Green's return to Bruins adds depth
For the last two weeks, Travis Green watched the moves that Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell pulled off, further cementing his desire to return to Boston.
''To me, there was only one place to sign," Green said yesterday after a workout near his Orange County, Calif., home. ''It was just a matter of getting the deal done."
Yesterday, the Bruins signed the 34-year-old unrestricted free agent, who played 64 games (11-5--16) for Boston in 2003-04, to a two-year contract. The center's addition gives the Bruins greater depth up the middle, complementing the pickups of Alexei Zhamnov and Dave Scatchard, and the re-signing of Joe Thornton.
''Travis was a very reliable player for us in our last season and we're happy to have him back," O'Connell said in a statement. ''He's a real character player and adds a lot of leadership to our dressing room."
Green's return may come at a cost. The club is nearing the $39 million salary cap when factoring in the multimillion-dollar deals required to lock up restricted free agents Andrew Raycroft, Nick Boynton, and Hal Gill. Anton Thun, Boynton's agent, said yesterday he had faxed a proposal to O'Connell last Friday, but hadn't heard back.
''Obviously we'd like to get it done sooner rather than later, but there's no sense of urgency at this time," Thun said.
Also, the Bruins now have a glut of bodies up front; Thun joked that the team might send five forwards on the ice at the same time. O'Connell has said he would like to add another defenseman and veteran goalie before the start of training camp. O'Connell, who was not available yesterday, said Tuesday that the team did not consider pursuing former Bruins defenseman Glen Wesley, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Carolina.
Trade bait for a defenseman could include Sergei Samsonov and P.J. Axelsson, who accepted their one-year qualifying offers ($2.774 million for Samsonov, $1.064 million for Axelsson) last week and are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next year. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players who accepted their qualifying offers cannot renegotiate with their teams until Jan. 1, 2006.
''Money wasn't the biggest issue," said Green, who has also played for the Islanders, Anaheim, Phoenix, and Toronto. ''I wanted to come back and win a Cup. That's the biggest thing. The team's got a chance to win the Stanley Cup. I loved my time there [in 2003-04]. I love what Mike has done with the team so far this year. I've played 12 years in the NHL, and winning the Stanley Cup is the biggest thing for me right now."
Bourque to Capitals
Chris Bourque, who left Boston University last spring after completing his freshman season, signed a three-year deal with the Washington Capitals yesterday. After leaving BU, Bourque originally declared he would play in 2005-06 for the Moncton Wildcats, the junior club that drafted him in 2003. But he signed an amateur tryout contract last April with the Portland Pirates, Washington's AHL club, and had a goal and an assist in six games.
''The interest was spurred when Christopher played the last six games with the farm club in Portland," said Steve Kasper, Bourque's agent. ''I thought Christopher handled it very well and Washington thought he handled it very well."
Unless he wows the Capitals in training camp, Bourque, Washington's second-round pick in the 2004 draft, will play for the Hershey Bears, Washington's new AHL affiliate. In 35 games at BU, the winger had 10 goals and 13 assists. Last week, Bourque competed for Team USA at the National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., where the Americans went 7-1 against junior teams from Finland and Sweden. Last Wednesday, Bourque scored two goals in Team USA's 8-2 win over Sweden.
''Christopher has a lot of offensive talent," Kasper said. ''He sees the ice very well, anticipates plays, has quick hands, and is very good with the puck. Now his next progression is to take those skills to a higher level, and not only apply them but improve upon them."
ESPN turned down what it said was the NHL's final offer for cable broadcast rights, and Comcast Corp. and the NHL reportedly agreed to a two-year deal worth more than $100 million for games to be shown on The Outdoor Life Network, best known for providing live coverage of the Tour de France. ESPN had the right to match any television deal the league made. But the network contended the value of NHL games had dropped substantially following the lockout that wiped out all of last season.
Redden on move?
Wade Redden may be the odd star out in Ottawa. According to a report in the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators may be looking to deal the 28-year-old defenseman.
The Senators are focusing their attention (and money) on signing Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa, both of whom will become unrestricted free agents next year.
The paper said the Edmonton Oilers were interested in Redden until they landed Chris Pronger from St. Louis, a deal in which the Blues acquired hard-hitting defenseman Eric Brewer and prospects. The Senators are interested in a similar package for Redden.
Panthers get Stumpel
The Florida Panthers signed veteran center Jozef Stumpel to a two-year contract. Stumpel had eight goals and 29 assists with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2003-04 season. During the NHL lockout, he had 13 goals and 26 assists in 52 games with Slavia Praha HC of the Czech Elite League. Stumpel, 33, has 151 goals with 397 assists in his 13-year career with the Bruins and Kings . . . More former Bruins were on the move yesterday. The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent right wing Anson Carter, 31, to a one-year, $1 million contract. Carter split the 2003-04 season with the Rangers, Capitals, and Kings . . . Alexander Mogilny signed a two-year contract to remain with the New Jersey Devils . . . The Phoenix Coyotes signed free agent All-Star goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one-year contract. Joseph, 38, was 50-29-9 in two seasons with Detroit . . . The Avalanche signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn, who had spent eight-plus seasons with the organization from 1988-96 . . . Steve Sullivan, 31, signed a four-year, $12.8 million deal with the Nashville Predators . . . Edmonton will retire the No. 7 uniform of Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey Oct. 18.
Material from the wire services was used in this report. 
