Gomez rumours

According to a source in Chicago, the Blackhawks are very interested in acquiring Scott Gomez from the Devils. There are reports that Tuomo Ruutu's injury is worst than first thought and he may be out for 3-4 months. It would be a salary dump on New Jersey's part, and prospects will be going the other day. The rumoured names are David Bolland and Corey Crawford for Scott Gomez.

LA is also in the running for Gomez. The emergence of Anze Kopitar as a centre could make Craig Conroy available. The rumoured deal is Craig Conroy, a 2nd round pick for Gomez.

The LA Times is reporting that Jack Johnson may sign a contract with the Kings after his college season ends. Johnson is looking forward to playing alongside Rob Blake. Source

Zherdev has signed with Columbus

According to various reports, Nikolai Zherdev has signed with Columbus. The two sides had good talks yesterday, and a deal will be announced officially later today. A press conference has been arranged for 12:30 pm EDT. There are no numbers reported, but my sources tell me the deal is in the neighbourhood of 3 years, 7.3 million. Source

Canucks interested in Brathwaite

The Canucks are definitely looking at the waiver wire for the solution to their backup goaltender problem, and they are very interested in Fred Brathwaite. He has an affordable salary, experience and is also a great team player. Another incentive for Brathwaite is that his brother Rod works for the Canucks organization at the Vancouver Canucks Centre for BC Hockey. Source

Sergei Brylin to Columbus?

According to a Columbus source, there are talks going on between the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets. A deal could involve Brylin moving to Columbus for Dan Fritsche and a draft pick. This would be no more than a salary dump for New Jersey, as they are trying to get room to fit Brian Gionta, Paul Martin and David Hale into the lineup before opening day.

McGillis on waivers

Defenseman Dan McGillis has been waived by New Jersey, but there seems to be little takers for his 2.2 million dollar contract. This does not help GM Lou Lamoriello's cap troubles though. However, this could be an indication of more moves on the Devils' GM part. Source

Brian Boucher signs with Chicago

Brian Boucher has signed a one year contract with Chicago. Terms were not disclosed. He will be the backup to Nikolai Khabibulin, as Patrick Lalime will miss the next three months with his back injury.

The Gomez to St. Louis rumour has really picked up steam. A few sources in New Jersey are indicating a deal may happen in the next week or so.

Malkin injury update

According to Pierre McGuire on the Team 1040, the injury is not as bad as it has been reported. He has a dislocated shoulder, not a separated shoulder, and McGuire expects Malkin to be back on the ice in "5-7" days.

Gomez for Cajanek, prospects

There are sources in St. Louis reporting that this was a trade being discussed between St. Louis and New Jersey. The Blues have lots of cap space, and this would most likely be a salary dump. Gomez would anchor the second line, or bump Doug Weight off the first line. More on this later.

Hamhuis offer sheet

According to the Tennessean, there's a real possibility that another team in the NHL will offer Dan Hamhuis an offer sheet. Talks between Hamhuis and GM David Poile have broken down completely and neither side have spoken to each other in a week. Some of the teams that are considering offer sheets are Carolina, Edmonton and Montreal. Source

A Montreal source has confirmed that Brian Savage will be retiring sometime this week. He intends to stay around Sudbury to be closer to his family and brother.

Wang/Snow not done?

A source close to the New York Islanders management has said that that GM Garth Snow is about to make a splash. He is very interested in Dan Hamhuis and Nikolai Zherdev, and has phoned both of their respective teams about their availabilty. Doug McLean has refused any offers for Zherdev, but GM David Poile is listening to any offers. Also, keep an eye on the remaining free agents.

Canucks GM Dave Nonis will most likely find a backup goalie on the waiver wire. He is waiting for other teams to waive their extra goalies. Some of the names that have been mentioned are Brent Krahn and Mikael Tellqvist.

Bondra to Detroit

Peter Bondra is very close to signing with Detroit. It will most likely a one year deal in the 1.5 million range.

Yanic Perreault has had offers from Philadelphia, Atlanta and Carolina. Teams may be waiting until after training camp and a few preseason games to determine if they are still interested in his services.

GM Doug McLean has no intentions of trading Zherdev. McLean will either sign him or let Zherdev sit out in Russia. He has received two offers for Zherdev, but he turned them down. My sources confirm that one of these offers was from Montreal. The Columbus Dispatch

Another Johnson rumour

A source from St. Louis has just sent this one. "The Blues are very interested in acquiring Johnson. Davidson believes that with both Erik and Jack on the blueline, the team will be set for the future." It would also be an addition to the American base of players that Davidson has set up. If a deal occurs, expect Eric Brewer or Dennis Wideman to be sent to Carolina in a package deal.

Jack Johnson Rumours

Johnson is being shopped around the league because he is refusing to sign a pro contract with Carolina. With the loss of Frantisek Kaberle, Carolina was hoping to promote Johnson to the team but that is not the case. Carolina GM Jim Rutherford is actively looking for a defenseman and some help in the forwards. A source has told me some of the deals Rutherford is looking at:

New Jersey has offered Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Bergfors. This would free up cap space for GM Lou Lamoriello to sign Gionta, Martin and Hale.

Calgary has offered Roman Hamrlik and Dustin Boyd.

Toronto has also dangled Pavel Kubina and a 1st rounder to Carolina.

Keep in mind that Johnson will NOT sign this year, and the earliest he will be in the NHL is next year.

Carter to Columbus - official

Once again, Brochu is Hockey is ahead of the curve. As first reported 13 days ago, Columbus has officially signed Anson Carter to a 1-year, 2.5 million dollar contract. TSN

Park, Dunham in NYI

Richard Park and Mike Dunham have been invited to the Islanders training camp.

The Hamhuis to Edmonton rumours have been picking up lately. GM David Poile is also looking at offers from Ottawa and Montreal.

According to a Columbus source, Nikolai Zherdev will be staying in Russia. They are 2 million dollars apart on contract talks, and Zherdev has already played 1 game for his Russian team.

Lupul officially re-signed

As first reported 4 days ago on Brochu is Hockey, Joffrey Lupul has signed to a 3 year, $6.935 million contract. TSN

It appears the Canucks will match the Philly offer for Kesler. A press conference as been announced for tomorrow where GM Dave Nonis will address the situation.

Keith Primeau will retire tomorrow.

According to my sources, the Lupul signing will significantly affect the Zherdev situation in Columbus. Zherdev could be re-signed by Friday this week.

Philly signs Ryan Kesler

TSN reports that the Philadelphia Flyers have signed Ryan Kesler on an offer sheet for 1.9 million dollars.

Jason Strudwick signs in Europe

Jason Strudwick has signed a contract with HC Lugano in Switzerland. In 65 games for the Rangers last season, he scored 3 goals and had 66 penalty minutes. Source

Peter Bondra is very close to signing a one-year deal with Detroit. He has been practising with the Red Wings for the last few days. Also, former first rounder Boyd Devereaux has been invited to the Wing's training camp as a tryout. Devereaux has won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002.

Charles Wang strikes again

Charles Wang doesn't like money or winning. He has just signed Rick Dipietro to a 15 year, 67.5 million contract. This contract is guaranteed, so if Rick gets injured or retires before the contract expires, he still gets all the money. Dipietro, who turns 25 next week, will be almost 40 when his contract ends. TSN

The New York Post has reported that the Islanders have also signed Victor Kozlov to a one year deal. Terms have not been disclosed, but stay tuned.

Linden officially signs

As per Sportsnet. Terms were not disclosed, but as rumoured on this site, the deal is around 750k for 1 year. Edit: Terms are $600,000, and $200,000 in bonus money.

Richards, Carter for Luongo?

Now, before you go crazy, this is not a rumour. Florida asked for Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in a package deal for Luongo when Luongo was being shopped. Obviously, this was not taken as Philly is very high on these youngsters. One can wonder though... Source

Getting news from New Jersey is like squeezing blood from a rock. GM Lou Lamoriello has "agreed to terms" with several players, but have not signed any contracts. He is currently operating above the cap and still have key players to sign. With Matvichuk going on the long term IR and his salary being removed from the cap, he still has very little wiggle left. Something's gotta give.

Lupul has re-signed

According to a very good Edmonton source, Joffrey Lupul has re-signed. The deal is in the neighbourhood of 3 years, 7 million. The deal will be announced next week.

GM Ken Holland is looking to signing another winger. Anson Carter was rumoured, but now it looks like Petr Bondra is more likely. Detroit News

Philippe Boucher on the block?

Dallas is one of the rare teams in the NHL that has blueline depth. They currently have 8 defenseman signed that all have good experience in the league. According to my sources, 1 or 2 of those defenseman are being shopped quietly around the league. Boucher is the one player that is getting a lot of interest from teams. Edmonton, Montreal and the Islanders have reported made offers on him. More on this later. Source

No news on the Zherdev front. He is 95% likely to stay in Russia this year, and with the Fritsche negotiations also going sour, GM Doug MacLean may be looking at the free agent market to fill the holes on his team. Anson Carter has already been rumoured, but now he is looking at signing Yanic Perreault and Petr Bondra.

Edit: Alex Burrows has been signed to a 3 year, 1.5 million contract while Jason King has walked out of training camp, as he refused to sign the Canucks contract offer. TSN

Jason Woolley to Montreal?

According to various Montreal sources, the Canadiens are interested in signing UFA Jason Woolley. The 37 year old defenseman can still provide offense, and will also be a good fit into the top 6 of Montreal should Sheldon Souray be traded. Cyberpress.ca

Mike Dunham may be in the Devils training camp for a tryout. He is seeking the backup job and GM Lou Lamoriello is still deciding to either sign Dunham or Scott Clemmensen. Clemmensen has also fielded offers from "4 or 5" teams, but is still looking to re-sign with New Jersey. My sources have confirmed that one of these teams was Vancouver. NY Post

There are reports coming from Florida that the Panthers are interested in signing Viktor Kozlov.

Svoboda signs in Europe

Jaroslav Svoboda, a UFA with the Dallas Stars, has signed in Europe. He will be playing for HC Znojemstí Orli in the Czech elite league. In 43 games last year, the 26 year old scored 4 goals and 7 points, racking up 22 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 2 playoff games. Link

Bouwmeester to Edmonton...

...for Robbie Shremp. This is the latest rumour to hit my desk. Now, neither player is being actively shopped, but new GM Jacques Martin is eager to put his stamp on the team and would be willing to part with Bouwmeester for Robbie Schremp. Edmonton has a solid young core, and with the imminent signing of Lupul, there is a logjam in the Top 6 for EDM. In an Edmonton radio interview, Kevin Lowe let it slip that he was still interested in Bouwmeester.

edit: Matt Greene would also be part of the deal.

Ziggy Palffy is working out regularly and hoping to return to the NHL. Pittsburgh owns his rights, but he won't be ready until January.

Svatos has re-signed

According to Slovak media, Marek Svatos has re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche. Terms were not disclosed, but it is thought to be a one year deal in the 1.5 million range. This article is from Kosice, the hometown of Svatos. Source (in Slovak)

The Dvorak signing is also being reported in a lot of Czech media outlets.

Malkin has officially signed. This gives the Pens the best young 1-2 centers in the league.

Pens Press Conference Tomorrow

As reported earlier on this site, the Pittsburgh Penguins are on the verge of signing Evgeni Malkin. The Pens have announced a press conference on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the Igloo Club at Mellon Arena. General Manager Ray Shero will make a major announcement. I wonder what that could be?

More on the Keenan situation

My sources tell me this was a power struggle between Martin and Keenan. Even though they are friends, they have both argued over personnel matters in Florida. Don't forget that Jacques Martin had Rick Dudley fired when he was first hired. Martin and majority owner Alan Cohen have a really close relationship, and Martin would sometimes go over the head of Keenan and take problems directly with Cohen. The lack of any statements from Keenan suggests he was indeed fired, or forced to resign. Here's a good article on the whole affair.

Mike Keenan Fired!!!

This is not a rumour! This came out of left field. Mike Keenan has been fired as the GM of the Florida Panthers. It is expected that Jacques Martin will fill in as a dual role, with Pat Quinn a possible candidate later on in the season. TSN

edit: It now appears that Keenan has "resigned", and Martin is the new GM. More on this in the next couple days.

Dvorak to NYR

According to the NY Post writer Larry Brooks, The New York Rangers are very close to bringing back Radek Dvorak. It is hoped that he would take a third/fourth line role as a penalty killer in NY. My sources also confirm that he will be signed before training camp. New York Post

Gagne to Colorado?

These Gagne rumours will not go away. GM Bobby Clarke is very adamantly saying that Gagne will be signed before training camp, but he still making calls and seeing what the market is for the talented winger. The new team seeking his services, according to several sources, is Colorado. They are having trouble signing their own talented winger, Marek Svatos. Of course, this would involve Colorado offloading some of their payroll, and a good candidate is Pierre Turgeon, who is a UFA after the upcoming year.


A few months ago, the rumours of Gary Roberts heading back to Toronto was rampant. However, the two teams could not work it out and Roberts is looking forward to starting the new hockey season with the Panthers. He has worked out his personal problems and is happy to see the new faces on his Florida team. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Malkin deal soon

There will be little news this holiday weekend, but here's a few rumblings around the league.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Evgeni Malkin will sign very early next week and start the rookie camp on schedule. Malkin has been practicing in Los Angeles with other NHLers the last few weeks. Expect a deal to be announced Tuesday or Wednesday. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Expect Alexander Mogilny to show up to the Devils training camp and try to earn a spot on the lineup. The right winger, who is earning 3.5 million this year, is being shopped by GM Lou Lamoriello but no one is interested in his contract. Mogilny is currently working out in LA along with Evgeni Malkin.

Scott Hartnell is being shopped, but GM David Poile would prefer to not send him to any team in the West. A lot of teams have shown interest including Ottawa, Toronto, and Washington.

Allison to Philly

According to Jason Allison's agent, "2-3" teams are interested in acquiring his services. One of the teams is the Philadelphia Flyers. With Keith Primeau still questionable going into training camp and the injury-prone Peter Forsberg, GM Bobby Clarke is scrambling to find options down the middle. Along with Philly, Atlanta is also interested as well as a team in the West.

The Vancouver Canucks are interested in signing John Erskine. However, they want to sign him to a two-way contract, but Erskine is looking for a one-way deal.

A source has told me to watch Montreal closely the next week or so. A large trade may be brewing.