Latest NHL Signings! Part XIV

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goalie Antero Niittymaki to a 1-year, $600,000 contract.

The New Jersey Devils have signed goalie Yann Danis to a one-year deal.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed defenseman Paul Mara to a 1-year, $1.675 million contract. The Habs have also signed forward Travis Moen to a 3-year, $4.5 million contract, and have re-signed forward Kyle Chipchura to a 1-year, $500,000 contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Jay McKee to a 1-year, $800,000 contract.

The Washington Capitals have signed forward Brendan Morrison to a 1-year, $1.5 million deal.

The Minnesota Wild have come to terms with defensemen Jamie Fraser and Jaime Sifers.

The Ottawa Senators have traded goalie Alex Auld to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 6th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Edmonton Oilers have traded forward Tim Sestito to the New Jersey Devils for a conditional pick.

Signings and Waiver update for Jun 29, 2009

I will be constantly updating the blog in the next few days until Free Agency Day! So thanks for reading.

The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed forward David Bolland to a five-year, $16.875 million contract extension. Brochu's take: This was rumored at the draft, so now it's official. Big overpayment if you ask me.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Jussi Jokinen to a two-year, $3.4-million contract extension.

The following NHL players have been placed on unconditional waivers, for the purposes of buying out their contracts. St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay McKee ($4 million), Boston Bruins forward Peter Schaefer ($2.1 million) and Florida Panthers forward Brett McLean ($1.7 million). The salary in brackets is their expected salary in 2009-2010.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Craig Adams to a two-year, $1.1 million contract extension.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Feb 19, 2009

According to Sportsnet and TSN, Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Kovalev will return to the Habs this weekend. Kovalev denied a Russian report that he blamed Montreal's recent struggles on the habits of some of the younger players on the team. La Presse also reported that GM Bob Gainey has shopped Kovalev around the NHL for the past two weeks. Brochu's take: Kovalev's value is at an all time low right now, so Gainey's smart enough to know he won't trade him. After Kovalev returns from Exile Island, I think he will be a much better player.

The Forecaster on CBC is reporting that defenseman Jay McKee is unhappy with his current situation with the St. Louis Blues and would like to move on. It's possible that the Blues would send McKee to the minors and call him up on re-entry waivers. Brochu's take: McKee's $4 million salary this year and next appears to be the big stumbling block. This sounds more like a scenario where you trade a bad contract for another bad contract.

The Forecaster report is also saying that the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers would also love to Edmonton Oilers forward Erik Cole for the stretch run. Brochu's take: Suddenly, Cole's price goes up. But I would imagine the Oilers holding on to him, unless they get blown away by a package. Source

Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks are still far apart in contract negotiations with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The twins are seeking five-year deals that average $6.5-million a year. The Canucks have countered with $5.5-million over three or four years. The Canucks are also talking contract with impending UFA Alex Burrows, and the rumor is that the deal could be in the three to five year range, averaging $2 million a season. Brochu's take: Statistically, the Sedins are worth around $6 million each. However, GM Mike Gillis might want to see what they will do in the stretch and the playoffs before he commits that much salary cap space to two players. As for Burrows, that is a decent number for a player of his calibre, especially considering his humble roots in the ECHL. Source

Prospal to Philly, Boyle and Jackman signed

The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired Vaclav Prospal from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Alexandre Picard and a conditional (2nd or 3rd) pick in 2009. Source

The St. Louis Blues have re-signed defenseman Barret Jackman to a 4-year, $14.4 million contract extension. Rumors are flying that the Blues will trade one of defensemen Bryce Salvador, Jay McKee and Christian Backman before the deadline, as many teams are "kicking the tires." Source

The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenseman Dan Boyle to a 6-year, $40 million contract extension. The Brad Richards rumours should explode about now. Source

Devils in trade talks?

According to the Star-Ledger, New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello missed the game in Vancouver on Wednesday because he was attempting to make a trade prior to last night's midnight holiday roster freeze. It's possible that he could have a trade ready when the freeze ends on December 27. Source

Jeff Gordon of STLtoday.com is speculating that the St. Louis Blues are likely to make more moves this season, and could possibly bring back Minnesota Wild forward Pavol Demitra to the Blues. In order to do this, the Blues would have to get some of their contracts off the books, such as Jay McKee ($4 million), Martin Rucinsky ($3 million) and Christian Backman ($2.2 million). Source

Gordon is also reporting rumors that the Blues could bring in UFA Curtis Joseph as "stretch-run insurance", depending on how Joseph does at the Spengler Cup.

In other Devils news, they have signed forward Brad Snetsinger to his first professional contract, the team announced yesterday. The undrafted 20 year old is in his third year with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Also, forward Jari Viuhkola has left the AHL Lowell Devils and has been re-assigned to Kärpät Oulu of the SM-Liiga in Finland. Source

University of Minnesota sophomore Kyle Okposo has made the decision to forgo the remainder of the 2007-08 season and his career with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers following the World Junior Hockey Championship where he will play for Team USA. The New York Islanders have begun negotiations with Okposo on an entry-level contract. Source

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.

McKee to Boston?

There are several rumours that indicate Jay McKee may be headed to Boston. The St. Louis Blues currently have several extra defenseman signed, and it's believed that the Blues could shop McKee to free up cap space for some scoring.

The new Islanders jersey has been revealed today. Could this be a template for other teams around the league? Source

A Finnish TV report has indicated that Teemu Selanne is leaning towards retirement.