NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 19, 2008

The Christmas NHL roster freeze will come into effect today at noon, and will end December 27.

The official contract for Mats Sundin with the Vancouver Canucks appears to be a one-year deal worth roughly $9 million, pro-rated at around $5 million for the rest of the season. Darren Dreger of TSN speculates this will give the Canucks around $2.5 million in salary cap space, which will allow them to get another high impact player at the trade deadline. Brochu's take: Ahhh, no more rumor updates on Sundin...until the summer!

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Carolina Hurricanes forward Dan LaCouture has left the organization and it's believed he has gone to Russia to sign with a KHL team. Brochu's take: Not sure why TSN chose this one to report, as several players this season have left the NHL to sign in Russia. Source

St. Louis Blues forward prospect Nikolai Lemtyugov, who left the AHL Peoria Rivermen to play in Russia, has officially signed with KHL team Severstal Cherepovets. Source

Defenseman Mike Egener has left the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and signed with Swedish club Vita Hasten. Source

Mats Sundin signs with Vancouver!

Mats Sundin has officially signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Brochu's take: FINALLY! Details to be released. Rumors are that he has a no-movement clause.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 18, 2008

According to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, the New York Rangers are willing to move forward Chris Drury in order to make room for Mats Sundin. Dater also believes that Drury would be willing to move his no-movement clause to go this old team, the Colorado Avalanche. The San Jose Sharks are rumored to be interested in his services. Brochu's take: No one is going to pick up Drury's $7+ million contract, especially for someone who scores around 65-70 points a season. Both teams that are mentioned are navigating very close to the salary cap as well. Source

Apparently, Mats Sundin is supposed to make his decision between the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers on Thursday, but his agent J.P. Barry reported that Mats may not make the decision until the weekend or even after the Christmas NHL trade freeze. Brochu's take: Sigh.

Darren Dreger is reporting that Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray may be under pressure to make moves to jumpstart his struggling club. Murray admitted that he had a call from another team about the possible availability of forward Jason Spezza, but was not interested at the time. Dreger believes that the Sens may shop the forward. Brochu's take: If the Canucks lose out on Mats Sundin, could they possibly go after Spezza? Source

The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed goaltender Fredrik Norrena on unconditional waivers. Norrena cleared waivers earlier this week, and if he clears this time, it's believed the Jackets will terminate his contract. Brochu's take: Norrena's agent is looking at jobs in Europe. Linkoping in Sweden has already denied they are interested in the backstoppper.

The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Cam Paddock on waivers.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 16, 2008

TSN, ESPN and Sportsnet are all reporting that the Mats Sundin sweepstakes are down to two teams: The Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers. It's believed that Sundin will make a decision in the next 48 hours or sometime before Friday, which happens to be the NHL's Christmas trade freeze deadline. Sundin's agent J.P. Barry will be meeting with Canucks GM Mike Gillis on Tuesday, while Sundin is back in Sweden for "personal" reasons. Meanwhile, Barry denied a report from the Fan 590 in Toronto that Sundin has signed with the Rangers. Brochu's take: Maybe, just maybe, the Sundin saga will be over this week. All indications seem to point with Sundin signing with the Rangers, who will have to do some major lineup shuffling to fit him in. This is unconfirmed, but I hear Bob McKenzie is going on a hunger strike until Mats signs.

Sportsnet's Doug MacLean also reported that Sundin refused a $7.5 million a year contract from the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting rumors that the Minnesota Wild and Atlanta Thrashers may be close to a trade. Writer Michael Russo reported that Thrashers GM Don Waddell attended both Wild games in California, and during the first intermission, "Waddell and Wild GM Doug Risebrough looked to be having a serious conversation", reports Russo. Brochu's take: Hmmm, definitely something to chew on. There's been a lot speculation about goaltender Nicklas Backstrom's contract negotiations...could something be up? Source

The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed goaltender Fredrik Norrena on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

St. Louis Blues forward prospect Nikolai Lemtyugov has suddenly quit the AHL Peoria Rivermen and returned to Russia. Brochu's take: I'm assuming he was frustrated about toiling in the AHL, and probably could make more money in the KHL. I will always remember him as the guy with the white skates. Source

The opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Hockey Championship is to be held in Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, home of a top-league German soccer team, Schalke 04. The stadium has a potential capacity of 75,976, which would break the outdoor attendance record for a hockey game. Source

Defenseman Matt Kinch has left the San Jose Sharks organization and has signed with DEL club EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams. Brochu's take: Another fantastic name for a hockey team.

According to Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star, some KHL teams might overpay Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski next year to lure him to come to Russia. Grabovski is due to be a RFA next summer. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 14, 2008

There appears to be a lot of rumors coming from New York that the Rangers are on the verge of making several moves, all having to do with making salary cap space for Mats Sundin. Speculation is that the Rangers may place forwards Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche on waivers, and will trade a high-salary player in the next 48 hours. Sundin was in New York to film a commercial, and was spotted in a box at MSG. Brochu's take: There is certainly a buzz going around the Rangers; I would keep an eye on them the next few days.

According to Pierre LeBrun of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada program "The Hotstove", the Columbus Blue Jackets will do something about goalie Frederik Norrena in the next two weeks. Brochu's take: No word yet on either a trade or waivers.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Brian McGrattan has voluntarily entered the NHL substance abuse program. No other details were released by the team or the league.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 13, 2008

Bob McKenzie of TSN was on Team 1040 radio in Vancouver on Friday and stated that there was a rumor that the New York Rangers would send forward Scott Gomez to the Vancouver Canucks to make room for Mats Sundin. McKenzie added that the rumour was around in the summer, but has recently percolated around the NHL. Brochu's take: We shall see. The Rangers definitely have to make soom salary cap space if they want to fit in the Swedish centre.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed defenseman Mike Lundin on waivers.

The New Jersey Devils have placed forward Petr Vrana on waivers. Brochu's take: I expect Vrana to be picked up. He was one of the Devils best prospects last year.

The Washington Capitals signed goaltender Brett Leonhardt to a one-day amateur tryout contract on Friday. Jose Theodore suffered a hip flexor injury during the Capitals' morning skate, and Simeon Varlamov was recalled from Hershey, the team's AHL affiliate, to back up starter Brent Johnson. However, Varlamov was in San Antonio, and would arrive sometime during the game on Friday. Leonhardt is a Capitals website editor, and actually played goalie for Division III college team Neumann College. Brochu's take: These are great stories. Leonhardt was relieved by Varlamov at the start of the second period. Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Slovakian forward and former NHLer Ladislav Nagy is not having a good season in the KHL, and may be looking to return to North America next season. Nagy has 3 goals in 28 games with Severstal Cherepovets. The Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and New York Islanders expressed some interest in the forward last summer. Brochu's take: Some players are finding out the hard way that the KHL isn't what it's hyped up to be. Expect Nagy to sign with an NHL team next season. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 12, 2008

According to ESPN, there is a rumor going around that the New York Rangers are interested in re-acquiring Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery, and would like to send defenseman Michal Rozsival in exchange. Avery would then be sent to the Ranger's AHL affiliate in Hartford, which would free up salary cap space to sign Mats Sundin. Brochu's take: A very strange rumor. The Rangers really weren't interested in re-signing him this past summer, so why would they want him in the organization now? Source

According to the New York Post, Mats Sundin will be in New York City this weekend and will meet with Rangers GM Glen Sather. The hockey rumor mill is indicating that the top 2 teams on Mats Sundin's list are the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. Brochu's take: This will be my last post about Mats Sundin until he ACTUALLY signs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Dana Tyrell to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Miami Herald's On Frozen Pond hockey blog is speculating that the Edmonton Oilers are trying hard to acquire Florida Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Brochu's take: The hometown microscope has not really worked for most players (case in point, Joffrey Lupul), and Bouwmeester has said in the past he doesn't want to play in Edmonton. It's also curious that these type of rumors always begin to percolate as the Panthers make their way through Western Canada. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Dec 2, 2008

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has requested and been granted permission by the Anaheim Ducks to talk to Dave Nonis about a position with the Leafs. Nonis has been a senior advisor in the Ducks organization. Brochu's take: Everybody in the NHL knew Burke would call his old buddy as soon as possible. Look for Nonis to become the new vice-president and director of hockey operations.

According to the Vancouver Province, Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman met with Mats Sundin's agent J.P. Barry in Calgary on Saturday. While the main topic of discussion was contract extentions with Mattias Ohlund, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, Mats Sundin's future was also in play. It's believed that Barry will speak with Sundin about narrowing down his choices to 3-4 teams. Meanwhile, Sundin has been skating and working out at a secret location in Southern California. Brochu's take: Sundin's ETA back to the NHL won't be until after the new year, and possibly in February. By the way, I think this blog should be called Sundin is Hockey, as almost there are daily (or hourly) Sundin rumors. Source

The word is that the Chicago Blackhawks are also aggressively courting Sundin, and GM Dale Tallon is on the hot seat to make a winner of the Hawks this season.

Marty York of the Metro News is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers "are poised to complete a significant trade and/or fire coach Craig MacTavish, likely this week. [President] Kevin [Lowe]’s just about ready to pull the trigger." Brochu's take: MacTavish has been given a vote of confidence by Lowe and GM Steve Tambellini, so I don't think he will be fired. As for the "significant trade", the Oilers need a shakeup in the worst way. The word is that the Oilers are considering putting either Mathieu Garon or Dwayne Roloson on waivers, to clear some cap space. Source

The Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Josh Gratton on waivers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Starkov has left the organization and has signed with KHL club CSKA Moskva (Moscow). Source

Poll Results:

When will Brian Burke become the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

In the next two weeks	70 (46%)
Before Christmas	38 (25%)
After Christmas	23 (15%)
Never	20 (13%)

Total Votes: 151

Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls! This poll ended after Burke was named GM!

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Nov 29, 2008

Brian Burke has been officially announced as the President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is a six year contract, believed to be in the $18 million range. Highlights from his press conference are:

-Cliff Fletcher is to remain as a consultant.

-He won't make trades before the Christmas trade freeze, and has a personal deadline of 10 days before that, which means he won't make any trades until the new year.

-One of his first priorities will be to make the team tougher, which could mean acquiring an enforcer.

-No mention of Dave Nonis, who has been rumored to be named the vice-president and director of hockey personnel.

-Burke tried to acquire Mikhail Grabovski from the Montreal Canadiens while he was the GM of the Anaheim Ducks.

-From his discussions with Mats Sundin, he doesn't believe the Leafs fit the profile that Sundin has stated.

The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Bryan Helmer to an NHL contract. Helmer had been playing with the Caps AHL affiliate, Hershey Bears.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Luke Richardson has retired from the NHL. Richardson cleared waivers on Friday and will take a job within the Sens organization.

The New York Islanders have placed defenseman Thomas Pock on waivers.

Weekend rumor roundup for Nov 22-23, 2008

Here's the latest NHL and hockey rumor update for this weekend:

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun speculates that the Montreal Canadiens might be willing to shop forward Alexei Kovalev in order to fit Mats Sundin into their lineup. GM Bob Gainey has renewed his interest in the Swedish free agent after previously stating that he will was no longer pursuing him. Brochu's take: The Sundin rumors are amping up again.

Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis still has that 2-year, $20 million offer on the table for Mats Sundin, but if he can't sign him, the Canucks could make a pitch for Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza. Brochu's take: Could. However, given that the salary cap will go down next year, and the Canucks are comfortably under the cap, they might hesitate on adding a long term, expensive contract.

The Calgary Flames are shopping defenseman Adrian Aucoin. Source

The Buffalo News' Bucky Gleason is reporting that the Sabres should get rid of forwards Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, as well as defenseman Henrik Tallinder if the Sabres are to make the playoffs. Brochu's take: Afinogenov has been on the market for quite some time, but no one has been biting. Connolly's well-known injury troubles will scare off potential suitors. Tallinder's probably the only one that could attract some interest. Source

Garrioch on his Canoe.ca blog stated that the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested in Sens defenseman Christoph Schubert. No word on what may be coming back though. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Nov 7, 2008

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, negotiations between defenseman Mattias Ohlund and the Vancouver Canucks aren't going anywhere and GM Mike Gillis is fielding offers for the defenseman. It's believed Gillis has talked to other teams about trading Ohlund, but he still has a no trade clause. Brochu's take: I really don't see Ohlund being traded yet, as it is November. If the Canucks are out of the playoff race by the trade deadline, than there's a possibility.

Dreger also quotes sources that say the Canucks have had discussions with the Tampa Bay Lightning about the availability of defenseman Matt Carle, who would fill a void in the event Vancouver is able to find the right fit for Ohlund. Brochu's take: Carle's stock has dropped significantly in the last two years. Source

Lightning GM Brian Lawton is "fielding interest" in goalie Olaf Kolzig and forward Radim Vrbata. Brochu's take: Kolzig would make a good fit in New Jersey, with Brodeur out for 4 months. No one is interested in Vrbata, who has no goals in 5 games at $3 million a year.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Alexandre Picard on waivers.

Bruce Garrioch speculates that December 1 will be the likely date for Mats Sundin to come back and sign with an NHL team. Brochu's take: I'm not going to name any teams here, as all 30 NHL teams would like to have him. No one team has a clear advantage over another at this point.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

New York Rangers forward Andreas Jamtin as cleared waivers and is rumored to be signing with HV71 in Sweden. Source

Welcome to Brochu is Hockey, Mach II!

Hi everyone!

As you can see, Brochu is Hockey has a new look. It's been coming for a long time, and I hope you like it. It's a bit streamlined now, and I've optimized the site for widescreen monitors. Some of the links may not work, and some details need to be ironed out but overall, I think it looks really good. If some of you can't see the new look, I suggest clearing your cache. Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks to everyone who have visited the site over the last few years! Hopefully, this new look will take Brochu is Hockey to the next level, whatever that is. ;-) Look out for new features in the next couple of weeks.

Now let's back to what you're here for, rumours!

Another Sunday edition of Bruce Garrioch's "Rumours Du Jour":

Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer (of CSI fame) has backed off on its interest in building an arena in Las Vegas and has pulled its bid off the table.

Brendan Shanahan could be headed to the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche or the Carolina Hurricanes. Brochu's take: Rumor is that Shanny wants to stay in the East, so that rules out Colorado.

The Anaheim Ducks may be shopping forward Chris Kunitz in order to make room for Mats Sundin. Brochu's take: Kunitz is probably on the market, but there's not much interest in him.

"Expect to see the Sabres move [forward] Ales Kotalik, who is making $2.5 million, before the March 4 trade deadline." Brochu's take: They might, but again the market is not strong for underperforming forwards with big cap hits.

"[Vancouver Canucks GM Mike]Gillis was telling anybody who would listen last week he is not going to trade [defenseman] Mattias Ohlund. As I told Gillis in an e-mail, he can deny he won't deal Ohlund all he wants, but if he doesn't get him signed before the trade deadline, then a move is a strong possibility. Oddly enough, Gillis admitted that "teams have called" on all his players and that means there's interest. He can't deny that." Brochu's take: That could be said about any player that has an expiring contract this season! And I could say that all 29 teams have interest in Sidney Crosby, and there's "no denying that".

The Anaheim Ducks have apparently jumped into the Mats Sundin sweepstakes: Brochu's take: I'll file this under "SC", as in salary cap.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Senators are pushing hard for a puck-moving defenseman, and may be willing to part with a roster player. Garrioch suggests that the Sens could part with forward Mike Fisher or Antoine Vermette, who have both under-performed this season. Brochu's take: Fisher isn't going anywhere, but Vermette's name has been in the rumour mill for some time. Maybe the Hawks will come calling? Source

The "Between the Circles" blog on the Chicago Daily Herald website is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks are looking for a top-6 forward, preferrably a centre, and another defenseman. Tim Sassone suggests they could send goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and defenseman Cam Barker to the minors, but they have both played well. Brochu's take: Like Sassone said, the Hawks are pushing the cap as it is. Unless they trade someone off their roster or demote them to the minors, they won't be making any moves. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 31, 2008

The Ottawa Senators have re-signed forward Daniel Alfredsson to a four-year, $21.6 million contract extension. Brochu's take: A definite home town discount, considering Alfie's numbers. Will this set the bar for future contracts? I don't think so.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded defenseman Tim Ramholt to the Nashville Predators for forward Josh Gratton. Brochu's take: Could this open up a roster spot for a new defenseman? Seems strange that the Flyers are trading a defensman when they need all they can get.

The Predators also acquired forward Hugh Jessiman from the New York Rangers for future considerations.

The St. Louis Blues have signed goaltender Chris Holt to a contract.

Marty York of Metro News believes that Mats Sundin will sign a "megabucks" deal with the Ottawa Senators and Brendan Shanahan will sign with the New Jersey Devils within the week. Brochu's take: The Senators have cap issues still, so that's not going to happen. Rumors of Shanny heading back to his old team(s) have been heating up. Source

Mats Sundin was spotted watching the Vancouver Canucks - Los Angeles Kings game on Thursday night. Sundin has been in LA for the past week getting back in shape.

Brochu's European rumour roundup:

The Moscow Dynamo website reports that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Pavel Valentenko has signed a three-year deal with the KHL club. The Habs had allowed Valentenko to fly to Russia for family reasons, but was completely unaware of the signing. Brochu's take: So much for the ceasefire between the NHL and KHL. Source

Weekend rumor roundup Oct 25-26, 2008

Here are some of the latest NHL and hockey rumors from CBC's Hockey Night in Canada intermission program, "The Hotstove":

Al Strachan reported that the Tampa Bay Lightning are in such a sad state that during their European games, co-owner Len Barrie came into the dressing room and started drawing plays and schemes on the board. Strachan also speculated that coach Barry Melrose has until November 15th to turn things around. Brochu's take: This is according to a player that spoke directly to Strachan.

Analyst Pierre LeBrun also reported that the Chicago Blackhawks have inquired about free agent forward Mats Sundin, and Strachan believes the Vancouver Canucks are still the frontrunners to land him.

Strachan also reported that the Montreal Canadiens turned down the Minnesota Wild's offer of trading Marian Gaborik, but still believed that they could be involved in a 3-way trade. LeBrun also reported that the Los Angeles Kings are interested in Gaborik, but only if he agrees to sign a long-term contract with them.

LeBrun also mentioned that contract negotiations between the Senators and forward Daniel Alfredsson are not going smoothly as previously thought.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the price of Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has gone up, but the Ottawa Senators are still somewhat interested. Garrioch also reports of "talk" that the Canucks are shopping Mattias Ohlund. Brochu's take: There's still the little matter of fitting Khabibulin's big contract under the Sens salary cap. As for Ohlund, Garrioch must have fascination a with him, as he has been the only media person reporting the "rumor". Source

According to RDS, the Habs are no longer interested in Marian Gaborik and could be focusing their attention on Hawks forward Martin Havlat, who is due to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Brochu's take: Havlat has the same injury concerns as Gaborik, but won't command the same price. Source

Bob McKenzie of TSN mentioned in an interview on TEAM 1040 radio in Vancouver that the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers are the only real teams in the Mats Sundin sweepstakes. Brochu's take: Wake me up when Sundin actually signs.

Mats Sundin watch, Oct 23, 2008

A late report from TSN last night has indicated that Mats Sundin took a physical in Toronto today, and will head to Los Angeles this week. It's believed that he wil begin working out and skating for 2 weeks, and will begin discussing options with NHL teams soon. The earliest return for Sundin would be in mid-December. Up to 10 teams, including the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens remain interested in signing the Swedish star. Brochu's take: For Sundin's schedule, including what he had for lunch, check your local mainstream media like TSN and Sportsnet. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 16, 2008

According to Al Strachan of The Score, the Montreal Canadiens will shop goaltender Jaroslav Halak at the trade deadline. Brochu's take: If the Habs are in the playoff race by then, Halak could be an asset at the deadline.

The Toronto Sun is reporting that Mats Sundin's agent believes the Swedish forward will play in the NHL this season. Source Brochu's take: *Yawn*

Alexander Radulov left the door open for a possible return to the NHL and the Nashville Predators. Radulov also said recent comments attributed to him in a letter to KHL president Alexander Medvedev, which Radulov said he was not interested in arbitration and wanted to promote hockey in Russia, were incorrect. Brochu's take: Maybe Radulov should go on 20/20 and tell Barbara Walters the"real" story... Source

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher has denied a report that he is shopping defenseman Ian White to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for their first round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. However, there are still rumors that he is looking to unload forward Matt Stajan. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 16, 2008

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed Matt Murley to a one-year contract.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Brad Richardson to a two-year contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Free agent defenseman Nolan Pratt is close to signing a deal with a KHL team. Pratt was close to signing a deal in Russia last November, but the Buffalo Sabres came calling. Pratt has not received any offers from NHL teams this summer. Source

Defenseman Mark Popovic has signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Source

According to a recent interview, Alexei Yashin has received some offers from NHL teams, but deems the offers to be too low. It's believed that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Atlanta Thrashers were among the teams making offers. Brochu's take: Yashin is probably better off playing in Russia, if he thinks he can get a better offer in North America. Source

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos is reporting rumors that both free agents Mats Sundin and Teemu Selanne have received lucrative offers from KHL teams, but both want to remain in the NHL, if they decide to continue playing hockey. It's believed that the Anaheim Ducks are still trying to make moves to fit Selanne under their cap.

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 13, 2008

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded centre Robert Lang to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Asked if the acquisition of Lang meant free agent Mats Sundin was no longer in their plans, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey replied "Yes." Brochu's take: Lang should fill that centre position for the Canadiens adequately. Gainey had some rather strong words for Sundin and his waffling. It would seem Gainey was tired of the Swedish forward's indecisiveness. Source

The Montreal Canadiens have also re-signed defensman Patrice Brisebois to a one-year, $750, 000 deal, with another possible $750,000 in bonuses.

The Phoenix Coyotes have traded Kevin Cormier to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Sean Zimmerman. Source

The Devils have also signed forward Rod Pelley to a two-year, $1.1 million contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks have invited free agent forward Kevyn Adams to training camp on a try-out contract, and there are rumors that the Hawks will soon sign him to a contract.

According to some Washington reports, the Washington Capitals maybe considering trading young forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Boyd Gordon.

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 11, 2008

The Buffalo Sabres and forward Jason Pominville are negotiating a long-term contract extension. Both sides would like to have a deal done before training camp. Pominville is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Brochu's take: If he doesn't sign an extension, he could become trade bait if the Sabres are out of the playoff race. Source

Free agent forward Brendan Shanahan wants to return to the New York Rangers, but he remains unsigned. Both sides want to sign a deal, but it appears that Shanahan may be waiting for Mats Sundin's situation to settle itself before signing. Source

The Minnesota Wild and forward Marian Gaborik are set to begin re-negotiations on a long-term contract extension. The Wild are willing to pay $8.5 million per year on a five or seven year deal. Brochu's take: It's possible that Gaborik may decide to test the free agent market next season. He may also want to play for a more offensive minded team.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Kyle Quincey to a two-year contract.

According to the Ottawa Sun, the Ottawa Senators have thrown their hat into the Mats Sundin sweepstakes. The Senators made a push to acquire Sundin at last year's trade deadline, but they were unsuccessful. Brochu's take: You know hockey season is about to start when Garrioch starts writing fluff articles... Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Sept 10, 2008

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Keith Ballard to a six-year, $25.2 million contract extension.

According to a report in the Globe and Mail, two new teams have jumped on the Mats Sundin sweepstakes, with one team being the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are believed to be interested in the Swedish forward, and will make moves to fit him into their salary cap. Brochu's take: The other team is believed to be the New York Islanders. Source

The Detroit Red Wings have officially signed 46-year old defenseman Chris Chelios to a one-year, $750 000 contract.

The Carolina Hurricanes and forward Eric Staal are close to agreeing on a long-term contract extension, and a deal looks likely sometime in the week before training camp.