Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday afternoon

*-> The Sergei Kostitsyn saga just took a turn for the worst. Don Meehan Kostitsyn,s agent has officially requested a trade out of Montreal for his client. Sergei feels he was treated unfairly after being demoted. Bob Gainey has answered by saying there's no market for him now and his only option is Hamilton. He has been officially suspended. Andrei Kostitsyn his older brother has yet to comment but rumors have placed him as being neutral to the situation but could decide to leave once he's an UFA to join his brother. I highly doubt Andrei would request a trade yet but not resigning is a definate option. I also feel Sergei was targeted throughout training camp by Martin and it was a stupid move if they intend on keeping both brothers for the future.

*-> Peter Forsberg has had yet another setback with his NHL comeback. He has a stress fracture in his ankle and is contemplating retirement once again. He is going to give it 2 weeks and see where he's at before making a decesion.

*-> Speaking of the old Swedish guards, Mats Sundin has called it a career. He has officially announced his retirement after deciding family is his priority.

*-> Blair Betts is expected to sign with Philadelphia this evening or tomorrow morning.

The I.R: Wednesday

*-> The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Fredrick Modin on the injured reserve after injured his right knee this past week during a pre season game. Coach Hitchcock has suggested Modin will be missing weeks not days leading us to believe this is a serious injury.

*-> Benoit Poulliot and Derek Boogaard have been placed on the I.R by the Minnesota Wild. Derek Boogaard is recovering from a concussion suffered from a fight and Poulliot has been plagued by a groin problem since the start of camp. Both are expected to miss 2 weeks.

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Morning

*-> The Ottawa Senators Christoff Shubert has cleared waivers and is expected to report to Binghampton.

*-> The San Jose Sharks have signed undrafted goaltender Thomas Heemskerk of the Everett Silvertips of the WHL to an entry level deal.

*-> The Vancouver Canucks have sent down goaltender Cory Schnieder and Michael Grabner to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

*-> The Atlanta Thrashers have signed defenseman Marc Popovic to a 1 year deal.

*-> The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Jason Ward, Lukas Kaspar, and Patrick Maroon to the Adirondack Phantoms. They have also recalled goalie Johan Backlund.

*-> The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Alexandre Picard and Mathieu Roy on waivers. Neither have attracted many suitors but a couple of teams may be interested in Alexandre Picard including the Atlanta Thrashers and the Buffalo Sabres. The Blue Jackets have also David Liffiton and Dylan Reese to entry level deals and sent them down to the Syracuse Crunch.

*-> The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Liam Reddox on waivers while defenseman Theo Peckham has been sent to the Springfield Falcons.

*-> The New Jersey Devils have placed Rob Davidson, Tim Sestito, and Jay Leach on waivers.

*-> The Montreal Canadiens have sent Ben Maxwell, Yannick Webber, Mathieu Carle, Tom Pyatt and Curtis Sanford down to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Evening

*-> Robert Lang has officially signed a deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. The deal is rumored to be a 1 year deal worth $1MIL per season. The Coyotes adressed the signing by saying they loved the way he played last season and they were in need of a veteran presence.

*-> The Atlanta Thrashers have released Dan Fritche and goaltender Manny Legace from their try-outs with the club. Manny Legace is expected to try and bid for a spot in the AHL while waiting for a call from an NHL club while Dan Fritche is expected to head to Europe.

*-> Sergei Kostitsyn is threatening to return to Russia after being demoted by his club the Montreal Canadiens. Kostitsyn has yet to show defensive improvement and was consistently singled out by coach Jacques Martin for the lack of defensive play. Kostitsyn's agent Don Meehan has told the Montreal media his client was just frustrated and will be reporting to Hamilton.

*-> Jason Allison is contemplating retirement after being cut from the Toronto Maple Leaf's roster. Rumor has it he will announce his retirement this Friday after giving the week to think about overseas and give other teams a chance if interested to make an offer. I highly doubt he'll get an offer he's still stuck in the old NHL.

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Afternoon

*-> Ryan Bayda has signed a 1 year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The deal is reportedly worth 550K$.

*-> The Penguins wernt done there, they went straight after defenseman Martin Skoula after he was released by the Columbus Blue Jackets from a try-out. Skoula signed a 1 year deal worth 575$K per season.

*-> Vancouver Canuck prospect Cody Hodgson has been sent down to his junior club the Brampton Battalion after attempting to make the Canucks opening season roster.

*-> It appears Robbie Shremp will get to avoid being sent down to the AHL and will try and stick with the New York Islanders after they claimed him off waivers this morning from the Edmonton Oilers.

*-> The Columbus Blue Jackets may have found their powerplay specialist they had been searching for. The Jackets acquired Anton Stralman from the Calgary Flames for the 3rd round pick in this years draft. Stralman has bounced around since being traded this summer to the Flames by the Leafs.

*-> The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed wingers Adam Hall, Ryan Craig and Brandon Bochenski on waivers this morning. all are expected to clear except Adam Hall who has received some attention from the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers.

*-> The Tampa Bay Lightning have also released try-out invitee Brett McLean this morning. McLean still has hope for an NHL team to offer a deal although not much interest is around at the moment. the Colorado Avalanche have reportedly spoken to his agent but are just kicking tires.

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Morning

*-> Robert Lang is rumored to be in talks with the Dallas Stars and the Phoenix Coyotes. The aging center has yet to give up on his career yet. Several KHL teams including Moscow Dinamo are rumored to be after his services. Many have also linked him to OMSK to play along side Jaromir Jagr.

*-> Maxim Afinogenov has found himself a team to play with even though it looked grim. Afinogenov has signed with the Atlanta Thrashers. He is expected to play along side Ilya Kovalchuk on the top line. The disappearing winger took a massive pay cut to stay in the NHL and will only make 850K$ for only one season.

*-> Ottawa has placed winger / defenseman Christoff Shubert on waivers last night. He is expected to clear as there really is no interest in him right now. A team might be more enticed if he is put back on re-entry waivers. The Sens addressed there log jam also this morning by sending down Brian Lee to Binghamton after a dismal season last night. Lee appears to be a casualty of the new era as he was one of the few Senators with a 2 way contract.

More to come

Monday, September 28, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Monday Morning

*-> Kevin Weekes has officially retired yesterday and will take a color commentary job with Hockey Night In Canada on CBC.

*-> Theo Fleury also has decided to call it quits after attempting a comeback. Although there was lots of interest in him he cites the reasoning hed like to retire a Flame.

*-> San Jose has cut Dan Hinote from their roster.

*-> Sergei Kostitsyn has been sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs by the Montreal Canadians.

*-> Ron Shremp has been placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers. Many teams including the Ottawa Senators have interest in the former 1st round draft pick.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Sunday Morning

*-> The Anaheim Ducks have released tryout invities Jassen Cullimore and Kyle Calder. While Cullimore may have to head to Europe several NHL teams including the Phoenix Coyotes are looking into a 2 way deal with Calder.

*-> Mathieu Dandenault has been cut from the San Jose Sharks. Its unclear whether there still is a team out there for the former Hab.

*-> Chicago Blackhawks have claimed Radek Smolenak from the Tampa Bay Lighting off waivers.

*-> Vancouver has cut another veteran from their preseason roster. Mark Parrish was released Friday afternoon and is expected to head overseas.

*-> Reports are saying the Colorado Avalanche would still take Peter Forsberg back as long as he is willing to participate in the rebuilding mode. Forsberg however is looking to help another team win a cup. The Washington Capitals would love to have him but would have to clear cap space for him. He would love to return to the Flyers but the Philly management has already stated their not interested. Another team looking into Forsberg is the Chicago Blackhawks but Forsberg may not fit into their line up. An outsider but good possibility is the Canucks who have yet to say they are finalizing their roster yet. Ether way time is running out as Forsberg has to sign a deal by Oct 1st.

*-> Randy Jones was officially placed on waivers yesterday by the Flyers and is expected to clear. Teams have showed interest but are waiting for reentry waivers first.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Saturday Morning

*-> Darryl Sydor has signed a 1 year deal with the St Louis Blues. This gives the Blues much needed leadership from the point and depth.

*-> Martin Skoula has now received a try out with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

*-> Brad May has been sent down to the AHL by the Detroit Red Wings for conditioning. Ken Holland says he'll remain there til after the Red Wings European home opener and they'll decide on him then.

*-> Dave Scatchard was released yesterday by the Vancouver Canucks. It is rumored he'll be waiting till season opens before he calls it quits if he's not signed.

*-> The Ottawa Senators are frantically trying to trade some bodies to make room for the new crop of Sens which include Karlsson, Bass, Regin, and Carkner. Chris Kelly is attracting the most interest but Murray is hesitant to dump the role player he gave a massive contract to last season. Chris Neil is also gaining interest but Murray would like him in the fold as he remained loyal to the Sens come July 1st and took less than market value. So who does that leave? Well Alexandre Picard is being shopped after a rough first season with the Sens. No real interest so far. Jarkko Ruutu has attracted a bit of interest but nothing to star in a deal. He was virtually ineffective last season and at times an on ice embarrassment. The Devils may be listening as well as the Dallas Stars both looking for some 4th line talent but not at that price. Christoff Shubert has been on the block the past 2 seasons but he has yet to gain attention and is expected to be waived come season opener. A wild rumor out of Montreal suggests Kovalev being sent back to the Habs for picks and Kyle Chipchura. I highly doubt this however unless Regin catches fire and Cheechoo starts to show his 50 goal form.

*-> The Flyers are expected to waive Randy Jones and his 2+ million salary to make room for their youngsters.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Friday Morning

*-> Rob Niedermayer has found an NHL home and will not be heading to the KHL after all.
The
New Jersey Devils have signed him for one year.

*-> Theo Fleury has been released from the Calgary Flames. He is expected to persue his NHL career. Several other teams have expressed interest such as the Coyotes and the Rangers.

*-> Anaheim has traded defenseman Steve McCarthy back to the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations.
*-> Peter Forsberg made his comeback official by playing last night for Modo of the Swedish Elite league. He feels almost 100% and will begin listening to offers this weekend. Teams have till Oct 1st to sign him as he's a European player. Colorado is expected to win the bidding but the Rangers have also shown interest.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

KHL Korner

Not much going on in the world of the KHL a few quick notes to start off with.

*-> Martin Kariya was seriously injured this week when he was checked from behind in a Dynamo Riga game. He hit face first into the boards then his head bounced off the ice. The KHL medical staff once again were delayed and took extra long to help him off the ice. It was determined he had a severe concussion and spent the night in the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery and the league has said he may only miss a month of play.

*-> Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Avtsin has been heating up in the KHL junior league the MHL. He now has 3 goals in the past 2 games and his play has earned him a call up with his team Dynamo Moscow where he did not look out of place.

*-> Nikolai Zherdev scored in his debut with Atlant Mytischi. He looked fairly good in his debut game and made a few revealing comments after the game. The effortless Russian told the media he was still in talks with Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL about a possible return next season to join fellow countryman Ilya Kolvalchuk who has been swaying management and issuing demands as he is unrestricted after this season.

*-> Jaromir Jagr has also hinted to the OMSK management that he too may want to return to the NHL and finish his career. He has remained in contact with several NHL teams including the Penguins about a possible comeback effort.

*-> CSKA Moscow has been in close talks with forward Rob Niedermayer. Head Coach and GM Sergei Nemchinov has stated although RDS and other America media has reported hes signed it has yet to happen. He did not rule out him not being signed ether by stating he'd love to have the rugged winger and has placed several calls to his agent and expects to hear from him if he has yet to have an NHL deal soon.

*-> Anton Babchuk of the Carolina Hurricanes has arrived in Russia to start practising with his new team Avangard OMSK. The defenseman could not come to terms with Carolina after refusing a 1 MIL$ deal over 2 years. After the Canes could not find a trading partner he signed in Russia. However the defenseman does have a release clause so a return this season may be possible.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Minor Monday

AHL NEWS

*->The Montreal Canadiens have cut 17 players from the training camp roster and have been assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Goalies Cedrick Desjardins, and Robert Mayer, defensemen P.K Subban, Chad Anderson, Andre Benoit, Michael Busto, Shawn Belle and Fredrick Desjardins, the forwards include Ryan White, JT Wyman, Erik Nielson, Mikael Johansson, Andrew conboy, Ryan Russel, Brock Trotter, Dany Masse, Mathieu Darche, Mike Glumac, and David Desharnais.

*-> The Anaheim Ducks have sent Brian Salcido down to the Manitoba Moose.

*-> The Philly Flyers have Assigned RW Josh Beaulieu, RW Rob Bellamy, LW Matt Clackson, LW Ryan Dingle, C Jonathon Kalinski, LW Garrett Klotz, C Jon Matsumoto, RW Andreas Nodl, LW Tomas Sinisalo, D Oskars Bartulis, D Marc-Andre Bourdon, D Joonas Lehtivouri, D Kevin Marshall, D Michael Ratchuk, D David Sloane, D Logan Stephenson, G Jeremy Duchesne, G Nic Riopel and G Michael Teslak to Adirondack.

*The Albany River Rats have been sent F Mike Angelidis, F Nicolas Blanchard, F Nick Dodge, F Jerome Samson, F Chris Terry, D Zack Fitzgerald, D Jonathan Paiement, D Brett Bellemore and G Mike Murphy by their parent team the Carolina Hurricanes.

*-> The St Louis Blues have assigned Bryce Lampman, Danny Richmond, Lars Eller, and Brett Sonne to Peoria.

*-> The Edmonton Oilers have Assigned RW Ryan O'Marra, D Alex Plante, D Jake Taylor and D Bryan Young to the Springfield Falcons.

*-> The Phoenix Coyotes have sent D Jeff May, F Chad Kolarik, F Francis Lessard, F Viktor Tikhonov and F Kyle Turris to San Antonio.

*-> The Toronto Marlies have signed Todd Perry and Eric Werner to 1 year deals.

*-> The Texas Stars have announced they have signed right winger Matt Beaudin and defenseman Matt Stephenson to AHL deals.


ECHL NEWS

*-> The Victoria Salmon Kings have signed Chad Painchaud to a 1 year deal.

*-> The Idaho Steelheads have announced the retirement of forward Ben Nelson today.

Ice Scoopz: Monday Afternoon

*-> Nashville Preds have signed former Hab and also Preditor Francois Boullion to a 1 year deal. The deal is worth 750K$.

*-> Brandon Dubinsky has ended his on going contract battle with the New York Rangers and agreed to a 2 year $3.7M deal.

*-> Anton Babchuk has stayed if a deal or trade is not in place soon the Carolina Hurricane defender will play for Avangard in the KHL for a 2nd time. Jim Rutherford has denied the statement and went on to say hopefulle this season or next Babchuk will be a Cane.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Trade

*-> Phil Kessel has finally been deal to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Bruins have acquired Toronto's 1st and 2nd round picks in the 2010 Entry Draft and also their 1st round draft pick in 2011.

Personally I feel thats a steep price but Kessel is really showing promise. The Leaf's did need a number one center with size and determination. It sends a message to the organization that they want to compete this year. Hopefully they can or atleast feel they have enough prospect to give up a good chunk of future like that.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ice Scoopx:

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Evening

*-> Petr Sykora has signed a 1 year deal with the Minnesota Wild as previously predicted. The deal is worth 1.6$mil per season.

*-> TSN reports Rob Niedermayer is close to signing a 1 year deal with the KHL team CSKA Moscow.

The I.R: Thursday

*-> Jonas Gustafsson underwent a heart procedure today. The Toronto Maple Leaf's "Monster" goalie of the future had the surgery to correct a rapid heart beat he was experiencing. The procedure was a very common procedure for NHLer's and the "Monster" is expected to only miss less than a week.

*-> Bad news for New Jersey Devil's fans. Patrick Elias will miss 6 to 8 weeks with a nagging groin injury. Elias who had surgery last season to repair a tear still felt less than 100% and will have a follow up procedure to fix what was missed that time around.

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Morning

Good news all, I've worked out the issue and now we will be able to return to our regularly scheduled programming starting tonight.

*->Theo Fleury is set to take the ice after a 4 year hiatus in a preseason game against the New York Islanders tonight. Personally I think this is an amazing accomplishment for anybody let alone Fleury as he's been out of the game for so long. I truely think Theo is one of the games greats and if it wasn't for him breaking the size barrier many guys like Martin St. Louis would not be here today. I really hope he has a great season so he can finally resume his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

*-> Anyone see the Ottawa - Florida preseason game last night? What a shitty finish. That looked to me like a sure goal. It was just Jason Spezza's luck that night as he was in the box for both of the Panthers powerplay goals. Speaking of powerplay goals, Dmitri Kulikov scored the game winner last night. He looked really really good. The ideal powerplay quarterback from the point. He's got a great shot and a great break out pass. He's also got great vision in both zones, he doesn't lack defensive instincts at all. This kid looks to be ready but I have a feeling that Kulikov might get a year in the "A" just simply because the Cats have an abondance of offensive defensemen this season.

*->The Zherdev deal reported yesterday does have an NHL release clause it has been said. The Oiler's appear to be waiting to the end of preseason to decided on signing the enigmatic winger.

*-> The San Jose Sharks will be announcing the signing of UFA center Manny Malholtra this afternoon. Malholtra is expected to fill the 3rd line center void the Sharks have.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Afternoon

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Morning

*-> Nikolai Zherdev has given up on playing in the NHL this season and has signed a one year deal with Atlant Mistichi of the KHL. According to rumors Zherdev didn't not receive any offers from an NHL club that he was satisfied with.

*->Former Carolina Hurricane and Anaheim Duck Brett Hedican officially announced his retirement today.

That's it so far hopefully more news with trickle in..

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Afternoon

*-> The Ottawa Senators have made the first cuts of training camp. Paul Baier, Mat Robinson, Craig Schira, Kyle Wharton, Keegan Dansereau, Kaspar Daugavins, Matt Lowry and Brandon Svendson.

*-> Antoine Vermette has just signed a multi year deal with the Blue Jackets. More on this and its terms as I get them.

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Morning

*-> Brian Burke has reportedly offered Boston 2 1st rounders and a 2nd for Kessel and a 3rd according to rumors. It may be his final offer before forcing a trade with an offer sheet.

*-> The Oilers are in contact with Nikolai Zherdev who continues to train in Russia. The Oilers are feeling out their training camp and if noone can still the top line LW position they may attempt to sign Zherdev and force him to the left.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Monday Evening

*-> Petr Sykora has officially been invited to the Minnesota Wilds training camp. He's expected to sign with them to help boost their struggling offense.

*-> Ryan Hollweg has been invited to Phoenix's training camp.

*-> Speaking of Phoenix they have also invited tough guy Aaron Downey to camp as well.

*-> The New York Rangers have invited Dan Lacouture to training camp.

*-> The Vancouver Canucks have invited Ronald Petrovicky to a tryout at their camp.

*-> The Rangers have jumped into the Phil Kessel bidding and is rumored to be offering Brandon Dubinski in return plus a 1st round.
*-> The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a 1 year $2.25mil deal. This should help boost their defense greatly.

*-> The Buffalo Sabres have come to terms with Drew Stafford. They have agreed to a 2 year deal.

*-> The Washington Capitals have made some confusing statements as of late. Bruce Boudreau stated on Friday that the caps intend on loaning center Michael Nylander to a European club this season at both the teams and Nylanders requests. Nylander has come forward to say he will not report to an European team this season and wants to stay with the Caps.

*-> Rumor has it the Columbus Blue Jackets are close to a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes for Anton Babchuk.

*-> Phil Kessels agent was seen last night watching the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp yet another sign Kessel could be a Leaf by weeks end.

I'm still having problems not being able to post from home and I'm trying my hardest to resolve the issue. More rumors to come!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Sunday Morning

A few more tryouts to annouce. It seams like this is becoming an increasing trend in the salary cap era.

*-> Jassen Cullimore has been invited to the Anaheim Ducks camp.

*-> Tough guy Andrew Peters has received an offer from the New Jersey Devils to tryout with the club.

*-> Russ Lupaschuck has received an invite to the Phoenix Camp.

*-> Defenseman Keith Carney has received a tryout with the Canucks but has opted to retire yet again.

*-> Mark Mancari of the Buffalo Sabres has told the Sabres organization that he will not attend their training camp and has officially asked for a trade.

*-> Phil Kessel is starting to attract lots of attention. Rumors have the Toronto Maple Leafs contemplating an offer sheet offer. Nashville Preditors also have openly said they are interested as well but are looking to avoid the offer sheet root however.The New Jersey Devils are also rumored to be after Kessel as well.

*-> Theo Fleury is rumored to have signed a deal with the Flames and not just a training camp invite. The deal is rumored to be worth 450K and for only one year. Not too sure about this one but I'm going to top into it.

*- Nikolai Zherdev to the Edmonton Oilers is gaining ground but I'm also hearing the Nashville Preditors have inquired about the enigmatic winger as well.

*-> Speaking of Nashville their currently trying to work out a deal with Petr Sykora. The Minnesota Wild are also considering signing Sykora but his demands are currently exceeding their budget of 2 mil.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Saturday Afternoon

*-> Some more training camp invites for you. Theo Fleury has accepted the invitation from the Calgary Flames stating he broke into the league with him and have him a chance to play so hed like to finnish with them.

*-> Ryan Bayda got an invitation to attend the Penguins camp starting today.

*-> Mark Parrish has received a tryout from the Vancouver Canucks.
*-> Andy Hillbert has accepted an invitation to attend the Minnesota Wild camp.


More a bit later, still having issues with posting from my desktop and a riducilous delay. Um gunna repost all the missed reports tonight from my BB and play catch up. I should have this resolved shortly.

Trade!

*-> Danny Heatley has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a 2nd round draft pick for this years draft.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Evening

*-> The Heatley saga once again has taken another turn. Apparently the deals off or uh well never existed reports TSN's Bob Mackenzie on his twitter account. The L.A Kings have denied being in talks with the Ottawa Senators and the Ottawa Senators have returned a statement as well saying they are no closer to dealing Heatley than they have been in the past month. A weird turn of events. It could very well be that Ottawa is doing some PR and media blindsiding hoping that this would not turn in the the Oilers all over again with players and management freaking out of the leaked info.

*-> The Carolina Hurricanes have said they expect to resolve the Anton Babchuk situation before the weekend is through. Jim Rutherford the GM of the Hurricanes has stated he has several teams interested in the break out defenseman but is waiting to pull the trigger on a deal to allow another team in on the bidding. The teams rumored to be interested are the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

*-> Phil Kessel's agent has announced that the Boston centers days in Boston are numbered. Kessel will no longer be listening to offers from the Bruins and will accept any offer sheets offered his way. This comes as a shock as he was pushing hard for a deal to secure his spot on the Bruins. I believe all this Toronto talk has got him thinking and he might realize this may be a big payday for the young star. The Bruins have declined to comment on the press release but last heard was the Bruins fully intend on matching any offers still.

*-> Theo Fleury has been officially reinstated by the league after talking with Bettman. Fleury has also stated that he has several teams interested in his services and he has to sit down and think which training camp to attend next week. Rumors have the Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators interested. He says he cannot wait to steal someones job and earn an NHL roster spot back. Good for you Theo! If Claude Lemieux can do it so can he in my opinion.

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Afternoon

*-> I'm still waiting on the Dany Heatley front but a few things that could indicate a trade has happened. The Ottawa Senators have pulled the plug on Dany Heatleys attendance to the Ottawa Senators yearly training camp opening charity golf tournament. The only reason given was that Heatley would be expected to explain himself to the nations capitol and there would be a media frenzy that would over shadow the charitys goal. This contradicts Bryan Murrays comments a few days past when he said Dany Heatley would be expected to attend and deal with the attention because it is his duty as member or the Ottawa Senators and he was to forfil his duties until and if he was traded.

It seams something may actually be up despite my beliefs this morning. Stay tuned.

*-> Chris Chelios continues to look for an NHL club that would need his services but offers are not pouring in quite yet. Chelios has taken action though to ensure he will be game ready incase a team does come knocking. Chelios has started talks with the AHL's Chicago Wolves as he is resides in Chicago during the off season. He has also stated this week the KHL is not in his plans not because of the league but the distance to his family and personal matters he must deal with near by. The rumors have the Blackhawks considering his service but they already have a deep defense.

The I.R: Thursday

*-> The Carolina Hurricanes will have to do without defenseman Joni Pitkanen for 2 to 4 weeks into the season while he recovers from surgery. The Finn tore his cartilage in his right knee while doing leg presses over the summer. He is expected to make a speedy recovery and have no lingering issues.

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Morning

So it appears my posts from last night are ether delayed or have not registered at all with blogger.com but no worries I shall be post them if they are not up by tonight. Till then some news.

*-> Mike Comrie has signed a deal with the team who drafted him in 1999 the Edmonton Oilers. The rumors which were discussed earlier this week on Ice Scoopz have officially come true. The deal is worth 1.1$MIL per season and is only for 1 season. Comrie hopes to get his career back on track and earn a longer deal after the season is over.

*-> A big rumor involving the Ottawa Senators, the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks has surfaced and it appears a deal is currently being worked out between the 3 teams. Not much is known about the deal but the rumor on the streets is that the Kings are offering up Alexander Frolov to the Senators while Danny Heatley would be heading to the Sharks and the sharks sending Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Cheechoo to the Kings. It really doesn't sound too accurate to me as why would Ottawa want a soon to be UFA next season and the Sharks the Kings you'd think would stay away from Cheechoo as most NHL teams would but who knows I'll keep my eye out.


*-> Mathieu Dandenault has received an invitation to tryout for the San Jose Sharks this upcoming training camp. Dandenault played the 8th D/ 10 forward role last season with the Habs.

*-> Another training camp invite this morning. Brett MacLean formerly of the Florida Panthers has been invited to try out for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

*-> Theo Fleury is expected to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman this afternoon to discuss and appeal being reinstated by the NHL so he may resume his career and attempt to make a comeback. Fleury has been clean for 4 years now and hasn't played pro hockey since being suspended by the BEL for shooting a puck at the ref. He was suspended by the NHL in 2003 for breaking the drug abuse policy. It is expected he will be reinstated by the league but will there be any takers on a 41 year old 4 years removed from hockey?

Thats it for now folks looks like there is an I.R report today.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Afternoon

*-> Kyle Calder has received a tryout to the Anaheim Ducks training camp.

*-> Martin Skoula and Christian Backman have received training camp tryout offers from the Florida Panthers.

*-> The Philadelphia Flyers have extended a tryout offer for former Ranger Blair Betts.

More to come plus the BEL and SEL !

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Minor Monday

in AHL News This week:

*-> Landon Wilson has signed a two year deal with the Texas Stars. The deal is undisclosed at the moment by clubs policy. Wilson is a veteran who split the last season with the Dallas Stars and the Grand Rapids Griffins.

*-> The Springfield Falcons have added scrapper Riley Emmerson to a 1 year undisclosed deal. Emmerson was drafted in the 7th round in the 2005 Entry Draft by the Wild.

*-> The Falcons have also added former NHLer Kip Brennan to a deal but the terms have yet to be released. It is rumored to be a standard AHL contract.

*-> The Chicago Wolves have resigned center Matt Anderson to a 1 year deal. Anderson was a major player in the Wolves run to the Calder cup.


In ECHL News:

*-> The Wheeling Nailers have acquired ECHL all star Jordan Fox from the Gwinnett Gladiators for future considerations.

*-> The Utah Grizzlies have named Pat Curcio has their new assistant coach for the 2009-2010 season. He will also be filling the Head of Player Development role as well.

*-> The Grizzlies have also announced they have resigned forward James Sixsmith to a 1 year deal.

*-> The Charlotte Checkers have come to terms with veteran forward Randy Rowe and also Defenseman Kevin Schaefer.

*-> The Florida Everblades have signed defenseman Cleve Kinley.

*-> The Idaho Steelheads have released rookie defenseman Alan Tallarini who has decided to stay in his native country Switzerland due to family reasons.

*-> The Steelheads have also decided to sign defenseman Riley Weselowski and forward Adam Huxley.

*-> Rookie defenseman Kevin Roeder has signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones.

*-> The Reading Royals have signed forward Ben Gordon.

*-> The Stockton Thunder have come to terms with rookie right wingers Scott Crowder and also Chris Davis.

*-> The Elmira Jackals have announced 4 invitees to their training camp. Derrel Levy, Jared Thompson and Martin Moucha round out the forward invites while Brien Bennett is the lone goaltender.

The I.R: Tuesday

Well I was wrong it's a bit of late news but I'll report it anyways...

*-> Cody Hodgson the highly touted Vancouver Canuck prospect has been cleared to practise this week by the teams doctors. Hodgson who is expected to make the Canucks roster this season injured his back while working out this summer. The injury is not expected to be lingering and should have zero effect on his play.

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Afternoon

*-> Brian Burke the GM of the Toronto Maple Leaf's has officially gone on the record to say today that he is indeed interested in center Phil Kessel. The pick he aquired on Saturday was infact to present an offer sheet but still is undecided. The Leafs were rumored to be making a big push for Phil Kessel but Brian Burke said while the Bruins and the Leafs has had talks nothings really new. Brian Burke also went on to say that he would not be blind siding fellow GM Peter Chierelli and has remained in discusion. At this time the Leafs have stopped persuing but it may continue later on. The Bruins side has also come out of hiding and has said pretty much the same thing except that they would love to resign him but a salary cap day and age prevents it sometimes but they still have hope.



*-> The Heatley saga continues and as the clock winds down to the start of training camp in 3 days it is to be believed that Heatley may in fact remain a Sen unless one of the 3 teams can step up an offer. Heatley's agent J.P Barry has said Heatley will report to camp but still seeks a trade and knows there is interest out there. Meanwhile Bryan Murray has said he has set himself a hard deadline for which negotiations will stop with other teams and Heatley would be forced to remain a Senator till later on or after the season. The Blackhawks have been listed as another suitor but it is yet to be seen how they would be able to fit his salary in and what young players they would be willing to part with. The New York Rangers have made a slight push and is believed to be Heatleys first choice. The offer appears to be Branden Dubinsky, Michael Rosival and a pick. Finally San Jose still has some interest. Heatley right now may wish he had accepted the Oilers offer which may still be out there but for a lowered price.



*-> Mike Comrie has been rumored to be sitting on an offer from the Edmonton Oilers. While he would like to play elsewhere it is believed not much else is out there apart from Europe. The Minnesota Wild is the only other team linked to Comrie at the moment. I personally believe Ottawa may be interested if they manage to dump Heatley's salary and make Comrie take a cut.



That's it for now, No I.R news today yet and shouldn't be much to report till preseason starts but if anything pops up I'll blog it. I'm gunna also wait on doing the prospect report till next Monday as its kinda silly reporting on someone whose not even started there season yet ether. I've yet to take in a preseason CHL game. Next Monday I'll kick off the prospect report with the most likely number one draft pick this year Taylor Hall since majority people already know him fairly well. I will however have an Minor Monday report with a bit of news for you and last night I managed to watch the Rookie Sens play the Rookie Pens so I have a few reports and observations on some of the players that should be up tomorrow in addition to the regular schedule!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Fall Schedule

So heres the upcoming fall schedule as promised which is set to begin tomorow (Tuesday September 8th). There are a lot of major changes which I'm really excited for. Starting tomorow this site has my complete devotion and I plan on sticking to the schedule unless warning in advance. I want to make this the best possible site out there for hockey fans so any suggestions or recommendations would be awesome.

Theres a lot new as I said and September is my trial month to see if you guys like whats added. Every Wednesday Ice Scoopz will feature a weekly column by yours truely or a special guest columnist writing about a major event or hockey issue. I'll also have weekly prospect reports of your favorite prospects from the international scene, the minors and this season I plan on attending as many CHL games as possible to get accurate scouting reports on the players I'll be reviewing. I also will be adding a database come November of all the reports I will be making. On top of all this I'll have regular weekly coverage on all the major leagues including the AHL, KHL, MHL, SEL, Sm Liiga, BEL etc. The coverage will include transfers, trades, results and more. I also will be adding a hockey forum for you guys to discuss and voice your hockey opinions starting October 1st. Check out the rest below!


MONDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-Draft Prospect Report (A draft eligible prospect report)
-Minor Mondays (AHL, ECHL news)

TUESDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-The Swedish Elite League Lifeline(SEL results, news)
-The British Elite League Review (BEL results, news)

WEDNESDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-The KHL Korner (KHL results, news)
-The Weekly Rant (An article of the hockey world, featuring guest writers)

THURSDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-The SM Liiga Low-down (SM Liiga results, news)
-Olympic Hockey Report (Anything Olympics, team previews)

FRIDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-Fantasy Fridays (Whose hot and whose not for fantasy hockey)

SATURDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-NHL Prospect Report (Report on a NHL prospect)

SUNDAYS
-Daily Ice Scoopz (Trades, rumors, signings)
-Daily I.R (Injuries, suspensions etc.)
-CHL News (CHL news, rumors)
-The Wrap (A review of the weeks big news)

SEPTEMBER EVENTS
-Daily Training Camp Updates -->Daily
-Training Camp Rosters --> Daily
-Sunday Night Sleepers (Sleepers for upcoming fantasy drafts) -->Sundays
-Team Sneak Previews (A team review for the upcoming season)

NEW STUFF
-A Hockey discussion forum for Ice Scoopz users to discuss anything hockey. --> October 1st
-Scouting Report Database -->November 1st

Stick with us and tell your friends cause this is only gunna get better. And everyone please keep the comments up, thats what this site is for! Thanks everyone.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Saturday Afternoon

Some quick hits to get the long weekend started.

*-> The New York Rangers have invited former San Jose Shark defenseman Kyle McLaren to their training camp depending on a physical. Last season he struggled with his fitness and failed a physical on a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.

*-> Speaking of the Flyers, they've decided to give former Blackhawk and Maple Leaf Mark Bell another chance in the NHL by inviting him to camp.

*-> Dan Hinote has received an invite from the San Jose Sharks to their training camp.

*-> The Detroit Red Wings have extended 2 training camp invites to 2 goalies. The Wings have invited former NHLer Dan Cloutier. Cloutier who hasn't played since playing in LA has conquered his back problems and could possibly be signed as a third string goalie. The other goalie invited to camp is undrafted Chris Whitley of the Allen Americans of the CHL. He's an unlikely candidate to get signed but he caught the eye of former Steve Duschane while playing for his Americans.

*-> The Atlanta Thrashers have also invited a goaltender to camp in hopes of finding a third string goalie. Manny Legace has been invited to camp to fill that void while Dan Fritsche also gets an invitation as well.

*-> Daryl Sydor has yet to give up on his NHL career by securing a try out with the St Louis Blues. Sounds like the Blues need a mentor for their young D.

*-> In other tryout news RDS has reported the Montreal Canadiens have offered Robert Lang a tryout with the Habs. Conflicting reports have also placed Lang in the KHL. Another report has claimed as many as 6 teams have extended offers to him. I personally expect RDS to be accurate because not too often their wrong. I think Lang resigning in MTL is a possibility just not for anything close to what he made last season.

*-> Steve Eminger has found another team for the upcoming season. The Ducks have decided to take a chance on the once promising blue liner. The deal is reportedly worth 950K$ for 2 years.

*-> The Minnesota Wild are still searching for a top 6 forward after loosing out on Alex Tanguay. Rumors have the Wild connected to free agent Peter Sykora. The Wild have interest also in Danny Heatley but are refusing to give in to the demands of Senator GM Bryan Murray. Murray is requesting Brent Burns in return which the Wild wants none of.

*-> While were on Danny Heatley expect a deal by the end of camp. Bryan Murray is expected to take a lower offer for Heatley on the grounds he doesn't want any distractions going into camp and the preseason.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Trade

*-> The Ottawa Senators have traded Shawn Weller to the Anaheim Ducks for Jason Bailey

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Afternoon

*-> Mats Sundin has finally spoken about his future after his wedding last week. He told reporters now wasn't the time to talk about it but he will have a tough week ahead to decide if he still wants to play. His agent JP Barry also spoke and said once the wedding was over he'd begin to think about this season and would definitely not take his time like that season. Barry also said that he expects a decesion very soon infact. The rumors have the Canucks still pushing for him to resign and the Leafs and Nashville would also like his services.

*-> Roberto Luongo has resigned with the Canucks presumably for the rest of his career. The deal is worth 64$mil over 12 years sealing him for life.

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Morning

Really quiet day yesterday not much to post. Hopefully things start to heat up soon. My home pc net is acting up again. Good old reliable Rogers so the schedule should hopefully go up tonight or tomorrow morning as its way to long to BB.

*->Jason Smith of the Ottawa Senators is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon. Word around the league is that Smith was perswayed by the uppermanagement to call it quits after he no longer fell into their plans. Another classless move to an NHL vet by another NHL team. This reminds me of the way the Tampa Bay organization deals with their no longer needed vets. Classy.

More around lunch including some Afinogenov and Sundin rumors.

Ice Scoopz: