nccanes
06-10-2003, 11:06 AM
Pens have Straka on market
By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Martin Straka, one of the only skilled veterans left on the Penguins, could be the next to go.
Neither Penguins general manager Craig Patrick nor Straka's agent, Rich Winter, would comment on the situation on Monday. But several sources have said that Patrick recently sent a fax to a number of general managers around the league with information offering the Penguins forward.
The idea that Patrick would try to at least gauge interest in Straka is certainly not far-fetched. He's the second-highest paid player on the team behind only Mario Lemieux, and has two years left on a deal that will pay him $4.35 million in 2003-04 and $4.7 million in 2004-05. The Penguins are reportedly shooting for a payroll of about $17 million next year, and Lemieux, who made $5.25 million in 2002-03, hasn't announced whether he plans to play another year or retire.
The Penguins' next highest-paid player behind Straka is Aleksey Morozov, who will make $1.5 million this season. Defenseman Michal Rozsival will make $1.3 million in 2003-04, and goalie Johan Hedberg will make $1.2 million.
President Ken Sawyer has also said the team will probably lose money again next year in addition to the reported $2-3 million they lost in 2002-03 unless they get back some of the roughly 1,500 season ticket holders they lost last year. Renewal forms went out about a month ago and spokesman Tom McMillan said it's too early to comment on how the numbers are looking for the coming season.
Finally, the NHL Entry Draft is June 21 in Nashville, Tenn., and Patrick hasn't ruled out making a trade to move either up or down from the No. 3 pick the Penguins currently hold. They reportedly are interested in goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and may want to move ahead of the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes to get him.
Everyone but Lemieux was available at the trade deadline this year, Straka included. But while Patrick fielded phone calls, he didn't hear anything that made him want to move the former 95-point scorer. Straka, who never enjoyed as much success outside of Pittsburgh as in it, has said repeatedly that he'd prefer to stay with the Penguins.
Straka, 30, was the Penguins' second-leading scorer behind Lemieux this year with 18 goals and 28 assists in 60 games. Seven of his goals and six assists were on the power play. Outside of Lemieux and Straka, no remaining Penguins players scored in double digits in goals this year.
Straka started his career with the Penguins in 1992-93 and was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 1994-95. He also made stops with the New York Islanders and Panthers before signing with the Penguins again as a free agent in August 1997. He is tied with Morozov as the longest continuously tenured member of the team.
He returned to the Czech Republic shortly after the regular season ended and was his country's top performer in the World Championship. He finished as the ninth-leading scorer in the tournament with six goals and four assists in nine games but injured a groin muscle in the bronze medal game against Slovakia and did not finish.
He recently underwent surgery to remove two pins from his right ankle and right knee, remnants of a shattered leg suffered early in the 2001-02 season.
Patrick said yesterday that he thought Straka rebounded well from serious back and leg injuries that forced him to miss most of the 2001-02 season and into 2002-03.
"He went through an awful lot," Patrick said. "He came back and played extremely well in the World Championships. After a long season here, he went over there and did a good job."
Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.
By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Martin Straka, one of the only skilled veterans left on the Penguins, could be the next to go.
Neither Penguins general manager Craig Patrick nor Straka's agent, Rich Winter, would comment on the situation on Monday. But several sources have said that Patrick recently sent a fax to a number of general managers around the league with information offering the Penguins forward.
The idea that Patrick would try to at least gauge interest in Straka is certainly not far-fetched. He's the second-highest paid player on the team behind only Mario Lemieux, and has two years left on a deal that will pay him $4.35 million in 2003-04 and $4.7 million in 2004-05. The Penguins are reportedly shooting for a payroll of about $17 million next year, and Lemieux, who made $5.25 million in 2002-03, hasn't announced whether he plans to play another year or retire.
The Penguins' next highest-paid player behind Straka is Aleksey Morozov, who will make $1.5 million this season. Defenseman Michal Rozsival will make $1.3 million in 2003-04, and goalie Johan Hedberg will make $1.2 million.
President Ken Sawyer has also said the team will probably lose money again next year in addition to the reported $2-3 million they lost in 2002-03 unless they get back some of the roughly 1,500 season ticket holders they lost last year. Renewal forms went out about a month ago and spokesman Tom McMillan said it's too early to comment on how the numbers are looking for the coming season.
Finally, the NHL Entry Draft is June 21 in Nashville, Tenn., and Patrick hasn't ruled out making a trade to move either up or down from the No. 3 pick the Penguins currently hold. They reportedly are interested in goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and may want to move ahead of the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes to get him.
Everyone but Lemieux was available at the trade deadline this year, Straka included. But while Patrick fielded phone calls, he didn't hear anything that made him want to move the former 95-point scorer. Straka, who never enjoyed as much success outside of Pittsburgh as in it, has said repeatedly that he'd prefer to stay with the Penguins.
Straka, 30, was the Penguins' second-leading scorer behind Lemieux this year with 18 goals and 28 assists in 60 games. Seven of his goals and six assists were on the power play. Outside of Lemieux and Straka, no remaining Penguins players scored in double digits in goals this year.
Straka started his career with the Penguins in 1992-93 and was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 1994-95. He also made stops with the New York Islanders and Panthers before signing with the Penguins again as a free agent in August 1997. He is tied with Morozov as the longest continuously tenured member of the team.
He returned to the Czech Republic shortly after the regular season ended and was his country's top performer in the World Championship. He finished as the ninth-leading scorer in the tournament with six goals and four assists in nine games but injured a groin muscle in the bronze medal game against Slovakia and did not finish.
He recently underwent surgery to remove two pins from his right ankle and right knee, remnants of a shattered leg suffered early in the 2001-02 season.
Patrick said yesterday that he thought Straka rebounded well from serious back and leg injuries that forced him to miss most of the 2001-02 season and into 2002-03.
"He went through an awful lot," Patrick said. "He came back and played extremely well in the World Championships. After a long season here, he went over there and did a good job."
Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.