Some news and notes:
- Mikhail Grabovski will be back with Maple Leafs after agreeing to three-year, $8.7-million raise. Not the big player that the Leafs have started to add, but very skilled and a good skater. Nice match with bigger, tougher players. However, needs to learn to keep his cool.
- Defenceman Jordan Leopold agreed to a one-year, $1.75-million US contract with the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Full kudos to Panthers management. They were maligned for not trading Bouwmeester away at the deadline because it was anticipated they would lose him and get no compensation. Instead they signed Leopold, a serviceable defenceman and a 3rd round draft pick. Well done.
- Another Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman has bolted after the team’s Stanley Cup win, as free agent Rob Scuderi has signed with the Los Angeles Kings for four years. He is an underrated defenceman(except in Pittsburgh) who should be a big help to the Kings young up-and-coming blue line.
- Canes forward Chad LaRose has signed a two-year contract that will pay him $1.5 million next year and $1.9 million in the second season, general manager Jim Rutherford said today.
- Free agent defenseman Adrian Aucoin has signed a 1-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, giving the team a veteran presence.
- Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is pumped to come to Edmonton in a deal he says is more about the timeline than the bottom line.
- Brian Gionta is looking forward to playing with Scott Gomez again.
- Mike Komisarek is fully aware that most of the fans he made during his years with the Montreal Canadiens consider him The Enemy now that he has joined the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
- The Koivu brothers could be united in Minnesota.
- In one fell swoop, Dany Heatley managed to alienate two of the six Canadian cities with NHL team.
