NHL and Hockey Rumors for Jan 27, 2009

According to Sportsnet, the Ottawa Senators will either trade Martin Gerber or send him to the AHL on Tuesday. GM Bryan Murray confirmed that one team has had interest in Gerber, and that team is believed to be the Calgary Flames, who are looking for some goalie insurance. Brochu's take: Murray noted that he didn't want to take much salary back. The Sens may have to sweeten the deal with a draft pick.

The Chicago Daily Herald is reporting that the Blackhawks could be looking to add some veteran depth to their lineup. Possible targets could be New York Islanders forwards Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger and Doug Weight, Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Calder, Senators forward Chris Neil, and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nik Antropov. Brochu's take: The Islanders are rumored to be conducting a fire sale, so all those forwards could be had. Not sure why the Hawks would look at Calder again, since he hasn't done much in LA. Source

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is that Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke will make a "hard run" at Florida Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.

Boston.com is reporting that the Boston Bruins could be after Bouwmeester as well, but it would cost either forwards Milan Lucic or Blake Wheeler to get him. The Bruins are looking for a top-4 defenseman. Brochu's take: If they trade Lucic, there will be a riot in Boston. And Wheeler is signed to a nice deal, and you just don't give up on young assets in today's NHL salary world. Source

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.

NHL and hockey rumors for June 17, 2008

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that the Senators could be big players in the trade market around the NHL Entry draft, which is held in Ottawa this year. There's already speculation that the St. Louis Blues could be interested in troubled goalie Ray Emery, and rumors are flying that the Sens could be interested in two of the most talked about players this offseason; San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau and Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen. It's also possible that the Senators would part with their draft pick. Brochu's take: Something could go down in the next week or so. Source

The Calgary Herald is bringing up the old Alex Tanguay for Olli Jokinen rumor again, and speculate that it could involve draft picks. Brochu's take: This rumor has been in the mill for the last year or so. However, Panthers' ownership has warmed up to the idea of trading Jokinen, so anything can happen. Source

Blake Wheeler has signed a two-year deal with the Boston Bruins, but it cannot be made official until July 1, in keeping with NHL bylaws that govern the movement and signing of unrestricted free agents. Source

The Atlanta Thrashers have re-signed goalie Johan Hedberg to a multi-year contract extension.

The New York Rangers have signed Swedish free agent forward Andreas Jamtin to a contract.

The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Ryan Suter to a four-year, $14 million contract extension.

NHL and hockey rumors for June 16, 2008

According to Newsday, Alexei Yashin wants to return to the NHL with the New York Islanders. Yashin's agent and GM Garth Snow has had discussions about a contract, but nothing is conclusive at this point. Yashin has a standing contract offer from his Russian team Yaroslavl Lokomotiv for the 2008-2009 season. Brochu's take: Are the Islanders really this desperate for offense? But than again, stranger things have happened...nah, this is much stranger. Source

Swiss reports are indicating that the Montreal Canadiens may be having problems with signing impending UFA Mark Streit. The Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers have shown interest in the defenseman/forward. Streit's preference is to play for a team's blueline corps. Source

Unrestricted free agent Blake Wheeler is narrowing down his list of teams to around 3 or 4. Wheeler is believed to have limited himself to teams in the East. The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks are amongst the interested teams. Source

Brochu's European rumor roundup:

There are rumors that German clubs Kolner Hale and Adler Mannheim are pursuing Phoenix Coyotes forward Mike York. Source

New Jersey Devils defenseman Richard Matvichuk could be joining the Straubing Tigers of the DEL. Source

New Jersey Devils forward Petr Vrana could be joining Swedish club Brynas for the 2008-2009 season. Source

Poll Results:

Who is this summer's biggest free agent?

Marian Hossa	305 (65%)
Pavol Demitra	7 (1%)
Brian Campbell	94 (20%)
Wade Redden	11 (2%)
Kristian Huselius	11 (2%)
Brian Rolston	17 (3%)
Other	19 (4%)

Total Votes: 464

Thanks to everyone who participated in the polls!

Spezza, Jokinen, Marleau on the move?

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, three elite centres could be on the trading block this summer:

Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza, whose $8 million a year contract extension kicks in this summer.

Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen, with the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks interested.

San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, whose no trade clause becomes effective July 1. Garrioch speculates that the Boston Bruins may give up Glen Murray as part of a package deal. Brochu's take: Spezza's not going anywhere, but Jokinen may have used up his nine lives in Florida. GM Jacques Martin will do everything in his power to trade him. As for Marleau, no one wants Murray and his $4 million contract, so Garrioch can keep on speculating.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Blake Wheeler turned down Phoenix's entry-level deal and will now become an unrestricted free agent. The deal was the maximum offered under the old CBA. Wheeler is free to sign with any team, however he still has to comply with entry-level rules. There are rumors that his home state team, the Minnesota Wild, are interested.

The New York Islanders will not be re-signing impending UFAs Wade Dubielewicz, Miroslav Satan, Josef Vasicek and Ruslan Fedotenko. The three forwards were not offered any contracts while Dubielewicz rejected a "significant offer". The Islanders are also close to re-signing Tim Jackman to a two-way contract. Source

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Tim Kennedy to a two-year, ~$1.7 million contract. They have also signed Swedish goaltender Jhonas Enroth to three-year, entry-level contract. Brochu's take: The Sabres actually got some of their players under contract! Source