NHL News

Philadelphia - Rather than dwell on the negative of having his contract bought out, Danny Briere said he's getting ready for an exciting summer. The Philadelphia Flyers informed the veteran forward June 20 that it would use one of its compliance buy outs to get out of the final two seasons of the eight-year contract he signed in the summer of 2006. On Tuesday, the team said it would use its second and final compliance buyout on the contract of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. The buyouts will become official at 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday. While disappointed to be leaving a team he envisioned ending his career with, Briere told NHL.com Wednesday he's looking forward to the next phase of his career. He'll be free to sign with any of the 29 other teams starting July 5.

"The first few days were really tough," he said, "then you start to think about the possibilities and it becomes really exciting. I'm moving in that territory. I'm very excited about what's looking ahead. I can't wait to decide. When I signed in Philadelphia six years ago I thought this was the end of my contract negotiating as a player. I thought this was going to be my last contract, that I was going to end up playing in Philadelphia and that would be the end. [Now] it's pretty exciting to have another chance to be a free agent again."

Briere won't be able to talk to teams for a few more days, but said he's got a few ideas on what kind of team he wants to play for. "There's a bunch of things I'm looking for. Obviously, hopefully a team that has a chance to win, a team that would have a role for me, a team that feels that I could help out. Hopefully a team that I feel I have a fit with, as well. Those are all things that we have to evaluate. At this point it's tough to tell. I'm not really sure where it would be. We have to wait for the teams to be able to talk and see what they see in the future and how they see the situation."

A natural center, he alternated between the middle and the wing during his time in Philadelphia. However, Briere said he would move to the wing full-time if the right fit came along."There's all kinds of situations. There's teams where it might be a good fit but their top two or three centers are really already strong and there's no room there, but it might be a good fit for all the other reasons. I'm not limiting myself to just playing center."

Briere also is a single father to three sons who will continue to live in the Philadelphia suburbs, and while staying close to them would be ideal, he said it won't restrict the teams he considers."It might play into it a little bit … if it becomes a decision between teams and I'm not sure and it's similar situations. I think the most important factor is to see first of all who's interested and we'll go from there."

Briere had the worst season of his career in 2012-13, with six goals and 16 points in 34 games, but he's a four-time 30-goal scorer who has produced at better than a point per game 108 Stanley Cup Playoff games. And at 35, he'll turn 36 around the time the 2013-14 season opens, he believes he's still got a lot left as an NHL player. "I think I have a little chip on my shoulder because I didn't have a good season last year," he said. "I'm not happy with the way that things turned out. I know I have some hockey left in me. And I feel this was just a bad year. It started with the [wrist] injury when I was in Germany during the lockout and it's like I was never able to catch back up. I started behind the guys and I wasn't able to catch up to it. So there's no doubt, for me that's where the motivation is. I want to show everyone that I'm far from being done, that I can still play."

Chicago - Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman just smiled when he was asked if he could explain how his team was able to stun the Boston Bruins with two late goals 17 seconds apart to win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final and capture its second championship in 36 months.

"We just kept going," he said at United Center on Thursday, three days after the Blackhawks' historic comeback. "I've referenced a few times how that was sort of the symbol for our team, is we were relentless all year long, starting off with the streak [of 24 games without a regulation loss] we had. We just always were looking full steam ahead. We never took time to, I guess, acknowledge what we had accomplished or sat back. We just were always looking ahead … I thought it was sort of a fitting ending to a fabulous season."

Perhaps the most important item on Bowman's to-do list is negotiating a new deal with 27-year old forward Bryan Bickell, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent. Five other players are also set to become UFAs, backup goalie Ray Emery, forwards Viktor Stalberg, Michal Handzus and Jamal Mayers, and defenseman Michal Rozsival. In addition, 22-year old defenseman Nick Leddy and 23-year-old center Marcus Kruger become restricted free agents. With the NHL's salary cap set to drop by about $6 million under the new collective bargaining agreement, Bowman will have to make some important decisions. However, he said it won't be like what happened in 2010, when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup but had to let go several players in order to get under the cap. "We've talked about this leading up until today and we've had some plans in place for a long time," Bowman said. "We are going to make a few changes, but it's not going to be like before. We don't have it all sorted out yet, but we have an idea of what we want to do."

Chicago's cap cushion will be roughly $8 million following compliance buyouts for defenseman Steve Montador and forward Rostislav Olesz, both of which Bowman made official Thursday. The biggest decision is whether to keep Bickell, who is sure to get a healthy raise no matter where he winds up. After agreeing to a three-year, one-way contract with a $600,000 cap hit following Chicago's 2010 Stanley Cup season, Bickell figured to get a sizeable raise thus summer after scoring nine goals and adding 14 assists in 48 regular-season games as a third-line left wing. But by scoring nine goals and adding eight assists during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bickell likely drove his price tag even higher, the question is whether the Blackhawks will pay it. Would Bickell, who spent much of the last two rounds on the top two lines and played the Final despite a sprained ligament in his right knee, give the Blackhawks a hometown discount? "Yeah, definitely," he said. "This is a great team. We have won two Cups in four years and there's going to be many more. We have a great core of guys. It starts with the coaching and up in the [front] office and the team. It's a great feeling to be a part of it."

The Blackhawks could be outbid by other teams, but Bickell said money isn't everything. "You got to do what makes you happy. I know there are a lot of good teams around this League, and there are a lot of teams you won't have as much fun if I stayed here. This is a great city. I enjoy it here. I got drafted here. I think this is a second home for me. We're going to work on something and hopefully it works out for the best."

Bowman is hopeful there's a deal to be made. "We're excited for him and we certainly want to keep him here. It's a puzzle to put together and try to work it out, but I think he wants to be here. I know he's said that publicly and we certainly want him back, so we're going to do everything we can to make that happen."

Another question is whether to keep Emery, who went 17-1-0 while splitting the goaltending with Corey Crawford for much of the regular season. But Emery was injured late in the season and never got into a playoff game, Crawford played every second of all 23 postseason contests. Bowman has signed 24-year-old Finnish goalie prospect Antti Raanta to a one-year contract that, according to Capgeek.com, would pay him $1.4 million if he were to become Crawford's backup. But Bowman cautioned against assuming that will happen, and Emery also left the door open for a return. "I'd love to stay here. [Let's] see how that works out with what Chicago has in mind and see how the cards kind of play [out], but definitely [I] would like to stay here."

Teams can sign free agents beginning July 5, and forward Marian Hossa knows not everyone from the Cup-winning team will be back in the fall."Like every year, we may lose somebody, but I don't think it's going to be like in 2010 when so many people left. I believe we're going to find a way to keep as [many] pieces as we can."

Boston - After the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, general manager Peter Chiarelli was able to maintain most of the team's core for the next season, as well as for the shortened 2012-13 season. But during the summer of 2011, the salary cap went up. This summer, Chiarelli will have the double challenge of retaining the core of a team that went all the way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, and a financial framework that features the NHL salary cap dropping almost $6 million for the 2013-14 season. It's Chiarelli's mandate from ownership to make sure his team again has what it takes to make a run for the Cup.

"I want to keep this team together as best as I can, as we can," Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs said during a press conference Friday at TD Garden. "That's Peter's job this summer. It's something that keeps him up at night and it's something that he's going to work on. We're going to do as well as we possibly can. Interestingly, when we won the Cup, we were able to keep almost the whole team together. That wasn't true of Chicago [after their Cup win in 2010]. But when they reconstituted themselves, they won it again. So maybe that, in some ways, forces you maybe to sometimes even improve what you have. And I think that Peter's on that line right now. He's been thinking about it pretty much all season. And in a way, it's a blip if you stop and realize, because the cap is going down, but then eventually, the following year, it should go up substantially. So it's living through this pinch, so to speak, in the process. He and 29 other GMs are kind of in the same position. But I think we're going to do everything we can and be as creative as possible. And that's Peter's message and that's what he's good at, very honestly. He was good at putting this team together. He's going to be good at keeping it together."

Among Chiarelli's top tasks are keeping unrestricted free agent forward Nathan Horton and restricted free agent goaltender Tuukka Rask, who played the 2012-13 season on a one-year contract. Each player thrived in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Horton had seven goals, 19 points and a plus-20 rating in 22 games, and Rask led all goaltenders with a .940 save percentage and compiled a 1.88 goals-against average. Horton just finished a contract that was paying him an average of $4 million per season, and Rask's 2013 salary was $3.5 million. Each player figures to receive an increase, which will make life complicated for Chiarelli and the Bruins. In the summer of 2012, Chiarelli signed Tyler Seguin and Milan Lucic to multiyear deals. He already has signed multiyear pacts with Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and others.

"I think our players understand what we're trying to do here. ... With the cap dipping a little bit next year, to be able to ice the team that we'd like to ice, it becomes a little bit of a challenge when everybody is looking for a bump," Bruins president Cam Neely said. "And you know, I don't blame them for looking for that. But I think this is a great place to play. A matter of fact, I know it's a great place to play. And we have the backing of ownership to try to compete to win every year and I think our players know that. So hopefully there's a common ground we can get to and I feel confident we can."

Jacobs confirmed the Bruins again will spend to the cap ceiling. But as Neely pointed out, "It's easy to spend to the cap; it's harder to spend it the right way." Jacobs said he is willing to put the necessary money into his team because of the job Chiarelli and his front-office staff, and coach Claude Julien and his staff, have done to make the Bruins one of the League's model franchises. The Bruins have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs six straight seasons under Julien, and they have been to the Cup Final two of the past three years. Although they finished two wins shy of the title this season, Jacobs said he believes his faith in his employees has been rewarded.

"Well, it's been a very successful season, as far as I'm concerned. To wind up where we did, I thought [Thursday] there were 30 teams that showed up at the meeting, and I know 28 of them would've liked to have been where we were," Jacobs said, referencing the Board of Governors meeting in New York City. "We were in the Final, it put us as one of two teams. We fought very hard. We got beat by a team that equally well-represented themselves and did a very good job. I think our team was terrific this year. I'm very impressed with them. That we wound up losing in the sixth game, it probably was the most iconic hockey game that I've seen in a long time. I shouldn't say just game, but the whole series. The Chicago series was terrific. Two storied franchises, two very aggressive games. It displayed real hockey, terribly physical, as it should be. And that's the kind of game it was. I think it was a tribute to hockey, it was a tribute to the Bruins and I'm really proud of them."

St Louis - When a player is negotiating the parameters of a new contract, long-term security and money are big factors. St. Louis Blues center Patrik Berglund, apparently, is the exception to the norm. The Blues announced Wednesday that they have reached agreement with Berglund on a one-year contract, reportedly valued at $3.25 million. Berglund, 25, would have been a restricted free agent had he not signed by July 5. Berglund, whose 17 goals in 2012-13 were second on the team to Chris Stewart's 18, chose a one-year deal rather than push for a longer-term contract, with the hope that he can parlay a solid 2013-14 into a grander deal next summer when he again will be a restricted free agent. "When I talked to Patrik and his agent [Peter Wallen], we talked about different lengths, and Patrik felt that a one-year deal was something he was most comfortable with," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said on a conference call Wednesday. "I think that he believes that he wanted to come back and have a very good season and take his game to another level. He wanted to put the focus on this year and put his best foot forward. I was very impressed by that thought process. In today's game, when everybody wants term, Patrik was a player that said, 'You know what? I'd rather just come back on a one-year deal and prove to myself and to the League where I stand.'"

Armstrong and the Blues are no strangers to handing one-year deals to their pending restricted free agents. They did so with T.J. Oshie for the 2011-12 season, and Oshie went out and had a career season in goals (19), assists (35) and points (54). In the summer of 2012, he signed a five-year, $20.875 million deal. Stewart got the same treatment last season, signing for $3 million. He promptly led the Blues in goals and points (36), and can cash in this summer as a restricted free agent. "We're more open to discussing some term with Chris now," Armstrong said. "We're in conversations with all these players. We don't want to get into greater detail, but at the end of the day, he was our leading scorer. And you look at his numbers over his career, I think the next challenge for Chris is to smooth out the edges, meaning becoming a consistent player, not only on a year-to-year basis but on a nightly or a weekly basis. When you put all our numbers together, he led the St. Louis Blues in goal-scoring and points. We don't lose sight of that, either."

For Berglund, who had 25 points in 48 games in 2012-13, it's his turn to benefit as he prepares for his sixth season. "I think that Patrik's entering that prime of his career right now, so if he was looking to go longer, we would have looked to see if there was common ground there," Armstrong said. "The good thing for us and for Patrik is that he can come back. He's on a one-year deal and we'll be back at this spot again next year as a restricted free agent. If both parties are willing, we can go with a long-term deal then. I start these by asking the player what's important to them. There's a number of things that go in there."

The Blues have a number of restricted free agents they still need to take care of. At the top of the list are defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, along with Stewart, defenseman Kris Russell and goalie Jake Allen. "We're having constant communication," Armstrong said on the progress of the others. "… When there's something to be talked about, I'll talk about it. Other than that, all these guys are fluid and we hope to get them all signed as soon as possible. It could take a while or it could become very quickly."

With Berglund's situation settled, Armstrong can move on to working on his other important impending free agents. "This was a heavy summer for us as far as having five players up and four players that are huge components of our team in Shattenkirk and [Pietrangelo] on the back end, with Kris Russell also needing a contract and then you have [Berglund and Stewart]. A one-year deal [with Berglund] is going to be good. It's obviously good for both sides. I would imagine the other guys will try to get a little bit more term, two or more years, but at the end of the day, they all can opt for one-year deals ... you never know. I think this was more Patrik's feeling than being pushed at it by the team." Armstrong also talked about the potential of bringing in other free agents. "We're going to wait and let the pool fill up and then take a look at all the possible ways to improve our team,"

Vancouver - Henrik Sedin was one of four Vancouver Canucks players watching the introduction of coach John Tortorella from the back of a packed press room Tuesday. The captain listened intently as Tortorella talked of pushing for more out of a veteran team that came within a win of the Stanley Cup in 2011 but has one win in two playoff appearances since, after being swept by the San Jose Sharks this postseason. Sedin heard Tortorella talk of the need for better defending and more shot blocking throughout the lineup, and specifically adding a penalty-killing role for him and twin brother Daniel Sedin, the team's leading scorers. Henrik Sedin said he liked what he heard from his new coach, and didn't seem worried about hearing it more pointedly, and loudly, inside a locker room that predecessor Alain Vigneault long ago turned over to the veterans. "It doesn't matter if you have a coach that comes in and yells and screams; it has to make sense though, as a player you have to sit there and say, 'He's right. I'm sure we're going to see different ways of dealing with stuff, but we're 33 years old, we're not 12, so I think we're able to handle a lot of things."

That includes time on the penalty kill, which Vigneault kept the twins off in order to keep them fresh for 5-on-5 and power-play situations, despite repeated pleas over the years from both Sedin twins to help out more shorthanded. "Thirteen years we've been waiting," Henrik Sedin said with a chuckle. "It's something that I think is a big part of becoming a great player. You have to be on the ice for all situations. For us, we were counted upon to score goals, and if we didn't, then we were terrible. I think you grow as players when you play all situations." As for occasional yelling, Henrik Sedin pointed out his NHL career started with noted screamer Marc Crawford behind the bench, and said most players want good communication and don't mind being accountable for their performance. "He can come in and deal with things in the locker room the way he wants to, as long as you are on the same page and able to talk to him."

That is exactly what the Canucks should expect, said forward Christopher Higgins, who played 55 games under Tortorella with the New York Rangers in 2009-10. "He has got a different approach than most coaches," said Higgins, who was traded by the Rangers that year but said his "poor year" had nothing to do with playing for Tortorella. "The thing I took away most about him is that he cares a lot. Some guys respond well, some guys don't to the way he approaches his team, but at the end of the day he is very fair and he is very honest." He also asks a lot from his players, especially the top ones, Higgins added. "He wants your compete level to be 100 percent at all times. He wants his best players to be his best players night after night and a lot of pressure falls on them. He wants all his players' compete to be as high as it can be." If it isn't, continued Higgins, everyone on the team will hear about it. "I don't think he has too many 1-on-1 meetings. If he is going to talk about a player, everyone in the room is going to be there to listen too."

It could make for an interesting dynamic, especially for Ryan Kesler, who played briefly for Tortorella when the latter was an assistant coach for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, winning a silver medal. Kesler bristled at times when Vigneault talked publicly about his performance on the ice, particularly when the former coach suggested the center use his linemates more, but Kesler welcomed Tortorella with open arms Tuesday. "He's going to play the guys that are going, he is going to keep everybody accountable, and that's what I like," said Kesler, who has no problem blocking shots despite breaking a foot doing so this season. "It's frustrating for the other team when you have to shoot through six guys. If we get everybody playing like that we are going to frustrate teams. … We have to be a team that is hard to play against, that almost [ticks] teams off. I'm happy that's the way he wants to play."

Buffalo - Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier confirmed Tuesday that the organization has begun contract talks with impending restricted free agent center Cody Hodgson. "We're just waiting to hear back from his agent [Ritch Winter]. During free agency, our focus is on supporting this younger core group that we already have. We want good players, but players committed to being pros and examples and contributors. Those are the most important characteristics and the direction we need to go." Regier also said free agency wasn't the only place he was looking to upgrade his roster, and that he was investigating what the trade market held for a number of his players, among them leading scorer Thomas Vanek and goaltender Ryan Miller. "I'm actively finding out what the marketplace is like, not limited to those two players. There will be a number of teams we'll speak to regarding not just the goaltending position but other positions, as well."

Hodgson had 15 goals and 34 points in 2012-13, his first full season with the Sabres. He was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 27, 2012, along with Alexander Sulzer, from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Regier also said Mikhail Grigorenko, the team's first pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (No. 12) will be on the Sabres' roster for all of the 2013-14 season. Grigorenko had one goal and five points in 25 games with the Sabres in 2012-13 before being returned to his junior team, the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Since Grigorenko is only 19, he is eligible to play only with the Sabres or Quebec. The team also will be contacting former captain Danny Briere, according to Regier. The Philadelphia Flyers announced June 20 the team would be buying out the final two years of Briere's eight-year, $52 million. Briere, 35, spent four seasons with the Sabres prior to signing with Philadelphia in July 2007. In 15 NHL seasons Briere, a 1996 first-round pick (No. 24) of the Phoenix Coyotes, has 286 goals and 659 points in 847 games with the Coyotes, Sabres and Flyers.

Vanek, the team's leader in 2012-13 with 20 goals and 41 points, will be entering the final season of a contract that will pay him just over $7.1 million in 2013-14. Miller, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2010 and had a .915 save percentage despite facing the most shots in the League in 2012-13, will enter the final season of a contract that will pay him $6.25 million in 2013-14. Both players can become unrestricted free agents in July 2014. The Sabres are two days removed from quite a productive day at the 2013 NHL Draft. The club selected a league-high 11 prospects, seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender, and traded defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Jamie McBain and a second-round pick they used to select power forward J.T. Compher from United States National Team Development Program. The Sabres selected five players in the first two rounds, the most of any team in the NHL. Sabres director of amateur scouting Kevin Devine didn't rule out the possibility of the team's top pick, Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, taken with the No. 8 selection, playing in the NHL in 2013-14.

"It all depends on him and how well he does at training camp. Obviously, we have Tyler Myers, McBain and Christian Ehrhoff in the top spots. Ristolainen is 18 and played at a high level last season [for TPS in Finland's SM-liiga]. We'll find out." Ristolainen told NHL.com in June that he will do whatever it takes to secure a spot on a roster during NHL training camp. "I have two more years left [on my contract with TPS], but my goal is to go through training and try to get on the [NHL] team that selects me. It seems that no matter what team you play for nowadays, you have a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup."

Ristolainen represented Finland at the 2012 and 2013 World Junior Championship, totaling seven assists and nine points in 13 tournament games. He also represented his country at the 2012 Under-18 World Championship, where he had two goals and three points. "My defensive-zone game is one area I must improve," he said. "In my first year in [SM-liiga], I was horrible in my own zone but got better [in 2012-13]. I still need to work at it, and my coaches helped a lot. During the NHL [lockout] a lot of NHL players helped out a lot."

In addition, Devine said recent draft picks Joel Armia, Daniel Catenacci and Collin Jacobs will begin their professional careers in 2013-14. Armia, the team's first-round pick in 2011, had 19 goals and 33 points in 47 games with Assat in SM-liiga, Finland's top professional league. Regier also said the team has every intention to re-sign center Matt Ellis, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent Friday, with the intention of naming him captain of the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, if he doesn't stick with the Sabres. In six NHL games in 2012-13, he had no points and eight shots on goal. However, Regier said the team would not be bringing back Sulzer, who had four points in 17 games.

New Jersey - Pat Morris, the agent for New Jersey Devils impending unrestricted free agent forward David Clarkson, has informed reporters that his client is preparing to listen to offers from other teams beginning at noon ET on Wednesday, the first day he's allowed to do so. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello reportedly submitted an offer to re-sign Clarkson during the NHL Draft in New Jersey this past weekend, but it was not accepted. Clarkson, 29, is considered by many to be one of the top free agents on the market. In his final season of a three-year contract, which ended June 30, he made $3 million. "Over the weekend there was an exchange with Lou," Morris told Tom Gulitti of The (Bergen) Record. "He put in an offer and that was not signed. By [Wednesday] teams can call and say what they think of David. We've got an open mind with New Jersey and we've got an open mind with NHL clubs. We know where New Jersey is at today to a level to sign a contract. It was a respected offer that was not signed and we're just moving forward with whatever the timeline is."

Clarkson led the Devils with 15 goals in 2012-13 after scoring a career-high 30 goals in 2011-12. He had three goals, all game-winners, and nine assists during New Jersey's run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. An undrafted free-agent signed by the team Aug. 12, 2005, Clarkson has 93 goals, 73 assists and 770 penalty minutes in 426 career regular-season games, as well as five goals, 14 points and 79 penalty minutes in 44 career playoff matches. "We indicated we would keep in touch [with New Jersey] as the process went along," Morris said. "We have no need to call [the Devils]. New Jersey is the one facing life without David."

Teams and potential free agents have a 48 hour window to communicate before they are permitted to sign contracts beginning at noon ET on Friday, per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. "We have no other choice now," Morris said. "We reviewed a proposal. Unfortunately it did not result in a contract [with New Jersey]." Lamoriello was asked whether or not talks would continue with Clarkson's camp now that his initial offer has been rejected. "David, I don't know at this point. We'll certainly talk and I'll leave it at that."

Nashville - Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said Tuesday the team has placed defenseman Hal Gill on waivers. Gill, 38, had no points and a minus-3 rating in 38 games in 2012-13, when he made $2 million. He has one more season at $2 million remaining on his contract. Gill is fifth among active NHL defensemen with 1,102 games played. Taken by the Boston Bruins in the eighth round of the 1993 NHL Draft, he has 36 goals and 184 points in 15 seasons with the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens and Predators. He helped the Penguins win the 2009 Stanley Cup, joining Rob Scuderi to form the team's top shut-down defense pair.

NY Islanders - It appears Rick DiPietro has played his last game for the New York Islanders. The Islanders placed DiPietro on unconditional waivers Tuesday, a day after Newsday's Arthur Staple reported the team will use a compliance buyout on DiPietro's contract, which has eight years remaining at $4.5 million annually. By using a compliance buyout, the Islanders would pay DiPietro $1.5 million annually for the next 16 years. That money would not count against the salary cap.

"It is an extremely tough decision to use the compliance buyout on Rick's contract," Islanders general manager Garth Snow told Newsday. "His drive to win games and compete at the highest level for the New York Islanders was never questioned. With Rick back at 100 percent health, we wish him nothing but the best as he continues to pursue his career."

DiPietro made three appearances for the Islanders in 2012-13 before being sent to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. He went 0-3-0 with a 4.09 goals-against average and .855 save percentage. The first-overall selection at the 2000 NHL Draft, DiPietro appeared in 319 games for New York, going 130-136-36 with a 2.87 GAA and .902 save percentage.

Former Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas is thinking about making a return to the NHL after spending the 2012-13 season on the sidelines as a suspended player, his agent confirmed to NHL.com Monday night. ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reported earlier Monday that Thomas' agent, Bill Zito, said the goalie has asked him to explore options for next season. Zito later confirmed the report to NHL.com via e-mail. Thomas, 39, is technically a member of the New York Islanders, who acquired him in a trade from the Bruins on Feb. 2. The Islanders have the right to toll Thomas' contract into the 2013-14 season, but the team has given no indication that it plans to do so, which would make Thomas an unrestricted free agent at noon ET on Friday. Other goalies who are expected to become unrestricted free agents on Friday include Evgeni Nabokov, Ilya Bryzgalov, Ray Emery, Nikolai Khabibulin, Jose Theodore and Chris Mason. Thomas sat out the 2012-13 season, the final under a four-year, $20 million contract. He was due to make $3 million, but he was suspended by the Bruins for not reporting to training camp and then traded to the Islanders. The trade gave the Bruins some salary-cap relief and sent Thomas' $5 million cap hit to New York, which used it to stay above the salary-cap floor. Thomas won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Bruins in 2011 and played the following season, making headlines when he chose not to attend Boston's championship ceremony at the White House with President Barack Obama because of his political beliefs. Thomas sports a career 2.48 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 378 regular-season appearances. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2009 and 2011.

Phoenix - The Phoenix Coyotes made the re-signing of Mike Smith official Monday, announcing a new six-year contract for their franchise goaltender. Smith, who would have become an unrestricted free agent July 5, reportedly will make approximately $5.67 million per season under his new deal. "We are pleased to sign Mike to a multi-year contract," general manager Don Maloney said. "Mike has emerged as a top NHL goaltender with his size, athletic ability and strong work ethic. He is capable of leading us to a Stanley Cup championship, the goal of our franchise. This is an important signing for our Club."

Smith went 15-12-5 with a 2.58 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and five shutouts in 2012-13. He was 38-18-10 with a 2.21 GAA, .930 save percentage and eight shutouts in 2011-12, when he helped the Coyotes reach the Western Conference Final. "I'm thrilled to re-sign with the Coyotes. We have a great young team and an excellent coaching staff and management team. I've really enjoyed playing in the Valley the past two seasons and this is where I wanted to stay."

NY Rangers - The Philadelphia Flyers on Monday acquired forward Kris Newbury from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Danny Syvret. The 31-year-old Newbury appeared in 24 games for the Rangers over the past three seasons, posting two assists and 68 penalty minutes. In 72 career NHL games with the Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs, Newbury has four goals, nine points and 132 PIMs. Syvret, 28, spent the 2012-13 season playing for the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate in Adirondack, posting six goals and 40 points in 76 games. In 59 career NHL games with the Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers, Syvret has posted three goals and seven points.