- Darryl Sutter has hinted in several interviews that he has all but completed a deal with Daymond Langkow. The Flame’s #1 centerman has scored 30+ goals and 60+ points the last two seasons. Estimates suggest the contract (which has yet to be officially confirmed) is in the $5M/year, 3 year range.

- Sutter has also mentioned that he pursued European scorer Fabian Brunnstrom prior to his signing with Dallas and the organization has it’s eyes on some other potential diamonds in the rough from overseas.

Apparently, Swedish Elite league scorer Martin Thornberg is also garnering Sutter’s attention. The 25 year-old left winger 20 goals and 37 points in 51 games last season and added 17 points in 17 games in the post-season. From first-hand accounts, Thornberg was a part of one of the best forward units in the league with linemates Johann Davidsson and Juka Voutilainen. No word on whether the Flames have actually offered Thornberg a contract or simply a try-out.

While it’s difficult to assess his potential impact at the NHL level, the Flames as an organization are woefully shallow at left wing behind Alex Tanguay (Eric Nystrom, Marcus Nilson, Brandon Prust), so Thornberg’s addition would likely be a welcome one, at either the NHL or AHL level.

- Another name that has cropped up recently is former Phoenix Coyotes/Toronto Maple Leaf/Minnesota Wild Erik Westrum. Westrum is a bit older at 29 and has already spent some time in the NHL and AHL. He’s been a scorer at almost every level he’s played, including college hockey (168 points in 161 games), the American Hockey League (295 points in 420 games, including a 98 point season with the Houston Aeros) and, most recently, the Swiss-A League (33 goals and 70 points in 55 games). Despite decent stats at the lower levels, Westrum has never been able to stick in the big leagues, even though he’s had a cup of coffee with all of the teams listed above.

Like Thornberg, nothing official has been announced, although rumors claim that the Flames have offered Westrum a one-way offer. Considering Darryl Sutter’s reticence to grant one-way deals to relatively unproven plaayers (Mark Giordano comes to mind), I personally find that hard to believe. However, with the team’s impending budget crunch, Sutter may be forced beyond his “comfort zones” in order to fill out a roster poised to lose a lot of players to unrestricted free agency (Kristian Huselius, Owen Nolan, Stephane Yelle, Craig Conroy) and lacking enough young prospects to fill the gaps.

Yes finally, the media circus which has been Brunnstrom is over. Thank God! For the past several weeks, Brunnstrom has been everywhere, just recently in Montreal. Fabian was going to some teams arenas to see which team was better suited to his playing style.

Excuse me Mr. Brunnstrom, but where did you come from? How come you aren’t showcasing your talent at the worlds for your country?

Seemingly not many people have seen Brunnstrom play, even the best scouts are not that aware of his true talent, which is why he wasn’t drafted in the first place.

Brunnstrom could be a good player in the NHL, he has decent size, from what scouts have said, he has NHL speed, and skill, question is, why isn’t he playing for his country, and showing everyone what he can do on an NHL size rink?

Many players have played for the NHL who weren’t drafted, or drafted in the 200 range and fared well, but not many people can boast that they know this Brunnstrom kid. Why did he only achieve the possibility of playing for the Swedish Elite league so late in his career.

Hopefully for the Stars, Brunnstrom will be a good player, he seems to have a head on his shoulders, I just want to see what he will do with the physicality of the NHL. Perhaps he will prosper, and become even better than some scouts say he is.

Good luck Brunnstrom, let’s hope that you haven’t bit off more than you can chew, time will tell. For every one who endured the Brunnstrom saga over the last few weeks, it’s over, now let’s see if Fabian lives up to the hype!

“Look, no one (from management) has approached me about (waiving it) yet,” McCabe said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

McCabe, who has a salary cap hit of $5.75 million per season through 2010-11, says that he’d like to remain with the Maple Leafs.

“I’ve said all along I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. That’s why I signed here.”

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that the Montreal Canadiens should initiate contract talks with pending UFA goalie Cristobal Huet.

If he hits free agency, Garrioch speculates that Huet could end up signing with the Los Angeles Kings or Tampa Bay Lightning.

Garrioch also reports that, despite reports to the contrary, Buffalo Sabres pending UFA defenseman Brian Campbell is still negotiating with the club.

But with no substantial progress having been made, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the Sabres will try to move Campbell before the February 26 trade deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer. Word is that the Sabres will want a roster player, a prospect and a first round draft pick in exchange.

Interested teams are said to be the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.

Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are dangling forward Jack Skille in exchange.

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch suggests that the Columbus Blue Jackets should begin contract negotiations with pending restricted free agent goalie Pascal Leclaire.

With the possibility of a number of teams putting in expensive offer sheets for the Blue Jackets’ franchise goaltender, it would be wise for the club to get him under contract before he hits free agency.

Look for the Lightning to be among the teams hoping for the chance to poach Leclaire away from Columbus.

Portzline also reports on speculation is that if their respective clubs don’t get pending RFAs Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames), Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks), Matt Stajan (Maple Leafs) and Alexander Semin (Washington Capitals) under contract before July 1st, teams will extend them offer sheets.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal suggests that a payoff-bound team looking to bolster their back-up goaltending position, like the Sharks, might take a chance on UFA Eddie Belfour.

Belfour, who is currently playing for Leksand of the Swedish Elite League, would have to clear waivers to return to the NHL.

Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford tells Matheson that teams looking to improve their roster for a Stanley Cup run will have to overpay to acquire top talent leading up to the trade deadline.

“I think the price and the return for top players will be higher than it’s ever been,” he said. “First off, there likely have never been this many teams packed so closely in the standings, many of whom feel one top guy can put them over the top. And, secondly, there simply aren’t that many top players who will be available, so the bidding for those are (available) should just keep going up.”

Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe reports that Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli did not deny he may have some interest in picking up Hurricanes forward Jeff Hamilton.

Hamilton was placed on waivers last week by the Hurricanes.

“He’s an intriguing player,” said Chiarelli, noting his reluctance to say much more, because Hamilton, though having cleared waivers, remains Carolina’s property.

“He has a good shot – a big shot – and, yeah, we’ve talked about him.”

Part of the process is creating a DVD showing off the benefits of living in Toronto and playing for the Maple Leafs.

However, the Maple Leafs have competition in acquiring Brunnstrom’s services. It’s believed that the highly-touted Swedish prospect has the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks on his shortlist along with the Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs’ chief European scout, Thommie Bergman, says that which ever team does the best selling job will eventually end up signing the talented 23-year-old.

“It will be all about who can sell their team the best to Fabian,” Bergman said. “Does he want to go to a winner like Detroit or does he want to go to a team he’ll get a lot of ice time with, like in Toronto?”

Expectations are that Brunnstrom will sign “a two-year entry level contract with an $850,000… base salary and bonuses” that could drive up his earnings to just under $4 million per season.

Of course, Brunnstrom can’t sign an NHL contract until his season with Farjestads BK of the season Swedish Elite League is over.

“We touched base,” Howson said, referring to Forsberg’s agent, Don Baizley.

Howson is said to have spoken with Baizley twice in the last four days, though it’s highly unlikely Forsberg will end up with the Blue Jackets.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a fit for the Blue Jackets. We expressed interest. It just doesn’t look like it’s going to work at this point.”

Forsberg has recently turned down playing for Modo of the Swedish Elite League, according to Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post Online, and has instructed Baizley to initiate contract talks with NHL teams.

“I turned Modo down because my goal is to play in the NHL,” Forsberg told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “It is still going in the right direction and I have a new deadline to catch — the 26th of February.”

And while Baizley admits that he has begun negotiating with NHL clubs, he would not make any further comments to Canoe.ca.

“I’m not denying we’ve had discussions with NHL clubs but we do not intend to discuss it with the media,” Forsberg’s agent Don Baizley told The Canadian Press on Thursday.

Among a number of teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are said to be interested in signing Forsberg.

That’s not to say the Red Wings haven’t tried to ink the unrestricted free agent; they just haven’t done it.

Holland has spoken with Brunnstrom’s European agent earlier this month, and has been in constant contact with his North American agent, J.P. Barry.

“We’ve made our pitch,” Holland said. “My understanding is he’s going through his options and trying to make a decision on where he wants to play. The teams have made their offers, so it’s now really in his hands.”

Aside from the Red Wings, there are four other teams believed to have offered the 22-year-old Brunnstrom an NHL contract, with the the Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks as the frontrunners.

It’s expected that Brunnstrom will sign a two-year entry-level contract after his season with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League ends in a couple of months. Due to CBA regulations, the earliest Brunnstrom can play in the NHL is next season.

The Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks are said to be “the finalists” in the Brunnstrom sweepstakes, who becomes available to sign in March or early April.

Of the three teams, the Red Wings are believed to be the only team that have made a him a firm offer.

Brunnstrom, an undrafted player playing for Farjestads of the Swedish Elite League, is regarded by many as the best player playing outside the NHL.

Still with the Maple Leafs, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that GM Cliff Fletcher will meet next week with pending UFA forward Mats Sundin in an effort to convince him to waive his no-movement clause and allow a trade to a contender.

Should Sundin agree to be moved, the Red Wings, Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames are believed to make a play for his services.

Garrioch also reports that the Flames would love to acquire Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen. The problem is that the Panthers are maintaining they aren’t shopping him.

The Flames would love to Alex Tanguay in return, but the Panthers would have no interest.

While Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon would like to make some moves to improve his club, he tells Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune that the trade market is currently at a standstill.

“It’s pretty quiet. We’re lacking some firepower in our lineup. The [Feb. 26 trade] deadline is starting to creep up on us. Some of the teams aren’t sure what direction they want to go.”

Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily Herald reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning may have some interest in picking up Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. Blackhawks pro scout Marc Bergevin has been busy taking in Lightning games this week.

First off, Pierre LeBrun reported that almost 20 NHL are coveting the so-called best hockey player outside the NHL, Swedish Elite League forward Fabian Brunnstrom of Farjestads BK Karlstad.

However, Brunnstrom has apparently given his agent a list of five teams that he would like to play for, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, and two other unnamed clubs.

Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. is believed to be pursuing Brunnstrom the most. Word is that Maple Leafs officials went to Sweden to convince Brunnstrom that Toronto in the place where he should play, where they took the player and his family to dinner and presented him with a DVD showing what life is like in Toronto.

According to LeBrun, though, Brunnstrom doesn’t plan on coming over to North America this season. The Swede intends to sign a two-year entry-level contract with an NHL team next season.

Still with the Maple Leafs, Al Strachan reported that pending unrestricted free agent forward Mats Sundin would accept a trade to the Vancouver Canucks. Due to a number of investments in Canada, it would be more beneficial for Sundin to remain in the country if he were to be traded. The Canucks have been rumored to be interested in acquiring the Maple Leafs captain.

Strachan also said that Sundin would be willing to extend his contract past this season, something the Canucks would require in order to complete a deal with the Maple Leafs.

The catch is that Ferguson is asking for an extravagant return for Sundin, and the Canucks have no intentions of overpaying.

Scott Morrison mentioned the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames as two other teams interested in Sundin’s services.

According to Strachan, the Philadelphia Flyers are the front runners in the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes. Morrison claims that the UFA forward is close to a return to the NHL and could be healthy enough to play past this season.

The panel also discussed the Chicago Blackhawks, and their interest in Buffalo Sabres pending UFA defenseman Brian Campbell. The Blackhawks are also said to be shopping goalie Nikolai Khabibulin around the league.

Lastly, Strachan added that Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen has requested a trade out of town.