13°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Tons of talent to AHL, tons of $ stays in owners' pockets
Nugent-Hopkins
THE Oklahoma City Barons are going to look a lot like the Edmonton Oilers this season.
With a lockout looming, Edmonton sent 26 players to the AHL's Barons, including marquee forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle.
Magnus Paajarvi and defenceman Justin Schultz are also bound for Oklahoma City, while first overall draft pick Nail Yakupov was assigned to the OHL's Sarnia Sting and blue-liner David Musil sent to the WHL's Vancouver Giants.
Yakupov isn't likely to suit up with his former junior hockey team. The dynamic young forward tweeted Saturday he is on his way to Russia where it's expected he'll join a KHL team.
With the Oilers being a young team many of their impact players are still on entry-level contracts, making it cheap to move a large part of the team to the AHL.
"I talked to Ryan Whitney who played in the AHL during the lockout and he said it was one of the best years of his career," said Eberle on the Oilers' Twitter account.
"It's going to be good to go down there with the guys, hang out and get a winning attitude because we're going to have a good team."
Ottawa's Jason Spezza, Carolina's Erik Staal and Los Angeles's Dustin Brown were among the players who played in the AHL during the 2004-05 lockout.
A move to a lower-level league means a pay cut for most players. Eberle, who is in the final year of his entry-level deal but just signed a US$36-million, six-year contract extension, will make an annual salary of $65,000 in the AHL.
Edmonton star forward Taylor Hall was not eligible to be sent to the Barons because he remains on injured reserve.
Teams were scrambling to sign players and move around pieces prior to the end of the current collective bargaining agreement Saturday at midnight ET.
The Hurricanes, another young team, topped the Oilers by sending 28 players to the AHL's Charlotte Checkers. Included in that list is left-winger Jeff Skinner, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2011.
Carolina also sent defenceman Ryan Murphy, who was drafted 12th overall in 2011, to the OHL's Kitchener Rangers.
Elsewhere, New Jersey Devils defenceman Adam Henrique, who was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie last season, will play for the AHL's Albany Devils next season.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 16, 2012 B6
More NHL
- Back to Top
- Return to NHL
More NHL
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Johnny Boychuk breaks tie, Bruins keep pushing to beat Rangers 5-2, take 2-0 series lead
2:24 AM 0BOSTON - The Bruins know a huge deficit can disappear quickly. They overcame one to reach the second round of ...
Poll
Most Popular NHL
- Sweden beats Switzerland 5-1, wins gold at world hockey championship
- Colin Greening has OT winner in Senators 2-1 victory; Penguins lead series 2-1
- Ex-Jets MacLean, Carlyle on Sochi coaching list
- Sharks fined $100,000 for GM Doug Wilson's comments about Raffi Torres' suspension
- Canada's Paul Henderson, Danielle Goyette enter IIHF Hall of Fame
- Logan Couture scores PP goal in OT to give Sharks 2-1 victory over Kings in Game 3
- Young, 7th-seeded Red Wings have evened 2nd round series at 1 with top-seeded Blackhawks
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- NHL Playoff Capsules
- 'Peg sniper aims for MemCup success
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- Boston completes miraculous comeback in overtime to oust Maple Leafs
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- 'It's the worst feeling'
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- The Boston OT Party
- Fast start for Hawks
- Blue surge forces Game 7
- Tale of two stars as Crosby outshines Karlsson in Penguins 4-3 win over Senators
- The Gretzky of Gretzky collectors sells hoard that brought him closer to game
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Grapes claims women have no place in locker-room
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- Former Leafs GM Burke files defamation suit
- Slideshow: Things that didn't exist the last time the Leafs were in the playoffs
- Sens packing plenty of punch
- Boston completes miraculous comeback in overtime to oust Maple Leafs
- Get it through your thick head, NHL
- From the rubble of disaster: Lokomotiv picking up pieces after entire team was killed in a 2011 plane crash
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- The Boston OT Party
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- The Gretzky of Gretzky collectors sells hoard that brought him closer to game
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- Slideshow: Things that didn't exist the last time the Leafs were in the playoffs
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Classy group joining Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Tim Leiweke named president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Pesky Sens: Turris scores in OT as Ottawa beats Montreal to grab 3-1 series lead
- Sharks will be without injured F Adam Burish for 2nd round of playoffs
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- The Boston OT Party
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.