Hockey and NHL Rumors for Oct 5, 2010

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Brendan Morrison to a one-year, $725,000 contract.

The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed goalie Jonathan Bernier to a two-year, $2.5 million contract extension.  Brochu's take:  An absolute bargain.  Bernier is considered one of the best young goalies not yet in the NHL.

The New York Rangers have signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year, $1 million contract.

The Washington Capitals have signed goalie Philipp Grubauer to a three-year, entry-level contract.

There were also many players put on waivers, which I'll cover in a later post.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Forward Enver Lisin has left the NHL and signed a two year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.

Forward Kyle Wellwood has signed to play with HK Atlant in Russia.

Forward Dan Fritsche has signed a three-year contract with HC Geneve-Servette in Switzerland.

Hockey and NHL Rumors for Sept 8, 2010

Yes, I am back! Just in time for the new NHL season. Long story short, I got lazy. But I should be posting on a regular basis from now on.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed free agent forward Jeff Halpern to a one-year, $600,000 contract.

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed forward Kyle Wellwood to a training camp tryout contract.

There are rumors that the Vancouver Canucks may invite free agent goalie Jose Theodore training camp on a try-out contract.

Hockey and NHL rumors for July 31, 2009

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Dustin Boyd to a one-year, $650,000 contract. They also signed forward Kris Chucko to a contract.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed goalie Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux to a one-year deal.

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed forward Kyle Wellwood to a one-year, $1.2 million contract.

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen to a one-year, $600,000 deal.

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

Defenseman Sergei Zubov has left the Dallas Stars (and the NHL) and has signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Brochu's take: His salary demands must have been too high for NHL teams, because I think he can still contribute at his age.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Andy Delmore to a one-year deal. Delmore spent the 2008-2009 season with Hamburg Freezers of the DEL.

Goalie J.S. Aubin has left the Philadelphia Flyers organization and signed with DEG Metro Stars in Germany.

Forward Craig MacDonald has left the Columbus Blue Jackets organization and signed with DEG Metro Stars.

NHL signings and waiver transactions for Oct 21, 2008

The San Jose Sharks have placed forward Lukas Kaspar on waivers.

The Detroit Red Wings have placed forward Darren McCarty on waivers.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed forwards Kyle Wellwood and Matt Pettinger on re-entry waivers. The Canucks are currently decimated by injuries.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jamie Heward has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL.

According to the Orange County Register, Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke expects a contract decision by no later than Christmas. Burke is currently on his last year of his contract. Burke will be in Toronto this week, and will be shown the premises by Toronto Maple Leafs president Richard Peddie. Brochu's take: Will hockey's longest rumor finally come true? Keep in mind that the Leafs took the "interim" off the interim GM title that Cliff Fletcher holds.

NHL and hockey rumors for Oct 18, 2008

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Jordan Knackstedt to a contract. Terms were not disclosed.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenseman Matt Greene to a 5-year, $14.75 million contract extension that will begin next year. The Kings have also signed defenseman Andrew Campbell to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed forward Kyle Wellwood on waivers.

The Colorado Avalanche have placed forward Scott Parker on waivers.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman David Tanabe has retired from hockey. Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said today that the team had reached a settlement with the defenseman that will pay the former first-round draft pick $850,000 over the next three years. Source

According to Bob McKenzie on the Team 1040 radio, there are rumors that Tampa Bay Lightning ownership are not happy with the way coach Barry Melrose has been playing with Steven Stamkos playing time. There's also speculation that Melrose uses outdated tactics in practise and many of the players are "bored" with the same drills. Brochu's take: Make no mistake, owners Koules and Barrie are not patient people, and if Melrose doesn't get this team going, he's good as gone.

Rumors are still floating around that the Colorado Avalanche have some interest in Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.

Zidlicky traded to Wild, more rumors

The Nashville Predators have traded defenseman Marek Zidlicky to the Minnesota Wild for Ryan Jones and a second round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: A bit of a salary dump, and I wonder how much new Wild owner (ex-Preds owner) Craig Leipold has to do with this trade.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded defenseman Denis Gauthier and a second round pick in the 2010 draft to the Los Angeles Kings for Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic. Brochu's take: I guess the Flyers didn't have to buyout Gauthier's contract. Source

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Andrew Brunette. Terms were not disclosed as of this post.

The Boston Bruins have signed UFA forward Blake Wheeler to an entry-level contract.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Kyle Wellwood to a one-year, $997,500 contract. The Canucks are also rumored to be in pursuit of forward Niklas Hagman.

There are rumors that the Boston Bruins have made a 12-year, $100 million contract offer to Marian Hossa.

There are also rumors that Olaf Kolzig could be signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bouwmeester wants out?

According to New York source Newsday, a source close to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has said that he wants out of Florida. Brochu's take: Expect the bidding to be high for him. Source

The Panthers have also put forward Jozef Stumpel on waivers.

The Vancouver Canucks have claimed Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kyle Wellwood off waivers.

The Ottawa Senators have traded tough guy Brian McGrattan to the the Phoenix Coyotes for a 5th round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry draft.

Sources are saying that the Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed Vincent Lecavalier to a 9 year, $77 million contract extension. As per CBA rules, the deal cannot be finalized until July 1.

The Anaheim Ducks official website is saying that it's very likely that defenseman Scott Niedermayer will return for the 2008-2009 season. Niedermayer has only one year left on his contract. Brochu's take: This could potentially cause cap problems for the Ducks this summer. Look for one of their defenseman to be shopped. Source

The San Jose Sharks have re-signed forwards Joe Pavelski and Jeremy Roenick and backup goaltender Brian Boucher on Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have bought out the final year of Marc Denis' contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. Denis cleared waivers Wednesday. Source

NHL and hockey rumors for June 25, 2008

The Colorado Avalanche have traded defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the Boston Bruins for forward Matt Hendricks. Source

The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Janne Niskala from the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Triston Grant and their seventh round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Brochu's take: Niskala had been rumored to be headed to Russia, but he could have a chance to crack Philly's lineup next season.

The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed forward Tuomo Ruutu to a one-year, $2.25 million contract extension. Brochu's take: This should quash those Ruutu rumors...at least until mid season, when you can expect them to pick up.

The Boston Bruins have re-signed defenseman Mark Stuart to a multi-year contract extension.

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Scott Parker to a one-year, contract extension.

Darcy Tucker has been bought out by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tucker has 3 years remaining on his contract and Toronto will have to pay for two-thirds, or 6 million dollars paid over a six year term. Tucker has a no-movement clause and thus did not have to clear waivers. Brochu's take: Tucker may not be the player he once was, but still is a gritty forward with veteran leadership. He will be picked up very soon.

The Leafs have also put forward Kyle Wellwood and goalie Andrew Raycroft on waivers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have put goalie Marc Denis on waivers for the purposes of a buyout. If he clears waivers, he will be immediately bought out. The Lightning also introduced Barry Melrose as their new head coach Tuesday.

Cloutier waived, Gerber to Kings?

Various sources have confirmed that the LA Kings have waived Dan Cloutier. If no one picks up him up, his $3.1 million dollar contract will come off the cap and Cloutier will most likely spend the season in the minors. There is some serious speculation that Martin Gerber will be heading to LA, and a deal could be finalized this week. LA would probably send draft picks the other way.

There's speculation that Kyle Wellwood will miss some time with a groin tweak. Darren Dreger of TSN is also reporting that Dany Heatley is seeking an $8 million a year contract, for six years. As well, Marian Hossa may wait until the summer and gauge his worth on the open UFA market. Source