Latest NHL Signings XXI

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded forward Radim Vrbata to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for forward Todd Fedoruk and defenseman David Hale. Brochu's take: Vrbata goes back to where he has played his best hockey. But the more interesting question is that now all the other 29 NHL teams are paying for his salary.

The Atlanta Thrashers have re-signed defenseman Boris Valabik. Terms were not disclosed.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed goalie Brent Johnson to a 1-year, $525,000 contract.

The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed forward Tomas Plekanec to a 1-year, $2.75 million. Brochu's take: Don't be surprised if Plekanec gets traded this year, as his name has been in the rumor mill often.

The New York Rangers have re-signed forward Enver Lisin to a 1-year, $800,000 contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed defenseman Denis Grebeshkov to a 1-year, $3.15 million contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed 2009 NHL Entry Draft 1st round pick John Moore to a 3-year, entry-level contract. The BJs have also signed defenseman Marc Methot to a two-year, $2 million deal and forward Michael Blunden to a one-year, two-way contract.

Columbus/Chicago trade, waiver wire update

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Michael Blunden to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Adam Pineault.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed forward Jason Jaffray on waivers.

The Nashville Predators have placed forward Rich Peverley on waivers.

In other exciting news, there should be a site relaunch in the next few days. I've been trying to get the bugs out, so I hope you will enjoy it.

Hawks interested in Schneider?

According to the Daily Herald, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking for a top-two defenseman. They've been working the trade phones looking for a veteran presence who can swallow up a lot of critical minutes. It's believed that the Hawks are willing to package a prospect or two because there is a logjam of NHL-ready players in their system. There's a rumor from Anaheim that the Ducks have asked for defenseman Cam Barker and forward Michael Blunden, in exchange for Mathieu Schneider. Source

Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that the Ducks have 21 days or less to allow Scott Niedermayer to practise with the team while still remaining suspended. This means the Ducks have the same time to make a trade so they will have enough "tagging" room in the salary cap next season. McKenzie is also speculating that the Blackhawks could be interested in Schneider. Source

On CBC's news program The National, it was revealed that former Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford may have "ordered" actions against Steve Moore on the night of March 8, 2004. In court documents obtained by CBC, it's alleged that Crawford told his players "(Moore) must pay the price" after pointing to Moore's name and number on a board in the dressing room. The documents indicate that both Todd Bertuzzi and Canucks current general manager Dave Nonis confirmed Crawford made the threat. Nonis was the director of hockey operations at the time of the incident. Source

Mark Recchi has cleared waivers. There's rumors that he may be bought out by the Pittsburgh Penguins or brought back up on re-entry waivers, hoping another team will pick him up at half his salary. The Calgary Flames are said to be interested in picking up the veteran forward.