Polemic Hockey

Check this out.

"I think when he signed that contract, he feels, in a lot of ways, that he owes it to the team to play out the remainder of his contract. I think that does play a factor. I don't think the money has ever been a factor in his decision."

I think he does owe it to the team to play out his contract, but Burke is correct that he's earned the right to do whatever he wants. Having said that, his agent dropping quotes like this signals that he is planning on coming back. Or this:

"I think he had contemplated [retirement] more initially than he had recently."

Still, if I'm the Ducks, I might try to get Sheldon Souray or Ryan Smith. Temmu's agent made it clear if he comes back, it will only be in Anaheim, so there is no rush to sign him. The Ducks can sign a UFA, and then fit Teemu in the remainder of the budget. Cap space is no problem, as long as they do not pay more than $5m or $6m for any FA.

Update: The cap is $50.3m, a roughly $6m increase.