Frenchie says "Oui, Oui!"

Fairly big news on the Anaheim front, as the Ducks have signed Francois Beauchemin to a 2-year contract extension, salary yet unknown [Edit: Per the OC Register, it is for $1.65 M each year]. I'm fairly sure that this does not affect his $500k cap number this year*, as that cannot be adjusted by extensions (otherwise Lou Lamoriello would just extend contracts until he was under the cap).

Frenchie, though he certainly benefits from having Scott Niedermayer on his flank, has a nasty shot, a solid frame, and though he is a tad slow-of-foot, his positioning is generally excellent. Scotty and Frenchie make quite a nice pairing, so don’t think it’s a coincidence both their contracts now run the same length.

If you haven’t checked it out, my poem to Beauchemin really captures the spirit of my appreciation.

------------------------------Oh, and I might not have highlighted this early enough, but apparently our new friend Ian Moran was keeping a blog during his time with the Boston Bruins. Perhaps like Vishnevski, I too am to be replaced by a minimum-wage player.

Then again, here’s some of his recent posts:

Strange
It is 5:45 am and a large round ball is in the sky. It appears to be orange. Not sure what it is, but it hurts when I stare into it!

12:00 p.m.
It’s 12:00 p.m. and I think the bright orange ball in the sky is making people smile. How bizarre! I’ve also noticed that pedestrians aren’t getting as wet because the people driving cars seem to be avoiding the puddles! It is all very surreal to me.

Sun or son (excerpt)
It’s 7:14 p.m. I’ve done research and I have learned that the bright thing in the sky is called the Sun, not to be confused with a son. Both are pronounced the same way and both can provide tremendous amounts of happiness.

Now I haven’t been keeping up with the Bruins to know whether they have some sort of Flowers For Algernon Appreciation Week or anything, but just in case he keeps deteriorating, I’ll maintain my role as a secondary Duck resource for a little while longer.

On the plus side, Moran easily wins the award for Best Mohawk on the team (which, as a Mr. T fan**, means a lot to me). He certainly puts Chris Kunitz's Alfalfa-look to shame!

* I might be wrong on this, but the Ducks are a team that are watching their cashflow more than their 'average-salary' cap hit anyway.

** Jerseywork courtesy of Ingmar Bergman.