Joe Sakic has officially retired from the NHL after 20 seasons and two Stanley Cup wins.  I think it’s not a bad way to end a career, if you ask me.  The 40-year-old longtime Colorado Avalanche captain has really struggled recently and I was beginning to wonder if he would listen to the signs that it might be time to hang up his skates.

Seriously, as much as I love and respect Sakic, I began to worry about his safety.  He seemed riddled by ridiculous injuries last year (an infected tooth, herniated disc and a snow blower accident that crushed three fingers) and I really believe that it’s better to go out on a high note than to gradually fade away from the game.   He leaves behind a great legacy as a class act and has earned a spot among the NHL’s career scoring leaders. He’s eighth in points (1,641), 11th in assists (1,016) and 14th in goals (625). 

I’m sure his presence on the ice and among the fans will be immediately felt since he’s been with the team since 1995.  They will retire his No. 19 jersey during the upcoming season-opener.  His sweater will join those of Patrick Roy (33) and Ray Bourque (77).

"After having the privilege of playing for 20 years, I’m leaving the game of hockey with nothing but great memories and a sense of accomplishment," Sakic said. "The game has given me more than I ever dreamed of, and for that I am truly grateful."

I’m also grateful for what he has contributed to this sport that I love so much. 

The Philadelphia Flyers are locking up their roster.  First came the news that they are giving goaltender, Ray Emery, another shot and now they’ve signed defenceman, Chris Pronger, to a seven-year extension worth $35 million.

That means it’s pretty likely that the 34-year-old veteran will play out the rest of his time in the league with the team.  The contract includes a no-movement clause.

"I am very excited to be able to retire a Philadelphia Flyer and I am looking forward to many years with the Flyers logo on my chest," Pronger said in a statement.

Pronger joined the team on June 27th after the Anaheim Ducks traded him for Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa as well as a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011.

The Sedin twins have re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks with identical five year contracts worth $6.1 million per season but the drama surrounding the uncertainty of their status before the July 1 free-agent deadline.

According to the Globe and Mail, the NHL is investigating some comments that Toronto Maple Leafs coach, Ron Wilson, made in reference to the team’s interest in signing Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

On June 31st, Wilson said (on the Fan 590):  “You’re hearing right now, and this sounds very contradictory but, there’s a real possibility, I would think, that we would be going after the Sedins. Let’s just speculate there.”

Apparently, “an unnamed NHL executive remarked that what Wilson said was a ‘clear-cut case of tampering.’”  The Canucks haven’t filed a tampering complaint and the league won’t confirm the reports but NHL bylaw No. 15 states that tampering is, “the making or causing to be made through any medium, public or private, any statement indicating any intention or desire of or interest in acquiring the services [of a player on another club].”  If you go by that, Wilson really is in violation of this rule.

Of course, complicating matters is the fact that Toronto GM, Brian Burke, happened to be in Sweden at the time and many assumed that he was there to woo the Sedin brothers.  Naturally, the club has an explanation for his trip and said that he was there to talk to Swedish free-gent goalie Jonas Gustavsson.

I know some people don’t think it’s worth wasting time and money on investigating this issue but I think that they need to send a message that this isn’t acceptable.  Otherwise, we’re going to start seeing coaches and players sending out messages through the media more and more.

image: TSN

Montreal Canadiens general manager, Bob Gainey, has confirmed that Alex Kovalev will not be returning to the Habs lineup.  Many fans are disappointed by the announcement and 100 people even held a rally outside the Bell Centre yesterday.

Gainey told Montreal radio station CJAD that the club did make an offer but the Russian star took too long to consider the deal.  "We hadn’t agreed on the amount, but another player was willing to come and join our team," Gainey said. "So the dollars that we had allotted there for a particular position were grabbed up by another player."

The team’s roster is going to look so different in the coming season.  In addition to losing the winger, captain Saku Koivu believes that he might not be offered a contract, Montreal was busy at the free agency deadline and the team has new owners (and a new coach).

With all their wheeling and dealing, the Habs still have $9 million remaining under the salary cap but they also have four restricted free agents left to sign.

Where do you think Kovalev will go?

***UPDATE*** Kovalev has signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Ottawa Senators.

image: TSN

After securing the Sedin twins, the Vancouver Canucks have added Mikael Samuelsson to their roster by offering the winger a three-year, $7.5 million deal.

Samuelsson seems happy with the transaction.  In a conference call he said: "Obviously that (the money) was the key, I shouldn’t lie.   They have a good thing going and I think my role can be a little different here. I like the team.  When you play against Vancouver it’s always a hard game and a skill game too.  You need some experience (to win the Cup). You need to be hungry. I believe we can do some damage."

He had a decent season with the Detroit Red Wings last season.  During the regular season, he posted 40 points in 81 games and 10 points in 23 playoff games.

He definitely has experience too.  He’s played in 466 NHL games and he also was part of Sweden’s gold medal-winning team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino.  

I think he could be really good in Vancouver’s lineup and I’m interested in seeing his chemistry with Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

image: TSN

When I saw Hockey Canada’s list of invitees for the 2010 Olympics orientation camp I breathed a sigh of relief.  Unlike the last Olympics where the hottest young players were overlooked, the prospects for the upcoming Vancouver Games are a mixture of youth and experience.  In all,  46 players have been invited to the camp.  The group is comprised of five goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 25 forwards.

Here’s the list (noticeably missing are Steven Stamkos and Chris Osgood).  What do you think?

Goaltenders

• Three-time Olympian Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)
• 2006 Olympian Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)
• Stanley Cup champion Marc-André Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Cam Ward (Carolina Hurricanes)

Defencemen

• Jay Bouwmeester (Calgary Flames)
• Dan Boyle (San Jose Sharks)
• Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks)
• Chris Pronger (Philadelphia Flyers)
• Robyn Regehr (Calgary Flames)
• Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames)
• Marc Staal (New York Rangers)
• Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
• François Beauchemin (Anaheim Ducks)
• Brent Burns (Minnesota Wild)
• Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)
• Stéphane Robidas (Dallas Stars)
• Mike Green (Washington Capitals)
• Dan Hamhuis (Nashville Predators)
• Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Brent Seabrook (Chicago Blackhawks)

Forwards

• Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes)
• Simon Gagné (Philadelphia Flyers)
• Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators)
• Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames)
• Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche)
• Martin St-Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)
• Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks)
• Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Ryan Smyth (Colorado Avalanche)
• Jeff Carter (Philadelphia Flyers)
• Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks)
• Milan Lucic (Boston Bruins)
• Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks)
• Andy McDonald (St. Louis Blues)
• Brenden Morrow (Dallas Stars)
• Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
• Michael Richards (Philadelphia Flyers)
• Derek Roy (Buffalo Sabres)
• Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Dan Cleary (Detroit Red Wings)

The camp will run from August 24-27 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.

images: TSN

I also wanted the drama surrounding cranky pants Dany Heatley to be resolved so that we could move on but, so far, nothing has worked.  He asked to be traded but when the Edmonton Oilers expressed their interest, he refused to waive his no-movement clause (despite meeting with them on Wednesday night) and now the Ottawa Senators will have to pay him a $4 million dollar bonus. 

Why would a player who wants to leave his team so badly refuse an offer?  Because the Oilers weren’t on his “wish list.”  He told Ottawa General Manager Bryan Murray that he wanted to go to either any of the following teams: New York Rangers, San Jose, Boston, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Detroit, Calgary and Chicago.

I’m guessing he doesn’t realize that most of these teams don’t have room for him under the salary cap since he’s still got five years left on his contract which is worth $37.5 million.  That’s a lot to ask.

I agree with TSN’s Bob McKenzie – this thing could really get ugly.  I don’t know what the Sens are going to do with this since it’s almost a lose-lose situation for the team.  They will lose $4 million even if he leaves and, if he stays, he could be a liability if he’s genuinely unhappy.

What do you think of the Heatley situation?

image: TSN

After defecting from the Pittsburgh Penguins to join the Detroit Red Wings because he thought he had a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup (it was so rough when Detroit ended up losing Pittsburgh), Marian Hossa has jumped ship again.

The Chicago Blackhawks have given Hossa a 12-year deal worth about $59.3 million which averages out to $5.2 per season for the first eight years and then drops down to $3.5 million for the last four.

The Blackhawks had a great season and I think that they have a real chance to not only make it to the playoffs again next season but, now that they’ve got experience in the postseason, I think they could go all the way to the Finals.

If they happen to make it that far and they lose with Hossa in the lineup, it will be the third year in a row that he’s been with a team that has narrowly lost the Stanley Cup.  If that happens, the superstition about not touching the conference trophy might pale in comparison with the bad luck associated with having Hossa in the lineup.

image: TSN

Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin have signed 5-year deals, which include no-movement clauses, with the Vancouver Canucks and will ear $6.1 million per season.  I was hoping they would get to stay with the hockey club that drafted them back in 1999 but I do think they deserved a higher salary.  I realize that giving two players the same deal is expensive so I hope they are happy with the results.

GM Mike Gillis said: "Daniel and Henrik Sedin are this club’s offensive leaders and players we want to build around.  Their level of performance in every area of the game is exceptional; both Daniel and Henrik are committed to winning and we want them to succeed as Vancouver Canucks."

You really can’t replace a player who is committed to the team so having two of them on the ice is a real bonus.  Together, the pair have compiled 288 goals, 634 assists, and 922 points in 1,288 games.  In true twin style, they racked up 82 points during the 2008-2009 season with Henrik scoring 22 goals (a career high) and Daniel leading the Canucks with 31 goals.

Henrik and Daniel originally asked for 12-year deals with $63 million each but, according to their agent JP Barry, “They’re happy that this deal got to the range that it was fair."  It is a significant raise – they only made $3.75 million apiece last season.

image: TSN

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Bill Guerin to a one-year $2 million deal that will keep the veteran forward with the team for at least one more season. ”We are excited to agree to terms with Billy on this one-year deal,” general manager Ray Shero said.

”He made a tremendous impact on this team with his scoring ability, physical play and outstanding leadership and was a key factor in our drive to the Cup. I know our players, coaches and fans will be happy to have him back in Pittsburgh.”

Guerin, who would have become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow, posted five goals and 12 points in 17 regular season games but was instrumental to the team’s Stanley Cup win.  I know that at 38 years old, he’s not as quick as many of his teammates but the Penguins need experienced players to balance out their young lineup. 

Another veteran player, 39-year-old, Rob Blake, has been re-signed.  The San Jose Sharks offered Blake a one-year contract worth $3.5 million plus bonuses.

The defenceman scored 10 goals and 35 assists in 73 games and I think he’s a valuable asset to the team.  After 20 years in the league (he was drafted 70th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1988) he’s enjoyed a great deal of success including winning the Norris Trophy in 1997-98 and winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001.

Of course, Blake was also part of Team Canada’s success at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.  They took home the gold medal.

The Carolina Hurricanes have ensured that Jussi Jokinen will be in their lineup for another two years by offering the forward, who they acquired from Tampa Bay last year, a $3.4 million contract extension. 

Jokinen didn’t have a great regular season.  He only played in 25 games and managed to score just one goal and 11 points in those appearances.  He seemed to come alive during the postseason, however, when he scored seven goals and racked up another 11 points in 18 playoff games.

"Jussi was a good addition to our team last season, and he really stepped into his role in the playoffs," said Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. "His ability to contribute on the power play and penalty kill, and his versatility at different forward positions makes him a valuable player."

David Bolland will be staying with the Chicago Blackhawks after the team gave him a five-year deal worth more than $16 million (he’ll make about $3.375 million per season). 

I’m not surprised at all that the Blackhawks wanted to secure his spot on the roster since I think the 23-year-old really was instrumental in helping them make the playoffs. 

He was drafted by the team in 2004 but this was his first good season.  He managed to tally up 19 goals and 28 assists during the regular season and added another four goals and eight assists in the playoffs. 

I really wanted to see the Blackhawks make it to the finals so that they could take on the Penguins (to teams with young captains and youthful lineups) but it just didn’t happen.  Maybe next year.

Johnny Oduya has been given a multi-year contract extension by the New Jersey Devils.  The defenseman is expected to make about $3 million per season. 

Again, this isn’t a big surprise since, like Bolland, Oduya had a breakout season with a career high of seven goals, 22 assists and 29 points.  He also played in every playoff game.

The New Jersey Devils signed Oduya on July 17, 2006 after he played in the Swedish Elite team for three years.

images: TSN