Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 14, 2009

The Ottawa Senators traded Dany Heatley and a 5th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks for forwards Milan Michalek and Jonathon Cheechoo and a 2nd rounder. Brochu's take: Pretty fair trade, but I always believed in the theory that the team getting the best player always "wins". If Cheechoo can return to at least 30 or so goals a year, this would be a fair trade.

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed forward Drew Stafford to a 2-year, $4 million contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Radek Smolenak to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Bolts have also re-signed defenseman Mike Lundin.

The Edmonton Oilers have officially signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed right wing Derek Dorsett to a two-year contract extension.

The Calgary Flames have invited forward Theoren Fleury to training camp. The 41 year old was recently reinstated by the NHL.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Aug 10, 2009

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Toronto Maple Leafs are close to sending goalie Justin Pogge to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional late round draft pick. Brochu's take: Pogge's name has been in the rumor mill for sometime, so it wasn't a surprise that he would get traded.

The Leafs are also close to signing free agent goalie Joey MacDonald to a deal.

Theoren Fleury is attempting another NHL comeback, according to TSN. Fleury spent last season playing senior hockey in Alberta, and is currently contacting teams to gauge their interest.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed goalie Nicola Riopel to a contract. Source

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Gregory Stewart to a one-year contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Goalie David LeNeveu has left the Anaheim Ducks organization and signed with Austrian hockey club EC Salzburg. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 9, 2008

Theoren Fleury is considering a return to hockey, but not back to the NHL. "I think I'm going to come back to try to win an Allan Cup," Fleury said. "It would be nice to add that to the collection." He would play for the Bentley Generals, who lost in the finals last season, in the senior AAA league. Fleury won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, and also a gold medal with the Canadian Men's Hockey Olympic team in 2002.

It would appear that Nashville Predators forward Steve Sullivan will not be joining the team this season, due to his lingering back injury. Brochu's take: For those poolies out there, don't take him.

Naslund, Satan sign, Habs/Leafs trade?

The Montreal Canadiens have traded forward Mikhail Grabovski to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the rights to Greg Pateryn and a second-round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: How many times have you seen a Leafs-Habs trade?

The Habs also signed tough guy Georges Laraque to a three-year, $4.5 million contract. They also signed goalie Marc Denis to a one-year, two-way contract.

The New York Rangers have signed forward Markus Naslund to a two-year, $8 million contract. Brochu's take: There were rumors that the Canucks didn't even speak to Naslund during free agency.

The Rangers also signed defenseman Dmitri Kalinin to a one-year deal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a seven-year, $35 million contract extension, with a no move and limited no trade clause.

The Pens also signed forward Miroslav Satan to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. They also signed Ruslan Fedotenko to a $2.5 million contract.

The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year, $5 million contract.

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick to a two-year deal. The club also agreed to terms on two-year contracts with goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu and forward Steve MacIntyre. They also signed defenseman James DeLory to a three-year, entry level contract.

Hossa offered 7 year, $50 million?

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Pittsburgh Penguins have offered Marian Hossa a 7 year, $50 million contract, and are waiting for his answer. It's believed the Penguins have made signing Hossa their top offseason priority.

The same Puck-rakers blog is speculating if Hossa is signed, the Columbus Blue Jackets will "swoop in" and trade for forward Ryan Malone's rights. The Jackets are rumored to be offering Dan Fritsche or a second/third round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry draft. Source

Various sources are saying the Pens are also close to re-signing Evgeni Malkin to a new contract extension. Rumors are that it will be a 5 or 6 year deal, perhaps less than what Sidney Crosby is getting.

The Penguins have also filed salary arbitration for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. This will prevent rival teams from sending offer sheets for Fleury.

TSN is reporting that Montreal Canadiens goalie Yann Danis will not return with the team, and will test free agency. Rumors are that the Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings are interested in the young netminder.

In a Sportsnet interview, Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray confirmed that goalie Ray Emery will not be back with the team, and could be bought out in the next 48 hours. He also stated that it was unlikely that Wade Redden will remain with the Sens, who is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Ryan Potulny to a one-year deal.

Peter DeBoer has been named the head coach of the Florida Panthers.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Trevor Gillies to a one-year contract. Source

Pittsburgh looking for goaltending?

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will miss six to eight weeks with a high ankle sprain injury. Coach Michel Therrien does not expect the club to add another goaltender, but rumors are flying that the Pens may take another look at UFA Curtis Joseph. There's also speculation that the Penguins have called the Toronto Maple Leafs about veteran Scott Clemmensen, who is playing with the Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies. Source

According to the San Jose Mercury News Sharks Blog, scouts from three teams were at the San Jose Sharks-Minnesota Wild game on Tuesday. These teams were the Atlanta Thrashers, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. Source

Boston Bruins goaltender Manny Fernandez had knee surgery on Wednesday and will most likely be out for the rest of the season. Source

On Craig Custance's Thrashers Blog on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website, the recent move of placing forward Darren Haydar on waivers (he has since cleared) has created "flexibility" for GM Don Waddell. This could mean bringing up another player from the AHL or creating a roster spot for a player acquired via trades. Source

According to the 110% radio show on TQS in Montreal, a Quebec billionaire is interested in buying the Montreal Canadiens. Citing a source, the billionaire would want more players from Quebec and Canada to play for the team. Jean Perron is also stating that current owner George Gillet persuaded GM Bob Gainey to stay on, as Gainey wanted to step down after the disappearance of his daughter.

Poll Results:

Who will be the next NHL coach to be fired?

Paul Maurice	90 (32%)
Michel Therrien	56 (20%)
Jacques Martin	9 (3%)
Marc Crawford	34 (12%)
Mike Keenan	78 (28%)
Other	10 (3%)

Total Votes: 277

Fleury for Liles, Ladd available?

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post is reporting that he has a "trade hunch" that the Colorado Avalanche are trying to acquire goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is speculating that the Avs would send John-Michael Liles the other way. The Avalanche sent two scouts to the Ottawa Senators-Pittsburgh Penguins game last week. Liles will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

John Forslund of WRAL.com is reporting that the Carolina Hurricanes are desperately looking for a puck-moving defenseman and they may be willing to trade Andrew Ladd to get him. The Hurricanes are looking to change the dynamic of their team, as well as to fulfill their need for a power play quarterback. Source

Jaroslav Modry has been granted a leave of absence due to a serious illness to Modry's father. The LA Kings have given Modrý as much time as he needs as he returns to the Czech Republic to be with his father.

There are rumors that the NHL will take disciplinary action against the Philadelphia Flyers for yet another questionable hit on Monday. Scott Hartnell checked Andrew Alberts into the boards in the Flyers-Bruins game, and Hartnell was assessed a 5 minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct. Alberts left the game with an unspecified head injury and will be evaluated on Tuesday. Source