Islanders Take Huge Blow / Johnson Turning Pro

...and not at the right moment. The Islanders are headed down the home stretch with a very tough schedule over the next two weeks, starting tonight against the Devils. Today they learned they will be without Rick DiPietro for an extended period of time as he is suffering from post concussion syndrome. The Islanders were 0-2 without him in the lineup after first suffering the injury, and have been 2-0-2 since his return. I'm hearing he'll miss at least a week, and maybe the rest of the season. Concussions are hard to read, and post-concussion sydrome can be even harder. Ask Lindros, Colaiacovo and Primeau about the time you can miss due to it, the Islanders could be in trouble...good news if your NYR, Toronto, Montreal, Tampa and Carolina. All six of the teams fighting for spots 6,7 and 8 are in action tonight.

Martin Biron has re-signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, signing a two year deal. This is the first of many great moves the Flyers will make over the next several months. I expect them to really turn their ship around this off-season.

Jack Johnson is finally making his NHL debut, as he signed a multi-year deal with LA. Carolina I bet would sure love to him have suiting up for them tonight against Toronto, but instead Johnson will join his teammates in LA today and will play his first NHL game on Thursday against Vancouver.

The Races

As we head into the final month of the season, I can't remember a time when there were so many battles for position. Even in the west, where the eight teams who will make the playoffs are pretty much already decided, the battle is far from over. Here is my look at the current races going on in the NHL standings.

Top Spot In The West

A three team battle between Nashville (current leader), Detroit and Anaheim. This is an important race for Nashville and Detroit as the loser will finish fourth, and will only be guarenteed home ice in the first round. Detroit currently trails by one point with a game in hand, while the Ducks sit at even games and three points back. All three teams are currently dealing with injuries, so it's hard to judge much on their recent play. With that said, in their last 30 games they've lost a combined two games in regulation, with Detroit going 7-0-3 in their last ten. This shows that these three teams are all getting hot at the right time of year, and it's likely a coin flip to see who finishes on top. I'll take Detroit though, but much will depend on the health of Hasek, who has been dealing with several injuries over the past month.

Top Spot In The Northwest

Vancouver currently has a four point lead, and having gone 8-1-1 in their last ten it will be tough for anyone to take the lead away from them. Minnesota and Calgary are both strong teams, but Vancouver has been really strong for the past few months and it would take a serious slip up for Vancouver to lose the lead. All three Northwest teams seem to be in the playoffs for sure, so for Calgary and Minnesota it's more of a battle for 5th-8th.

5th-8th in the West

This may be the most exciting battle in the NHL. Four teams currently seperated by just two points. All four teams will start the playoffs on the road, but who they will face is what they are playing for. Minnesota, San Jose and Dallas are all currently tied for 5th with 83 points, while Calgary sits just two points back with 81. Calgary also has a game in hand on San Jose, and two on Minnesota. If I'm one of these teams, do I really want to finish 5th and play either Nashville or Detroit in the first round? 8th is faced with the same problem, while 6th and 7th would still find it tough against Anaheim and Vancouver. That being said, all four teams are gunning for that 5th place spot, as with such a strong conference, there are bound to be upsets, and that fifth spot may mean home ice in the playoffs at some point. I'm going to give this to Minnesota, but it will be very close. Minnesota, San Jose, Calgary and Dallas, thats the order I see.

Top Spot in the East

A two team battle between New Jersey and Buffalo (by the way, these two teams play tonight(March 10th)), and New Jersey has really closed the gap. Both teams have been playing well all season long and many are predicting these two could meet in the Eastern final. Buffalo has the most explosive offense in the NHL in my opinion, while New Jersey has the best goaltender of all time. It will be a close call for first in the east, but I will give it to the Sabres, they've led all season long and I don't think they have any reason to give that up.

Top Spot in the Southeast

Defending Stanley Cup Champs the Hurricanes are not in this one, but the Thrashers and Lightning are. Atlanta has gotten hot at the right time and climbed into top spot, but only lead Tampa by two. The lightning had a very strong February and seemed poised to steal the lead from Atlanta, and did for a short period of time, but the Thrashers have been very dominant since making a few deadline moves and are playing like true cup contenders. It will be an interesting battle, but Tampa still has those goaltending problems, and Atlanta doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Atlanta will take the Southeast.

Battle For Home Ice

The battle for 4th place in the East is a two team battle, though Tampa shouldn't be counted out yet either. That being said, the focus is on the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ottawa currently leads by two points with 84, but Pittsburgh has a game in hand. Both teams have had their share of struggles as of late, combining for just 11 wins over their last combined 20 games, not a number their fans are used to. This is an important battle, with the winner getting home ice in a first round series, which will likely be against each other. Both teams are only five games over .500 on the road, which is the lowest of the top five teams in the East. Home ice advantage is always imporant, and this will be a great battle down the stretch. I'll take Ottawa, but it's anyone's guess at this point.

Battle for 7th and 8th in the East

And so we get to the final playoff spot battle, which happens to be the battle that involves the most teams. The Islanders currently hold 7th, Carolina 8th, Rangers 9th, Leafs 10th, Habs 11th and Bruins 12th. Islanders seem to have 7th spot tied up, but their play has struggled in the last few games and for them to fall back to the rest would not be surprising. Carolina has a two point lead over Toronto and NYR for 8th spot, but the Leafs have a game in hand while NYR has two. Montreal seems to be out of it, as they sit three points back and have played two more than Toronto, three more than NYR and the same as Carolina. For them to make the playoffs it's all up-hill. As for the Bruins they also have an up-hill climb, currently sitting six back but with two games in hand on the Hurricanes.

The Islanders have a tough schedule remaining, with two games against Ottawa, NYR and New Jersey, while they also will have tough games against Buffalo, Tampa, Pittsburgh and Toronto. They also will play two teams who have played very well as of late in Florida and Philadelphia. Easy wins should come against Washington and Montreal.

As for the Hurricanes, they also have a tough road ahead. Three games against a Panthers team who have only two in regulation in their last ten games. Two games against very strong Tampa Bay and New Jersey teams, and then a lot of tough singles against San Jose, Toronto, Philly, and Atlanta. The only "easy" game should come against Washington.

The Rangers, not so easy for them either. Three games against Pittsburgh is nothing to look forward to, while pairs of games against the Islanders, Bruin and Flyers will also be tough. Singles that will be battles will be Carolina, Atlanta and Toronto. Easier games will come the Rangers in the form of a pair of games against Montreal, who once Huet returns could be much better then they are now. The Rangers have a battle ahead of them.

As for Toronto, it's a tough road ahead. Pairs of games against Buffalo will be tough wins for the Leafs. Other than the Sabres, the only team who the Leafs play more than once is Montreal, who we all know have struggled as of late. After that, it's all tough singles for Toronto. Ottawa, Tampa, Atlanta, New Jersey, Carolina, Pittsburgh, NYR, Philly and NYI. An easy game against Washington is really all Toronto has to look forward too. With that said Toronto usually plays Tampa, Atlanta, New Jersey, Carolina and Philly well, but all games will be tough wins for Toronto.

Montreal and Boston are both climbing hills, so I will exclude them from this list. My point with this is that all of the teams in the thick of the playoffs have very tough schedules. I believe the Rangers have the hardest schedule because they play Pittsburgh three times and several teams twice, with only three singles in their remaining games. Carolina will have either an easy schedule should they be able to handle the Panthers, or a very uphill battle should they have a hard time with the Panthers. Toronto's is tough but success is possible, while the Islanders is very tough but they're recent success should help them win more than they lose.

I will say the Islanders take 7th, Leafs 8th, Carolina 9th, Montreal 10th, Bruins 11th, Rangers 12th. Why so hard on the Rangers? They've been out of the playoff race longer than any of the other teams (with exception of the Bruins), I just don't think they can keep their current run going long enough to pull into a playoff spot.

Predictions...

*First if you like playing proline or picking who wins nhl games check out this site: http://www.partybets.com/index.htm?wm=2827826. You can bet on single games for as little as a cent, and the site only makes you deposit $10. It's good fun so check it out.*



With less than 20 games a piece left in the NHL, it's time to look at where we are and where we could go. Here are the final standings of the season based on current winning percentages...

EAST

1. Buffalo
2. NJ
3. ATL
4. OTT
5. PIT
6. TB
7. NYI
8. CAR
9. TOR
10. NYR
11. BOS
12. MTL
13. FLA
14. WAS
15. PHI

WEST

1. NAS
2. ANA
3. VAN
4. DET
5. DAL
6. MIN
7. SJ
8. CGY
9. COL
10. STL
11. EDM
12. CBJ
13. PHO
14. CHI
15. LA


Anything seem odd? The fact that Montreal is currently on pace to finish 12th is quite shocking, while it should be noted that 1 points seperates 8th and 11th in the East, with Toronto just .2 points back for Carolina for 8th. In the West, SJ falling to 7th is surprising, while the rest seems pretty normal. Here are my predictions for the standings, based on my own thoughts.

EAST

1. BUF
2. NJ
3. TB
4. OTT
5. PIT
6. ATL
7. NYI
8. TOR
9. CAR
10. MTL
11. BOS
12. NYR
13. FLA
14. WAS
15. PHI

WEST

1. DET
2. ANA
3. VAN
4. NAS
5. MIN
6. SJ
7. CGY
8. DAL
9. COL
10. STL
11. EDM
12. PHO
13. CBJ
14. LA
15. CHI

This will be posted in the forums, I would love to hear what you think about my predictions and I would love for you to add your own. Also, Dave Spence has a new article up in the Articles section so check it out.

Site Update...and looking for Web Designers...

First of all, the site has been updated today and we have several new articles up, including a pair from our two newest writers so please check them out.

Hockeyleaks.com staff member Yick has been kind enough to create a UFA/RFA list for us, so I will be posting that here in a few days...I will let you all have a few more days to recover.

We are looking for someone to help us design a new page. I have in my head the perfect design for hockeyleaks.com but I have no design skills to put it into action. We'd obviously love to find someone who would love to donate their time and skills, so we'd love to hear from people willing to help us out for free (though I can promise anyone willing to help on a new site would get free inside information for as long as Hockeyleaks is around that I can't publically say..)...but even if you are a web designer that would absolutlely have to charge for me your services contact me and we can talk, as I really do want a really great design even if I have to spend money on it. Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com is where I want you to contact me

D-Day Recap

First off I want to thank everyone for their support today, I want to thank the Hockeyleaks.com team for helping me out today, and I want to thank our readers for being around all day. I have recieved many emails thanking me for today and I really just want to thank you. When I started Hockeyleaks as a blog almost two years ago I never thought more than 25 people would read it. We set new forums and chat records today, and when I get my numbers tomorrow morning I feel that we will have beat our Hits record, which was set last deadline day at 850 000 hits. I think we topped a million today, I'll let you know.

Lets now look at the 5 best deadline teams. For a re-cap of all of the deadline trades check out Hockeyleaks.com.


1. New York Islanders: They are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, so what do they do? They go out and get the biggest name available in Ryan Smyth, plus get a guy like Richard Zednik to improve this team even further. Not only did they make two great deals, but they held on to Jason Blake, who many thought was on his way out. If DiPietro the Islander defense can step up, the Islanders could be very scary.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens needed toughness and boy did they get it in Gary Roberts and Georges Laraques. They also added some depth on defense and in goal, and I'd say the Penguins have really improved over the last 24 hours.

3. San Jose: Bill Guerin just adds to this team's really dangerous offense. They kept everything else in tact, plus they added Rivet just a few days ago. The Sharks are proving they are one of the top teams in the West.

4. Detroit: A little bit of a gamble on Bertuzzi but if he pays off Detroit will have added one of the best power forwards in the league. Kyle Calder should re-find himself in Detroit as well.

5. Dallas: Getting Norstrom today is another great pick up and shores up their defense in front of Marty Turco. They already brought Nagy in and also added Baumgartner, so the Stars are looking like they are ready to make a serious run. That being said, they lost this years and next's first round draft picks, so failure would hurt this team quite badly.

Still trying to figure out why Gelinas wasn't dealt, or maybe he was and we don't know it yet? I know Calgary was very much in this.

More later including what you can expect from Hockeyleaks.com in the future.

Roberts Apparently Done, Jagr Being Shopped

Morning all, two quick things before we dive into deadline day.

Apparently the Roberts deal with Pittsburgh is done and confirmed so we're sticking with that one now...

and apparently the Rangers are shopping Jagr....stay tuned...

I'm in chat all day, lets go!

Not So Fast Pittsburgh

Now reports are saying that Gary has not dropped his NTC...and I really can't seem to find out so I'm going to say it's not done yet, and really it won't be made official until tomorrow morning when Roberts officially signs the papers...

So deal is off the books for now, tune in tomorrow morning...

Roberts Waives No-Trade Clause

Gary Roberts has waived his no-trade clause, allowing the deal that sends him from the Florida Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect Noah Welch. Check TradeLeaks for more information.

Deadline Day Coverage

We will kick things off at 9 am tomorrow morning and go until 4 or 5 pm. We will be in live chat all day and will over a trade tracker that will be the best one online (we promise!). Make sure to be here all day, as well as in the forums and in chat, it will be a fun day.

I'm going into Chat now to discuss the latest rumours...come join me

Smolinski To Vancouver

2nd rounder goes the other way

Zednik to NYI

2nd round pick goes the other way...

Kovalev confirmed to be NOT on waivers...

Reports have Roberts to make decision on trade by 9 pm EST tonight...

stay tuned

Kovalev NOT on waivers now...

Kovalev's Agent and another person fro MTL organization are denying it...

that being said keep watching because Hockeybuzz and USAToday have also picked up this story...

Kovalev On Waivers...

Can't confirm yet but it's a rumour right now that is really heating up....

Also I can confirm Noah Welch is the player going the other way in the Roberts deal if it's ok'd...

Hold on folks...

Here We Go!...Tucker, Roberts, and WAIVER MADNESS

It's Madness today...as we are about 24 hours till the trade deadline.

Darcy Tucker is apparently very close to a signing a new deal worth three million per season, the only thing we don't know is the years. I am hearing it may be four years, but three is also possible. This should put to rest any Darcy Tucker trade rumours, but they have been dead for several weeks anyways.

Gary Roberts has been traded, but the question is "will he waive his NTC?"...the deal is not to Ottawa or Toronto which why he may veto the deal. I'm hearing that team is Pittsburgh, though can't confirm that yet.

According to our friends at Hockeybuzz, the following players have been placed on waivers: Brian Boucher, Bryan Berard, Michael Leighton, Denis Hamel, Jason Krog, Marc Chouinard, Aaron Downey, and Petr Cajanek. Rumour also has Nikko Kapanen on waivers as well.

There are some big names there, I beleive several of those (Berard, Boucher, Kapanen) will go by noon tomorrow.

Bill Guerin could very well be traded today. Detroit, Anaheim, Ottawa and San Jose seem to very in this, while I wouldn't count Detroit out either.

Leafs still have serious interest in Milan Hejduk.

Islanders are looking at another Av, Svatos.

Oilers and Smyth will meet today, if no deal is reached I believe he will be traded tomorrow.

If the Flyers could sign Biron long-term (good luck), there is a possibility there could be a Biron for Pikanen deal.

Very Very busy in the NHL, check the forums, blog and Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest, we'll be here with you all day. Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for your questions and comments

Rivet To San Jose

Looks like either Souray isn't available or that someone else has out-bid San Jose for him...Josh Gorges and a 2007 1st round pick go back to Montreal...

Ducks really working hard trying to get Guerin right now...the prices are all very high right now...

I love this time of year, more later

Tkachuk To Atlanta...Done Deal

As I told you all last night, before any media or blog was even talking about it, the Thrashers and Blues were close to a deal that would send Tkachuk to Atlanta. The deal is finally done and here are the details.

The Blues get a first round pick in 2007, a third round pick in 2007 and and second round pick in 2008 plus Glen Metropolit. If Atlanta re-signs Tkachuk, the Blues will receive an additional first round pick in 2008.

Quite a lot for a team to give up, especially when they're only 4 points ahead of the 9th place team....

Cobourn for Zhitnik...

The media hasn't confirmed this yet but as far as I know it's done..guess it's not big Keith to Atlanta...yet...

details now at Hockeyleaks.com...enjoy your night

Tkachuk To Atlanta?

Rumours are swilling that Tkachuk has been dealt, and I'm hearing it may very well be to the Thrashers. I know nobody else is reporting this, but I heard that the Thrashers were working very hard to get Tkachuk and now they may finally have.

I'm just heading out for the night, and won't be around until morning so if anything breaks look to the forums to see it. Site will be updated with all of tonight's happenings in the morning...

I really smell trade...and Hartnell was a scratch for Nashville tonight, that may be worth looking into...

Things are about to happen...

The Ducks have dealt Shane O'Brien and a 2007 3rd round pick to Tampa for Gerald Coleman and a 2007 1st round pick. Many sources believe that first round pick will be flipped in a deal to bring either Souray or Bertuzzi to Anaheim. Rob Blake is NOT willing to waive his NTC as earlier reported by several sources.

Phoenix have made two call-ups, which means deals involving Laraque and Adams may soon be about too break out.

I will out most of tonight, so make sure to check the forums when looking for the latest news, our members always post the latest as soon as things are made public...more later if something breaks while I'm around

Brewer, Legace Re-Sign With Blues

The Blues have re-signed Brewer to a four year deal while Legace gets a two year deal. No money details yet but they will be posted on the forums when available.

Well, we may know who that western star the Leafs are after: Milan Hejduk. They'd love to get Svatos as well.

Habs have interest in Nathan Horton, though with Martin's crazy prices in Florida he's probably asking for Koivu and a first round pick in return.

Canucks seem to have serious interest in Zubrus.

Laraque To Pittsburgh continues to be talked about, several deals are floating around, the latest being Laraque for Malone and a prospect/pick.

Remember, three players still on waivers, I'll let you know if they get claimed. Make sure you join the forums as a member as on deadline they may be only viewable to members! More Later

Atlanta is still looking at Berard, and now add Boynton to that list.

Afternoon Update / Deadline News

Note: blog emails are getting sent out to different people at different times. Some of you are getting them right away, some of you are getting them a few hours later. Hopefully this gets resolved, the best thing to do is to check the forums often as thats where the latest information is first. Also, I know Tverdovsky plays for LA, I dont know why I said carolina...

Eklund is currently reporting that the Islanders are currently one of the two teams in the Bill Guerin race. Obviously more teams can enter this as time goes on, but at this point NYI seems to be in the lead.

Toronto is really burning up the phones today looking for a scoring winger, they feel that is there one missing piece and the lack of one has really hurt them lately, especially in the shootout and overtime.

Make sure to be in the chat all day Tuesday as we will have at least one or two Hockeyleaks.com staff members in the room at all times. Obviously the amount I speak in the room will depend on how busy things are, but I'll be in there the majority of the day. Remember, our deadline coverage will span from 9 am till around 5 pm on Tuesday, so be here!

Lots of blogs today, but thats just how things are with all this action...check Hockeyleaks.com and the forums for all the latest

Waiver Action!

Oleg Tverdovsky, Nolan Baumgartner, and Joey Macdonald have been put on waivers....

I wouldn't be surprised to see Tverdovsky and Macdonald claimed, doubtful about Baumgartner...

anyone else think LA, Philly and Detroit are making some cap room?

Carter To Carolina

Columbus has dealt Anson Carter to Carolina for a 5th round draft pick. I'm glad Carter was dealt early, as we all remember how he likes to be the centre of attention (remember when he took FOREVER to sign in the summer?).

Also, last week's San Jose/New Jersey deal has been voided due to the fact that Korolyuk has decided to stay in Russia...

More Later, Hockeyleaks.com and the forums for the latest

Saku Koivu On The Move?

I am hearing this morning that two teams (Anaheim and Minnesota) are really trying hard to pick up Saku Koivu. Anaheim's Burke is refusing to make a deal for a rental currently because the price is too high, but would deal some of his young prospects if he could get his hands on Koivu. Minnesota is in a very similar position, and would like to re-unite the Koivu brothers as members of the Wild. While Montreal is doubtful to move Koivu, I can confirm they are getting pressured pretty hard by these two teams.

Speaking of Montreal, Souray is looking like a lock to move. San Jose leads the race, while Edmonton is in this as well. Anaheim is another team who is starting to ask questions (I wonder what Montreal could get for both Koivu and Souray?).

With Carolina now facing some injury problems, and they're playoff hopes fading away, you have to think they are getting ready to make a serious move. I still think they'll land one St. Louis' big two.

For more rumours check out the Hockeyleaks.com rumour mill, it had quite the update today!

Also, Hockeyleaks.com is in the process of setting up a poker tournament.

http://www.pokerstars.com/?source=hockeyleaks.com

That link will bring you to Poker Stars, which is what we will be using to do the poker tournament. Feel free to practice up, I know some of the Hockeyleaks.com staff is quite good at poker, and so are some of our readers!

If you want to contact me with questions, comments, or just want to play me in a game of poker, my email is cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com

The Deadline is 5 days away, i'm so excited to bring you guys the best deadline coverage on the internet. I just did a radio interview with Blueline Hockey Talk Radio, there is a link on the main page, so check it out. Don't mind my voice, I'm still getting over a nasty cold. Anyways, check that, Pokerstars and Hockeyleaks.com out right now! That should keep you busy until a tradebreaks, which could be any minute...

7 Days...

In 7 days, players will be forced to pack up their bags and head to a new city. The lucky ones will leave a bad team for a very good one, the unlucky ones will leave a team headed for the playoffs and land on a team headed for the golf-course. Within the next seven days, a deal or two will go down, with the bulk happening on the 27th.

Guerin seems to be the next "big" player to go. After him, the dominos will continue to fall. Biron is the top goalie on the market, while names like Toskala, Gerber, Giguere, Theodore, Lalime, Khabibulin and Belfour continue to float around. None of the top western teams need a goalie, while several Eastern teams do. Montreal sure does, but like the Oilers, we're not sure if they are buyers and sellers. If both sell, names like Souray, Sykora, Smyth, Rivet, Samsonov, and yes, I've heard Koivu (hello Anaheim?) could be on the move. What happens in the next seven days will tell a lot...

I'm very excited for what should be an exciting day. I know here at hockeyleaks we will all be set up in a room (probably about six of us?), with several laptops, phones, tv's, radios and many other forms of communication ready to go to break the deals as they happen. We'll be in the chat all day long to break deals and discuss them, and if your a member of the forums you'll be even luckier as you'll get some deals even quicker and more of a chance to discuss them. I hope you will all tune into Hockeyleaks.com. Coverage starts at 9 am on the 27th, be here!

Souray to San Jose is really heating up this hour, I'm hearing this could go down today, but that it could also drag on through the next week. San Jose really wants to bolster their blueline and this is the best way to do it. Montreal may want a goalie in return, as they seem thin on them these days.

I'm just about to go onto Blueline now to record a segment for this weeks show. It will be posted on hockeyleaks.com as soon as I have it available, probably as soon as tomorrow morning. Seven more days, I can't wait.

Q & A Answers, Plus Rumours

My latest Hockeyleaks.com article is the responses to the questions you all sent me over the last few days by email/forums. Check it out!

Also, the rumour mill is very updated with names like Sakic, Smyth and Tucker in the news today, so check it out.

After a busy weekend I'm back, and will be here to carry you right on through till the deadline, where we promise to have the best online coverage around! 8 more days, should be fun

Bergeron Traded To Islanders

The Edmonton Oilers have traded defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to the New York Islanders in exchange for prospect Denis Grebeshkov. More details to follow on TradeLeaks.

Rumour Q & A

Because I will not be able to hold a chat until probably the middle of next week, I would still like to find a way to answer your questions. So, please email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com or reply to the topic "Q & A Questions" in the General Hockey forum with questions you have about rumours and trades, and on Sunday or Monday I will put them up on Hockeyleaks.com with all my answers!

Enjoy your friday

More On Tonight

First off I have to say sorry for being slowish on the Forsberg thing, though I'm still hearing we beat a few people. My favourite band of all time, Silverchair, is in toronto and played a show tonight and they are playing another one tomorrow. Obviously, I had to go to both, and was driving to the show tonight when I got a call at about 6:45 saying that Forsberg was dealt to Nashville but no names were available yet. No computer near me, and because I am the only one who can update the site at the current time there really was nothing I could do. I finally got a hold of a friend and I gave him my blog log in so he could at least post the deal on the internet. So you know, I have no concerts booked for the 27th, so no worries!

Forsberg to Nashville has long been rumoured and I wasn't surprised this went down at all. I think it's good that Nashville held on to Radulov, but I still think they paid too much. If Nashville wins the cup, then it was worth it, but if they don't it wasn't. Two promising young players plus two draft picks (not good ones considering Nashville is looking at 25th or higher in the raft), it just seems like a lot for a big question mark like Forsberg.

Buffalo lost two key players tonight to injuries and I'm hearing talks with Buffalo about Bertuzzi and Roberts have really started to heat up. I heard a deal that would send Kotalik, Biron and a third rounder for Roberts, Belfour and Bertuzzi, but first of all Biron would have to sign in Florida which is doubtful, and second I don't really see that deal happening, but Buffalo is in this. Toronto would love Roberts and Bertuzzi but I have no idea what they are offering. If I had to make a guess I'd say Leafs will get at least one of Roberts, Bertuzzi or Guerin before this is all said and done. Maybe add Modin to that list.

Ottawa would love Roberts, I heard Patrick Eaves for Gary Roberts, straight up.

Thats all for now, I have added some rumours now and I will add a few more before I head back downtown tomorrow afternoon around 1 PM...I expect Forsberg to the be the first of many dominos about to fall...

Forsberg Traded To Nashville Predators

The trade finally happened, unfortunatly Corey isn't here tonight to bring it to everyone.

Peter Forsberg traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, a first round pick and a third round draft pick.

Doan Re-Signed, Rumour Update

Sportsnet and a few other outlets are still saying it's not done yet, but I can confirm that Shane Doan has re-signed in Phoenix. It's a five year deal worth 23 million dollars. I think it's a little much, but Phoenix had little choice if they wanted to keep him in Phoenix for any amount of time.

Forsberg to Nashville still seems most likely, with Radulov being the key player going the other way. Anaheim is still in this as well, with Bobby Ryan being used as the bait. Vancouver seems very much out of this, as they won't deal bourdon (at this point, I'm hearing that could change as we progress forward), and they just don't have the cap room. San Jose continues to pop up but I really can't see them taking him, they already have one of the most deadly one-two centre punches in the league. Don't count out the Rangers and Wings, while Toronto is still sniffing in this one as well.

Speaking of Toronto, they have company as far as Bertuzzi and Roberts are concerned. I'm hearing Buffalo is very much in this, and may have interest in Belfour as well. They have Biron to offer in return.

Montreal is really working the phones right now, hoping to get something to improve their struggling team. A loss to New Jersey tonight could be what forces the trigger to get pulled, especially now with Kovalev hurt.

Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all questions and comments. Make sure to check out Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest, and to check out our new videos section! The forums are also really a great place to talk hockey, we've had 63 new members in the last three days, keep it up! More if something breaks...

Nagy To Dallas + New Hockeyleaks Section

Dallas has acquired the Nagy the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for winger Mathias Tjarnqvist and a first-round draft pick. I figured Phoenix could get more for Nagy, but maybe they just wanted to move him. Make sure to drop by the forums and discuss your thoughts on the deal.

Ray Emery got suspended for three games because of his slash on Saturday. A lot of times we get people asking, "what slash, i want to see it!"...well finally you can with the new Hockeyleaks.com Video Section! Make sure to check it out, the first video I've posted is of Emery's slash, and feel free to add your own video. You must be a member of the forums to do so, but it's free so why not join!

Thats all for now, check Hockeyleaks.com for the latest rumours, stats, trades and now videos! More Later.

More To Flames Deal / Mega Rumour Update

It is now known that if Brad Stuart does not re-sign with the Flames this off-season then the Flames will recieve Boston's first round pick in 08. At this point I don't see Stuart re-signing, but if he wants to win, Calgary's a great place to sign long-term.

A lot of rumours tonight, and I won't give away too many on this blog. I'm going to make you check out The Rumour Mill section of Hockeyleaks.com. Here are a few to make sure I interest you...

Leafs are frontrunners for Nagy at this point, while they are also looking at Tkachuk.

Habs lead Forsberg race, Nashville right in there and may be willing to part with Radulov.

Thrashers have their eye on Eric Brewer.

Calgary and Montreal have interest in Shane Doan.

Lots more in the rumour mill section, I'm going to bed. I'm hearing tomorrow could be busy. Four trades in the last two days, it must be trade deadline season. Make sure to join the forums too, it's great discussing these deals and rumours with you.

Brad Stuart Gets Moved

The Calgary Flames have picked up defenceman Brad Stuart and centre Wayne Primeau from the Boston Bruins for winger Chuck Kobasew and defenceman Andrew Ference.

I am quickly hearing Calgary jumped in here in attempt to block their provincal rivals. Bruins get good return in two good young players, while ridding themselves of two guys they were most likely to lose in the off-season. Great move by Bruins, while this deepens the Flames as they head into the playoffs.

Site will be updated later, I'm currently not at home and don't have the available softwear. More tomorrow for sure, like I said this morning, the ball is really rolling...

The Ball Is Rolling...

Another deal today, as Nashville shipped their newest player Eric Belanger (yes, the same one they aquired yesterday) to Atlanta for Vitaly Vishnevsky.

Atlanta has also claimed Denis Hamel off waivers.


Rumours are in the rumour mill, and check the forums for all the latest...

Would anyone be interested in a Hockeyleaks Online Poker Tournament? I will try to set something up, email me if interested.

Two Deals Today...so far...

The Rangers have dealt Adam Hall to Minnesota for Pascal Dupuis

and

The Predators have dealt Josef Vasicek to Carolina for Eric Belanger

For my thoughts on both deals check out Hockeyleaks.com's tradeleaks section.

Also, lots of new rumours on Hockeyleaks.com.

18 days till the deadline, things are really starting to heat up.

More Later

Samsonov Clears Waivers

Sergei Samsonov has cleared waivers. Early reports say that the Habs will keep him up, and attempt to trade him over the next few days. If that fails, then Samsonov will go down to the minors, and the Habs will then try to trade him again. At this point it is very unlikely Samsonov will hit re-entry waivers.

In other NHL news, the NHL Entry Draft is going prime time. This year, for the first time that I can remember, the draft will start at 7 pm on a Friday night. The draft will start on June 22nd and conclude on Saturday June 23rd. Should make for an exciting Friday night.

Three new articles are up in the Articles section on Hockeyleaks.com, please check them out, our writers appreciate it. Please give them an email and send them some feedback, I know they like that. And if email isn't your thing, drop by our brand new forums and drop them a line.

Yesterday was great for us, we hit about 120 000 hits! The trade deadline must be approaching...

Lots of new rumours in The Rumour Mill so check that out. Make sure to check Hockeyleaks.com for the latest, and feel free to email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com with all questions and comments. Have a good day, more later if something breaks

Samsonov On Waivers

The Habs have placed Sergei Samsonov on waivers, lets see if anyone takes him...

New Forums, Fantasy Article, Rumours and Power Rankings are up so check them all out

New Forum

I'm going to cap off a busy day by introducing you to our new forum.

http://www.hockeyleaks.com/forum2

The design and forums are still not 100% done, but all user info and posts from the old forum have been moved over, meaning you can log in to the new forums with your existing information. Tomorrow around noon expect brand new rumours, fantasy article, an power rankings to go up!

Have a good night everyone

Forsberg Update - Chat Now!

I just spoke to a very well trusted source, and have been told Forsberg has not waived his NTC at this point, so I'm going to stick with this new information.

Also, meet in the chat now if your online, lets talk some hockey

Avery Details / Leaf Rumour

The Los Angeles Kings have traded centre Sean Avery and prospect John Seymour to the New York Rangers for right winger Jason Ward along with prospects Marc Andre Cliche and Jan Marek. Is it me, or could the Kings have gotten a lot more?

Also, word out of Toronto right now is that Forsberg has told the Flyers he wants to go to one of Toronto and Montreal, and the Leafs are looking into dealing Tucker to the West, then bringing Forsberg in. Obviously this isn't done until Tucker is healthy, and I'd still put Montreal as more likely to land Forsberg.

Sean Avery Dealt To Rangers

Details To Follow, just spoke to a good source saying it's a done deal and should be announced within the next half hour

Who's Got What To Spend?

Teams With Over 3 Million To Spend
Chicago
Columbus
Edmonton
LA
Phoenix
Nashville (Still have over 6 million in cap room)
St. Louis
Atlanta
NYI Carolina
(Healthy 4.5 to spend still)
Florida
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh (over 8 million to spend)
Washington (over 13 million to spend)

Teams With Between 1 and 3 million to spend
Anaheim
Calgary
Dallas
Detroit
Minnesota
Buffalo
Montreal (one million exactly pretty much)
NYR
Tampa Bay
Toronto

Teams with less than a million to spend
Colorado
Vancouver
San Jose
Boston (Least money out of all teams to spend)
New Jersey
Ottawa


Looking at this you really have to wonder what Vancouver, Ottawa, and San Jose could really do to improve before the deadline. On the opposite, teams like Pittsburgh, Nashville and Carolina can really make a move and really make their teams stronger. For the teams in the middle, they can make a move or two still, but may have to get creative. It will be interesting to see how the teams close to the cap will free up room before the deadline.

Some great rumour in the Rumour Mill so check that out! Also, great chat last night, expect another one early next week.

Chat Is Back!

I am happy to announce that the hockeyleaks Chat has returned again, just in time for deadline day 07'. At the moment we are using new software and I am eager to try it out and see if it's the one we will use for our deadline talks. Tonight I will be holding an open chat at 10:30 EST and I'd like you all there! We can discuss rumours, what might happen and what already has. It would also give us an idea of how many ppl our chat can hold, and how some features work. Please stop by at 10:30 EST tonight, it will be fun.

Some rumours for you:

The moves should start coming in fast in the next week or so. Teams like Toronto, New York, Edmonton, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Colorado, and Tampa are right on the bubble and need to win games now, not in March. The deadline is earlier this year than usual, but it's not early enough for these teams. Expect at least half of these teams to make a move before deadline week.

The Senators have interest in Aaron Miller, who is almost guarenteed to be leaving LA.

Derek Morris to Calgary is looking likely, Edmonton may have something to say about that though. The Oilers are also interested in Brad Stuart.

Islanders have asked the Rangers to put Kasparaitis on re-entry waivers, but the Rangers dont seem interested in eating up dead salary at this point.

The Rangers have serious interest in Tkachuck and Smolinski.

Chris Drury is not going to get dealt, but San Jose still has hope of landing the winger, and are expected to make quite a push for him. They have a lot of young defensivemen that could be used to lure him, I wouldnt count this out.

See you all in chat at 10:30, or else!

Conroy To LA - Done Deal

Jamie Lundmark, a fourth-round draft choice in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round draft choice in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft head to LA.

A key piece of the cup-finalist Flames is back in Calgary, and while it is unclear if he's the center they've desperately needed over the past two seasons, he will immediately step in and make the Flames a better team. As for the Kings, they get three pieces to their future, which is what is most important to the Kings at this point. Good move for both teams.

I Told You He Would: Forsberg Waives His NTC

Forsberg has told the Flyers that if they want to trade him, they can. This coming after weeks of speculation. If you've been a regular reader of this blog and The Rumour Mill located on Hockeyleaks.com you will know that Detroit, Colorado, Vancouver, Atlanta, Montreal, Ottawa, Anaheim, Vancouver, Nashville, San Jose and Calgary are all teams that have been in the mix thus far, and I'm hearing up to twelve teams have interest at this time. It's too early to guess who wins, but I expect Forsberg will be dealt at least a week, maybe more, before the trade deadline. This one will be fun.

Some Leafs news today, as it has been confirmed that both Edmonton and Calgary have interest in Toronto's Darcy Tucker. We've all heard the Torres and a 1st for Tucker rumour, I wonder what Calgary can offer to beat that? Dallas and San Jose also have interest in the gritty scoring winger.

Mats Sundin is also in the news today, as apparently the Anaheim Ducks have a lot of interest in Sundin, and is their main target this deadline. With the goalies, prospects and players the Ducks have to offer, you have to wonder how the Leafs dont make this deal with Anaheim.

Tampa Bay is looking to bring back Jason Cullimore from the Islanders.

The Oilers have interest in Brad Stuart and are looking at giving back a package including Torres and Greene. Looks like Torres will be on the move this deadline...

Check hockeyleaks.com for all the latest, and email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all your questions and comments

Sunday Rumours

With the all-star break and lack of off-ice action, there hasn't been much reason for a blog, but here are some rumours I'm currently hearing.

LA Kings may actually have interest in taking Theodore from Colorado, maybe Rob Blake in return?

Boston is said to be working on something big and wants it done in the next week or so. They want to make changes before it's too late. One rumour involved getting Smith and Bergeron from Edmonton for Stuart and Sturm...but I don't see how that helps them now...I'd rather have Stuart and Sturm.

At this point I'd put Colorado in the lead for Forsberg, with Detroit in second and Montreal in third. This is going to be the most fun race to watch as Feb. 27 approaches. I expect Vancouver to really jump into this race as well, and really, how can Atlanta not have interest? A Kovalchuk-Forsberg-Hossa line would be the most disgusting league possibly in NHL history.

There are rumours that the Wild may shop Manny Fernandez. They have to be false, as they're currently a playoff team with Manny, and won't be one without him.

Montreal and NYR have looked into bringing in Nagy from Phoenix.

Thats all for now, I cannot wait for the deadline, it's going to be a wild one

Brand New Q &A

Make sure to check out the Q & A section at Hockeyleaks.com, as we have just finished one with ESPN's John Buccigross. This is one of my favourites, right up there with Wade Belak's and James Duthie's. Make sure to check it out.

Sorry for the late update today, I have been running around all morning and day trying to get the fan fixed in my car. The good news is: it's fixed!

New Fantasy article is up as well, so make sure to read that!

Question of the Day: Who is your pick to win the Stanley Cup? You know you want to discuss this so make sure to stop by the forums and voice your opinion.

No rumours on the blog today, but there are plenty in the rumour mill so check Hockeyleaks.com for them!

If anything breaks, you'll hear from me, enjoy your Monday

Oops!

In the blog I just sent out, I had Modin as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, when obviously he's a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, meaning Toronto could get him because Columbus has no competition with Toronto at all, until one day when the BJ's will be moved into the East where they belong. Sorry for this mistake!

Forsberg To New York or Canada?

The New York Rangers have contacted the Flyers to see what it would take to get Forsberg. The Flyers are looking at three players from the Flyers: Montoya, Prucha and Staal. Obviously all three would not be part of a deal, but two of them easily could.

The Sens and Habs also have a lot of interest in the big centre, while I believe the Habs would have more interest than the Sens. Atlanta, Toronto, Detroit and Colorado are all in this mix as well.

I am hearing more and more that Anson Carter ends up in Canada by deadline day. Vancouver, Toronto and now I'm hearing Edmonton are all very interested in him. All three of those teams also have interest in Fredrik Modin out of Tampa Bay, however, it's not likely Modin will get traded to one of Tampa's closest rivals in the standings, Toronto.

TJ Hurst has a brand new article up, previewing the CHL All-Star game. He takes a look at the rosters for the game, and gives his analysis on it. It's a good read, check it out.

Also drop by the forums and drop your opinion on todays Question Of The Day. Today we ask, "Who Was The Biggest All Star Snub?". You can pick one player, so make it a good one!

Some day games today have finished up.

Florida beat Washington 4-1, led by Gelinas' two goals.

Atlanta beat the Rangers 3-1, Steve Rucchin has two assists.

New Jersey battled back to beat the Flyers in a shootout. Elias had two assists, while Gionta had the game tying goal, as well as the shootout winner.

If your a Leaf fan, those games were a good thing, as a Toronto win puts them in 8th place by themselves, while a Tampa loss would put the Leafs in a tie for 7th, with a game in hand on the also-7th place Lightning. Leafs and Pens go tonight at 7, it should be a good one. Suggy has cleared waivers, and Tucker will not play tonight.

That being said, tonigh't game of the night is going to be St. Louis @ San Jose. Who would have thought St. Louis would be in a game of the night, however, they are red hot and a win tonight could put them as close to seven points behind Minnesota for a playoff spot, with a game in hand. That being said, the Sharks are still one of the best teams in the NHL, this game should be great.

I used to give a quick recap of all the previous nights games, would you guys like to see that brought back in the blog? I also want you to email me with suggestions for Question Of The Day. Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all your feedback, I always write back!

Enjoy a hockey-filled Saturday everyone.

No Longer On Top

Well, for the first time in a very long time, Anaheim no longer leads the West. The Nashville Predators have taken over, and don't look like they're going to slow down at all. Vokoun and Mason is the new top goalie pair in the league, and niether one is even hinting at possibly playing a bad game for the rest of their careers. Chris Mason currently leads the league in Save % with a .930, which is .001 better than Brodeurs. The Preds look towards the Presidents Trophy, but the season is far from over.

Atlanta has fallen from their familar #2 spot in the East, as New Jersey passed them and moved into 2nd last night.

Is there a hotter team in the league right than St. Louis? This team has been fun to watch over the past few weeks, and are closing in on that .500 mark. Seven points out of a playoff spot, its unlikely, but in this new NHL, anything can happen.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have put Alexander Suglobov on waivers. I'd be surprised if nobody claimed him.

Adam has a new article up, it's part 2 of a 3 part series on the first half of the season. Its a great read, check it out.

Also, check the forums out, as we have a new forum called "Question Of The Day". Each day I will post a question worth discussing. Yesterday we looked into who the best goalie in the NHL today is. Today we look at expansion, and who's for and against it. So far I'm the only one supporting it, so make sure to drop by the forums and make your voice heard.

Game of the night tonight, for me, without a doubt is Vancouver at Buffalo. Vancouver has climbed back into 3rd place in the West, as they've been very very good lately. Buffalo looks to prove their still one of the best teams in the league tonight, as they've struggled a bit as of late, going a mediocre 5-4-1 in their last 10.

cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all your questions and comments, I will respond, promise! Have a good friday everyone, and check Hockeyleak.com for all the latest.

Martin Brodeur

Is there a better goalie in the history of the NHL? At this point in the season, Brodeur leads the league in the four main goaltending categories: Wins, Sv %, GAA, and Shutouts. I can't remember the last time a goalie had all four titles. This guy seems to get better with age, and is the sole reason the New Jersey Devils are still a dominant threat in the league. Without Brodeur, the Devils may not even be a playoff team, but with him, their a top team.

Sean Burke has been claimed off re-entry waivers by the LA Kings. When I saw Burke go on re-entry waivers yesterday I had a feeling LA would pick him up, but I was kind of hoping they wouldn't. Sean Burke is past his prime, and not what LA needs unless they are purposely going for the 1st overall pick in the 07 draft. It makes me wonder how long players such as Visnovsky will be around in LA, as he will want to win at some point, the Kings don't seem to be too motivated to do much of that at the moment.

Deadline Day must be getting closer, as we had 75 000 hits yesterday, which is always a good sign. Thank you for visiting hockeyleaks and inviting your friends along as well. As most of you know Hockeyleaks.com is a non-profit website, and we don't even get paid for the few ads we do have on the site at the moment, so don't think otherwise. The people that work here and write here do this all for free, and the best reward is to see hockeyleaks grow like it has. We started out as a blog, then slowly grew into a website. Now I can't go on many message forums that do not have a hockeyleaks related discussion on them! Keep telling your friends, we had 850 000 hits last deadline day, lets shoot for a million this year!

Check the rumour mill for all the latest rumours, it's been updated twice already today. Make sure to check out the rumour involving Shane Doan to Detroit, it's really spreading around the internet fast, and there is something going on there. Have a good one, more if something breaks, and remember you can always contact me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com, I usually reply pretty quickly. Thanks

Rumour Update

Both Samsonov and Rivet are healthy scratches tonight. Could they be on the way to Philly as I mentioned earlier? This is exciting.

Also, rumour just came out that the Lightning are offereing one of Richards or St. Louis to Chicago for Khabibulin +. Tampa needs that goalie, and they've had success with The Bulin Wall in the past.

I'll let you know if anything else comes up, check the forums and hockeyleaks.com for all the latest.

Montreal/Philly Rumour

First off, as reported by our friends at Hockeybuzz.com, Garth Murray has been put on waivers. I don't see anyone claiming him, but we'll have to wait and see.

I often get emails from readers who claim to know things. Some have been very accurate, while others are as far from it as possible. Just minutes ago I recieved an email from someone who claims to have overheard Guy Carboneau at a restaurant this morning. Apparently, according to this email, a deal will go down later today as follows: Aebisher, Rivet and Samsonov to the flyers for Esche, Pitkanen and a draft pick.

Is this a deal that could work? Maybe. But I must warn you, we are in deadline season, and the rumours are beginning. Some will be close, others wont be. This is what this time of year fun for all of us involved. Did this person really hear the head coach of the Habs discussing a soon to be announced deal? I guess we'll soon find out.

Power Rankings will be up shortly so make sure to check them out. Stay Tuned

Jokinen and the Florida Panthers

Well i was suppose to be heading back to the city tonight, however, my car's defroster has decided to crap out, and thanks to that I cannot get the ten pounds of ice off my windows/windshield. For this reason, updates will not occur until mid-day tomorrow, but I felt that I should post what was going to be tomorrow's big story, tonight, just incase other rumour outlets pick up on this too.

One of my writers messaged me tonight saying he heard a rumour involving Datsyuk to Florida, and wanted to know if I'd heard anything. I took a look around, and what I found was actually quite interesting.

The Panthers are at a point where they realize they will not be a playoff team this year. In fact, they are at the point where unless they make some major changes, they won't be a playoff team for awhile. Changes are coming in Florida, and to make these changes they need cap room. Jokinen is unhappy in Florida (remember, he signed when he believed Luongo was staying, and when the Panthers looked like they were building a contender). Jokinen to Detroit would give Detroit a player that still has a few years left on his contract, and is just as good, if not better than Datsyuk, who is a UFA this July 1st. Florida in return would get a player who could provide for them this year, and then leave in the offseason, giving them a lot more cap room. This deal makes sense, and even if it falls through, I am hearing Jokinen is gone from Florida by Feb. 27.

Bertuzzi is another player who could be on his way out of Florida. Florida wants prospect/picks in return for him. Bertuzzi is another player that will be a UFA this July, and all signs point to him leaving Florida.

As we get closer to the Feb. 27 trade deadline, more and more rumours will come our way. Stay tuned to Hockeyleaks.com and this blog for all the latest. This years deadline may be the best one yet, with so many great impending UFA's out there, there could be a lot of them on the move. Stay Tuned

Forsberg, Sundin and The Minnesota Wild

I hope everyone had a great weekend, nothing too exciting on my end. The highlight of my weekend was probably winning $100 on a tetris scratch ticket, if you live in Ontario, go out and buy one right now! It's not my fault if you lose though....but I want 50% of whatever you win.....lets get to some rumours.

Forsberg back to Denver just makes sense. Colorado is right in the thick of the playoff hunt, while Forsberg has played well since his return. Forsberg is a UFA at the end of this season, and obviously cannot be happy with playing on a last place NHL team. Colorado has a lot of young talent they could deal to obtain Forsberg, and Forsberg would only make Colorado a stronger team heading into the playoffs. That being said, if Colorado doesn't make a deal for another top four defenseman, they could be in trouble either way.

Mats Sundin, likely to stay in Toronto, but if he does end up waiving that no trade clause, I am hearing as many as nine teams are interested. While many teams in the playoff hunt may find it hard to absorb his cap hit. Sundin's situation could be much like Tuckers. In fact, if I'm Toronto, I deal both Sundin and Tucker, get a top prospect and a first round draft pick for each of them, and then sign them both back in the offseason. If Sundin and Tucker are both serious about Toronto and winning here, this is the best thing they could possibly do for the team.

The Minnesota Wild have put Pascal Dupuis on the trading block, in a move likely to free up some cap space as we head towards the trading deadline. Teams like Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Minnesota, Chicago, Phoenix, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, etc who are right around that 8th place in their conference will start making room for the deadline, as whoever makes the best push at the deadline will likely be the one who gets in.

If you haven't checked out our Sponsor Doc's Sports, please do so. The Links are on the Hockeyleaks.com homepage, right under the standings, whihc are updated daily I might add. Enjoy your Monday, I'll see you tomorrow, or sooner if something awesome happens, which as a hockey fan I'm always hoping for.

Buffalo, We Have A Problem

The mighty Buffalo Sabres, they've been on top of the Eastern Conference the entire year. This is their year in the East, many believe, and their best chance at a cup is now. But it's not all sunshine in Buffalo, in fact, things could get messy.

Martin Biron and Daniel Briere are both UFA's at the end of this year, and according to several sources, the Sabres would deal one or both at the deadline if they got something good in return. Both players are in for raises, and sources in Buffalo tell me that the team isn't confident that either will return. The question is, can the Sabres be cup contenders without Briere and Biron? I can't see the Sabres dealing either unless what they get in return keeps them cup contenders, but it's going to be a tough decision for Buffalo management, and they don't have a lot of time to make that decision.

Darcy Tucker continues to work at returning for Toronto, but when he does, how long will it be for? While the Leafs would love to sign him to a long term deal, what they could get in return for him in a trade would be beneficial long term, not to mention he could re-sign with Toronto in the summer even if he was dealt. If the Leafs were to not make the playoffs, and make the rumoured Tucker for Torres and a 1st deal, and then re-sign Tucker in the summer, the Leafs could have Tucker, and would have obtained Torres and 1st Round pick for free. Thats not bad at all, not to mention it gives Tucker a chance to go for a Stanley Cup.

This years trade deadline is going to be very interesting. There are a lot more high profile players available this year than anyone realises at this point. Stay Tuned.

Also, I want to ask you all to check out Doc's Sports. Please go to Hockeyleaks.com and click a few of their links underneath the standings. They have some great offers, and checking them out would help both Doc's Sports and Hockeyleaks, and I know you all want to help Hockeyleaks out!

Have a good day everyone, check Hockeyleak.com for all the latest

Esche On The Move? Forsberg Back To Colorado?

First of all, the Flyers have claimed goalie Michael Leighton off waivers from the Nashville Predators. A lot of speculation as to why they did this, when they already have two goalies fighting for their #1 spot. Well, I'm quickly hearing that this could set up a deal involving Robert Esche. LA has interest, while I'm hearing Anaheim for some reason may also. Colorado is another team, while rumour this morning had a Theodore and a pick for Forsberg deal floating around.

Starting today, the trade rumours will heat up. Some will be so wacky, you won't believe it. Some will make so much sense, you'll think it's a lock. Both types of deals will happen, and both types of deals will not. It's hard to sort out the garbage from the facts this time of year, and at hockeyleaks we try our best to do that. That being said, I will give you almost all of the rumours I hear, because like I said, anything can happen.

Adam has a new column up where he takes a look back at the first half of the NHL season, take a look, and enjoy your day. I'll be back if more breaks, but make sure to check the forums for the latest.

Leafs Make Giant Move

The Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed centre Travis Green off waivers, am I the only one who thinks this move was not needed and will hurt the Leafs more than it helps them? The Leafs need to make a move that actually helps them, and if they don't do it soon, John Ferguson Jr will be looking for a new job.

Bertuzzi is still weeks away from returning, but when he does he could be on the move. Dallas is one team said to be looking for a winger, while Washington, San Jose, Chicago, and Carolina are all other teams rumoured to be looking at big Todd, should he come available.

Not much else going on today, make sure to check out the articles on Hockeyleaks.com and to discuss them in the forums! Also, a reminder that the power rankings are up and are really great, we're happy to haave someone really good at doing them on board

San Jose On Top! But Could Wilson Be Fired?

The brand new edition of the Power Rankings have come out, and San Jose is in the #1 position. http://www.nhlanalysis.com is our new power rankings provider, they do a great job and I'm very thankful we've made this partnership. The Power Rankings will now be a weekly feature that I think we can all enjoy.

A rumour was floating around this morning that Ron Wilson is on the hot seat. While San Jose still finds itself as one of the best teams in the West, management believes they should be better with the team they have, and that if they were to fall into another slide like they did recently, Wilson may lose his job. I'm not too sure if I buy into this rumour, but it's something to keep an eye on.

For those of you who just read this blog, make sure to check out Hockeyleaks.com as well as it's forums! We get thousands and thousands of readers each day, I'd love our forum to be a great place to talk hockey, and a great way to kill some time. If you haven't join the forums, please give them a chance, we have some great members there and always great opinions. I'd love you guys to go to the Power Rankings forum and give some feedback on them! Thanks

Rory's No Star

Something that should make Hockeyleaks Columnist Mark Valeri Happy : Rory Fitzpatrick was not voted into the All-Star game. While it has not been officially confirmed, and won't be until later today, I have spoken with several sources and all have confirmed such a thing for me.

Speaking of Marc Valeri, he has a brand new article up on Hockeyleaks.com, as does our newest writer Mike Lindsay(aka forum member Allison), so make sure to check both of those out.

While many teams feel Forsberg will be too much of a risk to pick up on deadline day, I believe several teams will make offers for the veteran center. Teams I've heard as possibilities include Colorado, Calgary, Washington, Toronto and Chicago. The Flyers would like to get a solid young prospect or a high draft pick in return, but with Forsberg's questional health, a conditional draft pick may be more likely.

Rumour floating around the NHL is that the Ducks and Bruins could do a goalie swap, where Toivonen would go to Anahiem and Bryzgalov would end up in Boston. Each team would also swap several other prospects.

For more rumours make sure to check out Hockeyleaks.com. The Trade deadline is fast approaching, and we will once again feature the best deadline coverage on the internet. Last year we had almost a million hits on deadline day alone, and broke each and every trade as it happened. We featured a live chat all day long, and updated more often and frequently than any other website around. You can expect all of this and more with Hockeyleaks '07 Deadline Coverage, so make sure to be here on Feb. 27! I am already excited, it's always a lot of fun for me and the rest of the Hockeyleaks team.

Finally, I have been updating the main page and the rest of the site by myself for the past month and have found little time to do the Power Rankings. For this reason, I am looking for someone to join the Hockeyleaks' staff as our power rankings writer. If this is something you'd like to give a try, please email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com. The Power Rankings are a very important Hockeyleaks.com and I'd really like them to return on a weekly basis. We're always looking for more columnists as well, so please contact me if your interested.

Thanks, and have a great day. The OHL trade deadline is tomorrow, so expect a wrap-up of that from our OHL Specialist TJ Hurst in the next week or so! If something breaks in the NHL today, I'll let you know. Check Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest.

Habs Looking For A Centre

The Habs are actively trying to find a #1 or at least a #2 centre as we head towards the deadline. While names like Allison and Federov have come up in the past, I can confirm the Habs have called LA regarding Michael Cammalleri. The Kings are not interested in dealing him, but I'm hearing if the price is right, they'd part with him. That being said, I am hearing that price may be one of Huet or Price, two players Montreal is not interested in dealing.

Trade in the NHL today, it's a big one! Well, not really, but head over to Hockeyleaks.com's TradeLeaks section to check it out, as well as view my thoughts on it.

Finally, The Rumour Mill has been updated today, as it is most days, sometimes twice a day, so make sure to keep an eye on it every couple of hours. Also, we have a brand new columnist, who has taken a look at the Canucks in his first article. The Fantasy section has also been updated, so you poolies make sure to check it out to find out how to get the advantage in your hockey pool.

For Hockeyleaks.com, I'm Corey Johnson (I think I've always wanted to say that).

More later if something breaks

Oilers After Pitkanen

Tom Panaccio from the Philadelphia Inquirer has just blogged that the Oilers are willing to part with both Torres and Lupol in exchange for Joni Pitkanen.

If your the Flyers, do you take that deal? Discuss this in the forums, under the blog section. I'm interested to see what Flyers and Oilers fans have to say. Personally, I think if I'm the Flyers, I take this deal.

Three In A Row?

Did I not tell you that Phoenix/Atlanta game would be a good one? Coyotes take it 5-4 in overtime, great balanced scoring by Phoenix, this team is really hot right now. You have to think it's much to the improved play of Doan, Nagy and Nolan, these three have really turned it up lately.

Tonight's game of the night? Toronto at Buffalo. The leafs struggle in Buffalo, but these teams both enter this game oppositely. Toronto enters having just beat the Bruins 10-2, while Buffalo comes into this game after loosing last night to the Penguins 4-2. This game should be a great one, I expect things to get physical.

What a great World Junior tournament we had this year! Yesterday's game capped it off wonderfully, and Canada took home it's third straight title. Steve Downie was a player on that team, and he plays for the Peterborough Petes...but for how long? The OHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and our very own TJ Hurst gives us a little preview on who may be on the move in the next little bit. Check out the articles section on Hockeyleaks.com and read brand new articles by TJ Hurst and Adam Forsyth. Make sure to email them some feedback, they love to hear from you guys.

We should have a few new writers debut over the next week, but we are still accepting more! Email me at Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com if you're interested.

I enjoy updating the Stats section of Hockeyleaks.com because I now always know who leads the league in each category, and am always keeping an eye each night to see who surpasses who. I find it interesting that Giguere had a huge lead in Wins, but since his injury two players have caught up to him: Brodeur and Luongo. Could these three be the three vezina finalists? Hasek, Huet and Miller I'm sure all would have something to say about that. Have we ever had better goaltending in the NHL? I'd love to hear from you, so drop me an email, I'll post the best responses, and I may even post my responses to them as well.

Enjoy your Saturday!

I Pick Good Games!

Yesterday I told you to keep an eye on the Toronto vs Boston game, as well as the Edmonton vs. Dallas game. Well, what games they were. Steen had five points as the Leafs destroyed the Bruins 10-2, while the Stars took down the Oilers in the shootout, but what an ending to the third period of that game. For those of you who missed it, Patrik Steffan skated down the ice and had an empty net with ten seconds to go. He tried to just push the puck in, but fell. The Oilers picked up the puck, and passed it out of their zone with just six seconds left. The puck made it's way to Hemsky, and he scored as time expired. What a great game!

On that note, I will tell you to watch the Phoenix @ Atlanta game. The Coyotes have won four straight and have played very well over their last ten. Atlanta is always a challenge, and I look this game to provide us with a ton of offense.

Speaking of great games, I hope you all are watching the World Juniors final between Canada and Russia, with Canada leading 3-0 after the first period. You can watch the game live on TSN or TSN.ca, so make sure you do so!

Finally, I'll share one rumour with you that has been around for awhile, but continues to grow. The Leafs are open to the idea of trading Tucker, and believe if they can get younger and cheaper with a deal involving him, they will have made a good move. The latest version of the deal I'm hearing would send Tucker, Bell, Ponikarovsky and possible one more pick or prospect to Edmonton for Torres, a 1st or 2nd round pick, and a prospect, possibly Coglianao if that draft pick is a 2nd rounder. Toronto and Edmonton have had talks regarding this, as well as a brief discussion involving Kubina, though that didn't go far.

Check Hockeyleaks.com for more news and rumours. Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for any questions or comments.

Kansas City Penguins?

Officials in Kansas City have made quite a pitch to the Penguins. The Penguins could play at Kansas City's Sprint Center rent free, while also becoming equal managing partners of the arena. While the Penguins will decide within the next thirty days if they are to move from Pittsburgh or stay, if they move, Kansas City seems to be the likely destination of the promising young franchise.

I have gotten several emails from readers who feel that I want to the Penguins to move, and I want to say that is not true. Pittsburgh has great fans, and I believe the Penguins should do whatever they can to keep a team in Pittsburgh. If you want my honest opinion, I'm a fan of the NHL's re-allignment, while adding two teams (one canadian, one american) to each conference. Seattle, Kansas City, Winnepeg, QC, Hamilton and Portland are all places that could support an NHL team, and I am actually a fan of expansion. I don't think any of the 30 teams should move, as that is unfair to the growing fan-base in each market.

Mike Ricci has left the Coyotes to ponder retirement. I find it upsetting that Ricci is just one game shy of 1,100, yet has been a healthy scratch for the past seven games. Give him game 1,100, it's only fair to a player who has been a big part of the NHL over the past ten years.

Canada vs. Russia goes tomorrow at 12:30 EST. Should be a great game, I can't wait to watch it. While I am worried that Russia may be able to overtake the Canadians, I'm going to predict a 4-2 Canada win.

A lot of good games in the NHL tonight. Toronto vs. Boston should be great, as Monday's contest between the two featured a lot of scrappy play, I expect that to carry over. Detroit vs. San Jose should be another great battle.

That being said, the game of tonight is Dallas @ Edmonton. I remember the great playoff matches of a few years ago. Curtis Joseph standing on his head, Mike Modano scoring classic goals. What a great rivalry this has been. Playoffs create rivalries, not division play.

Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all your needs. I'm still looking for more writers, so talk to me, we'll set something up.

Sens Get Their Guy

Mike Comrie is their guy. The Sens have traded Alexei Kaigorodov to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Mike Comrie. For my thoughts on the this trade check out the Tradeleaks section of Hockeyleaks.com

What a game for Canada this morning as Toews took down the Americans in the seventh round of the shootout! Great game, if you missed it, find a replay and spend the few hours watching it, you'll thank me.

Eric Brewer may be on his way back to the Oilers. The Oilers are very interested in bringing him back, while according to a source close to the Blues, Brewer has told John Davidson that he would like to be dealt back to Edmonton if the opportunity came up. Brewer feels his best hockey was played with the Oilers, and wants to bring his game back to where it was.

For more rumours check Hockeyleaks.com for all the latest. Also on Hockeyleaks.com, a brand new fantasy update, as well as the top 50 fantasy players of the year thus far. All can be found on the fantasy page. Have a good one everyone, I'm off shopping (Yes, I'm terrified of the malls this time of year, it's worse than pre-christmas).

cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com for all your questions and comments

Steal!

Edmonton has pulled a fast one, claiming Petr Nedved off re-entry waivers. Ottawa was about ready to welcome the Center to Canada's nation capital, but Edmonton decided they're rather have him. This leaves Ottawa still without a center, with Fisher and Spezza still out with injury. It will be interesting to see what Ottawa does next.

The Red Wings announced today that they will retire Steve Yzerman's #19. Who didn't see this coming?

We're still looking for more writers, so if your interested in getting your writing read by tens of thousands of people (yes, we do get that many!) then contact me at Cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com and we'll work something out. If you have a website you want advertised on our website email me. If you want to be an affilliate of ours, there is no charge, we just switch links and we both win! Email me any questions, comments, suggestions or inquiries, I try to get back to your ASAP.

The NHL market is heating up, I'll keep you posted. Ottawa and Jason Allison may have no choice but to get to know each other a little better...

Here's To 07

The year 2007, the leafs finally win another Stanley Cup....well, not likely, but here's to dreaming.

I hope you all had a happy and safe New Years Eve last night, and here's to hoping 2007 is a great year for all of us.

Ottawa will start 07 by adding Nedved to their mix. I don't like this deal, as I think he's a temporary fix that will cost them come deadline time when the money they spent on him could have been used on one of the many great players that will be available. The deadline is less than 2 months away, I'm already planning our Deadline 07 coverage, last year was great, and this year will be even better.

Enjoy your New Years, rest up, watch some hockey, play some poker, and just enjoy yourselves. I'll talk to you all tomorrow

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