Ei tuo voi olla syy koska Zetterbergin sopimusta on kaksi vuotta vielä jäljellä, ainakin nhlnumbers sivuston mukaan.
Äh, näinhän se tietysti on. Ei pitäisi luottaa noihin amerikan miesten spekuloiviin uutisartikkeleihin. Tuo kaksivuotinen sopimushan olisi sopinut Wingsille kuin nenä päähän, joten eiköhän Bert lähtenyt ihan omasta halustaan.
EDIT:
http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/
Tällaista löytyi Bertuzzista. Selänteen paikkaajaksi hänet käytännössä otettiin, mutta Teemulla on edelleen mahdollisuus jatkaa halvalla sopparilla.
Once again, Bertuzzi was Burke's back-up plan:
July 3, LA Daily News: "I talked to Teemu [Selanne] four or five days ago," Burke said, "and he was adamant that he hadn't made a decision yet. ... We would have to figure it out. We would have to be pretty creative (with the payroll) if he wants to come back, but we'd love to have him back. That hasn't changed."
July 3, Orange County Register: Unable to reach contract terms to remain with the Detroit Red Wings, Bertuzzi instructed his agent, Pat Morris, to ask the Ducks if they might want to sign the 6-foot-3, 245-pound unrestricted free-agent right wing who has scored at least 25 goals in five of his past six full seasons.
"I said, 'Yeah, if a player of that caliber wants to come to Anaheim, I better be interested,'" Ducks general manager Brian Burke said Monday night.
Bertuzzi suggested that the his first-hand experience in playing against the Ducks was a big part of the reason he joined them:
"Obviously, it's pretty special when you can get the defending Stanley Cup champions to find room to fit you in," Bertuzzi said. "I'm thrilled at the opportunity. Being there in the playoffs and seeing first-hand what an unbelievable rink it is, I think it's going to be an unbelievable place to play. I'm just going to come in to fit into their program, because it's been successful. I just want to get my game back to where it can and should be."
The truth of the matter has more to do with Bertuzzi's familiarity with Burke, teammate Brad May, and the fact that he won't be told to hold back or be smart about his physical play. The bridle's off the horse:
"Todd brings a dimension that is consistent with our approach -- a North American, physical guy who can play," Burke said. "I know what this guy can do for a hockey team."
The feeling was mutual, of course:
July 3, Vancouver Province: "Brian is the kind of guy you want to go to war with and play hard every night for," Bertuzzi said of the Ducks GM during a conference call.
"He's a guy you just don't want to let down. Brian always instilled the confidence in me when I was in Vancouver. If I was having a bad game, he'd come down and give me a pep talk and get me going."
Bertuzzi expects his crashing and banging self to return for the "wars" he will wage as a Duck:
"I had other injuries [including a concussion] that weren't disclosed and they really held me back from the middle of San Jose [series] and all the Anaheim series," said Bertuzzi. "I was not even close to 100 per cent. I was lucky that the staff in Detroit kind of kept me together to get through. But my back is fine and I don't envision problems in camp." ... "What you see is what you're going to get," he said. "I have not changed one bit. My game is still there and that I'm still passionate."
The Vancouver Province's Ed Willes sums up the warm, fuzzy, and yet menacing feelings surrounding the signing:
July 3, Vancouver Province: The Ducks also offer Bertuzzi an ideal opportunity to revive his career. In Anaheim, the Steve Moore story will last for one day before it's buried for the season.
Bertuzzi also joins a team that is tailor-made for his combination of size and skill. And it seems he'll be rejoining his old pal Brad May, who is reportedly close to re-signing with the Ducks.
...
[Y]ou also sense Burke loves this move. He and Bertuzzi have been through a lot together and they should have won more in Vancouver before it ended badly.
They can change that now.
The proof, after all, is in Burke repeating Bertuzzi's refrain:
July 2, AnaheimDucks.com: I respect Todd and I'm very happy to go back to war with him again. I think our fans should welcome a guy who wanted desperately to come to Anaheim
Tai sitten Teemu pelaa myös ensi kaudella. Joukkuetta on vahvistettu ja Anaheim on jälleen kerran yksi suosikki kannun voittajaksi.
Omasta mielestäni Anaheim ei ole vahvistunut, jos Niedermayer lopettaa. Schneider ei vaan riitä stuntiksi mitenkään.
