Thursday, May 21, 2009

NHL and Hockey Rumors for May 22, 2009

The Minnesota Wild will officially name Chuck Fletcher as the next GM of the team. Fletcher will replace Doug Risebrough, whose contract as president and general manager of the team was not renewed after the regular season ended. Fletcher is currently the assistant GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the team has said they will not stand in the way. Brochu's take: It is kind of weird to see a team still in the playoffs lose their assistant GM. I wonder who broke this story on TSN...could it be Pierre "El Kabong" McGuire, who was a finalist for the job? Source

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Dwight King to a three-year, entry-level contract. King was the Kings' fourth round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Phoenix Coyotes minority partner John Breslow has formed a group interested in submitting a bid for the team, his lawyer Scott Cohen said Wednesday. Breslow currently owns 2% of the Coyotes. It's believed he's filed paperwork with the NHL to table a formal offer. Brochu's take: I find it odd that we hear news about all these "potential" offers from other parties, and yet Jim Balsillie's offer is still the only official and signifcant offer. Redfield Baum, the bankruptcy judge, has repeatedly stated that his only obligation is to the creditors, which would make you believe that Balsillie has an edge.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Washington Capitals forward Donald Brashear is rumored to be signing with a KHL team, possibly Vityaz Podolsk/Chekhov. Brashear's agent is currently in Russia in contract talks. Source

Russian reports are indicating that KHL team Avangard Omsk have targeted Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Frantisek Kaberle and Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander for the 2009-2010 season. Brochu's take: Kaberle's a UFA this summer, so it's possible. Nylander still has a couple seasons left in his contract so I don't see him doing a Radulov. Source

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