NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 6, 2008

According to Philly.com, the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested in Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Randy Jones. The Flyers will have to make some moves very soon, as several players will be coming off the injury reserve. Source

Pierre Lebrun reports on several free agents, who are still looking at signing with an NHL team. Several have been offered two-way contracts, but these veterans are looking for a one-way deal. Yanic Perreault, Bryan Smolinski, Jocelyn Thibault, Glen Murray, Kevyn Adams, Martin Lapointe and Dan Cloutier are all looking to hook up with a club. Brochu's take: Perreault and Smolinski have the best chance of signing, but the others all have histories of injuries that may scare some suitors off. Source

The New Jersey Devils have placed forward Barry Tallackson on waivers.

The Phoenix Coyotes have placed forward Brian McGrattan on waivers on Friday. He has cleared. Brochu's take: I'm not 100% sure this has even happened.

Dave "Randy" Nonis has been named senior vice president of hockey operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Al Strachan of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada reported that Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon is on the hot seat, and rumors are president John McDonough wants to get his own people in the front office. The Hotstove panel also speculated that he is being pressured to make a "big move" soon. Brochu's take: Tallon is living on borrowed time in Chicago.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Nov 6, 2008

Free agent forward Glen Murray is expected to undergo another ankle surgery next week. Murray and his agent Anton Thun believe the injury occurred before the buyout. Murray is expected to file a grievance with the National Hockey League Players Association and according to Thun it is possible an arbitrator could challenge the buyout and award the former Bruin full payment rather than the two-thirds he will receive over a two year period. Brochu's take: Regardless of the buyout situation, Murray does not seem likely to play in the NHL this season. Source

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward David Desharnais to a two-year, two-way contract.

The New York Rangers have placed forward Andreas Jamtin on waivers.

The Colorado Avalanche have placed forward Scott Parker on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Janne Niskala has been re-assigned to Finland after clearing waivers on Wednesday. Niskala will join the Finnish National Team, and will later sign with a club in the Finnish SM-Liiga. Source

Free agent defenseman David Liffiton has signed with Danish club Esbjerg fB Ishockey. Liffiton was not re-signed by the New York Rangers this summer.

NHL and hockey rumors for Aug 3, 2008

According to the Puck-rakers blog of the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets have invited defenseman Richard Matvichuk to training camp as a non-roster tryout. Matvichuk spent last season with the New Jersey Devils AHL affiliate Lowell, scoring a goal and three assists.

The Tennessean is reporting that the Nashville Predators are talking to the agents of four unrestricted forwards: Glen Murray, Mark Parrish, Martin Gelinas and Jan Hlavac. The Preds are looking for a forward in case Alexander Radulov does remain in Russia. It's also been confirmed that the Predators have talked to one other team about trades. Source

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Andre Deveaux.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Mike Johnson has left the St. Louis Blues organization and has signed with DEL team Kolner Haie for the 2008-2009 season.

Forward Geoff Platt has left the Anaheim Ducks organization and has signed with Ilves of the SM-Liiga in Finland.

NHL free agent signings for July 26, 2008

The Boston Bruins have officially bought out the final year of Glen Murray's $4.15 million per year contract. Murray will become an unrestricted free agent.

The Minnesota Wild have avoided arbitration with forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard and have agreed to a five-year, $20.4 million contract.

The Nashville Predators have signed center Rich Peverley to a two-year contract and signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a one-year contract extension.

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Marek Svatos to a two-year, $4.1 million contract.

The New York Islanders have re-signed defenseman Bruno Gervais to a three-year, $2.2 million deal.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Yanick Lehoux to a one-year contract. Lehoux played the 2007-2008 season with Russian team Atlant Mytischy.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Mike York to a one-year deal. Brochu's take: This is interesting, as York had already signed with KHL team Sibir Novosibirsk. Seems that "ceasefire" between the NHL and KHL didn't last long.

Washington Capitlas defenseman Shaone Morrisonn was awarded a one-year contract worth $1.975 million in salary arbitration.

Mariusz Czerkawski retires from hockey

Mariusz Czerkawski has decided to retire from hockey. The Polish forward played in 745 NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders, totaling 215 goals and 220 assists. Czerkawski played the last two seasons for the Swiss Nationalliga A team Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, where he was the amongst the team leaders in points. Brochu's take: The "Polish Prince" was a decent scorer, both on and off the ice. Not only did he manage 20+ goals in 6 seasons, he managed to find time to marry (and divorce) ex-James Bond girl Izabella Scorupco. (The woman in the picture is his new wife, Miss Poland 2000). Source

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Martin St. Pierre to the Boston Bruins for forward Pascal Pelletier.

Boston Bruins forward Glen Murray has passed waivers. It's rumored that he will be bought out as soon as possible.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kevin Dallman has left the organization and signed with KHL team Barys Astana in Kazakhstan.

Florida Panthers defenseman Magnus Johansson has signed a three-year contract with Swedish team Linkoping. He will be loaned to KHL team Atlant Mytischy for the first year. Source

Defenseman Tom Wandell has left the Dallas Stars organization and signed with SEL team Timra for the 2008-2009 season.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mathieu Biron will play with DEL team Frankfurt Lions for the 2008-2009 season. Source

NHL free agent signings for July 23, 2008

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forwards Ryan Shannon, Rick Rypien, Mike Brown and defencemen Nathan McIver, Zach Fitzgerald and James Sharrow. They were all restricted free agents.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Darren Haydar to a one-year, $525,000 contract. The Wings also re-signed left wing Ryan Oulahen to a one-year contract. Source

The Boston Bruins have placed forward Glen Murray on waivers. Murray has one year left on his contract that pays him $4.15 million in 2008-2009.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Mathieu Darche to a one-year, two-way deal. Source

The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed head coach Randy Carlyle to a two-year contract extension.

Spezza, Jokinen, Marleau on the move?

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, three elite centres could be on the trading block this summer:

Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza, whose $8 million a year contract extension kicks in this summer.

Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen, with the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks interested.

San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, whose no trade clause becomes effective July 1. Garrioch speculates that the Boston Bruins may give up Glen Murray as part of a package deal. Brochu's take: Spezza's not going anywhere, but Jokinen may have used up his nine lives in Florida. GM Jacques Martin will do everything in his power to trade him. As for Marleau, no one wants Murray and his $4 million contract, so Garrioch can keep on speculating.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Blake Wheeler turned down Phoenix's entry-level deal and will now become an unrestricted free agent. The deal was the maximum offered under the old CBA. Wheeler is free to sign with any team, however he still has to comply with entry-level rules. There are rumors that his home state team, the Minnesota Wild, are interested.

The New York Islanders will not be re-signing impending UFAs Wade Dubielewicz, Miroslav Satan, Josef Vasicek and Ruslan Fedotenko. The three forwards were not offered any contracts while Dubielewicz rejected a "significant offer". The Islanders are also close to re-signing Tim Jackman to a two-way contract. Source

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Tim Kennedy to a two-year, ~$1.7 million contract. They have also signed Swedish goaltender Jhonas Enroth to three-year, entry-level contract. Brochu's take: The Sabres actually got some of their players under contract! Source

NHL rumors for March 23, 2008

The latest from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

The Toronto Maple Leafs could possibly buy out forward Darcy Tucker's contract in the summer if Tucker continues to not waive his no trade clause. Tucker has 3 years and $9 million left on his contract, but if the Leafs bought him out it would only be a $1 million cap hit for 6 years.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Andre Roy, who returned to the team after being sent home to "think", are rumored to be targeted by the Ottawa Senators in the off-season.

The Senators are believed to be negotiating with impending UFA Wade Redden. Apparently, the San Jose Sharks offered him a 3 year, $16.5 million contract extension if he had agreed to waive his no trade clause to got to San Jose.

Garrioch speculates that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak could get some offer sheets from around the league. Teams that could be in the mix include the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.

Garrioch continues that if the Boston Bruins miss the playoffs, they will surely trade Glen Murray. The unloading of Murray's contract could give the Bruins enough money to sign impending UFA Marian Hossa.

The Toronto Sun is reporting that the Detroit Red Wings are very happy with defenseman Brad Stuart and are negotiating a contract extension.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that defenseman Chris Chelios will likely be back next season.

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that coach John Tortorella said defenseman Paul Ranger is "untouchable" this offseason.

Lightning and Rangers to play in Sweden?

According to expressen.se, NHLPA chief Paul Kelly has confirmed that an NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers will be played in Sweden for the upcoming 2008-2009 season. The event will be held in the Globen arena in Stockholm, which will also be host to a game between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Source

A Sportsnet article, citing the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch, is reporting that seven teams have inquired about Boston Bruins forward Glen Murray. These seven teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks. Source

The Colorado Avalanche have sent forward Brad Richardson to the minors, and maybe finished with the Avalanche organization. There are rumors that he could be used as trade bait to bring in some scoring to the Avs lineup, which has suffered some serious injuries. Source

Olli Jokinen rumours

According to RDS, TSN and Sportsnet, Olli Jokinen has been shopped by Florida Panthers GM Jacques Martin. It was reported that four teams were contacted, with at least one team in Canada. However, Jacques Martin, Panther's owner Alan Cohen and Jokinen himself have all denied the rumor. Cohen went as far as saying "I'm never trading him." Source

Mattias Ohlund may receive a suspension for his actions on Friday night. Ohlund took a two-handed slash to Mikko Koivu's leg after Koivu tried elbowing Ohlund in the head. It's been reported that the Minnesota Wild forward has a broken fibula and will miss at least a week. There is speculation that the Vancouver Canucks defenseman could receive a 5 game suspension from the NHL. Source

These following rumours come courtesy of the often imitated, but never duplicated Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

The Dallas Stars are close to some deals and a name that's been mentioned is Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins.

Calgary GM Darryl Sutter is busy trying to land a No. 1 centre and sources say Sutter has held talks with Sharks GM Doug Wilson about Patrick Marleau. Wilson has maintained he's going to keep Marleau, but situations change. Marleau has a two-year extension kicking in next season that includes a "no-movement" clause, which means if Wilson wants to make a deal he has to do it this year.

Bruce Garrioch's Sunday rumours

These rumours are courtesy of Ottawa Sun columnist, Bruce Garrioch:

Dion Phaneuf may be close to signing a long term contract extension with the Calgary Flames. Phaneuf's agent Don Meehan was in Calgary recently to discuss a possible extension for his client.

The Capitals are having trouble negotiating with restricted free-agent Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin fired Meehan and has hired a lawyer to be his advisor. Sources say the Caps were confident they'd be able to get something done with Meehan, but are having issues since Ovechkin, who's making $1.3 million, decided to take over his own negotiations. It's believed the Caps are willing to offer a deal similar to the five-year contract that will pay Sidney Crosby $8.7 million per season starting next year. It's believed Ovechkin's camp, which includes his mother Tatiana, is looking for a bigger deal, in the $9-to-10 million range. This could get interesting because somebody would most certainly give Ovechkin an offer as a restricted free agent on July 1.

Teemu Selanne was a visitor to the Duck's dressing room on Friday at the game between Anaheim and San Jose. He may be getting close to returning to the NHL.

There is talk the Chicago Blackhawks could move either Martin Lapointe or Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov has been a healthy scratch lately.

The Thrashers, Senators, Panthers, Kings and Canucks have all shown interest in impending UFA Glen Murray.

If Scott Niedermayer returns, Garrioch believes that Mathieu Schneider could be traded. He adds that Vancouver, Edmonton, Colorado and Atlanta are interested.

Franchise in Las Vegas?

Casino giant Harrah's Entertainment announced Wednesday it is partnering with AEG to build a 20,000-seat arena capable of housing an NBA or NHL team in Las Vegas. The arena is projected to open in 2010. Earlier this year, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer was rumoured to be in discussions for an NHL franchise team in Vegas. Source

A Boston source has indicated that the rumoured deal for Jay McKee may surround around Glen Murray.

Staios to be traded?

According to the Metro News, Steve Staios could be traded for an established scorer. It's believed that Edmonton would package Staios and a prospect to get some scoring help. Rumours have swirled that it could be Glen Murray or Miroslav Satan, who is due to become an UFA next offseason. Source

Another Forsberg rumour has popped up in New York. According to Newsday, the Islanders have been pursuing Peter Forsberg. They have also inquired about the services of Josef Vasicek and Jason Allison. It's believed that GM Garth Snow and owner Charles Wang would offer a substantial contract to Forsberg, possibly in the $7-7.5 million range to entice him to the Island. Source

Mike Ricci has officially retired after 16 years in the NHL. Source