Posts Tagged NHL Rumors
HNIC Hotstove and NHL Sources Say videos from Sat. Jan. 15th
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Videos on January 16th, 2011
- Hockey Night in Canada Hotstove video with Ron MacLean, Eric Francis, Mike Milbury & Pierre LeBrun. What could happen in Calgary and Ottawa. Crosby not looking good for return anytime soon. 6 teams could be headed to Europe to start the season next year, the Capitals, Rangers, Kings, Sabres, Ducks and Oilers.
- NHL Sources Say – “The Hockeycentral panel give talk about more outdoor games in the future and the future of Brad Richards in Dallas.” Not much interest in Devin Setoguchi, and the Sharks might be looking at Jonathan Cheechoo … 3 groups interested in Stars.
The Hockeycentral panel give talk about more outdoor games in the future and the future of Brad Richards in Dallas.
Tomas Kaberle Trade Situation Brewing
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors, NHL Trades on August 14th, 2010
The Tomas Kaberle potential trade situation appears to be coming down to the wire. This seemingly never ending story will come to an end tomorrow night at midnight one way or the other, but as it stands right now there really isn’t anything new to report.
We will be following the situation closely, and will update any situation that occurs, but for now we wait…
For all the Maple Leaf fans out there, I sure hope Brian Burke knows what he’s doing here. I would think that keeping Kaberle after all of this, and extending his contract beyond next year, isn’t really an option anymore. All the talk of “being professional” and “it’s just business” is just that, talk.
You have to think that Kaberle has already left Toronto emotionally, and to bring him back next season and expect him to be “professional”, is ridiculous.
How would you feel if you were in the same position with your career? You can say that it’s part of being a professional athelete, that it come’s with the territory when you make all that money, but that’s niave. See, once you make all that money it becomes less important, financial worries take a backseat to other concerns, concerns that the majority of the public ignore while focusing on making money themselves.
Respect, Loyalty, Legacy, etc… These are all currencies to appeal to athletes who already have money to give more to the team. How else do you get a bunch of millionaire’s to block 100 mph slapshots with their bodies? I’m not suggesting that Kaberle was the leagues best shot-blocker of course, but there is no doubt that whatever intangibles the Maple Leafs were getting from the man behind the professional died this summer.
With this in mind, I’m inclined to think Tomas Kaberle will be moved tomorrow at some point, the big question will be whether or not Brian Burke get’s the big return he’s been seeking.
Lightning Trade Defencemen Andrej Meszaros
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on July 1st, 2010
“The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded defenceman Andrej Meszaros to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second round pick.
Meszaros, 24, had six goals and 11 assists in 81 games with the Lightning last season.”(Source-Tsn)
Steve Yzerman continues to shape the Tampa Bay Lightning into the team he envisions. For a first year GM, Yzerman is showing he isn’t afraid to make moves.
Anton Volchenkov leaving Ottawa?
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on April 25th, 2010
Anton Volchenkov will be a UFA this summer and with Ottawa looking like they will be heading into a re-building phase, his days in the nations capital might be numbered.
According to TSN…. “Anton Volchenkov, Andy Sutton and Matt Cullen are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
The Ottawa Senators would love to keep all three, but sources say that possibility only exists if all three are willing to leave money on the table to stay.
In Volchenkov’s case, NHL general managers are waiting for free agency with tongues wagging.
The 28-year old shutdown defenseman is regarded as one of the toughest men in the league. Volchenkov consistently plays a remarkably hard and very clean game – earning just 38 penalty minutes during the regular season.
A shot-blocking machine, Volchenkov has recorded 1023 blocked shots in the regular season since the NHL starting keeping track of the statistic in 2005-2006. That’s 124 more than his closest rival, Brett Clark of Colorado.” (Source:TSN)
The loss of Volchenkov would be huge for the Sens but this is the reality of the new NHL. All the pieces need to fit together at just the right moment in time, and that time has passed for the likes of Daniel Alfredsson and company.
Jarome Open to a Trade? Michalek Done for Playoffs … Potential Flame Targets
Posted by Mark Easson in NHL Entry Draft, NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on April 16th, 2010
- Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun: The below statement doesn’t need much commentary to go along with it … From Jarome Iginla …
“If they don’t want me here and want to move in a different direction, I would look at it,” he said after completing all the medicals and end-of-season interviews with the team brass. “You want to play where you are wanted and have people believe in you.
“If they do that, we would look at it. It wouldn’t be personal. My family has been treated very well. I want to be part of the solution here and I believe I can be. If that is what it came to, I wouldn’t take it personally. The organization has treated me well.”
- Allen Panzeri of hte Ottawa Citizen: Already without Filip Kuba and Alex Kovalev, the Ottawa Senators will now be without winger Milan Michalek for the remainder of the playoffs. During Game 1 versus the Penguins, Michalek tore his ACL in his left knee. Michalek missed 9 games at the end of the regular season with a partially torn ACL. Surgery will be in about 2 weeks and he should be ready for training camp.
- George Richards of the Miami Herald: The Florida Panthers currently sit in the #3 slot at the 2010 NHL draft. The Panthers could make a pitch to Boston to move up one spot in the draft, or move down collecting more picks.
- The Calgary Sun: Some free agents that the Calgary Flames may target; Eric Nystrom (Cal.), Alex Auld (NYR), Tomas Holmstrom (Det), Adam Burish (Chi), Scott Nichol (SJ), Colby Armstrong (Atl), and Matt Cooke (Pitt).
- QMI Agency, The Toronto Sun: There is a rumor coming out Quebec that the New York Islanders were being bought by media giant, Quebecor. Quebecor CEO quickly denied that there have been any talks with with the Islanders, but did say they do have an interest in bringing a team back to Quebec City.
- Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star: A group of agents is pushing for former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM, Jeff Jackson, to become on of the top guys in the NHLPA.
- Jim Kelly of Sportsnet.ca: Rumors are floating around that Brendan Shanahan could be taking for the Executive VP of NHL Operations, a position currently held by disciplinarian, Colin Campbell. Though Kelly doesn’t put much stock in it because:
1) Shanahan is woefully inexperienced in the inner workings of the oft-times Byzantine world of the NHL and 2) what person in his right mind wants to be exposed to scathing criticism from both inside and outside the league for rulings that on many occasions King Solomon himself couldn’t cleanly decide.
Quebec Looking for New Arena
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Rumors on October 16th, 2009
“ Quebec City has announced its intention to build a modern arena in the hope of bringing back an NHL team, a decade and a half after the city lost its beloved Nordiques.
Mayor Regis Labeaume told a news conference Friday that the city’s longstanding dream of hosting an Olympic Games is also a pipe dream without a new arena.
He said he’s hired engineering firm SNC Lavalin to conduct a feasibility study, and hopes to see the arena built from 2010 to 2012.
Labeaume said he expects the arena to cost about $400 million — and that the city would put up $50 million.”(source-TSN)
15 years after watching their beloved Nordiques go south to Colorado, and win the Stanley Cup the 1st season there, Quebecers might have something to look forward to. This is the proper first step to getting an NHL franchise to relocate to Quebec, and we all know there will be no shortage of candidate franchises in the coming years.
Despite all of Jim Balsillie’s efforts to strong-arm the NHL into selling him a team to relocate to southern Ontario, it makes much more sense to actually build the infrastructure necessary to facilitate an NHL team before trying to get the NHL to allow such a move.
The Nordic fans were always loyal, despite limited success, and as Mayor Regis Labeaume stated “hockey is a religion to Quebecers”.
Hmmm, I wonder what reasons Gary Bettman can conjure up to deny this hockey market. You know he’s looking at Kansas City and Las Vegas. It’s understandable to want to build the game in a huge market like Vegas but how about having a few more self-sufficient cities under your belt before spreading the game even thinner in the southern USA.
Maybe he’ll just repeat what happened to Quebec last time, allowing Quebec fans to nurture the Nordiques through all the growing years and then ripping the franchise away when it finally became competitive.
The other side of Phil Kessel’s coin
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on September 19th, 2009
While doing some research online to see what could be dug up about the trade of Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs, I’ve come across several sources questioning his character. Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald.com paints a picture of a petulant kid who was disgruntled with the firm coaching style of Claude Julien.
“The truth was that a youngster like Kessel should have welcomed the chance to play for Julien, who only tried to make him a better all-around player.
Or maybe he didn’t like the press and fan interest in Boston. On a personal level, Kessel has a lot of maturing to do. He remains a shy kid, uncomfortable at times with even mundane social interactions.”
This seems a little harsh to me. Since when does a guy need to be an outgoing, media savvy person to play hockey? Further more, since when does being shy depend on your age? This seems like a kangaroo court to me, where the media decides a person is of poor character and the fact he doesn’t feel comfortable talking to them somehow confirms it. How do you question the character of a young man who’s battled testicular cancer and survived?
The problem for Kessel is that the media scrutiny is only going to get worse in Toronto.
Here’s an angle from Paul Hunter of The Star in Toronto. “Burke said the winger has been largely misunderstood because of his shyness. The GM said he is completely comfortable dealing for Kessel after spending time with the native of Madison, Wisc., on the national level in the past. Burke is also the general manager of the American Olympic team and was reassured by Kessel’s behaviour at that team’s summer camp.
“I’ll tell you a story,” said Burke, harkening back to an American camp in Portland, Me., before last year’s world championship when a fishing trip was planned as a team outing. “The captain, Jeff Halpern, asked Phil if he wanted to go. Phil said, `I get seasick in a bathtub. I have trouble even fishing on a lake.’
“So Halpern said, `I guess that’s a no.’ But Phil said, `If the guys are going, I’m going.’ He went, puked his guts out but did it because it was a team function.
The media spin machines are obviously in full swing in both Boston and Toronto, painting the picture the respective fans want to see.
There will be a lot more talk about the past, until Kessel recovers from his shoulder surgery (expected to resume playing in November) and gives us a glimpse of the future.
Nikolai Zherdev Rejected by Rangers
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on September 14th, 2009
We have sources indicating that Nikolai Zherdev has offered to return to the New York Rangers, for the same money he originally refused, but the Rangers have passed on the offer.
“The Post has learned that the agent for Nikolai Zherdev, who rejected the Rangers’ $3.25 million qualifier and then became a free agent when the team walked away from his $3.9 million arbitration award, called the club this week offering to return for $3.25 million. The offer was refused”
Tanguay and Wild Talking
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on August 21st, 2009
“Left winger Alex Tanguay, tied for third on the all-time scoring list against Minnesota with 38 points in 41 games, is considering a contract offer from the Wild, his agent said on Thursday…”(source-StarTribune.com)
It would be a good move on Tanguay’s part to sign a 1 year deal to re-establish himself as a star calibre player before looking to sign a long-term deal. As we’ve seen throughout the off-season, teams are reluctant to give significant contracts to second tier talent with the salary cap expected to go down in the coming seasons.
According to Tanguay’s agent Ritch Winter, ”This will be a decision that is based largely on opportunity,” Winter continued. “Minnesota or somewhere else will be a place he’s going to go to have a career year. We’re continuing those discussions, and the Wild is very, very much on his radar.”
The Minnesota Wild have about $4 million in cap space and could really use some more offense, but I’m not sure another left winger is really what they need. They already have Martin Havlat for the first line but at the right price Tanguay would be a solid second line player.
NHL Free Agents Still Waiting
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on July 29th, 2009
A high-profile agent told Sun Media yesterday that the current environment for free agents is “all being orchestrated” by the NHL and the plan all along was to make these players sit to see if they’re willing to sign for less money.
Four weeks into free agency, players like Alex Tanguay, Petr Sykora, Manny Fernandez, Marcus Nilson, Dennis Seidenberg, Dominic Moore, Rhett Warrener, Miroslav Satan, Mathieu Schneider, Robert Lang and Brendan Shanahan have yet to sign.(Source-SunMedia)
The article indicates that role players will have to accept new standards of income far less than they previously enjoyed. The salary cap has made teams hesitate to over-pay like they used to.
Look at a guy like Tanguay, for example. The 28-year-old winger made $5.375 million last season with the Canadiens.
Tanguay, who has had interest from the Oilers, Panthers, Islanders and Lightning, knew he wasn’t going to make that kind of coin on the open market, but the indications are the best offer he’s received has been for $1.2 million a season.
That’s almost an 80% paycut on a deal that would probably only be for a year.
Toronto Maple Leafs to Trade Two Defencemen
Posted by Jeff Gilroy in NHL News on July 22nd, 2009
- On the Fan590 this afternoon, Brian Burke told the Toronto viewers that he plans to trade two defencemen before the season starts. “We have 10 NHL caliber defencemen, and we’ll trade two before the season begins.” Burke told Bob McCown this afternoon. That ensures Tomas Kaberle will be playing in a new uniform, given that Schenn, Beauchemin, Komisarek, Finger and Van Ryan are going no where. I would expect one of Ian White, Anton Stralmen or the newly acquired Garnet Exelby to be the other. Jonas Frogren has little or no value outside of Toronto.
Hossa Injured; Surgery Possible
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Rumors on July 22nd, 2009
Marian Hossa has a right rotator cuff injury that apparently happened during the playoffs while playing for the Detroit Red Wings. The severity of the injury is not known but surgery isn’t out of the question at this point.(source-ESPN Chicago)
The Chicago Blackhawks were aware of the injury when they signed Hossa, which makes the signing even more perplexing then it already was. The ‘Hawks finished 2nd in the Western Conference in goals for last season with 264, behind only the Red Wings with 295, and tied for 4th overall in the league with the Penguins. Although they did lose 29 goals when Martin Havlat left, the numbers suggest more skilled scorers wasn’t really what the ‘Hawks needed. When you consider the much talked about cap issues the ‘Hawks face, the Hossa signing will really hinder them when the time comes to sign Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The only point of view I can think of to put a little silver lining on this situation for ‘Hawks fans is that perhaps the injury happened early in the playoffs and can explain Hossa’s ineffectiveness in the finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the 7 game final series Hossa had a total of zero goals and 3 assists for the losing Detroit Red Wings and was mostly invisible.
It’s great to score 40 goals in 74 games during the regular season but at that rate he should have scored around 12 or 13 goals in the 23 playoff games he played in for Detroit. He recorded a total of 6 goals in the 23 playoff games for the ‘Wings. In fact, of those 6 goals none were game tying goals and only 1 was a game winner and that came all the way back in the second period of game 4 of the second round against The Anaheim Ducks, a 6-3 win to tie the series, not even an overtime goal.
That silver lining might be end up being sprayed on upon closer inspection, but if you consider that Hossa had 12 goals and 26 points the previous year in the playoffs while with the Penguins, there is reason to hope that a healthy Hossa could help push the Blackhawks to the next level.
I’m of the opinion that unless Hossa can play goaltender too the money could have been used more wisely.
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