Saturday, January 13, 2007

Rumors from TSN Backchecking

- The Edmonton Oilers are after Flyers D Joni Pitkanen, offering LW Raffi Torres and RW Joffrey Lupul in exchange. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren denied the rumour in the Delaware County Times. The Edmonton Sun noted, however, that an Oilers scout was watching a recent Flyers-Senators game.

- If the Maple Leafs can't get Darcy Tucker signed to an extension before the trade deadline, he could attract quite a bit of interest on the trade market, reports the Globe and Mail. The paper also reports that the Maple Leafs are likely not to pick up Mats Sundin's option for next season, but rather sign Sundin to an extension that would cost less against the cap.
- While improved play might make the Blues less likely to deal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out that Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin are headed for free agency and could be attractive options at the deadline. the paper notes that Radek Dvorak, Jamal Mayers, Vladimir Orszagh, Eric Brewer, Jamie Rivers and Manny Legace are also going to be free agents at season's end.

- The St. Petersburg Times reports that, while teams continue to inquire about the Lightning's star forwards -- Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards -- speculation then turns to Vaclav Prospal, Ruslan Fedotenko, Andreas Karlsson and Luke Richardson as possible bait for a puck-moving defenceman.

- The Boston Globe indicates that, if Hannu Toivonen can't play as a solid backup, then the Bruins could be looking to deal for a veteran to back up Tim Thomas. The Boston Herald points to D Brad Stuart and LW Marco Sturm, both heading for free agency, as possible bargaining chips. The Globe also suggests that rookie D Matt Lashoff is another one who could be a prized trade commodity.

- Chuck Kobasew could be on his way out of Calgary, according to the Calgary Sun, with the suggestion that Pittsburgh's Ryan Malone might be a good swap.

- The Sun also floats the idea that the Lightning are going to deal for a goaltender, with the thought being that the Sharks could soon be ready to move Vesa Toskala. The Lightning could get discussions going by offering Dan Boyle as part of the package.

- Several sources report that veteran Panthers LW Gary Roberts could be on the move soon.

- The Tennessean reports that the Predators could move out of Nashville, under an early termination clause in their agreement with the local government, if the team's attendance dips below 14,000 per game by the end of next season.

No comments: