Sources: Anton Volchenkov, Paul Martin Leave Door Open With Current Teams
Filed under: Devils , Senators , NHL Free Agency By the time the clock strikes 12:01 p.m. ET on Thursday, the agents for top unrestricted free agent defensemen Anton Volchenkov of the Senators and Paul Martin of the Devils will undoubtedly receive a lot of phone calls. According to league sources, however, the possibility exists that at least one — and possibly both — could decide to remain with their current teams. Unlike defenseman Dan Hamhuis, whose negotiating rights have been dealt from longtime home Nashville to Philadelphia and now Pittsburgh , Volchenkov and Martin have not bid adieu to their teams. Quite the contrary. A source reports that negotiations between Volchenkov and the Ottawa Senators have remained amicable and productive. Although the rugged blueliner will reach unrestricted free agency on July 1, “the door is very much open.” Since he was drafted by Ottawa in the first round in 2000, the 6-1, 230-pound Russian defenseman has played a combined 489 regular season and playoff games with the Senators. In NHL FanHouse’s rankings of the top unrestricted free agents, the 28-year-old Volchenkov is the second-best player still available overall, behind forward Ilya Kovalchuk. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments
View post….