Luc Bourdon killed in motorcycle crash

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident in northern New Brunswick on Thursday. He was 21. "We are deeply saddened by today's news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc's family," said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis in a statement. Brochu's take: Condolences to Luc's family and friends. May he rest in peace. Source

The next outdoor game appears to be set in Chicago, with Wrigley Field as the most likely venue. The NHL Winter Classic will be played in January between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. Source

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Matt Marquardt to a three-year, entry-level contract. Unfortunately, he was informed of former Moncton Wildcats teammate Luc Bourdon's death shortly after.

NHL rumor update Mar 1

The Team 1040 radio in Vancouver reported these two rumors, citing sources close to the negotiations:

The Florida Panthers wanted both Daniel and Henrik Sedin fom the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Olli Jokinen.

The initial offer for Brad Richards from the Canucks was Luc Bourdon, Cory Schneider and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick in 2008. The Tampa Bay Lightning counter-offered with Ryan Kesler, Alex Edler, Mason Raymond and the three draft picks.

Both TSN and Rotoworld is reporting that Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke will accept a position in June as the President and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Source

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired right wing Nate DiCasmirro from the Phoenix Coyotes for right wing Steve Goertzen and assigned him to Syracuse of the American Hockey League. (Trades can still be conducted after the deadline, but the players are ineligible for the NHL playoffs.) Source

Senators fire Paddock, Low

The Ottawa Senators have fired coach John Paddock and assistant coach Ron Low. Speculation and rumours have surrounded the coach's future during the recent spell of bad games. GM Bryan Murray will take over coaching duties for the stretch run, while Paddock has been offered a job somewhere in the organization. Source

According to the Montreal Gazette, the Montreal Canadiens are believed to have offered forwards Michael Ryder, Maxim Lapierre and Mikhail Grabovski to the Atlanta Thrashers for Marian Hossa. GM Bob Gainey mentioned that the Thrashers wanted "4 elements", 3 of which were playing on Tuesday. Source

The Thrashers apparently wanted Antoine Vermette, Nick Foligno and 1st round pick in 2008 for Hossa, the Ottawa Sun reports. Source

Rumours are flying that Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero received orders from the owners to make a serious playoff run this year, leading to the acquisition of Hossa.

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis offered defenseman Luc Bourdon, goaltending prospect Cory Schneider, and Mason Raymond to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Brad Richards. Rumours are that the Lightning really wanted defenseman Alex Edler and forward Ryan Kesler.

Lightning ask Richards about possible trades?

TSN is reporting that the Tampa Bay Lightning have reached out to Brad Richards about their interest in trading him. Sources are saying the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets are the frontrunners. A decision is expected Sunday night or Monday, at which point GM Jay Feaster will take the options to ownership for the final decision. Source

Possible scenarios could include:

Luc Bourdon, Michael Grabner, a 1st rounder in 2008.

Mike Smith, Mark Fistric, and a 1st rounder.

Jakub Voracek, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 1st rounder.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that there have been Lightning scouts watching the last several Stars games. The Stars could be the leading candidates to land Richards.

Mats Sundin has confirmed that he has been approached by Toronto Maple Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher to waive his no trade clause. He has been asked to provide a list of 3 teams he would like to be traded, but the rumor is that Sundin won't waive his clause at all. Source

The Detroit Red Wings have offered Darren McCarty a one-year deal for the league minimum $475,000 (pro-rated). Source

Marian Hossa will definitely be shopped at the trade deadline, as a last attempt to sign him has failed. It's believed that Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell is mulling over the offers.

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Nick Schultz to a 6-year, $21 million contract extension. Source

Sundin for Kesler, Bourdon, Schneider and a 1st?

Team 1040 radio in Vancouver and TSN is reporting a rumour that the asking price for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin is Ryan Kesler, Luc Bourdon, Cory Schneider and a 1st round pick in 2008 from the Canucks.

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Ottawa Senators coach John Paddock made the four-hour trip to Binghamton from Ottawa after practice on Wednesday to check out the AHL Binghamton Senators in action against the Philadelphia Phantoms. Paddock was there to watch which players would fit on the big club if a roster player was traded. There are rumors that Antoine Vermette, Joe Corvo and Andrej Meszaros could be dealt at the deadline. When asked which players he was looking at, Paddock said: "Any one of the young players. (Alexander) Nikulin and (Ilya) Zubov have each had one game, or a few games up, and Brian Lee, and the goaltenders (Jeff Glass and Brian Elliott). And we know what Lawrence Nycholat can do as a call-up." Source

These following trade rumors are from TSN's Backchecking column:

The Ottawa Sun is reporting that Senators prospects Brian Lee, Ilya Zubov and Nick Foligno could be part of a deal to land a top-6 forward.

The New York Post is reporting that the New Jersey Devils have some cap room available and may target Chicago Blackhawks forwards Robert Lang and Martin Havlat. The paper also reports that they are interested in Edmonton Oilers defenseman Joni Pitkanen.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Red Wings might consider moving Dan Cleary if they can't get him signed to a contract extension, and if the Wings could get a top-six forward in return.

Canucks being scouted, shopping Bourdon again

According to the Toronto Sun, the Vancouver Canucks are once again shopping defensive prospect Luc Bourdon in order to find a scoring centre. Source

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that seven teams were scouting the Vancouver Canucks-St. Louis Blues game Wednesday night. These teams were the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sun is also suggesting that Canucks GM Dave Nonis has been working the phones trying to swing a deal. Rumor has it that Nonis is interested in Vaclav Prospal. Source

The Ottawa Sun is reporting that San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson is interested in LA Kings defenseman Rob Blake. Source

The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Kris Beech off waivers from the Washington Capitals, the fourth NHL team for Beech this month. Beech is quickly earning the nickname "Suitcase". Source

Canucks interested in Sharp, Fedorov to Ottawa?

In an interview with the Vancouver Province, GM Dave Nonis answered a few questions about his under-performing team, while also addressing trade speculation. Here are some of the interesting parts:

Q: All the big moves are at the start of July 1 free agency, not the Feb. 26 trade deadline, and many teams are at or near the $50.3-million salary cap. You're at $47.6 million. How difficult is it to make a significant trade?

A: "It's difficult. There are deals I could make, but they're not good deals. They would either eat up the rest of the cap space or deals that are long and take players into age groups where you don't want them. "I also believe our players are better than they've performed."

Q: Would you throw prospects like Luc Bourdon and Cory Schneider into a trade package for the right player, say a proven top-six scorer?

A: "I don't have a problem doing it, but not just for a UFA [unrestricted free agent]. You're going to set yourself back years. We've improved our reserve list dramatically, but it's nowhere near where I want it to be. Taking players away from that, I don't have an appetite for it unless it brought back younger players that would help long term."

According to a source, the Canucks are also interested in Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks. Sharp has been relegated to third line duty in Chicago and can be had for a very low price. Source

Ian Mendes of Sportsnet is reporting on his blog that the Ottawa Senators could bring in Sergei Fedorov at the trading deadline. GM Bryan Murray has admitted that he has thought about Fedorov, but the Blue Jackets are doing well and may not offload the Russian centre if they are competing for a playoff spot. Source

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that several teams in the NHL are very close to dealing as the US Thanksgiving weekend approaches. The Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks are shopping for a top 6 forward, while the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets are looking for help on the blueline. The Pittsburgh Penguins are also looking for speed up front. Source

In the Montreal-Atlanta game on Tuesday had 15 different scouts watching, along with assistant GM Steve Tambellini of the Vancouver Canucks. Source

Pominville rumours heat up

There are rumours that GM Dave Nonis has turned up the burner on acquiring Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres. It's believed that he is offering Luc Bourdon and Matt Cooke. Nonis has recently said that he is looking for help in the top 6, and was quite upset with his team's performance in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Flyers, calling the effort "lazy and stupid" and adding that if the players "don’t want to work, we’ll find others that will." Coach Alain Vigneault had this to say about Ryan Shannon's demotion: "I'll give you an honest answer," "He doesn't need waivers and we need to move some guys." Source

The ZSC Lions of the Nationalliga A in Switzerland have already started plans for next year and have an offer on the table for Phoenix Coyotes goalie David Aebischer. New CEO Peter Zahner has used his contacts to hopefully persuade Aebischer to come to Switzerland next year, provided he doesn't sign with another NHL team. Source

Ronald Petrovicky has signed with Modo in the Swedish Elite League. Petrovicky has been playing with Dukla Trencin, but will be joining Modo on October 24. Source

Canucks shopping Bourdon?

According to the Vancouver Province, Luc Bourdon's poor play in this preseason has fueled "existing speculation that the Canucks are trying to deal their 2005 first-round draft pick." Several teams including Montreal and Florida are very interested in the young defenseman. Internet rumours seem to circulate around Michael Ryder going the other way. Source

Ronald Petrovicky has signed with HC Dukla Trenčín in Slovakia. Petrovický, 30, played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, amassing 3 goals and 3 assists in 31 games. Source