watch the changes on the bench so if we have a too-many-men-on-the-ice situation, I can see that. But you don’t feel the game. You don’t feel when the intensity starts to rise and that was the tough part about it.”

He also said he didn’t think he had a better look at the game from his elevated post, and he did not see the far end of the ice well.

“Certain angles you could see better, like, say, along the boards. But I would say definitely you could not see better as being on the ice,” Ferguson said.

However, Ferguson was able to make five penalty calls, and he said after one period he was able to find his bearings and establish a mode of communication with Lewis.

“I could know he was there; he was communicating with me the entire time throughout the game,” Lewis said. “Not even just on penalties, but situations like a player coming out of the box or something going on in front of the net. He just let me know what was going on.”

“You’re more like a fan, but you had to react to it and once you started to react it came a lot easier,” said Ferguson. “Then Dave and I got our communication down. If something happened, he would say, ‘Put your hand up,’ and then he’d react to it and call it. It worked out pretty well.” {NHL.com}

Yeah, that’s not gonna fly. The perch official was even complaining about how the sight lines weren’t totally right, and the separation from the game on the ice level kills the ‘intensity’. Not something we should expect from the NHL anytime soon. All that being said, there were some great new rules I’d like to see implemented. The R&D used bluelines that were twice the size of regulation bluelines in the NHL, and this seems like an absolute no-brainer to me. It would preserve the much coveted ‘flow’ of the game, by greatly reducing offside calls. I definitely wouldn’t mind if the League threw that rule into this upcoming season.

The League is implementing some off the wall changes to their rule book in the NHL research and development camp this Wednesday and Thursday. A selected group of NHL prospects will play a handful of scrimmages with the proposed rule changes, while the League higher-ups document the results.

“Everyone’s excited to see how it turns out,” Hitchcock said. “It’s like anything else new. You’re curious and you’re not sure what the end product is going to look like, but you want to give it a go.”

Hitchcock said he’s most looking forward to the overtime alterations. Included is a nine-minute OT with three minutes of 4-on-4, three minutes of 3-on-3 and three minutes of 2-on-2. Some of the OT play will also mandate long line changes, as teams experience in second periods of games – a period in which gaffes are more frequent.

“Will all of a sudden the thing just get wild and wacky and kind of fun?” Hitchcock said. “Especially 3-on-3. Strategy plays a large role in 3-on-3 and I’m curious to see if the game really starts to open up.

“I’m a real proponent of as much continuous play as you can have. That’s when a lot of mistakes happen. With more continuous play, the game goes back into the players’ hands more.”

Shanahan, meantime, said he has received a lot of feedback from GMs about faceoff cheating. One potential solution: a draw controlled by a whistle, in which the linesman places the puck on the middle of the dot and the two combatants battle for it at the tweet of the whistle.

In another scrimmage, they’ll go back to the traditional faceoff, but after a violation, the opposing center can pick his new faceoff rival.

“If you get to choose the other team’s defenseman to take the draw,” Shanahan said, “not only are you getting a player who isn’t used to taking them, but you change a team’s structure off the faceoff.”

In still another scrimmage, faceoff dots in attacking zones will be moved from the corners of the rink to the slot in an attempt to make offenses more dangerous.

“It’s going to make a defending team awful nervous,” Hitchcock said. “It’s a little like a penalty kick – they’re right on top of you.”

Shanahan said there are several other modifications he’s keen to witness, but couldn’t this week either because time doesn’t permit or they couldn’t get the technology together for mid-August. Some, such as livelier kick-boards that would produce more active and less predictable bounces, may surface at future camps – assuming this one is a success.

“Whether or not we do it every year, I don’t know,” Shanahan said. “I know the players we’ve invited have all enthusiastically responded with a ‘yes’. ”

“The thought of this camp was to be more progressive. I don’t want anyone to think we’re doing this because we think there’s something wrong with the game. We think the game is great. They did one in 2005…and we want to keep doing them.” {THN.com}

It’s all pretty interesting stuff, and here’s a complete list of what the NHL has planned for this R&D camp:

“10:00 a.m. – Noon
* Hybrid icing rule;
* No line change for team committing an offside;
* Crease reset rule;
* Face-off variation (face-off controlled by whistle in place of traditional puck drop);
* Overtime: three minutes of 4-on-4; three minutes of 3-on-3; three minutes of 2-on- 2 followed by shootout (5 players per team).

2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
* Bigger crease;
* Verification goal line (additional line situated behind the goal line);
* Wider blue lines;
* Line changes zone in front of each bench;
* Face-off variations (infringement results in the offending player moving back further, three face-off dots down the middle of the ice);
* No icing the puck while shorthanded;
* OT – three minutes of 4-on-4; three minutes of 3-on-3; three minutes of 2-on-2 with long line changes; followed by three shooters per team shootout (if tied after three shots then players who have shot previously can shoot again).

Thursday August 19 (all times ET; subject to change)

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
* No touch icing;
* Team that commits an offside infraction cannot make a line change and face-off is in offending team zone;
* Face-off variation: after a face-off violation, opposition center may choose his face-off opponent;
* Second referee located off the playing surface;
* Delayed penalty rule
* No icing the puck while shorthanded;
* OT – 4-on-4 (with long line change) followed by a shootout with five players.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
* Variations of special teams play;
* OT – 4-on-4 (with long line change)”

Seems like there’s a big focus on the faceoff, but I’m interested to see what changes new and more unpredictable boards would have on the game. Thickening the bluelines seems like the best idea out of all of them – there’d be less offside calls, and the game would flow much more seamlessly. I’m actually kind of hoping some video of the scrimmages gets out, so we can see exactly what kinds of changing the NHL is looking into, and how it would look on the big stage.

**Update** – We now have footage from the NHL R&D Camp, check it out here.

Despite Brian Burke’s best efforts, veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle has not been dealt, and his NTC kicked in at midnight last evening.

“The NHL club confirmed early Monday that its longest-tenured player is still with the team. The Maple Leafs were listening to offers from other teams for the veteran defenceman before his no-trade clause kicked in at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday morning.
“The hockey club confirms that Tomas Kaberle remains a Leaf,” general manager Brian Burke said in a statement. “While a number of clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas’s value to our team.

“I understand a period like this is stressful to the player, and we are pleased that there is a resolution, and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season.”
The 32-year-old has spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs and is the only player remaining from the team’s last playoff season in 2004.

The smooth-skating defenceman has appeared in 820 career games for the Maple Leafs—stretching all the way back to when the team still skated at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Selected in the eighth round of the 1996 draft by Toronto, Kaberle appeared in just two American Hockey League games before making the jump to the NHL. He’s represented the Czech Republic in three Olympics—winning bronze in 2006.
He is the franchise’s second-highest scoring defenceman in history. His 482 points (80-402) trail only the 762 registered by Borje Salming.” {TSN.ca}

Kaberle’s $4.25 million a year contract is not totally unmanageable, and while I’m sure Burke got some decent offers, he opted not to pull the trigger on a trade. All things considered, the Leafs really don’t have a terrible blueline. Komisarek, Phanuef, Lebda, and Luke Schen round out an above-average defense, but the Leafs are definitely hurting up front. Even a second or third line forward with some picks might have been an improvement over retaining Kaberle, but at this point, it’s all water under the bridge. Burke saw the offers coming in, and felt like Kaberle was worth much more.