NHL and Hockey Rumours for Jan 22, 2014

The Calgary Flames have re-signed forward Matt Stajan to a four-year, $12.5 million contract extension.

The New York Rangers have signed free agent goalie David LeNeveu to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Boston Bruins have re-signed defenseman Kevan Miller to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension.

The New Jersey Devils have placed forward Cam Janssen on waivers.

The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Steve Oleksy on waivers.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings have made Buffalo Sabres forward Matt Moulson their top target.

Big trade day!

Only a massive trade day like today would awaken me from my blogging slumber! So to review:

The Calgary Flames have traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenseman Ian White. Brochu's take: My philosophy is that the team that the best player goes to "wins" the trade, and in this case I would have to say Toronto gets the better end of the deal. Phaneuf is capable of much more, and he will get plenty of ice-time in T.O. Hagman/Stajan are good players, and I'm not sure how the Leafs will score from now on. Calgary gets a lot more offensive in this deal.

The Leafs have also acquired goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake. Brochu's take: Toskala's contract, along with Blake's, were essentially dead weight. After the signing of Hiller, Giguere's contract was the same on the Ducks. I see this trade more of moving dead money around than actual players.

The Anaheim Ducks have signed goalie Jonas Hiller to a 4-year, $18 million contract extension. Brochu's take: Not a bad deal.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Lukas Krajicek to a contract. The Tampa Bay Lightning had terminated his contract when he didn't show up to his AHL assignment.

NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 12, 2009

Here's the latest rumour update from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

The Edmonton Oilers are interested in Ottawa Senators forward Mike Fisher. GM Steve Tambellini would really like to add the hard-nosed player. Brochu's take: Fisher hasn't produced as his salary should indicate. I doubt the Oilers would want to add a long term contract like that.

The Oilers are, according to "league sources", still mildly interested in Jason Spezza.

The Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings are interested in acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle.

Garrioch also believes there will be interest in Leafs forwards Nik Antropov, Matt Stajan, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dominic Moore.

Garrioch also believes that the Columbus Blue Jackets would "love" Jason Spezza. He also adds that the BJs are trying to move defenseman Rostislav Klesla.

Garrioch reported in his blog that the Sens are looking to put goaltender Martin Gerber on waivers in the next few days. Brochu's take: Could this be GM Bryan Murray's last ditch effort to shake up his team? He certainly hasn't been able to do it with trades.

The Columbus Blue Jackets blog "Puck-rakers" on the Columbus Dispatch website is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks are expected to trade goaltender Curtis Sanford, and the Jackets are interested. It's also reported that the Dallas Stars could be another possible destination. Brochu's take: The Canucks do have to make a roster spot with the impending return of Roberto Luongo. The BJs have an abundance of draft picks that could be used to acquire Sanford.

The Phoenix Coyotes have placed forward Garth Murray on waivers.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 27, 2008

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Darryl Sydor has asked for a trade. Sydor knows that he won't get much playing time once Ryan Whitney returns in December from injury. Brochu's take: GM Ray Shero will most likely hold on to him until the trade deadline, where he could get maximum return for the veteran defender. Source

The Florida Panthers may be close to signing defenseman Jassen Cullimore, as the Cats are decimated by injuries on the blueline. Source

Here's the latest from Bruce Garrioch and the Ottawa Sun:

The Chicago Blackhawks may be willing to move forward Martin Havlat.

Garrioch reports that "don't be surprised" if the Toronto Maple Leafs try to move Alex Steen, Matt Stajan and defenseman Tomas Kaberle before the end of the season. Brochu's take: Kaberle has a no trade clause and has refused to waive it once already. As for Steen, that's the first time I've heard his name in the rumor mill.

There are "whispers" that the Atlanta Thrashers are willing to move forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Brochu's take: Garrioch loves his "whispers"...they are in every one of his columns. It's possible, but I don't think the Thrashers are going to trade their one superstar.

The Philadelphia Flyers are quietly shopping for a goaltender, and could be interested in the Thrasher's Ondrej Pavelec and Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak. Brochu's take: Neither are established NHL goalies yet, so why would GM Paul Holmgren want them?

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 17, 2008

The Chicago Blackhawks have fired head coach Denis Savard, and have replaced him with Joel Quenneville. Quenneville was hired earlier as a scout. Brochu's take: Firing a coach 4 games into the season is a surprise, but the firing of Savard is not. He was on a short leash with the new management, and Quenneville was always there to replace him.

The Chicago Daily Herald is reporting that the Hawks are interested in San Jose Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren, but do not have the salary cap space to fit him in. McLaren is currently playing for San Jose's AHL affiliate. Source

According to Darren Dreger on the program "Leafs Lunch" on AM640, four NHL teams are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Stajan. The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals are rumored to be interested in the young centre.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 16, 2008

According to Al Strachan of The Score, the Montreal Canadiens will shop goaltender Jaroslav Halak at the trade deadline. Brochu's take: If the Habs are in the playoff race by then, Halak could be an asset at the deadline.

The Toronto Sun is reporting that Mats Sundin's agent believes the Swedish forward will play in the NHL this season. Source Brochu's take: *Yawn*

Alexander Radulov left the door open for a possible return to the NHL and the Nashville Predators. Radulov also said recent comments attributed to him in a letter to KHL president Alexander Medvedev, which Radulov said he was not interested in arbitration and wanted to promote hockey in Russia, were incorrect. Brochu's take: Maybe Radulov should go on 20/20 and tell Barbara Walters the"real" story... Source

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher has denied a report that he is shopping defenseman Ian White to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for their first round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. However, there are still rumors that he is looking to unload forward Matt Stajan. Source

NHL free agent signings for July 7, 2008

The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed Matt Stajan to a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed restricted free agent forward R.J. Umberger to a four-year, $15 million contract.

The BJ's have also agreed to terms with centre Michael Peca.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.95 million contract. Brochu's take: Keenan strikes again. Time to bring Brian Noonan to Cowtown.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Mark Recchi to a one-year, $1.25 million contract. Brochu's take: The Lightning continue to try to sign every single free agent forward on the market. Do they know that they have to play with six or seven defenseman on an NHL team?

The Anaheim Ducks have signed Brendan Morrison to a one or two year deal.

The Ducks also signed goalie David LeNeveu to a one-year contract.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed GM Paul Holmgren to a three-year contract extension and signed right Arron Asham to a multi-year contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy to a contract. Brochu's take: I'm sure his nickname will be "Reverend".

The Ottawa Senators have signed left wing Ryan Flinn to a two-year contract.

NHL and hockey rumors for July 7, 2008

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets are close to re-signing forward Michael Peca.

The Toronto Sun is reporting that the Maple Leafs are close to re-signing restricted free agent Matt Stajan to a multi-year deal, worth around $1.8 million a year.

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Owen Nolan to a two-year, $2.4 million contract. The Wild also signed goaltender Barry Brust to a multi-year contract, and forward Jesse Schultz to a one-year contract.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Russian forward Igor Grigorenko has left RSL team Salavat Yulaev, citing a lack of ice time as the reason. Brochu's take: An NHL team might give him a chance, as he once a top prospect in the Detroit Red Wings farm system. Source

There are rumors that Ottawa Senators forward Randy Robitaille could be joing HC Lugano of the Swiss Nationalliga A. Source

Poll Results:

Do you think an NHL team will sign Ray Emery?

Yes	69 (61%)
No	43 (38%)

Total Votes: 112

Thanks for participating in the polls! You can also leave comments in the posts if you want to continue the discussion.

Snow denies Kovalev for Satan rumours

GM Garth Snow has denied rumours of a trade involving Alexei Kovalev and Miroslav Satan. Snow insists Satan won't be traded, but if the Islanders aren't in the running for the playoffs, he will most likely be shopped.

The Maple Leafs are trying to get top prospect John Tavares to play for the Leafs AHL ffiliate, the Toronto Marlies. The rumours were that the Leafs were offering a 3 year AHL contract, and hope that Tavares doesn't sign with whichever NHL team drafts him in 2009. However, numerous AHL and NHL bylaws prevent him from doing this, but it's possible that these could be changed through a majority vote. Source

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that GM John Ferguson Jr. is shopping Alex Steen, Matt Stajan and Wade Belak. Source

Mattias Karlsson has left the Ottawa Senators AHL affiliate Birmingham and signed with Bofors IK in Sweden. Source

An update on Tony Salmelainen. Apparently he has signed a one year deal with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the Russian Super League for almost $1.5-million. Source

Giguere to miss 2 months?

According to RDS, Jean-Sébastien Giguère will miss up to 10 weeks after his hernia surgery. Doctors have told Giguere that he will miss at least the first few weeks of the season. This should put a stop to the Ilya Bryzgalov trade rumours, and look for Anaheim to shop for a temporary fill-in for Giguere. Source

The Ducks have hired Trent Yawney as a scout. Yawney was fired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks late last year.

The Kings have signed free agent Drew Bagnall to an entry-level contract.

There's been a lot of talk between Toronto and Dallas lately. The Stars are very interested in Matt Stajan.