Rumors, begin to pop up Options

[Canuck]

TSN.ca Staff

11/25/2005 12:03:00 PM

With the first significant trades of the season going down, talks are still swirling in Anaheim, Boston and Florida, while Vancouver tries to refute blockbuster rumours. Trading Post, Hot n' Not, Farm Report, Junior Report, Varsity Report and the best in quotes, Chirping, in this week's edition of TSN.ca's Backchecking.

AROUND THE RINKS
- The Boston Herald says that Bruins LW Sergei Samsonov, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, could be trade bait if the Bruins can't shake their current doldrums.

- Anaheim LW Petr Sykora would be a good target for the surprisingly competitive Rangers, according to the New York Post. The same article, shooting for the moon, wonders what it would take to pry Brian Leetch out of Boston too.
- Canucks GM Dave Nonis tells the Vancouver Province that the Canucks have no interest in dealing Dan Cloutier and Ed Jovanovski to Florida for Roberto Luongo.

- If the Canucks aren't interested, that doesn't mean the Avalanche aren't, with Mike Keenan's denials popping up in the Palm Beach Post, the Rocky Mountain News simply notes that another player would have to accompany David Aebischer to Florida in order for the salaries to offset.





- With offensive D Sandis Ozolinsh a healthy scratch Wednesday night, there is speculation that the Ducks may not be done dealing.

- The Denver Post calls for the Colorado Avalanche to trade struggling goaltender David Aebischer and give the number one job to rookie Peter Budaj.

- Following up on earlier Tom Poti rumours, the Boston Herald mentions that the Bruins could be interested, though his salary could force the B's to move either LW Sergei Samsonov or either Andrew Raycroft or Hannu Toivonen to free up room, and the deal for David Tanabe makes defence less of a priority now.

- The Ottawa Sun reports that the San Jose Sharks, along with the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, have tried to land Martin Havlat in a deal with the Senators.
- The Toronto Star reports that Maple Leafs C Jason Allison is being shopped around, with Allison's agent seeking a team that will give Allison more ice time than he's received in Toronto thus far. The National Post indicated that the Leafs would want a top-four defenceman in return for Allison.

- The Ottawa Sun mentions that the Carolina Hurricanes might sign veteran D Jason York who started the season in Switzerland with Lugano.

- Before acquiring Sergei Fedorov, the Blue Jackets were reportedly interested in dealing Bryan Berard to Philadelphia for either Michal Handzus or Keith Primeau, according to the Columbus Post-Dispatch.

- One more from the Ottawa Sun: the Sens are willing to deal Vaclav Varada, and his $1.2-million salary, for a draft pick in return, but haven't found any takers.

- Ilya Bryzgalov will man the net for the Ducks with Jean-Sebastien Giguere nursing a groin injury.

TRADING POST
Fedorov to the Blue Jackets - Desperation prompted the Columbus Blue Jackets to take on Sergei Fedorov's $6-million salary, in the hopes that he can help spark a moribund offence. In the short-term, Fedorov will play with wingers David Vyborny and Nikolai Zherdev, but the Jackets have to hope that Fedorov will be able to mesh will with franchise scorer Rick Nash. Losing depth players Tyler Wright and Francois Beauchemin allows the Jackets to develop some of their prospects, getting in some time at the NHL. Losing Todd Marchant on waivers will require that Jan Hrdina and Manny Malhotra handle the checking pivot duties, while 18 year-old Gilbert Brule may be needed even more as an offensive presence. In Anaheim, Fedorov's absence will create more room for young wingers Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the scoring units. Wright and Marchant will both be able to play regular checking roles, but Beauchemin figures to be a seventh or eighth defenceman. In the final analysis, the Ducks gain financial flexibility, which could result in more deals, and the Blue Jackets get a marquee name that hopefully still has a few years of good hockey remaining. If not, this could be the type of deal that seals GM Doug MacLean's fate.

Scatchard to the Coyotes - A big and strong two-way centreman, Dave Scatchard will add some grit and decent offensive ability up front for the Coyotes. Starting on a line with Shane Doan and Mike LeClerc, Scatchard could enjoy a scoring role in the desert. David Tanabe's departure will thin out the Coyotes blueline, but Denis Gauthier's return from injury gives them six bona fide NHL defencemen, so they may not miss Tanabe that much. On the other hand, the Bruins have been struggling with an inexperienced defence and Tanabe will get an opportunity to prove the he can handle major minutes on the Bruins' blueline, particularly while Brian Leetch is injured. Scatchard's departure helps free up room for Brad Boyes and Travis Green down the middle behind Alexei Zhamnov. The move also frees up more than a million dollars for the Bruins under the cap, a move that could open the door to more moves in the future.

HOT
Mark Bell, C, Chicago (6-2-8, plus-7 in last four games)
Fredrik Modin, LW, Tampa Bay (3-4-7, plus-5 in last four games)
Pavol Demitra, LW, Los Angeles (3-11-14, plus-8 in last six games)
Michael Nylander, C, New York Rangers (4-6-10, plus-4 in last six games)Bill Guerin, RW, Dallas (2-5-7, plus-3 in last four games)

NOT
Mark Recchi, RW, Pittsburgh (0-0-0, minus-6 in last four games)
Alyn McCauley, C, San Jose (0-0-0, minus-3 in last five games)
Radek Dvorak, RW, Edmonton (0-0-0, minus-3 in last four games)
Steve Rucchin, C, New York Rangers (0-0-0, minus-2 in last five games)
Jonathan Cheechoo, RW, San Jose (0-0-0, minus-1 in last six games)

[nyrage]

It's sad when sites start quoting that idiot Brooks from the Post.

[sg1]

great idea, Brooks, you moron...

especially with Leetch on the IR and out for who knows how long.


Lets have the Rangers bring back Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito and Pavel Bure too.


Figures hes a writer for the warmongering right wing traitor Murdoch's Bush asskissing toilet paper Post

[Canuck]

TSN.ca Staff

12/9/2005 2:46:36 PM

Big Bert is the hot name on the trade block these days, with Broadway mentioned most as the destination. The Sens are fine with what they have in Havlat's absence and Petr Sykora is on the outs in Anaheim. Hot n' Not, Farm Report and looking at some top draft prospects in Junior Report and Varsity Report. All this and the best in quotes, Chirping, in this week's edition of TSN.ca's Backchecking.

AROUND THE RINKS
- Todd Bertuzzi could be on his way to the New York Rangers, says the Rocky Mountain News, though the paper doesn't mention who might be heading to Vancouver in return. The Rangers do have room under the cap, with a player or two heading to Vancouver, to accomodate such a trade. The paper also notes that Dominic Moore, brother of Steve, plays for the Rangers. The Edmonton Journal throws the Florida Panthers into the Beruzzi mix, suggesting that Nathan Horton and Mike Van Ryn would get the Panthers in the ballpark.

- The Ottawa Sun wonders whether Bertuzzi might be a fit for the Sens, with Owen Nolan, Steve Reinprecht and Doug Weight considered possibilities as well. The paper notes that Nolan is likely to have several pursuers, including Calgary and San Jose. While acknowledging the Oilers' interest in Weight, the Edmonton Journal speculates on Ottawa as a fit for Weight.

- Senators GM John Muckler tells the Ottawa Sun that, despite the loss of Martin Havlat for the next four months, the Senators don't plan on making any deals, preferring to use youngsters Brandon Bochenski and Patrick Eaves to make up for the offensive void.

- The Los Angeles Times reports that the Ducks sat out LW Petr Sykora Thursday night, with the expectation that a deal was near. However, the trade was not completed, leaving Sykora in limbo for the time being. The paper notes that the Boston Bruins are one of the teams interested.





- After getting Joe Thornton, the San Jose Sharks might be inclined to move Patrick Marleau for a defenceman, according to the Toronto Star, citing Calgary as a team with a surplus of high-level defenders.

- Despite mounting injuries on the blueline Flyers GM Bob Clarke has, according to reports out of Philadelphia, decided not to seek out defence help via trade. Youngsters Frederick Meyer and Randy Jones have been called up to fill in since the injuries to Joni Pitkanen and Eric Desjardins.

- The Raleigh News Observer reports that sparkplug Chad Larose, who had 25 points in 23 AHL games this year, has been called up and is getting a chance to play in Carolina, now that Josef Vasicek and Andrew Ladd are on injured reserve.

- With Colorado adding Vitaly Kolesnik to their goaltending mix, rumours are increasing that David Aebischer could be dealt.

- According to the Miami Herald, the Florida Panthers have loaned D Alexander Karpovtsev to Sibir Novosibirsk in the Russian Super League