Likely to be true Oleg Tverdovsky rumor...

[cmw00]

I've read in 2 uncomfirmed unrelated places that He has signed a deal in Russia.

Don't now much more than that, but haven't found any Official release, but as its sort of late I guess the official people have gone to bed :spin:

[cmw00]

This is as official as I can find at the moment. From Hockeytraderumors.com:

Tverdovsky signs with Russian league team!
Free AgentsMalurous writes "Sport-express.ru, a Russian website with a good reputation, reports that speedy defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky has signed a two-year deal with Russian league team Avangard Omsk. The 27-year old Russian won't be back in the NHL in the next two years, as the contract has a clause that prevents him from signing with any other team, including NHL teams, for the duration of the contract.



According to the website, Tverdovsky, a UFA, didn't get any offers that he liked from NHL teams, so he accepted Omsk's deal. He also says that he had contemplated going back home to Russia before. Also, Tverdovsky was promised a major role, unlike his role on the Stanley Cup winning Devils, where he logged an average ice time of just 16:47 per game. He also wanted to go to a team that's looking for success now and Avangard Omsk figures to be one of the top teams in Russia this year.

Tverdovsky had reportedly gotten offers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, the Phoenix Coyotes and the Carolina Hurricanes and was in talks with three other NHL teams. However, he chose to go to the Russian league team.

Regardless of his earlier intentions and future role, I believe that Avangard chairman Roman Abramovich's wallet had a lot to do with Oleg's decision. Abramovich, who has been rumored to be interested in buying an NHL franchise but has denied the rumors for the time being, is one of the richest men in the world and could easily outbid NHL teams to get Tverdovsky if he set his mind to it. The website claims that Abramovich played a huge part in the negotiations with Tverdovsky.

Tverdovsky, a native of Donetsk, Ukraine, was made a first-round pick (2nd overall) by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He has 74 goals and 216 assists for 290 points with 244 penalty minutes in 615 career games with the Anaheim, the Winnipeg Jets, the Phoenix Coyotes and the New Jersey Devils. In 40 career playoff games, the 6'1", 205 lbs Russian has 14 assists and 6 penalty minutes. The offensive defenseman has career highs of 15 goals (99-00 with Anaheim), 45 assists and 55 points (96-97 with Phoenix). Last year, his first with New Jersey, he had a sub-par season with 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points with 22 penalty minutes in 50 games. With 3 assists in 15 playoff games, he helped the Devils win the Stanley cup."

[Shell]

Thu, August 28, 2003
The kids better be all right
Financial constraints force Leafs to go with youth on D
By MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN

While Oleg Tverdovsky is Russia-bound, Scandanavia suddenly has become the destination for a trio of highly regarded Maple Leaf wannabes. With Tverdovsky having wriggled out of the Maple Leafs' plans after signing with a team in Russia, the focus becomes even more intense on young defencemen Brendan Bell and Carlo Colaiacovo as they strive to earn a roster spot.

Bell, Colaiacovo and forward prospect Matt Stajan will be among the contingent of 28 signed players ticketed to attend the Leafs training camp in Sweden, which features a pair of exhibition games in Stockholm and one in Helsinki, Finland. The first practice goes Sept. 11.

A handful of unsigned Leaf draft picks are also expected to be on hand. The team hopes to release the complete Camp Sweden roster in the next few days.

Those players not selected for Sweden will attend a camp in Kitchener.

"One of my goals this summer was to be part of the Sweden camp, so I'm very happy," said Bell, who, along with Stajan, received the good news yesterday afternoon.

With Tverdovsky out of the mix, Bell is confident the likes of he and Colaiacovo, 20, will receive an ideal shot to land a spot on the Leafs.

"I'm happy they haven't gone out and signed a bunch of defencemen," Bell, 20, said.

"They've given the young guys every indication we'll get a good opportunity."

In order to get a taste of NHL life, Bell played against a line of Eric Lindros, Owen Nolan and Gary Roberts during a spirited game of shinny at a local rink yesterday.

"It doesn't get any better than those guys," he said.

Tverdovsky, a defenceman the Leafs had shown interest in earlier this summer, signed a two-year pact with Avangard of the Russian super league.

The deal, which nets him about $2.5 million US per season after taxes, includes an out-clause that would allow him to return to the NHL, a setup similar to the one that saw Danny Markov recently slide out of a contract with a Russian team and sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.

"The Maple Leafs did show interest in Tverdovsky and Magnus Arvedson," said Don Meehan, Tverdovsky's agent. "But when (Leafs assistant general manager) Mike Penny got back to me, he said there was no money in the budget.

"The timing was right for Oleg right now, but that does not mean he does not want to come back to the NHL. There were a number of teams who inquired about him."

Penny said Tverdovsky would not be allowed to join an NHL team this season should he play a game for Avangard.

One player who definitely will not be heading to Sweden is goaltender Trevor Kidd, who is coming off major surgery on his right shoulder.

His absence gives Swedish native Mikael Tellqvist, who helped lead the Tre Kroners to a silver medal at the 2003 world hockey championship, the opportunity to come to camp in his homeland and snap up the backup job.

Incumbent Ed Belfour and prospect Jamie Hodson will be the other goaltenders in Sweden.

"Trevor probably will start practising in October and hopefully will be back in November," Penny said.

[Shell]

To Russia with ... money
Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, who played a key role in one of the New Jersey Devils' Stanley Cup Finals victories, is heading back to the homeland. For about $2.5 million a season after taxes.

Tverdovsky, a talented offensive player whose shortcomings in his own end seem to become apparent at the worst times, was allowed to become an unrestricted free agent by New Jersey this summer but couldn't garner any interest around the league.

With the season rapidly approaching, he decided to go home, but with the proviso he could return to the NHL if he could get a deal. The out-clause is limited, however. If Tverdovsky plays a regular season game in Russia, he cannot join the NHL.

"The timing was right for Oleg right now, but that does not mean he does not want to come back to the NHL," his agent, Don Meehan, told the Toronto Sun. "There were a number of teams who inquired about him."

New Jersey acquired Tverdovsky and Jeff Friesen last summer in a seven-player trade that sent Petr Sykora to Anaheim. Concussion problems limited Tverdovsky to only 50 games, but even when he was healthy, he had trouble fitting into the defensive style of Devils coach Pat Burns.

He was scratched midway through the second round of the playoffs and returned for the last game of the conference final. Tverdovsky's best effort came in Game 2 of the Finals when he got two critical assists in a 3-0 victory against the Mighty Ducks, but he was scratched again for Game 7, which let hometown hero Ken Daneyko retire in front of New Jersey fans.

Tverdovsky earned $3.6 million last year.