Ice Scoopz: Saturday Evening

*-> A little follow up to this Marc Savard situation. It looks like it has been confirmed by the Bruins so this is real. Marc Savard is on the market but his no trade clause allows him to select 2 teams before July 1st then forces him to pick 3 more after July 1st. Ottawa and Toronto are the 2 teams. I did not know he had one of those random number of team selection clauses so like most of the hockey world was expecting a deal. Burke has denied talks with the Bruins about Savard leading up to today which could be another sign. Theres no doubt the Leaf's would have interest in a centerman like Savard and the fact that Savard has a link to Kessel is another key. Now another interesting fact that most people have overlooked is that Savard is an Ottawa native. If the Jason Spezza rumors were premature then this could really add a whole new equation for Sens fans and Bryan Murray. Murray now has options, while the price tag is close to the same 7M$ for Savard next season he now has a somewhat suitable replacement. Any extra cap space even at a 1M$ dollars is priceless for a GM to manuver especially for one that still needs to replace a key shut down D and add offense (Cullen?). It also means the end of a media fiasco that has been hounding the player and the GM since Murray leaked the exit interview contents. The whole thing depends on whether the Sens could find a suitor for Spezza and given the Murray looking to patch things up situation could mean theres nothing at the moment. Many are also saying it wouldn't make sense for Boston but it most likely wouldn't be a Spezza for Savard straight up, it would mean Ottawa gets a return from another club for Spezza plus Savard. Savard would most likely be fairly inexpensive in my opinion because the Bruins are somewhat trapped ala Heatley situation and it's ether Toronto or Ottawa so the return would be based on the other teams offering. Nothing adds up yet but we do know Columbus has space and desperately needs a center for Rick Nash. The Nashville Preds have also cleared space and are looking for a center and some offense. The Kings also have a ton of space and would like to add a top line player. Just some food for thought on the situation. I'm not at all saying it could happen I'm just saying there are many parts to it that make sense. If Bryan Murray didn't want to move Spezza he wouldn't have told the media about the exit interview. Telling the media Spezza isn't happy with the fans and wouldn't be opposed to being traded is a great way to let other teams know he's out there without having to do any dirty work. It also makes no sense for the situation to leak that if the media is already hounding him, it's just going to make the situation worse leading into next season for the player. Obviously their going to be on him ten times worse after all this. If all this was just an accident it's a stupid one because he now has created an even worse atmosphere for an already unhappy player. The last thing Murray wants is another Heatley situation on his hands. to me personally it doesn't make sense for the Sens to trade him but now this Marc Savard thing comes along and now you never know what could happen. Toronto is the best fit in my opinion however. These are just my thoughts though take them as you will.

*-> There are some reports Marc Savard has also stated he'd be ok with a deal to Montreal some news sources are reporting. The Bruins never confirmed Montreal at all so for now that's just a rumor.

*-> The Toronto Maple Leafs have slowed down their attempted trade of Tomas Kaberle and have told teams that they will resume any talks Monday afternoon if anyone has any other offers. Reports have the Philadelphia Flyers back in the mix again. The Jeff Carter for Tomas Kaberle rumors wont go away. It seams highly unlikely but with the new information that the Flyers are now speaking to Evgeny Nabokov it means the Broadstreet Bullies need to dump cap badly and Carter seams like the best option. I've also heard several teams have told the Leafs they'd like to wait to see how situations with their free agents goes first before making any offers. This could imply to the New Jersey Devils with Martin and now the Pittsburgh Penguins and gonchar/Dan Hamhuis. The Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi has admitted to looking at adding a number 1 to 2 defenseman but they do not have that coveted center the Leafs are after. Finally it looks like Brian Burkes asking price has turned from a 1st rounder to a first line prospect or center who can help now.

*-> The Flyers have permission to speak to Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks. The deal is reportedly if the Flyers are able to sign Nabokov the Sharks would recieve only a 7th round pick next season. Nabokov's agent Don Meehan has said they plan to speak to the Flyers management early this week and it's a good possibility he could sign. good news for Flyers fans. Seams a bit low to me but hey better than walking away with nothing I guess.

*-> The Pittsburgh Penguins talks with Sergei Gonchar have now completely stalled and it looks like he'll hit the open market. The financial numbers have been met by the Pens but Gonchar refuses to budge on the length which is believed to be 3 years. The Penguins may shop his rights early this week if things go well with Dan Hamhuis. The Penguin's talks with Dan Hamhuis were brief but are expected to continue as Hamhuis is reportedly open to staying in Pittsburgh but would not give any more of an indication if he'd sign a deal before July 1st. Many are saying he'd still like to test the water of free agency.

*-> Something is still up with Benoit Poulliot and the Montreal Canadiens. They appear to be deep in contract talks but neither side will comment. He is expected to sign a deal but a trade could also be coming. Many are saying that montreal is trying to clear cap to try and sign Alexander Frolov for their top line this summer.