Free Agent Frenzy Signing

*-> Nikolai Khabibulin has signed with the Edmonton oilers to finally give them a number one starter now that Garon and Roloson are out of the picture. It is believed to be a 4 year deal worth 15 $ mil total.

The Heatley Saga Continues

*-> Dany Heatley has reportedly refused the trade to Edmonton therefore it forces Ottawa to take the 4$Mil bonus hit but fortunatly it doesn't effect the salary cap. No reason yet for the refusal and I'm sure theres more to follow.

Ice Scoopz: Trade - > Heatley Saga Almost Over!

*-> It was recently reported by RDS that the Heatley Saga is almost over. The Ottawa Senators have a deal in place for Dany Heatley finally. The Senators would send Dany Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers for Ladislav Smid, Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano. All that's stopping the Sens from moving on in this chapter is Dany Heatley's no movement clause. I feel chances are this will be a done deal because bother parties would love to end this asap.

A decent deal for Ottawa but by no means got full value. Dustin Penner is a huge cap hit for not a whole lot while Ladislav Smid who is still an RFA which should be a problem. Andrew Cogliano is an above average player but is no 50 goal scorer they need to replace.

Ice Scoopz: Heatley Rumors Heating Up

*-> As Many Ottawa fans anxiously and patiently await to see who may replace their star winger , GM Bryan Murray continues to work the phones. The Heatley Trade Countdown has begun as each day draws closer to the NHL Entry Draft next Friday and with July 1st Free Agency also creeping up. The rumors are heating up as most analysts believe Bryan Murray will trade Heater before the July 1st free agency period. Why? Because it only makes perfect sense. If the Sens decided to stupidly wait past July 1st they will be forced to pay Heatley a 4 Million$ bonus which although doesn't effect the cap it does however cost the team a large sum for someone who doesn't want to play there. Another key point is that Heatleys 7.5$ MIL salary could be used to lure in an impact free agent and we all know that most of the big names are gone within a two week period. So why would Bryan Murray wait to move Heatley? He's not. Realistically the GM would love to get rid of Heatley before or during the draft so not only could they get an impact player but also a draft pick in return. It isn't all positive for the Sens ether. Because Heatley decided to leak his trade request to the media he has handicapped Bryan Murray. Murray's fellow GM's now know Heatley wants out and the Sens are going to be forced to deal him quickly because of July 1st and the Draft. This should lower his price just a little. On top Heatley has a no movement clause which allows Heatley to choose his destination, so Heatley goes only where Heatley wants. Another discount. Finally Heatleys massive contract will have to be absorbed somehow and the Sens will almost certainly be asked to take cap space in return. thus reducing Heatley's value even more. So that's what we know so far.

What will Bryan Murray be able to do? Where will Heatley land? Who will Ottawa get? We know that Heatley would realistically like to play out West so the Western conference is most likely where he'll end up. If they did manage to swing a deal in the East we do know that "career stop" Ottawa, and "memory lane" Atlanta are out of the picture. Today Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leaf's said his club will 100% be out of the Heatley trade due to the way Heatley handled himself during this whole mess. Count T-dot out. The rumored teams so far have been Vancouver who most likely will lose their only offence the Sedins, The Calgary Flames, The Edmonton Oilers, and the LA Kings.

The Vancouver Canucks are in a dangerous situation in which they might lose 75% of their offence come July 1st. The Sedins don't appear to be happy with the offers so far made by the Canucks. This leaves Vancouver with a very large hole to fill on an already offence dry team. Heatley would be an instant fix and would cost less than resigning both Sedins. The rumored player to be traded in return is Loungo which personally I find ridiculous. Why would they deal a franchise goalie and the captain? I say the more likely scenario is Ottawa gets Michael Grabner or Jannick Hansen and their 1st or 2nd in this years draft. They mad be out an impact player now but they restock their system with a pretty decent prospect and a late 1st round pick before going out on July 1st and spending that 7.5$ MIL without having to worry about any trade back salary.

The Calgary Flames also have been mentioned several times mainly I believe because Alberta is Heatleys home province. Heatley for Phaneuf is the on going rumor in the hockey world but like the Vancouver rumor, I highly doubt Calgary would part with such an impact defenseman who is likely going to be a cornerstone in their franchise for years to come. It doesn't make sense. Also Calgary has major cap issues and would love to resign Mike Camalleri. Unless Ottawa is willing to take Olli Jokinen and Corey Sarich's salaries in return this deal won't work. It doesn't make sense for Ottawa as they already have a number one center and several aging old style NHL defenseman as it is.

The Edmonton Oilers another Alberta connection team could have what it takes to get a deal done with Ottawa. They have been seeking a star player for quite sometime and a hometown player would be sure to put the fans over. Rumor has it that Edmonton has a deal on the table that includes Sheldon Souray, Gilbert Brule and Patrick O'Sullivan for Heater. Another name being thrown about is defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Ottawa would really love to have that powerplay quarterback and their salaries would almost offset but I think Ottawa is looking for a player for the top line and secondary scoring before they touch defensemen. Edmonton also has struggling should have been star Robbie Shremp and most likely bust Gilbert Brule they may be able to toss in as a throw in to per sway Murray.

L.A is another interesting scenario which has been all over the media just simply because they have a deep talent pool of prospects and a boatload of cap space. The deal rumored so far is Alexander Frolov and this years 2nd for Heatley. It's a decent trade but I think Ottawa is looking for something else like a throw in or a prospect to weigh the scales a little better. Ted Purcell should be the prospect is after but defenseman Vyacheslav Voinov is the more likely prospect to be thrown in due to LA's defensive logjam.

Later tonight I'll have a few more rumored destinations as the evenings usual Ice Scoopz and a recapped of yesterdays news.

Ice Scoopz: Wednesday Night

Heres tonight's news..

*-> The Ottawa Senator's have signed interm coach Cory Clouston to a two-year deal to removed the interm coach label from his resume. The Senators have turned around their game since Clouston took over for Craig Hartsburg. Senator's owner Eugene Melnyk has also announced that Bryan Murray the Senator's GM doesn't have to worry about his job this summer as he will be retained for his final year of his contract.

Personally I feel Murray should be handed his walking papers because he allowed the Sens to crumble and fall before he decided to fix things. Melnyk's reasoning of Murray saw the problem and addressed it really doesn't make sense. He only jumped in and fixed things after it was already too late. The Sens knew all season long they needed goaltending help and that the lockerroom was a mess so why address it near the end of the season? He's slowly allowed the Sens to spiral since making it to the cup finals. Hopefully the Sens will be able to compete next year with the addition of just Pascal Leclaire.

*-> Linus Omark the YouTube highlight sensation has turned down an offer from the Edmonton Oilers to play in the KHL next season. Omark who is a top scorer in the Swedish Elite League is a 4th round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2007 and has been in deep negotiations with the club since the SEL season ended. Omark signed a 1.2$ MIL 1st year then a 1.4$ MIL second year deal with Moscow Dynamo which includes a North American escape clause after the second deal. His agent claimed the deal was made after realising the Oilers would not be able to compete with the Russian money been thrown his clients way.

*-> Doug Weight of the New York Islanders has signed a one year extension to remain with the struggling Islanders next season. Weight who made 1.75$ MIL this season will jump to 2$ MIL next season. Weight who missed most of the season with an injury has 9 goals and 26 assists in just over 50 games.

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.

Edmonton Trade Deadline Review

As it comes to my attention I wont have enough time to finish my deadline day review I'm going to try and get all of the major players this deadline day. My buddy Codes gave me a hand in reviewing Edmonton so here it is, sorry about the Reviews I'm trying my best.

Deadline Day Review – Edmonton Oilers

For the first time since the Ryan Smyth days, the Edmonton Oilers head into the Trade Deadline as a playoff bound team. They are in the heat of a playoff race where 6th to 12th are separated by only 4 points, and are under more pressure than ever to make it to the dance. For those reasons, the Oil should be buyers on deadline day.

Oilers GM Kevin Lowe is known for being a deadline dealer, and would love to breathe some life into a club with a few crucial games coming up. The Oilers first game after the deadline is in Ottawa before swinging through the other Eastern Canadian teams. What a great opportunity to bond with new acquisitions. After that they have multiple games against the Wild and Ducks before March is out, games they must win to keep their playoff dreams alive.

Look for Erik Cole to be shipped off at deadline day. Despite over 17 minutes of ice per game, the once powerful forward has disappointed this year with only 25 points and hasn’t been solid in his own end at -5. Rather than lose him for nothing this summer as an Unrestricted Free Agent, Edmonton would love to ship him out as part of a bigger deal. Perhaps an exchange for a younger player with finish would be in order, but certainly not without giving up a pick or a prospect as well.

One name being floated around is Dwayne Roloson. While Rollie is a pending free agent this summer, don’t expect him to go anywhere. He is arguably the Oiler’s best player right now and Lowe understands that his playoff hopes rest in his goalkeepers hands. On top of that, Roloson is a fan favourite and very likely to re-sign in the off season.

And if you’re a GM who thinks Edmonton will trade off their future for short term success, think again: Gagner, Cogliano, Eberle, Nash and Petry are untouchable.

Players who Lowe might be willing to move include Robert Nilsson, who has been a healthy scratch of late, and possibly underachieving prospect Taylor Chorney. Look for Nilsson to be moved for a depth defenceman with size, (think Cristoph Schubert).

Could this be the year Rob Schremp is traded? The Oilers haven’t given up yet, but surely some other teams must be loving those hands.

Ice Scoopz: Friday Late Night -> F. Kaberle On Waivers

*-> Frantisek Kaberle has been waived today by the Carolina Hurricanes. Frantisek Kaberle has struggled most of last season and this season and Carolina is desperatly trying to find a trading partner to get deal him to. So far no buyers but this might get things moving with him on waivers. Rumor has it that Carolina is close to deal and this is the first step before they can bring in another body. Kaberle most likely will be claimed as he still has a bit of value left in him and a team looking for a cheap solution may take a risk. If not expect Carolina to send him to the AHL and or put him on re-entry waivers to try and find a more budgitable solution. Teams reportedly interested are the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are desperate for some help on the blueline after loosing two defesemen in the past two weeks.

*-> Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadiens was suspended today for 2 games after tripping Edmonton Oilers defenseman Denis Grebeshkov leg first into the boards. Plekanec and Grebeshkov were racing for an icing call and Plekanec took out Grebeshkov's legs and he slide leg first, getting injured on the play. Guy Carboneau believes it was a hockey play and because the player was injured that it was only called. The league saw differently.

*-> Defenseman Chris Pronger who has been the subject of many trade rumors has officially stated he does not want to be traded and will not accept any kind of trade proposal from the Anaheim Ducks so we can most likely rule any big move for Pronger out. He currently is happy in Anaheim and would like to play out the rest of his contract there.

*-> John Paddock has been silenced by Ottawa GM and former friend Bryan Murray and owner Eugene Melnyk after his anti-Murray comments this week. John Paddock came out and said it's Bryans Murray's fault for Ottawa's downfall the last few seasons. The players he has brought in aren't any good he claims and it's all the players Murray has brought in. Since Paddock is still under contract technically by Ottawa they can cease payments because of this incident but instead Ottawa's asking for Paddock to keep his comments to himself. Personally I agree with this, Ottawa has been on a steady downfall since Murray took over. Letting players like Chara and Havlat go for nothing is ridiculous. Yes Havlat for nothing as well, where is Josh Hennessy and Tom Priessing? Murray should be gone at the end of the season, and if he isn't then the Sens are in trouble this off season.

The I.R: Friday Morning

*-> Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has been cleared to play today. Although he will not play this week, he will practice and hopefully be back by next week. Sources say he'll take the trip with the team and hopes to see some action.

*-> Toronto Maple Leaf's Mike VanRyn will miss another week with a shoulder injury he suffered during the game against Montreal Saturday night.

*-> Lubomir Visnovsky of the Edmonton Oilers will be out for the rest of the season after having surgery this past week after suffering a labrum injury. This hurts the Oilers chances of trading a defenseman to bring in a player for Ales Hemsky to play with.

That's it for now this morning. Ill have more later.

Ice Scoopz: Friday Evening -> Legace On Waivers

*-> Manny Legace was placed on waivers today by his club the St. Louis Blues after Chris Mason's recent performances solidified Mason's number one status and St.Louis's no need for a back-up at 2.5$MIL. Legace who was really down on the recent slide and was understandably upset when he learned he was waived. Manny said he still will play his heart out and will 100% report to Peoria of the AHL if not claimed. Good thing for Manny he most likely will get picked up it seams as many teams are clamoring for a reliable back-up. The Washington Capitols recently lost Brent Johnson so a 8 week injury and Theodore hasn't played to his usual rate all season. Another team that has reportedly shown interest is the New York Islanders who also have no clear cut back-up no that DiPietro is out for the season. New york has no real incentive though to acquire a back-up unless they feel they could re-sign him as they are already out of the picture and most likely want to keep sliding. Ottawa is another team with goaltending woes, rumor has it that Bryan Murray wont give up on playoff hopes yet and going to keep puching till the very end. Legace could fill that void nicely. The last team I hear is interested is the columbus Blue Jackets who really need to give their young goalie Steve Mason a rest to get healthy. The Blue Jackets are really being pushed by ownership to make the playoffs this year and a really good run down the stretch could do it. Do they have enough faith in Mason that he wont fade down the stretch now that they have learned hes playing with mono?

*-> Another big story is that TSN and the New York Times are reporting that the New York Rangers really would love to bring back Sean Avery. Sean Avery is just about complete the NHL's program and would like to restart his career. Acording to the article the New York management has asked its staff and its players if they thought bringing in Avery could really help the club and apparently the reaction was positive. The Dallas Stars would love to get him off the books in any way possible and most liekly would sweeten the deal for the Rangers if they were willing to take him. The Dallas Stars happen to play the Rangers this weekend so expect talks to begin.

*-> Oilers scout Dave Semenko has been seen watching yet another Bruin game, this leads many to believe that as i reported last night a deal will be close to be done for Erik Cole. Expect a deal sometime this week and from what I am hearing it still involves Vladimir Sobotka and some sort of pick. Brad Marchant's name is also being thrown around as the possible target. I doubt this is the case as Semenko has been watching Bruin's games not Providence so it most likely is Sobotka or someone else off the roster. Michael Ryder could be the target as well, as the Oilers could use his finishing abilities.

That's it for now, there's a few more on the line for later, stay tuned..

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Latenight

Did anyone else see that Richard Zednik goal? Frigging beautiful! I thought that guy was done after his neck injury last season but I was definatly wrong. Heres the rest of tonights rumors..

*-> Jussi Jokinen was placed on waivers this afternoon by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is expected to clear tomorow at noon and be sent down to the AHL. Although a few teams have expsressed interest like the Dallas Stars, they most likely will wait to see if he enters re-entry waivers later on in the season before pouncing.

*-> The Edmonton Oilers have begun shopping Erik Cole around the league. The Oilers are trying to find an elite player for Ales Hemsky to play with and hope by dangling Erik Cole they'll be able to find a trading partner. The Boston Bruins are apparently interested and Edmonton scouts have been seen watching the Bruin's the past few games. The Bruins have a few young players they could part with but it is highly unlikely the Oilers will be able to land one of the Bruins top line players. Marco Sturm is an option as the Oilers may not make the playoffs so since Sturm is out of the picture till the end of the season it works out. Hes affordable at 3.5$ for another 2 years. It works out for the Bruins because they'll get the support their missing from Sturms absence. Another possible target and has been the subject of the rumors is Bruin's prospect Vladimir Sobotka. The Oilers appear to be interested in Sobotka and a mid range draft pick could seal the deal although it's not the Hemsky partner they desire.

Ice Scoopz: Thursday Afternoon -> Gerber On Waivers

*- Martin Gerber has been placed on waivers this afternoon, no teams are expected to claim him. The New York Islanders have been rumored to be interested but as the days wind down to the trade deadline it seams the Isles are happy just to settle with Joey Mcdonald and Yann Danis. Tavares must really be a sweet thought. Gerber is expected to finish the season down in Binghamton or head overseas on a loan to a Swiss or Swedish club.

*- Danny Sabourin has cleared waivers this morning, Kevin Lowe has apparently told Danny Sabourin still not to report to the Oilers and that they are going to attempt to shop him during the All Star break. If no luck expect Sabourin to be ether bought out or sent down to the AHL.

Ice Scoopz: Tuesday Evening - Forsberg Back??

*Former Colorado Avalanche member Peter Forsberg is once again contemplating playing again. He says he will take to the ice again next week to test out his skate after having yet another ankle surgery. Forsberg claims that this is his last shot at making a comeback and if his ankle is still bothering him hes going to hang up the skates for good. Rumors have Chicago wanting Forsberg badly to help their young core through the post season. Colorado would also love to have him back with the loss of Joe Sakic indefinitely.

*The Ottawa Senator's are apparently shopping Gerber hard to the New York Islanders now that Rick Dipietro is sidelined for the entire season. They have even offered to bring him up through re-entry waivers for the club. I highly doubt they will bite however because they are expected to claim Danny Sabourin off waivers tonight.

*Danny Sabourin who was recently traded to the Edmonton Oilers after the Mathieu Garon trade was told today not to report to Edmonton and he was immediately waived this afternoon. As mentioned before the New York Islanders are expected to claim him.

*Florida Panther defenseman Corey Murphy was claimed on re-entry waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning late Monday night. Ottawa GM Bryan Murray stated that they Sens were never interested in Murphy and have their powerplay quarterback in Brenden Bell.

The I.R: Friday Afternoon + Catch-Up on The Way

You can add yours truly to the I.R after a late night outside game of shinny the other night because I've got the flu once again. I can barely even process basic thoughts due to all the cold meds haha. For some reason every year right about this time I get it and it sucks because three weeks back I had a really bad cold so this puts me behind again. I should be up in running I think in 24 hours so bare with me. I'll continue my World Junior reviews ASAP and will have a massive catch-up post Sunday night. Expect another few tonight as I seems to be able function.

*- Ales Hemsky was place on the I.R today by the Edmonton Oilers. Hemsky who suffered an concussion two weeks ago from a Jordan Tootoo hit will most likely by out for another two weeks.

*- Ruslan Fedotenko was been placed on the I.R after the Pittsburgh Penguin forward broke his hand on former Pen Colby Armstrong's face during a fight. Expect him to miss between 4 to 6 weeks.

*- In the same game Pascal Dupuis is injured with what is believed to be a pulled groin. Rumor has it is he'll miss only 2 games.

Thanks for the patience!

Saturday Afternoon New Hits + Corey Murphy?

Well I'd figure I'd get this one out while watching the Pittsburg/Ottawa game this afternoon. I don't know if anybody else was watching but they had curling on before and it ran late so they waited for curling to finnish. It was kind of a piss-off because curlings not exactly a main attraction sport and they've been pushing this afternoon game all week. They should have just split screened it but no we had to see each boring shot full screen. Oh well! Another slow day and nothing big going on but heres so fars new.

->Owen Nolan of the Minesota Wild has suffered an undisclosed upper body injury but is expected to miss atleast 2 weeks. I'll try and get more on this one as it comes.

->Yet another injury with Oilers Sam Gagner who suffered a mild concussion in Dallas Wednesday. The Oilers apparently are taking this very slow and don't expect him to be rushed back. My estimation is probably a week and a half.

->The final conclusion to the Sean Avery ordeal is in and the NHL has handed him a 6 game suspension. The Dallas Star's will not appeal the suspension but the NHLPA will. According to reports the NHLPA feels the suspension was a bit too harsh for a few selected words. Rumours have it that this season the NHL brass has had all eyes on Avery waiting for a moment like this to try and settle him down.

->The KHL has decided that they are going to try a familiar All-Star game format this year when they played their annual all-star game. On January 11th the game will be played outdoors in Moscow's Red Square in keeping with the outdoor game trend. The game's roster format has been chosen as well and will be a Russia vs the World format which is pretty interesting since alot of foreign players has now been lured to the KHL. Former Islander Alexei Yashin will be the team captain of the Russian side while a former Ranger Jaromir Jagr will captain the foreign teams squad. The rosters will be released mid-December. I'm personally excited for this one because I really do believe the KHL officials are playing this exactly how they should. Their marketing former NHL stars agains't their former league and using their name's which had been made popular in North America to stir a buzz and grab headlines in North America. Another interesting thing is that they are showing they can keep out with the lastest hockey fads by showing the NHL and North America that they arn't the only ones who can market an outdoor game. The KHL isn't budging, I truely believe this summer it could present another dangerous threat to the NHL. Especially if they expand to Europe like planned. I can wait to see how this is going to play out. Tomorow afternoon I will debut my Team Yashin (Russia) roster and who I expect to make the squad. There's alot of familiar faces, more than I expected. Tuesday I'll preview my prediction for Team Jagr and the Foreign side.

*Rumour*
->Last little thing is that Corey Murphy noise is starting to happen. There are a few teams that are trying to make something happen with the Florida Panthers for the offensive specialist. Corey Murphy is an extremely talented offensive defenseman and clearly can work a power play. Although he's undersized and a bit injury prone a few teams who are desperate to get things started have shown interest. Two that I've heard are the powerplay struggling Montreal Canadians and the well just struggling Sens. Montreal loves these kind of players, with Mark Streit being gone and nothing clicking on the point he could easily be a good fit for an already talented line-up who needs someone to set-up Kovalev and Markov. Ottawa on the other hand has been just plan struggling and all season have been pushing for an offensive defenseman to replace Redden. Alexander Picard is a complete bust and Brendan Bell clearly isn't made to play at this level. Kuba's good but he needs help. This could be a good fit and I know Bryan Murray is ready to start shopping Antone Vermette a Jacques Martin favorite. Stay -tuned on this one.

Well that's it for now but a final comment to anyone who watches CBC broadcast games. Has anyone else noticed that P.J Stock can barely get a sentence together? I enjoy his commentary because he's been through the grind of the NHL and really knows the players sides but he sounds like a punch drunk boxer sometimes. Today he took about 3 minutes to say "Maxime Talbot knows what hes doing and know he has two players....". they should use him more to his strengths and use him for their rumours and breaking stories instead of trying to break the game down sentence by sentence or more like word by word.