An investigation by the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville has revealed two current NHL owners helped finance the purchase of the Nashville Predators last summer.

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Nashville Predators Owner & Chairman Craig Leipold stands with Scottie Upshall after being selected sixth overall during the first round NHL Entry Draft on June 22, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Photograph by : Getty Images

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Craig Leipold sold the Predators to a group of local investors and California businessman William 'Boots' Del Biaggio for $176 million US. Since then De Biaggio has been investigated for fraud, is being sued by lenders and declared bankruptcy.

According to the Tennessean, Leipold, now the owner of the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings owner Anschutz Entertainment Group lent the team a combined $27 million.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the paper the league did its due diligence.

"We were extremely thorough in our review of the ownership group, and Mr. Del Biaggio was not treated any different than anybody else in the process," Bettman told the Tennessean.

The remaining owners are trying to find new investors to buy Del Biaggio's 27 per cent share of the team.

Leclaire re-signs with Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed goaltender Pascal Leclaire to a three-year contract through the 2010-11 season.

Leclaire, 25, is coming off his best NHL season with a 24-17-6 record and 2.25 goals-against average. Leclaire also posted a .919 save percentage with nine shutouts in 54 games with the Blue Jackets. 

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the deal is worth $11.4 million_US.

His record was the best in franchise history and his shutout total nearly doubled the previous club mark of five set by Marc Denis in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Following the NHL season, Leclaire helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2008 world championships, posting a 4-0-0 record with a 2.00 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and one shutout in four games.

"We're very happy to have signed Pascal to a new contract that will keep him with the Blue Jackets for the next three seasons," said Columbus GM Scott Howson. "He is an important part of our team and we think he will continue to improve and play a significant role in helping us reach our goals."

Leclaire was the Blue Jackets' first pick, eighth overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

He spent most of his first three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, Columbus's AHL affiliate, before joining the Blue Jackets early in the 2005-06 season. 

Parrish a free agent

The Minnesota Wild have bought out the remaining three years of forward Mark Parrish's contract.

Parrish, 31, had 16 goals and 14 assists in 66 games with the Wild last season.

The Minnesota native had three years remaining on the deal he signed with the Wild back in July, 2006.

Following the buyout, Parrish becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any other NHL team.

His best season came in 2001-02 with the New York Islanders as he scored 30 goals and 30 assists in 78 games.

Hurricanes sign Bowman

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Drayson Bowman to a three-year, entry-level contract. The contract will pay Bowman $550,000 US, $600,000 and $650,000 at the NHL level or $65,000 at the minor-league level in years one through three.

Bowman will also receive a signing bonus of $262,500. Bowman is still eligible to return to play for his junior hockey team, the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League if he doesn't make the Hurricanes' roster this season.

Bowman, 19, led Spokane and ranked tied for 10th in the WHL in scoring during the 2007-08 regular season with 42 goals and 40 assists in 66 games. After helping lead Spokane to the WHL Championship, Bowman was the leading goal-scorer during the 2008 Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ont., with six goals in four games. He notched the game-winning goal in Spokane's 4-1 victory in the Memorial Cup championship game against Kitchener, and was named to the tournament's all-star team.

Bowman was drafted by the Hurricanes with their second pick, 72nd overall, in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Next deal

With Valtteri Filppula's deal done, Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland will look to finish off Chris Chelios's contract.

Chelios had basically agreed to take what Detroit could afford to pay him once the key players were taken care of this summer.

"Chris and I had talk and he knew what we could pay him would depend on if we were able to do anything major this summer," Holland said. "Getting Marian Hossa unexpectedly and signing Filppula long term means there's going to be less.

"He understood that. He also understands his role.

"If Mike Babcock feels the best chance of winning on nightly basis is with one of the kids over Chelly, that's what he's going to do."

Holland added he hoped to start work on new deals for Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen at training camp.

"I want to be able to talk to the player and explain what I'm thinking rather than have everything go through the agent," Holland said. "I want them to have a clear understanding of what are plans are."

Kopecky healing

The Detroit Red Wings weren't expecting to have forward Tomas Kopecky available until late October or more likely mid-November after he ripped up his knee in the spring.

However, a good summer keeps getting better for the Wings as Kopecky's recovery is ahead of schedule.

"Piet Van Zant (trainer) told me he thinks he'll be ready right around opening night," Wings GM Ken Holland said.

"He's worked real hard in rehab and he's definitely ahead of schedule. That just gives us another good, young player who was really coming on when he got hurt."

Van Ryn's wrist finally healed

After missing 62 games last season with a wrist injury, Florida Panthers defenceman Mike Va Ryn has declared himself healthy.

"I feel awesome now," Van Ryn told the Miami Herald. "I look at other guys around the league. It took (Edmonton Oilers defenceman) Sheldon Souray a while to get his right. It can be a difficult surgery. I'm just excited to play, try and contribute and help the Panthers win some games."

Van Ryn had two assists in the 20 games he did play last season. In 2006-07 he managed four goals and 25 assists in 78 games, but admits he was struggling with the wrist injury during that campaign as well.

"I feel better than I have in a long, long time," he told the Herald. "This is a totally different deal. I know what I can do, and people who have been here know what I can do. I've been frustrated with my play the past two years. But it was never a lack of effort. I was incapable of playing the way I had in the past."

Van Ryan, 28, will be entering his seventh NHL season. His most productive seasons offensively bookended the NHL lockout. In 2003-04 the rearguard scored 13 goals and 24 assists with the Panthers and followed up with eight goals and 29 assist in 2005-06.

Fedorov repaying old loans

Sergei Fedorov's legal problems with an American bank appear to be cleared up.

Scott Norton, a lawyer with Citizens State Bank, told the Washington Post he expects Fedorov to repay over $2 million US worth of loans in the coming days. Earlier this month the bank started legal action against Fedorov in a bid to get the money back.

He said it:

"People don't really understand the challenges to deal with the new cap system. Ultimately you have to make decisions in advance to create room to be prepared to do something different down the road." - Minnesota Wild general manager Doug Risebrough to The Sporting News the day after he waived Mark Parrish to save room under the salary cap.