From TSN.ca:

Sources tell TSNRobNiedermayeris in negotiations with the KHL’s (CSKA) Moscow Red Army and failing an NHL team surfacing with a suitable offer within the next few days, the veteran forward will sign a one-year contract to play in Russia.

Sources say Niedermayer has received some interest from NHL teams, but none of the offers have been considered financially worthy.

Niedermayer won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, but seems to be caught in the salary cap crunch a number of NHL teams are faced with.

Former NHLerSergeiNemchinovis CSKA’s head coach and general manager.

One year ago Bobby Ryan scored twice in the Ducks’ preseason opener, a 6-4 win over the San Jose Sharks. Back then, Ryan was merely trying to make the team’s opening-day roster as a rookie. He was quiet the rest of the preseason and was forced to begin the regular season not in Anaheim but in Des Moines, Iowa, due in part to salary-cap constraints.

The result was the same, but the circumstances could not have been more different when the Ducks’ 2009 preseason began Wednesday.

Ryan, who finished 2008 as a Calder Trophy candidate and the Ducks’ second-leading goal scorer, was wearing an alternate captain’s “A” against the Phoenix Coyotes. Flanked by rookies Dan Sexton and Peter Holland, Ryan scored both goals in regulation, and another in the shootout, in the Ducks’ 3-2 victory.
Continue reading “What a difference a year makes for Bobby Ryan.” »

1. Randy Carlyle chose Joffrey Lupul, Sheldon Brookbank and Bobby Ryan as alternate captains for the game. His reason? “Just some guys that have some experience and whatnot with our group. I don’t think it’s fair to give it to a first-year member of your organization, and we had lots of them in our lineup.”

Bobby Ryan repeated his feat of a year ago, scoring twice in the Ducks’ first game of the preseason, and tacked on another in the shootout to help beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2 on Wednesday.

Here is the lineup the Ducks expect to use on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks at Honda Center:

70-Brittain                                 11-Koivu                                    10-Perry
32-Calder                                  48-Ebbett                                  8-Selanne
52-Donally                                 22-Marchant                              16-Parros
61-McCue                                 64-McMillan                               47-Weller
 
                        27-Niedermayer                         73-Clark
                        43-Mitera                                   34-Wisniewski
                        19-Whitney                                71-Warg
                                                35-Giguere
                                                31-Pogge

The Phoenix Coyotes’ training camp media guide features an interesting slogan/logo on its front page: “WE PLAY FOR YOU,” with an outline of the state of Arizona in the background. Here’s what it looks like: http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?id=45908

The guess here is that the slogan/logo (slogo?) was intended to allay fears that the franchise could move to Canada. But with the battle for ownership (and possible relocation) still in court, the better slogan might be: “WE PLAY FOR WHOEVER THE JUDGE TELLS US TO PLAY FOR.”

Defenseman Bret Hedican, who played 51 games for the Ducks in 2008-09 before injuries cut short his season, is retiring from the NHL.

The Minnesota native told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “Looking back, I remember Curt Giles saying my first year, ‘Bret, enjoy every day because it’s going to go by really quick. I remember thinking that’s crazy. Now looking back at my 17 years, man, it flew by. I’m really happy at my career and have no regrets.”

Continue reading “Hedican makes retirement official.” »

Jassen Cullimore and Kyle Calder each have a lot going for
them in Ducks’ training camp.

They are experienced, but not old. In intrasquad scrimmages,
both players have shown at least flashes of the skills that have allowed them
to play a combined 23 NHL seasons. And for what it’s worth, they’ve been
assigned relatively low jersey numbers (32 for Calder and 40 for Cullimore),
not the higher ones reserved for minor-league and junior-league players, a
superficial suggestion that they’re not about to get cut.

Continue reading “Cullimore and Calder: Who they are, what they’re doing here.” »

After their third intrasquad scrimmage in three days, Randy
Carlyle guaranteed that the Ducks are tired of playing other Ducks. The fans aren’t
tired of watching it — there were several hundred in the crowd at Anaheim ICE
on Tuesday morning — but it’s clear by now that some players are looking to hit
a bit harder than they’re able to against their own teammates.

Continue reading “Notes from Day 3 of camp.” »

From the Ducks staff:

Several Ducks veterans who will not dress for the preseason games on Wednesday and Thursday will welcome fans back by working at various Honda Center locations.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., players will work alongside Ducks/Honda Center staff members at locations such as the box office, team store, and concession stands. There will be a listing at the Fan Zone (located across from section 210) as to what players are participating and where they are located.