Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 5, 2009

The Chicago Blackhawks have officially signed Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to identical 5-year, $31.5 million contract extensions. Defenseman Duncan Keith has signed a 13-year, $66.5 million contract extension. Brochu's take: Keith is not a $5.5 milllion a year player. Gross overpayment IMO.

The Philadelphia Flyers have fired coach John Stevens and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. Assistant coach Jack McIlhargey was also fired. Replacing him will be Kevin McCarthy, current assistant coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Brochu's take: This has been rumored for some time, so it's not surprising. Philly needed a shakeup in the worst way, and there have been rumours that the young players on the team had tuned out Stevens.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Jiri Tlusty to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Philippe Paradis.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Chris Bourque on waivers.

Hockey and NHL rumors for Dec 3, 2009

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Kyle Chipchura to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Chipchura's lack of offense in the pros has severely hampered his development. Maybe a change of scenery will help.

The Chicago Blackhawks have called a press conference for Thursday afternoon when it's expected that they will announce contract extensions for Patrik Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. Kane and Toews deals is believed to be both in the 5 year range, while Keith's deal is in the 13 year range. TSN's Bob McKenzie believes that the Hawks may place defenseman Brent Sopel and his $2.4 million on waivers. Brochu's take: The Hawks are pretty much at the max of their salary cap for next season, and they still might need to free up some "tagging room". Moves may be coming soon.

The New York Rangers have claimed forward Erik Christensen off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers have also placed goalie Steve Valiquette on waivers.

The Atlanta Thrashers have placed defenseman Noah Welch on waivers.

Lightning sale hits snag?

The sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to the "Absolute Hockey" group seems to have hit a snag. The approval of the sale by the Board of Governors has been delayed until November. According to several league sources, the delay is due to a few of the financial backers of the group having pulled out. The group, led by former Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean, may not have enough investors to buy the Lightning.

The rumours section of Yahoo Sports is speculating that Washington Capitals forward Ben Clymer may be traded. Clymer has two seasons left on his contract, and could go to a team looking for a reliable checking-line wing who isn't afraid to drop the gloves. Source

Injury reports: Jonathan Toews could miss 2-3 weeks with a broken right index finger, Petr Sykora will miss a few preseason games with a broken nose and Anson Carter suffered a concussion in his first preseason game.