Hatcher in Detroit!?

[TOMGUNNER]

Hatcher in, Fedorov out


TSN.ca Staff



7/2/2003

These are quiet days on the NHL free agent front, but Detroit was a hub of activity Wednesday, as the Red Wings lost one of their best known players, and reportedly landed one of the biggest names on the free agent market.



Reports from Detroit are saying that Hatcher has agreed to terms with the Red Wings, who have called a new conference for this afternoon. NHL sources have told TSN that Detroit has offered Dallas captain Derian Hatcher a 5 year contract worth $6 million per season, after offering him a 4 year deal worth $5.5 million earlier in the day.



"I think the Red Wings are bidding against themselves," said one G.M. contacted by TSN.



Hatcher made $4.2 million last year before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. He was a finalist last season in voting for the Norris trophy as the NHL's top defenceman.






Related Info
Done in Detroit

The Stars broke off negotiations with Hatcher last week, unwilling to offer the 12-year veteran the long term deal he's been seeking.



Sources familiar with the talks say that Dallas did not discuss financial terms with the 31 year old Michigan native, who has been with the organization for all of his 12 NHL seasons.



Meanwhile, after 13 years with the Detroit, Sergei Fedorov is finished with the Red Wings, his agent told TSN Wednesday.



"Sergei wanted me to make it official that he won't be back with Detroit," Pat Brisson said from Los Angeles. "He said he feels just like he did 13 years ago when he defected from the Soviet Union- that he's free and excited for a new challenge."



Detroit General Manager Ken Holland was not completely surprised by the news. "I'm disappointed they made the decision," Holland told TSN, "but I'm not totally shocked. We offered Sergei $50 million for five years in November and were turned down. We couldn't get it done with $40 million for four years either, so Sergei obviously feels he wants to move on."



Fedorov has spent all 13 of his NHL seasons in Detroit, winning three Stanley Cups with the organization. He stand fourth on the team's regular season scoring list, and is second in career playoff scoring, trailing only Steve Yzerman.



Asked if there were any circumstances under which Fedorov would return to Detroit, Brisson said there were none.



"No, he's moving on," he said.

[TOMGUNNER]

OK, it's official
=============
Hatcher joins Red Wings


TSN.ca Staff



7/3/2003

TSN.CA - The Detroit Red Wings may be losing Sergei Fedorov, but they've bolstered their blue line significantly with the addition of free agent defenceman Derian Hatcher.



The Wings Thursday reached an agreement with Hatcher's agent, Pat Morris, on a multi year deal that will see the 31 year old defenceman return to the team he grew up watching in suburban Detroit.



Although contract details were not released, TSN has learned that Hatcher accepted the 5 year, $6 million per season offer that the Red Wings put on the table last night.



A 12 year NHL veteran, Hatcher had spent his entire career with the Stars, including two seasons in Minnesota. He had been the team's captain since 1995, and last season was a finalist for the Norris trophy as the NHL's top defenceman

[Leafs_Pam]

GOOD!! I didn't want Hatcher on the Leafs anyway.

Ya know, even though I don't like Federov, I thought of something, and that something would make me willing to have Federov on the Leafs in spite of his salary. Federov when he is on his game is good. Just imagine Federov on the Leafs, the Leafs playing the Wings and the Leafs wiping up the ice at Joe Louis Arena AND ACC with the Wings. That's a beautiful scenario and for that reason alone I would be willing to have Federov in T.O.!! ;D ;D ;D

[Leafs_Pam]

www.canoe.ca/Slam030703/nhl_dal-ap.html

Mike Modano replaces departed Derian Hatcher as Dallas Stars captain


DALLAS (AP) -- With Derian Hatcher taking his hard-hitting style to Detroit, the Dallas Stars named Mike Modano their new captain on Thursday.

Modano is the franchise leader in every meaningful statistical category and an obvious replacement. A two-way force, he's already viewed by many as the face of the team. Now he'll have the C on his sweater, too. He's been an alternate captain for several years.

"It's certainly going to be a great honour and privilege -- a lot of pressure, I guess, and expectations," said Modano, who has the most goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, short-handed goals and games played in team history. "But as a person and player, I don't think anything's going to change as far as my approach to the game and what I do."

Hatcher was the captain for nine of his 12 seasons with the Stars, having received the honour in February 1995 after Neal Broten was traded.

When Dallas won the Stanley Cup in 1999, Hatcher became the first American-born captain to hoist the trophy. His tenure as captain was by far the longest in franchise history.

While the Stars were interested in re-signing Hatcher, they weren't willing to give him a five-year deal. That's what he got from the Red Wings, the team Hatcher watched while growing up in a Detroit suburb.

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be difficult and different without him here," Modano said. "We'll miss him, but he did what's best for Derian Hatcher at this point in his career."

Dallas announced last week that it wouldn't offer Hatcher a new contract during its exclusive negotiating period. He hit the free agent market Tuesday and got the deal he wanted pretty quickly.

His departure continues the reshaping -- and budget-cutting -- of a team that last season didn't live up to its payroll, which was among the league's highest.

While the Stars had the most points in the Western Conference, they were eliminated by Anaheim in the second round of the playoffs. Since then, general manager Doug Armstrong has sought to move high-priced players Pierre Turgeon and even Bill Guerin, last summer's top free agent signee.

Hatcher's departure makes Modano and Richard Matvichuk the only remaining players who moved with the franchise from Minnesota to Dallas in 1993.