Congratulations to Ron Francis for being selected to the Hall of Fame earlier today! As we said with our post from yesterday, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving candidate. I listened to the announcement and conference call on XM radio and Ron was as gracious as always. He thanked his family, friends, and past team-mates and said that moving to Raleigh was everything he had hoped it would be when he first decided to play for the Canes back in 1998. Thank you Ron, for staying in this area, for coaching youth hockey, and for giving back to the community in so many other ways that you do. The Canes and their fans are fortunate to have you!
In other hockey news, there is still nothing new on the Canes trade front. The longer the silence continues, the better the chance that nothing happens. Around the league, Briere turned down an offer from the Sabres today. Buffalo has a lot of work to do. I think they gave up on Drury. Vanek is still unsigned, which means he could be tendered an offer sheet from another team. If that happens, the Sabres would have to match that offer or give him up. I think it would be cheaper to get him signed now, rather than have to match an offer later. They reportedly offered Briere a 5 year, 25 million dollar deal. That's not even close to getting him signed. The Sabres could be in trouble next year.
Finally, Kevyn Adams was put on waivers by the Coyotes and he cleared them today. That's a pretty sad state of affairs for Adams, who was always so popular here. The 'Yotes will have to buy out a portion of his contract now, and he will become a free agent on July 1st. But if no one picked him up today, I'm not sure why they would sign him later. He was only making about 200K over the league minimum anyway. Good luck Kevyn.
David Bowie