Let The Rumours Begin...

A lot of rumours coming in today. The Rangers are very active, looking at players such as Datsyuk, Nagy and Doan.

The Leafs are in the market for a #2 centre, with names such as Allison, Comrie and Conroy coming up.

For more rumours check Hockeyleaks.com's rumour mill each day for all the rumours from around the league.

Also, check out Marc Valeri's latest article, where he tells you not to vote for Rory!

Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com with all your questions, comments, etc.

Happy Holidays Everyone

Here at Hockeyleaks.com i just want to wish you all a very safe and happy holidays. I am now away until Wednesday, which is good because thats when the NHL roster freeze ends. Have a great few days, enjoy the turkey!

The Penguins, Brian Leetch, and 10 million Hits

First off, I want to say thank you to all of you who visit this site on a regular basis. Today we hit our 10 millionth hit for the year, which is amazing! We will continue to grow, and remember to email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com with any suggestions on how we can make this site better. We're always looking for people to help with the site, as well as to write for us, etc. so check let us know.

Hockeyleaks.com had a full update today, with most pages getting new information, so check it out.

Now, on to the hockey. Today the Penguins announced that the likelyhood of the Pens staying in Pittsburgh is not very likely, and that the team is exploring relocation. At this point, it seems very unlikely that the Pens will remain in Pittsburgh. Kansas City seems the most likely to land the team, while Portland and Vegas are in this as well. I don't understand why the NHL will not let the team move to a Canadian city, as this would be best for the franchise. This team has exciting young players, move them to somewhere that wants them, somewhere where the team could sell out every night. Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Winnepeg or QC, pick one, and move the Pens there. It's the best move the NHL has, and they are refusing to make it.

Leetch continues to skate and is looking to return to the NHL somewhere around the all-star break. Atlanta had interest at some point, however, it is unknown if they still do. Boston is rumoured to be shopping Brad Stuart (LA really wants him), and if that would happen, Leetch could return to Boston. Don't count out the Rangers and Sens yet either on Leetch, both could use any help they can find.

Stay tuned to Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest, the Pens situation will continue to develop over the next week or so.

Federov To Montreal?

Thats the big rumour of the day, as I can confirm the two clubs have held discussions involving the former Detroit Red Wings star. I would speculate that Montreal is offering a package of one of their goalies and a young forward. Montreal really wants a centre, and has quite a lot of young talent they could offer, not to mention two #1 goalies.

Another rumour? Oilers willing to offer Torres and a 1st round pick to Toronto for Darcy Tucker. For more rumours check out Hockeyleaks.com's rumour mill.

If anyone is still interested in writing for us, let me know at Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com. Expect some new columnists and articles to be up this week. Have a good one, check Hockeyleaks.com for the latest

Penguins Sale Falls Apart

Jim Balsillie has pulled his bid to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins. Apparently, at the last minute the NHL gave him a few extra terms to the deal, including a clause that would make him keep the Pens in Pittsburgh, no matter what. Also, there was a part of the deal that would give the NHL control of the team if things did not work out. Balsillie and the NHL are no longer speaking, and things don't look good for the sale of the Penguins. More if and when it breaks

Leclair a UFA, Power Rankings Return!

The Penguins have released forward John Leclair. He is now an unrestricted free agent, and is free to sign with any team he likes. Expect him to sign for 450,000 somewhere, maybe Philly. Vancouver may have some interest as well, maybe Toronto? He's cheap and has something to prove. I'd take the gamble if my team lacked offense and leadership.

The power rankings for this week are up, check out Hockeyleaks.com for them, as well as all the latest news and updates!

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's The Penguins?

Don't look now, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are on a roll, and looking quite dangerous. Crosby had a six point night, while Gonchar broke out notching five points, as the Penguins doubled up the Flyers 8-4. If there was one positive for the Flyers, it's that Kyle Calder finally scored his first goal of the season. Rumour has the Blackhawks interested in bringing him back, but the Flyers are really hoping the kid finds his groove and can produce for them.

As you will notice on the hockeyleaks.com main page, Crosby now takes over the league lead in points with 47, three ahead of second place Jagr. Staal also pulled into first place on the shorthanded goals list with four. The one surprise of the night? Pittsburgh scores eight goals, and Malkin doesn't get a point. Things are starting to click for the Penguins, they're an exciting team to watch.

I'd like to welcome our newest writer, Marc Valeri, to the Hockeyleaks.com team. He has a great article that I just posted on in the articles section on the main page, looking at who he calls: the reddest of the wings. Want to know who that is? Check it out, it's a great read.

Also, I'd like to announce that we now have an OHL specialist writing for Hockeyleaks. TJ Hurst will debut soon here, and you can expect articles quite often from him, involving the OHL.

We'd love to add to our writing roster, so email me at Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com if your interested.

Other things to look forward to on Hockeyleaks.com in the coming week or so is a brand new Q & A session with someone well known in the online hockey rumour world, as well as the return of the Hockeyleaks.com power rankings (expect those tomorrow night!). Check Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest information, as it will be updated much more often than the blog, usually two or three times daily, as things happen.

A rumour before I pack it in for the night: Philly is in heavy talks with Boston, with the Flyers very interested in one of Boston's defenseman. I'll keep you posted if I learn more. Also heard one about the Canucks looking to dump some salary, before the pull off a bigger move. Stay Tuned

Kessel Undergoes Cancer Surgery

From tsn.ca

"Bruins rookie centre Phil Kessel underwent cancer surgery and is ''on the road to recovery,'' his agent said Tuesday."

No timeline was given for Kessel's return.

Everyone at Hockeyleaks.com wishes Phil a quick and healthy recovery.

Mike Kitchen Fired, Andy Murray Replaces Him

Breaking news. the St. Louis Blues have fired head coach Mike Kitchen and replaced him with Andy Murray. I am hearing it's a longer term deal, three years?

Not bad, we bring our old site back, stick with updates often, and we've already beat TSN and Sportsnet to a major story! Tell your friends, Hockeyleaks is back.

Waiver Action

The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Jaroslav Balastik on waivers. The Philadelphia Flyers also placed centre Petr Nedved on waivers. Team have until noon EST on December 12th to claim them.

Balastik is very young with a lot of promise, I'd be surprised if someone didn't pick him up. As for Nedved, the Flyers can try this all they want, I don't see it happening. That being said, maybe they got a tip off that someone would claim him this time around, which is why they've put him back on waivers.

If you haven't already, check out Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest, especially the rumour mill which is updated daily, if not more!

Hockeyleaks Version 3.0?

Well it's actually the same as the original, well not quite....because the original hockeyleaks was just a blog, the we had a site, then we added Tradeleaks and The Rumour Mill...then we added injuries and chat...then we re-did Tradeleaks...

After all of that hard work, and amazing hit counts from our readers, we decided it was time to move on to a new layout, one that looked better. Unfortunatly, the content suffered from our new look, and things havent been as good for us or our readers since. For this reason, we have gone back to our roots, with the design that made us what we are today. It wasn't easy re-doing the site and putting it back to the way it was, but we've done it and couldn't be happier. So check out the site, and enjoy! Power Rankings will be up by the end of this week, I promise! We are also looking for a fantasy writer, as well as columnists, so let me know if your interested!!

Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com is where you can reach me :)

Bondra a Blackhawk

I heard this was getting close last night, and now it's done. If the Hawks can stay healthy, they still have a chance. Rumours now say the Islanders and Bruins are after Allison.

Atlanta is really hard after Conroy, while Calgary is in this as well.

Ladislav Nagy is very much available and sources say Toronto has inquired about the scoring winger. One rumour says Kubina may be available in such a deal.

New site featuring old design should come in the next few days, once it's up Hockeyleaks will be a much better place, with a lot more rumours, news and features!

If you are in the powerplay fantasy league please email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com so I can send you payment information

Leetch, Bondra and Site Update

Brian Leetch is still a UFA, and now it's being rumoured that he will return after the all-star break. The Bruins were said to be interested, but they're defense is playing great, and Leetch doesn't really fit in with what Boston has going. The Rangers are very interested still, and Toronto is another team who may look into bringing Leetch back, whenever that may be. I'd say Rangers are most likely, while I still wouldn't count Ottawa out of it yet either.

Rumour tonight has Bondra talking to the Canucks. While I cannot confirm these talks, I've heard this from two sources, plus a hockeyleaks reader. I'll keep my ears and eyes open.

Finally, I am strongly considering moving the site back to the old design for the time being. I just feel that I'll be able to update it more often and provide better information, more often. Right now I only use the blog to update you with rumours, simply because the other site is a pain in the behind to update, and things are hard to locate. Expect to see changes within the next week.

If you signed up for the powerplay fantasy league, please email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com and I will send payment information. The person in charge of the league sent it out once, and it didn't work. Since then he's been lazy and hasnt done it since...you know what they say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Also email me at that address if your interested in helping with the new website design...it will be in basic HTML. Enjoy your Friday night everyone.

Important - All Read

http://www.hockeyleaks.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2132

Please read that and reply. Also, if anyone is interested and willing to help me with designing a new HTML-based website for Hockeyleaks.com, I'd love to hear from you. Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com is where you can get me.

Nieuwendyk Retires

Due to back problems, the veteran player has retired as a member of the Florida Panthers. It's really too bad that injuries have slowed him down, as he still had some game left in him I believe.

Talk has the Coyotes open to trading Jovo, and talk has the Rangers and Bruins being interested.

And Darcy Tucker had a bad temper today during Leafs' practice. While I heard a rumour about him getting traded, there is not a percent of truth to that. Expect Carlo Colaiacovo to return by Saturday, he'll make Kubina play much better

5 More Things Adam Has Noticed

First off I want to apologize to Adam. I've been very busy these past two weeks and missed putting his article up the first time. Here it is, check it out, it's a great read

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Five Things That I've Noticed...

The first thing that I've noticed, is the emergence of Rod Brind'Amour not only as a scoring threat, but as both the on-ice and off-ice leader of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Rod has always been a solid leader, and has been one of the veterans that the team depended on for several years now. However, his play of late, has taken quite a load off of young star Eric Staal, who is playing well, but not exactly at the incredible pace that he was a short year ago.
Brind'Amour started the season slowly, but has lit it up of late, all the way into 3rd place among the NHL leaders in points. His 10 goal, 23 assist performance a quarter of the way into the '06 - '07 season is just off Jaromir Jagr (37) and Marian Hossa’s (35) point total and he has been scoring points in bunches. The 36 year old hasn't had this kind of jump since his days with the Flyers, and I must say that it is really nice to see. Brind'Amour has contributed so much in his time in Carolina, playing whatever role he was asked of, and working hard to allow the coaching staff to expect more of a scoring presence from him. It's good to see that the hard work that he continues to exibit off of the ice allows him to excel and may lead the 'Canes back to the promise land.

Another thing that I've noticed, is the fact that I don't think there anyone in the NHL that has been ignored as far as being honoured with "Superstar Status" more than Marian Hossa? I know that he is well respected, and people know of him; however, does he really get the recognition that his skills deserve? The 27 year old Slovak native is currently creeping up on the top two scorers, sitting in 2nd overall in points with 35 total (17 G, 18A). Hossa has been one of the most consistent scorers since joining the league full-time with the Senators 1998, to the point that you can almost pencil him in for 30+ goals, and 80+ points. However; with him flying high out of the gate, combined with the play of his linemates, Hossa could crack the 50 goal, 100 point marks for the first time in his career. With his previous career high, a 45 goal performance in 2002, Marcel's older, wiser, and more productive brother will look to add to his 92 point campaign of a year ago, which happened to be his first in a Thrasher uniform. Playoff performance has somewhat hindered him in the past...but then again; name an Ottawa Senator that hasn't had their playoff performances plague their career! (speak now or forever hold your peace Mr. Yashin, Alfredsson and Chara) Anyhow, I'd love to hear some more conversation about Hossa's skills, and I think that this year may be the one that we will be hearing more about the high scoring Thrasher.

What in the world has happened to Robert Esche? Esche has been struggling so much this year that he may be playing himself out of the NHL. In what has already been an intense rollercoaster ride of a career, his ballooning statistics are becoming so unbearable, they are hard to be believable. Currently, the Flyers former number 1 has a 5.64 GAA, and less than acceptable .820 SV% and has appeared to have lost his confidence and ability be a dependable 'tender. Perhaps a re-hab stint, or a trade out of the "City of Brotherly Love" will be completed to shake him up and get him out of this funk.

Next thing, is a question of whether or not the next chapter for the Columbus Blue Jackets will be a positive. With a qualified coach stepping in (as Philadelphia Scapegoat Ken Hitchcock has signed a 3-year deal to be at the helm) Columbus has the opporunity to right the path that they have so strongly veered off of in the first quarter of the season. They are a team that was thought to have enough talent to make some noise, perhaps even fight it's way into the playoff picture, and yet has fallen flat on its' face again. Jumping out of the gate garnering 5 out of a possible 6 points in their first 3 games, the Jackets have had an extremely difficult time putting the puck in the net by not scoring more than 3 goals for the next month, on their way to lighting the lamp only 50 times in their first 23 games. This issue has lead to their dreadful 6-15-2 record, placing them not only last in their division (which just so happens to be by far, the most lacklustre in the NHL), but also last overall.
How does this happen? I'll tell you. David Vyborny is their leading point getter with 18 points, while Rick Nash leads the team in the goals with seven. Neither stat being earth shattering. The scary thing is, they are two of the only five on the team to break into double digits in points! (Modin, Zherdev and Fedorov all locked with 12 being the other three) This has happened after most of the talk prior to the season expressed concern over their lack of an experienced goaltender. Fortunately, with the bulk of action placed squarely on the shoulders of 24 year old Pascal Leclaire, (with a few spot starts for 32 year old "rookie" Fredrik Norrenna) the Jackets have been getting decent goaltending and have even at times kept them in some of the closer contests that they have been involved in. Another major problem has been the fact that their off season acquisition of Fredrik Modin and the signing Anson Carter have been (to put it gently) a big bust thus far. The duo has chipped in with a combined 9 goals and have yet to provide the impact that they were so desperately brought in for. With the fact that the Jackets have yet to challenge, or even be in the mix of a playoff hunt in their brief 6 year existence, after setting a franchise high of 74 points last year, this is definitely not where they were hoping to be early in '06 - '07. Will Hitch be able to put it all together, and make this franchise a successful, competitive one? Only time will tell on that, but my bet is that it won't be this year, and unless they buy into the system that Hitchcock puts in place, they may be able to for a couple more seasons either.

Finally, the last thing that I've noticed, is that recently Georges Laraque was quoted as saying that he fears the "common enforcer" will no longer be a part of the NHL in as close as 2 seasons. It's a fact that the everyday thug that plays four minutes a game, but somehow accumulates an incredible 300 penalty minutes over the course of a season, is basically just eating up a roster spot. In today's game, with the speed and skill being showcased, it's apparent that Laraque has a point. I read somewhere that currently 12 teams have yet to suit up an enforcer for even one game, while there are seven teams that float one in and out of playing and being a healthy scratch, which leaves 11 teams that nightly dress what you would call a typical enforcer. In many ways, I am actually for this. Now don't get me wrong, I always have and always will enjoy a good tussle, and alike most NHL fans fall into a complete frenzy when two heavyweights go toe-to-toe.
Regardless, back in the '60's and '70's a majority of the players could defend themselves and for the most part, could score 20 goals if they had to. Of course they had role players, but it wasn't until the mid-'70's where the true enforcer was born. The names roll off like a fond memory, Dave "Tiger" Williams, Dave "The Hammer" Schultz are the originals of the position, followed by Laraque himself, Bob Probert, Tie Domi, Donald Brashear, and have been added to by newbies Brian McGrattan, and Derek Boogard. I'd like to think that the next generation "enforcer" will be a gritty hard-nosed player that can put the puck in the net, all the while being able to defend himself in a tilt against another tough as nails type. Players like Sean Avery, Chris Neil among a few others seem to have the idea down. They are players that may have broken in as a defender to the star player, but have displayed the ability to contribute in more ways, and can skate, pass and actually play the game with purpose unlike yesteryears punch'em up champs. Maybe this means that the classic Probert vs. Domi (all three rounds) type match-up will never occur again. What it does mean though, is that each roster will have a nice mix of superstars, skilled players and youngsters trying to earn their keep. And, as a fan of the new NHL, that's something that I look forward to.

One way or the other, right or wrong, those are just some of the things that I've noticed.

Adam Forsyth
aforsyth21@hotmail.com