Frozen Pucks

July 18, 2008 10:30pm CDT

Radulov Saga Heats Up
Alexander Radulov was drafted 15th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft as an 18-year-old. After a couple of years in the minors, Radulov was promoted to Nashville, where he scored 18 goals in an abbreviated rookie season of 64 games. He followed up that performance with an even better second season of 26 goals and 58 points for Nashville, and the hope was that in his third season in the NHL he could really have a breakout campaign. However, things have taken a turn for the odd, and now the whole situation has become very muddled.

Radulov is entering the final season of a three-year deal and is scheduled to make just under $1 million this season. However, he has apparently grown home sick for Russia, and in order to quench that thirst he signed a three-year, $13 million deal to join the new Russian professional league called the Continental Hockey League (the league goes by KHL or the initials for the league in Russian). There's only one problem with that plan. As just mentioned, Radulov still has one year remaining on his current deal in the NHL, which makes the deal he has signed with the KHL highly questionable, especially since the NHL and Russia have just agreed to work with one another, moving forward in a cooperative way in which neither league will poach players from the other. In fact, the two leagues have worked out a deal to that effect, though the Russian league is now trying to exploit a loophole in the agreement. The new agreement was to officially start on July 10th, even though it was agreed to before then, and since Radulov signed his new deal on July 5th, the KHL is claiming that they are not in violation of the deal. Way to work with each other, guys. Of course, the NHL doesn't agree with that assessment.

"We are continuing our discussions with the IIHF and KHL to resolve the Radulov situation, with the intention of him returning to Nashville to play under the terms of his existing contract." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Thursday in the Tennessean.

In the latest twist on Friday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has suspended Radulov pending a full investigation. The have also suspended five other players, as well, including Nikita Filatov, Thomas Mojzis, Jason Krog, Fedor Fedorov and Viktor Tikhonov. "Until this investigation has come to its final conclusion and the IIHF has rendered its decisions, all concerned players will be suspended from international transfers and competitions," a statement from the IIHF reported on TSN.

However, the KHL, while understanding something must be done, has not agreed to abide by the IIHF ruling. "We do not accept the idea of suspending the contracts because this has not been agreed on by KHL and NHL," said KHL President Alexander Medvedev. "The mentioned players should not be made 'scapegoats' due to the fact that the Memorandum of Agreement has not been signed between the KHL and the NHL. In the absence of a signed Memorandum of Agreement between the KHL and the NHL, it is important to remember that the player is under contract with the individual clubs and the KHL can only enforce any such agreements with the NHL, once the Memorandum has been signed by all parties."

The bottom line here is that if you have been missing the allure of the drama of Grey's Anatomy in television's offseason, then all you need to know do is to scan the NHL pages daily, as the drama with this situation is sure to go on well into the summer. Radulov may or may not suit up this season in the NHL, but it would appear that his long term future in the NHL is in doubt, regardless of whatever decision is made on his status for this season.

Miller Re-Signs With Sabres
Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller signed a five-year, $31.25 million contract to remain the Sabres goalie through the 2013-14 season.

In his fifth season in the NHL, Miller set career highs in games (76), wins (36) and shutouts (three), as he firmly established himself as one of the top goalies in the fantasy game. However, Miller's 2.64 GAA was only barely below his career 2.69 mark and last season's .906 save percentage was actually lower than his career mark of .908. Miller also faded badly down the stretch, going 7-6-3 with an awful .882 GAA over his last 16 appearances, which leads to the obvious question of whether or not Miller can handle the physical toil that 70+ starts takes on one's body. Miller should be drafted as a starter in most fantasy leagues, but there might be better values out there.

Lehtonen Re-Signs with Thrashers
Restricted free agent Kari Lehtonen chose to re-up with the Thrashers this week, agreeing to a deal with Atlanta, though the specifics of the contract have not yet been revealed.

Lehtonen won 34 games with a .912 save percentage in 2006-07 in his third NHL season, the first time he appeared in more than 40 games at the NHL level. His performance that season raised expectations heading into last year, though Lehtonen was injured and ineffective at times. Limited to just 48 games, Lehtonen posted a poor 2.90 GAA, and due to the slump both he and the team suffered from, his record fell to 17-22-5. That performance did nothing to quell the perception that Lehtonen can't be counted on to be a #1 goalie because of his inability to remain healthy and productive over the course of an entire season.

However, there are a few facts that need to be pointed out. First, Lehtonen posted a .916 save percentage last season, the 15th best number in the league and just .001 behind the number posted by all-world goalie Roberto Luongo. That level of production leads many to believe that his poor record and SV% was the result of some exceedingly indifferent defensive work of his teammates. Second, Lehtonen didn't actually wear down at all last season, posting his best monthly save percentage in April (.925). Moreover, his save percentage in the second half was .924 and his 2.76 GAA, numbers that far surpassed his work in the first half (.908 and 3.03). Lehtonen will be undervalued on draft day, but he appears to have the makings of being a great number two goalie this season.

Horcoff Re-Signs with Oilers
Shawn Horcoff decided to sign a long-term extension with the Oilers this past week, inking his name on the dotted line for a six-year, $33 million dollar deal.

Horcoff is coming off a season in which he was named to the All-Star team, though his season was brought to an abrupt halt due to a knee injury that limited him to just 53 games, during which time he scored 21 goals and 50 points. When fully healthy in the 2006-07 season, Horcoff slumped to 51 points and a career worst (-22), this a year after a 22-goal, 73-point season in 2005-06. Still, Horcoff has produced points at a rate of 0.82 points per game the past three years, which would result in 67 points in an 82-game season. Horcoff's right winger, Ales Hemsky, has also dealt with injuries the past two seasons, but he, too, has been a solid point producer while on the ice (124 points in 138 games). If Horcoff and Hemsky stay healthy, and if the team makes the decision to place recently acquired gritty left winger Erik Cole on their line (an average of 33 goals per 82 games the past three years), then this could end up being one of the most dynamic scoring lines in the Western Conference with Horcoff having the skill and opportunity to record 75 points for the first time in his career.