NHL and Hockey Rumors for Mar 3, 2009

The calm before the storm...

According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had talks with the Ottawa Senators about re-acquiring forward Jarkko Ruutu. Brochu's take: The Pens have had a lack of grit this year, but you can expect GM Bryan Murray to gouge the Penguins for as much as possible.

LeBrun is also reporting that Derek Morris has given the Phoenix Coyotes a list of teams he is willing to waive his no trade clause to. The list is believed to contain only teams from the Eastern Conference and considered to be "contenders." One known team are the Boston Bruins. Source

Sportsnet is reporting that Sens defenseman Filip Kuba is willing to waive his no trade clause.

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star is reporting that "multiple" teams are calling the Tampa Bay Lightning about the availability of forward Martin St. Louis. St. Louis has a no trade clause, and has not been asked to waive it. The New York Rangers are among the most interested, and Cox believes a package of young players, such as prospect Evgeny Grachev. Brochu's take: St. Louis is going nowhere, unless the Bolts get blown away by a deal. Source

Atlanta Thrashers forward Eric Perrin hopes he will be traded at the trade deadline. “I’m disappointed I’m at this point with this organization,” said Perrin, who has 15 points this season, with five goals and 10 assists. “I thought I’d proven something, that I’d be a part of the rebuilding. I thought I deserved a better fate.” Brochu's take: Taking a shot at the team isn' going to win him any favors. Expect Perrin to be shipped out. Source

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 20, 2009

According to Steve Kouleas of the Score program "Hardcore Hockey Talk", the Vancouver Canucks are rumored to be interested in an "big name" Eastern Conference winger. Brochu's take: Speculation is that it could be Bolts forward Martin St. Louis.

The Sun-Sentinel is reporting that Florida Panthers GM Jacques Martin may have to deal with the Jay Bouwmeester situation at the trade deadline. Martin said he hasn’t spoken with Bouwmeester’s agent and that “there’s no change in his status.” “We’ll talk to him in the near future,” Martin said. “The closer we get to the trading deadline, it’s an issue we’ll have to resolve. Right now, he’s playing his best hockey." Source

The San Jose Sharks have called up forward Claude Lemieux from the AHL affiliate in Worcester. Brochu's take: I thought it was complete longshot that he would be back in the NHL, but here he is. I'll happily congratulate Lemieux on making it back, and I'll be tucking into my slice of humble pie.

Sportsnet is reporting that the Detroit Red Wings and forward Henrik Zetterberg are close to a contract extension. It's believed the deal is in the 10-year range with the average annual salary to be slightly less than $7.5 million. Brochu's take: Good market value for Zetterberg, but the length of the contract is a bit scary considering the economic future of the NHL.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed defenseman Cory Murphy off re-entry waivers from the Florida Panthers.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Goaltender Marek Schwarz has left the St. Louis Blues organization and is returning to his native Czech Republic. Schwarz, who was on his last year of his entry-level deal, left his team, the Alaska Aces of the ECHL, on Monday. Source

Bruce Garrioch's rumour round-up

Here is the latest from Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch. He covers a lot of rumours that have been floating around, so here are the ones that are less covered:

The Philadelphia Flyers may try to put a package together to get Mats Sundin from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Citing sources, GM Paul Holmgren would send Jeff Carter and a 1st round pick for the Swede.

The LA Kings are shopping forward Ladislav Nagy, and defensemen Brad Stuart, Jaroslav Modry and Rob Blake. GM Dean Lombardi wants a roster player, prospect and a 1st round pick for Blake's services.

Garrioch is also rehashing the old rumour of the Tampa Bay Lightning sending Martin St. Louis to the Dallas Stars for Marty Turco.

The Carolina Hurricanes want either Ottawa Senators defnseman Joe Corvo or forward Antoine Vermette, but are unwilling to send Erik Cole the other way. GM Jim Rutherford may also consider sending Cole to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward David Vyborny.

Anaheim Ducks trade watch, Tampa/Dallas blockbuster?

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Dallas Stars have been looking for a superstar talent and they have targeted Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are looking for quality goaltending, and there are rumors that Marty Turco could go the other way.

The Anaheim Ducks trade watch continues. Sportsnet's Hockeycentral panel is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks have been kicking the tires on acquiring Mathieu Schneider. Also, the Ducks could free salary cap space by shipping Andy McDonald to another team, possibly to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In other Ducks news, could there be a deal between the Ducks and Atlanta Thrashers? GM and coach Don Waddell and Anaheim GM Brian Burke are friends, and the Thrashers need another defenseman. "Brian is one of the guys I talk to most in the league about many things," Waddell said. "They're just another team that we continue to talk to. At this point we're happy with our group." Waddell indicated that any trades would likely involve prospects or draft picks, which are a commodity in the salary-cap era. Source

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the Minnesota Wild could trade one of their defenseman to solve their roster issues. Keith Carney, Kurtis Foster and Petteri Nummelin could become trade bait for teams looking for blueline depth. Source

Feaster threatens to trade core, Wes Walz to retire

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster has threatened to break up the core of the team if they don't start winning. "Being sub-.500, being 13th or 14th out of a 15-team Eastern Conference isn't cutting it, given the money we lose, to think we're going to keep payroll where it is and not make changes," he said. Feaster added that ownership could be cutting and the core of Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards and Dan Boyle could be broken up. The Absolute Hockey group has been stalled in buying the Lightning and management may cut payroll in order to make the team more attractive to buyers. Asked if trades were near, Feaster responded, "by Christmas time, yeah, for sure." Source

Yahoo Sports is also reporting that there is bad blood between defenseman Dan Boyle and the team and he could be shipped out by the trade deadline. Source

The Wild announced Friday night that they will hold a press conference with Wes Walz on Saturday morning, when Walz is expected to announce his retirement after 12 seasons in the NHL. The centre has been on leave for a month. Source

Mark Mowers has cleared waivers and has been assigned to SC Bern in the Swiss Nationalliga by the Anaheim Ducks. Source

J. Carter for Kesler?

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Philadelphia Flyers are looking for a defensive forward, and Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks may just be the player. There is rumors that the Flyers would want more in return, likely a prospect from the Canucks system.

Dreger is also reporting that fired GM Doug Armstrong of the Dallas Stars did not go down with a fight. Sources say Armstrong scoured the league until the very end looking for a game breaking goal scorer - including Patrick Elias, Simon Gagne and Martin St. Louis. It is unclear if new GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson would follow up on these efforts. Source

Krys Kolanos has signed a contract with the Quad City Flames of the AHL. Kolanos had attended the Calgary Flames training camp but did not report to Quad City in October. Source