UPDATE 10:00 AM EST
Flyers forward
Matt Read will return to the United States after playing two final games for Södertälje SK, according to a praise-laden
press release issued by the team today.
Södertälje has a home game tomorrow against Oskarshamn and then a match in Stockholm against Djurgården on Saturday. Read will depart Sweden after the latter game, which is SSK's final match before a 10-day break in the schedule.
Said SSK general Peter Nygårds, "Matt Read came to us after a tough period for the team and has made major contributions to SSK's climb up the standings with his strong offensive and defensive qualities on the ice. Now that the latest discussions in the NHL seem to a bit brighter, we don't know if the game against Djurgården on Saturday will be the last one he plays in an SSK jersey."
"Read has shown a fantastic commitment to his hockey, to his friend Emil Billberg and to the team. He played for compensation that didn't even cover his own costs. And if it so happens that the lockout ends and he doesn't come back, we want to express our huge gratitude and respect to Matt, who we didn't even know a couple months ago. We hope at the the same time that our fans come out and show their appreciation tomorrow against Oskarshamn. We know that would mean a lot to Matt, because he's really come to appreciate the SSK fans."
Read was initially recruited to SSK by his former Bemidji State University teammate and close friend Billberg. Primarily a winger on the Flyers, he was installed as the team's first line center.
During his most productive offensive stretch, Read centered a line with New York Rangers winger Carl Hagelin (who left the team after sustaining a shoulder injury in his eighth game) and French national team forward Damien Fleury. By far, the trio was the best line in the league -- which has quite a few NHL players during the lockout -- during its stint together.
At the time Read intially joined the club, SSK was mired near the bottom of the standings. Over the course of his 18 games to date, Read has produced 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) and a plus-13 rating. During that span, the club has won 15 games to rise to second place in the league. Both SSK and Leksand have 53 points but first-place Leksand has a game in hand.
Flyers defenseman
Nicklas Grossmann joined Read in November on a four-game contract. The blueliner, who got his start with Södertälje, played on a pairing with newly recruited Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler. In his four games, Grossmann had one assist, four penalty minutes, a plus-one rating and an unofficial 10 blocked shots.
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Lockout Far From Over, But Positive Steps
I have never been so happy to be wrong than I was about the reported progress that emerged from yesterday's players-owners meeting. I really did not think there would be any productive dialogue until there was a deadline set for the cancellation of the season.
Even so, progress is not the same thing as resolution. There is still a good chance that all the sudden optimism from last night will be replaced by another round of tough talk from both the NHL and NHLPA.
In the bigger picture, it is a very positive sign that the sides met for over seven hours yesterday and will meet again this morning ahead of the Board of Governors meeting. However, there is still a good chance the two sides will remain divided today on the timetable for getting to a 50-50 revenue split, While the owners have reportedly moved on some of the contracting issues, those will not be fully resolved until (or unless) there is compromise on the economics.
Assuming there is no agreement-in-principle reached this morning, the next step will be for the Board of Governors to give Gary Bettman the authority to cancel the season at his discretion and the announcement of a drop-dead date to reach an agreement. Howard Eskin tweeted last night that the deal deadline will be December 15. The remainder of the December schedule is likely to be canceled by the end of this week as well.
To me, the most telling developments that will show how much progress has actually been made will be what happens in the days after the Board of Governors meeting. Will the sides move closer to each other, despite whatever tough rhetoric they may spew?
I hope the Board of Governors meeting is devoted to voting on a proposal for a potential final agreement rather than the timetable for canceling the season in lieu of an agreement. Just be prepared for the skies to darken again before there is light.
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Sestito Leaves Sheffield
Tom Sestito has elected to end his stay with the EIHL's Sheffield Steelers, according to a
report in the Sheffield Star.
Barring a settlement in the NHL lockout, Sestito will look for placement in one of the more prominent European leagues.
In 17 games for Sheffield, Sestito had eight goals, 19 points and 69 penalty minutes. He had only four penalty minutes over his final seven games with the club.
"Tommy has been great for us and we will miss him," Steelers head coach Ryan Finnerty told the Star. "He had one little slub but normally played with some edge."
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Tuesday Results
* Allsvenskan:
Matt Read and Södertälje SK pulled into second place in the league with a 3-2 road win over Anze Kopitar, Bobby Ryan and the rest of Mora IK. Read, who was moved from first-line center to second-line right wing, did not record a point in the game. SSK was outshot, 27-13, but never trailed in the game. Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler scored for SSK, along with Damien Fleury and Ziga Jeglic. Ryan scored a late-game power play goal for Mora to cut the final deficit to one goal.
* DEL:
Danny Briere set up the first goal of the game and his Eisbären Berlin club went on to hold off Adler Mannheim by a 3-1 count. For the third straight game, Eisbären was unable to protect a one-goal lead in the third period. This time around, the defending champions rebounded to score two late goals.
* KHL:
Ilya Bryzgalov earned the victory in CSKA Moscow's 4-1 home win over Slovan Bratislava. Bryzgalov only saw 14 shots for the game but several were testers. Most notably, with the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, Bryzgalov made a remarkable recovery to get a piece of an Andrej Sekera shot from point-blank range. The lone Slovan goal, which knotted the game midway through regulation, was a sharp-angle power play goal by Michal Vondrka; a one-timer that went off the back of Bryzgalov's shoulder and into the net.
* WHL: The Portland Winterhawks' potent offense steamrolled another opponent, as the club outslugged the Everett Silvertips, 7-5. Flyers left wing prospect
Taylor Leier scored a pair of goals to take second-star honors. Teammate Brandon Leipsic exploded for four goals to hit the 20-goal plateau on the season.
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Wednesday Games
* KHL:
Ruslan Fedotenko and HC Donbass Donetsk are on the road to take on Traktor Chelyabinsk.
* KHL:
Jakub Voracek and Lev Prague are at home to play Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.
* SM-liiga:
Max Talbot and Ilves Tampere are the host of a derby against long-time archrival Tappara Tampere.
* OHL: Enforcer prospect
Derek Mathers and the Peterborough Petes are on the road to take on the Belleville Bulls.
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