MVN - Most Valuable Network

Canadiens Add to Rivalry, Signing Laraque

Boston, MA- The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens looks like it will be even better when the two teams meet up this season. Just two days after Boston signed former Canadien Michael Ryder, Montreal responded by adding a couple of players as well. The first of those was veteran netminder Marc Denis. With Carey Price the clear favorite to be the club’s starting goaltender, it appears that Denis will be competing with Jaroslav Halak to determine who will be the backup. The other signing was tough guy Georges Laraque. Fans who have watched Laraque in the past know that he has the reputation as one of the best fighters in the NHL. Adding him to Montreal’s roster will certainly add some intensity to the rivalry, and could produce some great bouts against the likes of Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, or Zdeno Chara.

A few other teams made splashes in the free agent market on Thursday. Two days after re-signing Michal Rozsival and adding Wade Redden for a combined total of $59 million over ten seasons, the New York Rangers were back at it again, dishing out some more dough. The Blueshirts started the day by signing former Vancouver Canucks all-star Markus Naslund to a two-year contract worth $8 million. Later, New York brought in defenseman Dmitri Kalinin from the Buffalo Sabres for a one-year deal. Even with Jaromir Jagr still undecided for next season, the Rangers are certainly building their team for a run.

If the New York Rangers expect to contend for a Stanley Cup, they will have to get past one of their division rivals to do. That team is the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. While the Rangers were out acquiring players on Thursday, Pittsburgh was doing the same. First, the Penguins went out into the free agent market and snagged a pair of forwards to add to their mix. Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko each signed on with Pittsburgh for one season. Fedotenko’s deal is worth $2.5 million, while Satan’s is good for $3.5 million. These two players should be familiar with each other after spending this past season together with the New York Islanders. The Penguins then looked within the organization and locked up restricted free agent Marc-Andre Fleury to a lengthy seven-year deal worth a total of $35 million. There should be no question as to who Pittsburgh is looking at between the pipes to bring them their next cup. Fleury’s signing comes one day after Pittsburgh extended Evgeni Malkin through the 2009-10 season.

Other moves on Thursday saw former Ottawa Senators’ enforcer Brian McGrattan join the likes of Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery by heading out west. McGrattan, restricted free agent Matt Jones, and unrestricted free agent David Hale all signed on with the Phoenix Coyotes. Veteran defenseman Rob Blake will be back in California for another season, but has switched cities from Los Angeles to San Jose. His contract is for one year and $5 million. Daniel Tjarnqvist is back in North America after a season in Russia. He signed on with the Colorado Avalanche.

While the Boston Bruins remained silent for the second day in a row, there were two players from within the organization that will no longer call Boston and Providence home during the 2008-09 season. Defenseman Brett Skinner hopped over to the New York Islanders, while Steve MacIntyre headed south to the Florida Panthers.

Brett Skinner has spent just three seasons in professional hockey following three years at the University of Denver, but has already played for four different American Hockey League teams. Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, Skinner broke in with the Manitoba Moose during the 2005-06 season, scoring four goals, and adding 21 assists for 25 points. In 2006-07, Brett found himself with the Anaheim organization, beginning the year with the Portland Pirates. After putting up 18 points in 41 games in Portland, he was loaned to the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (former Calgary affiliate). In 21 games with the Knights, he was able to pick up six assists. This past season, Skinner went to Anaheim training camp, but was traded to the Boston Bruins along with fellow defenseman, Nathan Saunders. Providence was a team that brought out the best in Brett Skinner. In 68 games, the 25 year old scored seven goals, but exploded for 40 assists, giving him 47 points. He also became a specialist in shootouts, scoring eight times on 12 attempts, four of which were game winners.

Steve MacIntyre might not have lit up the scoreboard in his one season with the Providence Bruins, but he certainly new how to bring the Dunkin Donuts Center crowd to its’ feet. MacIntyre had previously gotten a couple of opportunities with the Hartford Wolf Pack, but had never played in a full season at the AHL level until this past season with the P-Bruins. In 62 games, the 27 year old did pick up two goals and three assists while spending 213 minutes in the penalty box. If the Panthers end up assigning “Big Mac” to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, he will make one return trip to Providence. That night, it is almost certain that he will get a nice ovation from the fans, showing their appreciation for his ability to pummel the opposition during the 2007-08 season. This past season, Steve dropped the gloves a grand total of 19 times (including one during the playoffs), and won the majority of the fights convincingly.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 12:11 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.