The 2012 NHL Awards are tonight (televised on NBCSN at 7:00 pm EST.)Here are our 3 Vezina nominees from yesterday's media availability (and in alphabetical order, because I don't want to show favortism.)
Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers
Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings
Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators
Friday, 06.15.2012 / 4:16 PM
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have solidified their situation in goal for the foreseeable future Friday when they acquired Anders Lindback from the Nashville Predators.
The Lightning sent a pair of 2012 second-round picks, a 2013 third-round pick and goaltender Sebastian Caron to the Predators in exchange for Lindback, forward Kyle Wilson and a 2012 seventh-round pick.
"We are very pleased to announce this trade today," vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said upon making the announcement. "We believe Anders will join the team and give us a nice lift at the goaltending position as we prepare for the 2012-13 season. He has the potential to develop into the No. 1 goaltender we covet."
"I'm very excited to now be with the Tampa Bay Lightning," Lindback said. "I had some great years with Nashville but I was in a tough spot behind Pekka Rinne. My dream all my life has been to be a number one goalie in the NHL and I think I have a great opportunity to be that in Tampa Bay."
Lindback is coming off his first full NHL season, in which he played 16 games as Rinne's backup. He went 5-8-0 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He has appeared in 38 career NHL games, all with Nashville, registering a 16-13-2 record, with a 2.53 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.
"We believe Anders will join the team and give us a nice lift at the goaltending position as we prepare for the 2012-13 season. He has the potential to develop into the No. 1 goaltender we covet." -- Lightning GM Steve Yzerman
The 6-foot-6, 203-pound goaltender was a seventh-round pick (No. 207) of the Predators in 2008. He'll replace Dwayne Roloson, last season's starter, who is an unrestricted free agent. Tampa Bay also has veteran Mathieu Garon as well as well as 22-year-old Dustin Tokarski, a 2008 draft pick who led Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, to the Calder Cup championship.
Despite dealing away two second-rounders in next Friday's NHL Draft, the Lightning still have two first-round picks (Nos. 10 and 19), as well as its own pick (No. 40) in the second round.
Wilson, 27, played in five games last season with the Predators, recording two shots. The Oakville, Ont. native has skated in 39 career NHL games with the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Predators, scoring four goals and 13 points. Wilson notched two assists in his NHL debut as a member of the Capitals on Dec. 15, 2009, against the Colorado Avalanche.
At the age of 38, I believe it is time to put my time and energies into those areas and relationships that I have neglected. That is why at this time I feel the most important thing I can do in my life is to reconnect with the three F's. Friends, Family, and Faith. This is what I plan on doing over the course of the next year.Sunday’s post by Thomas followed Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli’s late Friday confirmation of media reports last week that predicted that the Bruins all-star goalie would step away from the game next season.
“Tim came to me…through his agent and said that he’s seriously considering taking the year off,” said Chiarelli during a conference call originally set to discuss the signing of forwards Dan Paille and Chris Bourque to contract extensions. “As of now, I am operating under the premise that there’s a strong possibility that he’ll be taking a year off and we’d have to go about our business without Tim Thomas.”It now appears that statement is no longer a premise and the B’s will soon rely on the expertise of Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin; a scenario that doesn’t appear to scare Chiarelli.
“We’ve got two very capable goalies in Tuukka and Khudobin,” said the GM. “I’d be more than satisfied if that’s who we have to go with.”Beyond Khudobin and Rask, the B’s have several other promising netminders in the system, including the Providence Bruins Michael Hutchinson, and recent signees Niklas Svedberg and Adam Morrison, to vie for icetime with both the AHL and NHL Bruins.
“Svedberg is a goalie who is 23. He played for Brynas [IF Gavle of the Swedish Elite League] and they won the championship,” said Chiarelli when asked how the B’s pipeline between the pipes looked going into 2012-13. “He’s a real good prospect. “You’ve got three gold goalies down there between [Michael] Hutchinson, Svedberg, and Morrison that are going to be battling. “Svedberg – I was pretty happy to sign him, as I was with Adam Morrison. But Svedberg’s a little bit older and accomplished a little bit more. They’re all big bodies, which is nice to have in a goaltending pipeline.” he said.And right now it looks as if it will be that goaltending corps that will look to continue to stymie opposing offenses next October.
“These things happen and you have to roll with them and you have to deal with them,” said Chiarelli. “I don’t think we’re too disabled, if any, on the cap side. Sure, that was a strength of our team and this happens as years progress. “Players take over certain roles, and that’s what would happen here.”