NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 4, 2009

Happy July 4th to my American readers! I'm going to wrap up some of the trades that have gone down, I haven't had time to include them here.

The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a 5th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: With Gomez, Kubina and now Smyth, this is the official "Summer of the Salary Dump". Smyth will be a good veteran addition to the young Kings lineup, but earns $6 million per for 3 more years. Quincey is a good young blueliner, but the rest is filler.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Pavel Kubina and the rights to forward Tim Stapleton to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Garnet Exelby and forward Colin Stuart. Brochu's take: Another salary dump, but Burke didn't even get draft picks back.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Rick Nash to a 8-year, $62.4 million contract extension. Brochu's take: At a yearly salary cap hit of $7.8 million, Nash is slightly overpaid, but he is the Jackets one franchise star. It will also solidify Columbus as a solid hockey city.

Boston/Philly trade, Kings get Quincey

The Boston Bruins have traded defenseman Andrew Alberts to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Ned Lukacevic and a 4th round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: The Flyers were desperately looking for a depth defenseman, and Alberts should fill that role.

The Los Angeles Kings have claimed defenseman Kyle Quincey off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. Brochu's take: This should help the void of losing Jack Johnson for 3 months.

On CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, "The Hotstove" segment suggests that the Minnesota Wild will trade Marian Gaborik at some point this year, and the Pittsburgh Penguins could be the most likely destination. There are rumours that Jordan Staal could be going the other way.

Look for a big version of Brochu's European rumor roundup to be posted tonight!

Poll Results:

Who will win the Art Ross Trophy (most points) this year?

Sidney Crosby	37 (26%)
Alexander Ovechkin	67 (48%)
Vincent Lecavalier	7 (5%)
Evgeni Malkin	8 (5%)
Joe Thornton	4 (2%)
Other	16 (11%)

Total votes: 139

Will you be playing fantasy hockey (pool) this year?

Yes	52 (71%)
No	21 (28%)

Total votes: 73

Weekend rumor roundup Oct 11-12, 2008

The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed forward Anze Kopitar to a seven-year, $47.6 million contract extension set to start in 2009-2010. Brochu's take: A good deal for LA, but what has happened to the second contract? It seems that young impact players move from their entry-level contracts straight into lucrative contracts that, in the past, would be reserved for their third contract.

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed defenseman Alex Edler to a four-year, $13 million contract extension. Brochu's take: Another good signing, on par with similiar players that have signed recently.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Joey Haddad to a three-year contract.

The Detroit Red Wings have placed defenseman Kyle Quincey on waivers.

The following rumors are from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, so take it with a grain(bag) of salt.

The Canucks are looking to move defenseman Kevin Bieksa. Brochu's take: The 'Nucks just traded a d-man, so I don't think they're looking to trade him at this moment.

The Carolina Hurricanes may be interested in Boston Bruins forward Peter Schaefer, whose $2.1 million contract is currently off the salary cap. The Canes are looking to dangle defensemen Frantisek Kaberle and Joe Corvo.

The Florida Panthers are looking to move forward Radek Dvorak.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are interested in signing free agent defenseman Marek Malik.

The Edmonton Oilers may be "willing to deal" defenseman Ladislav Smid. Brochu's take: The least that Garrioch could do was at least spell "Smead" right.

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 11, 2008

The Buffalo Sabres and forward Jason Pominville are negotiating a long-term contract extension. Both sides would like to have a deal done before training camp. Pominville is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Brochu's take: If he doesn't sign an extension, he could become trade bait if the Sabres are out of the playoff race. Source

Free agent forward Brendan Shanahan wants to return to the New York Rangers, but he remains unsigned. Both sides want to sign a deal, but it appears that Shanahan may be waiting for Mats Sundin's situation to settle itself before signing. Source

The Minnesota Wild and forward Marian Gaborik are set to begin re-negotiations on a long-term contract extension. The Wild are willing to pay $8.5 million per year on a five or seven year deal. Brochu's take: It's possible that Gaborik may decide to test the free agent market next season. He may also want to play for a more offensive minded team.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Kyle Quincey to a two-year contract.

According to the Ottawa Sun, the Ottawa Senators have thrown their hat into the Mats Sundin sweepstakes. The Senators made a push to acquire Sundin at last year's trade deadline, but they were unsuccessful. Brochu's take: You know hockey season is about to start when Garrioch starts writing fluff articles... Source