Archives for June 24, 2006

'Persson is a decent skater with good technical skills and puck movement. He has great hockey sense and reads the play very well. Persson usually solves situations with his smarts and does not very physical. Usually quite confident and consistent in his own end, but at times he could choose the play more simple.'

'"I think it's quite safe at this point to say I'll definitely be in the UFA (unrestricted free agent) pool," McKee wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "I just don't think they are prepared to make an offer that would be considerable to keep me out of the UFA market." McKee said the Sabres have made him an offer, but declined to provide the details, saying he doesn't want to negotiate through the media.'

'"In today's game, we're looking for a player with good skating, hockey skills, hockey sense and character."'

‘”I can say there’s nothing imminent on our front. More than anything else, conversations involve very little solid trade talk. It’s a feeing-out period of the new [collective bargaining agreement] and what it means. I don’t think it’s a very mature marketplace yet, but it could formulate pretty fast.”‘

'“I wasn’t ready to come home,” says Gaustad, who played a key role as a fourth-line, defensive center in his rookie campaign. “We could taste it. We tried to hold on or find a way to win, but they pressed us. It was tough.”'