Ownership changes, coaching changes, out-of-work players signing contracts like Nic Lidstrom signs autographs … we had it all today in the EURO League.
The Page Ownership Group, headed by GM Myli, came to the rescue of an abandoned team for the second time in EURO history. Last season, POG purchased the Prague squad and ran it through the season and into the playoffs where they narrowly lost the “Czechoslovakia Series.” But after a communications gaffe involving a faulty fax machine in corporate headquarters, POG failed to re-up for Season 2 in time and lost the franchise. On Friday though, POG shareholders agreed to assume an aging but talented Bern team. Page will have its work cut out for them. They will have to either sign lesser free agents to fill the roster or trade for players. While they do have money and two high-level prospects to offer other teams, they do not have a first round draft pick in the next draft to offer.
Ondrej Pavelec, whose less-than-awesome performance last season in Frankfurt saw him unceremoniously dumped in the off season, suddenly seemed as attractive as Megan Fox this weekend. He was wined and dined by GMs and plied with ouzo and beer, eventually winning the lottery this afternoon with a $9 million contract to play at least one season in Belfast with the Giants and Cory Schneider, Rick Nash and Sid Crosby. Devan Dubnyk seems to be the odd man out of the goalie picture. The 26-year-old will get paid $2.5 million for four more years if he is dealt to another team. To get to the Belfast farm club, he would have to pass through waivers.
Two coaches who were just getting the hang of new languages last year are in different cities this season. Glen Gulutzan was released in Munich and ended up behind the bench in Moscow. Munich will now be led by former Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel. Dale Hunter moves from Zurich to Berlin, with former Jet player Paul MacLean taking his old job.
The league also released the schedule for the new season and apparently league officials want to get some regional rivalries out of the way early. St. Petersburg and Moscow will go at it 4 times in the first month, as will London and Belfast. Another early scheduling oddity: Oslo will visit Copenhagen 4 times in 18 days including two games in Denmark in two nights. There is also a Copenhagen at Oslo game in that stretch.
