NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 20, 2009

Atlanta Thrashers forward Joe Motzko has left the organization and signed with HC MVD of the KHL.

Florida Panthers forward Janis Sprukts has left the organization and signed with Latvian/KHL club Dinamo Riga. Brochu's take: Sprukts always brings memories back of that crazy rumor he was going to sign with the Habs. I don't think we'll see him in the NHL again.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Joakim Lindstrom has left the organization and signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.

Detroit Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler has signed a two-year deal with Dynamo Moskva (Moscow) worth approximately $2-3 million a year. Brochu's take: Sorry, I haven't had time to comment before. The matter is now being decided by the IIHF, and it's been reported that the KHL and NHL will comply with their ruling. The issue seems to be that Hudler went to arbitration, thus meaning he "owes" the Wings one year.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Jason Ward to a one-year contract.

Forward Mike Iggulden has left the New York Islanders and signed with Dinamo Riga.

The Panthers have signed forward Evgeni Dadonov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 4, 2008

The Anaheim Ducks have traded forward Joakim Lindstrom to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Logan Stephenson.

The Carolina Hurricanes have fired head coach Peter Laviolette and have replaced him with former Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice. Maurice will become the interim head coach until the end of the season, and Ron Francis has been named associate coach. Brochu's take: A curious move, given Maurice's record with the Canes and Maple Leafs.

According to Doug MacLean of Sportsnet's Hockeycentral, the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators are rumored to be involved in trade talks. MacLean states that Mathieu Garon could be involved, while the Oilers are looking for a gritty, veteran forward. Brochu's take: Perhaps they are interested in Mike Fisher? The Senators are still looking for a puck-moving defenseman, but I'm note sure if the Oilers have any to spare.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 8, 2008

The Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Joakim Lindstrom off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned him to Iowa of the American Hockey League.

The Boston Bruins have put forwards Peter Schaefer, Nate Thompson and Jeremy Reich on waivers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Luke Schenn to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Leafs also put forward Boyd Devereaux and defenseman Staffan Kronwall.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Patrick O'Sullivan to a three year contract averaging $2.925 million a year.

The Vancouver Canucks have put forwards Jason Krog and Matt Pettinger on waivers.

The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Kyle McLaren on waivers.

The Detroit Red Wings have place defenseman Aaron Downey on waivers.

NHL signings and waiver transactions for Oct 3, 2008

The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to terms with goaltender Thomas McCollum on a three-year contract.

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Justin Falk.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed goaltender Martin Jones to a three-year contract.

The New York Islanders have signed center Josh Bailey to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed forward Joakim Lindstrom off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.

The Dallas Stars have claimed defenseman Doug Janik off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks have also assigned forward Bobby Ryan to the Iowa Chops in the AHL. Ryan did not need to clear waivers, which will help alleviate Anaheim's salary cap problems.

NHL and hockey rumors for July 16, 2008

Here's an actual rumor report, as opposed to a list of signings. A post about that will be posted tonight.

According to Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun, there are rumors of a three way trade between the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators. According to "insiders", Ottawa would trade goalie Martin Gerber and defenceman Andrej Meszaros to Los Angeles, the Kings would move forward Anze Kopitar to Chicago and the Blackhawks would send goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and either of defenseman Brent Seabrook or Cam Barker to the Senators. Brochu's take: A rumor that came from the Ottawa Sun and it's not from Bruce Garrioch? It's GOTTA be true! But seriously, this won't happen. Kopitar is part of the youth movement in LA, and Ottawa really doesn't get any better. The likelihood of the Hawks shopping one of their young D-men is well known. Source

There's also a rumor going in Vancouver circles that the Canucks would trade Kevin Bieksa to the Kings for Michal Handzus and a 3rd round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Bieksa's been speculated to be"on the block" recently, but this doesn't really make sense from the Canucks part.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumored to be interested in signing Jeff O'Neill to a two-way contract. It's believed that O'Neill is holding out for a one-way deal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded winger Joakim Lindstrom to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional pick in the 2009 draft.

The Blackhawks have also signed defensemen Aaron Johnson and Doug Janik to one-year contracts, and re-signed center Colin Fraser to a one-year contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for July 8, 2008

The Calgary Herald is reporting that Flames GM Darryl Sutter has a couple of moves planned, and one could be acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe. Writer Bruce Dowbiggin also speculates that the Flames could go after New Jersey Devils forward Brian Gionta. Brochu's take: A strange rumor, as the Flames are very near the cap, and why would they need another huge contract? As for Gionta, they are looking for wingers to play in the top 6. Source

The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Greg Mauldin to a two-year contract.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year, $1.2 million contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Tomas Mojzis to a multi-year contract. Mojzis spent the past two seasons in Russia.

Forward Ivan Khomutov has left the New Jersey Devils organization and has signed with CSKA Moskva (Moscow) for the 2008-2009 season. Source

There are rumors that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Joakim Lindstrom could be returning to play in Sweden.

There are also rumors that New Jersey Devils forward Sergei Brylin could be signing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl if he gets no offers from NHL teams.

Swedish reports are saying that the Nashville Predators are close to signing forward Linus Videll.

NHL rumors for April 10, 2008

Sergei Samsonov is happy with the Carolina Hurricanes, and would like to re-sign with the club. He could potentially earn a better contract in the summer, but given his luck with other teams, Samsonov may consider otherwise. Brochu's take: The Hurricanes were only picking up half of Samsonov's $3.5 million salary, and it's likely he'll ask for something in the $2-2.5 million range, as he almost maintained a point-a-game average with the 'Canes. Source

The New York Islanders have signed forward Rob Hennigar to a two-year, entry-level contract. Hennigar was a CIS All Canadian with the UNB Varsity Reds. Brochu's take: I expect that many NHL teams will start to look at players coming from Canadian universities more closely. Source

The New Jersey Devils have signed goaltender Jeff Frazee to a two-way contract. Frazee was the second round choice of the Devils in the 2005 NHL entry draft.

Brochu's European rumour roundup:

CSKA Moscow is rumored to have offered New York Islanders backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz a one-year, $1.8 million contract.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Karel Rachunek is rumoured to have signed a contract with Dynamo Moscow for 2008-2009. Source

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Joakim Lindstrom is rumoured to be returning to Sweden to play with Skelleftea in the SEL. Source

Dallas Stars forward Marius Holtet has signed with Farjestad of the SEL. Source