Is eight enough?

With eight games left in the RHL16 season, tonight is the make-or-break game of the season for the Eagles as the squad travels north to Yellowknife in a battle for first place.

A win means we're even with the YDP, but with two more wins the Eagles would take the tiebreaker. A loss will put us 4 points back--a difficult hill to climb in only seven games, especially since would also need to leapfrog the Selects.

Mark Parrish will return to the lineup, providing a nice boost to the powerplay and gives the team another weapon as they try and match the YDP big guns.

Eagles lock up Vokoun, Comrie

Amidst rampant speculation as to who would and would not be resigned by the Edmonton Eagles, the squad announced today that they had come to terms with goaltender Tomas Vokoun and centre Mike Comrie, both on longterm deals.


Vokoun agreed to a 4-year, $9.8M deal, plus a $1.2M signing bonus. It is widely expected he will take over the reigns of #1 netminder in RHL17, a move that all but confirms current #1 Jose Theodore will not be back with the club next season.


"As soon as we received confirmation of the trade acquiring Tomas a few weeks ago, I phoned his agent and began the process to get him under terms," explained Eagle GM Bourdeau. "We are ecstatic to have one of the best keepers in the business in an Eagle uniform for at least the next four seasons."

While Vokoun's signing was no surprise in Edmonton, local product Mike Comrie's was. Comrie agreed to a 4-year, $4.34M deal, including a $468k signing bonus.

"Everyone knows the history between Mike and the organization," said Bourdeau. "Sure, we've tried to move him on multiple occasions, but let the past be the past. Mike will have every opportunity to be our #2 centre next year."


Pundits decried the move to resign Comrie, scheduled to be a RFA, when so many Eagles were poised to enter the UFA free-for-all. Going to the auction are forwards Ryan Smyth ($3.45M demand), Craig Conroy ($2.92M demand) and Mark Parrish ($2.06M demand), as well as defencemen Jaroslav Modry ($1.81M demand) and Chris Chelios ($2.95M demand).


"I'm paid to make decisions that will bring a King's Cup to Edmonton," responded Bourdeau. "If I don't think a player is worth a certain salary level, he's not going to be offered a contract from us--no matter who he is. I have a salary structure I'm working in that I feel will bring this team success. Sure, I would love to have Smitty, Craiger and Mark back next year. They're great players. But they have to realize that I won't put one player above the team."


"If I could deliver one message to the fans, it's this," continued Bourdeau. "Just because we didn't resign these guys now, it doesn't mean they won't continue their careers as Eagles. I won't make any guarantees, but we have the cap space and the reserves to be very active in the auction. I will continue to have an open dialogue with all our free agents in the offseason, and many others that will be available."

Deja vu in Edmonton?

With only days remaining until the free agent signing deadline, the Team 1260 is reporting that contract negotiations between soon to be UFA Ryan Smyth and the Edmonton Eagles have reached an impasse.

Sources close to the team have indicated the veteran winger, in his second go around with Edmonton in his RHL career, is looking for a 4-year deal in excess of $15.5M to remain an Eagle.

While team officials could not be reached for comment, it is believed that the organization is offering no more than $14M over the same span.

Smyth was acquired before the RHL15 season from Chicago along with GAR1 (Guilliame Latendresse) in exchange for Freddy Sjostrom, Thomas Fleischmann, Brandon Nolan and cash. He currently sits tied for the lead in team scoring with 14g 29A 43pt through 54gp.

Negotiations are continuing with other Eagle UFAs including Vokoun, Conroy, Parrish, McEachern, Modry and Chelios, as well as with RFAs Comrie, Bell, King, Tjarnqvist and Majesky. With only two resignings allowed per season, look for most of the players to hit the auction in the offseason.