Monthly Archives: February 2013
Realignment agreement expected soon
THE NHL and NHLPA are working to solve the league’s alignment issues and a solution should be reached in the coming weeks.
The NHL proposed a realignment plan to its board of governors in December of 2011 and it passed. The NHLPA, however, refused to accept the proposal and the league elected to put it on the backburner until a new CBA could be negotiated.
The proposal would have seen the Jets move to a conference with Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas and Minnesota.
Todays Waiver Wire Roundup
CGY claims Joey MacDonald off waivers from DET, BUF Matt Ellis clear waivers, and EDM places Hordichuk on waivers.
— Tim Wharnsby (@WharnsbyCBC) February 11, 2013
Leafs looks Reimer to injury tonight
#TMLtalk news: James Reimer will not return tonight due to a lower body injury
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 12, 2013
February 11, 2013 NHL Trade Rumors
Derick Brassard and Penner Available?
Who is available? Well, a few teams would love Ryan O’Reilly, but God knows how that ends. Once again, Derick Brassard’s name is coming up. That’s been an uneasy marriage, to say the least. The Columbus Blue Jackets have three first-round picks next year — their own and one each from the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. I can’t imagine they’d trade their own for anything less than a superstud, but the other two are strong commodities in a deep draft.
Another player of interest is Dustin Penner. He’s really in the doghouse with just three games played. If the Kings so desired, there would certainly be a market. He’s on a one-year deal. Hard to pin down many more names. Some teams don’t want to deal excess players because depth is critical. Very few teams are out of it, which prevents fire sales, and with the cap going down to $64.3 million US in 2013-14, you don’t want to add a big salary if you can avoid it. Maybe things loosen up in the next week or so.
Speaking of trades, rumours will heat up on Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Stephen Weiss and Jarome Iginla. But the Anaheim Ducks have looked good with Getzlaf and Perry.
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Tyler Myers ($12M) will be healthy scratch for a 2nd game tonight. He has the worst plus/minus (-9) of the NHL… #Sabres
— Patrick Caisse (@PatrickCaisse) February 10, 2013
HTR Believes that this is leading to more speculation that he could be on this way out of town.
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Kessler to return to the Canucks lineup soon.
At #Canucks super skills, Ryan Kesler says he “can see the light at the end of the tunnel” and that his return is “just around the corner”
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) February 10, 2013
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Flames claim goaltender Joey MacDonald off waivers from Red Wings
The Calgary Flames have claimed goaltender Joey MacDonald off waivers today.
MacDonald was cleared to play today after being out since March 14 due to a bulging disc.
The Flames needed a goalie after started Mikka Kiprusoff sprained his MCL last Tuesday in a game against the Red Wings. He is listed as day-to-day.
MacDonald, who turned 33 last Thursday, went 8-5-1, with a 2.16 goals-against average and .912 save percentage for the Red Wings in 2011-12. He stepped in when Jimmy Howard was injured and won seven games in a row at one point, winning the back-up job from Ty Conklin.
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2013/02/flames_claim_goaltender_joey_m.html
Gerbe on the Trade Block?
Sources say don’t be shocked if Sabres GM Darcy Regier moves or at least attempts to move Gerbe in the near future.
Gerbe has been relegated to fourth line duty where with his size he’s hardly making any sort of relevant impact. He’s playing 9 minutes on a good night but for the most part is seeing 6-7 minutes of ice a night. This guy isn’t a fourth line player and I’m not so sure what the thought process is here.
Oilers after Weiss?
“Ridiculous.’’ So says Panthers GM Dale Tallon when it comes to rumors that he’s looking to deal talented No. 1 pivot Stephen Weiss. Nonetheless, the chatter won’t go away, and Weiss, the No. 4 pick in the 2001 draft, could be the next big cat out of Sunrise, following ex-linemate Nathan Horton. If Tallon is looking to make a move, the Oilers will get aggressive in a bid because they are injury-depleted at pivot with both Shawn Horcoff (knuckle) and Eric Belanger (foot) expected to miss at least another month. No. 1 Oiler pivot Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also has been hindered by a wonky shoulder.
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The Latest in the O’Reilly saga in Colorado
O’Reilly could sign a one-year deal with Colorado, then take the team to arbitration over the summer and hope to score a big contract of the kind he wants now. If the arbitrator sides with the player, the Avs would either have to pay it or they could “walk away” from the deal, which would make O’Reilly an unrestricted free agent and lose him for nothing. And that is something they obviously wouldn’t want.
All eyes on Leafs’ Kessel as trade rumours swirl
What is brewing as a much bigger story in Toronto, however, is what happens with Kessel’s contract situation and if he remains with the team long term.
The five-year deal he signed when he originally landed with the Leafs in former GM Brian Burke’s infamous trade with the Boston Bruins is set to expire on July 1, 2014, meaning Kessel can sign an extension in less than five months.
It is also believed that while Leafs GM Dave Nonis isn’t offering his top sniper around the league, he is willing to listen to offers, rumours that will only increase should Toronto fall out of the playoff race before the trade deadline in early April.
Anaheim Ducks must decide what to do with pending free agents Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf
Call it Bob Murray’s big decision.
With the NHL trade deadline set for April 3, nobody is under more intense scrutiny than the Anaheim Ducks GM with all-star forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf both set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
While Murray has maintained publicly he wants to keep both players in the fold, he’s going to have cough up a lot of cash from the Ducks’ bank if Perry and Getzlaf are both going to stick around Anaheim past this season.
McPhee: ‘We’re not gonna blow anything up’
Well, the opinions that matter are the coaching staff and our pro scouts and ownership. We’re all on the same page. We’re disappointed with the way things have started. It’s not over. Nothing that a couple of wins won’t really help. But we’re gonna make good decisions. We’re not gonna do anything short term. We’re not gonna blow anything up. We like the people here. We’ve just got to be smart about how we do it. We’ve made a lot of good decisions over the last five or six years. Hopefully, we made good decisions this year, but we’ll see.
Wild getting ready to fire their coach?
In hockey, when you’ve tried everything but firing the coach and your team doesn’t respond, you tend to fire the coach. Maybe owner Craig Leipold won’t force that move immediately, but he has no reason to be patient after making an immense investment in front-line talent and watching his team fall apart.
Whether Mike Yeo is responsible for his team’s slump is irrelevant.