NHL and Hockey Rumors for April 3, 2013

The Dallas Stars have traded forward Derek Roy to the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Kevin Connauton and a 2nd round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The Stars have also traded forward Jaromir Jagr to the Boston Bruins for forward Lane MacDermid, forward Cody Payne and a conditional 2nd round pick.

The San Jose Sharks have traded forward Ryane Clowe to the New York Rangers for a 2nd and 3rd in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and also a conditional pick in the 2014 Draft.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Adam Hall and a 7th round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The Los Angeles Kings have traded defenseman Davis Drewiske to the Montreal Canadiens for a 5th round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The Canucks have re-signed forward Chris Higgins to a four-year, $10 million contract extension.

NHL Lockout Signings: Czech Republic

Here is a list of NHLer that have signed in the Czech Republic (HC Lev Praha plays in the KHL):

Dallas Stars forward Jaromir Jagr, Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec, Carolina Hurricanes forward Jiri Tlusty, New Jersey Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Tomas Kaberle have signed with HC Kladno.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ladislav Smid and Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec have signed with Bili Tygri Liberec.

Edmonton Oilers forward Ales Hemsky has signed with HC Pardubice.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Pavel Kubina has signed with HC Vitkovice.

Calgary Flames forward Roman Cervenka has signed with HC Slavia Praha.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for May 1, 2009

The Phoenix Coyotes have denied a report that the NHL has been running the franchise since February. Coyotes President Doug Moss refuted that report late Wednesday night, saying the league has not assumed control of the Coyotes. "We are not reporting to the league," Moss said. "We report to (owner) Jerry Moyes. I'm dealing with things in my area, the business side, and Donnie (GM Don Maloney) is dealing with the hockey side." Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Jaromir Jagr hasn't ruled out a return to the NHL, and if he does return, his first choice would be the Edmonton Oilers. The 37 year old still has one year left on his contract with KHL club Avangard Omsk, but wants to play with the team that offered him a contract last summer. "I was pretty excited when I heard that Edmonton pushed pretty hard for me to get (there)," Jagr said Thursday at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. "I really appreciate it. If I ever go to (the NHL), they would be my No. 1 pick because they showed the interest first. I never forget that and I respect that." Brochu's take: Anything is possible, especially given a year's time. He would be pretty dynamite on Ales Hemsky's line. Source

Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik has signed a two-year contract with Russian team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Brochu's take: Hmmm, I always thought Zednik would have no trouble securing an NHL contract. Funny enough, he was announced as a candidate for this year's Masterton trophy. Source

Colorado Avalanche forward Per Ledin has left the organization and signed a 6-year deal with Swedish club HV71. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Mar 9, 2009

According to David Staples of the Edmonton Journal, Oilers defenseman Ladislav Smid has asked to be traded four times this season. Staples writes that Smid is frustrated with his lack of ice time and utilization. Brochu's take: Obviously, nothing will be done about that until the summer. Source

TSN is reporting that the Tampa Bay Lightning are close to signing a 3-year contract extension with head coach Rich Tocchet.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that Jaromir Jagr will receive clearance from his KHL team Avangard Omsk to return to the NHL next season. Brooks is also reporting that the Edmonton Oilers were about to sign a $7 million a year contract with Jagr, and that salary would prevent other NHL teams of picking him up on waivers. Brooks is also speculating that ex-Rangers coach Tom Renney could join Jagr in Edmonton, if the Oilers don't make the playoffs. Brochu's take: That's a lof of "ifs", Larry. While the financial situation with the KHL is still uncertain, they still have money to pay top end players. Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

According to Swiss sources, Nashville Predators defenseman Tim Ramholt will leave the organization in the summer and sign with Champions Hockey League winner ZSC Lions. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Feb 11, 2009

After clearing waivers, the Dallas Stars have assigned forward Sean Avery to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. It's presumed that after several games, the Stars will re-call Avery through re-entry waivers, and the Rangers will pick him up. Brochu's take: Of course, it's entirely possible, if not probable, that some other NHL team will pick up Avery before the Rangers get a chance. Also, like Bob McKenzie says in his blog, the Stars could just keep Avery in the minors as long as possible and not make a decision at all.

The Edmonton Oilers have denied a local report that forward Jaromir Jagr is close to joining the team. According to the Edmonton Journal, a Czech source says Jagr is close to finalizing a deal that would see him join the Oilers for the remainder of the season. Jagr is currently playing with KHL team Avangard Omsk. Brochu's take: Not only that, he would have to clear waivers before he can come back to the NHL. Jagr does not have an out clause in his three-year contract with Omsk, but it's quite possible that he could sign with Edmonton in the summer. The Oilers offered a contract last summer, and with the KHL facing economic uncertainty, Jagr could contemplate a return to the NHL. Source

There's been a lot of speculation that the Anaheim Ducks are looking to shop defenseman Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. According to NJ.com, the New Jersey Devils could be interested in both players. Brochu's take: I think the Ducks will hang on to Pronger. As for Niedermayer, it's unknown if he wants to return in 2009-2010. But rumors are that he would be willing to accept a trade to four teams: The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and the Devils. Source

According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey held a meeting with the coaching staff in Montreal before the team left for its six-game road trip this week. LeBrun believes that the Canadiens will be active, and will be willing to trade some of their young assets or some of their impending free agents to "right the ship." Brochu's take: Tomas Plekanec's name has been tossed around the rumor mill, with the Chicago Blackhawks the most interested. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 11, 2009

Welcome to Brochu is Hockey, Mark III! A more detailed post will be posted today to let you know all the upgrades. But back to the heart of the matter, rumors!

The Atlanta Thrashers have claimed forward Rich Peverley off waivers from the Nashville Predators.

According to TSN, free agent forward Brendan Shanahan is joining the New Jersey Devils, but the final terms on a deal has yet to be finalized. According to another source, it's believed to be a one-year deal. Source

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Jaromir Jagr saids he is happy playing for Avangard Omsk in the KHL, but might consider a return to the NHL once his contract expires. Jagr expressed that he would return only to two of his previous teams, the Penguins or the New York Rangers. Jagr also added that he would play for the league minimum with the Pens, citing a debt owed to Mario Lemieux with helping him out during the early parts of his career. Brochu's take: With all the rumors of players not getting paid in the KHL, Jagr might be back sooner than once thought. Source

Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules, Vincent Lecavalier's agent Kent Hughes and Lecavalier himself all denied that he is being shopped around the league. However, a Sportsnet report, and according to sources around the NHL, Lecavalier's been made "available", along with forward Steven Stamkos, at the right offer. Pierre LeBrun on Hockey Night in Canada's intermission program "The Hotstove" stated that Lecavalier could be had at the right offer. Al Strachan speculated that if the Montreal Canadiens offered Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitsyn and Mike Komisarek, the Bolts might listen. Brochu's take: It would seem there are conflicting reports on whether Lecavalier is on the trade block or not. What is true is that the Lightning are definitely having financial troubles, and could be cutting salary soon. Source

On CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, it was reported that Peter Forsberg has quitely expressed interest in returning to the NHL, and Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is interested. Brochu's take: Forsberg is still rehabbing his latest ankle surgery, and probably won't skate until March, which is right around the trade deadline. If he decides to sign, I wouldn't expect him to play a game until April.

Sharks, Sabres, Lightning, Canucks make trades

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks for defensemen Matt Carle, Ty Wishart and first round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Boyle waived his no trade clause after deciding on which deal would be best for him. Brochu's take: The Sharks gave up a lot of good young talent to get Boyle. Also, this should quiet nay-sayers about players never waiving their no trade clauses.

The Sharks also sent defenseman Craig Rivet and a seventh-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for second-round selections in the 2009 and 2010 drafts.

The Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Steve Bernier from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2010 and a third round pick in 2009.

Jaromir Jagr has officially signed with Avangard Omsk of the KHL for $5 million a year contract, believed to be a two-year deal with an option year.

The New York Rangers have re-signed defenseman Paul Mara to a one-year, $1.95 million contract.

The Canucks have also signed forward Mark Cullen to a contract. Terms were not disclosed.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Mikhail Grabovski to a one-year deal.

Canucks offer Sundin 2 year, $20 million

TSN is reporting that up to four teams have made offers to Mats Sundin, including the Vancouver Canucks who have made a two-year, $20 million contract with a no trade clause. Brochu's take: Fans in Vancouver must be screaming for the return of Dave "Sensible" Nonis. Source

According to the Fan 590 radio station, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made an approach to Jaromir Jagr.

The Columbus Dispatch blog "Puck-rakers" is reporting the the Blue Jackets have made offers to Wade Redden and Kristian Huselius, and are waiting for a response.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed restricted free agent Andrei Kostitsyn to a three-year, $9.75 million contract extension.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed goalie Ty Conklin to a one year, $750,000 contract.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed goaile Andrew Raycroft to a one year deal. Terms were not disclosed.

The Washington Capitals have signed goalie Jose Theodore to a two-year, $9 million contract.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed defenseman Kurt Sauer to a four-year, $7 million contract. The 'Yotes also signed forward Todd Fedoruk to a three-year deal. Terms were not disclosed.

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-sign defenseman Mark Eaton to a two-year, $2 million contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for June 28, 2008

The New York Post is reporting that Jaromir Jagr has received a three-year, $35 million contract offer to play with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League (KHL) next season. Brochu's take: Jagr claims that he wants to play in the NHL, but he won't be earning anywhere near that playing in North America. If he doesn't find a team, he's gone. Source

The Calgary Flames forwards Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy and Erik Nystrom to contract extensions. The Flames have also signed goalie Curtis McElhinney.

The Anaheim Ducks have place forward Todd Bertuzzi on waivers with the intent to buyout the remaining year on his contract. Bertuzzi has one year left on his $4 million a year contract.

The Florida Panthers have bought out the contract of forward Jozef Stumpel, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The New York Islanders have placed forward Shawn Bates on waivers with the intention to buyout the remaining year on his contract.

The Columbus Jackets have put defenseman Duvie Westcott on waivers with the intention to buyout the remainder of his contract.

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Loui Eriksson to a two-year, $3.2 million contract extension.

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially signed forward Jeff Carter to a three-year, $15 million contract extension.

Jagr to retire?

The latest NHL and hockey rumours for April 30, 1980:

In a post-game interview after the Rangers loss in game 3 of the New York Rangers - Pittsburgh Penguins playoff series, Jaromir Jagr hinted that he may be playing his last game on Thursday. Brochu's take: In the NHL, maybe. Rumors have been swirling that he has an offer on the table to play with Omsk of the Russian Super League.

Speculation is rampant that the San Jose Sharks will fire head coach Ron Wilson if the Sharks lose their next game in Dallas.

The Columbus Blue Jacket have re-signed defenceman Jan Hejda to a three-year, $6 million contract extension.

The Anaheim Ducks signed forward Ryan Carter to a three-year contract extension.

The Dallas Stars re-signed centre Steve Ott to a two-year contract on Tuesday worth $2.85 million ($1.35 million in 2008-09 and $1.5 million in 2009-10) through the 2009-10 season.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenseman Alec Martinez to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumour roundup:

Forward Brad Moran has left the Vancouver Canucks organization and signed a two-year deal with Skellefteå of the SEL. Source

There are rumours that forward Erik Westrum will leave Swiss side Ambri Piotta and return to the NHL. The Calgary Flames are apparently interested.

Shremp rumor update, Jagr to Russia?

According to to Oilers blog The Pipeline Show Blog, Rob Schremp's agent Scott Norton has denied that Schremp has had any real contact with Swedish teams. Norton believes that a person on the internet contacted Shremp about the possibility of playing in Europe in general terms, but there has been no official contact from any club. Norton did admit that Schremp is "not happy" with his current situation. Brochu's take: The Edmonton Oilers may have to deal with Schremp sometime this summer, and may have to decide if he is part of their future. Schremp could be used as a trading chip in the off-season, as he is pursued by several teams.

New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr is scheduled to meet with Russian team Avangard Omsk this weekend to discuss a contract for next year. Rangers GM Glen Sather is already scheduled to meet Omsk GM Anatoly Bardin about prospect Alexei Cherepanov coming to North America. With Jagr scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer because he failed to meet performance bonuses, he may be too pricey for the Rangers to re-sign. Brochu's take: This could be a bargaining tactic by Jagr to get a better contract, but he does genuinely like playing in Russia. Cherepanov stated in a previous interview that he would remain in Russia for another year, but it's possible that the Rangers could arrange an agreement to get Cherepanov out of his contract with Omsk. Source

The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Cody Wild to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Oilers also inked center Tim Sestito to a two-year contract extension. Source

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Spencer Machacek to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Thrashers are also trying to sign prospect Angelo Esposito to a contract before the summer, but GM Don Waddell says negotiations are "not close". Source

The Minnesota Wild have signed Colton Gillies to a three-year, $2.625 million deal, beginning with the 2008-09 season ($87,500 signing bonus each year). Gillies also signed an amateur tryout contract to finish the season with the AHL Houston Aeros. Source

The Minnesota Star Tribune is also reporting that the Wild will offer defenseman Kurtis Foster a one-year, $1.025 million contract. Brochu's take: Foster has more things to worry about than a contract after that horrific leg injury. At around $1 million, that's a bargain.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Nick Holden to a three-year, entry-level contract. Brochu's take: The Jackets stole one here. Holden is going to be a good player in the NHL.

Jagr talks heat up

Scott Burnside of ESPN believes that New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr would be better off on another team. Burnside states that the Rangers could use Jagr to get a top defenseman back, or get some young prospects or draft picks, and suggests defensemen Joni Pitkanen, Rob Blake, John-Michael Liles, Dan Boyle and Bryan McCabe might "enjoy a change of scenery." There's also been rumours that the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens could be in the running for the Czech winger.

Burnside also notes that Rangers goaltending prospect Al Montoya could be traded as well. He lists the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings as teams that could be interested. Source

There are rumours that the Chicago Blackhawks want to host an outdoor game at Soldier Field, while the Maple Leafs are looking at a game at Rogers Centre.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been sold to OK Hockey LLC, a group controlled by Los Angeles television and movie producer Oren Koules. Source

The latest NHL rumors from Marty York of Metro News:

York claims his sources and "information" tell him that Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin will waive his no trade clause and join the Detroit Red Wings.

There's been talks that the New York Rangers and New York Islanders will meet for an outdoor game at Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium on Jan 1, 2009.

European rumors update

Here's the latest rumours from Europe, which have been collected from various European sources in the past few days. This is the big version of Brochu's European round-up:

New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr has said that he would come to Russia to play his last years of the career. He said that he gave his "word" to play in Russia and wanted to play for Avangard Omsk, whose chairman stated that they would do everything they can to bring Jagr to Omsk. Jagr played for Avangard in the 2004-2005 lockout year. Source

Denik Sport (A Czech newspaper) reported that Columbus Blue Jacket forward David Vyborny is rumoured to have signed a contract with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. Vyborny has stated that Sparta and Swiss club Lugano are his preferred destinations if he returned overseas. Vyborny played for Sparta during the lockout and his father is currently the head coach. Thanks to vakfan over at Southern Bohemian Ho(c)ke(y)j for the link! Source

There are rumours that New York Islanders prospect Jesse Joensuu will leave his team Ässät in Finland and come to North America for the remainder of the season. Source

According to Swiss newspaper Giornale del Popolo, both Chicago Blackhawks forward Martin St. Pierre and Atlanta Thrashers minor-leaguer Jason Krog could be joining HC Lugano this season. Source

Swedish defensive prospect Lars Jonsson is rumored to be leaving the Philadelphia Phantoms (Flyers AHL affilate) and could sign with one of four SEL teams; Färjestad, Leksand, HV71 and Linköping. Source

Rumours from Bruce Garrioch

Here are the latest rumors from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, who seems to have dipped into the eggnog early:

Garrioch reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins have talked to the Atlanta Thrashers about Marian Hossa. Penguins GM Ray Shero has been looking for a winger for Sidney Crosby and the UFA may be available at the trade deadline.

It's also possible that the Nashville Predators could send J.P. Dumont to the Pens. Shero used to be GM David Poile's assistant.

The New York Rangers haven't had any talks with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who can become a restricted free agent July 1 and is making $4.25 million this season. The Rangers are going to have to pony up about $8 million per season on a new contract to fend off the threat of an offer sheet from a team looking for goaltending help. The Tampa Bay Lightning, LA Kings and Edmonton Oilers would all be in the running.

Garrioch speculates that the Detroit Red Wings could be in the running to acquire Jaromir Jagr, if the Rangers decide to shop the forward.

Garrioch is repeating the rumors that Patrick Marleau is being shopped by the San Jose Sharks, and the Thrashers would love to bring him in as their no. 1 centre.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will entertain offers for three players if they drop out of the playoff race. Forwards Sergei Fedorov and Michael Peca, along with defenseman Adam Foote will be shopped by GM Scott Howson at the trade deadline if that happens.

The Ottawa Senators might move forward Antoine Vermette before the deadline. The Penguins made a call earlier in the season and may still be interested.