It’s hard to believe, after all these years, that the decision on the Phoenix Coyotes future in Arizona could possibly be decided tonight. Gary Bettman has set July 2nd as the NHL’s deadline for a decision in Glendale, with the threat of Seattle as an alternative home for the franchise in his back pocket.
The city council will meet and then vote on the proposed arena deal that hopes to keep the Coyotes in the desert, but Craig Fouhy of ABC 15 believes the city may push for a re-working of the language of the deal, which already includes a 5-year out-clause for the city if they feel the agreement isn’t lucrative for themselves.
Will Bettman extend the deadline if that is necessary? Will the city do what it takes to keep the team in the Jobing.com arena? Will the only time Max Domi wears a Phoenix Coyotes jersey be his draft day? We very likely could know the answers to all of these questions before the sun comes up tomorrow morning. [ABC15]
The New York Islanders wish they had a 5 year out-clause with their contract with their albatross, Rick DiPietro. Instead, they’ve finally decided to just swallow the pain and buy out the remainder of his fifteen year contract, that wasn’t set to expire until 2021. As part of the buyout, DiPietro will get yearly checks from the Islanders for 1.5 million dollars, every year until 2029… to NOT play for them. [Business Week]
The New York Islanders have also announced they will not toll the final year of Tim Thomas’s contract, as he was never really part of their organization to begin with. The former Bruins Stanley Cup hero is looking to make a comeback after a one year absence from the game, with many expecting the Philadelphia Flyers to be the front runners for his services. [Associated Press]
Thomas hopes to be the starting goaltender for Team USA in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which is looking more and more likely to feature NHL talent once again. While no agreement has been reached yet, one is expected very soon on what is considered a formality at this point in the negotiations. [Sentinel and Enterprise]
The game of musical creases isn’t over with just yet, as the Buffalo Sabres are still trying to move Ryan Miller, who isn’t that far removed from being considered one of the elite netminders in the game. One has to wonder if all he needs is a change of scenery. [CBS]
The Dallas Stars aren’t the only team after Vincent Lecavalier’s services. He met with the Detroit Red Wings, who always seem to be in the mix when it comes to players the Stars covet. [Oakland Press]
If you saw the Detroit Red Wings draft a T. Bertuzzi on Sunday, you weren’t hallucinating, and Todd Bertuzzi did not find the fountain of youth. Tyler Bertuzzi is Todd’s nephew, and his uncle is tickled pink to be in the same organization with family. [Manistee News]
It’s never too soon to look ahead to next year’s draft, which is exactly what ESPN is doing. While it’s not expected to be nearly as deep as the 2013 draft, 2014 will once again have some highly sought after blue chippers. Hopefully the Dallas Stars will be a little further away from the top 10 with their picks this time, though. [ESPN]
Former NHL defenseman Bryan Berard is fighting to recover millions of dollars lost in a complicated financial scam that affected him and more than a dozen other players. Those involved include former Dallas Star Jere Lehtinen and current Star Sergei Gonchar. This is a bit of a long read, but it’s totally worth your time. [Daily News]
One of my favorite articles over at Puck Daddy every year is the collection of awkward photos taken by the NHL after the selections. This year is no exception. [Yahoo!]
One of Defending Big D’s favorite selection in the 2013 Draft is Cole Ully, who very well might be one of the steals of the draft for the Dallas Stars. Today’s video is a collection of his highlights for the Kamloops Blazers last year. From one Cole to another, I’m impressed.