Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 30, 2009

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed forward Robert Lang to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.

The 'Yotes have also signed forward Ryan Hollweg to a one-year deal.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Maxim Afinogenov to a one-year contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Martin Skoula to a one-year deal.

The Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Anton Stralman to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The New York Islanders have claimed forward Rob Schremp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Brochu's take: Schremp will get a new start on the Island, and it's possible he could get a top-6 spot there, considering all their recent injuries.

The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed forward Radek Smolenak off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 29, 2009

It's been a busy couple of days in terms of NHL transactions, so I should be caught up by tomorrow.

The New Jersey Devils have signed forward Rob Niedermayer to a one-year deal. The Devils have also signed forward Andrew Peters to a two-year deal.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Milan Hejduk to a one-year contract extension.

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Guillaume Lefebvre to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Anaheim Ducks have traded defenseman Steve McCarthy to the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward James Wright to a three-year entry-level contract.

The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Darryl Sydor to a one-year contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Ryan Bayda to a one-year, two-way deal.

The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Anton Klementyev to a three-year, entry-level deal.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 24, 2009

The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Manny Malhotra to a one-year, $700, 000 contract. Brochu's take: 700K? That's pretty cheap for a veteran forward. I guess he wanted a chance to win a Stanley Cup. Although with the Sharks, it's hardly a forgone conclusion.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded defenseman Patrick Hersley to the Nashville Predators for future considerations. The Flyers are also expected to sign free agent forward Blair Betts to a contract soon. Source

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Kyle Clifford to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Goalie Olaf Kolzig has officially retired from hockey.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 22, 2009

The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Francis Bouillon to a one-year, $750,000 contract.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Ryan O’Reilly to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Tyler Hostetter to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumour roundup:

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Anton Babchuk has signed a deal with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. Source

New York Rangers forward Nikolai Zherdev has signed with Russian team HK Atlant.

According to TSN and other Russian sources, KHL team CSKA Moskva (Moscow) has had discussions with free agent forward Rob Niedermayer. Source

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 20, 2009

The Boston Bruins have traded forward Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first and second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, as well as a 1st rounder in the 2011 Draft. The Leafs then subsequently signed the restricted free agent to a 5-year, $27 million contract. Brochu's take: Not sure why Burke didn't just send an offer sheet, which would have cost slightly less. A rather large overpayment IMO, but he didn't trade any roster players either.

The New York Rangers have re-signed forward Brandon Dubinsky to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forwards Willie Coetzee and Tomas Tatar to three-year, entry-level contracts.

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Bjorn Krupp to an entry-level contract. Brochu's take: A chip off the old block, one would hope.

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Tristan King and defenseman Hubert Labrie to three-year entry-level contracts.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 18, 2009

Sorry about the lack of updates, Blogger has been acting up lately and I haven't been able to log in.

The Minnesota Wild have signed Petr Sykora to a one-year, $1.6 million contract. Sykora was invited to attend the Wild's training camp.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Antoine Vermette to a 5-year, $18.75 million contract extension.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Phillipe Lefebvre to a contract.

The Dallas Stars have signed goalie Tyler Beskorowany to an entry-level contract.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Tyler Ennis to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Alexander Urbom to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Atlanta Thrashers have invited forward Maxim Afinogenov to their training camp. Brochu's take: I really don't understand why other NHL teams didn't at least invite him to training camp. It's clear that Afinogenov needed a fresh start, and I think it's possible he can return to his 60-70 point self.

Look for my European rumor update later tomorrow!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 15, 2009

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year, $2.25 million contract.

The Minnesota Wild have invited forward Petr Sykora to training camp.

The Vancouver Canucks have invited forward Mark Parrish to training camp.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 14, 2009

The Ottawa Senators traded Dany Heatley and a 5th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks for forwards Milan Michalek and Jonathon Cheechoo and a 2nd rounder. Brochu's take: Pretty fair trade, but I always believed in the theory that the team getting the best player always "wins". If Cheechoo can return to at least 30 or so goals a year, this would be a fair trade.

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed forward Drew Stafford to a 2-year, $4 million contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Radek Smolenak to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Bolts have also re-signed defenseman Mike Lundin.

The Edmonton Oilers have officially signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed right wing Derek Dorsett to a two-year contract extension.

The Calgary Flames have invited forward Theoren Fleury to training camp. The 41 year old was recently reinstated by the NHL.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 10, 2009

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Derek Armstrong to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Andy Wozniewski.

The Ottawa Sun is reporting a rumor of a 3-way trade between the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings. The deal would send Dany Heatley to the Sharks, Jarret Stoll and Alexander Frolov to Ottawa and Patrick Marleau to the Kings. Brochu's take: You know it's almost hockey season when Bruce Garrioch comes up with his ridiculous rumors. Marleau has a NTC, and probably doesn't want to waive it for a team that's not likely to make the playoffs. Frolov has been a particular favourite of Garrioch rumours. Source

According to an Oilers blog, it's very likely that the Edmonton Oilers will sign forward Mike Comrie to a deal on Friday. There's also some interest from the Atlanta Thrashers. Brochu's take: I wonder if the Oilers fans out there have forgiven him? Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Atlanta Thrashers forward Eric Perrin has signed with KHL team Avangard Omsk.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jiri Novotny has signed with Russian team HK Atlant.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Notable Camp Invitees

A bit slow in the rumor front, so I'll just have an update on some notable camp invitees:

The Anaheim Ducks have invited forward Kyle Calder.

The Atlanta Thrashers have invited goalie Manny Legace and forward Dan Fritsche.

The New York Rangers have invited defenseman Kyle McLaren.

The St. Louis Blues have invited defenseman Darryl Sydor.

The Detroit Red Wings have invited goalie Dan Cloutier. Brochu's take: The irony in this is too great to ignore.

The Florida Panthers have invited defensemen Martin Skoula and Christian Backman.

The Philadelphia Flyers have invited forwards Blair Betts and Mark Bell.

The Minnesota Wild have invited defenseman Andy Hilbert.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 6, 2009

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded their 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft. TSN is reporting that there are rumors that GM Brian Burke may throw an offer sheet to Boston Bruins restricted free agent forward Phil Kessel. Brochu's take: Burke can give an offer sheet, now that he has that 2nd round pick. But I don't think he will, considering his dislike for offer sheets in general.

The Anaheim Ducks have traded forward Jason Bailey to the Ottawa Senators for forward Shawn Weller.

The Ducks have signed defenseman Steve Eminger to a two-year, $2.25 million contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed forward Rob Schremp to a one-year contract. Brochu's take: I think Schremp will be a big trade chip for the Oilers this season, and look for him to be possibly moved at the trade deadline.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Derick Brassard to a 12-year, $12.8 million contract extension.

The BJs have also signed forward Alex Picard to a one-year deal.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 3, 2009

The Vancouver Canucks have officially signed goalie Roberto Luongo to a 12-year, $64 million contract extension. The contract includes a full no-movement clause. Brochu's take: At a cap-friendly hit of $5.33 million, this is a good deal.

The Canucks have also re-signed defenseman Nathan McIver to a one-year contract.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed forward Taylor Pyatt to a one-year deal.

The Nashville Predators have re-signed forward Cal O'Reilly to a two-year contract.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jason Smith has retired from hockey.