Alexander Radulov has officially left the Predators, defecting back to Russia after signing with Ufa (Salavat Ulaef) of the Russian Super Elite League.

The 22 year-old right wing who achieved career bests in goals (26), assists (32) and points (58) this past season decided he’d rather go home where he could get more money than remain with Nashville for the final year of his entry level deal. The former 2004 15th overall selection was set to make $984,000 for the upcoming 2008-09 season. Instead, he’ll earn more money while returning home for what could be as many as three years.

This comes on the heels of the NHL and a Russian hockey league  finally reaching a transfer agreement which would prevent players from leaving for greener pastures in the Western Hemisphere. Apparently, that didn’t prevent Radulov from doing what veteran Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr and lesser goalies Ray Emery and former Islander Wade Dubielewicz did.

Why? Because the Russian Federation and the IIHF still haven’t come to a similar agreement as IIHF president Rene Fasel noted in yesterday’s release:

“There is no sense to make a war. Everyone agrees we could make a war very easily, but with no winner. The loser will be the game. … Even if we don’t have a transfer agreement today we have a very good understanding of each other.”

So much for that good understanding. What should be also pointed out is that Radulov gave fair warning to the Predator organization that he had the desire to return home and had superior contract offers coming in. Apparently, they never bothered to call back according to what the player informed the Russian media:

“I told my bosses in Nashville that I wanted to play at home and some Russian clubs were offering me much better conditions than I had in Nashville. … They said they would call me back but never phoned. It seems that they were either not really interested in me or just did not believe I could return home. One way or another, I’m happy to come home.”

No matter how you slice it, this is a blow to the NHL. Especially that such a young promising Russian player who had the potential to be a star opted to go back home this early in his career. Paging Glen Sather.

The Preds still made the postseason last Spring but already dealt away defenseman Marek Zidlicky to Minnesota and now have lost the services of one of their best scorers after just a couple of seasons. In 145 games, Radulov amassed 44 goals along with 51 helpers for 95 points to go with a plus-26 rating.

Not only will he be missed by his team but by fantasy owners as well particularly in keeper leagues who were banking on the young Russian’s continued improvement production-wise. If you already submitted your keeper list with Radulov on it, the joke’s on you.

Fortunately, my two leagues haven’t required us to submit official lists yet as I believe Radulov was a guy on one of my teams I was considering. That takes care of that!

I really liked Radulov’s game as he boasted plenty of talent reminding me of a young Alex Kovalev. We bid Dac Vee Daniyah to you for now and hope you’ll return to the NHL.

Best of luck.

As expected, former Wild center Pavol Demitra reached agreement on a multi-year deal worth a reported eight million with his top choice the Canucks. It allows the 33 year-old veteran Slovak to stay in the Northwest Division. Only difference is he went from a division winner to a disappointing last place team which melted down the stretch of last season due to lack of scoring and an unsteady Roberto Luongo.

Oddly enough, Demitra indicated that the biggest reason for choosing Vancouver was so he could play with Luongo as they became friendly off the ice. So, is this unlikely duo the Canucks’ version of butt buddies?!?!?!?!?! Inquiring minds want to know or not.

The question is what does he have left to offer? He’s coming off his lowest goal output (15) of a respectable 15-year career. With four different teams (Ott, Stl, LA, Min), he’s produced 281 goals and 418 assists for 699 total points in 750 career games.

Given that Demitra will be earning the same money as former Vancouver captain Markus Naslund who departed for Gotham, it’s obvious that he’ll be compared to how the one year older Swedish vet performs in NYC.

The growing question is replacing Naslund and Brendan Morrison (signed w/ Ana) with Demitra and brand new $2.5 million acquisition Steve Bernier (thanks to Stl) enough to bolster an offense which scored the fewest goals (213) in their ultra competitive division?

Unless Mike Gillis can attract the undecided Mats Sundin to British Columbia, there’s not much to get excited about. Well, at least he added former client and ex-Isle defenseman Rob Davison.

Just remember. They could be the Maple Leafs.

One of the common trends we’re seeing is GMs sign Group II’s to offersheets ticking off rival executives who either make a big threat as the Sabres did last summer when Kevin Lowe gave Thomas Vanek that huge offer sheet or make disparaging remarks such as know it all Brian Burke did taking jabs at the Edmonton GM for stealing away Dustin Penner. Funny how the NHL didn’t call the former employee into the office but as soon as Lowe fired back, they finally asked both to the principal’s office.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Lowe give Burke a beatdown because the latter thinks he invented the game. Is he a good GM? Absolutely. But sometimes, his arrogant attitude can get a little irksome. His rival Lowe hasn’t broken any rules. As far as I know, teams can ink restricted FA’s to deals if they’re willing to sign on the dotted line giving the original team seven days to match. There’s nothing wrong with that. Either the organization concludes that the player is worth keeping and antes up or decide they can’t afford to due to the cap and go in a different direction.

Ironically, Burke’s former team the Canucks are involved in the latest Group II game. They signed Blues’ forward David Backes to an offer sheet which St. Louis quickly matched to keep his rights. Less than a week later, the Blues have signed recently acquired forward Steve Bernier to an offer sheet worth $2.5 million for next season.

Out of curiosity, is this why the penny pinching Sabres dealt away the potential power forward last week so quickly after acquiring him at last season’s deadline? At least they finally upgraded their blueline picking up steady veteran Craig Rivet from San Jose.

The 23 year-old Bernier is a solid player. In 76 combined games with the Sharks and Sabres, he finished with 16 goals and 16 helpers for 32 points along with 64 penalty minutes. It was kind of odd how Buffalo got him in the Brian Campbell deal only to later deal him off. He’s a former 2003 first round pick who has solid size going 6-2, 235. No wonder teams are after him.

Unlike rival GMs who take these kind of deals personally as if it hurts their egos, current Vancouver GM Mike Gillis didn’t see anything wrong with what the St. Louis organization did:

“We have a great deal of respect for the St. Louis Blues, John Davidson, Larry Pleau and their management team, The offer sheet to Bernier is a clear indication of how highly Steve is thought of in our league.”

It’s refreshing to see no cheapshots being dished out for what looked like some payback. I do wonder though about where this league is headed when a guy who’s yet to reach 100 career points is going to make $2.5 million. The average cost for FA’s will only continue to escalate spiraling out of control.

Former Flyer center R.J. Umberger who ironically was drafted by Vancouver but never set foot there due to contract demands is already on his fourth team having played 228 total games producing a little over half (116 pts) before the Blue Jackets traded for him rewarding the 26 year-old with a four-year $16 million deal. Now, he did post a career best 50 points and had an outstanding postseason torching the Canadiens for eight of his 10 markers while posting 15 points. At this juncture, he’s no better than a checking center.

This is where the league’s headed. No wonder Jaromir Jagr picked up and left for a richer return to Russia to play for Avanguard-OMSK. Here’s the sad aspect. A star player though older at age 36 who could add a lot more to a contender only attracted offers from three teams (Oilers, Pens, Rangers). Most just weren’t willing to pay No.68 top dollar due to producing only 71 points in Tom Renney’s defensive system which held him back. If he played in a more high tempo system, no question he’d have fared better despite going through long goal droughts and lingering questions as to whether he could bounceback. If you saw how he performed in two rounds with the Blueshirts, you know better.

It’s a young man’s league even though the Devils committed too much for 35 year-old Brian Rolston giving him four years at an average of five million per. Now, Rolston has been a quality NHL player and will certainly boost New Jersey’s struggling offense. He’s a solid two-way forward who can play power play with that booming shot from the point and is a shorthanded threat. But do you think giving him four years is a little bit much? He’ll be 38 in the final season.

How do they justify this? By knowing that the Flint, Michigan native is a reliable player who’s scored at least 30 goals in his last three seasons even though his point total went down in each year. It’s still much easier to conclude paying Rolston five million on average for what he’s accomplished than one million less for Umberger, who looks to be a similar player if he can take that next step in Columbus.

Still, when you look at these salaries, just remember the Maple Leafs led by NHL fossil Cliff Fletcher gave Jeff Finger four years at an average of $3.5 per-year.

Don’t try to laugh too much.

Okay. I’m going to make this short and sweet since the last couple of hours out here have been a living hell. Driving around Staten Island sometimes can be a nightmare. Well, that’s true cause now I’m going to be late for the SI Yankee game.

Making matters worse, I flipped on WFAN to hear that the Jaromir Jagr Era in Ranger blue was over. And for what?!?!?!?!?!?! The washed up Markus Naslund, who for whatever reason only known to Glen Sather gave him a two-year deal.

Sure. The money’s about right. Eight million over two years is fine. But wow. If you’re going to spend that on a guy who’s a shell of his former self, then why didn’t he just offer Sean Avery the four million salary he wanted and got from Dallas? Even if he offered less years, perhaps the instigator who got underneath Martin Brodeur’s skin like no one else might have decided to stay. Heck. He said during his conference call how much he loved Manhattan.

I’m just not getting Slats’ logic here saying goodbye to No.68 in disgraceful fashion no matter what he says about it being “respectful.” Bullshit  Baloney!!!!!! What? Did he smoke a few too many Cubans last night after stealing Nikolai Zherdev away yesterday? Perhaps too many bourbons. He had such a good Wednesday. Now this?

It makes no sense. And bringing in Dmitri Kalinin is blah. Just let our Sabres’ blogger tell you why.

I’m extremely disappointed now and am so rooting for a Jagr return to Pittsburgh so he can get back at Sather for how foolish he was. Yes. I’m officially declaring my love for the 36 year-old Czech who put the franchise back on the map and has a lot more left in the tank than Naslund.

Nothing against Markus. I like him as a player but he’s not the same player. I don’t care what John Dellapina said on the radio about Vancouver playing for 1-0 games and the Rangers wanting a more up-tempo style. Huh? Has he watched how Tom Renney coaches?

How does one spell 1-4? Like this:

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—FOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

And with that, I’ve said my piece. I am off to catch the last seven innings of minor league ball by the Ferry Terminal. I’ll make the most out of it and try to forget hockey for a while.

I don’t have a lot of time for a post today, but the Rangers had a bunch of newsworthy items today.

-Martin Straka moved on to the Czech League today. He was a solid part of the Rangers, but didn’t fit into the current formula that Glen Sather is apparently trying.

- Markus Naslund and Dmitri Kalinin became the newest Rangers today. No word yet on the contract for Kalinin, but Naslund is said to be for one or two years at $4.5 million per.

- With the signing of Naslund, the Jaromir Jagr era is officially over in New York. Sather confirmed himself that the captain won’t be back. Who wears the “C” next year? My money is on Chris Drury.

- The Rangers also confirmed that they have a preliminary offer on the table for Paul Mara and that the team is open to signing Brendan Shanahan for another year.

That’s it for me today. With the trade of Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche, and the signing of Wade Redden, Patrick Rissmiller and Aaron Voros the Rangers will be a completely different team next year. It’ll be interesting if it takes a half year to create new chemistry, or if the team can click earlier in the season. I wouldn’t expect too much more from the Rangers via free agency, even though the need for a big, physical defenseman was never addressed. We have some scorers, some checkers, some role players and a potential power play quarterback. Let’s see if any other holes get plugged.

More craziness today, what else is new?  Derek already did a fine job of recapping all the moves but I’ll add my two cents.

I got to hand it to Marian Hossa, yeah you could say he’s being a bit of a weenie trying to piggyback his way to a championship by joining a loaded Detroit team, but there’s something to be said about turning down a huge offer from a conference-winning Penguin team (a reported $49 million for 7 years) to do so!  Of course he’ll try to have his cake and eat it too by getting an even bigger contract next year, but there is always the risk of injury.  That’s a lot of money to turn down.

Many, including me speculated how the Rangers would be able to fill their forward lines while spending all their money on defense, well apparently the answer was robbing Columbus blind.  Yes, Nikolai Zherdev can be a royal pain in the russkie, but if he could come close to 30 goals on a defensive-minded team that has no offensive talent other than Rick Nash, what will he do on a Ranger team that has talented centers up and down the roster?  Not to mention other young forwards that weren’t there in Columbus either.  It’s puzzling that all they could get for Zherdev and Dan Fritsche was one decent defenseman in Fedor Tyutin (and a not-so-decent one in Backman).  I thought after what, 7 or 8 years of not making the playoffs as an expansion team the Blue Jackets would get serious about trying to break through - obviously I was mistaken.

As for the Sean Avery sideshow, I’m not shedding a tear he’s gone - I was a bit tired of Ranger-Devil games being all about what Avery said or did, now they can just be about hockey again.  I figured someone would overpay him, but I’m a bit stunned it was Dallas.  Maybe co-GM Brett Hull wanted a fellow yapper around that he could relate to.  It is telling that despite Avery’s on-ice attributes he’s now on his fourth team and counting.

A Devil fan friend in Atlanta was telling me yesterday about how the Thrashers promised they would be players in the FA market.  I’m sure he got a kick out of Ron Hainsey being the signature move of FA for Atlanta (and overpaid at that, but so is just about every other UFA), who looks more and more like Ilya Kovalchuk and the nineteen dwarves with each passing season.

Ottawa’s hasn’t done too much but they have made a couple of nice under-the-radar moves.  Letting go of clubhouse distraction Ray Emery was addition by subtraction.  Replacing him with Alex Auld, who resurrected his career in Boston last year was a good move.  Getting pest Jarko Ruutu (think Avery only with a little less offensive talent and not nearly as camera-happy) should also help a team that’s historically fought a reputation for being soft.   

Pittsburgh managed to salvage a nearly destructive offseason by extending Evgeni Malkin, who’s been rumored to be on the trading block seemingly since the Hossa trade last year and it’s not unreasonable to think he would have been dealt at some point had Hossa re-upped.  But Malkin’s the far better long-term investment anyway.  Losing Ryan Malone also hurts but at least they retained rugged defenseman Brooks Orpik.

UPDATE: And once again proving you can’t really judge moves until after the dust settles, Columbus signs Kristian Huselius at 3 years, $14.25 million, a more than acceptable replacement for Zherdev at least, though it still leaves the Blue Jackets way short on scorers.

Copyright TSN/Getty Images

One thing that I’ve always known is that Glen Sather is very unpredictable. He’s not quite as out there as Lou Lamoriello but the experienced President and GM has a way of pulling off deals out of his magic hat which most observers never see coming.

That means you Larry Brooks and good New York Hockey Report buddy Joe McDonald who wondered what the heck the Ranger executive was doing about the lack of scoring up front. Well, the one thing I couldn’t figure out myself was when Sather committed lots of years and dollars to Wade Redden and re-signed Michal Rozsival, what exactly did he have planned to address the gaping hole with only a limited amount of cap space?

In assessing our blueline, I kind of came to the conclusion that maybe something was up and a deal would be made utilizing the team’s tremendous depth from that position. Not surprisingly, Slats opted to trade Fedor Tyutin along with everyone’s fave deadline pickup Christian Backman to Columbus in exchange for Russian forward Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche.

By making such a calculated move, it appears he’s addressed the issue in acquiring the talented Zherdev, who flourished under Ken Hitchcock posting 26 goals along with a career best 35 helpers for a new career high in points (61) this past season. Only 23, the former Blue Jackets’ 2003 fourth overall selection has registered 181 points (76-105-181) in 283 games over four seasons. He’ll be expected to produce under Tom Renney and likely be teamed with speedy No.1 pivot Scott Gomez. On paper, it seems a likely match. We’ll see how it evolves this Fall.

As for Fritsche, he’s also on the young side at 22 though he’ll turn 23 in less than two weeks and a former second round pick. After a solid junior career which saw him star alongside current Ranger forward Ryan Callahan on Team USA, the Parma, Ohio native has played parts of four NHL seasons while missing games due to an assortment of injuries. New York hopes that’s in the past after he got into a career best 69 in 2007-08 totaling 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points.

The most production thus far for Fritsche was in 2006-07 when he put up 27 points (12-15-27) in 10 fewer contests. He’s an energy player who can be a complement on a third line. If I recall correctly, he got to play with Callahan a few years ago. So, it would see logical to team them up. They both possess speed and can kill penalties.

On the whole, this looks like a good deal by Sather. With Redden on board with Rozsival, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, the soon to be 25 year-old Tyutin became expendable. The former 2001 second round pick was a solid player in four seasons here but never reached his full potential which might be why he has a new address. Following an impressive 2007 postseason teamed with Girardi, many were expecting him to take that next step up but instead he had an unsteady season despite playing all 82 games and posting 20 points (5-15-20) and a plus-five rating with just 43 penalty minutes.

Toots sometimes did play solid in his end taking the body and getting a little involved offensively with a booming shot which probably could’ve been double the goal production. There were also games where the Russian struggled in his decision making unable to take the physical punishment in corners and turnover prone. This had to frustrate the Ranger staff. He also had been re-signed by Sather to a four-year extension worth nearly an average of three million. At the time, it seemed like overpayment. Now when you look at the NHL land$cape, it no longer seems that way.

I believe this is a good deal for both clubs which should benefit Tyutin, who can only improve under Hitchcock. As for Backman, he never seemed comfortable here after coming over from St. Louis at the deadline and was set to make too much money for a third pair defenseman. Perhaps the change of scenery will work for the skilled former Blue.

The only question I have for Columbus is where’s the offense? They dealt away one of their most productive players and Raffi Torres isn’t an offensive powerhouse. Who will support Rick Nash? What is the thinking there?

Oh well.

With Tyutin gone, expect former second round pick Michael Sauer to get a long look in training camp along with top prospect Bobby Sanguinetti. 

Pens Lock Up Orpik, Malkin signs extension: In other news, the Pens finally got someone to return aside from Pascal Dupuis locking up physical defender Brooks Orpik to a reasonable six-year $22.5 million contract. Amazing that he took less money to stay in Pittsburgh. God bless him and the Pens who had become desperate after Marian Hossa turned into a traitor.

They also re-signed center Evgeni Malkin to a five-year extension worth a reported average of $8.7 million. Great news for Pens fans.

Figure them to take a run at bringing Jaromir Jagr back to Pittsburgh. A Martin Straka return for a third time wouldn’t be a shock either as the complementary wing always fit in well there and would be warmly received. Another possible option could be original Pen Markus Naslund. Don’t you think the veteran Swede would be rejuvenated playing alongside Sid the Kid?

The Sens also inked former Pens’ pest Jarkko Ruutu to a three-year deal. A good move for a team who’s always had a ’soft’ label.

Hainsey Lands in Atlanta: In other news, Atlanta signed former Columbus defenseman Ron Hainsey to a five-year, $22.5 million contract. The 27 year-old Bolton, Connecticut native put up his second straight 30+ point season with eight goals and 24 helpers for 32 points in 78 GP. Not bad production for a former Habs’ prospect who was a waiver pickup. Now he’s cashed in. It’s definitely overpayment but the Thrashers needed to do something to get blueline help and he is a good skater who can contribute offensively and run the power play.

We’ll have even more later if you can actually believe that.

Apparently, Slovakian right wing Marian Hossa has traded places. If you can’t beat them, then join them must apply in his household. With all the rumors about being offered big money and more years from teams such as Edmonton and Boston, the 29 year-old forward decided instead to join the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings stunningly agreeing to a one-year deal worth a reported $7.4 million.

For once, it wasn’t really about the money even though the payment by the Original Six franchise for one year is market value. It looks instead like Hossa prioritized winning. So much for going to the highest bidder.

I can’t say I blame him for joining Detroit given what they have there in Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Brian Rafalski and Chris Osgood. However, it is a little shocking that he continued to turn down great offers from the runner-up Penguins to stay put. It’s not as if playing with Sidney Crosby was chopped liver. Wow.

The Pens should contend even without Hossa and probably Brooks Orpik assuming he leaves for bigger bucks. Do they now turn their attention to a reunion with No.68 as has been whispered? Stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile, the Rangers got trashed by Larry Brooks in today’s Post due to the uncertainty up front. While the re-signing of Michal Rozsival and addition of Wade Redden were good, the easily agitated Ranger columnist can’t comprehend Glen Sather’s logic because he has approximately only $10 million of cap space left for upgrading forwards. Does Jaromir Jagr return or is there another option?

As I concluded weeks ago, Sean Avery is as good as gone. Perhaps Aaron Voros is being asked to replace him in a bigger role than he had with the Wild? That’s a bit steep.

The Blueshirts also added 25 year-old Swedish forward Andreas Jamtin. In 51 games last season for HV71 of the Swedish Elite League, he tallied 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) along with 167 penalty minutes. Bringing in basically a polished pro from Europe probably means they expect him to compete for a roster spot. I don’t know much about him. So we’ll see.

Backup Stephen Valiquette also re-signed yesterday.

Breaking News: Avery has landed with Dallas. The terms are four years, $15.5 million. Best of luck Sean with your new team.

Copyright Getty Images

Alright. It’s early as hell here in NYC but I was still up after doing a show, writing an SI Yankee recap and a Wimbledon men’s quarter preview.

So, I may as well give a quick recap on the Rangers’ two latest moves last night. After bringing in energizers Patrick Rismiller and Aaron Voros from the opposite conference, GM Glen Sather re-signed defenseman Michal Rozsival, giving the Czech four years worth $20 million. He then landed one of the top blueliners and a guy he coveted in 31 year-old former Senator Wade Redden. He comes to Manhattan for six years worth an average of $6.5-per-season.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of Redden’s. While he is a quality top pair guy who can log huge minutes and play in any situation including power play which had been a Ranger weakness for a while, the former Sen can be a bit soft in his end. Normally a very steady player who makes a solid first pass, he can be pushed around which is why I’m not crazy about this signing. See 2003 Game Seven versus the Devils in the ECF and the entire 2007 SCF versus the Ducks.

Can it work? I don’t know. Is this guy’s persona fit for New York? I have serious doubts despite the talent. This is a guy who should have become the next Scott Niedermayer. Instead, he just hasn’t taken that next step. However, when you commit the kind of years and cash Slats did here, you aren’t doing it to come up small in the Spring. Meaning Redden, Rozsival and the rest of whoever is on the Blueshirts better deliver a Stanley Cup. Anything less and it’s a colossal disappointment.

I also saw that the Islanders actually landed someone who can help their blueline inking former Hab power play specialist Mark Streit to a five-year $20.5 million contract. Okay. I wanted Streit for the Rangers and felt he wouldn’t get more than $3.5 on average. He’s developed into a solid player who can also double up front. But five years and for that price, let the Isles have him. Sure. He’ll boost their power play but I just don’t think he’s worth that kind of money.

Then again, who the heck is these days at these insane prices? Somewhere, Crazy Eddie must be drooling.

And with that, I’ll have much more along with our other outstanding bloggers later today.

Lunacy.

I have nothing else to add.