Talk is that Boston's Zhamnov will retire from the NHL thanks to an ankle injury. I made a few calls and it is clear that Zhamnov's salary will not count against the salary cap. Boston won't really miss him, as he didn't play or do much last season. Savard doesn't have that big of shoes to fill, but do not expect Savard to put up the numbers he did last season, he'll miss Ilya.
Speaking of Ilya, who will center him and Hossa? Jason Allison is still possible, as are Kozlov and Perrault. Gomez should be made available in the next seven days, and look for the Flames to be all over him. If they lose out on Gomez, look for them to quickly grab Allison.
Brian Leetch, it's between Ottawa and the Rangers. I'm going to give the Rangers a slight advantage in this one.
The Flyers are still trying to get Gagne signed, but they are looking at bringing in another winger regardless. Anson Carter is one possibility, while I've heard Eric Daze's name as well...Daze is one name to watch, as he'll come cheap, and could be a huge impact player.
With Ryan Miller signed, Biron is officially available. Don't look for him to go before the pre-season, but the first team to have goaltending troubles, and he's on his way out. Buffalo wants to solve this problem, and wants draft picks in return. Once Biron is gone, Buffalo seems likely to pick up Boucher.
Back to Carter, I'm hearing it's between the Flyers, Canucks, and Detroit. Rumours of LA and Montreal going after Carter are not accurate, while the Leafs at this point cannot afford Anson, even at a reduced price.
Leafs still need to deal a goalie, and that could come during training camp (which starts this week don't forget). When one goalie wins the back-up role, JFJ will talk with the other goalie and discuss options. Those options will be the player either shares time with Pogge in the AHL or is put on the market and is traded when someone calls about them. With this goaltending market, Aubin and Telly would both take some time to move, as neither is that valuable of a commodity.
What about Zherdev? Four teams that I know of have made calls about him, one being Toronto, another being Detroit, and another being Vancouver. I haven't been able to find the fourth team, but I will keep digging. At this point Columbus has no intention of dealing Zherdev, and will just wait it out.
Speaking of waiting it out, the Flyers will not. If they dont get Gagne signed, then they stand to lose him for nothing next summer. They'll deal him to the West in November if something can't be agreed upon.
Get ready to see some training camp invites over the next few days. Scott Young, Viktor Kozlov, Mike Leclerc, Brian Marchment and Jan Hrdina could all be in that boat. Guys like Leetch, Bondra, Carter and Allison will all just wait it out until they sign deals, and won't attend any camp without a deal.
Thats all for now! Remember, Power Play Fantasy league is on, and your running out of time to join! Hockeyleaksfantasy@hotmail.com for information, it's going to be a good season!
