Hockey and NHL Rumors for the weekend of Oct 9-11, 2010

The Boston Bruins have re-signed defenseman Zdeno Chara to a 7-year, $45 million contract extension.  Brochu's take:  Provided he stays injury-free, this is a decent contract.  Chara is a fitness demon, so it's possible he can play at the highest level until he's 40.

The Bruins have also re-signed forward Patrice Bergeron to a three-year, $15 million contract extension.  They have also signed enforcer Brian McGrattan to a contract.

The Vancouver Canucks have traded defenseman Sean Zimmerman to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Nathan Paetsch.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Mark Parrish to a one-year deal.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed defenseman Brandon Gormley to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed goalie Igor Bobkov to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Oliver Gabriel to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Oct 7, 2010

The Edmonton Oilers have assigned defenseman Sheldon Souray to it's AHL affiliate, who have subsequently loaned him to the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.  Souray remains the property of the Oilers and has no official connection to the Capitals organization.  Brochu's take:  This is similiar to what the Caps did with Michael Nylander.  I think the players and owners will have to address this issue in the new CBA.

The Vancouver Canucks have traded forward Darcy Hordichuk to the Florida Panthers for forward Andrew Peters.

The Canucks will also sign forward Peter Schaefer to a one-year, two-way contract ($600,000) on Thursday.

The Panthers have also placed defenseman Nathan Paetsch on waivers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Matt Lashoff on waivers.