Monthly Archives: December 2009
Mathieu Schneider won't be welcomed back to Canucks
So far this season for the Penguins has been anything but easy, with all of their top six defensemen and a few top six forwards going down with injury early in the year its hard to believe that they are still at the top of the conference. The Penguins still have some flaws that if they want to repeat need to be fixed.
Rumors and Tidbits – December 29, 2009
Players on Waivers
Flyers interested in Wild Goalie?
Holiday Rumors
Time for Oilers to clean house
By Dan Barnes
You can busy yourself washing the windows, dusting the furniture and vacuuming, but the toilets aren’t going to clean themselves.
Over time, it will become impossible to ignore the smell.
Saskatoon still dreaming of Coyotes on the Prairies
The Saskatoon Coyotes? Well, for five games a season anyway.
The dream for part-time access to an NHL team remains alive in the heart of the Prairies, where the CUC Centre, home to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, is showing itself worthy of hosting a major hockey event.
Could Ian White 'C' Leafs' future?
As the Maple Leafs’ long unanswered question lingers – who will be the next captain? – there are candidates emerging.
The latest could be Ian White, who seems to be gaining supporters, at least judging by the unscientific standards of fan support and email. And it doesn’t hurt that he scored the game winner in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
TSN is reporting that Washington traded Chris Clark and defenceman Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets for winger Jason Chimera.
Botchford
A dispute over playing time created a rift between Mathieu Schneider and the Canucks, and has left Vancouver GM Mike Gillis trying to deal the defenceman and former client.
Expect to see Philly C Jeff Carter dealt once the Christmas roster freeze is lifted. The Kings are considered front-runners for Carter, but there is plenty of interest in him. He has a year left on his contract at $5 million US and doesn’t have a no-movement clause.
Ilya Kovalchuk wants 100 million dollar deal
Rumors around Atlanta, where Thrashers boss Don Waddell last week reported a snag in contract talks with Ilya Kovalchuk, have the star Russian winger looking to gross $100 million over 10 years, with a hefty portion of the payout front-loaded (like the Marc Savard deal and many others over the last two years).
Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk is looking to hit a home run with his next contract and maybe shoot for the NHL maximum of $11.36 million a season.
Why not? Aim high. That’s 20 per cent of the current salary cap of approximately $56.7 million a team, the maximum allowed for an individual player.
Bruins seeking a top 6 forward
It’s a good bet that the Bruins will part with some of those picks between Monday, when the holiday roster freeze is lifted, and the March 3 trade deadline. The Bruins have some young and inexpensive talent on their big-league roster, such as Tuukka Rask, Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, and Matt Hunwick, that might attract interest around the league and fill some of the Black-and-Gold needs.
The Bruins’ No. 1 priority is a top-six forward who can put shots behind goalies, while a puck-moving defenseman would also be an important upgrade.