Thursday, May 20, 2010
Randy Sexton lost his job this week when the Florida Panthers hired Dale Tallon as their new general manager, but Sexton is still willing to take on a new role with the team if he's asked.
"I would welcome the opportunity to stay with the organization if Dale thought I could help," the former general manager of the Ottawa Senators told reporters during a conference call Wednesday. "I also know how the business works. If Dale wants to go in a different direction, I totally understand. I just need some time to collect my thoughts, spend some quiet time with my wife and kids."
Sexton took over as general manager at the beginning of this past season after Jacques Martin left to become the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers haven't made the playoffs since 2000.
"This is not about me, but about the team,"Sexton said. "I believe that in good times and in tough times like this. The Panthers are in a position to continue to build and thrive. If I'm part of that fine. If not, I'll move on to my next opportunity."
Senators re-sign keller
The Ottawa Senators are starting to fine-tune their minor league roster for next season. On Wednesday, the Senators re-signed Ryan Keller to a one-year extension.
Keller had 34 goals -- sixth in the American Hockey League -- and 34 assists with the Binghamton Senators last season. He was pointless in six games as an injury replacement with the big-league team. Keller, 26, a former scoring star with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, came to the Senators from the Espoo Blues of the Finnish Elite League.
Leino key flyers pickup
The Philadelphia Flyers benefited from the Detroit Red Wings' salary cap constraints when they picked up forward Ville Leino in a trade in February. The Flyers gave up defenceman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round draft pick in the deal, but in the short-term appear to have won the trade.
In 10 playoff games, Leino has three goals and eight assists, matching his output in 11 regular-season contests.
"I think Detroit had some cap issues," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Daily News. "When I talked to (Red Wings GM) Kenny Holland, I don't think he wanted to trade him. He liked him, and I know the coach (Mike Babcock) really liked him. But they got themselves into a bind and they were going to lose him on waivers. I think somebody would have claimed him if they went that route. We were able to make a trade."
The Wings ended up waiving Tollefsen to save cap space.
lowe has a plan
Kevin Lowe has a new master plan for taking the Edmonton Oilers back to the proud days of the franchise's past. It starts with the No. 1 pick in next month's draft, earned after having the NHL's worst record this season, and also includes an increased emphasis on developing players through the minor leagues while spending less on free agents.
Lowe, the Oilers' president of hockey operations, laid out the plan Wednesday as he visited Oklahoma City to unveil the new identity of the franchise's American Hockey League affiliate. The team, which will replace an affiliate in Massachusetts, will be known as the Barons.
"We've got to get back to what we did for a lot of years," Lowe said. "We've got to get back to our basic principles of drafting and development, get out of the free agent business."
