Drew Doughty's Future With The Los Angeles Kings In Doubt?

Drew Doughty Rejects Big Contract Offer From LA Kings

At the end of the 2010-11 NHL season, not one person would have thought that the Kings superstar, Drew Doughty, would have still been sitting unsigned in September. Unfortunately for the Kings, that is in fact the case and whats even worse is the situation is not improving. Its been noted several times this off-season that the Kings and Doughty have not had easy negotiations, but things are becoming very serious for the Kings. The Kings recently offered Doughty their "last-ditch effort"-type contract which was said to be a nine-year deal, where he would have received an annual salary of $6.8 million which would have tied Anze Kopitar for the highest cap-hit on the team. With their best possible offer, and a more than reasonable one at that, being rejected, things are not looking bright for Doughty's future in Los Angeles. With training camp right around the corner and it looking less and less likely that he will be able to come to an agreement by the time the season starts, options are beginning to thin out for Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi. According to people involved, the Kings management will sit down and discuss what path they want to go down with their franchise player. I'm not expecting Lombardi to move Doughty anytime soon, but if the hold-out continues into October that might be the only option left. With such a great player involved, this situation is beyond interesting and one to definitely keep an eye on. 

Pens Sign Richard Park

Penguins Add Veteran Richard Park On A Two-Way Deal
Official Penguins Press Release 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Richard Park to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero. Park’s contract is a two-way deal worth $550,000 at the NHL level. Park, 35, played parts of 13 NHL seasons from 1994-95 through 2009-10 before spending the 2010-11 season with Geneve Servette of the Swiss National League where he tallied 34 points (15G-19A) in 47 games. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Park began his NHL career with Pittsburgh, appearing in 58 regular-season games and four postseason contests between 1994-97 after the Penguins made him a second-round pick (50th overall) in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. As a rookie in ’95-96, Park was a key member of the Penguins’ squad that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. When the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Park made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh on May 3, 1995, he became just the second South Korean-born player to appear in the NHL, joining former Penguins defenseman Jim Paek. During his most recent NHL season with the New York Islanders in 2009-10, Park established a career-high with 22 assists and tied the second-highest point total (31) of his career in 81 contests. Park tallied 10-plus goals and 30-plus points in three of his four seasons with New York prior to heading to Switzerland. Park has appeared in 684 regular-season games with Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Vancouver and the NY Islanders, notching 95 goals, 132 assists and 227 points. A solid penalty killer, Park has 14 career shorthanded goals, including a career-high four in ’07-08. Park has added eight points (3G-5A) in 38 postseason contests. Park played four seasons for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League between 1992-96, collecting 85 goals, 144 assists and 229 points in 176 games. He added 65 points (30G-35A) in 47 postseason games.

PattyB Thoughts:
Richard Park was one of my favorite Islanders during his tenure with the club and for good reason. Park is an extremely hard-worker who's determination rubs off on his teammates. Along with his great work ethic he's a great grinding-type forward who is a beast on the Penalty Kill. I love this depth signing by the Penguins as he will be a great player to have down in the AHL playing with their prospects. His presence in the room and on the ice will set a good example for the other players and he will be very useful if the Pens need to call-up a player. His versatility is something that makes him attractive in all situations for the Penguins organization.  

R.I.P. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Just thought I'd tell you guys, today's tragedy has really gotten to me and I will probably take a day or two off from posting because honestly I don't think its appropriate to be talking about hockey right now when something like that happens, I would like to give everyone some time to think about and pray for the ones who left us today. In the next day or (possibly) two, we'll get back to looking at training camp and everything that comes with it. Have a nice few days and please everyone use this tragedy to really put things in perspective and realize whats important in life.

Turris Being Shopped?

Kyle Turris No Longer In Phoenix's Plans?

Kyle Turris' future with the Phoenix Coyotes is in serious jeopardy. The former 2007 3rd overall draft pick has not enjoyed the success most people expected for him. In one hundred and thirty-one National Hockey League games, Turris has only put up nineteen goals and twenty-seven assists for a total of forty-six points.  Now those numbers are extremely unimpressive for a player who was expected to be a superstar and his value is probably at its lowest, but the reason why it looks like the Coyotes are willing to move him is because according to some insiders he has been asking for a salary of around $4 million per year which is a HUGE overpayment. He has not budged on his demands which are very far off from what the Yotes are willing to pay for him. There are quite a few suitors who are interested in acquiring Turris and don't mind caving in to his asking price. One of which (according to @HockeyBreak) is the Calgary Flames who are currently in discussions with the Coyotes regarding a deal that would bring Turris to Calgary. From what I have heard, the return the Coyotes are looking for seems to be significantly less than what fans around the league seem to believe he's worth. Of coarse there is no official confirmation on that, but thats just what has been rumored from some "in the know" type people, which makes this situation something very interesting to watch unfold. 

Isles Invite Jay Pandolfo To Training Camp

Jay Pandolfo Agrees To Attend Islanders Training Camp

The NY Islanders have announced their first official training camp invitee as Jay Pandolfo has accepted a try-out with the club. The thirty-six year old, Pandolfo has not played in the NHL since the 2009-10 season where he played 52 games with the NJ Devils. Pandolfo is known as a solid bottom-six style forward who can play the PK well and battle in the corners. With a young team, its always good to keep solid depth at every position and although there is not much room for him on the Islanders roster, there is a place for him down in Bridgeport, where he would be a first call-up type player for the Islanders. Not only would bringing him in, be great for the Isles depth, but it would also provide a great leader for the players down in Bridgeport. It will be very interesting to watch Pandolfo's performance in training camp because he may very well earn a contract.

NHL Training Camp Update: 1

TRAINING CAMP INVITE UPDATE: September 2nd 

Steve Bégin Has Agreed To Attend Vancouver Canucks Training Camp On A Try-Out Basis PattyB Thoughts: Steve Bégin had this to say: "I'm really happy. It's a last chance for me and I need to make the most of it." That quote makes it pretty obvious to me that he is going to push as hard he possibly can to make this team because if he doesn't it sounds as though he might consider retirement. My Prediction: He will be a real contender to make the team, but will ultimately get cut. Despite that, I think its very possible he gets a contract, but only if he accepts a two-way deal. David Koci Has Agreed To Attend Winnipeg Jets Training Camp On A Try-Out Basis PattyB Thoughts: David Koci has not had an easy time sticking with one organization throughout his career as he has been on six clubs in his NHL tenure. He is really hoping to pull out an NHL contract for this upcoming season, but if he is not able to earn one he will probably join an AHL club on a minor league deal. My Prediction: The Jets looked to increase their toughness heading into the off-season, and they thought that they had achieved that, but with the extremely sad and unfortunate passing of Rick Rypien they still feel as though they need some more grit. They have decided to bring Koci in on a try-out to see if he can fill that void and in my opinion the Jets will be handing him a contract, whether it be a two-way deal or not, at the end of training camp. Manny Legace Has Agreed To Attend Vancouver Canucks Training Camp On A Try-Out Basis PattyB Thoughts: Just six years ago Manny Legace was an all-star goaltender in the NHL, but unfortunately since then things have not been going his way. His last time on NHL ice in any capacity was last year during training camp where the Islanders invited him in on a try-out, but he ended up not getting signed and played in Germany. With his hope at returning to the NHL looking bleak, this opportunity to show himself to all thirty teams will be extremely important. My Prediction: He has no shot at making the Canucks, this was a favor done by the club to give Legace a chance to face some NHL action and get back into shape, as well as maybe catch the eyes of some other teams around the league. The Canucks are also doing this to meet requirements that are set by the National Hockey League on pre-season games, which say they must dress eight veteran players for each game.

Islanders Training Camp Update

Islanders Plan On Inviting A Number Of Veteran National Hockey League Players To Training Camp

The New York Islanders will be extending training camp invites to Bryan McCabe, Sergei Samsonov, Jay Pandolfo, Chris Clark, and most likely others. The New York Islanders have already reached out to Jay Pandolfo and it looks like Garth Snow will have him come to camp if he's unable to sign a deal with a team around the league before that. Regarding Sergei Samsonov, its looking very unlikely that he will come to Islanders training camp on a try-out basis as he is hell-bent on getting a contract offer after his 40 point 2010-11 campaign, most believe if he is unable to find a willing NHL team he will look for a deal from a KHL organization. I also expect Bryan McCabe to end up joining the Islanders on a try-out basis once training camp begins for the Islanders as he is very interested in joining a New York area club as he lives with his family on Long Island.