More signings in Europe

New York Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has signed with HC Slovan Bratislava.  (Bratislava play in the KHL.)

Calgary Flames forward Jiri Hudler and Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek has signed with HC Lev Praha.  (Lev Praha play in the KHL)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla has signed with HC Trinec.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Michael Frolik has signed with KLH Chomutov.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Roman Polak has signed with HC Vitkovice.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl has signed with HC Pardubice.

SLOVAKIA

Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar has signed with SHK 37 Piestany.

AHL

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Brett Lebda has signed with the Rockford IceHogs.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Oct 1, 2010

The Edmonton Oilers have placed defenseman Sheldon Souray and goalie Martin Gerber on waivers.  Brochu's take:  Souray being put on waivers was expected, but Gerber has been playing well in the pre-season.  The likelihood of Souray being picked up is low because of his high salary.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Forward Slava Kozlov has left the NHL and signed a one-year deal with KHL team CSKA Moscow.

Free agent forward Miroslav Satan is still looking to sign with an NHL team.  Satan recently played two games for Slovakian club HC Slovan Bratislava.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for May 5, 2009

According to RDS, the Montreal Canadiens have contacted Marc Crawford for the head coach position. Crawford is currently doing colour commentary on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Brochu's take: Crawford also speaks a little bit of French, so that will help him out. Source

The latest name in the rumor mill for the vacant GM position of the Minnesota Wild appears to be Pierre McGuire. Brochu's take: If that indeed happens, I expect Dion Phaneuf, Zach Parise and Carey Price being traded to the Wild at once.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Slovakian hockey team HC Kosice has targeted New York Islanders forward Tomas Marcinko and Los Angeles Kings forward Vladimir Dravecky for the 2009-2010 season. Source

New Jersey Devils defenseman Niclas Havelid has been linked with a number of Swedish teams, including Linkoping, Sodertalje and Timra. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 23, 2008

The New York Islanders have signed free agent forward Mark Parrish to a 25 game AHL contract. He will be given a chance to earn an NHL contract.

The St. Louis Blues have placed defenseman Jeff Woywitka on waivers.

The Blues have also signed goaltender Jake Allen to a contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

New Jersey Devils forward Fedor Fedorov has signed with KHL team Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in Tartarstan. He had been given permission by the Devils to seek a contract elsewhere. Brochu's take: I don't think we'll see Sergei's "little" brother in the NHL again. He'll always have his rap career to fall back on. Source

Six major European domestic leagues announced on Wedensday that they have organized a group to protect their leagues against player raids and expansion by the NHL and KHL. Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland have banded to form "Hockey Europe", and the NHL has recognized the group as a partner. Read on here.

Canucks to make big off-season changes?

Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis pledged for changes during his press conference on Monday. Nonis called missing the playoffs unacceptable and promised significant changes this summer. He expects to address the scoring issue with either trades or free agent signings. Brochu's take: With nearly $15 million potentially to spend, this should be a busy off-season for the Canucks. If they can trade one of their defenseman like Kevin Bieksa or Alexander Edler for some scoring, they could return to the playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes were one of the 7-8 teams interested in Edler, and rumours could escalate this summer. Source

The Dallas Stars have re-signed defenseman Nicklas Grossman to a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Grant Clitsome to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Clarkson University product was the Jackets’ 12th pick, 271st overall, in the 2004 Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Clitsome will join Darren Puppa and Ron Tugnutt as the best dirty sounding names in NHL history.

The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Steve Zalewski to an entry-level contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Karel Pilar will leave the organization and play for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Russia. Pilar spent the majority of the 2007-2008 season with the AHL Chicago Wolves. Source

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Stanislav Lascek has signed with HKm Zvolen of the Slovak Extraliga. Lascek had been playing with the ECHL Mississippi Sea Wolves. Source

Mike Richards signs 12-year contract extension

Mike Richards has signed a 12-year,$69 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers. The yearly salary cap hit is $5.75 million. Source

Rexall founder and chairman Daryl Katz has made a new offer to purchase the Edmonton Oilers, according to a statement released on Thursday. Sources familiar with the bid say it's an offer for shares with an asset purchase value of $188 million. Source

The International Ice Hockey Federation announced Thursday that its member associations and leagues will exercise the option to re-open the player transfer agreement with the National Hockey League. According to a statement released by the Federation, representatives from the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland made the decision unanimous. The NHL has also announced to end the agreement and both sides will meet in New York in January. Russia is not sending representatives to the meeting. Source

Kiprusoff signs 6 year extension

TSN is reporting that the Calgary Flames have signed Miikka Kiprusoff to a 6 year extension worth approximately $35 million dollars. The cap hit beyond this season will be roughly $5.8 million a year. Sources also say it's heavily weighted in the early years of the contract and that Kiprusoff could retire after the fifth year and it wouldn't cost him significant dollars. Source

Peter Forsberg will be playing for the Swedish National Team in the Karjala Cup in Helsinki from Nov. 8-11. This means that his ankle injury is healed enough for competition, which hints at a return to the NHL after Christmas. Source

Peter Bondra has retired from professional hockey to become the general manager of Slovakia's national team. "I kept it a secret for a long time. They will know overseas only after this press conference," Bondra said, according to a report from the Slovak national hockey association. "I hope I can help Slovakia win another medal at the world championship." The 39-year-old Bondra's contract as general manger runs through 2008, when the IIHF World Hockey Championship will be played in Halifax and Quebec City. Source

The NHL has suspended Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Randy Jones two games for his hit on Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron has been released from hospital with a broken nose and a concussion and details will be released later today. Check back here for updates.

Canucks shopping Bourdon?

According to the Vancouver Province, Luc Bourdon's poor play in this preseason has fueled "existing speculation that the Canucks are trying to deal their 2005 first-round draft pick." Several teams including Montreal and Florida are very interested in the young defenseman. Internet rumours seem to circulate around Michael Ryder going the other way. Source

Ronald Petrovicky has signed with HC Dukla Trenčín in Slovakia. Petrovický, 30, played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, amassing 3 goals and 3 assists in 31 games. Source