Archive for December, 2010
Staal could go in the Classic…tomorrow night? Beauchemin drawing interest … Trade talks heating up
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 31st, 2010
- Craig Custance via twitter: Jordan Staal will be a game time decision for the Winter Classic.
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Though not official, it’s sounding like the Winter Classic will be moved to a night game.
- Darren Dreger via twitter: Trade talks are heating up with a number of teams calling the Leafs and asking about a number of players. There isn’t an offer yet worth taking. Francois Beauchemin and his limited no-trade clause are drawing interest. More talk around the league.
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: JS Giguere is aiming for a possible St. Louis return next week.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: McKenzie senses there will be some trades in the next couple of days, though may not be big ones, possibly Toronto.
- Curtis Zupke of the OC Register: Ryan Getzlaf has been put on IR by the Ducks with multiple nasal fractures. Bobby Ryan will now move up to the first power play with Perry, Selanne, Visnovsky and Fowler.
- Jim Gintonio via twitter: Steve Reinprecht has been placed on waivers.
- Chip Alexander via twitter: Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen won’t be in the Hurricanes lineup versus the Devils.
Happy New Year’s to everyone, and expect tomorrow mornings post to be a little later than usual.
Sabres to get Connolly, Myers back … Rangers lose Christensen … Whitney in walking cast … Thrashers have offers for Bergfors
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on December 31st, 2010
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News: The Buffalo Sabres will get Tim Connolly back tomorrow night after missing 4 games with a fractured nose. Tyler Myers has missed the last couple games with an illness should be back as well. Patrick Kaleta suffered an upper body injury on Tuesday and is likely out tomorrow.
- Jesse Spector of the NY Daily News: Erik Christensen will be out of the Rangers lineup for 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL.
- Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney is wearing a walking cast. When the swelling goes down he’ll be heading to see a specialist, which might not be for another couple of weeks. The best case scenario could see him only missing a month but it will likely be longer than that.
- Katie Strang of Newsday: Kyle Okposo has been skating in full gear recently but won’t join the NY Islanders on their upcoming 11 day road trip.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: The Vancouver Canucks have put Ryan Parent on waivers. Boston’s Wyatt Smith cleared waivers.
- Kevin Allen of the USA Today: The Atlanta Thrashers are looking to move Niclas Bergfors as coach Craig Ramsey doesn’t seem to think that Bergfors fits into the teams style of play. They have several offers for him and his $900,000 contract. Allen thinks they are probably trying to get a better pick or prospect, and might be looking to get a 2nd round pick or an advanced prospect for him. They aren’t looking for a roster player for him.
- Stamkos was one of the Tampa players who complained about Linus Omark’s hot dogging spin-o-rama, but he pulled a nice one last night ….
Feaster “There’s no plan to trade Jarome” … Stars and Richards to talk … Kadri to minors … Whitney, Zidlicky hurt … Salo “close”
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 30th, 2010
- Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald: New Calgary Flames GM, Jay Feaster,
“There’s no plan to trade Jarome,” “There’s no desire on my part to trade Jarome.”
- Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: The Dallas Stars have signed defenseman Trevor Daley to a 6 year, $19.8 million contract extension. The 27 year old will carry a $3.3 million salary cap hit. GM Joe Nieuwendyk got the blessings from the lenders to make this deal, and received the okay from them to open negotiations with Brad Richards.
- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: Kyle Cuminsky, out the past 25 games with a concussion, is nearing a return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup. He traveled with the team, but won’t play in the team’s 2 Alberta games. Chris Stewart, recovering from his broken hand, is skating but they don’t know when he’ll return to the lineup.
- Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: The Toronto Maple Leafs have shipped Nazem Kadri back to the AHL Marlies. Kadri recorded 6 assists in 17 games. From Ron Wilson,
“He still needs to get stronger. (And) there are aspects of the game he still is struggling with at the NHL level. Strength. Little areas like faceoffs. Being quick. Avoiding turnovers.
“He knows the things he has to work on. Now he’s got to practise them, work on them, and execute them in games.”
- The Globe and Mail: Sami Salo is back practicing with the Vancouver Canucks. Salo has been skating on his own for the past 2 weeks and is getting “close” to returning.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney may be lost for an indefinite period of time with an ankle injury, the team is not counting on having him back any time soon.
- Michael Russo via twitter: The Wild have lost Marek Zidlicky for “awhile” with a shoulder injury.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: The Nashville Predators claimed Marek Svatos after the St. Louis Blues tried to sign him to a 1 year, $800,000 ($105,000 AHL) deal.
Toews and Getzlaf injured … Rafalski questionable for Tuesday … Oshie late Jan. return? No progress for Perron and McDonald
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News on December 29th, 2010
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews left last night’s game 13 minutes in with a shoulder injury. More will be known today on the extent of the injury.
- Eric Stephens OC Register: Ryan Getzlaf took a puck off the forehead and left the ice with 4 minutes left in the 2nd. The extent of the injury is not known yet.
- Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: Brian Rafalski is questionable for Thursday’s game after being a late scratch Monday with a back injury.
- David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: Larry Quinn, a minority owner in the Buffalo Sabres is denying reports that a letter of intent was signed to sell the team to Terrence Pegula. Quinn said that the Buffalo News report that a document was signed to buy the Sabres from majority owner Tom Golisano is not correct. There’s no doubt the process has begun, but maybe not to the extent being reported.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Blues forward TJ Oshie is recovering faster that expected. He broke is ankle on Nov. 10th, with surgery putting him on the shelf for 3 month, re-evaluation was to take place in February. There is a chance that Oshie could be back in the Blues lineup at the end of January. He’s been skating for about a week and progressing well. Neither David Perron and Andy McDonald are still not symptom free from their concussions. There were reports that McDonald was riding a bike but that may not have been the case.
- Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen: It looks like Pascal Leclaire will be out another at least another week with his lower body injury. He could be ready for their Jan. 7th game against the Blackhawks.
- Larry Brooks via twitter: Todd White was placed on waivers again by the NY Rangers, with Mats Zuccarello with the team, it could spell the end of his tenure with the Rangers.
James Wisniewski traded to the Canadiens
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Trades on December 29th, 2010
TSN: The New York Islanders have traded defenseman James Wisniewski to the Montreal Canadiens for a compensatory 2011 2nd round pick and a conditional 2012 5th round pick.
Wisniewski should be in the lineup for tonight’s game against Tampa Bay.
Sutter steps down in Calgary …. Rolston assigned to AHL with purpose of re-entry waivers … Svatos signs with Blues … Starting goalies
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 28th, 2010
- TSN: Darryl Sutter has stepped down as the Calgary Flames general manager effective immediately. Jay Feaster, who was the teams assistant GM, will take over as GM .
“We will move forward under a new administration with Jay leading our hockey operations as Acting General Manager,” said King. “For the remainder of this season, Jay will be provided the opportunity to evaluate the team from the GM’s chair and build a long term plan. We believe that while we continue to compete for a playoff position this season, this period will provide both the organization and Jay time to decide on critical future decisions.”
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Brian Rolston has been assigned to the AHL and will be placed on re-entry waivers. Darren Dreger via twitter: Rolston will be available for half price, a couple teams said they would be interested in him on re-entry when he was originally waived. Capgeek via twitter: If he’s claimed on re-entry waivers, he’ll still count $2,531,250 against the cap.
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Marek Svatos signs with the St. Louis Blues. A 2-way deal that will pay him $800,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL. He must clear waivers first because he was playing in the KHL before.
- Arthur Staple via twitter: Michael Del Zotto did not practice due to groin injury, and may not play tomorrow (may not have played even if groin was fine).
- Chris Vivlamore via twitter: Patrice Cormier was recalled by the Atlanta Thrashers, Tim Stapleton was sent to the AHL.
- Katie Carrera via twitter: Semyon Varlamov was the first goalie off for the Capitals, therefore likely to start.
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: Jonas Gustavsson will start for the Maple Leafs tonight against the Hurricanes.
- Will DePaoli via twitter: It doesn’t look like Jordan Staal will be playing in the Winter Classic. He’ll have more x-rays tonight.
Rain in forecast for Winter Classic … Spezza out indefinitely … Pair of Preds to IR, Tootoo to rehab … Kane back tonight?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 28th, 2010
- Bob Cohn of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: This year’s Penguins-Capitals Winter Classic could be even more interesting as rain could be in the forecast. A little bit of rain can be tolerated but if it’s heavy enough to disrupt the 1 pm start, the opening faceoff could be pushed back to 8 pm at the latest. It could also reach a high of 50 degrees.
- Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen: Jason Spezza will be out indefinitely with an injured right shoulder. His shoulder is swollen enough that they don’t know the full extent of the injury and if he’ll need surgery.
“It’s not going to be immediate,” he said. “It’s going to be a while. I’ve never hurt my shoulder before, so there’s kind of a grey area right now. Still a lot of swelling and stuff. Just kind of take it day-by-day and see, but it’s not going to be any time soon.
“It seems like it’s going to be fine without surgery. But it just happened, it’s pretty fresh.”
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Pascal Leclaire was told to stay of skates until yesterday as he deals with a lower body injury, when he’ll return to the lineup is not known. The Senators could be interested in Jamie Langenbrunner, and the Devils are looking for defenseman, which the Senators have some they could be willing to move.
- Josh Cooper of the Tennessean: Jordan Tootoo voluntarily put himself in a substance abuse facility. Tootoo has full support from the team and organization, no time frame on his return is known.
- Jack McCarthy of the Chicago Tribune: Despite just being put on the IR (retroactive), Patrick Kane could be back in the Blackhawks lineup tonight versus the Blues. Marty Turco will get his 2nd straight start as Corey Crawford continues to recover from the flu.
- Josh Cooper of the Tennessean: Predators forward Steve Sullivan will be out 10-14 days with a lower body injury, and has been placed on the IR. Martin Erat was also placed on IR with a upper body injury. David Legwand is a possibility for tonight’s game. He’s only been able to play 2 periods since Nov. 18th.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood became the 10th goalie in NHL history to record 400 career wins with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Avalanche.
- TSN: P.K. Subban battled with Tomas Plekanec during practice before getting into an argument with Maxim Lapierre, Roman Hamrlik had to break it up. Subban downplayed the incident, “It’s practice, it’s battling. It’s tough,” Subban told reporters following practice. “When you’re doing three-on-two drills and three-on-three, there is going to be chippy battles in front of the net. You’ve just got to work through it. It was a good practice today.”
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Marco Sturm continues to see limited playing time and no special teams ice time as the Kings are slowing working him back in. “I don’t know about one of these games coming up. “Kings Coach Terry Murray said when the prospect of Sturm getting some power-play time was raised this morning. “I think it’ll be further down the road than that unless he just lights it up here tonight and starts putting some pucks in the net.”
Kane replaces Hossa on IR … Burke owes Wilson a trade? Spezza hurts arm … Cleary fractures foot
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on December 27th, 2010
- The Globe and Mail: Marian Hossa was activated from IR yesterday and Patrick Kane was placed on IR. Kane has been out since Dec. 5th with an ankle injury. Hannu Toivonen was recalled by the team.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Jason Spezza left last night’s game in the 2nd period holding his arm after being hit by Kris Letang. A better update will be come today.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Detroit Red Wings have lost Daniel Cleary for at least a month after his ankle was fracture after being hit by a Brad Stuart shot. Cleary leads the Wings with 16 goals. The Wings are also without Pavel Datsyuk, recalled Jan Mursak.
- Jesse Spector of the NY Daily News: Marian Gaborik will be back in the lineup for the Rangers tonight, and the Rangers also recalled Mats Zuccarello. Gaborik practiced with Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan. Michael Del Zotto will likely be out as he recovers from the flu.
- Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star: The NHL holiday roster freeze ends Monday, and Brian Burke continues to look for a trade to shake up his roster. “It’s believed by team sources that Burke “owes” Wilson at least a trade to shake up the underachieving roster up and give the coach an improved opportunity to rescue the team’s badly fading playoff hopes.”
- Mark Everson of the NY Post: Teams are following the NJ Devils closely, and many are interested in Jamie Langenbrunner and his no-trade clause. The Sharks, Red Wings, and Stars (as well as most other top teams) could be interested. If Rolston is put on re-entry waivers he’s likely to get picked up. Jason Arnott is pondering if he’d waive his no-trade clause if asked.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Teams are calling the Atlanta Thrashers about Niclas Bergfors (Maple Leafs likely one of the teams) but GM Dudley doesn’t want to give him away for nothing.
- TSN: Peter Forsberg’s attempted comeback is now over (it’s Christmas not Ground Hog day right?). Markus Naslund, MODO’s GM said “I’ve had a talk with him today and he simply says that it does not feel good enough for him to build on this.”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Avalanche are not “moving full steam” to re-sign Craig Anderson. Anderson was excellent last season, but he’s battled injuries and has only been average. LA Kings prospect Brayden Schenn will likely be traded by Portland (WHL) to either Saskatoon or Portland. Sheldon Souray has 1 goal on 50 shots in 15 games.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Ottawa Senators and Chris Phillips haven’t discussed a new contract for the upcoming UFA. Preliminary discussions took part at the beginning of the season, but not much since then.
Burke looking for a power forward … Time to Blowup the Flames? Svatos and Avangard split
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 24th, 2010
- Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun: Is the patience of Brian Burke running thin in Toronto? They are currently 28th with 28 points, 3 points fewer than they had last year at the same point.
“Inexcusable lapses have cost them too many games and too many points. A putrid start here, a late goal to blow a lead there and the Leafs have squandered opportunities to ease their way into a respectable spot in the standings.”
At the top of Burke’s wishlist is big power forward with some offensive talent. Finding a trade partner has been difficult but, “The tightness of the (Western Conference) probably helps us right now,” Poulin said. “There are teams that won’t wait until the trade deadline because they will want to make a push much earlier.”
- Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star: Change is coming according to Brian Burke. He’s been working the phones looking for size and scoring.
“We need a big forward,” Burke says, as a couple of suits stroll past and nod hello. “Everyone points to the center position. But I think if we had a Top 6 forward with size, center or wing, it would help us. Right now we’re not getting to enough loose pucks in front of the net. We’re not creating enough traffic in front of the net. So that to me is our biggest need.”
“I think Ron brushes some people the wrong way with his mannerisms when in fact he’s a great guy and a great teacher and a great coach,” says Burke. “But I think his mannerisms with the media – which, by the way, have been developed over a very frustrating period of time – have led some people to turn on Ron unfairly.
“That doesn’t change my thinking. We are not looking at a coaching change.”
- Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Is it time to blowup the Calgary Flames? LeBrun would blowup the Flames, putting Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff on the market. The Kings would be interested in Iginla, the Canadiens might be too. Would he waive his no-trade though? He has another 2 years left at $7 million. Burnside wonders if a team would part with a 1st round pick, a top prospect or “tidy little package” for Iginla? Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay might get some interest, though both have a no-movement clause. To quote Burnside “how does that happen, by the way?”, referring to Jokinen and Tanguay’s no-movement clause. It may be time to replace management as well.
- Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Marek Svatos and KHL’s Avangard have mutually agreed to terminate Svatos’s contract. Chesnokov hears that he may stay in the KHL with Dinamo Riga.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Zach Bogosian missed last night’s game with multiple nagging injuries. The Thrashers play 4 games in 6 days after Christmas, so he was given some extra time to heal. Niclas Bergfor was scratched again, along with Nic Antropov.
- James O’Brien of Pro Hockey Talk: The race to get the rink built in Pittsburgh is on.
I may be able to sneak in an update later on today. Traveling begins shortly, will be on the road for the majority of the day so I may not get a chance. If not, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our readers. No posting tomorrow, and we’ll see about boxing day.
Jacques Lemaire in, John MacLean out in New Jersey
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on December 23rd, 2010
11:00 AM: Tom Gulitti via twitter: John MacLean has been fired by the NJ Devils and Jacques Lemaire will take over. Lemaire will only coach the Devils for the remainder of the season. MacLean will remain with the organization in a role to be determined later.
9:15 AM: Charles Payette of CKAC Sports: Payette is saying that Michel Langevin of CKAC was told by sources close to the New Jersey Devils might have Jacques Lemaire behind the bench tonight, replacing John MacLean.
They are saying that Lemaire caught a flight to New Jersey this morning to resume coaching the team. Lemaire retired from coaching last year after the Devils were eliminated from the 1st round.
The Devils are 9-22-2 this season and are tied for last overall with 20 points. They have only 1 win in 9 games in December.
Waffle thrower revealed … Datsyuk breaks hand … Miller going for win #200 …. Gaborik out tonight.
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on December 23rd, 2010
- Jennifer Pagliaro of the Globe and Mail: Waffles have been a hot topic around the Toronto Maple Leafs recently, with the 2nd waffle throwing incident taking place on Monday. But this time the culprit was caught. Joe Robb was charged with mischief after he thew a box of Eggo’s over the boards during play. Joe is a ‘diehard’ fan, but is frustrated with the team. “I didn’t intend for it to hurt nobody and maybe I shouldn’t have done it while the play was going on,” the 31-year-old Oakville resident told The Globe and Mail Wednesday. “I totally love the Leafs and that’s pretty much my hobby, to watch the team play.” He’s been banned “indefinitely” from the ACC and other MLSE venues. In case you haven’t seen the video, it’s at the bottom of this post. Keep your eye on just above the Rogers sign to see Joe in action.
- John Niyo of the Detroit News: Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk will be out for at least a month after breaking a bone in his right hand last night. Datsyuk tripped over Mikael Samuelsson and fell awkwardly with less than 2 minutes left in the first.
- Darren Dreger via twitter: Dreger wonders what kind of trade interested there would be in Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News: Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller will go for career win number 200. He would be the 67th goalie to reach 200 wins. The 30 year old Miller has posted a career 199-114-37 record.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: Keith Yandle is the Coyotes leading scorer and will be an RFA at season’s end. He’s currently making $1.3 million and will be looking for a nice raise. GM Don Maloney can’t do anything until the new owner takes over. Both sides will be paying attention to other RFAs Shea Weber, Jack Johnson, and Drew Doughty.
- Jesse Spector of the NY Daily News: Marian Gaborik was unable to practice yesterday and will not be in the lineup for the NY Rangers tonight. Gaborik could return on Monday. Michael Del Zotto is out with the flue. The Norwegian Hobbit Mats Zuccarello was called up to yesterday. Ryan Callahan will be out until February with a broken left hand.
- Ken B|elson of the NY Times: Practically every team has inquired about hosting or participating in the 2012 Winter Classic, the Commish Gary Bettman, said it’s too early to say where it will be held next New Year’s Day. The league had hoped to hold a game at Yankee stadium but the “Pinstripe Bowl” is held a few days before New Year’s Day.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: SJ Sharks Douglas Murray skated yesterday but it’s still not known if he’ll return tonight. Antero Nittymaki (12-3-3, 2.31 GAA) may have the upper hand over Antti Niemi (6-8-2, 3.15 GAA). Coach Todd McLellan will still continue to use both goalies, but my go with the hotter goalie more often.
- Don O’Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Blues injured forward TJ Oshie skated for 45 minutes before yesterday’s optional skate. Oshie broke his left ankle on Nov. 10th and is projected to be re-evaluated in mid-February. Patrick Berglund left Tuesday’s game early but will be in the lineup tonight.
- James O’Brien of Pro Hockey Talk (NBC Sports): Cam Ward is likely to play tonight despite having an infection on his forehead that swelled up so bad it almost closed his left eye. Matt Bradley will be out for 2-4 weeks with a broken finger. Patrick Kaleta is listed as day-to-day after only playing 1 period on Tuesday.
Lamoriello on Brodeur trade rumors, “He’s not going anywhere.” … Blackhawks injury updates … Starting goalies
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 22nd, 2010
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Lou Lamoriello on Brodeur trade rumors, “He’s not going anywhere.”
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Martin Brodeur, “I want to stay. I’ve been fortunate to play on some great teams here. I”m not going to quit now.” …. On if he’d waive his no-trade if Devils could get good value for him to rebuild, “I’ll cross that bridge if that happens. It’s a possibility. We’re not all untouchables. It could be a possibility. But personally I don’t want to go anywhere. I like it here. I like playing for this organization and I guarantee you that we won’t have two seasons of that in a row.”
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Brodeur will start for the Devils against the Islanders tomorrow night.
- Brian Hedger of NHL.com: Marian Hossa and Viktor Stalberg took part in full practice yesterday. Patrick Kane didn’t skate as he re-aggravate his lower body injury on the weekend. Hossa could be back after Christmas according to coach Joel Quennville. Quennville on Kane, “I still think he’s able to do a lot off the ice,” “I think his conditioning is still going to be right for game conditions. It’s just a matter (of) … until he feels good on the ice. He’s not too far away either.”
- Mark Everson of the NY Post: Jason Arnott on asking for trade,
“Like go to a playoff team? I’ve thought about it,” Arnott told The Post yesterday, before the Devils lost their ninth straight road game, 5-1 to the Capitals. “We’re not quitters. Mathematically, we’re not out of it yet. When I decided to come here, the chance I wanted was to be in contention to win this year. It just hasn’t gone that way.
“I don’t know. We’ll see later on. I’ve thought about it, no question. Right now, I still want to see if we can turn this thing around and make the playoffs.”
- Steve Zipay via twitter: Mats Zuccarello has been called up by the New York Rangers after scoring 13 goals and adding 11 assists in 32 games in the AHL.
- Joshua Cooper via twitter: Lindback will start tonight for the Predators, Rinne will go tomorrow. Crawford will start for the Blackhawks tonight. Kane, Hossa and Stalberg are out.
- Will DePaoli via twitter: Brett Johnson will start for the Penguins tonight.
- NY Islanders via twitter: Dwayne Roloson will start tonight for the Islanders.
- Dan Murphy via twitter: Cory Schneider will start for the Canucks tomorrow. Andrew Alberts should be back in the lineup.
Burke talks music and Leafs (audio) … Leafs trade assets … Would Devils trade Brodeur? Staal skates … DiPietro to IR … Video of Cooke hit on Yandle
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Audio, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on December 22nd, 2010
- Fan 590 Audio: Brian Burke was on the morning show yesterday morning talking about music and the Maple Leafs.
- 98.5 The Sports Hub Audio: Bruins President Cam Neely joined Felger and Mazz to break down the team’s recent slump. Is Neely happy with the job head coach Claude Julien is doing? Will any moves be made? Neely gives us the answers.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Cox thinks the Maple Leafs have some trade assets that could help the future. Names that might come up at the trade deadline or before are Francois Beauchemin, Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Tomas Kaberle.
- Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: JS Giguere will be off skates for 7 to 10 days.
- Scott Burnside of ESPN: The New Jersey Devils season is all but over, 18 points out with no signs of things turning around. Could they look at trading Martin Brodeur to a contender? He has another year left at $5.2 million. Would the Washington Capitals or Tampa Bay Lightning be interested? The LA Kings may look into adding another defenseman before the trade deadline, as Willie Mitchell’s has been unable to remain healthy. He’s played only 15 games and is week-to-week with a knee injury.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: Vancouver might trade Kevin Bieksa when Sami Salo returns (it’s still not known exactly when he’ll return). Rick Rypien, who left the Canucks for personal reasons, isn’t expected to be back with the team this season, and it’s possible that he may never return. Former NHLer, current AHLer, Jonathan Cheechoo has a bruised kidney and some internal bleeding. The Islanders may look to trade winger Matt Moulson if he wants more money than they want to give him. The Isles may offer Doug Weight one more kick at the can and send him to a contender if he wants too.
- Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Jordan Staal skated for 30 minutes yesterday with their strength and conditioning coach. He didn’t wear a glove over his surgically repaired hand, nor did he do any stick handling drills. It’s been 50 days since the surgery.
- Chris Botta of NYI Point Blank: Even though the NY Islanders 3rd sting goal, Nathan Lawson, got the start of Dwayne Roloson, a trade of Roloson is not imminent. Botta thinks the Isles would ask for a 2nd round pick for Roloson if they decide to trade him.
- The Globe and Mail: The New York Islanders have put Rick DiPietro and defenceman Mike Mottau on injured reserve. DiPietro will be eligible to return in 7 days. Mottau will have surgery on his hip and will be out the remainder of the season.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Milan Hedjuk missed his 6th straight game due to a groin injury.
- Mike Vogel via twitter: Washington Capitals winger Matt Bradley has a broken finger and will miss 2-4 weeks.
- Yesterday @jimbalsillie tweeted “Hi again, social friends! Very early morning. Nashville bound today! And not to learn how to write a country song. Stay tuned.” Later on Bob McKenzie let the world know it was a fake account and to get back to Christmas shopping.
- Matt Cooke’s elbow to Keith Yandle from Sunday night. Yandle called for a 5 game suspension. What do you think of it?
Connolly out a week … Garon CBJ #1 goalie … Rinne could start Wed. … Preliminary talks for Ehrhoff … Another Waffle tossing video
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Free Agents, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Trades on December 21st, 2010
- Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News: Tim Connolly will be out at least a week after having reconstructive surgery on his nose. Connolly was hit into the boards on Satruday, he returned to the game with full face shield. Sabres captain Craig Rivet has been a healthy scratch, and Lindy Ruff left the press conference when asked about it.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Mathieu Garon has taken over the title of the Columbus Blue Jackets number one goalie. Steve Mason has struggled and is looking to regain his confidence.
“I told Matty (Garon) I don’t know how long this is going to last,” Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. “But don’t worry about Vancouver (Thursday’s opponent) until we get done with Calgary. Don’t worry about Chicago (Dec. 26) until we’re done with Vancouver. Just focus on what we need to do. Just focus on beating Calgary tonight.”
- Helene Elliott of the LA Times: Marco Sturm will make his debut with the LA Kings tonight, but he’ll be eased back into action. Sturm will skate on the 4th line with Trevor Lewis and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Brad Richardson will be on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Justin Williams will be with Jarret Stoll and Ryan Smyth. Kyle Clifford will be with Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Oscar Moller was returned to Manchester. Jonathan Quick will start in net.
- Bryan Mullen via twitter: Pekka Rinne says he’s ready to return and could start on Wednesday against the Blackhawks if coach Trotz makes the call.
- Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: There have been preliminary talks between the Canucks and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff is making $3.1 million this season, and will be one of four UFA defenseman for the Canucks, Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo and Andrew Alberts are the others.
“I definitely want to stay, but there are two sides involved in that,” said Ehrhoff. “I stopped thinking about it [contract] and just try to do my best to help the team. That’s my main focus right now and everything else isn’t. There’s not much I can do other than play good hockey and try not to get distracted by it.”
- Ron MacGregor of the Globe and Mail: In the past few weeks there may have been several teams who might have considered replacing their coach: New Jersey (John MacLean), Calgary (Brent Sutter), Minnesota (Todd Richards), Toronto (Ron Wilson), Ottawa (Cory Clouston), Washington (Bruce Boudreau), Anaheim (Randy Carlyle) and Buffalo (Lindy Ruff).
- Another waffle tossing incident in Toronto last night. Waffle tossing during play isn’t cool.
Rangers call about Tyutin, Jackets call about Del Zotto … Starting Goalies … Giguere out with groin injury … Lebda a winger?
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on December 20th, 2010
- Aaron Portzline via twitter: When the Columbus Blue Jackets made Fedor Tyutin a healthy scratch last week, Rangers GM Glen Sather inquired. When NY Rangers made Michael Del Zotto a healthy scratch, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson inquired. No Tyutin and Filatov for Del Zotto was discussed.
- George Richards via twitter: Tomas Vokoun will start for the Panthers tonight against the Flyers.
- Jimmy Murphy via twitter: Bruins forward Brad Marchand is out tonight. Daniel Paille will be on a line with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton.
- Arthur Staple via twitter: Vinny Prospal practiced with the NY Rangers today in a non-contact jersey.
- Chris Vivlamore via twitter: Ondrej Pavelec will start in net for the Thrashers tonight versus the Leafs. Chris Mason will likely go tomorrow night versus the Blues.
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: Jonas Gustavsson will start in net for the Maple Leafs tonight against the Thrashers.
- James Mirtle via twitter: JS Giguere will be out a week or 2 with a groin injury. He’ll see a specialist in the next couple of days.
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: Maple Leafs defenseman Brett Lebda will play left wing on the 4th line tonight. Nazem Kadri will be a healthy scratch again. Coach Ron Wilson will continue to work with Kadri to build strength in practice and off ice, doesn’t want to send him down to the Marlies.
- Will DePaoli via twitter: Chris Kunitz will be back in the lineup for the Penguins tonight.
- Will DePaoli via twitter: Mike Comrie may need hip surgery, will see a doctor on the 27th.
- Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: Former goalie Darren Pang thinks the Blue Jackets should send Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason back to the minors to help build his confidence. Mathieu Garon will likely start for the Blue Jackets tomorrow night against the Flames.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Martin Brodeur will start in net for the Devils tomorrow night versus the Capitals.
- Larry Brooks via twitter: Derek Boogaard may have concussion from a fight with Matt Carkner of Dec. 9th.
3 goalies in Philly … Injured Sens … Jackets interested in Del Zotto … Philly shopped Carcillo, Zherdev and vanRiemsdyk
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 20th, 2010
Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Michael Leighton lead the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup last year, now he finds himself as the #3 goalie in Philly. The Flyers don’t want to send Leighton or Brian Boucher to the AHL as they’d have to clear waivers and would likely be claimed. Sergei Bobrovsky is on a 2-way contract but has claimed the #1 job. The NHL Christmas trade freeze is in effect until Dec. 27th. Tampa could use a goalie, and Washington may be interested in a veteran.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Injuries are taking toll on some Ottawa Senators; Kovalev has a bad knee, Milan Michalek has had knee issues since being drafted, Daniel Alfredsson rarely practices, and Mike Fisher has a bad shoulder. The Columbus Blue Jackets in search of a offensive defenseman have inquired about NY Rangers Michael Del Zotto. They may have been offering former Rangers, Fedor Tyutin, but it would take more. Nikita Filatov? The Philadelphia Flyers have been trying to clear some cap space, including Daniel Carcillo, Nikolai Zherdev or James vanRiemsdyk. They want a 1st round draft pick plus another pick for James vanRiemsdyk.
Terry Frei of the Denver Post: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey will undergo season ending shoulder surgery. Team doctor, “After physical and diagnostic tests, the decision has been made to repair his shoulder at this time.”
Dan O’Neill of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: The St. Louis Blues activated defenseman Roman Polak from IR yesterday and returned Ian Cole to the AHL. The Blues also announced that Dave Scatchard will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Hotstove and NHL Sources Say videos … DiPietro and Leclaire hurt, there’s a shocker … Staal still hasn’t received clearance
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Videos on December 19th, 2010
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Simmons thinks that Darryl Sutter didn’t make a mistake in trading Dion Phaneuf, mistake was not shopping him around or getting 1 decent player in return. Simmons asks a couple good questions about the Leafs power play; “Why does Phil Kessel play so high? With his quick hands, shouldn’t he be down low camped out on one side of the net?” (My answer would be coaching, they are the one’s who design the systems)
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: John MacLean hasn’t received any assurance about his coaching job from Lou Lamoriello in the last couple weeks.
- The Globe and Mail: Penguins center Jordan Staal’s return is still up in the air as he has yet to receive clearance to begin practicing.
- The Globe and Mail: Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is out again with swelling in his left knee, but appears to only be minor.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Pascal Leclaire can’t shake the injury bug. He was unable to start on Friday due to a lower body injury
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Christmas roster freeze is in effect tonight at midnight. The Senators are interested in trading for Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa but he isn’t available yet.
- Joshua Cooper via twitter: The Predators should get either David Legwand or Patrick Hornqvist back on Wednesday.
- Hockey Night in Canada Hotstove
- NHL Sources Say – Donald Fehr’s new role with the NHLPA as well as Pascal Leclaire’s future with the Senators.
Changes to Revenue Sharing coming? Caps to play in Russia … Possible returns tonight: Selanne, Johnson, Pietrangelo and Ehrhoff
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 18th, 2010
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Chris Osgood was originally penciled in to start tonight in Chicago, but a team captain talked Mike Babcock into having him start Osgood on Sunday at home so he could possibly get his 400th win at home.
- Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: KHL president Medvedev said the Washington Capitals could play in Russia as early as next season.
- Jake Leonard of the SF Chronicle: Potential suitors for Evgeni Nabokov could be: Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars.
- Helene Elliott via twitter: Matt Green has headed back to LA to get his head looked at. Willie Mitchell is headed to Nashville to see a doctor about a lower body injury.
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: After missing the last 4 games with a groin injury, Teemu Selanne is set to re-join his Ducks teammates against the Hurricanes tonight.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: Erik Johnson practiced with the Blues yesterday and there is a chance he could play tonight. There’s a chance Alex Pietrangelo plays tonight as well.
- Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun: Christian Ehrhoff practiced with Canucks teammates yesterday for the first time since December 8th when he suffered a head injury. It was initially thought to be a concussion but turned out to be a vertigo issue.
- Mike Ziesberger of the Toronto Sun: There’s a chance that Nazem Kadri will be a healthy scratch tonight versus the Canucks. He was practicing with the 4th line yesterday.
“I need to understand that chipping the puck in is not such a bad thing. The little turnovers at their blue line and at our blue line are things I need to change.
“I’ll get it right. I’ll get my head around it. It caught me off-guard a bit. I’ve been going hard and I think things have been going pretty good but I guess there are things I need to improve.”
- Jonas Siegel via twitter: The Maple Leafs have recalled James Reimer as JS Giguere re-aggravated his groin.
- Chris Botta of the NY Times: The way the league’s revenue sharing works with lower-profile teams could change in the next C.B.A. according to Deputy Commish Bill Daily. In the current C.B.A., teams with TV market of over $2.5 million wouldn’t qualify for revenue sharing, which would include Anaheim, NY Islanders, and NJ Devils.
Pronger out 4-6 weeks … Semin to miss game … Stastny and Hejduk out … Kane aiming for Sunday
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 17th, 2010
- Tim Panaccio via twitter: Chris Pronger will miss 4-6 weeks after having surgery to repair a broken bone is his right foot.
- Katie Carrera via twitter: Alexander Semin won’t travel with the team to Boston, but could meet them in Ottawa according to Bruce Boudreau. Scott Hannan and Tyler Sloan are both game-time decisions, both are sick.
- Joshua Cooper via twitter: Pekka Rinne, “Right now I can pretty much say I’m 100 percent”
- Adrian Dater via twitter: Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk won’t be in the lineup for the Avalanche tonight. Stastny skated for a bit today but left early.
- Allen Panzeri via twitter: Pascal Leclaire will be in net for the Senators tonight against the Avalanche. Matt Carkner is a game-time decision with an ankle cut.
- Katie Carrera via twitter: The Washington Capitals have signed John Erskine to a 2 year contract extension for $3 million.
- Tim Sassone via twitter: Patrick Kane hopes to play on Sunday.
- Bob McKenzie via twitter: The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jassen Cullimore on waivers. Jon Sim was put on waivers by the Islanders.
- Habs Inside/Out podcast: Pat Hickey, Mike Boone and Dave Stubbs talk about “Habs win, Subban’s hit, Cammalleri’s fight (!), the callup of Max Pacioretty, the upcoming seven-game road trip, and backup goalie Alex Auld”
10 players who could be moved … Sturm targets 23rd … Good news for Blues Dman Johnson … Stastny day-to-day … Neon Dion
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on December 17th, 2010
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: LeBrun looks at 10 players who could be moved by the February 28th trade deadline; Brad Richards, Tomas Vokoun, Tomas Kaberle, Joffrey Lupul, Alexei Kovalev, Tim Connolly, Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner, Devin Setoguchi, and Joni Pitkanen.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: Recently acquired Marco Sturm is looking at a December 23rd debut for the LA Kings, with an outside shot at their December 21st game. The Kings apparently haven’t been concerned about Sturm knee, he had some arthritic buildup that pushed back his return date. Blues defenseman Roman Polak will see a doctor today and is looking to return to the Blues lineup in January.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Blues got the results back from Erik Johnson’s MRI on his right knee, and it was finally something on the good side of things. The MRI revealed a slight strain and he’s listed as day-to-day, and hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s game. The Blues have lost 108 man games so far this season, with 12 missing at least 1 game, 4 players have missed more than 10.
- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny says he’s day-to-day with a back injury. He awkwardly hit the boards after being hit in Wednesday’s game against the Blackhawks.
- Darren Dreger of TSN: Former Calgary Flames coach admits there was tension in the locker room between Dion Phaneuf and some teammates during his days in Calgary. Some teammates called him “Neon Dion” as they found him overconfident/cocky at times. Some players wanted Phaneuf to be disciplined for his sometimes “combative nature and verbal approach”, but Keenan didn’t.
- Steve Zipay via twitter: Vinny Prospal should return to the NY Rangers no earlier than mid-January.
- Jim Gintonio via twitter: Once the Phoenix Coyotes sale becomes finalized, the teams first priority will be to re-sign Ilya Bryzgalov for 5 more years.
- Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has said he’d like to improve along the blueline and at center, but their tight against the cap and a move may have to wait until deadline day.
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