Hockey and NHL Rumors for Oct 12, 2010

Andreas Lilja

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Andreas Lilja to a one-year contract.  Brochu's take:  They better check his passport to be sure!

The Boston Bruins have placed goalie Nolan Schaefer on waivers.

The New Jersey Devils have placed enforcer Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Defenseman Staffan Kronwall has left the Calgary Flames organization and signed a one year deal with Djurgarden in the Swedish Elite League.  Source

Latest NHL signings! Part VIII

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Mikael Samuelsson to a 3-year, $7.5 million contract.

The San Jose Sharks have re-signed forward Ryane Clowe to a 4-year, $14 million contract.

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Shane Hnidy to a 1-year contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a 1-year, $1.8 million contract.

The New York Rangers have signed forward Tyler Arnason to a two-way deal. The Rangers also signed forwards Corey Locke and P.A. Parenteau to contracts.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed defenseman Shaun Heshka to a one-year deal.

The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Staffan Kronwall. Terms were not disclosed.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Nate Guenin to a one-year deal.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Jason Krog.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for April 6, 2009

According to Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks are the frontrunners for the services of free agent defenseman Matt Gilroy. Gilroy cannot sign with an NHL team until his Boston University is eliminated from the Frozen Four tournament. Brochu's take: Any team wishing to sign Gilroy should be wary. He is 24, which excludes him from entry-level contracts, thus making him a free agent. While there has been more focus on college free agents this year (cough cough Toronto media), the vast majority of signings don't pan out. Source

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Joe Vitale to a one-year contract. Vitale was the Pen's seventh round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Source

The Vancouver Canucks have signed free agent defenseman Evan Oberg to a three-year, entry-level contract. Oberg has spent the past two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Colorado Avalanche forward Per Ledin is rumored to be signing with Swedish club HV71 this summer. Source

Washington Capitals defenseman Staffan Kronwall is rumored to be signing with Timra once his contract expires this summer. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Feb 7, 2009

The Washington Capitals have claimed defenseman Staffan Kronwall off re-entry waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The St. Louis Blues have placed goalie Manny Legace on waivers, with the intention to send him to the AHL. Brochu's take: Hmm, didn't see this coming. There's a small possibility that the Detroit Red Wings might pick him up.

According to New York reports, the Rangers are looking to re-acquiring forward Sean Avery from the Dallas Stars. GM Glen Sather accompanied the team to Dallas to speak with Stars co-GM Les Jackson. Avery is about to come off a "behaviour modification" program, and would be eligible to play in the NHL soon. The plan is put Avery on waivers, assign him to the Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford, and see if he fits into the plan. Then, the Stars would call him up through re-entry waivers, and the Rangers would pick him up and pay half the salary owed to Avery. Brochu's take: A complicated plan, this is. The Stars don't have an AHL affiliate at the moment. If this was to take place, the Rangers are assuming that no other NHL team will pick up Avery on waivers. Rumors are that this is not necessarily the case. Source

Rumours continue to swirl that the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade goaltender Vesa Toskala at the trade deadline. This has come on the heels that both the coach and GM have called him out in consecutive days. Brochu's take: The market for goalies that don't perform to their contract is obviously low. But I think GM Brian Burke can still get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him. The Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames are looking for goaltending depth.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Feb 6, 2009

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Staffan Kronwall on re-entry waivers.

According to TSN, Tomas Kaberle and his agent may be preparing a list of teams that he is willing to be traded to. Also, it's possible that the Leafs could shop both forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Dominic Moore if they don't get them signed. Brochu's take: Grabovski will be signed, but it's unknown if Moore and his family history will have any impact on Burke's decision.

The two Ottawa Senators most likely to be traded at the deadline appear to be defenseman Filip Kuba and forward Chris Neil, who are both due to be unrestricted free agents this summer.

The Edmonton Journal is reporting a rumor that Erik Cole may be traded to the Boston Bruins. Oilers pro scout Dave Semenko has been watching the last two Boston Bruins games. There's speculation that the Oilers could be looking at forward Vladimir Sobotka, defenseman Matt Hunwick and Matt Lashoff. Brochu's take: Edmonton sees themselves as buyers, so I don't think they will trade Cole...just yet. And Boston are definitely playoff contenders, but giving up Hunwick would be a big mistake. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 8, 2008

The Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Joakim Lindstrom off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned him to Iowa of the American Hockey League.

The Boston Bruins have put forwards Peter Schaefer, Nate Thompson and Jeremy Reich on waivers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Luke Schenn to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Leafs also put forward Boyd Devereaux and defenseman Staffan Kronwall.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Patrick O'Sullivan to a three year contract averaging $2.925 million a year.

The Vancouver Canucks have put forwards Jason Krog and Matt Pettinger on waivers.

The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Kyle McLaren on waivers.

The Detroit Red Wings have place defenseman Aaron Downey on waivers.