After 696 points in 973 regular season games, not to mention his 116 points in 124 playoff games, Daniel Briere has announced his retirement. Thanks for all the memories, and here's wishing him the best as he moves on from what was a great career.
Young pup: Danny Briere during his first full #NHL season with the Coyotes in 1998. pic.twitter.com/lHZ9CRlVma
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) August 17, 2015
Briere was deemed way too small in early days, traded for 6’3″ 220-pound Chris Gratton. In NHL career: Briere, 696 pts, Gratton 568
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) August 17, 2015
Daniel Briere announces retirement today. Excelled as a small player before the game opened up. Class act. Should have won Smythe in 2010.
— Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) August 17, 2015
What is your favorite Danny Briere #Flyers moment? We look at a few candidates: http://t.co/4VsbwvUoau #FlyersTalk pic.twitter.com/bU8uIX5T0t
— Flyerdelphia (@Flyerdelphia) August 18, 2015
And now the news.
Central Division
The Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly signed something called a Nolan Valleau to an entry-level contract. Have to restock the blueline cupboard after losing both Johns and Paliotta this offseason. (Second City Hockey)
Real tough news for Chicago prospect Phillip Danault, who looks to be sidelined for at least three months following hip surgery. Which reminds me, does anybody care that Marcus Kruger still remains unsigned? (Second City Hockey)
Marcus Krüger skriver autografer o Johnny Oduya är fotomodell med bucklan på Friends. pic.twitter.com/Tq609n6fTk
— Sven Gustavsson (@DNsvempa) August 18, 2015
Carolina Hurricanes defenceman John-Michael Liles has been skating in Denver this offseason, which has given him a chance to see new Colorado blueliner Nikita Zadorov first-hand. Liles even got in on the d-pairing speculation: "If he and Tyson (Barrie) can get some good chemistry together, that will be huge". (Denver Post)
Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker and Erik Haula are your three Wild players poised for a breakout in 2015-16. When we list Thomas Vanek again for the 2016-17 season, we'll know something went wrong. (The Hockey Writers)
As part of the NHL All-Star Game celebrations, the Nashville Predators will be building an outdoor rink just across from the Country Music Hall of Fame. The All-Star Game is much-maligned at times, but sometimes we don't give the local fun and outreach it can bring about enough credit. (News Channel 5)
Patrick Williams helped grace us with Jets Day on NHL.com yesterday, and saw fit to explain some of his thought process on Twitter:
Deliberated long and hard about slotting Armia ahead of Petan. Came down to Armia being more NHL-ready right now for this season.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) August 17, 2015
Long term, I still see Petan having more upside than Armia. Quite a bit more, actually. But I expect Petan to need fair amount of AHL time.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) August 17, 2015
The #NHLJets prospects section was definitely the most difficult section to put together. Couldn’t even fit Comrie, 2015 picks, etc.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) August 17, 2015
Also could see Morrissey pushing his way into line-up before the end of season. Pushing out Pardy, Harrison or (maybe) Clitsome is doable.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) August 17, 2015
And, yeah, I think extremely highly of Hellebuyck’s potential, even though goalies are unpredictable. Basically carried IceCaps on his back.
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsNHL) August 17, 2015
And All The Rest
The Anaheim Ducks have signed Mike Santorelli to a one-year contract worth $875,000. This is a team which is starting to look real good on paper for next season. Is there anything they don't have at this point? (Orange County Register)
Versatile Santorelli slips in as 3rd line pivot or W. Rakell there is intriguing too. pic.twitter.com/5FqDBzYugg
— Gus Katsaros (@KatsHockey) August 17, 2015
Good teams continue to get better. Can’t block the kids though, I guess. https://t.co/tSa9ujkMn4
— Ryan Blight (@arby_18) August 17, 2015
The NHL has reportedly kicked Reebok to the curb in favour of having Adidas design the league’s jerseys, which may cause a more “radical” change than you’d expect. (ProHockeyTalk)
P.J. Axelsson continues to grow as a European scout for Boston. For reasons I don't fully understand, he was always one of my favourite Bruins growing up. (Boston Globe)
Matt Beleskey wants to get started disappointing Bruins fans right now. He has an adorable doggie though, so there's that. (NHL)
I've already remarked upon how Boston and Cody Franson should just kiss already, and Christian Ehrhoff continues to be in the same boat. (Yahoo! Sports)
Josh Gorges is unsurprisingly excited for the coming season. I think we're all waiting with anticipation to see what the Buffalo Sabres can be this season. (Montreal Gazette)
The Calgary Flames are set to unveil their planned successor to the Saddledome, plans which reportedly include a hockey arena, football stadium and amateur sports field house. (Calgary Herald)
GM Dean Lombardi is PHT's pick for their Under Pressure series, and it sounds about right to me. Having Milan Lucic for a year at just $3,250,00 is still pretty nice, at least. (ProHockeyTalk)
Great news out of Pittsburgh, as Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis skated for the first time at the team's new practice facility. Here's hoping everything goes well in his attempt to play this season. (NHL)
It's San Jose's turn to speculate on line combinations. They've got Raffi Torres penciled in on the fourth line; it'll be interesting to see what he can bring to the table after being ravaged by injury. (Fear the Fin)
And finally, Henrik and Daniel Sedin go head-to-head in a game of H-O-R-S-E. So far as entertaining Canucks videos go, this is pretty close to a must-watch. (CBC)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to say which cheap, competent depth player you think the Jets won't sign next in the Comments section below.
