So while Antti Niemi and the Chicago Blackhawks argue over what he's actually worth and leave it up to an arbitrator to make the final decision - two wayward 'Hawks have avoided putting themselves in that awkward situation.

Head to Windy City South -

The Atlanta Thrashers have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ben Eager, according to General Manager Rick Dudley. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed, but according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constituion, Eager will be paid $965,000 next season.--via NHL.com

And there's also this -

Andrew Ladd reportedly has avoided his arbitration hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday, and instead signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Thrashers, according to a tweet from Rogers Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos. The contract reportedly is worth $2.35 million.

Ladd, 24, was traded to Atlanta from the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1 for prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2011 second-round draft pick. The two-time Stanley Cup champion and former first-round pick had a career-high 17 goals to go along with 21 assists last season.--via NHL.com

Anyone else think that Ladd was older than 24?

Regardless...it's funny that the guys Chicago shipped out to save money aren't putting their new team through the process that Niemi - one of the guys they were saving money for (kinda) - is going through with his arbitration.

What's going to happen to poor Chicago?  No one knows - not even their General Manager.

With the Prospect Camp about a month and a half away - it's nice to look beyond the August 5th/6th "Decision Day" for Mike Modano and know that our wonderfully misguided little Central Division rivals will still be going through the exact problems that we said they would when they started signing guys like Campbell and Huet to mega-dollar deals.

Stay tuned - this CHIdenfreude dance is far from over...

From InsideToronto.com:

"Our big one this year is a big South Etobicoke boy - Brendan Shanahan.  He's going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day, but we're getting him first."--Jim Sturino, Chair of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame

That's right...THE Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame is opening it's doors to former Red Wing Brendan Shanahan.  They did have a nice little write about the guy;

Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL draft, Shanahan went on to play with the St. Louis Blues, the Hartford Whalers, the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers, and the Devils, scoring 656 goals in his NHL career. All three of his Stanley Cup championships were won with Detroit, where he spent the majority of his career. Shanahan retired as the leader among active NHL players for goals scored, and as the only player in NHL history with more than 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.

Shanny was absolutely loved in Detroit.  He did what Sergei Fedorov couldn't do - be a star on the team but at the same time realize that it was Stevie's team.  Of course, he and Babbles didn't see eye-to-eye, but at that point - I think we had seen the best that Shanny had to offer Detroit.

I miss hearing the Irish Jig after #14 popped in another goal at the Joe.

But my absolute favorite moment of Shanny is him going air-to-air missile with Patrick Roy.

Shanahan thinking: "Oh....I don't think so, Patty."

Thanks for the memories, Shanny.

From the Free Press:

Hockey fans eager to get an early look at future NHLers can do so in September, when the Wings host their annual prospects tournament in Traverse City.

The event, running Sept. 11-15, features eight teams made up of the best prospects from Detroit, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, New York Rangers, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

The Detroit roster is still being finalized - but plan on seeing goaltender Thomas McCollum, forward Landon Ferraro, and defenseman Brendan Smith in attendance.  Smith is still recovering from that separated shoulder from last month, but is going to try and tough it out.

Not attending will be all of Detroit's prospects that will be playing in the NCAA this season - apparently, it's forbidden.  So we won't be able to see Riley Sheahan...but there should be a lot of other young talent to check out.

The tournament will feature four games each day from Sept. 11-15 (sixteen games total). Eight bucks will get you a day pass. Tickets will be available at the door, or can be bought in advance at Centreice.org.

You know...I'm always looking for an excuse to get up to Traverse City...

From Khan(!)...

Aaron Downey is anxious to get back on the ice after a year off from hockey. And the veteran enforcer is hoping to return to a familiar place.

Downey is expected to attend Detroit Red Wings training camp on a tryout. It’s not official yet, but should be confirmed in the next couple of days.

That's right...he could be back.  The journeyman enforcer really endeared himself to the Detroit fans during the 2007-2008 season.  My most fond memory was when he beat the crap out of Ian Laperriere (twice) after Lappy charged in and injured Lidstrom with a high hit while still playing for Colorado.

Everyone seems to think that Downey is just a great guy in the locker room - so I'd welcome him back into the fold...even at 36 years old.  I don't think he would spend much (if any) time with the actual big club - but he could prove useful in Grand Rapids and also as an emergency call-up.

Oh and we're only a little over an hour away from Antti Niemi's arbitration hearing.

From WNEM.com:

Forman Mills Clothing Factory Warehouse is coming to Mid-Michigan to help consumers “Stretch their Bills” with “Killer Prices,” as its slogan reads.

Significant discounts on high-profile brand names that you see in popular department stores set Forman Mills apart of the Michigan retail scene.

The discounter also will become a source of authorized sports apparel from major sports teams, including the Detroit Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings and Lions.

Sometimes I eat lunch at the Mongolian BBQ just downt the road from this place...so maybe I'll check this place out for myself on Friday before all the good stuff/sizes are taken.

Stay tuned, folks.

From NHL.com:

Gatorade has been named the title sponsor for the upcoming NHL Hockey Operations camp, the League announced Tuesday.  The 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp fueled by G Series is scheduled to take place Aug. 18 and 19 at the Toronto Maple Leafs' practice facility in Etobicoke.

Partnering up with Gatorade? That's all well and good, but I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a hockey player in a Gatorade commercial.  Does this mean that you might have time to squeaze in a shot between all the Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Kevin Garnett shots?

Ahh...it would probably be Sidney Crosby or Patrick Kane anyway - but at least it would be a hockey player, dammit.

"The NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp is a great fit for us as we both look to a future of sports performance innovation built on a solid foundation of our respective products.  In our case, G Series is a new line of products that delivers the fuel, fluids and nutrients that athletes need for before, during and after their daily scrimmages. For the NHL, we're very excited to see the innovations that come out of this year's Camp."--Dale Hooper, VP Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada, the maker of Gatorade.

Innovations?  I'll settle for some air time!

It would be silly of me to expect a Detroit Red Wing to represent the NHL as a whole on any level.  Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Lidstrom continue to get snubbed by EA Sports for the NHL cover and Reebok is giving Rosby every second of commercial time that they dedicate to hockey.  We have some world class talent who demonstrate unbelievable class on and off the ice and they get no love.

It's a shame, really.

More and more RFA's are choosing to sign rather than enter arbitration.  Here are the latest notables, via NHL.com:

Matt Moulson, New York Islanders - 30G 18A 48Pts - 1 year, $2.45 million

Gilbert Brule, Edmonton Oilers - 17 G 20A 37Pts - 2 years, $1.85 million per

Tomas Fleischmann, Washington Capitals - 23G 28A 51Pts - 1 year, $2.6 million

But according to the Chicago Tribune, Antti Niemi will be heading to his arbitration hearing tomorrow morning at 8 AM:

With each passing hour and no deal, it's becoming apparent the Hawks and goaltender Antti Niemi will meet at 8 a.m. Thursday for their scheduled salary arbitration hearing Depending on the decision of the arbitrator, the Hawks could be looking for a new netminder when they defend their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Niemi is likely to be seeking between $3 million and $4 million while the Hawks probably are thinking closer to $2 million.

Apparently, Stan Bowman was available for comment.  He's still trying to figure out how to be a General Manager.

I just wanted to post this picture again.

I'm wondering if he's taking such a hard stance about getting rid of Sharp.  But in all honesty - who is more important to that franchise?  But just what the hell will Chicago do if they let Niemi walk?

They can't afford to pay Niemi between $3-4 million, they simply can't.  So then if he walks, does Huet become the #1 guys (again)?  That would make me happy.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

My apologies to Mike Serven, Sullyosis, Bingo Bango Jessie, and all the other Red Wings fans out in the desert who can only see the Winged Wheel live when they play the Coyotes - but it's time to get hockey out of Arizona.  I've been saying it for years, and maybe THIS will finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

That's right, the city of Glendale is once again feuding with the potential buyer of their franchise.  Jim Balsillie tried to buy the team before the NHL could get involved so he could move the franchise to Hamilton.  Well, Gary stepped in and put a stop to that.  Then a number of suitors have tried to purchase the team but none of them have actually gone through with the deal.

The city of Glendale keeps chasing buyers away, so maybe it's time to chase the franchise away from the city of Glendale.  And I am far from the only person who thinks this way - and I'm not even from Quebec or Winnipeg.  Check out what The Hockey Writers had to say:

This undeniable fact has worked against the Coyotes from the beginning, as fans of more established franchises like the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks consistently outnumber the fans of the ‘Yotes who show up at the games.

With a fan base that the team has a hard time energizing, and with attendance numbers and TV ratings still ranking amongst the worst in the league, the issues Ice Edge is apparently having in getting their numbers together may be a blessing in disguise for the league and for the team. If this deal ends up falling through, and the team is cast back into the limbo that it found itself mired in prior to last season, then the league owes it to the other 29 franchises to pull the plug on this experiment in team saving, and allow the Coyotes to be moved to another city.

No one can say the NHL has done absolutely everything that it could to keep this team from moving - but there HAS to be a point where they say "enough is enough". It hardly seems fair to let 29 other teams subsidize a dying franchise just because the league refuses to admit that it's experiment was a failure.

It's time to pull the plug and move this team to place that actually cares about it.  It's time to ALLOW this team to make some G.D. money.

So sorry to all those transplanted hockey fans from across the country that occasionally go to see the Phoenix Coyotes play when their real favorite team comes to town...but your numbers are just not strong enough to lift this team into profitability.

From the Free Press Readers Column this morning:

Some things happen during Michigan's summers. We are accustomed to the Tigers playing well enough in the first half of the season, only to break our hearts in some fashion after the All-Star break. But other events, we're not as familiar: the Pistons becoming this generation's Clippers and the Red Wings age before our eyes while other teams are getting younger, faster and better.

Now...take it with a grain of salt - heck, make that a line of salt and a tequila shot (it may be a bit early in the morning for that) - but this was written not by St. James or Sipple...this was a reader who submitted it to the Free Press.

But the Red Wings are aging before your eyes, eh?

Guys like Zetterberg and Datsyuk are getting over the hill?  Have we seen the best from "old man" Franzen?  Has Valterri Filppula had his best days behind him?  Are Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader on the decline because of their advanced age?

Draper, Bertuzzi, Rafalski, and Lidstrom - those are your "old men" on the squad.  Rafalski and Lidstrom are on everyone's "best over 35" list.  Draper works harder off the ice than arguably anyone on the team.

I'm all for supporting the Detroit Lions - because I love all Detroit sports (now that the Shock is gone).  But come on - don't try to pander to me about the silver and Honolulu blue by berating other franchises.

The Wings may have a few aging veterans - but show me a team that has won the Stanley Cup that hasn't.  With guys like Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, and Howard on the up-and-up - we're also getting "younger, faster, and better".

As for the Lions...I long for the old glory days of 8-8. 

From NHL.com:

Hoping to bolster their offense, the New York Rangers signed free-agent left wing Alexander Frolovon Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Newsday is reporting it's a one-year contract for $3 million.

Frolov, 28, had 19 goals and 32 assists in 81 games for the Los Angeles Kingslast season. The Moscow native has surpassed the 20-goal plateau in five of his seven NHL seasons, all with Los Angeles. In 536 games, Frolov has 168 goals and 213 assists, along with 210 penalty minutes.

Glen Sather, GM of the New York Rangers - a fairly unpopular GM with some fans - brings in yet another Russian (or former Soviet State) forward to try and boost NY's offense.  In 2008-2009, he brought in Nik Antropov (Kazakhstan) in at the deadline but let the giant winger walk after posting 16 points in 25 games (regular season + play-offs).  Nik Zherdev (Russia), former 4th overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, played all 82 games for the Rangers in 2008-2009, notching 23 goals and 58 points.  After being held pointless in the post-season, the Russian winger left for the KHL only to return for the upcoming season as a Flyer.

And now - it's Frolov's turn to help Slovakian sniper Marian Gaborik to bring the Eastern European fire to the Rangers' lineup.

"Alex is a highly skilled player who we feel will play a key role in improving our offense and play in all situations.  He is a strong competitor and has the ability to play either wing position."--Glen Sather

Just like all the other ones you've brought in... right, Slats?

At least it's good to see that players are still getting signed amidst all the Kovalchuk hullabaloo.  The NHLPA kind of did a screw job to the Free Agent Market by waiting until yesterday to file the grievance - when everyone knew within 5 seconds of the contract being rejected that they were going to do so.  So now there are still guys like Lee Stempniak, Max Afinogenov, and yeah - even Andreas Lilja who will most likely have to wait at least two weeks before contracts begin being signed.