Posts Tagged Pittsburgh Penguins

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

  • 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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    The Day after Deadline Day

  • 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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    Alexei Ponikarovsky Traded to Pittsburgh

    It is official,  the Maple Leafs have traded left winger Alexei Ponikarovsky to the Pittsburgh Penguins for prospect Luca Caputi and the expiring contract of defenseman Martin Skoula.

    Ponikarovsky would most likely be lined up with Sidney Crosby. In 61 games this season, Ponikarovsky has 19 goals and 22 assists. In 477 career games, he has 114 goals and 143 assists, for 257 points. He’s a big guy at 6′4″ and 220 pounds, but he’s not a physical player.

    Caputi was drafted by the Penguins in the 4th round, 111th overall in 2007. The 6′3″ left winger is from Toronto. In 54 AHL games this season he’s scored 23 goals and added 24 assists, to go along with 61 PIM. In 9 NHL games the last 2 seasons, he’s scored 2 goals and added an assist. He gives the Leafs a potential top 6 forward that has some good size.

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    Alexei Ponikarovsky Trade Rumors

  • 9:54 PM: Darren Dreger: Pending trade call, Ponikarovsky for Caputi and Skoula
  • 9:37 PM: Damien Cox: Leafs will likely also take Martin Skoula along with Caputi for Ponikarovsky.
  • 9:19 PM: TheFourthPeriod: Pagnotta is being told a draft pick may also be on it’s way to Toronto
  • 8:50 PM: Bob McKenzie: Deal in place for Ponikarovsky to head to Pittsburgh for Luca Caputi. Pens need to create cap room first.
  • 8:41 PM: Bob McKenzie: Ponikarovsky to Pittsburgh is close, for a prospect.
  • 8:24 PM: Andy Strickland: Ponikarovsky will most likely be dealt in the morning. It’s down to 2 or 3 teams, with one team believed to be the LA Kings.
  • 7:34 PM: Bob McKenzie: Tangradi won’t be part of any Pittsburgh package for Poni.
  • 7:01 PM: Darren Dreger: Maple Leafs getting close on a deal involving Ponikarovsky
  • 6:52 PM: Nick Kypreos: Alex Ponikarovsky won’t be in the lineup tonight.
  • 6:51 PM: Kevin Allen: Leafs getting action on Alexei Ponikarovsky, should land them a good prospect or active player, not a 1st rounder.
  • 3:59 PM: TheFourthPeriod: Alexei Ponikarovsky is close to be dealt. The Kings, Penguins, and Predators have shown serious interest. The Leafs are hoping for a 1st round pick, but might take a 2nd and top prospect.
  • 10:43 AM: TheFouthPeriod: The Kings may have moved on from Ray Whitney and may target, Slava Kozlov, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Raffi Torres or Paul Kariya.
  • March 1st

  • John Glennon of the Tennessean: The Predators coud use some scoring depth, and/or someone that can kill penalties. They’ll most likely look to add a rental player, instead of one with a longer contract. Dan Hamhuis and/or Dan Ellis could be moved out. If they move Hamhuis, they’d definitely need to bring in another Dman or 2. Potential targets could be Maxim Afinogenov, Colby Armstrong, Jeff Halpren, Ethan Moreau, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Rob Niedermayer, Lee Stempniak, Raffi Torres, and Ray Whitney.
  • Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Bruins GM, Petter Chiarelli has got a couple deals going, but nothing is fore sure yet. He’s looking to get a top 9 forward that has an offensive side, and will most likely be a rental player. Ray Whitney’s price might be too high, with other possibilities, Selanne, Ponikarovsky, or Kozlov. On the Dman side of things, Dan Hamhuis and James Wisniewski could be options.
  • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Alex Ponikarovsky is getting ready for the trade deadline day, but doesn’t really want to talk about it until it happens. So far Burke hasn’t been happy with the trade offers he’s getting for his UFAs, and might hold on to them right until the end.
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    NHL Trade Rumors from Twitter for March 2nd

    We’ll continue to bring you updates from Twitter and elsewhere throughout today and tomorrow. Keep up-to-date will all player trades on our NHL Trade Tracker page. If you need a quick break from the rumors, check out the relaxed Wayne Gretzky.

  • 6:57 PM: Chris Botta: The Islanders have an offer that involves absorbing a big salary, and owner Charles Wang will be consulted
  • 6:55 PM: EJ Hradek: The Hurricanes won’t move Ray Whitney and Joe Corvo for the sake of moving them, Rutherford wants value in return.
  • 6:52 PM: Nick Kypreos: Alex Ponikarovsky won’t be in the lineup tonight.
  • 6:51 PM: Kevin Allen: Leafs getting action on Alexei Ponikarovsky, should land them a good prospect or active player, not a 1st rounder.
  • 6:43 PM: James Mirtle: Canucks need a defenceman to replace Willie Mitchell. Cory Schneider is in play.
  • 5:11 PM: Bob McKenzie: To all suggesting Dwayne Roloson is a Flyers, Bob was told he was starting for the Isles tonight.
  • 4:37 PM: Tim Panaccio: With Ray Emery done for the season, and the Islanders moving Dwayne Roloson, could he be a Flyer.
  • 4:09 PM: Bruce Garrioch: The Blues have sent out a memo saying Brad Boyes and Carlo Coliacovo are available.
  • 3:31 PM: Nick Kypreos: Paul Kariya has told the Blues he won’t waive his no-trade clause. Keith Tkachuk doesn’t want to move either.
  • 3:29 PM: Bob McKenzie: Tomas Kaberle hasn’t supplied the Leafs with the list of teams he’d waive his no-trade clause for, and has no desire to leave.
  • 2:48 PM: Bob McKenzie: Ray Whitney may not be dealt unless the Kings get back in, Pittsburgh appears to be out.
  • 2:44 PM: Michael Russo: There is a good chance Owen Nolan is dealt.
  • 2:43 PM: Bob McKenzie: The Avalanche have put Wojtek Wolski in play, the Coyotes are one team interested.
  • 2:30 PM: Michael Russo: Zidlicky signs a 3 year, $12 million deal. No trade clause for the first half of the deal.
  • 2:08 PM: Michael Russo: Zidlicky confirms he’s close to signing extension with the Wild.
  • 2:04 PM: Tim Panaccio: To begin talks involving Raffi Torres, teams need a 2nd rounder.
  • 1:43 PM: Bruce Garrioch: The Senators acquire Andy Sutton from the Islanders for a 2nd round pick. The 2nd round pick is the one they acquired from the Sharks (Bob McKenzie).
  • 1:42 PM: John Shannon: So far, Vokoun has not waived his no-trade clause.
  • 1:40 PM: James Mirtle: The Bruins have acquired Dman Steven Kampfer from the Ducks for a 2010 or 2011 4th round pick.
  • 1:19 PM: David Pagnotta: Doesn’t think the Flyers are getting Tomas Vokoun, they don’t have the cap space.
  • 12:44 PM: Erik Erlendsson: The Lightning have green light to make playoff push, and are linked to Raffi Torres and Kris Versteeg.
  • 12:38 PM: NHL Sources Say: Penguins looking to move Jay McKee.
  • 12:37 PM: Darren Dreger: Maple Leafs say there is ‘no chance’ to the rumor of Cristobal Huet heading to Toronto.
  • 12:36 PM: Tim Panaccio: Riley Cote and Danny Syvret cleared waivers.
  • 12:23 PM: Nick Kypreos: Players on waivers as of noon. Lukowich - Vancouver, Oulahen - Detroit, Lisin - Rangers, Voros - Rangers, Eriksson - Coyotes, Chelios - Thrashers, Jones - Predators, Grahame - Avalanche.
  • 12:04 PM: Ben Wright: The Thrashers have signed Chris Chelios. He’ll stay in minors until he clears waivers.
  • 12:01 PM: Greg Brady (AM 640): Rumors of Leafs sending Jeff Finger to the Blackhawks for Cristobal Huet. If true, Hauks could go hard after Vokoun and Leafs could flip Huet.
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    The Pittsburgh Penguins trade for Jordan Leopold

    The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from the Florida Panthers for a 2010 2nd round pick. Leopold has 7 goals and 11 assists in 61 games this season.

    Over 416 career games, Leopold has scored 36 goals and added 91 assists. Leopold was a member of the Calgary Flames for their Stanley Cup run in 2004. He as appeared in 46 playoff games, recording 15 assists.

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    Trade talk is picking up as Olympic Freeze is Over

  • 11:05 AM: John Glennon of the Tennessean: The Predators coud use some scoring depth, and/or someone that can kill penalties. They’ll most likely look to add a rental player, instead of one with a longer contract. Dan Hamhuis and/or Dan Ellis could be moved out. If they move Hamhuis, they’d definitely need to bring in another Dman or 2. Potential targets could be Maxim Afinogenov, Colby Armstrong, Jeff Halpren, Ethan Moreau, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Rob Niedermayer, Lee Stempniak, Raffi Torres, and Ray Whitney.
  • 10:57 AM: Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Contract talks between the Penguins and Sergei Gonchar will be put on hold until after the season.
  • 10:53 AM: Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings probably won’t make a significant move, but will may look to add some depth at forward.
  • 10:47 AM: Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times: The Lightning could be after a scoring winner, a puck-moving defenseman and a gritty 3rd-4th liner. Cheaper options could be Shean Donavan or Marek Svatos. Freddie Modin, Ponikarovsky or Torres are other options. Kris Versteeg would be a dream addition.
  • 10:39 AM: Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic: The Coyotes are looking for another scorer, especially one that could help their 29th ranked power play.
  • 10:33 AM: Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: If Marek Zidlicky isn’t signed to an extension by the trade deadline, it would be surprising if he wasn’t moved.
  • 9:30 AM

  • Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald: Bruins GM, Petter Chiarelli has got a couple deals going, but nothing is fore sure yet. He’s looking to get a top 9 forward that has an offensive side, and will most likely be a rental player. Ray Whitney’s price might be too high, with other possibilities, Selanne, Ponikarovsky, or Kozlov. On the Dman side of things, Dan Hamhuis and James Wisniewski could be options.
  • Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: 10 teams have contacted the Hurricanes over the last 4 days. Ray Whitney is getting the most interest, but other names are being brought up. “I am getting inquiries on more players than I expected,” Rutherford said. “That doesn’t mean more players will be traded, but it’s more inquiries than I anticipated.” Rutherford also said he won’t trade Ray Whitney unless he gets a 1st round pick in the deal, or a player equivalent to a 1st rounder.
  • James Murphy of NESN: The Coyotes and Bruins could come together on a deal. The Bruins could end up with Peter Mueller, and the Coyotes are looking to add a veteran forward and defenseman. The Bruins might have a couple deals in place, and that they could be announced today. Whitney, Torres and Ponikarovsky are also on the Bruins radar. The Penguins are supposedly the frontrunners for Ponikarovsky.
  • Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the teams showing strong interested in Raffi Torres. The Blue Jackets are looking for a 2nd round pick, but the Flyers are without a 1st and 2nd round pick this year.
  • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: Alex Ponikarovsky is getting ready for the trade deadline day, but doesn’t really want to talk about it until it happens. So far Burke hasn’t been happy with the trade offers he’s getting for his UFAs, and might hold on to them right until the end.
  • Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: The Dallas Stars and Steve Ott are still trying to hammer out a contract extension before the trade deadline. Both sides realize that if an agreement isn’t reached, he’ll most likely be traded.
  • Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Trade talk has picked up the last couple days. Penguins GM, Ray Shero will look for a scoring winger, a physical defenseman, but not an enforcer to fill in for the injured  Eric Godard.
  • Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers and Team Slovakia defenseman, Lubomir Visnovsky, has been reprimanded by the IOC for violating anti-doping rules. Visnovsky took Advil Cold & Sinus during the qualification round, that urine sample came back positive. Before and after the semifinal round, he tested negative. He consulted Oilers trainer, Slovakian team doctor, and admitted taking it on his doping control form.
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    Puck-Moving Defenseman are Wanted by Many

  • Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger: The Devils will welcome back defenseman Paul Martin on March 10th after a 52 game absense due to a fractured left forearm. That may not stop GM Lou Lamoriello from looking to acquire another Dman. One target may be Scott Niedermayer, but the he might not going anywhere. Others the Lou could look at are; Pavel Kubina, Dan Hamhuis, Jan Hejda, and Joe Corvo.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Ottawa Senators are a little thin on the blueline, and GM Bryan Murray will be looking for a puck moving defenseman. Brian Lee might be made available to acquire a Dman. They have talked to Wild about Marek Zidlicky, but they are trying to resign him (7 0r 8 other teams have also inquired about him). Other possibilities are Ladslav Smid, Pavel Kubina, Jan Hedja, Brian Pothier (Caps want a 2nd round pick), John-Michael Liles, Aaron Ward, Andy Sutton, and Dennis Seidenberg.
  • Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: The Bruins could be looking to bring in a puck moving defenseman and a goal scoring winger. Kubina, Corvo and Hamhuis are possibilities. They are kicking tires on Teemu Selanne. Teams will probably ask for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart in return, both are RFA’s at season end. The Bruins will most likely want to use some of their acquired draft picks as trade bait.
  • Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune: Lightning GM Brian Lawton might be looking to bring in some scoring depth, a puck-moving dman, or a winger for Vinny. Lawton plans on being aggressive to get something done.
  • Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Penguins could use another scoring winger, and a physical Dman. Blueline rentals could be; Andrew Alberts, Garnet Exelby, Milan Jurcina, Steve Staios, Jason Strudwick, Andy Sutton, and Aaron Ward.
  • Steve Gorten of the Sun Sentinel: Panthers GM Randy Sexton has “a whole host of deals” that are being discussed. Sexton says there will be no fire. The trade deadline is Phase one of 4 of his plans to changing the makeup of the team. Sexton wouldn’t say if he’ll ask Tomas Vokoun to waive his no trade clause.
  • Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: The Blue Jackets will sellers again. They will look to move Raffi Torres and Milan Jurcina for draft picks and/or prospects.
  • Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch: The Blue Jackets could be without Rostislav Klesla for the rest of the season. Klesla has been out since Nov. 30th with tears to his groin and abdomen.
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    Maple Leaf Rumors … Bodies Moving out off the Isle? Flames done Dealing

  • Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: Brian Burke expects to be busy leading up to the trade deadline. Assistant GM Dave Nonis has been handling some things while Burke is at the Olympics. The Maple Leafs hope to be both buyers and sellers, taking on salary for picks/prospects. 4 of the Leafs pending UFA’s who could find themselves playing elsewhere, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Lee Stempniak, Wayne Primeau, and Garnet Exelby. Burke stated again he won’t ask Kaberle to waive his no-trade clause, but rumors are swirling Kaberle may be willing to waive it. The Leafs have already received a trade offer for Ponikarovsky, a 2nd round pick and prospect, but decided to hold out in hope of a better offer. The Penguins head scout has been seen at the ACC over the last month. Stempniak may be getting some interest from his home town, Buffalo.
  • Chris Botta of NYI Point Blank: The Islanders continue to shop Dwayne Roloson and Andy Sutton. Flyers, Capitals, Blackhawks and others, could consider adding a goalie. Botta thinks the Isles could take back Huet, a 1st round pick, and a top prospect. There also appears to be some interest in veterans Martin Biron, Richard Park and Jon Sim, with each fetching a 3rd to 5th round pick.
  • Ian Busby of the Calgary Sun: Flames GM Darryle Sutter doesn’t expect to busy leading up to the trade deadline, as he’s made several moves beforehand, and he is happy with the team.
  • Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald: The Flames are without a 1st (Olli Jokinen trade) and 2nd (Rene Bourque) round pick this year, and Cruickshank thinks the Flames could look at getting back some early round picks.
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    Some Players that Could be Moved … Senators looking for Dman Rental

  • Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Canadiens are looking to remake their roster. Tomas Vokoun, David Booth and Nathan Horton could draw some interest. The Blue Jackets are looking to move Raffi Torres, Jan Hejda, and Milan Jurcina. The Flyers, Capitals, and Blackhawks could upgrade their goaltending. The Penguins could be interested in Ray Whitney and/or Blues Dman, Barret Jackman.
  • Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen: Senators GM, Bryan Murray will be looking to add a rental defenseman. Some of their options could be Pavel Kubina, Dennis Seidenberg, Jordan Leopold, Dan Hamhuis or Brendan Bell. The Sens are still trying to sign Anton Volchenkov to a contract extension, but it might cost them Mike Komisarek dollars (5 years, $22.5 million). The Sens think that 2009 1st round pick, Jared Cowen, could be ready for the NHL next season. 2008 2nd round pick, Patrick Wiercioch, could leave the University of Denver early.
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