Hedman news/rumors/what did Brad Richards just say?
Posted 3:00 PM ET | Comments 0
Hedman:
So we are hearing that Hedman is very close, and may have actually agreed to a new contract extension (just needs to sign the dotted line). If the figures are true (around $4M per year for 5 years), then this is a great day to be a Bolts fan. I would have expected a higher cap hit, or a shorter term for him. This is slightly more money than Schenn, less than tavares or Myers. Anyone who has talked to me knows I have really become a fan of this guy, and I see him only getting better. This guy would be a god in certain hockey markets, for playing at this level at such a young age, when usually a defenseman isn't even in the NHL, because they take a lot longer to develop than the offensive players. In fact, there are only 7 dmen that are younger than him, and 6 are rookies. The problem is, he lacks a lot of the flash that some fans want to see like they saw in a young Dion Phaneuf with his thunderous hits. The thing is, that was pretty much all Phaneuf was able to do (along with a pretty good shot from the point), and wasn't at the same level as Hedman is now in so many other aspects of the game (such as actually defending). The fact that coach Boucher really rides him in the tough minutes, says a lot about him.
With more experience, he will be able to add to his abilities, but for now he is focused on playing good solid defense before anything else, which is what he should do. He will only get better, and has the potential to be one of the best dmen in the league. In a couple years this team could really become the Stamkos and Hedman show.
Rumors:
It seems like that time of year when teams realize they are in trouble, and it's time to make a change, or unload and "fail for Nail" - the consensus #1 draft pick in 2012, Nail Yukapov, playing in Sarnia. This means it's officailly trade season. And for some reason this season seems to involve HUGE names in the trade debate. Whether they actually happen or not is yet to be seen, but we are talking about Bobby Ryan in Anaheim (saying he "wouldn't be surprised" to be traded is saying a lot), Semin in Washington, Iginla in Calgary, and one of Nash or Carter in Columbus. Then there is a rumor of Luongo for Lecavalier that keeps popping up, although I think Vancouver trading the hot goalie in Schneider is a lot more likely to happen.
When it comes to these players, you have to believe Yzerman is making and taking phone calls and seeing what is available and what the asking price is to make his team better. That is his job. We did hear that Vancouver was recently scouting in Norfolk, Tampa's AHL affiliate, so you have to think they are in discussions, and the scouting could mean prospects are involved in the potential deal. We also know that Yzerman recently signed Tyrell, and is about to sign Hedman. Setting himself up to make a trade seems like a real possibility and motivating factor in getting these things done now.
Brad Richards:
The quote: "I talked about it all summer, it’s fun to be in a hockey environment—no disrespect to the other places I played at—this is a little different. It’s Original Six with bitter rivalries."
I'm not going to into this much, because it's really not a big deal, and I think he was mostly talking about Dallas but didn't want to single them out. He liked Tampa, he played well here and has good memories. He has moved on, and we should too.
Yzerman returns to Detroit, as the Bolts take on the Wings tonight.
So we are hearing that Hedman is very close, and may have actually agreed to a new contract extension (just needs to sign the dotted line). If the figures are true (around $4M per year for 5 years), then this is a great day to be a Bolts fan. I would have expected a higher cap hit, or a shorter term for him. This is slightly more money than Schenn, less than tavares or Myers. Anyone who has talked to me knows I have really become a fan of this guy, and I see him only getting better. This guy would be a god in certain hockey markets, for playing at this level at such a young age, when usually a defenseman isn't even in the NHL, because they take a lot longer to develop than the offensive players. In fact, there are only 7 dmen that are younger than him, and 6 are rookies. The problem is, he lacks a lot of the flash that some fans want to see like they saw in a young Dion Phaneuf with his thunderous hits. The thing is, that was pretty much all Phaneuf was able to do (along with a pretty good shot from the point), and wasn't at the same level as Hedman is now in so many other aspects of the game (such as actually defending). The fact that coach Boucher really rides him in the tough minutes, says a lot about him.
With more experience, he will be able to add to his abilities, but for now he is focused on playing good solid defense before anything else, which is what he should do. He will only get better, and has the potential to be one of the best dmen in the league. In a couple years this team could really become the Stamkos and Hedman show.
Rumors:
It seems like that time of year when teams realize they are in trouble, and it's time to make a change, or unload and "fail for Nail" - the consensus #1 draft pick in 2012, Nail Yukapov, playing in Sarnia. This means it's officailly trade season. And for some reason this season seems to involve HUGE names in the trade debate. Whether they actually happen or not is yet to be seen, but we are talking about Bobby Ryan in Anaheim (saying he "wouldn't be surprised" to be traded is saying a lot), Semin in Washington, Iginla in Calgary, and one of Nash or Carter in Columbus. Then there is a rumor of Luongo for Lecavalier that keeps popping up, although I think Vancouver trading the hot goalie in Schneider is a lot more likely to happen.
When it comes to these players, you have to believe Yzerman is making and taking phone calls and seeing what is available and what the asking price is to make his team better. That is his job. We did hear that Vancouver was recently scouting in Norfolk, Tampa's AHL affiliate, so you have to think they are in discussions, and the scouting could mean prospects are involved in the potential deal. We also know that Yzerman recently signed Tyrell, and is about to sign Hedman. Setting himself up to make a trade seems like a real possibility and motivating factor in getting these things done now.
Brad Richards:
The quote: "I talked about it all summer, it’s fun to be in a hockey environment—no disrespect to the other places I played at—this is a little different. It’s Original Six with bitter rivalries."
I'm not going to into this much, because it's really not a big deal, and I think he was mostly talking about Dallas but didn't want to single them out. He liked Tampa, he played well here and has good memories. He has moved on, and we should too.
Yzerman returns to Detroit, as the Bolts take on the Wings tonight.