Hockey Trade Rumors

As Glen Sather slowly made his way down the hallway towards the New York Rangers dressing room, with his head down, as the only one in the building wearing a trench coat, you wonder if he’s thinking: Would any of this be different with Rick Nash?

Would Sather’s mistake-filled tenure of running the Rangers have been corrected in this strange playoff spring by completing the deal he worked so hard on and couldn’t find a way to make happen?

The Senators could be in for a long, hot summer trying to sign defenceman Erik Karlsson.

Craig Oster, Karlsson’s agent, confirmed by e-mail late Monday there haven’t been any formal talks between the two sides and none are planned at this juncture.

No, this shouldn’t come as any surprise as the season ended less than two weeks ago. The club’s scouting staff is focused on the coming weekend when the group gathers in Ottawa to rate players for next month’s NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh.

Toronto has to top the early line as betting favourite to trade for Roberto Luongo. They have both need and assets. It’s also a place Luongo is willing to go.

But you can’t be sure how much Luongo’s official list really matters anyway. It’s hard to believe there are many situations less inviting than the one in Vancouver, where, if he were to come back, his playing time may be reduced to something like 30-35 games behind Cory Schneider. Don’t be surprised if Luongo’s real list is a lot longer than five teams.

If you’re a Detroit Red Wings fan, you’re delighted that the Phoenix Coyotes eliminated the Nashville Predators in the second round of the playoffs on Monday.

And not just because you’re upset that the Predators ousted Detroit in the first round – although that probably has something to do with it.

Instead, you’re happy because you believe the early exit for a Nashville team that was all in this year to win the Stanley Cup will enhance the Red Wings’ chances to land impending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter.

Now that their season is over, where do the Flyers go from here?

Well, one of the first things on general manager Paul Holmgren’s agenda is trying to resign defenseman Matt Carle ($3.4 million cap hit this year) and right winger Jaromir Jagr ($3.3 million), a pair of potential unrestricted free agents. The Flyers would like to sign both players, a source said

The Flyers have $61.2 million committed to next year. If Chris Pronger is on the long-term injured reserve list again next season, the Flyers will get $4.9 million of cap relief.

Much criticism and many jokes have been made about Dustin “Pancake” Penner, but it wouldn’t come as a shock if Senators GM Bryan Murray shows interest in the 6-foot-4, 240-pound (on a good day) Los Angeles winger when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The two have a history, and Penner is proving in these playoffs that he still has some game. The native of Winkler, Man. has two goals and five assists in nine post-season games, helping the Kings earn the first berth in the final four.

Shea Weber hugged Pekka Rinne in a somber dressing room, the two stars shaking their heads in disbelief.

Out in the second round against the Phoenix Coyotes? Not how they had envisioned their season ending. Not by a long shot.

“It’s very disappointing. It’s very disappointing,” Nashville Predators GM David Poile told ESPN.com, while making sure to give the Phoenix Coyotes the utmost respect for a series win he felt they certainly deserved.

It was one of the first questions asked to Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman during his end-of-the-season press conference.

How would you describe your working relationship with [coach] Joel [Quenneville] this year? Was it any more strained or different than past seasons?

money talks, and when it comes to hiring coaches, there is no salary cap. Phil Jackson money would be ridiculous in the NHL – but Jacques Lemaire is surely worth at least half as much as Scott Gomez.

What is the going rate for a superb NHL coach? Right now, Mike Bab***** is believed to be the highest-paid coach in the league at about $2 million a season.

So what do you want? Would Lemaire go back behind the bench for that much or a little more, over three seasons? Only one way to find out, right? As for the cost to the Canadiens, one modest playoff run would more than cover the entire cost of the contract.

New Habs GM Marc Bergevin, not surprisingly, wants to bring his old Blackhawks colleague Rick Dudley with him to Montreal and is in discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs to do just that.

Dudley is director of player personnel for the Leafs. Montreal wants to make him its new assistant GM. Toronto GM Brian Burke is talking to Bergevin about how to proceed.