The first month or so of the off season seemed to fly by but now things have slowed to a snail's pace.
The excitement of the draft and free agency are in the rearview and have been replaced by the doom and gloom of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. As we hit another slow day in August, here are a few pieces of news and notes to get you through this rainy Friday.
- After being bought out by the Ottawa Senators a couple weeks back, forward Bobby Butler has found a new home in the NHL. Butler has signed on with the defending Eastern Conference champion, New Jersey Devils. It's a one year, two way contract. Apparently Butler was exploring a number of offers, including a couple options overseas, but decided that the Devils were his best chance to return to the National Hockey League. Best of luck, Bobby!
- While all the focus in Anaheim remains zeroed in on the future of winger Bobby Ryan, teams have begun to circle the Ducks, to check on the availability of a couple UFAs to be in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. If the Ducks do decide to make either of those players available, you can expect Bryan Murray to kick the tires a little bit. Especially in the case of Corey Perry. Murray drafted Perry while he was with the Ducks and is obviously a big fan.
- As Sens fans look ahead to the start of training camp in a month, Commissioner Gary Bettman sent out a harsh reminder of just how important the current CBA negotiations are. Bettman emphasized that if there isn't a new CBA by September 15, he will not hesitate to lock the players out. That leaves a little over a month to get something done. Really wish the two sides would cut the media posturing BS and get to work! The group with the least influence in these negotiations is also the group with the most to lose, and that's the fans.
- Mentioned this on Twitter the other day, but I recently picked up a copy of Behind the Moves. This book tells the story of NHL GMs and the thought process behind being a manager in the best league in the world. I'll be posting interesting bits and pieces from that book over the remainder of the summer. Once I'm done, I think we'll do a contest of some sort for my copy of the book.
- A reminder to pick up your tickets for the Boat Cruise and Fireworks Spectacular in support of Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Be sure to select the tickets for SensChirp option when making your purchase. Hope to see some of you on the boat!
- Going to be off the grid for a couple days. I foolishly agreed to a camping trip this weekend which coincedentally, is the first rainy freakin' weekend of the summer. Should Sens news break, and I would be shocked if it did, keep an eye on the comment section for all the latest.
