NHL and hockey rumors for July 20, 2008

In the latest scuttlebutt about Mats Sundin signing with the Vancouver Canucks, a Swedish publication was running with the rumor that Sundin has chosen to play with the Canucks, whenever he does decide to return to the NHL. Sundin's Swedish based representative Claes Elefalk has already told TSN that the story was completely fabricated. Brochu's take: Why does the Toronto media skip a beat when Sundin sneezes? The simple fact is that he won't decide until August and no one in the world knows what Sundin is thinking. Source

The Philadelphia Flyers salary for the 2008-2009 NHL season is currently $60.592 million (according to nhlnumbers.com), which is around $4 million above the cap. There have been rumors that Mike Knuble and Derian Hatcher have been shopped, but there doesn't seem to be many takers.

According to the NHLPA website, forward Jeff Taffe has signed a one year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Andre Roy to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Stephane Veilleux to a one-year contract. They also re-signed left wing Peter Olvecky and defenseman Clayton Stoner to one-year contracts.

The New York Islanders have signed Danish forward Frans Nielsen to a four-year, $2.1 million contract. Brochu's take: The more Danes the better. Denmark is an emerging power in the hockey world.

Poll Results:

Which team was the biggest winner on July 1st?

Blackhawks (Campbell, Huet)	193 (35%)
Oilers (Cole, Brule)	216 (39%)
Devils (Rolston, Holik)	43 (7%)
Rangers (Redden, Rozsival)	46 (8%)
Other	51 (9%)

Total Votes: 549

Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls!