The Colorado Avalanche have reportedly signed free agents Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne to one-year contracts. Kariya will make $1.2 million (yes, you read that right!) next season, Selanne will earn $5.8 million. Kariya accepted the 88% pay cut to be reunited with his former teammate, and both men opted for less than their previous salaries (Selanne earned $6.5 million last year) to come to Colorado in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup.
Pierre Lacroix just made 29 other general managers look like chumps. I have no doubt he had this planned the moment that the Ducks announced they wouldn't tender a qualifying offer to Kariya, making him a UFA. While he's still got to replace the retired Patrick Roy, getting two such prolific snipers for such a bargain-basement price leaves him some flexibility to pick up another goaltender. He doesn't even need a very good one; with an offensive lineup boasting Kariya, Selanne, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, and Alex Tanguay, you could probably slap a pair of rolled-up magazines in net and still win most games!
In other news, the Detroit Red Wings signed former Dallas defenceman Derian Hatcher to a 5-year contract paying $6 million per season, and have also activated their option on goaltender Dominik Hasek's contract for $8 million, fuelling the suspicion that Hasek will be returning to the NHL after retiring at the end of the 2001/2002 season.
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