MacK_Attack

Here's a clip from Cliff Fletcher yesterday on the Bill Watters Show. Fletch does not include McCabe as part of the Leafs defence next year. McCabe has three years left at $5.75 million on the cap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VK9RzbR6CY Also, the defenceman that Fletch mentions signing in the next couple days is SEL defenceman Jonas Frogren.

2010 2nd rounder and rights to '08 draft pick Greg Pateryn go to the Habs for Mikhail Grabovsky. Also, the Leafs will announce the addition of Joe Nieuwendyk to their management team, likely tomorrow.

McCabe has a no-movement clause (the first ever player to get one) and can't be placed on waivers or assigned to the minors at all.

They also signed Marc Denis today.

I've seen a lot of posts stating that if "Player-X" (generally, Sundin) doesn't sign with the Wings, then they don't want to win the Cup. That's essentially the same thing.

Well, a very young team. Currently, only three forwards over 30 (two of them, Devereaux & Mayers, on the 4th line). Up front, likely to showcase young'uns like Tlusty (20), Kulemin (21), Steen (24), Stajan (24), Grabovsky (24), Bell (27), Antropov (28), Ponikarovsky (28), Hagman (28). Who knows who will be on defence. McCabe gone, perhaps Kubina, too. That leaves Kaberle (30), Finger (28), Colaiacovo (25), Kronwall (25), White (24) & Stralman (21). Potentially, 18-year old Luke Schenn, too. It's a young, rebuilding team.

He does, he's just playing hardball with the Leafs. I think he wants a buyout (I believe there's a second buyout window in August) but won't get it, at least not until after this season. It's a big game of chicken, to see who blinks first.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242391&amp...os=secStory_nhl

Oilers offered Jagr $7 million on a one-year, so he'd have to be pretty generous.

The apparent current plan is to make him a healthy scratch every night until he accepts a trade. If he gets fed up and leaves the team, they suspend him and he's off the cap and the payroll.

In the East, you don't have to load up now, they can be a home-ice advantage team easily now with their current roster. There's the trade deadline and all points in between to make a trade to get better, which the Pens may need to do in order to drop some salary to add somebody of significance. They need to get better before the playoffs, but that's a long way off.

With 52.8 committed, this pretty well takes them out of the Jagr running, unless they get pretty creative.

Pretty good deal for the Pens, given what Huet & Theodore got.

TSN reports that Chicago has signed Brian Campbell. 8 years, $7.1 million per year.

He may still retire.

According to TSN, 4 years, $20 million.

For now, yeah. Both Kubina & McCabe are potentially gone.

Sundin will sign within a couple days, I would think. Given the amount of cash being thrown at him, he's probably going to sign in New York.

Things typically don't get going until the evening hours. I know last year all the major Canadian sports stations had their free agency shows start at Noon and nothing happened in the two or three hours that they were on. Last year it may have even been the 2nd or 3rd of July before the big names started signing. It might be a little different this year because there's so few marquee names that teams will bring out their big offers right off the bat. We'll see.

Rolston has informed the Tampa Bay Lightning that he will make his decision in the morning.

Noon Eastern.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242083&amp...os=secStory_nhl

From Bob McKenzie: Entire Column

The only players making more money overseas than they would make in the NHL are rookies bound to entry-level deals.