Vaclav Prospal is okay with his retirement from hockey. The soon to be 39-year-old inked a tryout with the Canucks AHL affiliate in Utica last week but decided to retire after one practice. "It was 'What am I doing here? Why am I not with my family? Why am I doing this?'," Prospal said. "So I called my wife. I called my agent. And that was it. I retired. And right after I made the decision, oh, a weight came off me. It felt like I was finally free of all the pressure. I don't have to prove to anybody that I'm better than the guy sitting next to me. I don't have to fight off that guy fighting for my job, or the other guy trying to take my spot on the power play. I just felt such a relief." Prospal had 255 goals and 765 points in 1,108 NHL games with seven teams. We wish him well in retirement.

Vaclav Prospal has officially retired from the NHL. Prospal seemingly had the opportunity to extend his career by signing with Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Utica, but he decided it was time to hang up his skates. "I loved playing hockey, I loved scoring goals and I loved being a part of the NHL for so many years," Prospal said. "That said, within minutes of me stepping on the ice for practice last week in Abbotsford, I knew that I wanted to focus on something that was more important than hockey, my family." He had 255 goals, 765 points, and 581 penalty minutes in 1,108 career games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

On the verge of signing a minor-league tryout contract with the Vancouver Canucks' organization, former Blue Jackets forward Vinny Prospal opted instead to retire Friday. Prospal, 38, played 16 seasons and 1,108 games for seven organizations. In 130 games with the Blue Jackets, he had 28 goals and 57 assists and became known around the league for his over-the-top goal celebrations. Prospal delighted many Jackets fans during a win over the Detroit Red Wings late last season when he emerged from a scrap with defenseman Niklas Kronwall and pointed at the scoreboard to taunt him. He had made it known through his agent, Ritch Winter, that he wanted desperately to re-sign with the Jackets, but the team wasn't interested, even after a slow start when it struggled to score. The Jackets wanted to leave ice time available for young players such as Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert and Jenner.

Vaclav Prospal will reportedly announce his retirement. Prospal has already informed the Vancouver Canucks of his decision after turning down an offer to play for AHL Utica. He had an up-and-down career, but when the dust settled, he had a remarkable 255 goals and 765 points in 1,108 games.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post is recommending in print that the New York Rangers sign free-agent forward Vaclav Prospal to add some offense. "Impossible as it may sound, the Rangers' lineup in Detroit on Saturday night will include only two forwards (Brad Richards with five and Derek Dorsett with one) who have scored a goal this season," Brooks writes. "Vinny Prospal is out there, a free agent who has been known to provide some pop and crackle, even if he won't win even a single foot-race; a free agent who was a popular and productive Ranger for a couple of seasons not all that long ago. True enough, he would be returning at 38 in a young man's league, and might have issues dealing with the pace, but the thing is, he always has. Yet, he has always found a way to produce, last year leading the Blue Jackets with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in the 48-game season after recording 55 points (16-39) the previous season." Brooks adds: "The Post has learned (Rangers general manager Glen) Sather has had conversations with Prospal, who is training in the Czech Republic, and his representative."

Vaclav Prospal has yet to receive a contract offer from an NHL team. The 38-year-old forward played for the Blue Jackets last season and had 12 goals and 30 points in the 48 game truncated schedule. Columbus will need some scoring early in the season as their top free agent signing Nathan Horton, will miss at least the first two months of the season after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery but there has not been a contract offer with training camp slated to begin on Thursday. Stay tuned.

The Blue Jackets don't appear likely right now to make a contract offer to Vinny Prospal. "Are we going to extend him an offer? We're not sure we want to do that yet," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "We want to give him the proper respect if we do and he may not even want to do it. We always like to keep our options open, but I'd say right now we'll stand pat unless we make an offer to Vinny." According to Capgeek.com, the Blue Jackets have a little more than $2 million in cap space. Prospal, who had 30 points last season, made $2.5 million.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are still considering re-signing UFA Vaclav Prospal. Prospal wants to re-sign with the Blue Jackets and with newly signed Nathan Horton out of action until December at the earliest because of upcoming shoulder surgery, the team will need some help with their top-six forwards. Prospal had 12 goals and 30 points in 48 games with the Blue Jackets in 2013 which translates into a 51 point season over a full 82 game schedule. Stay tuned.

Vaclav Prospal wants to re-sign with the Blue Jackets. Prospal is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this ummer. "I want the public and the fans to know I'm not shutting the door on anything," Prospal said. "I want to come back. I want to be part of this team, especially after the way we played after the start. We've really turned a corner and I can see where this is going. It's going to be good here." That being said, the Blue Jackets are still weighing their options. Prospal had 12 goals and 30 points in 48 games this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen hasn't made a decision on whether to pursue pending unrestricted free agent Vaclav Prospal. Kekalainen did add that he's very satisfied with Prospal's performance this season. "He made a big contribution," Kekalainen said. "He always scores. I've seen him since he was a young kid. You always wonder how he does it, but every year he does it. He scores goals and has assists and contributes that way. He's had a great career, and I have a lot of respect for his career and the way he played this year." Prospal had 12 goals and 30 points in 48 games.