Hockey and NHL Rumors for Oct 5, 2010

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Brendan Morrison to a one-year, $725,000 contract.

The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed goalie Jonathan Bernier to a two-year, $2.5 million contract extension.  Brochu's take:  An absolute bargain.  Bernier is considered one of the best young goalies not yet in the NHL.

The New York Rangers have signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year, $1 million contract.

The Washington Capitals have signed goalie Philipp Grubauer to a three-year, entry-level contract.

There were also many players put on waivers, which I'll cover in a later post.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Forward Enver Lisin has left the NHL and signed a two year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.

Forward Kyle Wellwood has signed to play with HK Atlant in Russia.

Forward Dan Fritsche has signed a three-year contract with HC Geneve-Servette in Switzerland.

Notable Camp Invitees

A bit slow in the rumor front, so I'll just have an update on some notable camp invitees:

The Anaheim Ducks have invited forward Kyle Calder.

The Atlanta Thrashers have invited goalie Manny Legace and forward Dan Fritsche.

The New York Rangers have invited defenseman Kyle McLaren.

The St. Louis Blues have invited defenseman Darryl Sydor.

The Detroit Red Wings have invited goalie Dan Cloutier. Brochu's take: The irony in this is too great to ignore.

The Florida Panthers have invited defensemen Martin Skoula and Christian Backman.

The Philadelphia Flyers have invited forwards Blair Betts and Mark Bell.

The Minnesota Wild have invited defenseman Andy Hilbert.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 30, 2009

The New York Rangers have traded forward Dan Fritsche to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Erik Reitz. Frtische cleared waivers on Wednesday.

The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed forward George Parros to a three-year contract extension. The deal is believed to be worth $875,000 annually. Brochu's take: It was supposed to be a two-year contract, but his moustache got an extra year.

According to USA Today hockey writer Kevin Allen, there are many players believed to be available before the March 4 trade deadline. Among the most talked about are Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean O'Donnell, Nashville Predators defenseman Greg De Vries and forward Radek Bonk. Allen also believes it's possible that the Anaheim Ducks could shop one of their impending UFAs, a group which includes Brendan Morrison, Steve Montador, Todd Marchant, Sami Pahlsson, Travis Moen, and both Niedermayer brothers. Brochu's take: Allen lists others, but they have been all reported earlier in rumors. I don't think the Ducks will shop anyone yet, as they are fighting for a playoff spot. Source

The Chicago Blackhawks are considering re-signing forward Martin Havlat. Havlat is in the last year of his $6 million a year deal. Brochu's take: Rumours of the Hawks wanting to trade Havlat have really died down. His strong play and injury-free status this year should get him a good contract in the offseason. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 28, 2009

The Detroit Red Wings have announced a 2 p.m. press conference Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena, when they will announce the signing of Henrik Zetterberg to a long-term contract extension. Speculation is that the deal is in the 10-year, $70 million range, although reports tonight indicate that the deal is more in the 8-year, $58 million range. Brochu's take: A ten year deal is risky in today's NHL. Zetterberg will be in his late 30's by the end of the contract. ***** New update, 9:13 pm**** Zetterberg has officially signed a 12-year, $72 million contract! Brochu's take: WOW! A bargain at $6 million per, but the length still scares me. Source

Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post speculates that the Philadelphia Flyers are still looking for a veteran defenseman. Atlanta's Niclas Havelid, Colorado's Brett Clark, Phoenix's Derek Morris, Nashville's Dan Hamhuis and the Islanders' Brendan Witt are expected to be on the trade block in the next six weeks. With forwards Scottie Upshall, Joffrey Lupul and Mike Knuble, the Flyers have the assets to land one of them. Source

There are also rumors that the New York Islanders are shopping defenseman Radek Martinek.

The New York Rangers have placed forward Dan Fritsche on waivers.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 14, 2008

There appears to be a lot of rumors coming from New York that the Rangers are on the verge of making several moves, all having to do with making salary cap space for Mats Sundin. Speculation is that the Rangers may place forwards Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche on waivers, and will trade a high-salary player in the next 48 hours. Sundin was in New York to film a commercial, and was spotted in a box at MSG. Brochu's take: There is certainly a buzz going around the Rangers; I would keep an eye on them the next few days.

According to Pierre LeBrun of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada program "The Hotstove", the Columbus Blue Jackets will do something about goalie Frederik Norrena in the next two weeks. Brochu's take: No word yet on either a trade or waivers.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Brian McGrattan has voluntarily entered the NHL substance abuse program. No other details were released by the team or the league.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 20, 2008

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has confirmed that Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough is definitely shopping forward Marian Gaborik. Russo believes all the rumors surrounding Gaborik being sent to the Montreal Canadiens have merit, and that the Wild are interested in forward Chris Higgins and defensman Ryan McDonagh. Brochu's take: This particular Gaborik rumor has been on the internet for quite some time. Perhaps there's more to this than first realized? Source

The Buffalo News is reporting rumours of "whispers" that the Colorado Avalance are interested in Maxim Afinogenov and they could send forward Marek Svatos to the Sabres. Brochu's take: This could be a good trade, as both seem to need new places to revitalize their careers. Source

The Edmonton Journal is reporting that Habs forward Kyle Chipchura could be on his way out of Montreal in the near future.

The Journal is also reporting that free agent forward Martin Gelinas may be finished with his NHL career, as no teams have called his agent. Playing in Europe remains a last-resort possibility.

Jim Matheson also believes that the New York Rangers might be moving forward Petr Prucha or Dan Fritsche. Brochu's take: I don't think the Rangers will be making moves while their team is doing so well this season. Source

The Rangers also agreed to terms with forward Devin DiDiomete.

NHL free agent signings for July 16, 2008

Catching up on some backlog, here are the latest NHL free agent signings:

The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed Shawn Horcoff to a 6-year, $33 million contract extension. Brochu's take: That's a lot of money for a 29-year old guy that's reached 70+ points. Even including his intangibles, he's overpaid.

The Oil have also re-signed Zach Stortini to a three-year, $2.1 million contract. They also signed right wing Carl Corazzini on a one-year contract.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed restricted free agent goalie Kari Lehtonen to a one-year, $3 million contract. They also re-signed defenseman Nathan Oystrick and right wing Joey Crabb.

The New York Islanders have re-signed forward Jeff Tambellini to a two-year, $1.175 million contract. The Isles also signed forward Sean Bergenheim to a two-year contract worth $1.725 million.

The New York Rangers have have signed Nigel Dawes to a 1-Year, $587,500 contract. They have also signed Dan Fritsche to a one-year deal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to terms with defensemen Jaime Sifers and Richard Petiot, center Alex Foster and right wing Ben Ondrus on one-year contracts.

Zherdev to NY, Hossa, Malkin, Avery signed

The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman. Brochu's take: Zherdev and Fritsche had been on the block for some time, and rumors of a Columbus/NY trade have been percolating for a year now.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed Marian Hossa to a one-year, $7.45 million contract. Brochu's take: The NHLPA is not going to like this one, but Hossa wants to win the cup. So get ready for the Hossa sweepstakes in 2009.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed Evgeni Malkin to a five-year deal worth $8.7 million a year.

The Pens have also signed defenseman Brooks Orpik to a six-year, $22.5 million contract extension.

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million contract, with a limited no-movement clause.

The Stars also signed restricted free agent forward B.J. Crombeen to a one-year deal.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed restricted free agent defenceman Joni Pitkanen to a three-year contract worth $12 million.

The 'Canes have also signed defenceman Josef Melichar to a one-year contract worth $1 million.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenceman Janne Niskala to a one-year deal.

The Bolts have also re-signed forward Ryan Craig to a two-year contract worth $1.575-million.

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

NHL and hockey rumors for May 18, 2008

According to the Calgary Sun, the Flames are among several NHL teams that want to sign Swedish forward Martin Thornberg. Thornberg scored 20 goals and 17 assists in 51 games for HV71 and also netted another 17 points in 17 playoff games. Brochu's take: Another unsigned European forward? There seems to be a trend this summer to sign these guys. Source

Aftonbladet is reporting that three players playing for Sweden at the 2008 IIHF World Championship are getting a lot of interest from NHL teams. Forward Johan Andersson is being observed closely by the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings, while forward Per Ledin and defenseman Jonas Frogren have also been closely observed. Source

Rumors from Sweden indicate that Red Wings forward Johan Ryno may leave the Wings to play with Elitserien team AIK. Source

Teemu Selanne announced he has retired from international hockey, and will not play for Finland anymore. He also stated that he will make a decision on his NHL future by July 1. Brochu's take: Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke will have an aneurysm if Selanne again waits half a year to decide. Source

According to the Puck-rakers blog at the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets will wait till July 1 to negotiate with restricted free-agent Dan Fritsche.

The same blog is reporting that the San Jose Sharks will trade Patrick Marleau this summer before his no trade clause kicks in, and the Calgary Flames are interested in the centre. Source

NHL rumor update Feb 25 2 PM EST

The San Jose Sharks are rumored to be sending a package of Patrick Marleau and Matt Carle to the Florida Panthers for Olli Jokinen. The Anaheim Ducks want to send Bobby Ryan and Edmonton's 1st rounder for Jokinen. The Minnesota Wild remain interested in the Finnish centre.

The Puck-rakers blog from the Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the Blue Jackets offer to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Brad Richards is Gilbert Brule, Dan Fritsche and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Source

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to send Jeff Carter and prospects/picks for Richards.

The New York Rangers are very interested in Dan Boyle, and could ask permission from the Lightning to talk to Boyle about a long-term contract extension. Source