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Tim Kennedy got up at 3 a.m. Thursday to catch an early-morning flight to New York and take part in his first informal workout with the Rangers. Once training camp comes, good luck to the South Buffalo product dealing with the wrath of John Tortorella.
You can read the full story on Kennedy's day from the Rangers' web site here.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
The Sabres have announced that they have re-signed veteran forward Matt Ellis to a one-year deal that will pay him $625,000 in the NHL and $105,000 if he's in Portland. Ellis made $500,000 last year before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Ellis, who turned 29 Tuesday, set career highs in games played (72), points (13) and assists (10) last season as a fourth-liner. He also scored a goal in Game Two of the playoff series against Boston.
Ellis is a favorite of coach Lindy Ruff and has been a popular player in the locker room since being claimed off waivers from Los Angeles in 2008. General Manager Darcy Regier had indicated last month that the team had opted to not bring back Ellis and Adam Mair and had not approached them about contracts, either for Buffalo or Portland. With a wealth of forwards already on hand, it's certainly feasible for Ellis to serve as forward depth here and a veteran presence in Portland.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
West Seneca native Lee Stempniak has reached a two-year agreement worth $3.5 million to remain with the Phoenix Coyotes. The winger will make $1.75 million in each of the next two seasons, according to the Arizona Republic. The deal is expected to be announced today.
Stempniak had been waiting to land a deal for two months as an unrestricted free agent but wound up in a crowded field of forwards looking for contracts. He expressed interest last month in playing for Buffalo, but there was very little, if any, serious discussions about the Sabres signing him. He ended up taking a 50 percent pay cut to stay with Phoenix.
The 27-year-old scored 14 goals and had 18 points in 18 games with the Coyotes, who acquired him at the trade deadline in a deal with Toronto. The former St. Francis and Buffalo Lightning star struggled with the Maple Leafs before becoming a key figure for the Desert Dogs down the stretch. Stempniak made $3.5 million last season.
He likely would have commanded much more in the open market after scoring 28 goals last season with Toronto and Phoenix, but teams across the league are either nudged against the cap or adhering to strict budgets. It has contributed to a massive logjam among forwards, many of whom still have not signed with training camps set to open in two weeks.
--- Bucky Gleason
South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy has reached a one-year contract agreement worth $550,000 with the New York Rangers, ending four weeks of misery after he was waived and had his contract bought out by his hometown Sabres.
Kennedy received a one-way deal, meaning he would be paid his full salary without worrying about being sent to the minors. It was one of several sticking points he had with the Sabres before negotiations broke down en route to him taking them to arbitration. The Sabres wanted him to accept a two-way deal that would allow them to send him to AHL Portland for much less money.
The 24-year-old was awarded a one-year deal worth $1 million in arbitration, $200,000 more than the Sabres offered him before contracts talks broke down. The arbitration amount was too low for the Sabres to walk away, so they elected to waive him and buy out the deal for $333,333.
Kennedy will still receive $883,333 total with his contract with the Rangers and the Sabres buyout cost added to this season. The Sabres are left with less depth and one fewer prospect who showed offensive potential after an inconsistent rookie year. Kennedy had 10 goals and 26 points during the regular season but came on strong late in the year and was among their top forwards in the playoffs.
--- Bucky Gleason
Fans who like their history and hockey mixed together ought to check out a fine, ever-improving Web site.
It's called "the Hockey Summary Project." You can find it here.
What's the goal? Merely for fans to be able to access every single game summary in the history of the National Hockey League.
OK, that's going to be tough. But the list of games keeps growing and going, as they are added to the database by the researchers. The entire history of the Sabres, game by game, is listed.
Remember a little bit about your first Sabre game? Are you in an argument over the details about what happened in a particular playoff game? This is the site for you.
It's going to be a great tool for hockey fans for years to come.
--- Budd Bailey
Another depth signing by the Sabres for the Portland Pirates: Former Atlanta forward Colin Stuart has signed a one-year contract with the team. It's a two-way deal that calls for a $550,000 NHL salary or $75,000 with Portland.
The 6-2, 205-pound Stuart had a career-high 36 points, including 17 goals, last year for Calgary's AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C. The 28-year-old played 51 games for Atlanta from 2007-09, scoring eight goals. He was the Thrashers' fifth-round pick in 2001.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
The NHL is planning to make a subtle change for the upcoming season that will eliminate shootout wins when determining the first tiebreaker in the standings. Only regulation and overtime wins will be used for the tiebreaking system. Victories of any kind had been used in the past.
ESPN.com reported that rule would be approved during board of governors meetings Sept. 14, a decision that sounded like little more than a formality. Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson proposed the move during meetings in March, and other GMs quickly jumped on board.
Apparently, league officials wanted more emphasis on team play to decide which teams finish higher in the standings. It's a good start, but it doesn't go far enough. If they want more weight on regulation and overtime play, it should be reflected in the standings all of the time rather than only in the case of ties.
I've never been a fan of a team getting a point in any loss, so here is my proposal: two points for a win in regulation or overtime, one for a win in a shootout and none for any loss.
--- Bucky Gleason
Guess Tim Kennedy's agent really blew this one. While the pride of South Buffalo sits home unemployed because he foolishly was told he was a million-dollar player, former Flyers winger Arron Asham -- an established player on a team that made the Stanley Cup finals -- signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Penguins Friday.
Asham had 10 goals and 14 assists last year. Kennedy had 10 goals, 16 assists. Looks like a million is not the going rate for 26-point rookies.
One other point: One year and $700,000 was what it took to get a guy with edge like Asham? Wish the Sabres would have gotten in on that action. There has been chatter they were involved. But I guess watching Drew Stafford muddle through another season will be worth twice the price.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Other than the set up of medical and statistical rooms in both arenas, everything is good to go in both facilities. Ederer said HSBC Arena, if it had ice set up, could host the tournament immediately. Here are audio clips from the press conference at HSBC Arena, which included Team USA General Manager and former Olympian Jim Johansson.
The big items of interest, other than more than half of the 386,000 tickets available for the event having already been sold (good news considering sales usually pick up in the fall according to tournament officials), revealed during the press conference is the Buffalo Bisons volunteering to open Coca-Cola Field for a winter-wonderland venue for fans in between games. There will be an ice rink set up in the outfield, a broom ball tournament, curling exhibition, fireworks, live entertainment and a pavilion that will have food and beverage from around the world. USA Hockey Assistant Executive Director Mike Bertsch also said the estimated economic impact the tournament will have on Western New York is between $50 million and $100 million.
The first clip is fairly long with Ederer, Bertsch, Ahern and Johansson all taking turns at the podium. USA Hockey Senior Communications Director Dave Fischer acted as the emcee. The second audio clip is Ederer with the final clip of interview with Ahern. This is the raw unedited version of the audio.
---Miguel RodriguezBig reminder on the ticket front: Individual-game ducats for the first 10 home games of the regular season go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. at Sabres.com, Tickets.com or by phone at 1-888-223-6000. The games that go on sale Saturday and their variable pricing designation are as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 9, NY Rangers (gold)
Monday, Oct. 11, Chicago (silver)
Wednesday, Oct. 13, New Jersey (value)
Friday, Oct. 15, Montreal (gold)
Friday, Oct. 22, Ottawa (silver)
Wednesday, Nov. 3, Boston (bronze)
Friday, Nov. 5, Montreal (gold)
Saturday, Nov. 13, Washington (silver)
Monday, Nov. 15, Vancouver (value)
Friday, Nov. 19, Los Angeles (silver)
There are some pretty good early-season deals here. Chicago, Washington and Ottawa as silvers certainly rate in that category as do Vancouver and New Jersey as value games.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
