The Philadelphia Flyers locked Joffrey Lupul up with a four-year contract extension. Lupul is one of several players the Flyers are committing to for years to come as they believe only good things will come from these young talents.

The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed left wing Daniel Carcillo in which they feel this sparkplug brings great balance of speed and toughness to the team. Carcillo led the league in penalty minutes last season as a rookie and that seemed to be the type of player the Coyotes want as they deal is undisclosed but was a 2 year contract.

The New Jersey Devils signing center Fedor Fedorov, who is the brother of Sergei Fedorov and has been playing in Europe the past few seasons.

Other signings this week included the Anaheim Ducks agreeing to one year contracts with left win Josh Green and center Eric Boguniecki. The biggest signing of the week has come from the Vancouver Canucks, as they signed six players Wednesday. Those players include RW-Ryan Shannon, C-Rick Rypien, RW-Mike Brown, Defs-Nathan McIver, Zach FitzGerald, and James Sharrow. Make sure to check back to see all the NHL’s top news as this year the Stanley Cup will truly be up for grabs. All this action is getting fans excited for the 2008-2009 season and with opening day being less than three months away it will be interesting to see what other deals come our way.

Will he accept it? Will he retire? Will he sign with other team? Only time will tell. Sundin is yet to make up his mind on his playing future. However, he has stated on numerous occasions that he would prefer to sign a one-year deal.

Sundin recorded 32 goals and 42 assists for 78 points in 74 regular season games with the Maple Leafs.

With the Vancouver Canucks waiving their number 10 pick around, coupled with the fact that they most likely won’t resign forward Brendan Morrison and the possibility that Markus Naslund will resign cheaper, the ‘Nucks will try something.

It is still unclear at this point if the Toronto Maple Leafs will resign Mats Sundin. What is clear however is that they are waiving their number 7 pick around and have been linked with Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen, and Vincent Lecavalier to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens have also been rumoured to try and move up in the draft to make a deal go through. Andrei Kostitsyn should be signed by the draft. Marc Streit could be also although rumours suggest that he would be traded. The Habs are also being linked to Marian Hossa, Sundin, Eric Cole, Ryan Malone, and Lecavalier to name a few. In Hossa’s case the Habs are trying to trade for his rights.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumoured to be in on Joni Pitkanen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are rumoured to be in on Marleau as well as Malone.

The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be hunting Jokinen.

The Boston Bruins are hunting Hossa.

To be brief, just mentioning seven teams and one could see that the draft this year might live up to the hype that every media source is putting out there.

Perhaps the draft will be more exciting than the first week of July.

Let’s hope that this year’s draft will be one not to miss.

The entry draft is for minor league players to move up in life, unfortunately for the minor leaguers, fortunately for the fans, this year it should be more about NHL players changing addresses.

There are 30 teams in the NHL. Perhaps not all the teams will make something happen, but if one believes the hype, it should be a draft day frenzy.

One could make a strong argument that this player is one of the best at his position ever in the NHL. WIth his five James Norris Memorial trophies, one Conn Smythe, having appeared in nine All-Star games, having been voted to the NHL All Rookie team and the Olympic tournament All-Star team and just recently winning his fourth Stanley cup Nicklas Lidstrom  also made history.

Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings. Having been named captain after Steve Yzerman retired at the beggining of the 2006-07 season, Lidstrom has never looked back. Being that Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings, this means that he will go in the history books as the first European to be the captain of a Stanley Cup winning team.

Before this season, no European was ever captain of a Stanley Cup winning team. No small feat. Yes one could argue that Europeans haven’t been in the NHL since the beginning of the league, but even so, one could look at some teams that boast having a European as their captain and see if they have ever won the cup with them.

The Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs. Sundin is an excellent player and captain on his team, but for whatever reason, the Leafs haven’t won the cup with him at the helm, albeit not the fault of Sundin.

The Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens. Same could be said for them.

The Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks. Same.

The Jaromir Jagr New York Rangers. Same.

To name a few, the European captain teams mentioned above have not won the prestigious cup with those captains. Those teams all have had a chance but have not been able to capture the biggest prize in the NHL.

Not that those captains aren’t good players, they are, but for whatever the reason be it lack of talent on the team, no goalie or whatever, they haven’t won it. This is just an overview but the stats remain.

Nicklas Lidstrom has taken a great team and lead them to the promise land. Something that European born players should be proud of. Lidstrom has now opened the door for others to follow. And this should quiet the “No European has ever been the captain of a cup winning team” talk.

Lidstrom will forever be in the history books as the first European born player to have won the Stanley Cup as a captain.

There is no more of a deserving European captain to be the first. With Lidstrom’s impressive resume, he will undoubtedly be in the Hall of Fame. He might even capture one more cup in the process. And he can now add something else to the list of accolades he possesses, European captain winning the cup.

Congratulations to Nicklas. All his hard work and determination as well as his dominating the offensive defense-man position has paid off before, when he won three Stanley Cups, but this one the fourth, will be the crowning achievement of his career.

First off, RDS is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens are under negotiation with Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn who is slated to become a restricted free agent come July 1, is said to be general manager Bob Gainey’s top priority.

Bob Gainey said this about the RFA,

“We think in Andrei’s case considering the season he just had, that he is the most important RFA that we have to resign.”

When asked about Mark Streit Gainey had this to say,

“Mark brought the team a particular contribution this year. He had many points on the power-play. The question is if we will have enough room in our team salary structure.”

With the Streit statement, one could surmise that the Habs want to keep him but not at any price. Could there be something else going on for the Habs to possibly use their money?
RDS is also reporting that Habs affiliate team the Cincinnati Cyclones have won the Kelly trophy in the ECHL. A team which Bob Gainey has helped to build.

Now for the good stuff.

The Hockey News is reporting that soon to be unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin might not resign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that the Detroit Red Wings could be gunning for him. But Sundin is also rumoured to be asking for 2 years at $8 million per year. Montreal and Ottawa are also rumoured to be getting ready to make a pitch to Sundin.

Next we have un-confirmed reports that Saku Koivu could be trying to convince Teemu Selanne to play with the Habs, this being Koivu’s last contract year. Koivu would like his best friend to play at least one year with him before Selanne retires for good.

Another un-confirmed report states that the Canadiens could be interested in soon to be RFA Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators. Although I do believe that Redden still has juice in the tank, is he the answer the Habs need at the blue-line? Redden is a puck mover, and is not physical, considering that when the Sens went to the final last season that the Anaheim Ducks pounded him like there was no tomorrow, I’m not sure that he is the answer. He is still good, depending on the price, and depending on who the Habs will have surrounding him to be the physical presence.

Next there is the fact that Pavol Demitra could be interested in the Vancouver Canucks and the Canadiens. Although this winger might still have a good season or two left in him under optimum conditions, he is not the answer for the Habs. He is good but why take a roster spot away from a youngster, I would rather see Selanne.

Lastly, something I mentioned in another article is that Olaf Kolzig could be in Montreal next season. With the New York Rangers so far being the only other team manifesting interest in him, the Habs could luck out. Kolzig is also part owner of the Tri-City Americans, a team which new number one Habs goalie Carey Price has played for.

Also there is mounting evidence that the Tampa Bay Lightning may be a little worried about Vincent Lecalvalier’s shoulder, and might be willing to trade him. Montreal is rumoured among other names to have thrown in Chris Higgins as part of a possible trade. Wouldn’t that be nice.

The top blue-line prospect for the Canucks had a promising future in the NHL. Unfortunately for us the fans, we will not get the chance to see Bourdon flourish in the NHL.

Prayers and best wishes go out to the Bourdon family as well as the Canucks organization and their minor league team the Manitoba Moose.

This is a sad day to say the least. I hope that the NHL will help the Bourdon family in whatever aspect it can.

It’s always easy to point at a coach when a team fails as dismally as the Lightning did this season. Hell, they’re only a few years removed from winning the Stanley Cup (2004)! This year, they managed to finish dead last in the NHL. In fact, since the lockout ended (the lockout was the season following their championship), the Lightning have struggled for two playoff berths before their plunge into the league cellar this year.

So, has Tortorella lost the room? What is the reason for a sudden, covert coaching change, assuming it happens?

Tortorella is notorious for being a hard-liner, often in conflict with his players. A few seasons ago, it looked like he may have alienated Vincent Lecavalier, to the point where trade rumours were floated almost daily. The two apparently made peace, but it is possible that Tortorella simply isn’t getting the most out of his players anymore.

But, on the other side of the coin, one has to consider Tampa’s woeful goaltending situation this past season. They started with the tandem of Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, who might well be considered a pair of backups on any other team. Neither looked particularly comfortable in the starter’s role, and neither met with much success. It got to the point where prospect Karri Ramo was inserted into 22 games as the go-to guy, also without great results.

A third factor that people point to is the absence of Dan Boyle, who only played 37 games after having wrist surgery. Boyle is viewed as a very solid puck-moving defenceman, and his absence definitely didn’t help the Bolts, but to attribute their failure this season to his absence is a bit of a stretch.

In reality, the Lightning’s awful season was due to a combination of all of the above, and that necessitates change.

Tortorella will have no trouble finding a job, and Barry Melrose can hop back behind the bench of a team that isn’t very good, just like in the old days of his Billy Ray Cyrus mullet.

Now, let’s take a look at who is out there, and who is looking for a coach.

• Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs canned GM John Ferguson Jr. and coach Paul Maurice, and had high hopes of luring in a big name to take charge of both the GM and coaching roles. However, to date they have been rebuked in most of their efforts, save for a multi-day interview with former Canucks’ GM Dave Nonis. In terms of a coach, there hasn’t been much said. Realistically, this could be a great fit for Tortorella, as the Leafs are in desperate need of a whip-cracking coach who will not hesitate to call out players who aren’t pulling their weight.

• Ottawa Senators: The Sens fired John Paddock after the team began a mid-season nose-dive. Many people point the finger to Paddock’s inability to rein in loose cannon goaltender Ray Emery for his firing, but the team overall seemed divided and directionless. More aptly, it was Paddock’s inability to gain the respect of the room that led to his dismissal. So far, it seems that Pat Burns, Pat Quinn and Doug McLean are the top candidates to take over from “interim” coach Bryan Murray. Oh, wouldn’t it be ironic if they ended up with Pat Quinn…

• Colorado Avalanche: They fired agreed to part ways with Joel Quenneville after being ousted from the playoffs in the second round, and have since replaced him with former Avs head coach Tony Granato. This is somewhat odd, since Granato was replaced by Quenneville at the end of 2004. Granato holds a solid 72-33-17-11 record in his previous stint with the Avs, and is a good replacement for Quenneville, who just never caught on in the Mile High State.

• Vancouver Canucks: Tired of not making the playoffs? Fire your ASSISTANT coaches! That’s the approach that new Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis took, sending in head coach Alain Vigneault to do the dirty work. Then, Gillis turned around and extended Vigneault, who is widely viewed as the wrong style of coach on an offensively challenged team like Vancouver.

• Atlanta Thrashers: When Don Waddell fired Bob Hartley early in the 2007-08 season, the thought was that he’d replace him temporarily. Well, that stretched out to the end of the season, and another season of not making the playoffs. So, the impoetus now has to be on finding a capable bench boss to turn things around. A prime candidate here would be Joel Quenneville, at least in my opinion. Other possibilities are Brad McCrimmon or maybe Pittsburgh assistant coach Andre Savard.

Well, if you believe in the hype coming out of Toronto, Burke will be the new general manager of the Maple Leafs next season, of course all this hype is coming straight out of Toronto, and nowhere else. Hey I’m not saying that there is no possibility of Burke ending up in Toronto, but Burke likes to answer to one person, not a board of directors made up of 5-10 people. It could happen though, if Burke’s demands are met, meaning salary, and to have carte blanche, and be the only one to make decisions when it comes to player personnel, he might bite in Toronto. Burke is exactly what the Leafs need, he would get that franchise back in order.

There is still the possibility that he remains in Anaheim, however, the Ducks did lose in the first round this year, if the Anaheim owners decide that what Burke is asking for is too steep a price after getting knocked out so early, and decide to let him go, well let’s hope for them that they find someone else that is as good as Burke, there aren’t too many of those out there.

Then you have the Vancouver factor. The Vancouver Canucks fired Dave Nonis last week, could they be in the running for Burke too? Don’t forget, the only thing that the Canucks needed when they were good while Burke was there was a goalie, with Luongo there now, Burke would start with what he wasn’t able to obtain when he was in Vancouver. The Vancouver fans also loved what Burke was able to bring to the organization, and Burke in turn, loved being the man in Vancouver.

Ottawa could also be a pit stop for Burke. With the recent collapse of the Ottawa Senators, Brian Burke would put that team back in order in a hurry. Burke would only need a no.1 goalie again.

Those four teams are the front runners in the Burke sweepstakes, there are probably more that have yet to make it public. Toronto is willing to give just about anything to get Burke, and it may work. It doesn’t matter where Burke ends up, being a Harvard graduate, having a law degree, having worked for the NHL, and being a general manager, Burke has the experience in many fields, and will bring what ever city is lucky enough to get him, a good team. Of course, I do hope that he stays out west……

Are they crazy? Nonis brought them all-star goalie Roberto Luongo, and a franchise record of 105 points last season, I guess the phrase ” what have you done for me lately” applies here. I think that the Nucks were a little harsh with Nonis, here are some interesting facts that perhaps Canucks owners did not factor into that equation.

The Canucks never had their top 6 defenseman on the ice at the same time all year, how does one expect a team to prosper like that, but they still only missed the post season by a couple of points. Also, Brendan Morrison was absent most of the season do to the fact that early in the season he had to have wrist surgery, and when he came back, he went out again with another injury. The 6 million dollar man Markus Naslund hasn’t helped either lately, not playing at all for his 6 million dollars.

What about the emergence of Alex Burrows, and Ryan Kesler this year? These two players played really well for the Canucks this year, well enough for Nonis to trade pending unrestricted free agent Matt Cooke to the Washington Capitals. But I guess that the Nucks failed to see those things, or maybe the fact that Luc Burdon should be ready next season doesn’t inspire the owners either!

Dave Nonis tried to get someone for the play-off push during the trade deadline, but the asking price was too high. With players like Naslund, and Morrison being UFA’s next season, the Canucks will have even more money to work with, as the cap is also expected to rise. If Naslund, and Morrison want to stay in Vancouver, it will be at a dramatic decrease in salary, so Nonis could have worked something there to make the team better, and I’m sure the injury riddled defensive core will not be as injury prone next season either.

I guess the owners said thanks for Luongo, and a franchise record of 105 points last year, and it doesn’t matter why you didn’t make the play-offs, you didn’t and that’s that so good-bye. The next gm of the Nucks is inheriting Luongo, not a bad start for a gm, as anyone knows, the way to build a team is from the goalie out, which is what Nonis was doing, perhaps the owners just ran out of patience. They said that this year the fans didn’t get the team that they deserve, ya right, it’s more the fact that the owners couldn’t line their pockets with play-off money!

Good luck Dave, I hope someone else gives you a shot, you started something which the next gm will be happy with. Even Brian Burke didn’t get a Luongo, some say with the team Burke built in Vancouver, all they were missing was a Luongo to go far, not anymore, now they’re missing a smart gm, they had one, but I guess the owners aren’t as smart as the gm was, or perhaps they don’t care who’s on the team, as long as they make the play-offs!

“I’m not just saying I want to stay because this is my home town,” says Morrison. “If this team was a bottom feeder, there’s no way I would want to hang around. I want to win as much as the next guy; I happen to think that’s possible with this team.”

However, salary and term will play an important factor in where he will play next season and beyond. Whether it’s in Vancouver, or elsewhere, Morrison doesn’t appear too interested in accepting any less than what he sees as fair value.

“… I’m not going to sit here and say the numbers aren’t important. Any player who would say money is not important is lying because you only have so many years to make a living in this business and you have to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes along.”

As for the Canucks, GM Dave Nonis has said in the past that “he intends to try to re-sign Morrison.” Of course, they want Morrison to take a pay cut on the $3.2 million salary he is earning this season and sign a short-term deal, too. But with a number of teams in the market for a play-making center, it’s unlikely that the 32-year-old will have to accept those terms.

“It all depends on what teams will be looking for,” said Morrison, who like so many players of his age and era has waited his whole career to get to this point of freedom. “We’ll look at it at the end of the year and see what happens.”

Morrison is believed to be seeking at least $3.2 million per season, on a deal spanning four years or more, perhaps pricing himself out of Vancouver.

“You do think about it,” Naslund said, adding he remains unsure how long he wants to keep playing. “When you have a family, you have to think a little further. But I honestly don’t know. I haven’t decided on anything.”

So, does Naslund’s noncommittal stance mean he’s ready to re-sign with the Canucks? Could he leave the Canucks for another team? Maybe return to play in his native Sweden? Possibly retire?

For his part, the Swedish forward admits to being very much interested in winning the Stanley Cup.

“You want to look back at your career and say you won something,” Naslund said. “That being said, it’s a tough task winning a Stanley Cup. Look at this franchise, it’s been around for a long time and made it to two finals. But that makes it more exciting to get in and have a chance.

So, it’s quite possible that he may continue his hockey career in the NHL. What remains to be seen is whether it will be in Vancouver, or elsewhere.

“It’s not the time to do it now,” says the Canucks GM. “The approach will be the same as last year and we’ll make that decision at that time [i.e. the offseason]. We have other things to focus on and it would be inappropriate to say anything else.”

Naslund agrees.

“Yeah, I have but I’m not going to comment on anything until after the year is over. We’ll see. It’s tough not to think ahead, but we’ll address that after the year. I’d just rather leave it at that.”

Both sides appear intent on avoiding any distractions down the stretch.

But is that all that’s going on here? It is a little strange that the Canucks aren’t trying to sign their captain and best player to a contract extension.

Perhaps the Canucks don’t want to shell out anywhere near the $6 million per season (the amount Naslund earns this year) to re-sign a player whose production has dropped significantly in recent years.

There is also speculation that the Canucks would like to reshape the makeup of their club, and give players such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa more responsibility.

All this could mean the end of Naslund in Vancouver. But not the NHL.

The Swedish forward is set to enter a weak free agent market at his position, so he is sure to attract attention from many clubs. Perhaps even get a “hefty” offer from a team desperate for some scoring help.

However, it’s uncertain if Campbell has a desire to remain in San Jose past this season.

According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Campbell felt pressured to turn down an extension with the Buffalo Sabres.

Whether by his own volition, or perhaps at the advice of the NHL Player’s Association, Campbell is said to have passed on a deal with the Sabres so as to not lower the market value for top free agent blueliners.

The result, of course, was Campbell being dealt to San Jose Sharks, something he may not necessarily wanted.

Should he and the Sharks not reach an agreement, a number of teams are believed to make a play for Campbell. That list could include the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, since they all called Sabres GM Darcy Regier to inquire about the defenseman’s availability.

However, the team believed to make the strongest push for Campbell is thought to be the Chicago Blackhawks.

I’ll admit that I was optimistic when it came to the Brad Richards trade, but as an easily excited fan, I was swept up in the possibility of getting someone of his caliber to play along either Nash, Modin, or Zherdev. When “The List” of teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for surfaced, I was even more excited. (p.s. “The List” included Dallas, Columbus and Vancouver supposedly) Anyway, the time passed, and eventually it was evident that Tampa Bay was highly interested in a goaltender for the rest of this season and next year (Mike Smith) than a solid defenseman, energy forward, and quickly developing prospect.

As soon as it was evident that the Richards trade was going the way of Dallas, GM Howson went ahead and made the trades that were predicted for the most part. Most fans expected center Michael Peca and Sergei Fedorov to be moved, as well as winger David Vyborny and possibly defenseman Adam Foote and/or Ron Hainsey. It shouldn’t have been as shocking as it was, but only Foote and Fedorov were traded away to gain prospects and draft picks.

My take on the trades:

Fedorov’s trade to the Capitals was for lack of a better word, “meh”. He was way overpaid and injury prone, and not quite the same Sergei Fedorov as he was before coming to Columbus. Not to mention that the Jackets has no plan to resign him after this season. Theo Ruth, I have no clue who he is except for a blueliner freshman at Notre Dame.

Foote’s trade to the Avalanche was downright aggravating, after hearing the aftermath that is. For the weeks leading up to the deadline Foote was supposedly having good negotiations with GM Howson looking to extend his contract for 2 more seasons at about 3-4million per season. But as Blue Jackets beat writers report in their weekly podcast the thought is that Foote’s initial intent was to get out of Columbus like his name was Llllloyd Carr. He and his agent set an amount that they knew that the Jackets would not meet, unless maybe the Richards deal had gone through. Even though the Dispatch writers expect that Foote would have just raised his asking price. Such a disappointing end to our supposedly “unquestioned” leader.

Going the other way is forward Matt Pettinger.

More details to follow.

On Saturday’s edition of CBC’s Hotstove, the panel discussed a number of big-name players thought to be on the move before the February 26 trade deadline.

First off, Al Strachan stands by his statement last week that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier will ask for a trade in the off-season. Strachan indicated that his source is very reliable and close to Lecavalier, and would have no reason to make up rumors.

Meanwhile, Pierre LeBrun believes that Lecavalier will stay put, and the Lightning will try to trade forward Brad Richards. LeBrun suggests that if asked to be moved, Richards will waive the no-trade clause in his contract. Strachan mentioned the Philadelphia Flyers as a possible destination, with forward Jeff Carter being part of a package heading to Tampa Bay. Scott Morrison added that the Vancouver Canucks may be the best positioned team to acquire Richards, with the Columbus Blue Jackets also having great interest.

Still with the Lightning, Strachan reported that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Boyle is close to signing a six-year contract extension with the club worth about $7 million per season. LeBrun wasn’t as optimistic, though, as the incoming ownership group still has to approve the deal.

On the Toronto Maple Leafs front, Morrison suggests the defenseman Tomas Kaberle is “mulling” over waiving his no-trade clause for a move to an Eastern Conference team, thought to be the New York Rangers or Flyers.

As for pending UFA forward Mats Sundin, Morrison noted that the many teams that have expressed a desire to trade (i.e. Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens) for him may be pulling away due to his indecisiveness.

During Saturday’s game between the Maple Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers, the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman reported that defenseman Bryan McCabe is considering waiving his no-movement clause and allow the team to trade him. He is apparently discussing the possibility of playing elsewhere with his family, and could have an answer for Maple Leafs management by week-end’s end. At least one of the two New York teams are said to be interested in McCabe. That would be Rangers, not the Islanders, as many have speculated.

In Los Angeles, Morrison said that Kings pending UFA defenseman Rob Blake will decide within the next 24 hours if he will waive his no-trade clause. Apparently, the Kings have three offers for Blake from the Ducks, Sharks, and the Colorado Avalanche. Strachan doesn’t think Blake will go anywhere.

Speaking of the Ducks, Morrison reported that GM Brian Burke may make a play for Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen, if he hasn’t already. However, Burke will not include the first-round draft pick he acquired last off-season from the Edmonton Oilers in any deal.

Strachan reported that the Blue Jackets and pending UFA defenseman Adam Foote are closing in on a 2-3 contract extension worth between $3-4 million per season.

Lastly, LeBrun noted that Thrashers GM Don Waddell took in an AHL game Saturday between the affiliates of the Senators and Maple Leafs. The thought is that Waddell was scouting the Senators’ prospects for a possible deal involving pending UFA Marian Hossa.

Just listening in on Eklund’s Hockeybuzz Talk Cast, and according to what he’s saying right now, there appears to be a deal brewing that involves Sundin and possibly Tucker to the Canucks… As always, take these things with a grain of salt, as rumours are not fact. Until a deal is signed, there is no trade…

Only 6 minutes later, and Eklund is changing his call to Brad Richards going to Vancouver… Things seem to be happening today, and FAST!!! More to follow…

And as all things Hockeybuzz (or many rumour sites) go, I spent 45 minutes on CHAT MUTED, being able to listen but not actually ask my question - which was about the whole NYR situation and why they’re mentioned in conjunction with almost every big name out ther without having cap space (which would follow with the whole Jagr question, which I find Ek’s opinions absurd about).  I never got to ask my question, but heard a lot of ridiculous proposals from both callers and Eklund and co-host Julie Robenhymer.  At least they were entertaining…

I then went to TheFourthPeriod.com to check out their latest video production with David Pagnotta and Todd Hlushko (sp?).  I work(ed) for Dave, and think he’s a real good hockey mind.  I think he’s got connections, and obviously knows some players, as Todd Harvey was also on the last edition of the video cast.

They talked a lot of sense, but again, none of it seemed rooted in anything but speculation and “best fit scenarios” and the like.  Most of the proposed moves didn’t take into account movement clauses, and if they did, they were usually assumed to be waived without question.

Basically, my point is that with little action actually taking place in the NHL trade frenzy right now, it seems the rumour mills are churning up some fascinating, but fictitious ideas.  Far-fetched (J. Staal and R. Whitney for Radulov and Suter, are you kidding???) to simply impossible (Kaberle to anywhere).

We ain’t seen nothing yet, and seeing is believing.

Watch what you read!

Here are the teams said to be looking to bolster their rosters:

1. Anaheim Ducks: With the likelihood that Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne returning to retirement next summer and one Stanley Cup ring already won, general manager Brian Burke has every reason to be aggressive. He has the assets and desire to go after the top available players. Clearly, he will make a play for Sundin, and he will look at most of the premium players. He owns Edmonton’s first-round pick, plus prospects Bobby Ryan, Logan MacMillan and Mark Mitera that he could move, although Burke has said publicly he doesn’t want to move his pick because it could land in the top seven. His objective is to land another premium scorer.

2. San Jose Sharks: More trade rumors have circulated about the Sharks over the past eight months than any other NHL team. The Sharks seem poised to shake up their look heading into the postseason. They could use another scorer and a puck-moving defenseman. They have a strong collection of young players that would be highly desirable, including prospects Logan Couture and Nick Petrecki, plus young NHLers such as Matt Carle. What’s unknown is whether the Sharks, with a history of playoff disappointment, will shake up their mojo by trading away a major veteran, such as Patrick Marleau.

3. Calgary Flames: General manager Darryl Sutter has been digging around the marketplace for a premium scorer for a couple of months. They have enough young prospects to make a strong offer, but don’t ask about Swedish standout Mikael Backlund. He’s not going anywhere.

4. Dallas Stars: Knowing Brett Hull the way I do, it’s a certainty that he would like to land some offensive help. No one is talking much about the Stars, but no one would be shocked if they make a splash. They have played well enough of late to entertain the idea of a long post-season run.

5. Detroit Red Wings: General manager Ken Holland is looking at every possibility of landing a big scorer because Holland always looks at every possibility. He’s made overtures for most of the premium players, but Holland is saying he also doesn’t want to give up his future for a rental player. He believes he has enough depth to be a quality team for a few years if he doesn’t trade it away. The Red Wings will look at defensive depth, but that’s a lower priority than a scorer.

6. Vancouver Canucks: With Roberto Luongo in net, the Canucks have to believe they have a chance to win any playoff series. But they need scoring help. Earlier, the Canucks could have traded defensive depth for scoring, but injuries on the blue line have eliminated that option. Goaltending prospect Cory Schneider is someone a trading partner would like to have.

7. Nashville Predators: No big splash coming this season for general manager David Poile, but he’s looking at his options to acquire scoring depth.

And here are the supposed sellers:

1. Columbus Blue Jackets: Officially the Blue Jackets are undecided about selling because they are still in the playoff race. But it seems likely that they will be the belle of the ball on trade deadline day. If they don’t re-sign Adam Foote, it would seem logical to move him. Sergei Fedorov, Mike Peca, Ron Hainsey, David Vyborny and Jan Heyda are all potential rental players.

2. Los Angeles Kings: Rob Blake has said he doesn’t want to waive his no-trade clause, but my hunch is not all of the cards have been played in his scenario. Essentially, Blake can dictate where he wants to go, and he might still do that. Considering his affinity for the West Coast, the Ducks and Sharks seem like a good possibility. Although the Kings have shown a desire to re-sign Brad Stuart, there is no deal done yet. Stuart also would draw considerable interest, particularly with the lack of available defensemen.

3. St. Louis Blues: If a team is looking for defense, St. Louis is the place to shop. Barret Jackman and Bryce Salvador are both going to be unrestricted free agents this summer, and negotiations between Jackman and the Blues haven’t yielded success thus far. Jay McKee might also be a defenseman of interest, although his $4 million salary in each of the next two seasons puts him on the long-shot list.

The fight - Calgary has 66 points in 59 games played. They are tied with the Vancouver Canucks in the NW Division and are only a single point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. Overall, they currently sit in 8th spot - the cusp of the Western Conference play-off bubble - tied in points with the Phoenix Coyotes, and with the aforementioned Avs (65), St Louis Blues (63) and Columbus Blue Jackets (63) hot on their tail. Fan and media expectations for the Flames have rarely been higher heading into the season, considering the quality and expense of the players on the roster. As such, there is considerable pressure on Sutter and Flames upper-management to succeed now. Put simply, missing the post-season is not an option.

The Cap - This season Sutter locked up a bunch of the Flames heavy lifters to long-term contracts. Robyn Regehr, Jarome Iginla, Miika Kiprusoff and Dion Phaneuf were all granted multi-year extensions, with a majority of them getting hefty raises to boot. So while the organization’s core is in place, Flames management faces the difficult task of re-signing or replacing the likes of Kristian Huselius, Damond Langkow, Craig Conroy, Stephane Yelle, David Hale and Owen Nolan in the off-season on a thread-bare budget. To give context to the severity of the situation, four of those players are currently top 6 forwards for the Flames. With about 48M already committed to next year and the cap purportedly rising to something between 54 and 58M, Sutter has roughly 6-10M in projected cap-space to work with. Or, in more qualitative terms: “not nearly enough”.

The UFAs - The primary assets of concern heading into the deadline are Huselius and Langkow. They both enjoyed career seasons last year, each scoring 77 points, and both are on pace to score 60+ points again this season. As such, both are in line for significantly larger deals this summer (Huselius makes 1.4M this year, Langkow 2.442M). They represent two thirds of the Flames #1 line right now (with Jarome Iginla) and each could likely command upwards of 5M/year on the open market come July.

The Conundrum - Sutter now faces the difficult decision of liquidating his attractive UFAs at the deadline, with the concurrent risk of hobbling the team’s chances of making the play-offs and/or achieving post-season success. Alternatively, he faces the equally unpleasant possibility of keeping Huselius and Langkow for the stretch drive, falling in the first or second round anyways, and then losing them for nothing in the summer.

Given that Calgary is going to need some relative bargains up front to cheaply but effectively fill out their forward roster in the near future, acquiring young but established players, plus the odd prospect and/or draft pick (read: draft day bargaining chips) at the deadline is likely an attractive option for the Flames GM. Whether Sutter deals one or both of Langkow/Huselius will depend on the nature of the packages offered. A roster player that is signed beyond this season to a relatively cheap salary + a decent prospect/pick might just do the trick. Example: Ottawa is said to be looking for more secondary scoring at the deadline. Kristian Huselius for Antoine Vermette or Chris Kelly+a draft pick might make sense for both teams.

The Salary Dumps - The Flames also have a lot of “roster fat” that Sutter would no doubt like to trim in order to increase that 6-10M in (potential) cap room next year. Players like Wayne Primeau (20GP, 2g-2a-4pts, -5), Marcus Nilsoin (28 GP, 2g-1a-3pts, +3) and Rhett Warrener (27GP, 0g-3a-3pts, -1) contribute little and fail to justify their respective cap-hits (1.4M, 1M and 2.35M). Each is signed beyond this season and each could conceivably be replaced by a farm-hand or bargain basement replacement (500k) without really effecting the club’s on-ice performance. With that in mind, Sutter may look to package one or more of these guys if he does decide to deal any of his other attractive pieces in the next 7 days or so.

Conclusions -

In short, the Flames:

- Have a lot of roster holes to plug next season and little cap space with which to do it.

- Have an urgent need to make the play-offs this year, with an inexorable tooth-and-nail stretch drive staring them in the face.

As such, they:

- Cannot trade for big contracts that extend beyond this year (unless they trade some of their own).

- Need to retain their high value contracts (ie: bargains, ie: Matt Lombardi @ 1.83M/year).

- Would like to get value for Langkow or Huselius now without doing too much damage to the roster and hobbling their post-season aspirations.

- Would like to deal away some of the “empty calories” that are bloating their total salary/cap hit.

Keep this stuff in mind when reading Calgary trade rumors in the media heading into next Tuesday. Whatever happens, I’m certain that this trade deadline is going to be a very interesting one for Flames fans.

Apparently, Forsberg is still feeling discomfort due to his lingering foot and ankle injuries.

“The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn’t where it needs to be at this moment,” Baizley told TSN. “As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.”

The news should definitely disappointed the many teams rumored to have had great interest in acquiring his services. That list includes the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

The Flyers were supposed to be the frontrunners. So it no surprise that Flyers GM Paul Holmgren tells Pierre LeBrun of the Toronto Sun that he is quite disappointed with the news.

“I’m disappointed for Peter more than anything,” said Holmgren. “I know how bad he wanted to come back and play with somebody in the NHL. It’s unfortunate. He’s been trying real hard to get himself back in position to come back and help somebody. It’s also disappointing for the league because I think he’s still an impact player and brings the league a lot of notoriety.”

But even tough he would have preferred to re-sign the former Flyer, Holmgren appreciates Forsberg’s decision to make his plans known so they can get on with their business.

“Peter is a quality guy,” said Holmgren. “He didn’t want to leave anybody hanging. So now it gives teams who perhaps had other options to pursue those other options.”

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke agrees with Holmgren, as McKenzie reports.

“To his credit, he could have come over and passed the physical and gotten someone for pretty good dough,” Burke said. “He’s been a warrior in our league and it was an honest way to deal with this in my opinion. It confirms my feeling that Peter Forsberg is a quality guy.”

So, what happens with Forsberg now?

The 34-year-old forward has made it clear throughout his comeback attempt that he would retire if his injuries won’t allow him to play up to the level he feels he should, McKenzie points out.

However, a return to North America next season doesn’t appear to be out of the question at this time.