NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 17, 2014

According to Insider Trading on TSN, the Dallas Stars are looking to unload veterans Ray Whitney and Sergei Gonchar.

The Vancouver Canucks are interested in Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly.  O'Reilly will be eligible to be traded near the NHL trade deadline.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made Tuomo Ruutu, Jiri Tlusty, Riley Nash, Drayson Bowman and Brett Bellemore available to all NHL teams.

The Canucks are also looking to trade forward Dale Weise.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have made Keith Aulie and Tom Pyatt available.

The Phoenix Coyotes have placed defenseman Rostislav Klesla on waivers.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 8, 2013

The Colorado Avalanche have signed defenseman Nate Guenin to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension.

The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Alexander Urbom on waivers.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for March 24, 2013

The Tampa Bay Lightning have fired head coach Guy Boucher.  Brochu's take:  The rumor was the veterans on the Bolts were starting to tune him out.  Lindy Ruff is the rumored favourite to take the position.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Radek Dvorak to a one-year, $675,000 contract.  Dvorak must clear waivers because he has been playing in Europe this season.

The Lightning have re-signed forward Nate Thompson to a four-year, $6.4 million contract extension.

The Montreal Canadiens have claimed forward Jeff Halpern off waivers from the New York Rangers.

The Rangers have placed defenseman Stu Bickel on waivers.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed four players to three-year, entry-level contracts.  Forwards Garrett Meurs and Andrew Agozzino, and defensemen Markus Lauridsen and Gabriel Beaupre.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Travis Ewanyk to a three-year, entry-level contract.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for March 2, 2013

The Calgary Flames have signed restricted free agent forward Ryan O'Reilly to a two-year, $5 million offer sheet.  The Flames would have to send the Colorado Avalanche their 1st and 3rd round draft picks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  The Avs have subsequently matched the offer sheet.  Brochu's take:  A very interesting 24 hours in this "ROR" saga.  It's also believed if that had the Avs NOT matched, ROR would have to go through waivers.

The Philadelphia Flyers have placed goalie Michael Leighton and forward Tom Sestito on waivers.  Sestito has been claimed by the Vancouver Canucks.

The Dallas Stars have placed forward Tom Wandell on waivers.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed forward Aaron Volpatti on waivers.  Volpatti has been claimed by the Washington Capitals.

The Nashville Predators have traded forward Brian McGrattan to the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Joe Piskula.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for February 21, 2013

The Buffalo Sabres have fired head coach Lindy Ruff and have named Ron Rolston as interim head coach.  Brochu's take:  Ruff shouldn't have a problem of getting another NHL head coaching job, but he may have to wait till next year.

The Sabres have placed forward Cody McCormick on waivers.

The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed goalie Viktor Fasth to a two-year, $5.8 million contract extension.

According to CBC's Elliotte Friedman, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero was watching the Colorado Avalanche/Minnesota Wild game.  Friedman speculates that he could be looking at forward Matt Cullen.  Brochu's take:  Cullen would probably only cost a draft pick.  Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for February 17, 2013

According to Elliot Friedman on the CBC Hotstove, there have been serious discussions between the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers about forward Ryan O'Reilly.  It's believed the Avs asked for defenseman Michael Del Zotto, and it appears the asking price for O'Reilly remains unrealistically high:  Brochu's take:  Avs management are notoriously known as extremely stingy.  However, rumors continue to indicate that O'Reilly will be dealt soon.

The Calgary Flames have placed forward Blair Jones on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor round-up:

Free agent defenseman Pavel Kubina has signed with Swiss team Geneve-Servette.  Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for February 13. 2013

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired GM Scott Howson.  Brochu's take:  The rumor is that Jokerit GM Jarmo Kekalainen is the front-runner for the job.

The Boston Bruins have placed forward Jay Pandolfo on waivers.  The Bruins had signed Pandolfo to a one-year contract earlier.

The Calgary Flames have placed goalie Danny Taylor on waivers.

The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Matt Kassian on waivers.

According to TSN's Insider Trading, the Colorado Avalanche and restricted free agent forward Ryan O'Reilly are far apart in negotiations and a trade appears likely.  Several Eastern Conference teams have already inquired about his services.  The Avs are reportedly looking for a young roster player and prospect.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney has been a healthy scratch for several games, and there are rumors that he is on the outs in Edmonton.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for February 12, 2013

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, scouts from 17 NHL teams were at the game between the San Jose Sharks and the Blue Jackets.  There was one scout each for the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.  There were two scouts each from the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers respectively.  Portzline is also reporting that the BJs are always looking to trade, but nothing is close.  Brochu's take:  Very interesting, especially for the Eastern Conference teams that don't play the Jackets.  

Hockey Rumors for February 6, 2013

The Colorado Avalanche have claimed Montreal Canadiens forward Aaron Palushaj off waivers.

The Phoenix Coyotes have placed forward Alexandre Bolduc on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor update:

Free agent forward Marco Sturm has signed with Kolner Haie in the DEL.

18 teams scouting Florida-Buffalo game

According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, 18 NHL teams were scouting the Florida Panthers-Buffalo Sabres game yesterday.  They were the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Lightning, Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Sept 29, 2010

With Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding out for the season, there have been rumors swirling as to what the Wild will do with their backup situation.  Free agent goalie Jose Theodore's agent Don Meehan has contacted the Wild to see if they are interested in his client.  As well, there are rumors that the Wild are looking at San Jose Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss.  Brochu's take:  It's surprising that Theodore wasn't even given a tryout by any NHL team.  His experience could be a good compliment to Nicklas Backstrom.  Source

The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Mike Mottau to a two-year, $1.6 million contract.

The Islanders have also invited several players late to their training camp, as forwards Dean McAmmond, Krys Kolanos, Jed Ortmeyer, defenseman Anders Eriksson, and goalie Manny Legace have been given professional tryout contracts.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Luke Walker to an entry-level contract.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Sept 27, 2010

The Bergen Record is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche are interested in acquiring New Jersey Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner.  It's also believed that several teams are interested in forward David Clarkson.  Source  Brochu's take:  Langenbrunner's leadership would work well with the Avs' youthful lineup.

The New York Islanders have signed forward Nino Niederreiter to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Trevor Parkes to a three-year,entry-level contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Andrew Crescenzi to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The New York Rangers have placed defenseman Wade Redden.  Brochu's take:  Redden won't be picked up, and in all likelihood will never be called on re-entry waivers.  His options are limited to the AHL, Europe or retire.  Injuries have really affected his play in the last few years.

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed goalie Cristobal Huet on waivers.  Brochu's take:  GM Stan Bowman has a plan in place to loan Huet to a team in the Swiss League, so this is merely a formality.  The Hawks will now be able to shed $5 million from their salary cap.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Sept 11, 2010

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Peter Mueller to a two-year, $4 million contract.

The Phoenix Coyotes have re-signed restricted free agent forward Martin Hanzal to a two-year, $3.6 million contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed forward Andrew Cogliano to a one-year, $1 million deal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed their 2010 NHL first rounder Ryan Johansen to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Forward Richard Park has officially left the NHL and signed a three year contract with Geneva-Servette HC of the NLA in Switzerland. Source

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 21, 2009

Sorry about the delay, lots of Christmas errands to do!

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Atlanta Thrashers and Ilya Kovalchuk are having difficulty negotiating a new contract extension. It's believed that Kovalchuk is seeking a $11 million a year deal. Garrioch speculates that the LA Kings, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils are the most interested. Brochu's take: Well, you can forget the Bruins, Capitals, Rangers and Devils for salary reasons. It does however, look likely that Kovalchuk may be shopped. I would say the Kings would the most likely at this moment.

The Philadelphia Flyers are shopping forward Jeff Carter.

The Anaheim Ducks are looking to move forward Joffrey Lupul.

The Edmonton Oilers are shopping forward Shawn Horcoff, defenseman Sheldon Souray and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Brochu's take: Horcoff's contract will scare off all teams. Both Souray and Visnovsky could get interesting returns.

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.

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

Hockey and NHL rumors for July 23, 2009

The New York Islanders have signed goalie Martin Biron to a 1-year, $1.4 million contract.

The New Jersey Devils have re-signed forward Travis Zajac to a 4-year, $15.6 million contract.

The Devils have also signed goalie Rob Davison to a one-year deal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed forward Andre Deveaux.

The Calgary Flames have signed T.J. Brodie and Greg Nemisz to contracts.

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Nathan Smith and defenseman Ryan Lannon to contracts.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Brandon Yip to an entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Martin Gerber has left the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and signed with HK Atlant of the KHL.

Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin has left the Phoenix Coyotes organization and signed with Salavat Yulaev in Russia.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 17, 2009

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired defenseman Brian Fahey from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Nigel Williams.

The Avs have also signed 2009 NHL first round pick Matt Duchene to a three-year, entry level contract.

The New Jersey Devils have signed forwards Nathan Perkovich and Patrice Cormier to contracts.

The Calgary Flames have claimed forward Nigel Dawes off waivers from the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Nicholas Deschamps to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Toni Rajala to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Oil have also signed defenseman Dean Arsene to a one-year contract.

The Nashville Predators have signed forward Peter Olvecky to a one-year deal.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Krys Kolanos to a one-year deal.

Latest NHL Signings! Part XII

Colorado Avalanche forward Joe Sakic has officially retired from hockey. Brochu's take: He was always one of my favourite players. See you in the Hall of Fame!

The Philadephia Flyers have re-signed defenseman Chris Pronger to a 7-year, $34.9 million contract extension. Brochu's take: The contract is not even heavily front loaded, so in the last 3 years of this contract, he will still have a cap hit of around $5 million. I'm not sure how Philly will be able to afford this down the line, but it's clear that GM Paul Holmgren wants to win NOW.

The New York Rangers have signed forward Ales Kotalik to a 3-year, $9 million contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Kurtis Foster to a 1-year, $500 000 contract. They also signed forward Stephane Veilleux to a 1-year, $750k contract.

The Bolts have also signed 2009 NHL first round pick Victor Hedman to a 3-year, entry-level contract.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Nick Boynton to a 1-year, $1.5 million contract.

The Avs have signed defenseman Brett Skinner and forward Phillipe Dupuis to contracts.

San Jose Sharks forward Claude Lemieux has retired. Again.

Florida Panthers forward Chad Kilger has officially announced his retirement from hockey.

Latest NHL signings! Part XI

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Cam Barker to a 3-year, $9.25 million contract extension. Brochu's take: So much for him possibly becoming a UFA.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forwards David Jones, Chris Durno, Darren Haydar, Matt Hendricks and Brian Willsie, along with goaltender Tyler Weiman.

The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed forward Ville Leino to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension. The Wings also signed forwards Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury.

The St. Louis Blues have re-signed forward B.J. Crombeen to a two-year, $1.745 million contract extension.

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Warren Peters to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Stars also signed defenseman Jeff Woywitka to a two-year, $1.3 million.

The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed defenseman Brian Salcido to a one-year contract.