Afternoon Mega NHL Hockey Trade Rumors Update – June 21, 2012

rumors

Signs point to Krueger as Oilers head coach

Tallon Says Panthers Have Made Offer; Will He Sign?

CANADIENS FILE FOR SALARY ARBITRATION WITH PRICE

Penguins general manager Shero: I’m not trading Staal

P.A. DONE IN NY?

Parise not tipping hand as free agency nears

 

Signs point to Krueger as Oilers head coach

Ralph Krueger is positioned to become the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

And not just physically.

Krueger is no longer at his home in Davos, Switzerland, but a 20-minute boat trip and two-hour drive to Winnipeg, then a two-hour flight away.

And there’s every evidence and indication the job is going to be his, that Krueger will be making the trip here from his family summer home outside of Kenora, Ont., to be hired and press conferenced as the 10th head coach in Oilers NHL history.

Krueger isn’t saying it. But there’s more than enough in what he does say – and in what Brent Sutter says – to believe there is only one candidate in the running for the position.

Put it all together and it’s virtually impossible not to come to the conclusion that the Winnipeg native and long-time coach of the Swiss national team, who was Tom Renney’s associate coach here the last two years, is going to be given the job when Kevin Lowe, Steve Tambellini and Craig MacTavish return from the NHL draft next week.

Sutter says he still hasn’t had communication in any way, shape or form from the Oilers.

Krueger admits he has.

“I agreed to be part of the process the way it’s evolving,” were the carefully chosen words from the man who took over coaching the Oilers power play last year and moved it from near worst to near first. The Oilers ended up third at 20.6% after being 27th at 14.5% the year before.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/06/21/signs-point-to-krueger-as-oilers-head-coach

Tallon Says Panthers Have Made Offer; Will He Sign?

General manager Dale Tallon said the Panthers have made an offer to free agent defenseman Jason Garrison and that he plans to meet with Garrison’s agent when he travels to Pittsburgh for the NHL draft this weekend.

Garrison, who had a career season with 16 goals and 17 assists, can leave the Panthers on July 1.

“We’re going to go right to the wire with this,” Tallon said. “We’ll see where it goes. We’re optimistic, but we have to have contingency plans just in case. We have young players who we’re going to have to count on sooner or later.”

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/flapanthers/2012/06/garrison-update-tallon-says-flapanthers-have-made-offer-will-he-sign.html#storylink=cpy

CANADIENS FILE FOR SALARY ARBITRATION WITH PRICE

The Montreal Canadiens aren’t taking any chances on another team extending an offer sheet to Carey Price.

RDS in Quebec reports that the club has filed for arbitration with their No. 1 netminder, who was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

RDS hockey reporter Renaud Lavoie reported on Twitter that the move is no indication that salary negotiations with Price and his representatives aren’t going well, but the move does prevent other NHL teams from signing the 24-year-old to an offer sheet.

Penguins general manager Shero: I’m not trading Staal

The numbers suggest keeping Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal together through their prime years will be almost impossible.

General Manager Ray Shero said something entirely different Tuesday.

Shero told the Tribune-Review that he isn’t interested in trading Staal, who can become a free agent next summer. Speculation has swirled since April when Staal was asked how the three could remain happy with the Penguins and he responded, “That’s a good question.”

Shero painted a different picture.

“He told me he likes it here,” Shero said. “Told me he likes Pittsburgh, likes being a Penguin.”

Staal was Shero’s first draft pick in 2006.

There are two questions pertaining to Staal: Will he be satisfied being the third-line center for the duration of his career? And, can the Penguins reasonably sign him — along with Crosby and Malkin — next year while remaining under the salary cap?

The long-term salary cap figures are unknown because of impending CBA negotiations.

Shero didn’t get into specifics but made his intentions clear. Teams are inquiring daily about Staal, Shero said, but he remains uninterested in any offer.

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/2055778-85/shero-staal-jordan-contract-trade-crosby-sign-agent-general-likes

P.A. DONE IN NY?

Soon-to-be-unrestricted free agent winger P.A. Parenteau won’t re-sign with the New York Islanders, according to RDS.

It’s unclear, though, whether Parenteau wants to test free agency to see what kind of money he can get somewhere else or if the Islanders don’t want him back.

The 29-year-old was the Isles’ third-leading scorer — he had 18 goals and 49 assists in 80 games — and made just $1.25 million. But some believe his point total was inflated by playing with John Tavares.

Despite his age, Parenteau has played just 188 NHL games during his career, recording 41 goals and 88 assists.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2012/06/20/19902166.html

Parise not tipping hand as free agency nears

It’s hard to believe everything Zach Parise says these days.

Surround him with fans of his current team, the New Jersey Devils, and he’ll tell them there’s no way he’s going to sign with the rival New York Rangers, as he did last week.

Put him behind an autograph table at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, and he’ll tell a Wild fan he’s coming to the Twin Cities. Everyone knows it’s a joke, that there’s so little Parise can say, yet the questions keep coming. He was put on the spot about the Rangers, he said, just as he chose to dodge question after question from Wild fans Wednesday night.

That’s just reality for the 27-year-old left wing, who has 10 days left in exclusive negotiations with the Devils before he would become a free agent on July 1. After a playoff run in which his team made the Stanley Cup Finals and Parise scored eight goals, he’s become one of the hottest potential free agents on the market, and the rumors are especially prevalent in his hometown of Minneapolis.

“It’s been a runaway train, for sure, in the media everywhere – and not just here,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said of the rumors that started spreading June 14 at his pre-draft press conference. “I think it just speaks to the parity in the league and how much competition there is. … There’s a lot of teams with a lot of money to spend. So I think my only statement would be, ‘It’s probably a good year to be a free agent.'”

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/06/20/12/Parise-not-tipping-hand-as-free-agency-n/landing_wild.html@blockID=749678&feedID=5930