Blackhawks Sign Ray Emery to One-Year Contract

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have signed goaltender Ray Emery to a one-year contract worth $600,000. He had been attending the team's training camp on a tryout basis. In 10 games last season with the Anaheim Ducks, Emery posted a 7-2-0 record, with a 2.28 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He missed the majority of the 2010-11 season with a career-threatening hip injury, but was able to battle back from the condition and sign with the Ducks. Not a bad depth signing for the Blackhawks, as Emery has good size, is a solid goaltender, and will bring the team plenty of veteran depth in goal. Despite struggling a bit in the preseason and being outplayed by Alexander Salak, he was able to earn a contract with Chicago and will likely play as the backup to Corey Crawford. If Emery should struggle this season, he will more than likely be sent to the minors and be replaced with Salak.

Ducks Sign Goaltender Ray Emery to One-Year Deal

The Anaheim Ducks announced on Monday that they have signed goaltender Ray Emery to a one-year, two-way contract for the rest of the season. The deal will pay him $500,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level. He cleared waivers on Tuesday and has been assigned to Syracuse of the AHL. The 28-year-old netminder, who underwent hip surgery last April, has been conditioning his hip over the past month in order to make an NHL comeback. In 29 games last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, he posted a 16-11-1 record, three shutouts, a 2.64 GAA, and a .905 save percentage. Not a bad signing for the Ducks, as Emery has good size and is a solid goaltender. However, his behavioral issues have always effected his play and caused him to lose focus in net. As long as he can control his attitude, he should help the Ducks be more competitive in net as the playoffs approach. For now, Emery will continue to condition in the minors until he is ready to play in the NHL. With Jonas Hiller currently sidelined with fatigue, Emery could be back in the NHL in the near future as long as he doesn't have any more hip problems.

Flyers Sign Golatender Emery to One-Year Contract

Not sure how I missed posting this, but the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have agreed on a one-year contract with goaltender Ray Emery. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal is believed to be worth somewhere between $1.5-$2.5 million. The contract cannot be officially signed until July 1 because he is still a free agent. Emery made headlines and gained lots of unwanted attention during the 2007-08 season while playing with the Ottawa Senators for constantly clashing with coaches and teammates. Ottawa's struggles late in that season were largely blamed on Emery's antics. The Senators bought out his contract last summer and he signed a one-year deal with Atlant Mytischy of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with the hopes of turning his game around to make an NHL comeback. During his last season in the NHL in 2007-08, Emery struggled, posting a 12-13-4 record in 31 games with a GAA of 3.13 and a .890 save percentage. He was very impressive in his one season in the KHL, posting a 22-8-0 record in 36 games with a 2.12 GAA and a .926 save percentage. With the Philadelphia Flyers very close to the salary cap ceiling, this is an affordable signing in goal for them, though it will cost them the services of Martin Biron, who will likely seek a larger contract than Emery. This will be Emery's chance to prove that he has become a more mature player after playing in Russia for one year like he claimed in his press conference. He has the skills to become a top-notch, starting goaltender. However, if his temper gets the better of him this season, this will definitely be his final season in the NHL. He won't get a third chance to redeem himself.