Archive for category NHL Rumors

Cooke’s hit a ’shoulder to the head’ according to Colin Campbell … GMs talking Headshots in Florida … Injury Updates

Posted by Mark in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 9th, 2010

  • James Murphy of NESN: The NHL’s chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell has said that Matt Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard was a shoulder to the head, rather than an elbow to the head. Campbell and about 7 others watched the hit for an hour and a half. Savard suffered a grade 2 concussion. A shoulder to the head may be a lesser suspension than an elbow to the head. Cooke is a repeat offender, so his punishment might be a little stiffer.
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBCSports: GM’s are taking another serious look at headshots at their GM meetings in Florida. Some factors Friedman thinks the GMs must address; ‘Make the penalties harsh’, ‘ease up on the self-interest’, ’soften the equipment’, ‘make the victims more aware’, ‘be flexible’, and ‘eliminate the instigator rule’. Some of Friedman’s ‘30 Thoughts’ below:
    • Some Canadian-based GMs think Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier jacked up the price of rentals when he gave up a 2nd round pick for Dominic Moore. I’d have to agree with them, I don’t know what Gauthier was thinking.
    • Other teams may not be pleased with Darryl Sutter giving Matt Stajan 4 years and $14 million. I agree with this as well, I was  (and am still) shaking my head over this one. $3.5 million for a 3rd line center? But I guess for now he’s the #1 center in Calgary.
    • Dan Hamhuis wasn’t dealt at the deadline as nobody wanted to give up a 1st rounder for the UFA.
    • Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli may not have wanted to give up a high draft pick or top prospect to acquire a scorer at the deadline, as he may not think they are legitamate contenders.
    • 2 teams (at least one) would have taken Cristobal Huet from the Blackhawks for a 1st rounder and an established player.
    • Some GMs believe now that the Canucks will hold on to Cody Hodgson.
    • Brian Burke has said it’s more likely that Tomas Kaberle is signed to an extension, rather than being traded.
    • Raffi Torres may want to return home to Toronto next year, but will Burke want him?
    • One of the reason’s Alexei Ponikarovsky was traded was that he asked for a 4 year contract extension.
  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Evander Kane of the Atlanta Thrashers will have a CT Scan on his left foot today. Kane blocked a shot on Saturday, and didn’t return after it happened.
  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: Newly acquired Dman Denis Grebeshkov will be out of the Predators lineup for 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury. Shea Weber is doubtful for tonight’s game. Dan Ellis will start for the Preds.
  • The Ottawa Citizen: The Ottawa Senators have signed the 23-year-old Brian Lee to a 2 year contract extension. Lee was drafted 9th overall in 2005, but hasn’t really lived up to expectations yet.
  • Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Tuukka Rask was back on the ice for a 2nd day with several Bruins,e h aggravated an old right knee injury last week.

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    Blue Jackets could look for an Offensive Defenseman or Top Center … Wisniewski Happy to be a Duck

    Posted by Mark in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 8th, 2010

  • Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson likes his team, but sees that he might need to upgrade on the blueline. He also knows that they need to generate more scoring. They already have 7 defenseman under contract for next season, with the majority of them, defensive-defenseman. He may look at dealing some of them, and bring in someone with a more offensive side. Fedor Tyutin, Jan Hejda and Rostislav Klesla could be trade possibilities. The Blue Jackets may also be looking for a front line center, or allow Derick Brassard to “grow into the role”. There is still no word if Nikita Filatov will return to the club next season, or they could trade him for an offensive defenseman or top center.
  • The Edmonton Journal: Steve Yzerman may the at the top of the list for future NHL general managers. The Tampe Bay Lightning may look for a new GM, after the team was recently bought by Jeff Vinik. Flames GM Darryl Sutter may also be on the hot seat if Flames don’t make the playoffs this year (see yesterday’s post).
  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe: Dennis Seidenberg has only played 2 games for the Bruins, but he may want to stay for a lot longer. “This is a good opportunity for me to show what I can do and if I can fit on the team,’’ he said. “There is a chance - I definitely hope - to stay here.’’
  • Chris Botta of NYI Point Blank: Islanders coach Scott Gordon is not that thrilled with Isles GM Garth Snow for trading away defenseman Andy Sutton, and not bringing a depth replacement. The Isles are still in the playoff hunt, the blueline is looking a little thin.
  • Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: Brett Lebda has missed a couple games recently as a healthy scratch, and may be running out of time to secure a regular spot on the Red Wings blueline, as well as a new contract from the Wings for the upcoming UFA.
  • Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski was happy he wasn’t dealt at the deadline, but he and the Ducks are far apart on a contract extension. Wisniewski is making $2.75 million this season, and will be looking for a raise. He is arbitration eligible. The Ducks may not be interested in giving him the raise he wants.

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    Mats Zuccarello Aasen-Remember This Name

    Posted by Derek in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on March 7th, 2010

    There’s a lot of buzz about diminutive Norwegian winger Mats Zuccarello Aasen, and it’s likely he’s headed to the NHL next season. But the question is whether he can be successful at his size — 5-foot-7 and 161 pounds.

    One Swedish hockey writer had this to say (via Aftenposten), “Look at stars like Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane, to name a few. New rule interpretations and attitudes in the NHL are a benefit to players like them and Mats.”

    He caught a lot of eyes at the Olympics, including that of Red Wings VP Steve Yzerman. He told Swedish TV stations (via Aftenposten), “I can not remember his name, but No. 48 in Norway has been very good in the Olympics.”

    Yup, that’s Aasen, so now there’s speculation that the Red Wings might be interested in the winger. We already knew several NHL teams were eying the 22-year-old, including the Chicago Blackhawks.

    While searching out stats on the diminutive left winger for this article, I found that Hockey DB.com had stats as usual (great site for stats), and they have him listed at 5′ 7″ and 154 pounds. Most NHL defencemen could curl about that much weight, but the “New NHL” does offer some opportunity for the smaller, highly skilled players.

    Nicknamed “The Norwegian Hobbitt Wizard”, he has a great set of hands and creativity that is always required for a small player to gain as much notoriety has he already has.

    Here’s a little sample of his play, courtesy of Youtube.com.

    His stats for Modo are impressive too, considering the amount of games played he’s better than a point per game average.

    We’ll be keeping an eye on Aasen, along with a variety of other European and U.S. College free agents as the season continues. This is where an NHL team, like the Detroit Red Wings, can really set them selves apart with quality scouting.

    Players that can contribute in the NHL, without using draft picks to acquire them, are at a premium for teams trying to re-build in todays salary capped NHL.

    Look for a tab in our “Features” section in the near future for more articles like this one, as we compile a list of the best eligible players outside of the NHL, and see where they might fit in in the future.

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    Trouble looming for Sutter and Babcock? NHL in Sochi? Kaberle again …

    Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 7th, 2010

  • Darren Dreger of TSN: If the Calgary Flames don’t make the playoffs after all the changes they made to ‘improve’ their team, GM Darryl Sutter could get axed. He made a bold move in trading Dion Phaneuf without bringing in a star, and changed almost a 1/3 of their roster before the deadline.
  • Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has to be worried deep down inside about his goaltending situation. If Jimmy Howard struggles down the stretch, or in the playoffs, Babcock may have to ride it out. You see, his back up goalie, Chris Osgood, doesn’t play that often any more and will most likely be rusty. Osgood has only started 3 games in the last 3 months.
  • Hockey Night in Canada Hotstove Video: Will the NHL go the Olympics in Sochi? The success of the Vancouver games could be a bargining chip for Bettman.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Garrioch thinks Tomas Kaberle will be moved before the Draft. His 3 team list could have been the Bruins, Flyers and Rangers.
  • Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Simmons thinks the Maple Leafs have to either trade Tomas Kaberle this summer, or sign him to an extension. It’s a tough decision, for every ‘if’, there is a ‘but’ … Some good lines from Simmons:
    • “The latest scorecard on the Phil Kessel trade: Both teams are losers at this point. The Bruins don’t have scoring from the wing. The Leafs don’t have those much-needed high draft choice”
    • “Everything about John Mitchell looks like an NHL player. And then the game begins”
    • “A medal update after four NHL Olympic hockey tournaments: Finland 3, Canada, USA, Czech Republic and Russia 2, Sweden 1. And how does that make sense?”
    • “Yzerman, by the way, should be the leading candidate for every available GM job now: He has grown by leaps as a public person and hockey administrator the last 12 pressure-filled months”

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    Cory Schneider Still with the Canucks … Winnipeg Mayor Shoots Down Team … Kaberle, Staying or Going

    Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 6th, 2010

  • Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun: The Canucks received calls from a number of teams who were interested in Cory Schneider, but nothing was good enough for Gillis. Gillis said “He’s a great young player in our organization, a fully developed goalie who is ready to step into the NHL, and that’s not something you would trade away lightly. We have significant plans for Cory. We’re going to get into those plans with his agent in the next couple of weeks and try to get him re-signed.” I am really curious as what his plans are, backing up Roberto Luongo for 10-20 games a season, probably isn’t something Schneider will be thrilled about.
  • Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: The New Jersey Devils are one of the teams that were rumored to be interested in Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle.
  • Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: Tomas Kaberle was ‘happy to hear’ that Brian Burke may be interested in signing him to a contract extension. But he did leave open the possibility that he’ll move on from Leafs.
  • Ross Romaniuk of the Toronto Sun: The mayor of Winnipeg, Sam Katz, is shooting down the rumors that a NHL team will be coming to the Winnipeg soon. “We know there are many Winnipeggers and hockey fans who would love to see the NHL come back to our great city, and maybe in time that will happen. But I can tell you that from the sources I have, these rumours have absolutely no foundation and no truth to them,” said Katz.
  • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: JS Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson will be splitting time in the Leafs net according to Ron Wilson. Giguere started off with a bang, but has let in some shaky goals lately. Gustavsson needs to play more to see if he could be the Leafs goalie of the future. Gustavsson is a RFA at seasons end, and Giggy has a year left.

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    Some Trades That Didn’t Happen at the Deadline

    Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 5th, 2010

  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:
    • The Flyers, Canucks, Capitals and Ducks all talked to the Maple Leafs about Tomas Kaberle. Burke was looking for a 1st round pick, a mid-round pick, and a top prospect. The Flyers would have had to convince one of Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, or Simon Gagne to waive their no movement clause to fit Kaberle in. The Maple Leafs will most likely look to move Kaberle in the summer when his no trade clause doesn’t apply.
    • The Islanders weren’t sure of the health of Rick DiPietro (shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone), so they decided to hold on to Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. The Blackhawks, Flyers and Capitals all inquired.
    • Ray Whitney refused to waive his no trade clause without getting a contract extension of 3 years and $10.5 million. He could re-sign with the Hurricanes.
    • The Bruins were interested in bringing in Wojtek Wolski, but didn’t have the have the young prospect to send the other way.
    • The Capitals inquired about Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov, but the Sens want to make a strong playoff push.
    • The Canucks called about Raffi Torres, but he went to the Sabres.
    • The Panthers tried to trade Tomas Vokoun but couldn’t get the return they wanted. They will most likely try to deal him at the Draft, and the Capitals might be interested. They could offer Karl Alzner in a package.
    • 10 teams called the Predators about Dan Hamhuis, but Preds GM David Poile wouldn’t lower his 2nd round pick and a top prospect demand.

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    Other Fallouts from the Trade Deadline … Atlanta to Winnipeg, not now

    Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 5th, 2010

  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Some league executives aren’t happy with the Coyotes adding salary at the deadline, since they are still losing money, and the other owers are fitting the bill. They added more than $2.5 million in salary, and are losing $5 million a month.

    “You know where that money comes from?” one furious league executive asked. “It comes out of the owners’ pockets and they aren’t going to be happy with this because they’re already not happy with having to foot the bill for Phoenix in the first place.”

    “I just don’t understand this,” said the executive. “I guess the belief is if the Coyotes can make a long playoff run, then they’ll be able to recoup some of the money for the NHL.”

  • Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun: About the rumors of the Atlanta Thrashers being moved to Winnipeg, Wyman has this to say “Get a grip, Winnipeg.” There hasn`t been a credible source to back up the rumor.
  • Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: The Canadiens decided to keep both Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price at the deadline.” Gainey was a strong Carey Price supporter, but when Gauthier and head coach Jacques Martin say the Canadiens need two goaltenders down the stretch, they’re really saying they need Jaroslav Halak.” The Canadiens shopped Paul Mara around but didn’t find any takers.
  • Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune: Lightning GM Brian Lawton, “We were in on one big blockbuster deal that would ultimately have robbed us of our future, and we made the determination that we are going to remain disciplined and that we were not going to overpay things. And that was the theme for the day, lots of quantity, not quality.”
  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: The Predators were in on Alexei Ponikarovsky, with what they considered a very good offer. (Brian Burke did say received an offer of a 2nd and 4th round pick, but didn’t name the team.)
  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Thrashers tried to grant Slava Kozlov’s request of being traded, but was unable to find a playoff contender who wanted him. They never received an offer for him.

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    The Day after Deadline Day

    Posted by Mark in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 4th, 2010

  • Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli had a frustrating day yesterday. Though he did bring in Dennis Seidenberg, and cleared out a little room to bring in a scoring forward, that forward never showed up. The Bruins had 7 forwards on their wish list; Alex Ponikarovsky, Raffi Torres, Ray Whitney, Keith Tkachuk, Wojtek Wolski, Cory Stillman, and Teemu Selanne. Though he was in on few deals, he didn’t want to match the asking price.
  • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Tomas Kaberle was never asked to waive his no trade clause, but his agent did give Brian Burke a list of 3 teams that Kaberle would consider going to. Burke was obviously, unable to pull something off. The 3 teams weren’t mentioned, but my guess would be that they were Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington. “The key for me is we respected the no-trade clause. It was a small number of teams and I generally will not accept less than 10. A player can’t handcuff you that way. This was a rare case where Tomas, a special player, asked us to look into three cases and we did.” Burke also mentioned yesterday that they may look at signing Kaberle to an extension, but my guess is that he’ll be moved at the Draft.
  • Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquier: Despite all the phone calls the last couple days, the Flyers didn’t pull off any moves. Not having a 1st and 2nd round pick hampered what they could do. They showed interest in Colby Armstrong, Raffi Torres and Dan Hamhuis. The Flyers looked at other goalies but felt they weren’t an upgrade over Michael Leighton.
  • Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly: “We looked around for a few things to see if anything made sense to really add without subtracting and nothing really came up that made sense,” Holmgren said. “We’re certainly not upset and we’re moving forward.” The Flyers looked at Dan Hamhuis, Raffi Torres, and Tomas Kaberle. The Predators may have asked for Ryan Parent and Braydon Coburn (Parent and another player as they didn’t have any high picks this year). The Flyers hoped to get Kaberle cheap. The lack of draft picks probably hurt their chances of acquiring someone.
  • Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: They breakdown a bunch of yesterday’s trades.
  • Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Alexei Ponikarovsky won’t make his Penguins debut until the weekend, and may find himself alongside Evgeni Malkin.
  • Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun: Sheldon Souray developed an infection in his surgically repaired hand, and may be done for the season.
  • Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The Rangers decided to stay put yesterday. They found the prices for Dan Hamhuis and Raffi Torres too expensive. They were thought to be interested in Pavol Demitra but nothing really developed.
  • Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Penguins: Penguins GM Ray Shero weighs in on trade deadline.
  • James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen: Senators coach Cory Clouston said Filip Kuba is doubtful for tonights game with an injury that isn’t ’serious’.

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    Tomas Kaberle Trade Rumors about to heat up

    Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 3rd, 2010

    4:21 PM: Mark Seidel: “I apologize to all who follow my tweets but I was given info about Kaberle that was either incorrect or I was used but either way, im sorry”

    2:36 PM: HendricksHockey: Caps looking at Kaberle.

    2:35 PM: Mark Seidel: Calls about Hodgson’s back were not to his agent. Philly and LA may be interested as well.

    2:34 PM: Mark Seidel: Kaberle as good as gone. Calls have been made about Cody Hodgson’s back.

    2:25 PM: Sportsnet: Brian Burke tells Sportsnet that he has not asked Kaberle to waive his no trade clause and doesn’t expect anything to happen.

    2:22 PM: Darren Dreger: as of 7 minutes ago, the Canucks haven’t called about Kaberle.

    2:19 PM: Frank Seravalli: Flyers kicking tires on Tomas Kaberle to make sure he isn’t going cheaper than what they could offer.

    2:00 PM: TheFourthPeriod: From Kaberle - “If there is a good deal there, I will consider it.” … “It’s tough. We’ll see what’s going to happen, today or in the off-season”

    1:45 PM: Bruce Garrioch: Looking to see where Kaberle could end up.

    1:40 PM: Darren Dreger: Kaberle says he has an agreement with Burke. Burke will tell him what the offers are.

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    Trade Rumors on Trade Deadline Day

    Posted by Mark in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 3rd, 2010

    Here are a bunch of Trade Rumors for you on Trade Deadline Day. Follow trades on our Trade Tracker page.

    9:35 AM: Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Flyers, Capitals, and Blackhawks could be looking at Vokoun, Turco, Ellis, and Roloson. The Predators have asked for a high-end prospect and a #1 pick for Dan Hamhuis, though they might keep him and hope to make a deep run in the playoffs. The Bruins, Canucks, Flyers, Devils, Rangers and Kings have all tried to land Hamhuis. The Leafs will look to move at least Stempniak and Primeau. The Thrashers are trying to sign Pavel Kubina to an extension before he becomes a UFA at seasons end. The Canucks, Capitals and Bruins may look at Joe Corvo.

    9:31 AM: Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: Tomas Vokoun hasn’t been asked yet to waive his no trade clause. Paul Kariya won’t waive his no trade clause and Keith Tkachuk may not want to move as well. The Blues could move Brad Boyes if they could find a taker.

    9:23 AM: James Murphy of NESN: Targets for the Bruins could be  Ray Whitney, Erik Cole and Tomas Kaberle. The 2010 first-rounder likely won’t be available back from Boston, but Chiarelli could net Kaberle with the Bruins’ original 2010 first-rounder, possibly a second-rounder and a young roster player. The chances of this happening were unlikely as of Tuesday night, but “don’t rule it out,” the source said. “Anything can happen.” There was also a rumor that the Bruins and Oilers were talking a deal that would get the Bruins a defenseman and possibly Andrew Cogliano.

    9:20 AM: Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: The Flyers are looking into Dwayne Roloson now that Ray Emery is done for the year. Roloson is a $2.5 million cap hit and is under contract next season.

    9:15 AM: Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald: Bruins GM  Peter Chiarelli will continue to look for scoring help. They may look at; Teemu Selanne, Ray Whitney, Keith Tkachuk, Cory Stillman, and Erik Cole.

    9:11 AM: Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail: The Canadiens may look to free up some cap space, and might look to see if they could shed Roman Hamrlik’s $5.5 million salary next season. That might be tough to do. The Habs may also look to move some salary for draft picks, with Maxim Lapierre, Glen Metropolit, and Paul Mara as potential players that could be moved out.

    9:07 AM: Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Washington Capitals are showing interest in Oilers Dman, Steve Staios. Staios is 37, and has another season at $2.7 million. John Erskine and a draft pick could head the other way.

    9:00 AM: Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: It looks like the Canadiens will hold on to both Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price.

    Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald: The Blackhawks are still trying to trade Cristobal Huet and his %5.625 million cap hit. Rumors are that they are talking to the Panthers, Islanders and Leafs.  The Leafs shot down their interest yesterday.

    Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: Russo initially thought that Wild would be trading Owen Nolan, but now he’s not so sure. Unless they get a big offer, they’ll probably keep him. The Wild could be willing to move Eric Belanger.

    Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: The Avs have put Wolski’s name out there, with the Coyotes Peter Mueller mentioned as a possible return. The Avalanche could look at bringing in Joe Corvo.

    Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune: The Lightning could use some scoring and a puck moving defenseman. They could also do some selling with Jeff Halpern, Mike Smith, Mattt Smaby, David Hale, and Alex Tanguay’s name being mentioned.

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