Free Agent Frenzy Signing

Well its been a long day and a lot of signings so far. Still a ton to go still some big names out their such as Martin Havlat, Marian Gaborik, Maxim Afinoganov, Mark Recchi, Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev, Alex Tangauy, Brendan Shanahan, Nik Antropov, Mike Comrie, Chris Neil, Francois Beauchemin, Todd Betuzzi, Adrian Aucoin, Jason Williams, Joe Sakic, Brenden Morrison, Sergei Zubov, Chris Chelios, Ales Kotalik, Jeremy Roenick, Mats Sundin and many more.

*-> Steve Begin another former Canadian has been signed by yet another Montreal rival the Boston Bruins to a 1 year deal worth $850K.

*-> Steve Sullivan isn't going anywhere for the next 2 seasons. He'll stay in Nashville and make $3.75 Mil for the next 2 years.

*-> Vernon Fiddler has signed with the Phoenix Coyotes for 2 years at $1.1 Mil.

*-> the Columbus Blue Jackets have just signed defensive specialist Samuel Pahlsson to a 3 year deal worth $2.65mil a season.

*-> Adam Pardy resigns with the Calgary Flames.

Well thats it for me since after all it is also Canada Day and I feel like getting out and doing something. Also being a Habs fan I feel the urge to drink haha. If I hear anything I will blog otherwise espect a full update tonight or early tomorrow morning. Thanks for choosing Ice Scoopz for the frenzy!

Trade Catch-Up!

*->The Toronto Maple Leafs acquire injured goalie Olaf Kolzig, defenseman Jaime Heward, defenseman Andy Rogers, and a 4th round pick in exchange for prospect Richard Petiot from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

*->Carolina trades Justin Williams for a 2nd round pick and Patrick O'Sullivan from the Kings.

*-Edmonton trades Erik Cole back to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Patrick O'Sullivan and a 2nd round draft pick.

*->Edmonton trades the 2nd round pick to Buffalo for Ales Kotalik.

*-> San Jose trades prospect Nick Bonino, goalie Timo Pielmeier, and a conditional draft pick to Anaheim for Travis Moen and defenseman Kent Huskins.

*-> Chicago trades defenseman James Wisniewski for Samuel Pahlsson from the Anaheim Ducks.

*-> Philly trades their 6th round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for Kyle McLaren.

*-> Calgary trades goaltender Kevin Lalonde to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4th round draft pick.

*->Tampa Bay trades Steve Eminger to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Noah Welch and a 3rd round.

Ottawa Trades Antoine Vermette -> Columbus

*Ottawa Trades winger/center Antoine Vermette to Columbus For netminder Pascal Leclaire. not Official but almost done!

Ice Scoopz: Monday Evening -> Avery On Re-Entry Waivers

*-> The Dallas Star's have placed super pest Sean Avery on re-entry waivers today after announcing it Friday afternoon. The Dallas Stars are hoping that the New York Ranger's are going to claim him for their playoff run. There has been no secret that the Ranger's want Sean back and having to pay only half his salary should help that cause. If the Ranger's don't claim him it's highly unlikely another team will. Rumors say Avery hasn't been the same player since he got back from his rehab program. My thinking is that he just needs some time to get game ready and that also he's playing soft because he's hoping a team will grab him and he wants to be healthy.

*-> A big rumor out of Ottawa has surfaced today as Bryan Murray continues to work the phones. The Columbus Blue Jacket's interest in Antoine Vermette has increased as of late and Columbus scouts and GM Jay Howson was seen in Ottawa this Saturday night watching the Sens and Leafs. Ottawa has apparently shown interest in goalie Pascal Leclaire and many feel a deal could be worked out between the two sides as a 1 for 1 swap. There is no secret Ottawa still needs goaltending and Vermette hasn't exactly shined in his role in Ottawa. The Blue Jacket's would love to see Vermette playing with Rick Nash. Some pundits have put Jason Spezza as the man the Blue Jacket's want and it could even involve a multi player deal. I doubt they would shop Spezza unless they could get another big name or blue chip prospect in return. anything could happen though it's trade deadline day.

*-> Another Columbus rumor to bring out is that the Blue Jacket's have apparently called the Buffalo Sabre's organization in regards to soon to be UFA and often injured center Tim Connolly. The Buffalo Sabre's are really reluctant in trading Connolly because he has been playing extremely well as of late but they may risk loosing him this summer. The Jacket's feel he would resign with them and he would be a good fit for Nash.

*-> Rumor has it the reason the Guerin deal is taking a lot longer than expected is that there are more suitors than expected. Most teams deny interest or talking to the Islander's but that's just politics. The Montreal Canadian's have stepped into the fray as the Carolina Hurricanes. The leader though still appears to be Washington as they would like to add experience and Bill Guerin's leadership to their young core.

*-> Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leaf's spoke out today and squashed all rumors he was working on a deal with the Boston Bruin's for Tomas Kaberle. Burke claims this is not the case and he has never spoken with the Bruins about Tomas Kaberle and nor would as they are division rivals. This doesn't sound like politics to me as it's highly unlikely unless the Bruins were willing to pay over the top for the allstar blueliner.

Ice Scoopz: Saturday Night *-> Guerin Gone In 48 Hours?

Well you can tell it's only days till the trading deadline! Every little sign or hint gets analyzed to the fullest and every name in the book gets mentioned. This is a scouts busiest time as they get to spend a frantic month watching potential trade players. I love the deadline because it's almost like Christmas. The whole month you get to be in Deadline spirit and it gets more and more exciting as it leads up to the big day. Deadline day eve you cant sleep tossing and turning thinking about what you might get. Then you wake up at ungodly hours of the morning to open your presents. After Deadline day you get left with that "as if it's over" feeling and you have to wait another 12 months again. Anyways that's my rant and there is a ton of rumors to report. I know my whole trade deadline review isn't even close to being done but I'm trying my hardest to try and get this finished by Wednesday. I've been extremely busy with my scouting course, and I also work full time. I'm trying to make this site the best possible hockey site and obviously it isn't going to happen over night. Please be patient and stick with it cause although it hasn't been the best I haven't missed a beat with rumors and am putting my heart into this! As for the deadline day texting service my sign up is going up after this post so sign up! Thanks!

*-> Well I'll start with the headliner with Bill Guerin on the move. The Islander's have a deal in place for veteran winger Billy Guerin. Before tonight's game in which Bill Guerin is listed on the roster was pulled off the ice in the pregame warm-up by Garth Snow and the Islanders played a man short all game. This is a major trade sign as not many times does your GM pull you from a game especially during the warm-up. Many sources have reported it's not the Bruin's but IS an Eastern Conference team. Some names mention have been the Washington Capitols, The New Jersey Devils, The Montreal Canadians and the Buffalo Sabre's. I really believe it may be the New Jersey Devil's or the Sabre's. Guerin started his career with the Devil's and they have an amazing chance at winning the cup this year. They are already a veteran laden team already though. The Buffalo Sabre's need that extra veteran presence for the push and they could use leadership, something the club has been missing since Chris Drury. Keep an eye on this one!

*-> In Phoenix a similar situation has arisen as well. Defenseman Derek Morris has been told to stay at home and wait for a trade. Derek Morris who has a no-trade clause has said he'll waive it for a trade and is expected to move by Wednesday as the Coyotes try and cut costs. Morris is also an UFA this summer so a deal makes sense. The Buffalo Sabre's were the leaders in the hunt for Morris has been joined by several other teams this week. The Boston Bruins are considering bolstering their defense. The Calgary Flames are also expected to make a deal for Derek Morris so they can rekindle their powerplay.

*-> The Pronger sweepstakes have started although the Anaheim Ducks are still in a playoff hunt. Chris Pronger has announced he doesn't want to be traded but the Anaheim Duck's want to try and do a quick rebuild. Adding Ryan Whitney to the fray indicates that Chris Pronger may not be in the teams future and if he were to be shopped he would bring in a great haul. Many teams have shown interest and made calls to Anaheim but there still is much doubt to whether or not he'll be traded. St. Louis has reportedly made a big pitch to bring Pronger back to the Blues. The Blues are almost done rebuilding and could afford to loose a pick and prospect to add that grit and experience. CBC reported this rumor also and made a big connection to this deal as Pronger's wife is from St. Louis and we all know how Pronger's wife makes the call. I.E Edmonton. Don't count any other teams out though as the Sabre's and the Bruin's want his services badly. The Bruin's are the headliners and expect to make a huge bid to secure the deal including shopping prospect Joe Corborne and Mark Stuart as bait.

*-> In other Anaheim rumors, defenseman and future hall of famer Scott Niedermayer whose name has been mentioned several times most likely wont be going anywhere. Niedermayer has been told by Anaheim that they will not trade him before or on deadline day and not too worry. The management won't break this agreement out of respect for the vet unless he is 100% willing to accept the trade. The only name that still remains is New Jersey who Niedermayer once played for.

*-> A Florida defenseman is grabbing rumor headlines this week and his first name isn't Jay for once. Nick Boyton has caused a stir after a huge war of words with Florida coach Peter DeBoer. The dispute was over Boyton's decreasing role with the team which Boyton feels he should have a lot more ice time. The result of this was Boyton having some time off from the team at home. The Florida Panthers most likely will try and shop the disgruntled defenseman at the deadline. This however depends all on the number one rumored name out of Florida Mr. Jay Bouwmeester. A deal all depends on whether or not the Panthers get a good enough deal for Bouwmeester. The Cats are expecting a high calibre defenseman, a forward who can help the team out now and a 1st round pick or prospect. The Vancouver Canuck's Alexander Edler and Alex Burrows have come up. The Canucks have a lot of defensemen to spare and Burrows is an UFA this summer that the Canucks expect to leave.

*-> Columbus Blue Jacket's general manager Scott Howson was seen at the Ottawa - Toronto game tonight in a sky box. The further adds to the rumors that ether Ottawa's Antoine Vermette or Toronto's Nik Antropov could be headed to the Blue Jackets. Columbus hasn't been shy about their intentions to sign a playmaking center to compliment franchise player Rick Nash. Both Vermette and Antropov fit that description and could be targets for Columbus this Wednesday.

*-> Philadelphia's hunt for a number one goalie could be ending this Wednesday as the Flyer's are expected to make Atlanta an offer for goaltender Kari Lehtonen. The Flyers who have been unhappy with their goaltender tandem this season feels that Kari could be the guy to put them over the top. James Van Riemsdyk is being dangled as well as a high pick. The Flyers would need to trade a player or two in order to gain more cap space though. Antero Nittymaki would also have to go to the Thrashers in return as Martin Biron has a no-trade.

The I.R: Monday Evening

*-> Columbus Blue Jackets young goalie Steve Mason was placed on the IR Saturday after suffering from a viral infection while suffering from mono. He is expected to be out for atleast 2 weeks giving him time to recover.

*-> The Minnesota wild will happy to know that defenseman Kurtis Foster is almost ready to go. Foster who suffered a broken leg in a race for the puck will attempt to test out his leg in the AHL till hes ready to go. The Minnesota staff would not comment on how much longer he'll be but it is most likely going to be under 2 weeks.

*-> Tomas Vanek's of the Buffalo Sabres will be out 3 to 4 weeks with a fractured jaw suffered from a shot off the jaw. The Sabre's are going to be missing him severly and are expected to look on the market for a replacement so they may stay in the playoff picture. I guess Don Cherry's hockey gods theory was true after he said the hockey gods would get Buffalo for running up the score last week on Toronto while they had a rookie goalie Justin Pogge in net.

*-> Boston's Michael Ryder will be out for a week with a fractured bone in his cheek after being high sticked by Antoine Vermette in boston's shoot out win agains't Ottawa. This isn't a serious injured its just a precaution while they find out what Ryder has to do in order to return to action like wearing a face sheild or visor.

*-> Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators will be miss 3 to 4 weeks with a blown knee. Chris Neil who suffered the same injury last season suffered it again in a shoot out win over Buffalo Saturday night. Neil whose stock has risen over the past few weeks has once again dropped with this injury. The Sens are hoping to get him back in action before the deadline so they may attempt to get full value for him.

Ice Scoopz: Monday Afternoon ->Jokinen To Carolina

Well I'm back from a much needed weekend off and I see I have quite a bit of catching up to do from thsi weekend so here it goes. My Deadline day review will continue tonight with Monreal so check it out.

*-> Jussi Jokinen that is has been traded from the Tampa Bay Lighting after being placed on waivers. He now is a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in a deal that sent Josef Melichar F Wade Brookbank and a 4th round pick to Tampa Bay. Brookbank who was played in 27 games this year only has 1 point and 40 PIM's while Melichar has 4 assists in 15 games. Jussi Jokinen who was brought in to play a 2 way role for the Hurricanes has 6 goals and 10 assists in 46 games this year.

*-> Ray Emery has made headlines again, this time Ray is refusing to return to his KHL club Atlant Mystichi after what is being described as a salary dispute. Apparently Emery was not being paid the full amount of his contract because the Russian club was not converting the exchange rate properly. It seams the KHL is having a big of finacial problems during this recession. Emery who now is looking for work elsewhere has hinted that if he is pick-up by another European team he will look to return to the NHL next season.

*-> Manny Legace has cleared waivers and is expected to head to Peoria of the AHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets are extremely interested in Legace still and are expected to make a move for the goaltender. Rumor has it is that the Blue Jackets are trying to work out a deal in which Legace is put on re-entry waivers so that they may claim him.

*-> Sean Avery of the Dallas Stars seams to be headed back to the New York Rangers. The Dallas Stars took the first step of the process by waiving Sean Avery Saturday and then starting negotiaitions to loan him to the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. Avery cleared waivers this morning and is expected to finish his rehabilitation prgram this week. Hartford as you may or may not know is the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. Expect a New York - Dallas deal fairly shortly that would involve Avery being put on re-entry waivers before the deadline.

*-> Andy McDonald of the St.Louis Blues has agreed to a 4 year 18.8MIL$ deal this morning that should end most of the trade rumors about it. McDonald who has been a key member of the Blues since being traded by Anaheim for Doug Weight last season. McDonald who has 18 points in 16 games this season. McDonald has been sidelined by a fractured leg since Nov 16th.

*-> Last rumor for now is that the Montreal Canadiens are trying to shop Alexei Kovalev. Apparently the Habs are growing tired of his disapearing act. Now this is one I read the other day and I promised myself I'd post most rumors that I heard or saw but this one really made me hesitate. I decided to post it anyways just because its my duty to report any rumors posted by hopefully reliable media sources. Bruce Garioch reported this in the Ottawa Sun on Sunday but I really feel it was ridiculous. Why would the Canadien's give him the "C" while Koivu was out? Why would the Habs keep the "A" on his shirt if they wern't happy? Obviously the guy has been struggling but by saying there actively shopping him is ludicris. He was double shifting on Saturday night agains't the Leafs, he was also playing on the penatly kill. I highly doubt they would trade him just sinply for the fact the city is in love with him and also they need him til atleast Tanguay gets back. So there might be some truth to this being that the Habs may be willing to trade him or frustrated with his play, I'd definatly say their not actively shopping him.

*->Germany and Norway are the two last teams to qualify for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Germany who beat Slovenia on Saturday to qualify while Norway beat Denmark 5-2.

The I.R: Thursday Afternoon

Alot of minor shuffling today and yesterday from/to the Injured Reserve or the AHL and here they are.

*-> The Montreal Canadians have been hit by a wave of recent injuries and now can add Chris Higgins back to that list alot though he'll most likely only miss a game or two with an agrivated upper-body injury. The good news is that big Georges Laraque will most likely be ready to put on the skates for Montreal's tilt with Toronto Saturday. Also defenseman turned forward Mathieu Dandenault will be back from his serious leg injury way sooner than expected. He is rumored to be back early next week. Patrice Briesbois who is also out with an undisclosed injury which would most likely be his ankle should be ready to play again next week as well.

*-> The Canadians have also sent down defenseman Alex Henry back to Hamilton after playing two games.

*-> The Buffalo Sabres have activated veteran defenseman Teppo Numminen from the injured reserve and sent down defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to the Portland Pirates.

*-> The Ottawa Senators have returned center Peter Regin to the juinior Sens and recalled winger Ryan Shannon for tonights game against Boston.

*-> The Blue Jackets have reactivated Russian young gun Nikita Filitov but then sent him down to Syracuse of the AHL.

*-> The Carolina Hurricanes have ran into some injury trouble down the stretch on their Western tour lossing both Rod Brind'Amour and grinder Scott Walker. Walker who was placed on the I.R today is out with an undisclosed upper body injury while Brind'Amour continues to suffer from a bad back. Walker is expected to be atleast while a week while Brind'Amour is only expected to miss the last leg of the trip. Replacement Jakub Petruzalek was called up from Albany.

*-> The Toronto Maple Leaf's have done another up and down shuffle involving Justin Pogge after leaving him out to dry againts the Sabres last night. Justin Pogge was sent down to the Marlies today after just one day in the show. The Buds countered by bringing back up Jonas Frogren after just sending him down yesterday with tough guy Andre Deveaux.

*-> The Phoenix Coyotes have recalled Kevin Porter and forward Jeff Hoggan from San Antonio of the AHL while sending down LW Steven Goertzen and former Sen Alexander Nikulin. The Desert Dogs have also activated Viktor Tikhonov from the IR but chose to send him down to San Antonio for some conditioning.

The I.R: Sunday Afternoon -> Kaberle Out

*-> Toronto's blueliner Tomas Kaberle will miss at least one month with a broken bone in his hand. After taking a shot off his hand during a game agains't Colorado. Brian Burke must be sweating after this one because this will seriously effect his chances of being able to trade Kaberle before the deadline. Kaberle is after all one of Toronto's few players that would fetch some value. Anton Stralman was recalled from the Toronto Marlies to take his place on the backend.

*-> The Columbus dispatch has reported that youngstar Steve Mason of the Bluejackets is/has been battling mono for the part month. The team has issued a statment saying that they will continue to play the goalie until he is unable to play. Could Columbus be in the market for another goalie to give their youngster a break?

*-> Fabian Brunnstrum the much anticipated free agent signing late last season has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose back to the Dallas Stars today after only one game in the AHL. Rumors has it that this was a wake up call to the forward to see if they can try and get him playing after barely getting noticed this season.

*-> Josh Gorges of the Montreal Canadians will be out a few games after that nasty head shot from Denis Gauthier Saturday afternoon. The Montreal brass has stated the injury is not due to the hit but another hit later on in the game after returning. Apparently he may be suffering from concussion like symptoms from the original hit. They say he should be back in action late this week, we'll see though how this progresses. Montreal has recalled Alex Henry and Ryan O'Bryne to replace him.

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Evening -> Zetterberg Re-Signs!

*-> The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed superstar foward Henrik Zetterberg to a whopping 12 year deal worth roughly 7.2$M next year then 7.7$M for the next 9 years then 1$M the following 3 years. The deal is expected to lower the average cap hit. Zetterberg who turns 29 this October most likely wont finish out his contract as he'll be 40 when it runs out. This is an amazing deal for the Red Wings and this will help keep the key members of the squad signed for long term.

*-> The Ottawa Senator's owner Eugene Melnyk held a press conference today to tell the fans to be patiant and hold on because it's going to get better from here on out. Melnyk doesn't want the fans to give -up on the team and promises this is only a small stumble for the once mighty organization. It was apparent by last nights game agains't the team needs a lot of help and much more effort. The fans consistantly booed the home team throughout the game. Melnyk also went on to say that "anbody who believes this team should be blown up should blow themselves up." He feels they have most of the team and staff in place to succeed. They will not be sellers at the deadline he claims but still expect a few players in and a few players out as he put it. Bryan Murray this week also made a few statements and one of them was he was definatly interested in shopping his UFA's for the right deal. Martin Gerber, Filip Kuba, Chris Neil, and Dean McAmmond all fall under this catagory. Filip Kuba is expected to draw some interest from around the league. The Sens rivals the Montreal Canadiens are slighly interested to bolster their powerplay and the Phoenix Coyotes would also like to add some offense to the backend. Many teams in the West would love to get their hands on Chris Neil. The Anaheim Ducks, the Nashville Predators and the Columbus Blue Jackets would like to add some muscle. .

*-> Martin Gerber's situation has gone from bad to worse as there is next to no interest in him right now. It really looks like he'll finish the season in the minors and will ether take a really hug pay cut or head back to Europe. He may get a second chance before the deadline if another team has some goaltending troubles. Rumor has it is that the Calgary Flames would like to aquire him only if the Sens would take Jim Vandermeer (2.3$MIL/3) or Cory Sarich (3.6$MIL/4) in return. Ottawa's not biting yet.

*-> Nashville has been silently trying to shop Dan Hamhuis for an offensive threat up front. It's been no secret this year that The Pred's haven't had much luck in the goal scoring department. Hamhuis is an affordable 2M$ for 2 seasons so expect a taker. Colorado might be willing to send Marek Svatos in exhange.

*-> Pierre Dagenais of the KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk has stated he would love to stay with the team and plans to move his family over this summer. Dagenais has said although now there still is a huge gap in the KHL vs NHL quality of play, he says it still blows the AHL out of the water. He expects to see much more NHLer's head over this summer.

*-> The KHL has announced they are debating the possibility of expansion to China and Eastern Europe in the near future. For the time being however the KHL has announced that the Czech team HC Energie Karlovy Vary and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg from the Russian Supreme League will be joining for the 2009-2010 season. Finland's Karpat, Sweden's Frolunda, and Belarus's Karamin Minsk and Junost Minsk have all been invited to join next season as well. Another piece of big KHL news was revealed Monday which will help the KHL teams develop their players and stop the early loss of prospects to the NHL by adding a junior club to each KHL team. This will greatly help development and help serve as a "CHL" style junior league for the Russians.

The I.R: Tuesday Evening

*-The New York Islanders have announced Rick DiPietro will miss the remainder of the season due to an ongoing problem with the knee surgery he had at the beginning of the season. The swelling refuses to go down so he will remain out and have another surgery on his knee. The Islanders are expected to go out and find some help till next season.

*Claude Lemieux completed an unbelievable comeback story tonight by returning to the NHL. Lemieux who is turning 46 who retired 4 years ago had no played hockey since this summer. He eventually earned a two way contract with the San Jose Sharks and tonight will mark his first game back. Incredible.

*Columbus goaltender Pascal Leclaire will be out 3 months with an undisclosed ankle injured. The Columbus goalie had surgery this afternoon to repair his ankle and is expected to make a quick recovery.

*Yet Another Columbus goalie is on the mend as of Tuesday. Goaltender Steve Mason has been suffering from severe back spasms and will miss the next 3 weeks. The Blue Jackets will not put him on the IR but rather just let him rest. He unfortunately will miss the youngstars game due to his condition.

TRADE: Jason Williams To Columbus

*-The Atlanta Thrashers have traded forward Jason Williams to Columbus for defensemen Clay Wilson and a 6th round draft pick.

The I.R: Monday Evening

Here's today's I.R:

*-Vancouver Canucks superstar Roberto Luongo has deemed himself fit to return to action after his groin injury. After a full practice he has decided hes ready to play and felt 100%. Management however I expect wont rush him too fast. Expect him to miss another couple of games before hes back.

*-The Columbus Blue Jackets have place Rick Nash on the I.R today as he is suffering from a "lower body" injury what is believed to be a groin related issue as well. For Columbus fans this shouldn't scare you as hes expected to be activated by next Thursday and was only done to give the superstar some rest and take the salary off the cap.

The I.R: Tuesday Morning

Here are today's injuries...

*- Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabre's will miss at least a weeks worth of games due to a nagging groin injury he received from a hit against Chara.

*-In other Buffalo news Craig Rivet is set to return after missing 11 games with an injured shoulder. Also Teppo Numminen is almost 100% after missing a few games with an undisclosed illness.

*-The Columbus Blue Jacket's have finally placed Rostislav Klesla on the I.R for a nagging undisclosed lower-body injury. The time frame is expected to be 2-4 weeks.

Mondays Scoopz: Spezza? Schneider?

Well apparently "Rumor Round-up" is apparently has already being claimed by Hockey News so we have switched to "Scoopz" instead. So welcome to the first edition of Scoopz.

*- It has been reported the Ottawa Sens are ready to part with a big name. All signs point to the defensively prone but set-up superstar Jason Spezza. It's the most likely name that will bring back some return on the squad. Daniel Alfredsson has a no-trade and will likely end his career as a Sen while Dany Heatley has the NHL's highest salary and Mike Fisher also has a no trade clause so this leads us to believe Spezza will be the casualty. A lot of rumors point to Vancouver but this makes no sense as the Canucks just signed Mr. Sundin at centre. Columbus is another front runner because they have been searching for a set-up man for Rick Nash. I hear Ottawa is looking for a number one offensive defenseman and I really don't think Columbus has the answer unless they can work out a three way deal. Calgary has also been reported but once again that's another rumor that comes up short. Calgary wouldn't have the cap space unless they could convince Ottawa for Adrian Aucoin. The other name I'm hearing is Robyn Regher? could be possible but kind of unlikely. The last destination I'm hearing could be LA as they have lots of young stud offensive defensemen in waiting i.e Johnson, Doughty, and Hickey. They may be able to part with one to ensure a future at center.

*- Matthew Schnieder is being shopped as the Thrashers are falling out of contention by the day. His hefty 5.6Mil$ salary prevents many teams from jumping on the offers for the aging blueliner who still has a bit of puck moving left in him. Ottawa is a front runner for the defenseman but are a bit cautious as they too however may end up being sellers at the deadline if they don't make a change soon.

Thats it for now! game time!

Wednesday Late Night News Hits

Ok not really a busy night tonight but hey theres a few major news hits anyways..

-> The Carolina Hurricanes fire Peter Laviolette after being hired in 2003 to replace Paul Maurice. Now strangly enough guess who now is replacing Peter Laviolette? Paul Maurice! It's kind of a strange move but the Hurricanes were stale. I don't really see why Paul Maurice for a second run but he is a decent coach so maybe he can turn around the squad. He does know the city and know what the ownership expects so maybe he knows what they need to win. I have a feeling Laviolette won't be out of work for longer than a season.

->The Coyotes have aquired Joakim Lindstrom from The Ducks for Logan Stephenson. Joakim Lindstrom has 7 goals and 14 assists for the Iowa Stars this year while Stephenson has 1 goal and 1 assist in 19 games for San Antonio. I like this deal for the Coyotes as I'm not quite sold on Logan Stephenson's skill set. He seams to be more of a 9th D type of player.

->Stefan Legein has decided to return to hockey, in a recent interview he has announced he'll return to the Columbus Blue Jackets in January and hopes to report to Syracuse of the AHL. After some time off apparently Legein feels ready to resume his career. The main reason for quitting he cited was due to a lack of passion but after sitting out for a few months he began to miss hockey. The Blue Jackets are opptimistic and willing to give him a second chance as long as hes commited.

->Daniel Briere of the Fylers is out once again, due to a severe groin strain. 4 to 6 weeks is the estimated time on the shelf this time. He's already been out for 15 games with an "abdominal injury". He injured his groin on tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I have a funny feeling it's going to be a long season for Briere.

->Georges Laraque has a new column "Rock Talk" on http://www.sportsnet.ca and it's actually pretty cool. So far only one article but was actually pretty interesting and educated for a man many refer to as a "goon". Check it out it's worth the read.

->On other online hockey news, hockey monster David Frost has started a new website http://www.hockeygodonline.com . For all those who have been living under a rock the past year, Mr. Frost was Mike Danton's agent and one time coach. After changing his last name due to the request of David Frost in a bizarre turn of events apparently hired a hitman to kill his agent. Other than possibly brainwashing and home-wrecking Frost is also accused of engaging in many disturbing acts of sexuality, humiliation, and abuse to/ with many of his former players he coached.........anyways back to the website , he claims to have hockeys insider information and fantasy picks but so far its just a publicity stunt. Infact it's got nothing really useful unless you need Mike Danton photos and videos. I'm not an expert or anything but if someone tried to kill me I wouldn't have their pictures and videos plastered all over my website. A little creepy. Check it out just for water cooler conversation.

Well thats it for tonight. I'll have a KHL posting tommorow night and a column on the recent suspension of Sean Avery. Stay tuned!