Empty Netter Assists - 07-13-12
Penguins
-"I can play forward. It doesn’t matter if its left wing, right wing or center." - Penguins forward Dominik Uher.
-Zach Sill (above) does things his own way.
-Evgeni Malkin didn't really give Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar a choice in helping him train in Russia this summer.
Atlantic Division
-Devils forward/enforcer/world thinker Cam Janssen (right) appeared on an Internet radio station recently and touched based on subjects such as the Kings who he referred to as fat women he had intercourse with, his motivations to injure opponents and how a player who allegedly committed homosexual acts would be beat up.
-EN Says: We really have no witty punchline aside from pointing out that someone who gets punched in the head for a living can be prone to saying stupid things.
Northeast Division
-The Bruins re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a one-year two-way contract. A native of Mt. Lebanon, Bartkowski, 23, appeared in three NHL games last season and did not record a point.
-The Canadiens re-signed restricted free agent forward Aaron Palushaj to a one-year two-way contract.
-The Sabres will construct a statue of the famed "French Connection" line composed of Rick Martin, Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert.
Southeast Division
-The Panthers signed former Avalanche forward Peter Mueller (right) to a one-year contract worth a total of $1.725 million. In 32 games last season, Muller scored 16 points (seven goals, nine assists).
-EN Says: This is a low-risk high-reward move for the Panthers. A former first-round pick who has scored 22 goals in this league, Mueller has talent. But concussions have disrupted his career in recent years. If he can get past this issue, he's capable of being a top-six forward. If not, the Panthers aren't committed beyond a season.
Central Division
-"It's playing in Detroit, or nowhere else." - Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom on his future. He is considering retirement.
Northwest Division
-Former Penguins forward Brett Sterling joined the Chicago Wolves, Vancouver's AHL affiliate.
Pacific Division
-The Ducks re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Teemu Selanne (right) to a one-year contract worth a total of $4.5 million. Selanne, 42, appeared in all 82 games last season and scored 66 points (26 goals, 40 assists).
-EN Says: We don't care what team you pledge allegiance to. If you're a hockey fan in general, Selanne holding off retirement for another season is great news for you. Even if he's not a 40-goal threat like he used to be, Selanne is still a viable first-liner who can score in any situation. Additionally, he's a highly respected veteran voice to not just his own teammates, but the entire league in general. On top of that, he's just fun to watch. If you don't like watching Teemu Selanne, you're not a hockey fan. If the Ducks are scheduled to play in your team's building next season, buy a ticket to watch the Finnish Flash while you can.
-The Ducks released this excellent video in conjunction with Selanne's re-signing:
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-Anaheim re-signed restricted free agent forward Nick Bonino to a two-year contract worth a total of $1.4 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $700,000. In 50 games last season, Bonino, 24, scored 18 points (five goals, 13 assists).
-EN Says: Bonino is a decent option as a third- or fourth-line center.
-Kings backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier says he expects to be traded before the start of training camp.
-EN Says: The 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Bernier (right) was expected to be the Kings' goaltender of the future. Until he was ready, the Kings sort of installed Jonathan Quick as a placeholder to keep the crease warm for Bernier. Well... somewhere along the way, Quick became the best goaltender in the NHL and Bernier became trade bait. Bernier has talent. He has potential to be a starter in this league. He can fetch a handsome return in terms of a trade. Granted, him saying he expect a trade to happen soon is a bit peculiar, but it's only a matter of time before it happens.
-San Jose re-signed unrestricted free agent forward John McCarthy to a two-year contract. The 2012-13 season will be a two-way deal while the 2013-14 season will be a one-way deal. He will have a salary cap hit of $612,500 at the NHL level. In 10 NHL games last season, he had no points.
-The Sharks re-signed restricted free agent forward Frazer McLaren to a one-year two-way contract.
-San Jose reached an affiliation agreement with the ECHL's San Francisco Bulls.
-The Stars re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Richard Bachman (right) to a one-year contract worth $625,000. In 18 games last season, Bachman had an 8-5-1 record along with a 2.77 goals against average, .910 save percentage and one shutout.
-EN Says: Bachman has a solid showing last season as the Stars' backup goaltender. He is in a position to pick up more of a workload and take some games off the hands of starter Kari Lehtonen.
-The Stars re-signed restricted free agent forward Colton Sceviour to a one-year two-way contract.
Norris Division
-Former Oilers/Blue Jackets/Lightning defenseman Mathieu Roy has joined the Hamburg Freezers of Germany's DEL.
-Former Sabres/Lightning/Stars/Red Wings defenseman Doug Janik has joined Adler Mannheim of Germany's DEL.
(Photos: Sill-Peter Diana/Post-Gazette; Janssen and Bachman-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Mueller-Victor Decolongon/Getty Images; Selanne-Harry How/Getty Images; Bernier-Dave Sandford /Getty Images)