NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 9, 2009

I should be caught up by tomorrow, I still have to post my analysis of the Pronger extension, and the Sakic retirement. There's a few more signings I have to catch up to as well.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Saku Koivu to a 1-year, $3.25 million contract. Brochu's take: And not with a bang but a whimper, the captain of the Montreal Canadiens for the past decade or so leaves the Habs. It's a bit sad that the organization decided for a new direction, but I think Koivu will have a bit of a career revival playing with his buddy Selanne in Orange County.

The Ducks also signed forward Todd Marchant to a 2-year, $2.25 million million contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Kris Versteeg to a 3-year, $9.2 million contract. Brochu's take: So the last major RFA on Chicago's roster has signed, which pretty much negates that whole "misfiling" issue. The investigation into that matter is still ongoing.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Brent Regner to a 3-year, entry-level contract.

The New York Islanders have signed forward Matt Moulson to one-year, two-way contract. They have also signed forwards Greg Moore and Greg Mauldin, and defenseman Mark Flood to one-year, two-way contracts.

The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Drew Fata to a contract. They have also signed goalie Dany Sabourin to a one-year contract.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Michael Funk to a contract.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Doug Janik to a contract. They have also signed defenseman Travis Erhardt to a three-year, entry-level contract.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for June 29, 2009

According to Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell, both Kari Lehtonen and Ondrej Pavelec will be shopped this summer, with one of them most likely to be traded. Brochu's take: Lehtonen hasn't quite lived up to his potential, but I'm pretty sure some NHL teams will give him a chance. Pavelec may need several more years to establish himself. Source

According to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, several teams have contacted the Detroit Red Wings about trading the rights to forward Marian Hossa. GM Ken Holland doesn't want to trade the rights yet, but admits if a deal cannot be concluded in the next 48 hours, he will consider offers. Brochu's take: It's my guess that Hossa will be shooting for the moon in terms of his contract, so whoever wants his rights should be wary. I'm hearing the Carolina Hurricanes and Islanders are very interested.

LeBrun also adds a rumor that the Montreal Canadiens may sign impending UFA Martin Havlat. Havlat spends his offseason in Montreal. Source

There continues to be speculation that Saku Koivu will sign with the Minnesota Wild so that he can play with his brother Mikko.

It appears the Philadelphia Flyers are willing to let impending UFA goalie Martin Biron go, since they already signed Ray Emery to a contract. It's been rumored that the Colorado Avalanche are interested in signing the netminder.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun postulates that the Habs will go after Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel Briere as "Plan B", as efforts to pry Vincent Lecavalier from the Tampa Bay Lightning have been futile. Garrioch adds that the Flyers are shopping forward Simon Gagne. Brochu's take: Briere's contract is essentially untradeable, and he has a no trade clause and made it pretty clear he doesn't want to play in Montreal, despite Garrioch's assertions. As for Gagne, his contract is pretty cheap, and I would imagine many teams will be lining up to get him. Source

CBC Hotstove and other rumors

On CBC's The Hotstove, the topic of trading Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin came up again, with analyst Al Strachan saying Sundin would like to stay in Canada because of business interests. The panel mentioned that the Vancouver Canucks remain in the running.

Pierre LeBrun mentioned that Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu's name has come up in trade rumours, something that hasn't been heard for a few years.

Five teams scouted the Columbus Blue Jackets-Dallas Stars game Saturday. These teams were the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals. Let the rumours fly! Source

Brochu's European round-up:

Dmitri Yushkevich has retired from hockey. The Russian defenseman, who, amongst other teams, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL for eleven seasons, has left his team Cherepovets Severstal to be with family in North America. He will be looking after his young triplet children after his wife died. Source

CBC Hotstove mentioned that Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom has cut down to 5 preferred teams, 3 of which are the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks. It is believed they have offered a 2 year deal to the young forward. For more on Brunnström, click on the "Brunnstrom" label at the bottom of the post.

Montreal/San Jose rumours run wild

Various sources on the internet have confirmed of trade rumors of a Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks blockbuster deal. A Montreal Gazette columnist is citing TSN's Bob McKenzie about a deal involving an exchange of Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder for Patrick Marleau and Steve Bernier. Other radio reports in Montreal suggest Joe Pavelski could be involved.

Other names that have been tossed around the rumour mill are Francis Bouillon, Jaroslav Halak and Kyle McLaren. Source

The Anaheim Ducks trade watch continues into day 8. A trade looks to be imminent according to the Ducks official NHL website. According to Marty York of Metro News, the Ducks have also come to a "verbal agreement" with UFA Teemu Selanne, and will likely return sometime after the new year. Source

The Puck-rakers blog on the Columbus Dispatch website is speculating that now is a perfect time for a big Blue Jackets trade. Writer Aaron Portzline is reporting that defenseman Ron Hainsey and goaltender Fredrik Norrena may have some value to NHL teams to bring back scoring in the Columbus lineup.

Las Vegas remains hot on the rumor mill to land an NHL expansion franchise. According to one source long connected with league dealings, the fee will be some $300 million - more than three times the asking price prior to the CBA fixing player salaries. Hollywood's Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of such hits as "Top Gun" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," is the rumored money man for a franchise that could open for business in 2009-10. Source

Leafs talking to Bowman again?

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the Toronto Maple Leafs are talking to Scotty Bowman again. Brooks is saying that "dialogue has resumed between Bowman and the board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment aimed at working out a deal so the nine-time Cup-winning coach and one-time player personnel director would become the Toronto club's president and director of hockey operations." Bowman has denied that there were talks earlier this season. Source

Rumours continue to swirl the Leafs as talks of firing the coach and GM intensify. The talk around the league has been that Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr. feverishly has been trying to make a trade, but the desirable players other teams want have no-trade clauses. Asked if a trade was coming soon, Ferguson responded, "Those discussions are ongoing at a number of levels." Source

Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu is interested in becoming an owner of TPS in Turku, Finland. Koivu started his career with TPS before coming to the Canadiens. TPS play in the SM-liiga.