Penguins acquire Thibault
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed veteran goaltender Jocelyn Thibault to a two-year, $3 million contract yesterday after acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fourth-round pick in next year's draft.
Thibault, 30, became expendable to the Blackhawks after they signed Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year, $27 million deal that made him the NHL's highest-paid goaltender on Friday.
''Jocelyn brings a wealth of experience to our goaltending corps and will help us tremendously as we move forward," Penguins general manager Craig Patrick said.
Thibault has played in 536 NHL games, with a 2.69 goals-against average, 36 shutouts, and a 227-217-68 record. Thibault has played in more than 60 games in four of his last five seasons, all with Chicago. Thibault played for Quebec, Colorado, and Montreal before being traded to the Blackhawks during the 1998-99 season.
The Penguins had been shopping for another veteran goaltender to complement the highly regarded but unproven Marc-Andre Fleury, and their other young goalie, Sebastien Caron.
Thibault is the Penguins' fourth acquisition since the NHL solved its labor dispute. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, high-scoring forward Zigmund Palffy, and winger Andre Roy are the others.
Turning toward Turin
A final agreement for NHL participation in the Turin Olympics might be close. Officials from the NHL, the league's players association, and executives of the International Ice Hockey Federation will meet today in Zurich.
''We expect to have a definitive answer on the contract by Monday," said Bill Daly, the new NHL deputy commissioner.
The NHL's participation at the Olympics depends on the Russians and Czechs signing the player transfer agreement, which increases the compensation the NHL pays European federations in exchange for signing players. Under the new five-year plan, the NHL would pay $12.5 million annually to a development fund managed by the sport's governing body. That's a $3.5 million increase from the previous deal.
A player picked first overall in the NHL draft is worth $900,000, with each successive pick down to 30th decreasing by $20,000. Later draft picks are valued at $150,000 each. The Czechs feel the minimum payment is too low.
The new formula was designed largely to satisfy the Russian clubs, who regularly lose their top prospects to the NHL. Russian teams want to negotiate their own transfer deals directly with NHL clubs so they can get more money.
Canucks keep twins
As teams continued to fill their rosters, the Canucks were able to keep the Sedin twins in Vancouver for another season. Daniel and Henrik Sedin both agreed to one-year contracts, and they will be looking to build off career years from the 2003-04 season. Daniel Sedin finished fourth on the team in scoring with 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists), and Henrik Sedin provided 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) . . . The Flyers retained goalie Robert Esche, who agreed to a two-year contract. Esche was 21-11-7 with a 2.04 GAA for Philadelphia during the 2003-04 season. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg accepted the Flyers' qualifying offer . . . Winger Martin Havlat, who scored a career-best 31 goals for the Senators in 2003-04, re-signed with Ottawa for one year. The Senators also inked center Mike Fisher to a three-year deal . . . Defenseman Andrew Ference, a valuable cog in Calgary's run to the 2004 Stanley Cup finals, re-signed with the Flames in a deal that will pay him $750,000 next season . . . Jan Hrdina joined his fourth team entering his seventh NHL season, agreeing to a one-year pact with the Blue Jackets, who were looking for a veteran center to work with their talented young wingers . . . Center Wayne Primeau and defenseman Tom Preissing re-signed with San Jose, agreeing to two-year contracts.
