NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 20, 2009

Atlanta Thrashers forward Joe Motzko has left the organization and signed with HC MVD of the KHL.

Florida Panthers forward Janis Sprukts has left the organization and signed with Latvian/KHL club Dinamo Riga. Brochu's take: Sprukts always brings memories back of that crazy rumor he was going to sign with the Habs. I don't think we'll see him in the NHL again.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Joakim Lindstrom has left the organization and signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.

Detroit Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler has signed a two-year deal with Dynamo Moskva (Moscow) worth approximately $2-3 million a year. Brochu's take: Sorry, I haven't had time to comment before. The matter is now being decided by the IIHF, and it's been reported that the KHL and NHL will comply with their ruling. The issue seems to be that Hudler went to arbitration, thus meaning he "owes" the Wings one year.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Jason Ward to a one-year contract.

Forward Mike Iggulden has left the New York Islanders and signed with Dinamo Riga.

The Panthers have signed forward Evgeni Dadonov to a three-year, entry-level 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.

NHL and hockey rumors for July 14, 2008

There's been a lot of movement to the KHL lately, so without further ado:

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

There are rumors that Brendan Shanahan has been pursued by several Russian teams, including SKA St. Petersburg and Dynamo Moskva (Moscow).

The Florida Panthers are rumored to be close to re-signing forward Janis Sprukts, who played in Finland last season.

Defenseman Branislav Mezei has signed with Barys Astana in Kazakhstan for the 2008-2009 season. Source

Forward Josef Stumpel has also signed with KHL team Barys Astana for one year.

Forward Mike York has signed with Sibir Novosibirsk of the KHL.

Defenseman Steve McCarthy has signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Jason Williams to a one year, $2.2 million contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Kris Beech to a one year, two-way contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Craig MacDonald to a contract.

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Jamie Benn to a three-year, entry level contract.

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Brad Winchester to a contract.

Panthers interested in Ryder

According to the Miami Herald's Florida Panthers blog, On Frozen Pond, the Panthers could be interested in Michael Ryder. The writer is suggesting a change of scenery may be what Ryder needs. The Panthers will be without forward Ville Peltonen 6-8 weeks with a broken foot and it's believed Florida would like Ryder to fill that offensive spot. This has added some fuel to the rumor of Janis Sprukts going to Montreal in exchange for Ryder. Source

The Toronto Sun is reporting that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Dick Tarnstrom is available. There is a surplus of defenseman in the Oilers lineup and Tarnstrom could be the odd man out.

The Vandermeer-Eager trade has sparked speculation that both the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers are not done with trading. Several deals could happen after the NHL trade freeze ends on December 27.

Canadiens acquire Janis Sprukts?

According to the Team 990 in Montreal, the Montreal Canadiens may have acquired the rights to forward Janis Sprukts from the Florida Panthers. Sprukts has been playing with Rauman Lukko in Finland, but he only had a 4 month contract that ended this month. (For more on Sprukts, click here) There have been conflicting internet reports that he re-signed with Lukko, but there are rumors that a deal could be announced after the Habs game tomorrow. Stay tuned.

The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that scouts from 14 teams were at the Anaheim Ducks-San Jose Sharks on Sunday. The teams were the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, LA Kings, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. Source

The Chicago Blackhawks have inquired about defenseman Francois Beauchemin, according to the Daily Herald. Ducks GM Brian Burke would like to free up some more cap space for next year. Source

The NHL roster freeze is from December 19 to 27. Here is the details from the CBA:

16.10 Holiday Roster Freeze. For all Players on an NHL Active Roster, Injured Reserve, or Players with Non-Roster and Injured Non-Roster status as of midnight local time December 19, a roster freeze shall apply through midnight local time December 27, with respect to Waivers, Trades and Loans; provided, however, that Players may be Recalled to NHL Clubs during this period and, provided further, that if a Player is placed on Regular Waivers or Re-Entry Waivers prior to the roster freeze period and is claimed during such roster freeze period, the roster freeze period shall not apply and the Player shall immediately report to the claiming Club. However, during the roster freeze period a Club can make any Player transactions necessary for the Club to come into compliance with Article 50 as a result of a Player being removed from the Bona-Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception.

Metropolit invited to Bruins camp

Glen Metropolit has been invited to attend the Boston Bruins trading camp. Metropolit has been in discussions with the Bruins for a few weeks, according to the Swiss newspaper "Blick". If he doesn't get a contract with Boston, Nationalliga A teams SC Bern, HC Lugano and ZSC Lions have shown interest. Source

Other notable camp invitees are: Brent Sopel, Jassen Cullimore and Aaron Downey - Red Wings, Jim Dowd and Rory Fitzpatrick- Flyers, and David Tanabe - Hurricanes.

Janis Sprukts has signed in Finland with Rauman Lukko of the SM-liiga. Sprukts had just signed with Riga 2000, but this new contract only lasts for 4 months, and he may return to Latvia afterwards. Source

Mike Dunham has become the new goaltending coach for the New York Islanders. One thing about Islanders goalies is that they have good job security. Former backup Garth Snow becomes the GM, and Rick DiPietro got a 15-year contract. Could Wade Dubielewicz be the next Islanders coach? ;-)

New rule changes for 2007-2008

According to the Globe and Mail, these are the four rule changes in the NHL this season:

Rule 24 - Gross Misconduct. The term "gross misconduct" was eliminated from the rulebook. Any act that would have been assessed a gross misconduct penalty will receive a game misconduct penalty. Accumulated game misconduct penalties can lead to fines or suspension.

Rule 25 - Penalty Shot. A player may be awarded a penalty shot if he is fouled on a clear breakaway outside his defensive zone (i.e., anywhere in the neutral zone or in the attacking zone). Previously, a penalty shot was awarded only when the player on a clear breakaway was fouled on the attacking side of the centre line.

Rule 56 - Interference. Referees were given discretion to assess a major penalty and a game misconduct when an injury results from an act of interference. Previously, only a minor penalty could be assessed for interference.

Rule 76 - Faceoffs. All faceoffs must be conducted at one of the nine faceoff dots painted on the rink. Previously, there had been instances, such as when a puck left the playing surface, which caused the faceoff to occur on unmarked ice, parallel to the dot nearest the place where the puck departed.

Janis Sprukts has signed with Latvian club Riga 2000. The Florida Panthers offered a two-way contract to the restricted free agent, but he wanted a one way because he did not want to jump between the AHL and NHL during the season. He received an offer from Metallurg Magnitogorsk, but wanted to play closer to home. He remains as Panthers property. Source

There's a rumour that Tony Amonte has been invited to the Oilers training camp, but Amonte is still hoping he can get a contract offer from a team.