The Miami Herald has reported that Bouwmeester very recently rejected a multi-year offer from the Panthers, and were willing to pay him as much as $6m/year. It’s good money, but given Bouwmeester’s talents he could fetch much more on the free agent market, although I hardly think that’s the main motivator. Instead, Bouwmeester will go through with the arbitration hearing, sign a one-year contract, and then be the subject of trade rumours all season long. Bouwmeester’s clearly frustrated by the lack of progress and direction this team is taking, after trading away Roberto Luongo and then adding Tomas Vokoun, then trading away Olli Jokinen but only adding Cory Stillman up front. Both are downgrades, leaving Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton to shoulder the offensive load - and it’s not something to be proud of. No one wants to play for a loser, and Bouwmeester’s no different.

The only way the Panthers can convince Bouwmeester to stay is if they can reach the playoffs, but it’s an outside shot at best. Their lack of a 1st round pick this year hurt, but Keaton Ellerby and Michael Frolik have progressed nicely. Bouwmeester’s been under Jokinen and Luongo’s shadows, and perhaps he’s been a little complacent in a sidekick role, but I truly believe he has the talent to be the league’s best. His departure would set the Panthers another huge step back, and that’s something I don’t think the NHL or the Panthers need. Should he depart via trade, I imagine the Panthers’ brass would say something along the lines of getting “fair” returns, but that’s what they said when they dealt Jokinen too.

I haven’t been at HockeyAnalysis for long, but I think I’ve really gotten the hang of this WordPress program and finally got the links to work. I’ve really enjoyed my time here thus far, David’s been of great help and we’ve got a lot of intelligent bloggers and readers here. However, I’ve noticed that in my posts, especially on slow news days, I’ve blogged on a variety of things, and some of them have nothing to do with rumours. Since you, the readers, are the ones that keep this site going and the bloggers blogging, you make us accountable, I think you guys should have some input about what goes on in this blog. So, that being said, what would guys like to see? More focus on rumours, the cap, Gary Bettman’s incompetence, or analyses? Any questions and comments are welcome, negative or positive.

But, of course, a post on this blog wouldn’t be a post without a rumour, would it? Antoine Vermette, one of the Sens’ two prized RFAs, could very well be shipped out to Vancouver by the end of the month. Vermette and the Sens have been negotiating a deal for some time, and it’s believed that the young forward is seeking $2.5-3m/year. The Sens are looking to bolster their blueline, and the rumour is that either Sami Salo or Kevin Bieksa is going the other way, depending on which one is willing to waive their no-trade clause. Should Vermette be dealt, it is very likely that Andrej Meszaros will stay, as I don’t think the Sens are too keen on losing two big chunks of their young core.

This whole Sundin saga is rather interesting. Being a huge Canucks fan, I’ve followed this to a tee. Just a couple days ago on a local sports radio, TEAM 1040, Mike Gillis confirmed that he is still heavily pursuing Sundin, with the Leafs and Canadiens still very much interested. Gillis said that one of his major selling points to Sundin was the fact that come 2010, he would be captaining Team Sweden in front of his home crowd. Not only that, he would be able to have some sort of continuity from the NHL to Olympic game, considering that a handful of Canuck players are locks for the Swedish team. A couple of people have said that this is a great point and that Sundin should take this possibility into consideration. I, however, think it’s Gillis sounding desperate and grasping at straws. If his major selling point is the chance for Sundin to play in front of his “home crowd” while building an early camaraderie with his Swedish Canuck teammates, and not by boasting that perhaps Gillis has the best goalie in the league, then something is really wrong.

First, it’s fairly obvious that money is not the major motivator for Sundin, despite him (indirectly) saying that he won’t go to the team that offers anything less than $7m. The Canucks blew everyone out of the water by offering $20m, and Gillis probably thought Sundin would come aboard right away. The plan backfired after Sundin refused to bite, and more or less handcuffed the Canucks in their free agent negotiations. Fortunately for them, Pavol Demitra had already verbally agreed to sign with them, showing that perhaps this summer wasn’t totally a flop. I’m not sure what Sundin is thinking right now, but if winning the Cup is the biggest motivator then he should’ve by now signed with the Habs, and he hasn’t.

Second, Gillis is making promises he has no control over. No matter where Sundin goes, should he continue to be playing come 2010, he would be captain anyway (I think Niklas Lidstrom’s a better choice, but that’s another story). So the first part of his Olympic selling point is moot. The second part, in which Gillis says that Sundin would be able to play in front of his “home crowd” and build-up a camaraderie with his Swedish teammates, is moot as well. Sundin’s “home crowd” will always be in Sweden, and if his tenure in Vancouver flops a la Mark Messier, he will be hearing a chorus of boos regardless. His Swedish teammates, namely Henrik and Daniel Sedin, are not guaranteed to be Canucks after the 2009 season either. Both players are set to become free agents, and should the team face another disappointing season or playoff showing, it is very possible that the two will be leaving. Markus Naslund, one of Sweden’s best ever, has already left. Sundin already has a gold medal from Torino, but no Cup. If I were him, I’d be going for something I don’t have.

Third, Vancouver must be a very unattractive city to play in. We’ve already been spurned before by hometown heroes Joe Sakic and Paul Kariya, but for understandable reasons. Here we are, offering $20m, more than any other team, and Sundin’s still hesitating. Vancouver is obviously not a Cup contender, but it’s not like we’re the Kings or Thrashers either. We have an elite goalie, perhaps the best ever to suit up for the Canucks, a solid defense, and some respectable forwards. Vancouver is the most travel-heavy team, and perhaps that’s why Sundin doesn’t want to sign, but who really knows? The city (and the team) is notorious for being unable to attract high-end free agents, despite the city has been voted as one of the best places in the world.

EDIT: Apparently the news was broken by a very respectable Swedish newspaper called the Dagen Nyheter. It’s one of the two Swedish morning newspaper publications, and is unlikely to report something that doesn’t have some proof or evidence to it. It’s also interesting to note that Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka’s signings were all first reported by European news sources, only to be denied by their respective agents.

Should the Kings get Khabibulin, it gives them a valuable trading piece at the deadline, should they wish to deal him, and stock up their future with picks and prospects. However, like stated before they lack any valuable assets to sweeten the pot for Chicago, and I think Dean Lombardi would be (and should be) unwilling to part with their picks, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jonathan Bernier, and Jack Johnson. I don’t think Dale Tallon is in any hurry to deal Khabibulin, although I think it is in their best interests to enter training camp with Cristobal Huet as their number one. Having roughly $11m tied up in two potential starters is ridiculous, and even when Anaheim had Ilya Bryzgalov and J-S Giguere it didn’t cost them nearly as much. Keep in mind that the Kings are still roughly $10m below the cap floor, which means that free agent busts and bad contracts like Michal Handzus‘ and Kyle Calder’s will be staying.

The Hurricanes are looking to bolster their offense (pay attention, Lawton) and have reportedly contacted Jeff O’Neill about a possible comeback. O’Neill did not play last season after the Leafs and his agent could not agree on an extension. O’Neill is preparing himself for a comeback, but the 32-year old has a lot of work to do should he choose to do so. O’Neill is reportedly looking for a one way deal, but Jim Rutherford is only prepared to offer him a two-way contract, and is expecting O’Neill to start the season with Albany, the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate. O’Neill would be hard-pressed to find himself a one-way contract, after sitting out all of last season, and it might be in his best interest to accept the offer. Should he perform well in Albany or a player get injured, he would certainly be one of the first call-ups of the season.

I had thought that a deal would be possible between Chicago and Ottawa, as both teams need to shed some salary and have goaltending issues that need to be dealt with. However, with the Kings entering the equation it throws the entire trade out of whack. I do not know the source of the rumour, but it would be incredibly ill-advised and downright poor decision by Dean Lombardi to deal away his top forward. Kopitar is an emerging top 5 talent in the league and it would be absolutely self-destructing to deal him away for an inconsistent starting goalie and a top 4 defenseman. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a deal in the works, but it just means that this rumoured deal won’t happen.

With the addition of another forward, Jussi Jokinen’s departure seems more inevitable with each passing day. The Finnish winger was brought in by the recently resigned Jay Feaster through the Brad Richards trade, and seems to have fallen out of favour after new ownership brought in forwards of their own. Jokinen has scored at least 14 goals in each of the past 3 seasons, although with declining point totals of 55, 48, and 42. However, he is still a serviceable winger should teams feel they need more offensive depth.

Despite heart concerns, Teppo Numminen is still attracting interest from teams, including Montreal and Atlanta. Montreal’s defense is already set, and Numminen will play a limited role should he sign there. He will definitely get more ice-time in Atlanta, but the downside is that the postseason is a long shot should winning be a priority. The Kings are also rumoured to be interested, although they appear to be a long shot to land him.

The Senators appear to have finally found their second liner in Jason Williams. The 27-year old centre spent the last two seasons with Detroit and Chicago. He had 36 points in 43 games last season, but was sidelined indefinitely shortly after the Christmas break with a sports hernia. Williams was deemed expendable by the Blackhawks after outstanding season from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, as well as the emergence of Dustin Byfuglien (19 goals) and the addition of Andrew Ladd at the deadline.

Just one day after the KHL and NHL came to an agreement to honour existing contracts in both leagues, Alexander Radulov has reportedly signed with Ufa today, despite having one year remaining on his contract with Nashville. This really comes as a shock, as it was believed with a new agreement (apparently it is NOT a transfer agreement, but just AN agreement) in place it would prevent defection from both sides. Obviously Radulov did not feel that the agreement applied to him, and noted that neither the RSL or KHL has transfer agreements in place with the NHL to prevent him from doing so. NHL Deputy Commissioner Billy Daly and the Predators have both publicly stated that they do expect Radulov to play in the NHL next season. Interestingly enough, there were no quotes from Alexander Medvedev regarding the situation, but I think it’s a strong possibility that he had a hand in this signing. The KHL is still very much interested in bringing in high-end talent to their league, and while I’m sure they’ll admit that the two leagues have a clear understanding of contractual obligations of players, the KHL will continue to pursue NHL players, signed or unsigned, as long as there is a lack of a transfer agreement.

The problem has flared up once again with Jonas Frogren, whose NHL contract with the Leafs had been nixed by Gary Bettman. Although I don’t see this being a big problem, I was amazed at how seen afterwards a new transfer agreement was put in place. I don’t think the NHL has done anything as decisively or quickly as this (the discipline office is a shining example of inefficiency and incompetence)… and it’s only because Bettman’s trying to save his own ass.

It wasn’t very long ago when the KHL offered Evgeni Malkin a lucrative offer that would’ve paid him roughly US $15m tax-free should he return to Russia. Of course to everyone’s relief except the KHL, Malkin elected to stay in Pittsburgh and inked a 5-year extension that wouldn’t even make him the highest paid player in the league. I noted before at the inception of the KHL that it poses a very real threat to the NHL, in its ability to lure players with more money and make it even more difficult for the NHL to bring over European players. Just earlier today, Alexander Medvedev, the founder of the KHL, was reported to be asking the Jackets for $500k for the chance to sign Filatov, even though he is no longer under contract with CKSA Moscow. No transfer agreement was in place, which made Medvedev’s ask a little ridiculous, and also because the governing IIHF body under Swiss Rene Fasel has very little to zero power in the North American leagues.

However, with a new deal in place, just finalized earlier today, it was agreed that the IIHF and NHL will respect existing contracts between the two leagues. This means that Malkin is here to stay in the NHL for another couple of years, the Leafs will have to buy Frogren out of his existing contract with Farjestad, but most importantly, Filatov and Cherepanov would be free to join North American leagues should they wish to do so (only if they’re not under contract, of course). Their respective European teams and the IIHF will be compensated, but it does take individual GMs out of the equation. By doing so, teams that are not as wealthy as the Leafs, who can’t afford to privately buy out existing contracts of European players, will have an equal chance of bringing abroad their European prospects. David has an in-depth view of the situation here and here. Alec Browncombe at hockeybuzz.com also serves up his own analysis of the situation.

Penguins: Burnside says Up, I say Down
- The most important part for the Pens moving forward is tying up Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury to long-term contracts. Ray Shero did just that, but among the casualties were playoff heroes Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa, both of whom played vital roles in their Cup run. While it was inevitable that one of the two was going to cut loose, it was a little surprising the Pens didn’t manage to keep either. While I’m sure the Pens made a very fair offer to Hossa, he elected to head west to Detroit where he thought the chances of him winning the Cup was higher (had the Pens somehow retained Malone would it have made a difference to Hossa, I wonder?) The Pens offense is only half as dangerous as it once was, and Burnside believes that Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan can provide as much scoring, if not more, than Hossa and Malone. I’m laughing, Scott, I am.

Flyers: Burnside says Up, I say Sideways
- The biggest news coming out of Philadelphia this year was Jeff Carter’s extension. The Flyers did not land the top defenseman they wanted due to cap reasons, and was therefore forced to settle with Danny Syvret, Steve Eminger, and Ossi Vaananen. All three are serviceable, and I guess Paul Holmgren decided to replace Jason Smith with more youth and mobility. Understandable. Up front, they added checking liners Glen Metropolit and Arron Asham, but made no changes to their top scoring lines. Veteran Jim Dowd is gone, and so is Patrick Thoresen, but I wonder in which of these minor moves exactly makes the Flyers better?

Panthers: Burnside says Sideways, I say Down
- I thought the Coyotes robbed the Panthers of Olli Jokinen. With so much fuss created over Jacques Martin wanting a “fair” return for Jokinen after the Panthers were completely fleeced by Vancouver, I still can’t believe Jokinen only went for Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton are now the team’s top forwards, and with all due respect to those two youngsters, they’re not exactly elite material, certainly not at Jokinen’s level. Their team remains largely the same, although they did land the Cory Stillman, however, neither him nor the other new incomers will be saving this team from the Eastern Conference cellar.

Thrashers: Burnside says Down, I say Up
- The biggest problem with the Thrashers is that they’re never going down or going up. They’re just stuck in perpetual mediocrity. Atlanta itself is a hard place to sell for a hockey player, and if you tack on a struggling hockey team it’s almost impossible - which I think why signing Ron Hainsey was so important (their defense isn’t as “woefully thin” as Burnside suggests). They cut dead weight in Alexei Zhitnik and Bobby Holik, which is a move in the right direction, and then fixed the Zhitnik trade debacle by drafting Zach Bogosian. Ilya Kovalchuk is still signed for a couple more years, which bodes well for Don Waddell, considering the fact that after Kovalchuk there really isn’t another marketable player on their roster. They’re very slowly improving, but it’s improvement nonetheless.

Blues: Burnside says Down, I say Sideways
- The only reason the Blues would be going down is because the West is so tough. The fact that the Blues were quiet on July 1st bodes well for the organization. They realized very quickly that the market was too expensive for them, and opted to improve from within. They got another excellent defenseman this year in Alex Pietrangelo, who will very likely form the best 1-2 punch in the league a couple years down the road with Erik Johnson. Instead of saddling themselves with potential bad contracts, the Blues played it smart and safe. They made no major improvements, but that doesn’t mean they’re going down.

Stars: Burnside says Up, I say Sideways
- Again, I’m a little confused as to why Burnside thinks the Stars are on their way up. He only makes mention of Sean Avery, and while he is a good hockey player, he doesn’t replace the combined production of the departed Niklas Hagman or Antti Miettinen. The Stars remain largely the same as last year’s, so I fail to see how this team is going up.

Kings: Burnside says Sideways, I say Down
- Obviously Burnside hasn’t seen the Kings defense yet, because it’s atrocious. They lost their two best defensemen in Rob Blake and Lubomir Visnovsky, but didn’t compensate for that loss in net or up front. Jarrett Stoll and Matt Greene will not be the big difference makers on this team, and it’ll be a long season for this young Kings squad.

Coyotes: Burnside says Sideways, I say Up
- Sometimes, I really wonder if Burnside even watches West hockey. He says that Jokinen helps Phoenix bring “much-needed size” down the middle, but I guess he clearly forgot that Martin Hanzal is 6′5″, 210 lbs. and Peter Mueller is 6′2″, 205 lbs. I’ve been going on about this team since they landed Jokinen, and I’m not about to change my stance. Losing Boynton and Ballard is not going to hurt as much as Burnside thinks, especially when they’ve brought in the very dependable Kurt Sauer and have Ilya Bryzgalov in net for the entire season. They’ve now got a first line centre for Shane Doan, and Jokinen and Sauer’s presence will no doubt speed up the maturing and development of Phoenix’s promising group of young forwards.