The Universal Cynic

...because the Americans are indulging in inferior beer and superior fireworks this weekend (Happy Memorial Day to all of you).

Uh oh, Ottawa -- commence your Code Red freakouts -- and it's not a "sources say"! We've been given an actual name: Ritch Winter -- Hasek's agent. The long story short is that Hasek and Muckler have discussed the possibility of the 42-year-old netminder returning next year.

And just when people were beginning to calm down.

The most important part of this piece actually has little to do with Hasek -- we all assumed that Muckler was going to talk to Dom. Here's what the pseudo-GMs of the city need to focus in on:

If the Senators don't bring back Hasek, their options may be limited. Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson will be an unrestricted free agent, but there's going to be a bidding war.


Among the other goalies who could be available, San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov, who lost the No. 1 job with the Sharks, makes $3.63 million. Anaheim's J.S. Giguere, who also lost the No. 1 job, makes $3.9 million.

Florida's Roberto Luongo and Nashville's Tomas Vokoun could both be on the open market.

But Hasek will be looking for a base salary somewhere between $750,000-$1.5 million with games-played and playoff bonuses that were also part of his last contract.

Hasek finished with a 28-14-0 record and six shutouts in 42 games here last season.

The indications are Hasek would be willing to play less regular-season games (40-to-45) and give Ray Emery more of the workload to be ready for the playoffs.

"I'm just not sure there are a lot of options out there this year," said a league source.

"If you're going to move on from Hasek, then you better have somebody who is ready to step in. Ray Emery is going to need more time."

Translation: Edmonton's going to want to keep Dwayne Roloson. Montreal's going to want to keep Cristobal Huet. Other teams are looking for goalies, they'll be looking at some of the names Garrioch listed, and value for backstoppers is at a premium right now. Fans want, want, want...and they expect the team to also retain either Wade Redden and/or Zdeno Chara. Alrighty then. Sometimes Sens fans are so delusional, it kills me. I'm actually shocked that Nikolai Khabibulin's name hasn't come up.

As of right now, I could see John Muckler doing the following: Signing Hasek, and running a 1a and 1b goaltending system until he sees something else fall out. I don't believe he'd wait until the trade deadline. He might wait until he sees somebody fall off and go through a bad patch -- then make an offer. It's important to remember that you never (well, rarely ever) make a trade for someone when they're at their best. There has to be a reason why a team wants to purge a player.

Would this work? No one would ever admit that it has a chance in hell. And you know what? I kind of like that.

I received a truly great response to last week's column where I referenced Scott Radinsky's band, Pulley. There's such a great dynamic between punk rock and sport that few have ever tapped into -- I want to be one of the first. Most writers don't realize that so many players are fans of these bands, and eventually meet, socialize and become friends with them. They're a fantastic resource for information, because they speak honestly, and without the typical clichés. It was a band member who told me that Sean Avery had been spotted with Elisha Cuthbert, long before the media was even aware they were friends (who eventually became a couple). It was a band member who gave me true insight into Scott Niedermayer's feelings, when he wasn't sure if he was going to return to New Jersey. I'm sure most "journalists" wouldn't dream of associating with "undesirables" like "punk rockers", but that mentality is just ridiculous. So many sources are completely oversaturated that it can't possibly hurt to become a bit unorthodox. And ultimately, it's important to remember that this business is not nearly as serious and important as its participants would like to believe. It's just a game, and it's okay to occasionally have fun with your work.

Have a decent weekend, Cynics. More later.