Latest NHL signings! Part IX

The Florida Panthers have signed forward Jeff Taffe to a contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Chris Conner to a one-year deal. The Pens have also come to terms with defenseman Chris Lee.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Chris Minard to a deal.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Tanner Glass to a contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Tim Brent to a contract.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed goalies Drew MacIntyre and Peter Mannino to a contract.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Pascal Pelletier to a contract.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Jason Jaffray to a contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 9, 2008

According to Marty York of Metro News, the Minnesota Wild have reached an "impasse" in contract negotiations with forward Marian Gaborik, and are entertaining offers for the Slovakian star. The Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings are reportedly interested. Brochu's take: Gaborik won't be traded yet, and only if the Wild are out of the running for the playoffs by trade deadline day. Source

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Lawrence Nycholat is rumoured to be headed to the Pittsburgh Penguins or St. Louis Blues once he comes off the injured reserve. Source

Rumors are swirling that the Rangers are close to re-signing forward Brendan Shanahan to a contract. However, the Rangers still have to cut some salary from their cap to fit him in.

The Penguins have placed forward Jeff Taffe on waivers. Forward Kris Beech has been placed on unconditional waivers and is trying to find a job in Europe. Rumors are that he may be close to a deal with Swedish team HV71.

NHL and hockey rumors for July 20, 2008

In the latest scuttlebutt about Mats Sundin signing with the Vancouver Canucks, a Swedish publication was running with the rumor that Sundin has chosen to play with the Canucks, whenever he does decide to return to the NHL. Sundin's Swedish based representative Claes Elefalk has already told TSN that the story was completely fabricated. Brochu's take: Why does the Toronto media skip a beat when Sundin sneezes? The simple fact is that he won't decide until August and no one in the world knows what Sundin is thinking. Source

The Philadelphia Flyers salary for the 2008-2009 NHL season is currently $60.592 million (according to nhlnumbers.com), which is around $4 million above the cap. There have been rumors that Mike Knuble and Derian Hatcher have been shopped, but there doesn't seem to be many takers.

According to the NHLPA website, forward Jeff Taffe has signed a one year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Andre Roy to a one-year, two-way deal.

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Stephane Veilleux to a one-year contract. They also re-signed left wing Peter Olvecky and defenseman Clayton Stoner to one-year contracts.

The New York Islanders have signed Danish forward Frans Nielsen to a four-year, $2.1 million contract. Brochu's take: The more Danes the better. Denmark is an emerging power in the hockey world.

Poll Results:

Which team was the biggest winner on July 1st?

Blackhawks (Campbell, Huet)	193 (35%)
Oilers (Cole, Brule)	216 (39%)
Devils (Rolston, Holik)	43 (7%)
Rangers (Redden, Rozsival)	46 (8%)
Other	51 (9%)

Total Votes: 549

Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls!