In the Crease
Posted: Tuesday February 16, 1999 03:13 PM
By Pierre McGuire
Coyotes general manager Bobby Smith made an excellent deal last
month when he acquired 14-year veteran defenseman J.J.
Daigneault from the Predators for future considerations.
Daigneault is a smooth puckhandler who provides depth and
quality leadership. In the spring of 1997 his solid play helped
the Mighty Ducks eliminate Phoenix in the first round.... While
some former Penguins such as Ron Francis, Mario Lemieux and Luc
Robitaille aren't receiving the deferred payments owed them -- the
team is in Chapter 11 -- current Pittsburgh players, including
goalie Tom Barrasso, who's having an outstanding season (16-10-3
record, 2.36 GAA at week's end), are getting all their deferred
money. The reason: according to the collective bargaining
agreement, if a team misses a payment to a player, that player
can become a free agent in two weeks.... The Panthers are
thrilled with the development of 6'6", 230-pound rookie forward
Peter Worrell, who is already one of the league's top enforcers.
Worrell, 21, skates well and has good hands, and Florida
management is projecting him as a second-line player.... With
the two-referee system set to be implemented for the playoffs,
let's hope the NHL reaches out to former official Andy van
Hellemond, who retired in June 1996 after having made some poor
calls in a postseason game between the Nordiques and the Rangers
the previous spring. Van Hellemond, 51, was a top ref for 24
years, and with many new officials being brought in, he'd be a
perfect complement to a young ref.... The leading candidates to
replace Senators assistant G.M. Ray Shero, who left for a
similar job with Nashville, are Marshall Johnston and Jarmo
Kekalainen. Whoever gets the job will have a tough time because
Ottawa has 11 players set to become free agents.
Issue date: February 22, 1999
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