Hockey and NHL rumors for Sept 10, 2009

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Derek Armstrong to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Andy Wozniewski.

The Ottawa Sun is reporting a rumor of a 3-way trade between the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings. The deal would send Dany Heatley to the Sharks, Jarret Stoll and Alexander Frolov to Ottawa and Patrick Marleau to the Kings. Brochu's take: You know it's almost hockey season when Bruce Garrioch comes up with his ridiculous rumors. Marleau has a NTC, and probably doesn't want to waive it for a team that's not likely to make the playoffs. Frolov has been a particular favourite of Garrioch rumours. Source

According to an Oilers blog, it's very likely that the Edmonton Oilers will sign forward Mike Comrie to a deal on Friday. There's also some interest from the Atlanta Thrashers. Brochu's take: I wonder if the Oilers fans out there have forgiven him? Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Atlanta Thrashers forward Eric Perrin has signed with KHL team Avangard Omsk.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jiri Novotny has signed with Russian team HK Atlant.

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 5, 2008

The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Brad Isbister to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed defenseman Zach Bogosian to a multi-year deal. Terms were not released. Source

The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a multi-year contract. Terms were not released.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Jarret Stoll to a four-year, $14 million contract.

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Stephane Yelle to a one-year, $750,000 contract.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting rumors that if the Minnesota Wild are unable to ink forward Marian Gaborik to a long-term contract extension, he may be traded to the New York Rangers. Brochu's take: Expect the Gaborik rumours all season, unless he does sign an extension with Minnesota. Source

The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Jordan Bendfeld to a three-year contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for June 30, 2008

The Edmonton Oilers have traded forward Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Brochu's take: This could mean the end of Joni Pitkanen's stay in Edmonton, but there is still a small chance he will be re-signed. There are also rumors that the Ottawa Senators are looking to trade Antoine Vermette to the Oilers for the Finnish defenseman.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired the negotiating rights to forward Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild for a conditional pick in the 2009 or 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The pick will depend on if Tampa can re-sign Rolston to a contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract with Ryan Malone. Brochu's take: Some were saying Malone could get $5 million on the open market, so in some ways this is a bargain.

The Bolts have also signed Gary Roberts to a one-year, $1.25 million contract with performance incentives that could increase the salary to $2 million.

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed defenseman John-Michael Liles to a 4-year deal worth slightly over $4 million a year. The Avs also re-signed defenseman Adam Foote to a two-year, $6 million contract.

The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed defenseman Steve Eminger to a one-year deal.

Leftover NHL rumors from the weekend

There's been a lot of rumors over this weekend; here are some that didn't make the last post:

There's a rumour that the Ottawa Senators would like to trade goaltender Ray Emery to the Chicago Blackhawks for Nikolai Khabibulin.

Another one involves the Sens sending Antoine Vermette and a "high draft choice" to the Atlanta Thrashers for Marian Hossa. Considering some of the Hossa offers flying around, it would take more from the Senators to get Hossa.

Another Senators rumour involves Ray Emery, Andrej Meszaros and Joe Corvo sent to the Edmonton Oilers for Dwayne Roloson, Joni Pitkanen and Jarret Stoll.

The trade rumors above come from the The Gazette.

Scott Morrison of CBC is reporting that the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals are interested in San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Carle.

San Jose Sharks may be looking at Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook, after the Wade Redden deal fell through.

Canadiens and Thrashers talking?

La Presse is reporting that Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell was spotted at the Montreal Canadiens-New York Rangers game in Montreal on Sunday. Waddell is believed to have met with GM Bob Gainey, and talks were surrounded around Mathieu Dandenault. Michael Ryder's name was also tossed in, as he was a recent healthy scratch. Marian Hossa's name remains in the rumor mill, and could be a nice fit in Montreal. Source

Team 990 radio in Montreal has also reported that Waddell and Gainey have talked, with Waddell asking for Russian defenseman Alexei Emelin and forward Christopher Higgins.

Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail wonders when the Edmonton Oilers fire sale will start, and which players will most likely be traded. He figures that Jarret Stoll would get interest from the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets, while Joni Pitkanen, Steve Staios and Dwayne Roloson could get interest from teams making a playoff run. Duhatschek even suggests a swap of Stoll for Gilbert Brule. Source

Marty York of Metro News is reporting that the Ottawa Senators are setting their sights on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Blake. Source

Defenseman Duvie Westcott has been put on re-entry waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Forsberg to Montreal?

The Peter Forsberg watch has begun. It's reported that Forsberg is looking for a two-year deal worth about $2.5 million per season. While many teams are vying for Foppa's services, it would seem his old teams, the Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators are the favourites to land the Swedish forward. Both Flyers GM Paul Holmgren and Predators GM David Poile have spoken to Forsberg's camp.

According to RDS, the Montreal Canadiens could be interested in Forsberg. Other teams that are believed to be in contact with Foppa are the Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers into the mix. Source

Faceoff.com is reporting that executives or scouts from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Phoenix Coyotes reportedly took in Thursday's game in Tampa between the Vancouver Canucks and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Source

According to the Buffalo News, the Dallas Stars have interest in Edmonton Oilers centre Jarret Stoll.

Marc Denis to be waived?

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Karri Ramo made an impressive debut Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning 2-1. Tampa Bay management believe that Rämö is NHL ready and that could make Marc Denis available. GM Jay Feaster has been trying to trade Denis all season but he has had no offers. There are rumors that if Ramo continues his strong play that the Lightning would put Denis on waivers and try to get his contract off the salary cap.

In other Lightning news, prospect Luca Cunti has left St. Cloud State University and returned home to Switzerland. Cunti, the 3rd round, 75th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, has been stuck in limbo because the NCAA would not allow him to play for St. Cloud due to the issue of some games he had played previously for a second division Swiss league. He will most likely join the Chicago Steel of the USHL. And any reason to use Cunti in this blog is a good reason. ;-) Source

Michael Ryder was again a healthy scratch for the Montreal Canadiens and rumours of him heading to Edmonton have intensified the past few days. The Oilers are still shopping Jarret Stoll and he could be a good fit in Montreal.

Oilers after Vandermeer, Sharp?

The following rumors come from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal:

Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe was scouting the Chicago Blackhawks-LA Kings game on Wednesday night in Chicago. He was also in Montreal to see the Montreal Canadiens play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

Lowe likes defenseman Jim Vandermeer, a Western kid and one of the league's "best scrappers". He may also be looking at Rene Bourque and Patrick Sharp, who is coveted by many teams.

Raffi Torres and Jarret Stoll remain available at the right price. The Oilers have been receiving calls for the forward pair from several teams.

The Blackhawks did "sniff around" Anaheim Ducks defenceman Mathieu Schneider during the last few weeks, but truth is they're going to save their money and try to sign Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators next year when he's an unrestricted free agent. Redden is eight years younger.

The Philadelphia Flyers have had internal discussions about a possible outdoor game to be played at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium. The Pittsburgh Penguins are interested, and this could become an annual event. "We've talked to the Pittsburgh guys and they're going to noodle it around," Flyers president Peter Luukko said. "They're doing the one this year so they want to see how that goes." Source

Marleau to Toronto?

The following rumours are from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. has inquired about Patrick Marleau. The San Jose Sharks are believed to be shopping him. Marleau's no-movement clause kicks in on Jan 1, 2008.

There are whispers the Ottawa Senators contacted the Pittsburgh Penguins about Gary Roberts or Colby Armstrong a month ago. The word is Pittsburgh wanted Antoine Vermette in return because the team is looking for a winger to play with Sidney Crosby. Pens GM Ray Shero believes Vermette could be a nice fit.

Jarret Stoll's name has been tossed around in the rumor mill, and it looks like the latest rumor has him sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Gilbert Brule. The Edmonton Oilers made Stoll a healthy scratch on Friday.

The Montreal Canadiens are "sniffing" around to see if there is a market for Cristobal Huet.

Marc Crawford's tenure as LA Kings head coach could be on thin ice. Rumour has it Kings GM Dean Lombardi is feeling pressure from ownership to get results and Crawford might not be the right fit for young players.

The Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators could be preparing trade offers for Marian Hossa if the Atlanta Thrashers don't sign him to an extension.

The Thrashers have claimed Mark Recchi on re-entry waivers from the Penguins.

Torres and Stoll healthy scratches, trade imminent?

Edmonton Oilers forwards Jarret Stoll and Raffi Torres will be healthy scratches for tonight's game against the St. Louis Blues. Torres will end his iron-man streak at 215 games. There has been speculation that both players were being shopped and a trade could be imminent. There were rumours that both players could be headed to Montreal. Source

Various sources have confirmed that the Nashville Predators have signed David Legwand to a six-year, $27 million contract extension.

Mark Recchi has been called up on re-entry waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins, where it's expected a team will pick him up. The most likely teams to pick him up are Washington, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Carolina and Dallas.

Scott Niedermayer will return, Stoll on the block

Various sources have confirmed that the Anaheim Ducks have called a press conference for 6:30 PM PST where it's expected they will announce that Scott Niedermayer will return for the remainder of the season.

TSN's Ice Chips feature is reporting that Edmonton Oilers centre Jarret Stoll is rumored to be on the trading block.

Poll Results:

Which Canadian team has been the most impressive so far?

Calgary Flames	10 (2%)
Edmonton Oilers	21 (5%)
Montreal Canadiens	77 (18%)
Ottawa Senators	183 (44%)
Toronto Maple Leafs	14 (3%)
Vancouver Canucks	102 (25%)

Total Votes: 407

Ryder for Stoll?

According to cyberpresse.ca, Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has recently returned from a scouting trip to Western Canada. It's believed that he was looking at Edmonton Oilers forward Jarret Stoll in particular. There's a trade rumor coming from Montreal that he could be acquired in exchange for Michael Ryder. Both Ryder and Stoll have struggled this season. Source

After a meeting in Stockholm on Wednesday between team officials in the Elitserien and the Svenska Hockey Ligan, the Swedish hockey clubs have decided to withdraw from the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement as of January 1. In the end, the Swedish clubs were unhappy with the low transfer fees and the two year signing window for junior players drafted by NHL teams. This could mean a decrease in the amount of Swedish players drafted by NHL clubs, as well as Swedes playing in the league. A similiar decrease has already happened with Russian players. Source

The NHL may not allow its players to participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was interviewed Tuesday and expressed doubt that the Winter Olympics will have NHL players after 2010. "It is a strain on the players, on the schedule and on our fans here,'' Bettman told Reuters. ''It has an impact on the momentum of the season and the benefits we get tend to be greater when the Olympics are in North America than when they're in distant time zones." Source

The San Jose Sharks have placed forward Tomas Plihal on waivers. Source

Oilers and Thrashers talking deal?

The Edmonton Journal is reporting that Atlanta Thrashers director of player personnel, Mark Dobson, has been watching the last three Oilers games. The Oilers need a puck-moving defenceman, among other things. Jarret Stoll seems to be the name coming up most often in rumours. Source

The Thrashers Blog on the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that GM and interim coach Don Waddell has been talking to nine general managers in the last three days. Some he talked to about the coaching search, others about improving his roster. The Thrashers are in need of a defenseman and a centre. It's safe to assume that one of the teams he has been talking to are the Oilers. Waddell is also hoping to get a new contract extension with Marian Hossa, who has recently changed agents. Source

Bruce Garrioch is reporting that the Ottawa Senators and Jason Spezza are close to a long term contract extension. It will probably be in the 6-year, $45 million range, similiar to Dany Heatley's contract. Source

McCabe to Oilers?

According to a source in Toronto, Oilers Vice-President of Hockey Operations Kevin Pendergast has been to at least two Maple Leafs games recently, and several scouts have been spotted at the games. The Oilers do not play the Leafs this year. It's been speculated that they were having a close look at Bryan McCabe. There is talk of a deal involving Jarret Stoll and Ladislav Smid.

Petr Cajanek looks to be signing in Russia. It's rumoured that he is close to a deal with HC CSKA Moscow. Source

Sandis Ozolinsh has been signed to a professional try out contract with the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate team, the Worcester Sharks. Also, according to the San Jose Mercury News blog, a San Jose scout was at a Florida-Montreal game Tuesday night and has led to speculation because the Sharks don’t play the Canadiens until March and don’t play Florida this year. Source