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Chimera Injured; Vermette's Contract Extension

Last night Jason Chimera was checked from behind and landed face first into the boards. Before being taken off on a cart, he was down for five minutes, though he gave the two thumbs up signal to the crowd before leaving the ice. This game was not broadcasted so I have not seen a replay. The league has been cracking down on these checks. Admittedly there is some gray area involved since players can make a sudden turn before being hit. Responding to a question about whether the hit was clean or not Rick Nash was quoted as saying, "From my view, it looked like he just had no chance to protect himself... But I don’t know, I need to see the replay and judge from that." Let's hope Chimera, who battled injuries last season, comes back soon.

Howson signed Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season. Vermette was instrumental in the playoff push by the team last year. The CBC reported the contract is $18.75 million over the five years, making Vermette under pressure to deliver solid seasons to justify those numbers. A speedy hard-playing player, he seemed to inject energy into the team. Let's hope he can take that great end to last season and extend it over a whole year.