The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Since defenceman Nick Boynton's trade June 28 from the Boston Bruins to the Phoenix Coyotes, over 80 players have changed jerseys. When the lockout ended last summer and owners got their salary cap, the new collective bargaining agreement changed the landscape of the game. The biggest trade of the off-season so far has been between the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers when the Canucks sent Todd Bertuzzi, defenceman Bryan Allen and goalie Alex Auld to the sunshine state for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a draft pick. Another major move involved the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks when the Oilers granted star defenceman Chris Pronger's trade request and got youngster Joffrey Lupul and prospects in return. The most recent move prior to the weekend came from Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens finally wheeled and dealed last Wednesday. GM Bob Gainey signed unrestricted forward Sergei Samsonov, who split last season between the Boston Bruins and Oilers. Gainey also made two trades, bringing Mike Johnson from the Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth-round draft pick in 2007 and returning Richard Zednik to the Washington Capitals for a third-round pick in the same year. The Canadiens also re-signed goalie David Aebischer to compete for the starter's job with Cristobal Huet. Previous to the Canadiens trade was a three-way deal between the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. On July 9, the three teams made a deal that saw sniper Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski head to the Windy City. Sportsnet reported that the Hawks originally traded Mark Bell to the Sharks for Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy, who were then sent to the Senators along with Michal Barinka and a 2008 second-round draft pick. The Hawks have signed Havlat to a three-year deal worth $18 million. With all the craziness in the NHL, there should be a category for odd moves. At the top of the list has to be the Detroit Red Wings, who as of July 13 were close to signing former Toronto Maple Leaf goalie Ed Belfour. Belfour was prepared to sign for what has been reported by Sportsnet as being a $500,000 contract, with incentives, for one season. Red Wings GM Ken Holland decided to go in a different direction in net and informed Manny Legace they wouldn't re-sign him. In 51 games, Legace collected a 37-8 record with seven shutouts, a 2.19 goals against average and .915 save percentage. A first round loss to the Oilers ended his time in 'Hockeytown'. The second one is Doug Weight leaving the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent to return to the St. Louis Blues.
