Mega Hockey Trade Rumor Update – June 20, 2012

rumors

SIEGEL: BURKE INTENDS TO USE FIFTH PICK; TRADE NOT IMMINENT

Penguins’ Shero not listening to Staal offers

Backstrom going nowhere

Wings will be ‘aggressive’ in pursuit of Justin Schultz

Ducks expect Parros to test free agency

SIEGEL: BURKE INTENDS TO USE FIFTH PICK; TRADE NOT IMMINENT

If there’s any silver lining to a season gone wrong, it will take shape for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the annual NHL Draft in Pittsburgh on Friday.

“The reward you have for a poor year is a high pick,” Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke said Tuesday evening, following a lengthy Board of Governors meeting. “We expect to get a guy at five that’s going to be an impact player for us some day, maybe not right away.”

Well known for his theatrics on draft day, Burke wouldn’t rule out moving the fifth pick – “not far” in either direction – but made clear his intent to utilize the pick in some capacity rather than trade it outright.

“Right now I’d say yeah,” Burke said of keeping the pick. “We might trade up or down, but so far that hasn’t materialized.”

Unpredictability is expected to swirl around a draft class considered to be lacking in depth. Edmonton holds top spot with Sarnia winger Nail Yakupov leading the pack. Rumours of a trade involving the Oilers continue to bubble, but Burke denied any such knowledge or pursuit on the Leafs’ behalf. “I have no sense from Edmonton that that pick’s in play,” Burke said. “If someone’s actively trying to get that pick it’s not us.”

Penguins’ Shero not listening to Staal offers

Penguins GM Ray Shero told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he isn’t interested in trading Jordan Staal, who can become a free agent next summer. Speculation has swirled since April when Staal was asked how the big three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Staal 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.”

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.

“People read the newspapers and so maybe they think he’s available,” Shero said. “That stuff is all speculation. I have made it clear to every team that has asked. I don’t want to trade Jordan. I’m not listening to offers. I want Jordan here. I want him here for a long time, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

There is still the possibility Staal could be available at some point this summer. Shero’s on-the-record desire to sign him could also be a tactic used to increase possible trade value.

Shero and Staal’s agent, Paul Krepelka, have spoken recently. No deal can be signed before July 1, but Shero said it is within NHL rules to discuss generalities of a new contract.

Krepelka was contacted by the Tribune-Review on Tuesday evening but declined comment on Shero’s desire to sign Staal.

Shero passionately maintains that he is completely invested in signing Staal, who is getting married Friday.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/06/20/hockey_hearsay/

Backstrom going nowhere

As for the Josh Harding deal and how it affects Niklas Backstrom, “We have no interest in trading Backstrom. None,”  Fletcher said. “When we were on top of the league [in the first 30 games] last year, a big part of the reason was our goaltending tandem. There’s no reason for us to want to change that up. Why not bring them back? The future will be the future. Everything work itself out. When Josh indicated he was willing to stay, we worked quickly to get it done.”

Harding added, “We like being a tandem. I love playing with Backy. I’ve learned the most from having Backy and [goalie coach Bob Mason] on my side than anybody else.”

Fletcher:

“Josh took a strong step last year and I still think his best days are ahead of him.”

On the goaltending depth on the team: “We’ve had a lot of injuries the last few years and I’m not sure you can ever have enough depth. I think somebody on the other end of this phone line accused us of not having enough depth last year. We like having depth, there’s no question. That’s not why we re-signed him. We wanted to lock up Josh because we believe in him. The young prospects are all good prospects, but it takes time for goaltenders to develop.
“If we have too many good goalies at one time, that’ll be a nice problem to have. And last [March] was pretty scary when we were one groin pull away from having one goalie under contract in the entire system.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/159631205.html

Wings will be ‘aggressive’ in pursuit of Justin Schultz

Defenseman Ryan Suter and winger Zach Parise are ranked 1-2 by ESPN’s Craig Custance among the top 50 NHL players that will be free agents on July 1.

Nashville’s Suter and New Jersey’s Parise are considered free-agent targets of the Red Wings, who have to replace defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart.

Rounding out ESPN’s top five:

3. Florida defenseman Jason Garrison

4. University of Wisconsin defenseman Justin Schultz

5. Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne

Schultz is an interesting case because he has not signed with the Ducks — who drafted him No. 43 overall in 2008 — after declaring his intent to leave college.

Schultz, 6-2 and 185 pounds, has been a top-10 Hobey Baker Award finalist the last two years. He is from West Kelowna, British Columbia, and has a right-handed shot. He had 16 goals and 28 assists in 37 games for the Badgers last season.

Custance says Schultz will have “no shortage of aggressive suitors,” including the Wings, Vancouver, Toronto, Philadelphia, Edmonton and the Rangers.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120618/SPORTS0103/206180395#ixzz1yMBba17J
Ducks expect Parros to test free agency

Ducks GM Bob Murray told the Register that he made an offer to the enforcer but would not be any more specific beyond that. Parros, 32, finished a three-year deal worth $875,000 per season.

“Met with him on Friday,” Murray said. ”I’ve got a strong feeling he’s going to go to free agency and take a peek. We offered him a contract. I think he’s going to go to free agency, which is his right.”

Because of injuries and the change behind the bench from Randy Carlyle to Bruce Boudreau, Parros played in only 46 games last season — his fewest since appearing in only 32 with the Ducks in 2006-07 after coming over from Colorado in an early-season trade.

There figures to be a question of Parros’ role going forward as Boudreau wants to ice a fourth line that can play some significant minutes and signaled that when he often sat the winger down the stretch. Parros averaged just 6 minutes, 22 seconds last season and had one goal, three assists and 85 penalty minutes.

http://ducks.ocregister.com/2012/06/19/ducks-expect-parros-to-test-free-agency/111440/