- CSNNE.com
Haggerty: Spooner deal represents his last chance with Bruins
The Bruins and Ryan Spooner wisely came to a contract agreement on a one-year, $2.825 million deal just prior to the start of Wednesday’s arbitration hearing. Don Sweeney hasn’t yet taken a B’s player to arbitration during his three years running the Black and Gold, and it could have grown unnecessarily contentious with a player like Spooner if they’d been forced to point out his flaws as a player in the uncomfortable setting of an arbitration hearing. “It’s a fair deal for both sides in our opinion,” said Spooner’s agent Murray Kuntz to CSN after the one-year contract had been agreed upon. Now that Spooner has been signed to the one-year deal, it represents the last chance for the 25-year-old
Associated PressNY Rangers sign Zibanejad to $26.75 million, 5-year deal
Mika Zibanejad knew from the moment the New York Rangers traded Derek Stepan that his role would be more substantial. The Rangers avoided arbitration Tuesday and signed Zibanejad to a $26.75 million, five-year deal that carries a salary-cap hit of $5.35 million through 2021-22. With Stepan gone, the 24-year-old Swede goes into the season as New York's new No. 1 center.
- 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
