NHL and Hockey Rumors for July 17, 2009

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired defenseman Brian Fahey from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Nigel Williams.

The Avs have also signed 2009 NHL first round pick Matt Duchene to a three-year, entry level contract.

The New Jersey Devils have signed forwards Nathan Perkovich and Patrice Cormier to contracts.

The Calgary Flames have claimed forward Nigel Dawes off waivers from the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Nicholas Deschamps to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Toni Rajala to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Oil have also signed defenseman Dean Arsene to a one-year contract.

The Nashville Predators have signed forward Peter Olvecky to a one-year deal.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Krys Kolanos to a one-year deal.

Burrows, Backstrom re-signed, more waivers

The Minnesota Wild have signed goalie Niklas Backstrom to a four-year, $24 million contract extension. Brochu's take: This should end the speculation that Backstrom was about to be traded. Stats wise, Backstrom deserves the money. But would you consider him a top 5 goalie in the NHL?

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Alex Burrows to a four-year, $4 million contract. Brochu's take: I didn't buy into the Burrows trade rumors, because it was obvious he was going to be re-signed. Good contract for a guy that will score 20 goals this season.

The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Peter Olvecky on waivers.

The Ottawa Senators have placed goalie Martin Gerber on re-entry waivers. Brochu's take: The Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers have shown some interest.

The Sens also put defenseman Brenden Bell on waivers.

Look for my rumor update around 3:00 AM EST or 12:00 AM PST tonight.

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!