We dish up some bite-sized helpings of NHL news!
The dream is dead, Anaheim Ducks fans:
Alexander Semin has been signed by the Montreal Canadiens: http://t.co/qQYTg6ExYq pic.twitter.com/UU05o2A8Gf
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) July 24, 2015
Okay, okay: I know a lot of you did not share my opinion when it came to Alexander Semin. While I saw a virtually no-risk move on the part of the Ducks should they have brought Semin to SoCal, many of you saw a player who could cause a distraction or erode the chemistry in Anaheim’s locker room.
We’ll never know who would have been right, but for a team like the Montreal Canadiens, who badly needed a scoring boost, signing Semin was a smart move. Personally, I hope he explodes this season for between 70-80 points.
Thursday, I gave you some details regarding Braden Holtby’s wish list when it came to his extension with the Washington Capitals; Friday, the Caps inked a five-year extension with Holtby that will pay him a lot of money, although not as much as he wanted:
"Holtby requested $8 million in arbitration, but the Capitals had offered him $5.1 million, according to Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports. The goalie earned $2 million in 2014–15, with a $1.85 million cap hit.Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman reports that Holtby will earn $3.5 million next season with a $3 million bonus before earning $7 million for two years and $5 million for the final two years of the contract."
Re-signing Holtby was a no-brainer for Washington, but at least they talked him down from his absurd $8 million per season stance, which would have made him the second-highest paid goaltender in the NHL.
Finally, Yahoo! Sports has released its Top 25 NHL players for each position heading into the 2015-2016 campaign. Find out which members of the Anaheim Ducks made the cut!