- CSNNE.com
Morning Skate: Markov's time with Canadiens likely up
Ryan Spooner and the Bruins never made it to arbitration, settling on a one-year, $2.825 million contract ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the agreement. Spooner and his camp sought a $3.85 million deal, while the Bruins submitted $2 million as their number. Settling outside of arbitration locks in the player at an affordable number while avoiding a potentially messy process. Though Spooner now has a contract, his future with the Bruins isn’t much clearer than it was at season’s end. The 25-year-old center was a healthy scratch for the last two games of Boston’s playoff run,
- ProHockeyTalk
Zibanejad jumps at opportunity to be Rangers’ No. 1 center
It’s reasonable to assume that the New York Rangers were comfortable trading Derek Stepan in part because they believed Mika Zibanejad could step into the No. 1 center role. That puts a lot of pressure on Zibanejad, who’s never been the top pivot on an NHL team before. If that wasn’t enough, now he’ll need to justify the first big contract of his career (seeing his cap hit rise from $2.625 million to $5.35 million). At least he isn’t oblivious to this challenge, and as the Rangers website notes, he’s actually super happy* to raise the stakes. “I think even before signing, seeing Derek being traded was a little bit of an alert to me that I might get a chance to play a bigger role,” Zibanejad said.
- ProHockeyTalk
3 KHL players suspended after testing positive for banned substances
The International Ice Hockey Federation has announced that three KHL players have been suspended after testing positive for banned substances. Here’s an excerpt from the KHL’s website: The IIHF has informed the KHL that three players – forward Danis Zaripov (then with Metallurg Magnitogorsk), defenseman Andrei Konev (Admiral Vladivostok) and defenseman Derek Smith (Medvescak Zagreb) – have tested positive for banned substances. Derek Smith tested positive for a category S6.а stimulant. Andrei Konev tested positive for a category S6.b stimulant. Danis Zaripov tested positive for a category S6.b stimulant plus category S5 diuretics and masking agents. Zapirov, who was part of Team Russia at the
