Pyatt to remain with the canucks

It appears Taylor Pyatt and the Vancouver Canucks are getting closer.
According to CKNW radio in Vancouver, the Canucks have offered Pyatt a two-year deal with Pyatt's agent saying it's a "legitimate offer".
Pyatt is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1


soruce: TSN

Souray is Habs' No. 1 priority

Montreal Gazette (scroll down): "The signing means the Canadiens have committed more than $29 million to 14 players and Gainey's new No. 1 priority is defenceman Sheldon Souray, who is also in line to become an unrestricted free agent."

Coyotes GM problem solved(as reported hear first)

PHOENIX, Ariz. (CP) - Don Maloney has been hired as general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes, a source tells The Canadian Press.
The move is expected to be announced Tuesday.

Giguere may be turning saves into big dollars

USA Today: "Giguere, 30, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and his stellar performance this spring puts him in position to ask for a contract worth more than $5 million a season."

Markovs re-signs with habs...5.75...

The Montreal Canadiens have taken care of their top off-season priority - signing potential unrestricted free agent Andrei Markov.
The player that coach Guy Carbonneau called the ''general'' of the Montreal defence signed a four-year, US$23-million contract on Monday that will pay $5.75 million each year. Markov earned $2 million this season.

source:TSN

bostons Future looks good

Boston Herald: "Chiarelli said he soon expects to sign Finnish right winger Mikko Lehtonen and Czech center Vladimir Sobotka, both taken in the 2005 draft. Both Lehtonen (83rd overall) and Sobotka (106th overall) will go back into the draft if they can’t be signed by June 1, but the GM said late last week that he’s confident he’ll get both into the fold. The B’s are also trying to sign college prospects Matt Hunwick, a defenseman out of Michigan, and Byron Bitz, a Cornell forward, but they have until Aug. 15 to sign them before they’re declared free agents."

Ohlund for Marleau

This rumor is coming out of the Edmonton Journal and is stating it might happen.It looks like a semi-blockbuster trade and is really heating up,but it seems that SJ wants a little more.

I'll update as soon as i can

Karia to van or ana

Kariya is being rumoured more and more to Vancouver or Anaheim, according to a source in California this morning. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out with the Nashville sale and the affect it will have on UFA's there...


source:hockeybuzz.com

upshall stays in philli/leafs sign ponikarovski/tb signs ward/avs sign leopold and sauer

upshall stays in philli for a 2year 2.25m deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed forward Alexei Ponikarovsky to a three-year contract.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed right wing Jason Ward to a two-year, $1.35 million contract
Colorado Avalanche has re-signed defenseman Jordan Leopold to a two-year, $3 million contract and defenseman Kurt Sauer to a one-year, $719,000 deal.

Fisher misses practise,what about game 1

Mike fisher of the ottawa sen. missed practise with a hip problem and is questionable for game 1

Canucks target timonen/wild make backstorm offer/canes to deal Babchuk?/Belfour want starter role!

With another month of planning before the free agent market opens on July 1, the Canucks could look to sign defenseman Kimmo Timonen, reports the Vancouver Province.
Timonen, who has the same agent as Canucks rearguard Sami Salo, could receive a new salary as high as $5 million if he decides to listen to offers this July.
According to the Province, those close to Timonen know he desperately wants to play in a rabid hockey market, having spent so much of his career in Nashville.


The Wild has made its first contract proposal to goalie Niklas Backstrom in hopes of re-signing him before July 1, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Backstrom can become an unrestricted free agent this July and the team wants to lock him up to a new multi-year deal, TFP has learned.
Wild GM Doug Risebrough told the Star-Tribune Tom Lynn, the team's Assistant GM, plans to meet with Backstrom's agent, Don Baizley, in early June.
"We'd like to meet face to face, and we're trying to time it with Niklas back," Risebrough told the paper

Veteran defenseman Glen Wesley plans on returning for another season with the Hurricanes, reports the Raleigh News & Observer.
Wesley, who turns 39 in October, broke his foot at the end of the 2006-07 season and didn't want that to be the cause of his retirement.
"That was definitely not the way I wanted to finish the year off," Wesley told the newspaper. "I'm really looking forward to coming back and getting a fresh start and wanting to win again. That should be everybody's objective in the locker room. We have a team in there that can certainly compete for it."
Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said wants to hold on to Wesley, who is the only player remaining who made the move with the team from Hartford in 1997.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes plan on trading defenseman Anton Babchuk. According to the News & Observer, the 23-year-old is being offered around the league for a second-round pick in June's draft.






Panthers goalie Ed Belfour is intent on playing another season in the NHL, but not as a backup, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Belfour, 42, is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
"I'm definitely a No. 1 goalie. I'm motivated to come back and be a No. 1 guy," Belfour told the newspaper. "I think my health is there. I can play 60 games again. I can play more."
Panthers GM and coach Jacques Martin said the organization hasn't decided whether it would try to bring back Belfour for a second season.

Devils on the Move!!

The New Jersey Devils move into a new building – the 17,500-seat Prudential Center – for the 2007-08 season. In the coming months, it will be determined just how different the Devils team that moves in will be.
New Jersey must hire a new coach, decide on the futures of free agents Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski and determine if a tight-checking, low-scoring team can win the Stanley Cup in the new NHL.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger

lightning budet spared cut

St. Petersburg Times: "The Lightning general manager got word this week from owner Bill Davidson that payroll will not be cut, as was feared, and might even end up higher than last season's $44-million. In a perfect world, Feaster said, that would end speculation one of his high-priced stars - Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards or Dan Boyle - will have to be traded."

Panthers close to signing McArdle

Vancouver Province: "A pro contract announcement for Vancouver Giants winger Kenndal McArdle sounds imminent, at least by a report from Thursday's Miami Herald."

briere update+more

For the record, the Buffalo Sabres are hoping Chris Drury comes back next season. If that statement does not seem all that newsy, you should know that it was, in fact, news to their co-captain. Drury made it clear Monday that he would prefer to stay with the Sabres rather than explore unrestricted free agency.

Daniel Briere reiterated Monday he wants to remain a Buffalo Sabre, and the free agent-to-be indicated he'd accept the famed hometown discount.

The Canadiens' on-again, off-again pursuit of Russian defenseman Alexei Yemelin is off again. The Canadiens had hoped that Yemelin might become a free agent, what with his Russian team, Lada Togliatti, having financial problems.

If goalie Dominik Hasek wants to play next season, the Red Wings are all for it. Hasek did not commit one way or another to playing another season after Tuesday's series-ending 4-3 loss to Anaheim.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero and agent Rick Curran talked yesterday morning but reached no deals for the team to re-sign veteran wingers Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts.Roberts has said he would consider returning but would like something longer than a one year contract.

The Red Wings do need scoring help and must choose better than they did when they picked up Todd Bertuzzi and Kyle Calder. That said, for all his health concerns, Bertuzzi is worth another short-term shot.

There is no doubt now Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk have cemented their standing and ensured the Red Wings' future. Even before their 3rd-period flourish the other night, Zetterberg and Datsyuk had taken leaps as playoff performers. Amid many revelations, that is the most important, by far.

coyotes search for GM is almost done

The search for the Phoenix Coyotes new general manager is almost certainly down to the three candidates who are in town this week for second interviews with team officials.
Previously a mystery, the final candidate has been identified as John Weisbrod, former general manager of the NBA's Magic. The other two candidates are Assistant General Manager Don Maloney of the New York Rangers and the general manager of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Kevin Cheveldayoff.




Source: Arizona Republic

coyotes GM options,down to 3

The search for the Phoenix Coyotes new general manager is almost certainly down to the three candidates who are in town this week for second interviews with team officials.
Previously a mystery, the final candidate has been identified as John Weisbrod, former general manager of the NBA's Magic. The other two candidates are Assistant General Manager Don Maloney of the New York Rangers and the general manager of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Kevin Cheveldayoff.

coyotes GM options,down to 3

The search for the Phoenix Coyotes new general manager is almost certainly down to the three candidates who are in town this week for second interviews with team officials.
Previously a mystery, the final candidate has been identified as John Weisbrod, former general manager of the NBA's Magic. The other two candidates are Assistant General Manager Don Maloney of the New York Rangers and the general manager of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Kevin Cheveldayoff.

Blackhawks get 1st pick

FLYERS LOSE AGAIN, BLACKHAWKS HAVE FIRST PICK "The Philadelphia Flyers, who had a league-low 56 points in the worst season of their 40-year history lost again, this time at the “honor” of having the first pick in the NHL draft. The Chicago Blackhawks had the fifth-worst record and only an 8.1 percent chance to come out on top in the lottery."

leafs sign Kulemin

TORONTO (CP) - The Maple Leafs signed Russian forward Nikolai Kulemin, their second-round pick in the 2006 draft, to a three-year entry-level contract Thursday.

Markov staying with habs?

Montreal Canadiens have offered defenceman Andrei Markov a four-year contract worth just over $5 million a season.I would say souray is a gonner now




source:tsn

recchi/roberts offered

The Penguins have pitched offers to veterans forwards Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts,
Sources have told me that Recchi has been offered a one-year, $2 million contract, while Roberts has been offered a two-year, $5 million deal.
Recchi, 39, made $2.28 million in 2006-07, while Roberts, 40, earned $2.25 million.
Agent Rich Curran, who represents both players, would not discuss terms of either offer when contacted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.



"I'm not going to get into specifics of any discussions," Curran told the paper.


FROM THE PITSBURG PAPERS

Brain Leetch hangs up his skates

"Brian Leetch, the lynchpin for the NY RANGERS 1994 Stanley Cup Run, has officially announced his retirement. Say what you will, but he was one of the best ever!!!!!

Vancouver signs kesler

vancouver signs kesler to a 3 year $1.75m contract.


source: www.canucks.com