Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 9, 2009

The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded forward Pascal Pelletier to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Brendan Bell and centre Tomas Kana.

The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Ville Koistinen on re-entry waivers.

Both Carolina Hurricanes goalie Michael Leighton and New York Islanders forward Jeremy Reich have cleared waivers.

Latest NHL signings! Part IX

The Florida Panthers have signed forward Jeff Taffe to a contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Chris Conner to a one-year deal. The Pens have also come to terms with defenseman Chris Lee.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Chris Minard to a deal.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Tanner Glass to a contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Tim Brent to a contract.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed goalies Drew MacIntyre and Peter Mannino to a contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Pascal Pelletier to a contract.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Jason Jaffray to a contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for Aug 9, 2008

The National Post is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher is waiting for a list of teams that defenseman Bryan McCabe is willing to waive his no trade clause for. Fletcher has stated that McCabe has "softened his stance". Source

The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Teppo Numminen and forward Tyler Bouck to one-year contracts.

The Calgary Flames have re-signed forward Cam Cunning.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed center Pascal Pelletier to a one-year contract.

The Florida Panthers have signed forward Janis Sprukts to a two-year contract. Sprukts spent last season with Finnish team Lukko.

The Carolina Hurricanes have invited forward Jeff O'Neill to a try-out contract.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed forward Adam Perry to a contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Vancouver Canucks forward Byron Ritchie has signed with Swiss Nationalliga A club Geneve-Servette for the 2008-2009 season.

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