Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 11, 2009

According to La Presse, the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings are among the teams that may be interested in acquiring Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak's services. Brochu's take: I think the Hab's asking price is a little high for a goalie that hasn't really proven himself as a dependable backup. Rumor is that the Edmonton Oilers are also interested. Source

Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander has cleared waivers. Brochu's take: It's only a matter of time before he ends up on a KHL team. No chance would the Caps bring him up on re-entry waivers.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 9, 2009

The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded forward Pascal Pelletier to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Brendan Bell and centre Tomas Kana.

The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Ville Koistinen on re-entry waivers.

Both Carolina Hurricanes goalie Michael Leighton and New York Islanders forward Jeremy Reich have cleared waivers.

Hockey and NHL rumors for the weekend of Dec 5-6, 2009

It's Sunday, so you know it's another round of rumors from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

The New York Rangers are interested in acquiring forward Pavol Demitra from the Vancouver Canucks. Demitra is currently injured. Brochu's take: Garrioch obviously uses the whole Demitra-Gaborik friendship angle to justify this rumor. He might have forgotten that the Rangers are pushing the cap as it is.

The Nashville Predators may be trying to move defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Brochu's take: This one I agree with. Hamhuis won't re-sign with the Preds, and there's plenty of young blueliners to replace him in Nashville. Watch him get moved at the deadline.

The San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets could be interested in Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward, while some teams have called about Ray Whitney.

"The Vancouver Canucks are expected to trade defenceman Shane O'Brien." Brochu's take: Not likely. The 'Nucks love their defensive depth.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 5, 2009

The Chicago Blackhawks have officially signed Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to identical 5-year, $31.5 million contract extensions. Defenseman Duncan Keith has signed a 13-year, $66.5 million contract extension. Brochu's take: Keith is not a $5.5 milllion a year player. Gross overpayment IMO.

The Philadelphia Flyers have fired coach John Stevens and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. Assistant coach Jack McIlhargey was also fired. Replacing him will be Kevin McCarthy, current assistant coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Brochu's take: This has been rumored for some time, so it's not surprising. Philly needed a shakeup in the worst way, and there have been rumours that the young players on the team had tuned out Stevens.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Jiri Tlusty to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Philippe Paradis.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Chris Bourque on waivers.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 3, 2009

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Kyle Chipchura to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Chipchura's lack of offense in the pros has severely hampered his development. Maybe a change of scenery will help.

The Chicago Blackhawks have called a press conference for Thursday afternoon when it's expected that they will announce contract extensions for Patrik Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. Kane and Toews deals is believed to be both in the 5 year range, while Keith's deal is in the 13 year range. TSN's Bob McKenzie believes that the Hawks may place defenseman Brent Sopel and his $2.4 million on waivers. Brochu's take: The Hawks are pretty much at the max of their salary cap for next season, and they still might need to free up some "tagging room". Moves may be coming soon.

The New York Rangers have claimed forward Erik Christensen off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers have also placed goalie Steve Valiquette on waivers.

The Atlanta Thrashers have placed defenseman Noah Welch on waivers.