BP Staff
06-23-2009, 01:30 PM
Czech Hockey site hockejportal.cz is reporting (http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=n&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hokejportal.cz%2Fclanek%2F11467 %2Frusko%2Fkarri-ramo-novou-posilou-omsku%2Fdetail%2F&sl=cs&tl=en&history_state0=) that Avangard Omsk of the KHL has signed Lightning goaltender Karri Ramo (http://www.boltprospects.com/karri-ramo) to a two-year contract. Terms of the agreement are not known at this time, or whether Ramo has an NHL "out" in the contract.
Ramo's three-year entry-level contract with the Lightning expired at the end of the season and remains an NHL restricted free agent with Tampa holding his rights provided that the team issues a qualifying offer prior to the June 29th deadline. The Lightning have also lost forwards Radek Smolenak (http://www.boltprospects.com/radek-smolenak) and Johan Harju (http://www.boltprospects.com/johan-harju) to KHL contracts earlier in the summer. At this point, one might be led to speculate that a general lack of attention to prospect signings might be occuring in the vacuum left when the Lightning decided not to renew the contract of AGM Claude Loiselle.
BoltProspects contacted the Lightning for a comment about the Ramo signing but the team indicated they are not issuing any kind of formal statement at this time.
http://www.boltprospects.com/content/khlomsk-signs-karri-ramo
Ramo's three-year entry-level contract with the Lightning expired at the end of the season and remains an NHL restricted free agent with Tampa holding his rights provided that the team issues a qualifying offer prior to the June 29th deadline. The Lightning have also lost forwards Radek Smolenak (http://www.boltprospects.com/radek-smolenak) and Johan Harju (http://www.boltprospects.com/johan-harju) to KHL contracts earlier in the summer. At this point, one might be led to speculate that a general lack of attention to prospect signings might be occuring in the vacuum left when the Lightning decided not to renew the contract of AGM Claude Loiselle.
BoltProspects contacted the Lightning for a comment about the Ramo signing but the team indicated they are not issuing any kind of formal statement at this time.
http://www.boltprospects.com/content/khlomsk-signs-karri-ramo