Beloved Finnish defenseman Kimmo Timonen was feted by thousands of fans in his hometown of Kuopio.
Just last month, Timonen, 40, ended his career on a high note:
The city of Kuopio has a population of around 110,000. Other hockey players from Kuopio include Olli Jokinen and Sami Kapanen.
PHT’s Morning Skate takes a look around the world of hockey to see what’s happening and what we’ll be talking about around the NHL world and beyond.
With the free agent period about to begin, what players are the Pittsburgh Penguins likely to target to bolster their top two lines? (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
The Philadelphia Flyers will hold Kimmo Timonen’s retirement ceremony on Oct. 14 when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. (Flyers.nhl.com)
Here’s a thorough look at the situation in Buffalo after GM Tim Murray’s flurry of moves. (Puck Daddy)
Expectations are high for Avalanche GM Joe Sakic going into the free agent frenzy. (Denver Post)
Calgary has Dougie Hamilton locked up, so now the focus will shift back to re-signing Mark Giordano. (Calgary Sun)
Could Matt Beleskey end up with Toronto? (Toronto Sun)
The Columbus Blue Jackets have named assistant general manager Bill Zito the general manager of the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters the team announced on Tuesday.
Zito has been in his role with the Blue Jackets for two years. According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, Zito has been responsible for many of the club’s big contract negotiations including Ryan Johansen, Brandon Dubinsky and Sergei Bobrovsky.
“I’m honored and excited to take on this challenge,” Zito said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Lake Erie organization.”
Zito will maintain his current role with the Jackets and oversee all hockey operations efforts for Lake Erie.
The 50-year-old replaces Chris MacFarland who left the Blue Jackets in May to join the Colorado Avalanche.
Prior to joining the Blue Jackets in August 2013, Zito spent two decades as an agent Acme World Sports representing the likes of Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask and Kimmo Timonen.
Much like in 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks are celebrating a triumphant Stanley Cup win. The unfortunate similarity seems to be that, with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane getting raises, key supporting cast members are likely out.
With the salary cap ceiling officially set at $71.4 million, that reality is even setting in for Toews, who shared this sobering comment during media availability heading into the 2015 NHL Awards.
“All of a sudden, it does feel a lot like 2010, where it’s imminent,” Toews said, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.
In a way, it’s a metaphorical hangover from a Stanley Cup celebration … although Toews & Co. might still be recovering from (and creating new) literal ones.
As of this moment, General Fanager pegs Chicago’s cap space at about $7.35 million. That figure includes eight forwards, three defensemen and three goalies (Chicago has some breathing room with Scott Darling’s 2015-16 season being two-way). It also doesn’t include free agent concerns, which is certainly relevant with UFAs such as Johnny Oduya and RFAs including standout Brandon Saad.
Indeed, looking at this situation, it’s easy to see parallels from that first Toews-Kane-era Cup win, when the Blackhawks let Antti Niemi go following arbitration while being forced to trade away the likes of Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd.
Those losses hurt as the Blackhawks limped into the 2011 postseason, yet they obviously bounced back.
In case you’re wondering, GM Stan Bowman is currently gauging the value of trade pieces such as Patrick Sharp, as ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports.
LeBrun notes that Chicago would be willing to take salary back in potential moves, though only to a certain extent. Getting something done fast would grease the wheels, too:
What is preferable for the Blackhawks, however, is to make the deal happen before the draft, in a perfect world. That way they could recoup a draft pick, which is key given what they gave up from this year’s draft for Antoine Vermette (a first-round pick, 30th overall) and Kimmo Timonen (second-round pick, 61st overall). Mind you, the Blackhawks do have the 54th-overall selection, a compensatory pick for not signing 2010 pick Kevin Hayes.
In other words, it’s wise for Toews to realize that times are changing … because some big moves could be coming as soon as this week.
Here’s video from the Chicago-Sun Times:
PHT’s Morning Skate takes a look around the world of hockey to see what’s happening and what we’ll be talking about around the NHL world and beyond.
Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec answers a burning question for many of us who lost our pronunciation guides:
Q: So how do you pronounce your name?
A: PLEK-a-nets (laughs). Really, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care at all anymore. I’m fine when people say it Ple-CAN-ek, but it’s PLEK-a-nets.
It’s probably good that he’s laid back about the situation, right? /Flubs his name out of habit. (Click here for the full Q & A at Habs Inside/Out)
Ten big trade candidates at the upcoming 2015 NHL Draft. Yes, there’s at least one Blackhawk on the list. (The Hockey News)
Another look at Kimmo Timonen’s long-awaited moment with the Cup. (Greatest Hockey Legends)
A strong argument that the ‘Hawks are, indeed, worthy of the “dynasty” moniker. (Five Thirty Eight)
In case you’re wondering, yes, Patrick Kane rocked the playoff mullet back in 2010 as well.
Considering what the Chicago Blackhawks defenseman went through – and how much Chicago strained in his absence – it’s cool to see Michal Rozsival hoisting the Stanley Cup: