Posts Tagged Leland Irving

Garrioch’s Rumor Roundup … Kick-starting a Flames Rebuild … Canucks Knew About O’Reilly Waiver Issue

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on March 3rd, 2013

  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: On the Flames offer sheet to Ryan O’Reilly,

    “Calgary should have known (the Avs) were going to match it no matter what,” said a league insider Friday. “By doing this, what they’ve done is given a division rival one of their best players back instead of having that guy traded elsewhere.

    “The Flames have given the Avs a top-six forward and the ammo that could knock Calgary out of a playoff race. This could really end badly for the Flames.”

    Had the Flames not made the offer, O’Reilly would have been traded to an Eastern Conference team. The Canucks, Red Wings and Flames tried to trade for him. Avs GM Sherman was trying to trade him to the Rangers, Maple Leafs or Lightning. The Avs wanted a player, prospect and No. 1 pick. Sources say that the Avs asked for Michael Del Zotto, Chris Kreider and a No. 1.

    The Rangers, Flames and Flyers are making trade calls.  “Teams are thinking they’ve got to do something now if they’re going to stand a chance,” said a league executive Friday.

    The Rangers, Blues and Senators are looking for a defenseman.

    Many GMs think the Penguins will make a deal for Jarome Iginla.

    Unless the Senators get a really good offer for Ben Bishop, don’t expect them to trade him. Robin Lehner won’t be waiver exempt next season.

    The clock could be ticking for Lightning coach Guy Boucher.

    If the Ducks were to trade Corey Perry, the Maple Leafs would be interested. They would want to have a chance to sign him before giving up top prospects. It is believed that the Ducks and Ryan Getzlaf are getting closer to a deal. Talks are ongoing with Perry,  but the sense is that he won’t re-sign.

    Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin may not be done as he’d like to free up a bit more money.

    The Rangers may be looking to add a bit more grit. The Rangers may have floated the idea of moving Marian Gaborik. He has a cap hit of $7.5 million through 2014-15.

    The Panthers may be active at the trade deadline. It’s believed they won’t be able to sign Stephen Weiss, and there are several teams that will be interested. The Wings have asked about Weiss.

    The Stars will have to decide if they want to re-sign Brenden Morrow or trade him.

    The Bruins, Blues, Penguins and Flyers are looking for help.

  • Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun: Flames GM Jay Feaster said over a year ago on if they were to trade Miikki Kiprusoff,

    “If we were to trade 34 (Kiprusoff), is there a position lower than 30th?,” was Feaster’s reply just over a year ago. “If we were to trade 34, we’d be sub-30, whatever that number is in a 30-team league.”

    Kiprusoff no longer has a no-trade clause, and moving him would kick-start a flames rebuild. One problem is that the Flames don’t have goalie ready to take over the number 1 position. There is some hope that Kari Ramo would return the NHL next season. Also in their system are Danny Taylor, Leland Irving and even Barry Brust, but none have proven that they are NHLers.

  • Dan Tencer via twitter: When asked if he knew that Ryan O’Reilly would have to clear waivers if Colorado didn’t match the offer sheet, Cancucks GM Mike Gillis said “yes.”
  • Dan Tencer via twitter: When asked if he was close to trading Roberto Luongo prior to the season, Gillis said  “Yeah. Yeah, we were.”
  • Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune: Wild forward Matt Cullenwill be a UFA at the end of the season, and knows he could find himself in the trade rumors.

    “When I signed here three years ago, I wanted to win a Cup here. I hope we can do that this year,” Cullen said. “I love it here. My family’s from here. It’s a great organization. I love every part of it. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and start thinking about this stuff, and I know it will be on the forefront here before long as we get closer to the deadline.

    “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I know what I hope for, though.”

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Decisions for Kessel and Leafs … Bruins to talk extension with Rask … GMGM talks with ownership … Starting goalies

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors, NHL Starting Goalies on February 9th, 2013

  •  James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail: Maple Leafs Phil Kessel finally scored his 1st goal of the season on Thursday, and now things are brewing as to what will happen regarding his contract. He’ll be a free agent after next season, and people are wondering if he’ll remain with the Leafs longterm. Kessel is eligible to sign an extension on July 1st. It’s believed that new Leafs GM Dave Nonis hasn’t been offering Kessel around the league, but is listening to offers. The rumors will only increase if the Maple Leafs fall out of playoff contention by the trade deadline. Wade Arnott, Kessel’s agent, has said that it is “too early” to begin talks about the possibly re-signing with the team.

    “The season is just 11 games old,” Arnott said. “I know Phil is only focusing on the next game. We’ll see what the off-season brings, but I know he enjoys playing for the Leafs and living in a hockey market.”

    Kessel will need to figure out if he wants to stay in Toronto longterm. Nonis will have to figure out if he wants to commit big-money for a one-way scorer into his 30′s or look to trade for someone younger.

  • Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli indicated on Thursday that he’ll be working on extending goalie Tuukka Rask sometime during this season.

    “Nothing is imminent and I can leave it at that,” said Chiarelli. “[The Thomas trade] has kind of been in the works for a while and it just coincidental that Tuukka had a terrific game last night.

    “Breaching my own policy [of not discussing contracts], we will bring up talks with Tuukka at some point in this season, in hoping to extend him. I know the perception looks like one follows the other and I was waiting to pull the trigger based on a great game by Tuukka. We’ve been pretty open with Tuukka and Tim as far as when we would see them ending up, I call it a succession plan.”

    Haggerty thinks Rask’s deal could between Ondrej Pavelec’s 5 year, $19.5 million contract and Carey Price’s 6 year, $39.5 million deal.

  • Brian McNally of the Washington Examiner: Capitals GM George McPhee has met with Capitals ownership, Ted Leonsis and Dick Patrick.

    “Had some real good discussions with ownership over the last couple of days. They’re obviously not very happy. But they’ve been supportive,” McPhee said. “At times like this ownership can pile on and make things worse. Or ownership can say ‘How can we help and what we can do to make it better?’ And it’s been the latter. It’s been ‘How can we help, what can we do to make it better?’ And I provided some options and they provided some real fair direction, which was great.”

    “The opinions that matter are the coaching staff and our pro scouts and ownership. We’re all on the same page,” McPhee said. “We’re disappointed with the way things have started. It’s not over.”

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Trade Rumors involving the Islanders, Flames, Kings and Maple Leafs

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on January 24th, 2013

  • Arthur Staple of Newsday: Islanders GM Garth Snow said he received an email from Nino Niederreiter’s Swiss agent, Andre Rufener and asked for a trade. A source said that Snow has no plans to trade Niederreiter. Rufener declined to comment.

    “All conversations with players remain private,” Snow said, “but I will say that Nino has never told me that he’s unhappy.”

    Niederreiter has 19 goals and 36 points in the AHL and was named an All-Star.

    “He’s playing 20-22 minutes a night, playing in all situations,” Snow said when the Isles camp opened. “It’s more conducive for him to be there at this point in time.”

  • Eric Francis via twitter: The Flames are looking for a goalie as they only have Miikka Kiprusoff and Leland Irving under contract. Senators Ben Bishop could be a target. AHL’s Abbotsford Heat Barry Brust and Danny Taylor are playing extremely well and can be signed at any time. It was decided that both Brust and Taylor are better than Henrik Karlsson (traded to Blackhawks on Monday). The Flames didn’t think it would be healthy to have all three in the AHL. The Flames also didn’t mind getting rid of another contract. They currently have 47 players under contract.
  • The Fourth Period: The Kings have stepped up their efforts for a left handed defenseman to play with Drew Doughty or Slava Voynov. They had kicked tires on Wade Redden. They are believed to have interest in Maple Leafs Carl Gunnarson and Cody Franson, though he is a right-handed shot. The Maple Leafs may not be interested in trading Gunnarson as they balked at a deal for Jonathan Bernier earlier this month when Burke was the GM. The Devils, Flames, Sabres, Penguins and Coyotes all have defenseman as trade bait.

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Trade Rumors: Luongo, Oilers, Blackhawks, Capitals, Niederreiter, Subban and Flames

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News, NHL Rumors on January 23rd, 2013

  • David Ebner of the Globe and Mail: So the Canucks have said they have “two No. 1s” in net and their GM has a potential deal in place.

    “Would you not say I have two No. 1s right now?” said coach Alain Vigneault after practice on Tuesday in response to a question of whether Schneider is the team’s No. 1 goalie. “I’ve got two great goaltenders and my job is to pick the one I feel gives us the best chance to win.”

    Canucks GM Mike Gillis said yesterday in a short interview that “there are lots of potentials,” and nothing firm was in place.

    “I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest with you,” said Luongo in the locker room after practice Tuesday. “I don’t want to read into that stuff that’s in the papers and out there in the media, because that’s just detrimental to myself and the team. Until I hear from Mike himself, I’m not going to make anything of it.”

  • Bob McKenzie via twitter: Despite the buzz today, a Roberto Luongo trade is no closer to happening now than yesterday or last week. It  is possible that the “mystery” could be the Panthers or Flyers, which is not a mystery but Gillis’s not who you think it is quote is ambiguous. There may not be a mystery team. If there is, a deal is not imminent at all.
  • Jason Gregor via twitter: Roberto Luongo to the Oilers makes little sense. Would put the Oilers in a cap crunch next year. TSN Radio via twitter: Bob McKenzie said the Oilers are interested in Luongo. The Blackhawks have had a long interest in Luongo. Said the list of teams that he won’t go to isn’t that long.
  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Maple Leafs remain the most logical team for Luongo. LeBrun guesses that the Flyers may only be interested in Luongo in the summer, and only if “A) Luongo is still in Vancouver and B) Ilya Bryzgalovhad another brutal season.” It wouldn’t surprise LeBrun if the Bryzgalov struggles again this year, he could be bought out by the Flyers and then trade for Luongo.The Senators are looking for a depth on the blueline.

    “Not much has presented itself. I’ve talked to a number of teams and I hear the same story from a number of general managers — everybody is looking for depth on the blue-line,” Murray told ESPN.com Tuesday. “I don’t know that there will be many quick deals made at this point. But that’s not to say we’re not talking. We’ll look and if we can find somebody that upgrades us, we will. We’d got Lundin coming back at some point, so we’re not in a panic, but if we can get a more experienced guy, we’re certainly going to pursue it.”

  • B.D. Gallof via twitter: A couple things on the Nino Niederreiter situation: “1. There is NO quote from Nino’s agent in piece. nothing on record. 2. so thx to that, easy to leak a loose from camp comment to push things, if agent making a play here. 3. As i have mentioned in blogs, Nino a likely player in case of injuries to come up. seems like jumping the gun if a request made.”
  • Dave Stubbs via twitter: Subban’s agent said in a text that the “trade P.K.” attributed to him that was put out there on twitter is absolutely 100% untrue.
  • Roger Millions via twitter: The Flames could be looking to add another goalie for their system as they only have Miikka Kiprusoff and Leland Irving under contract.

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The Flames missed the playoffs for a 3rd straight year … Is change coming?

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL News on April 3rd, 2012

  • Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun: Flames head coach Brent Sutter takes the blame for Flames missing the playoffs for the 3rd straight year, though he hinted that there is plenty of blame to go around.

    “I don’t really want to get into that right now. There are reasons. They will have to be addressed once the season is over,” Sutter said. “We will go from there. Again, it’s not something that just transpired here. It’s grown. And at some point in time, it has to be addressed head on.”

    The Flames core group of Jay Bouwmeester, Mark Giordano, Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff have been around for all 3 of their playoff misses. Gilbertson thinks this team needs more than a tinker.

    “When you aren’t in the playoffs, it’s not good enough,” Sutter said. “There’s reasons for it. We were inconsistent. There were different times throughout the year, in terms of team confidence and taking a step to becoming a good situation, where you don’t deal with this at the end of the year. We failed on it. We never took the stand that this thing would put us over the hump.

    “I’ve played on a lot of winning teams, and you know what you need. At certain times throughout the year, there are times you need it — and we never got it.”

  • Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald: The Flames will have some RFAs to deal with this summer: Blake Comeau, Leland Irving, Mikael Backlund and Blair Jones. Both Comeau and Jones have said they hope they are brought back.
  • George Johnson of the Calgary Herald: The biggest question about the Flames offseason will involve Jarome Iginla. Iginla has a no-trade clause so he won’t be moved unless he wants to. Johnson noted:

    He’s obviously extremely comfortable here. This is his team, his town. The safe, familiar place to be. But at what point does getting one more legit shot at a championship before he’s done override comfort? Iginla wants desperately to do just that in Calgary, but given what we’re seeing, and closing in on his 35th birthday, that window is now virtually shut.

    Jarome Iginla said:

    “It’s still (up) in the air,’’ he protested. “I don’t think it’s a pride thing. You just want to be part of a winner, be part of the playoffs. That’s what we all want to do. I look at myself and I know I didn’t have my best year. There’s going to be a lot of motivation. That’s my approach: Play hard this last week and look to rebound.

    “I still think the organization has a lot of good things going for it. This year, when guys went down, everybody said the cupboard was bare, we didn’t have anybody to step in. And you saw a lot of guys that did, gave us a shot to be there, in that position, the last 10 games.

    “So I still think there’s a lot of good things (happening). I think it’s going in the right direction.

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State of the Calgary Flames: NHL Trade Deadline Edition

Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Rumors on February 14th, 2012

Written by Ryan Pike of The Hockey Writers and can be found on twitter at @RyanNPike.

Heading into this year’s trade deadline, the Calgary Flames sit in largely the same position they have been over the last few seasons: not quite in, and not quite out. As a result, a few familiar questions have cropped up once again.

  • Are the Calgary Flames going to trade Jarome Iginla?
  • Are the Calgary Flames going to trade Miikka Kiprusoff?
  • Are the Calgary Flames going to finally acquire a first-line center?

Read the rest of this entry »

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Quick notes on Nash, Yzerman, Backstrom, Senators, Skinner, Weber, Mueller, Nugent-Hopkins, Steen and a couple starting goalies

Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Starting Goalies on January 5th, 2012

  • Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson regarding Rick Nash: “Our position on Rick has not changed.” … meaning he doesn’t want to trade him.
  • Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was in Calgary watching the World Junior semifinals, then made the trip to Vancouver.
  • Katie Carrera via twitter: Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom said he’ll make the trip to California. Stephen Whyno via twitter: Capitals lines: Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer, Johansson-Backstrom-Knuble, Chimera-Halpern-Ward, Hendricks-Perreault-Beagle-Semin.
  • Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: Avalanche forward Peter Mueller practiced with the team yesterday. Mueller is still not cleared to play and remains out indefinitely.
  • Chicago Tribune: Ray Emery and Ilya Bryzgalov are the probably starters tonight.

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Fantasy hockey news, injury updates, starting goalies, and waivers

Posted by Mark Easson in Fantasy Hockey News, NHL Injuries, NHL News on December 5th, 2011

  • Nick Kypreos via twitter: Predators forward Jordan Tootoo will have a hearing at 5 PM EST for hit running over of Ryan Miller.
  • Darren Dreger via twitter: Wild GM Chuck Fletcher hopes they can move to the Central division when the new realignment kicks in.
  • Sam Carchidi via twitter: Andrej Meszeros did not practice today as a precaution, but should be a go for Wednesday. James van Riemsdyk will probably play on Wednesday.
  • Adam Jahns via twitter: Blackhawks center Dave Bolland is not skating today due to a bad foot, he’ll play through the injury. Tim Sassone via twitter: Dan Carcillo is skating on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at Blackhawks practice.

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