Hurricanes trade watch

According to Lord Stanley's Blog at the News & Observer, the Carolina Hurricanes are looking for a forward, and a trade could happen in the next 48 hours. They are looking to add forward depth with Justin Williams out indefinitely and Matt Cullen's concussion problems. The Canes would probably part with a draft pick or low-level prospect. They are also still pursuing a puck-moving defenseman. Source

Rumors continue to swirl that the Colorado Avalanche are shopping defenseman John-Michael Liles. Could he be a fit in Carolina?

The St. Louis Blues are shopping three of their defenseman, and a trade could come very soon. It's believed that Barret Jackman, Bryce Salvador and Christian Backman are the names being mentioned. Source

Pierre LeBrun of Sportsnet is reporting that if significant progress isn't made in contract talks between Marian Hossa and the Atlanta Thrashers, the Thrashers will begin to shop Hossa in earnest. Source

Various sources have confirmed that the Dallas Stars have signed Mike Ribeiro to a five year, $25 million contract extension.

Waiver wire news:

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Sergei Samsonov on re-entry waivers again.

The Washington Capitals have placed Ben Clymer on re-entry waivers.

The San Jose Sharks have placed goaltender Dimitri Patzold on waivers.

Simon Gamache has cleared waivers and released by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will most likely be signing in Switzerland.

Forsberg, Selanne to return in February?

According to the Courier Post, Peter Forsberg is expected to resume light skating this week in Sweden, and if all goes well, "sign with an NHL team sometime in early February." Philadelphia Flyers president Peter Luukko and general manager Paul Holmgren were made aware of the news on Friday while attending the World Junior Championships in Pardubice, Czech Republic. "Sure, we're interested," Luukko said. "We knew he had his procedure done and then he was going to try skating. It's going to be his call." Source

Teemu Selanne has been skating in full gear at Anaheim Ice lately, and there is word that he may be looking at a February return, according to the official Anaheim Ducks blog. A picture of Selanne at the facility surfaced late Thursday, as seen here. Credit to allducks.com for breaking the story. Source

During the intermission of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, analyst Scott Morrison stated on the program "Hotstove" that four teams have talked to Curtis Joseph to discuss if they fit into their respective team.

Morrison also reported that the Dallas Stars have reached an extension deal with forward Mike Ribeiro. The contract is rumored to be in the 3 year, $ 16 million range.

The Los Angeles Time is reporting that the LA Kings may be ready for a fire sale. Defenseman Rob Blake, who has been in the rumour mill lately, regrettably agrees. "Unfortunately, we're probably going to be in that type of position. We would've rather been battling for a playoff spot." Source

Penguins in trade talks

Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero won't be making any panic moves to help his injury-riddled club, but he is keeping all the doors open. Shero cannot divulge specifics of any talks in which he is engaged, but acknowledged that he is speaking with other clubs. "You hear from somebody almost every day in this job," Shero said. "There is plenty of conversation." Source

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Darryl Boyce to an entry-level contract. The 23 year old undrafted centre had been playing with the AHL Toronto Marlies. Source

With the new year, many players can now be signed to contract extensions. Here are some of the ones that are close to signing:

The Dallas Stars can officially sign Mike Ribeiro to a long-term deal. Co-GM Les Jackson said the Stars have already started negotiations with Ribeiro's agent, Don Meehan. "We're talking, and things are moving forward," Jackson said. "We think things are very positive." Source

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke is looking to sign forward Corey Perry to a long-term extension when he gets back to Anaheim on Jan 7. He is hoping to avoid the contract situation he had last year with Dustin Penner. Source

The Detroit Red Wings have offered goaltender Chris Osgood a three-year extension, but his agent, Rollie Thompson, said they still haven't decided on a term. A one-year, incentive-laden contract also is a possibility. Source

The Red Wings have also been in negotiations with defenseman Andreas Lilja and forward Dan Cleary. A deal may be close with both players.