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 28, 2009

According to the News & Observer (Hurricanes blog), Carolina will not sign defensemen Dennis Seidenberg or Anton Babchuk. GM Jim Rutherford expects Babchuk to sign in Russia. Rutherford also confirmed that he will be buying out Frantisek Kaberle's contract. Source

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Michael Forney to a 3-year, entry-level contract.

The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Sam Klassen to a contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Anton Stralman, forward Colin Stuart and a 7th round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to the Calgary Flames for forward Wayne Primeau and a 2nd round pick in the 2011 draft. Brochu's take: I would have thought Stralman would have fit in, but I guess Burke has other ideas. This gives the Flames a little salary cap relief, but there are rumors they aren't done.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Matt Smaby to a 2-year, $1 million deal.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Kellan Tochkin to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Bryce Lampman to 1-year contract. Lampman played with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL last season.

Pitkanen traded for Cole, more signings

The Edmonton Oilers have traded restricted free agent Joni Pitkanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Erik Cole. Brochu's take: This is one of those rare trades that have been rumored for quite some time and has actually taken place. Pitkanen gets a third chance to prove himself while Cole should take Torres' place on the top six of the Oilers' forwards.

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded restricted free agent forward Rene Bourque to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a future second round pick.

The Anaheim Ducks have officially re-signed restricted free agent forward Corey Perry to a 5 year, $26.625 million contract extension.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Anton Babchuk to a one-year, $1 million contract. Babchuk spent the 2007-2008 season playing with Avangard Omsk of the RSL. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for June 9, 2008

Various sources are saying that Detroit Red Wings goalie Dominik Hasek is expected to announce his retirement on Monday. The Red Wings have called a news conference at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for 11am et/8am pt. Brochu's take: Hasek has proven that he can still play at his age; will this retirement be permanent? He does have an offer to play in Russia.

There are rumors that several European and Russian teams have made offers to Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak. Halak is due to be a restricted free agent come July 1. Source

Defenseman Anton Babchuk has expressed a desire to return to the NHL, but the Carolina Hurricanes are not interested. Babchuk bolted to Russia last season because he refused to play in the AHL. Source

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is close to signing a contract extension, with an announcement on Monday likely. However, assistant coach Todd McClennan will probably be leaving, as he will be interviewing with the San Jose Sharks and Atlanta Thrashers this week about their vacant head coaching positions. Source