NHL and Hockey Rumors for April 2, 2013

The Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Mark Cundari, goalie Reto Berra and a conditional 1st round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  Brochu's take:  GM Jay Feaster has got to be awarded the Mike Milbury award for worst GM.  He has now traded two top players for very little return.

The Buffalo Sabres have traded defenseman Robyn Regehr to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2014 and 2015 2nd round picks.

The San Jose Sharks have traded forward Michal Handzus to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded forward Harry Zolnierczyk to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman/forward Jay Rosehill.

The Sabres have traded defenseman Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for 2nd round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional 5th.

The Detroit Red Wings have traded defenseman Kent Huskins to the Philadelphia Flyers for a conditional 7th round pick in the 2014 Entry Draft.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for March 14, 2013

The Minnesota Wild have signed free agent defenseman Brett Clark to a one-year, $900,000 contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Ben Eager on waivers.  Brochu's take:  I would guess someone will pick him up.

The Phoenix Coyotes have placed forward Nick Johnson on waivers.

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed forward Rostislav Olesz on waivers.

According to sources, there is a rumor that the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking at Minnesota Wild defenseman Marco Scandella.  There has been talk that Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner is unhappy playing in the AHL.  Brochu's take:  Perhaps a Scandella and Gardiner swap would make sense for both teams.  

NHL and Hockey Rumors for March 11, 2013

The Winnipeg Jets have traded forward Spencer Machacek to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Tomas Kubalik.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed defenseman Brendan Mikkelson on waivers.

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Steve Montador on waivers.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for March 6, 2013

The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed defenseman Korbinian Holzer to a two-year contract extension.

The Nashville Predators have claimed forward Zach Boychuk off waivers from the the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins have placed forward Tom Kostopoulos on waivers.

The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Roman Hamrlik on waivers.

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Yannick Veilleux to a three-year, entry level contract.  Veilleux was the Blues' 4th round pick, 102nd overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed free agent defenseman Kevin Gagne to a contract.

According to sources, the Chicago Blackhawks are interested in Edmonton Oilers forward Eric Belanger.  It's believed the 'Hawks have asked NHL teams about acquiring a veteran forward for their bottom 6 forward group.  Brochu's take:  The Blackhawks are the NHL's current best team, and Belanger could be the last piece of the puzzle.  He could be had for a mid round pick.

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.  

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.

More signings in Europe

New York Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has signed with HC Slovan Bratislava.  (Bratislava play in the KHL.)

Calgary Flames forward Jiri Hudler and Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek has signed with HC Lev Praha.  (Lev Praha play in the KHL)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla has signed with HC Trinec.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Michael Frolik has signed with KLH Chomutov.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Roman Polak has signed with HC Vitkovice.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl has signed with HC Pardubice.

SLOVAKIA

Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar has signed with SHK 37 Piestany.

AHL

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Brett Lebda has signed with the Rockford IceHogs.

Bruins re-sign Seguin

The Boston Bruins have re-signed forward Tyler Seguin to a six year, $45 million contract extension.  His expected cap hit is $5.75 million.  Brochu's take:  With Taylor Hall's and Jordan Eberle's contract in mind, the Bruins got a bargain.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Michal Rozsival to a one-year, $2 million contract.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Jeremy Welsh to a two-year, two-way contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Nikita Kucherov to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Kucherov was Tampa's 2nd round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Carlsson, Greiss on waivers

The San Jose Sharks have placed goalie Thomas Greiss on waivers.

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Jonathan Carlsson on waivers.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Sept 28, 2010

New York Rangers defenseman Wade Redden has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the AHL team in Hartford.  Brochu's take:  Redden's agent has been given permission to find a team in Europe for the maligned defenseman.  The Ranger's are still on the hook for his salary.

The Washington Capitals have signed forward Matt Hendricks to a one-year, two-way contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet has cleared waivers and has been assigned to HC Fribourg-Gotteron SA of the Swiss National League A.

Forward Marek Svatos has left the NHL and signed a one-year deal with KHL team Omsk.

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 9, 2010

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed free agent forward Nigel Dawes to a one-year, $600,000 contract. It is a two-way contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed free agent forward Ryan Potulny to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Nashville Predators have re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Cody Franson to a two-year, $1.6 million contract. Brochu's take: The two-year deal for restricted free agents seems to be the norm. Expect other NHL teams to sign their RFAs to two-year deals as well.

The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed forward Kirk Maltby to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Wings have also placed defenseman Derek Meech on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

There are rumors that free agent forward Richard Park has signed a multi-year deal to play in Switzerland. Sources are saying he has signed for Genève-Servette HC or Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. Source

Hockey and NHL rumors for Jan 10, 2010

According to the Edmonton Journal, Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray is open to waiving his no-trade-clause. He is not asking for a trade, but if the team wants to go in a different direction, he is willing to be traded. Brochu's take: If the Oilers do conduct a fire sale, Souray would be amongst the first to go.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Martins Karsums on waivers.

TSN's Darren Dreger, via his Twitter page, has reported that the Atlanta Thrashers are undergoing trade discussions with other teams about Ily a Kovalchuk. Dreger reports that the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks are "contenders". Brochu's take: Why is that all these teams, barring LA, have serious cap issues, and yet are still contenders?

Hockey and NHL rumors for Jan 4, 2010

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goalie Jaroslav Janus to a three-year entry level contract. The 20-year-old goaltender was drafted by the Bolts in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in June.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Shawn Lalonde to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Taylor Doherty to a three-year, two-way contract.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Jan 3, 2010

The Boston Bruins have signed free agent forward Miroslav Satan to a contract for the rest of the season. The deal has a no movement clause. Brochu's take: My heart is broken that he didn't sign with the Devils. ;-)

The St. Louis Blues have fired head coach Andy Murray and replaced him with interim coach Davis Payne, who had the been the head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate.

The future of Ilya Kovalchuk could very well be settled in the next couple of days. Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell is hoping to get something done by Monday, otherwise it's very likely he will be traded. The Hotstove panel suggested that the Chicago Blackhawks are very interested. Brcohu's take: The Hawks COULD trade some of their bigger contracts to get him, but Kovie's going to come at a very high price, probably higher than what the Thrashers got for Marian Hossa.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 5, 2009

The Chicago Blackhawks have officially signed Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to identical 5-year, $31.5 million contract extensions. Defenseman Duncan Keith has signed a 13-year, $66.5 million contract extension. Brochu's take: Keith is not a $5.5 milllion a year player. Gross overpayment IMO.

The Philadelphia Flyers have fired coach John Stevens and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. Assistant coach Jack McIlhargey was also fired. Replacing him will be Kevin McCarthy, current assistant coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Brochu's take: This has been rumored for some time, so it's not surprising. Philly needed a shakeup in the worst way, and there have been rumours that the young players on the team had tuned out Stevens.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Jiri Tlusty to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Philippe Paradis.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Chris Bourque on waivers.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 3, 2009

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Kyle Chipchura to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Chipchura's lack of offense in the pros has severely hampered his development. Maybe a change of scenery will help.

The Chicago Blackhawks have called a press conference for Thursday afternoon when it's expected that they will announce contract extensions for Patrik Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. Kane and Toews deals is believed to be both in the 5 year range, while Keith's deal is in the 13 year range. TSN's Bob McKenzie believes that the Hawks may place defenseman Brent Sopel and his $2.4 million on waivers. Brochu's take: The Hawks are pretty much at the max of their salary cap for next season, and they still might need to free up some "tagging room". Moves may be coming soon.

The New York Rangers have claimed forward Erik Christensen off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers have also placed goalie Steve Valiquette on waivers.

The Atlanta Thrashers have placed defenseman Noah Welch on waivers.

Hawks claim Ebbett off waivers

The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed forward Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Oct 8, 2009

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Brad May to a one-year, $500,000 contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Aaron Johnson to the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Kyle Greentree.

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Milan Lucic to a 3-year, $12.25 million contract extension. Brochu's take: While Lucic is a good player, I don't think he's worth 4 million a year. My estimation is that he will top out at 20-25 goals.

The Nashville Predators have signed forward Dave Scatchard to a one-year, two-way deal.

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.