Oduya remains a Devil *Updated again*

According to Aftonbladet, it will soon be announced that Johnny Oduya has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils. The 27-year-old defenseman would have become an UFA on July 1, but now it looks like he will stay with the Devils instead.

After a couple of very solid seasons, with 29 points and and a plus-21 in 2008-09, he is now expected to get a big raise. According to Aftonbladet, the contract is on a bit over $3 million per year, but no words on the length.

Update 1: It appears that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has denied that it is a done deal. So I guess we will have to wait and see if there was any truth to Aftonbladet's article. In my experience though, if there is something Aftonbladet is good at, it is fishing up info about Swedish players signing in the NHL.

Update 2: Not surprising, the Devils confirmed the re-signing today.

"We are delighted to have Johnny Oduya stay with the organization," said Lamoriello. "He has developed into one of the more talented young defensemen in the National Hockey League."

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No Vancouver Olympics for Sundin

Mats Sundin sticks by his decision of having retired from the Swedish national team, which he announced after the Olympic gold in 2006. The Swedish captain, who also is a 3-time World Champion, said the following to Expressen.

- Regardless if I play in the NHL next season or not, there will be no Olympics for me. I have not changed my stance since I stepped off the ice in Torino with the Olympic gold medal around my neck in 2006.

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Why?
- Because it was the perfect end to a long career in Tre Kronor. To lead the Swedish national team against the best in the world and for the first time winning the Olympic gold when every country had all their stars there.

Sundin also talks about it being time for the new generation to take over. While not part of the new generation, a not so difficult guess is that Nicklas Lidström takes over the role as the captain.

For the next couple of weeks, Sundin will think about the future and he says a decision will be made sometime during the summer.

In other news surrounding the 2010 Swedish Olympic hockey team, former NHL defensemen Tommy Albelin and Mattias Norström have been announced as the assistant coaches to Bengt-Åke Gustafsson. Albelin has been an assistant coach in New Jersey Devils for the past two seasons, while Norström has no coaching experience at all.
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Hävelid returns to Sweden

Swedish defenseman Niclas Hävelid has signed a one-year contract plus an option for another year with SEL team Linköping.

There have been a lot of talks about him returning to Sweden after this season. The discussions have been more about where in Sweden he would end up though rather than if.

In Linköping, Niclas will join his brother Magnus Hävelid, who is the assistant coach, and his good friend Johan Hemlin, the GM of Linköping.

Niclas Hävelid, who finished the current season with the New Jersey Devils, will now try to join the unique group of players that have won the Swedish Championship, the World Championship and the Olympics as he already has won the later two. He never got to win the Stanley Cup though in his 9 seasons in the NHL.
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Talk about bad luck

18-year-old forward Mattias Tedenby was picked by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the NHL Draft this summer and is one of the most promising Swedish junior players.

To the left (credit to Hockeymagasinet for the picture), you see the helmet with cage he was playing with last season - a season where he got to test out playing in the SEL with HV71. This fall he is suppose to start his first full year in the SEL and he decided this summer to drop the cage.

Something he probably regrets now.

Tedenby is at the moment with the U20 Swedish national team at the Summer Junior Camp in Lake Placid, USA, which you maybe remember me writing about in June. In Sweden's 3-2 OT win against USA White yesterday, which was his second game with a normal visor, Tedenby went down to block a shot and ended up getting the puck straight on mouth.

Result? 4 lost teeth and 40 stitches in the mouth according to Jnytt. Ouch!

They are hoping that he will be back in action in about a week, but it hasn't been decided yet if he will stay in the USA or travel home earlier.

Some links where you can follow the camp:

• Official site
• NHL.com Coverage
• 2008 U.S. NJEC Blog

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