Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Is It Finally Roberts Time To Come To Ottawa?


It's now possible.

The agent for Gary Roberts, Rick Curran, told the Pittburgh Post-Gazette that his client is not in the Penguins plans and will be an unrestricted free-agent come July 1st.


"Rick Curran, who represents Roberts -- a veritable folk hero in his season-plus with the Penguins -- said yesterday that Roberts will continue playing, but not in Pittsburgh.

"He very much enjoyed his time there," Curran said. "But he understands that Ray [Shero, the Penguins' general manager] has a number of items on his agenda that would take priority."

Curran added that Roberts, 42, "most definitely" intends to continue his career and will decide where after reaching unrestricted free agency next Tuesday."

-Post-Gazette

This almost feels inevitable.

For years the Senators have been trying to land this guy and the call-in shows are filled with people begging for a "Gary Roberts-type leader".

At 42 years old, the Senators would be getting a limited player but Roberts is the closest thing the NHL has to a Mark Messier-type leader.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray brought in players like Luke Richardson and Martin Lapointe last year to help out in the dressing room but he might as well sign the real thing and finally bring in Roberts, if only to stop all those annoying phone calls to the Team 1200.

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