swflyers25
7-15-05, 6:57 PM
PRINCE OF PUCKS: Latest NHL player rumors
Spector / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 4 hours ago
As we await next week's ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, here's the latest player movement rumors.
# Recent reports out of Vancouver have Canucks general manager Dave Nonis intent on retaining team captain Markus Naslund and linemate Todd Bertuzzi.
Naslund, an unrestricted free agent, has hinted at retirement, while his agent refuses to speculate on what his client's future plans will be.
As for Bertuzzi, there's been speculation that he wants out of Vancouver, due in part of the fallout of his ugly attack on Steve Moore in March 2004 and a supposed rift between himself and head coach Marc Crawford.
Nonis recently rejected the notion of Bertuzzi demanding a trade, claiming he's been in contact with the big forward in recent weeks and at no time did he request to be dealt.
However, if Nonis can convince Bertuzzi's linemate Naslund to return that will set the trade whispers about the big guy to rest.
Meanwhile, there's some talk that former Canucks and current Anaheim Mighty Ducks GM Brian Burke might also be interested in signing Naslund. Thus far there's no word out of the Naslund camp regarding this possibility.
# There's speculation out of Raleigh that the Carolina Hurricanes might have enough cap space to bolster their roster with a potential big name free agent signing or two.
One player the ?Canes may be interested in is former Los Angeles Kings forward Jason Allison, who met with team officials last summer and used to play for Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette in Boston. Allison missed all of the 2003-04 season recovery from whiplash injuries, but is believed to have made a full recovery.
The Hurricanes might have some competition for Allison's services, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers also expressed some interest last summer. Given their limited cap room, the Leafs may not be a threat, but the Oilers do have considerable cap room available to possibly bid competitively for Allison.
# Speaking of the Maple Leafs, it's believed they're going to stick with 40-year-old netminder Ed Belfour, although his $3.9 million for the upcoming season will take a considerable bite out of their payroll.
There's been some talk of the Leafs perhaps attempting to bring back Curtis Joseph if things don't work out with Belfour during next season, but given their cap limitations, the Leafs may not have any space available for "Cujo" or any other UFA netminder.
# A recent report in the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested the new CBA could mean the Philadelphia Flyers might become a younger team next season. The club may jettison aging players with big contracts in favor of signing up young prospects like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and re-signing goalie Robert Esche and forward Simon Gagne.
It's believed the Flyers will buy out the contracts of aging stars John LeClair and Tony Amonte, and they're not expected to re-sign unrestricted free agents like Vladimir Malakhov, Alexei Zhamnov and Sean Burke.
# Another team that may be forced to sacrifice veteran salaries in favor of youth is the Detroit Red Wings. Recent reports out of Motown speculate that Derian Hatcher and Ray Whitney might be bought out, while Curtis Joseph and Chris Chelios may not return.
The Wings must get talented youngsters like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg under contract, so something's gotta give in Detroit.
While on the topic of Red Wings goalies, there's a rumor making the rounds the club might give consideration to bringing former Wing Chris Osgood to split the netminding duties with Manny Legace, but that's been more the subject of fan gossip than anything generated in the press.
# Speaking of Joseph, a recent report on the Toronto Star's sports Web site suggested he might make a good fit with one of his former clubs, the Edmonton Oilers, backing up their starting goalie Ty Conklin.
The site suggested Joseph is no longer a 60-game goalie, but that's likely to be disputed by Cujo and his agent.
# The site also wondered if the Minnesota Wild might be interested in signing Dallas Stars captain Mike Modano and bringing him back to where he began his NHL career.
It's possible Modano might not be re-signed by the Stars, but for the time being they've stated their intention to try to retain him.
# Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla has gone unsigned since last summer, but he's still hoping to return with the Flames next season.
Under the terms of the new CBA, Iginla can earn no more than 20 percent of the Flames cap for next season, so it's possible they can re-sign him for less than the $7 million-plus he made in 2003-04.
The Flames will have plenty of cap space to re-sign "Iggy", but a recent report in the Calgary Sun suggests the highest the Flames may go with their payroll is $30 million, considerably lower than the proposed $39 million league-wide cap.
If so, that could lower the amount of available room for the Flames to re-sign other players once Iginla is under contract.
# The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel recently reported the Florida Panthers are expected to be buyers in this summer's free agent market.
It's believed they'll have about $16.5 million to spend on re-signing key free agents like goalie Roberto Luongo and team captain Olli Jokinen, yet still have enough to go shopping this August for quality roster depth.
No word yet as to which players Panthers GM Mike Keenan might have in mind.
At home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, he's known as Lyle Richardson. But around these parts, he's known as Spector, FOXSports.com's Prince of Pucks. Check in with Spector for the latest NHL rumors from around the league and buy his book.
Fox (http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/3763866)
Spector / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 4 hours ago
As we await next week's ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, here's the latest player movement rumors.
# Recent reports out of Vancouver have Canucks general manager Dave Nonis intent on retaining team captain Markus Naslund and linemate Todd Bertuzzi.
Naslund, an unrestricted free agent, has hinted at retirement, while his agent refuses to speculate on what his client's future plans will be.
As for Bertuzzi, there's been speculation that he wants out of Vancouver, due in part of the fallout of his ugly attack on Steve Moore in March 2004 and a supposed rift between himself and head coach Marc Crawford.
Nonis recently rejected the notion of Bertuzzi demanding a trade, claiming he's been in contact with the big forward in recent weeks and at no time did he request to be dealt.
However, if Nonis can convince Bertuzzi's linemate Naslund to return that will set the trade whispers about the big guy to rest.
Meanwhile, there's some talk that former Canucks and current Anaheim Mighty Ducks GM Brian Burke might also be interested in signing Naslund. Thus far there's no word out of the Naslund camp regarding this possibility.
# There's speculation out of Raleigh that the Carolina Hurricanes might have enough cap space to bolster their roster with a potential big name free agent signing or two.
One player the ?Canes may be interested in is former Los Angeles Kings forward Jason Allison, who met with team officials last summer and used to play for Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette in Boston. Allison missed all of the 2003-04 season recovery from whiplash injuries, but is believed to have made a full recovery.
The Hurricanes might have some competition for Allison's services, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers also expressed some interest last summer. Given their limited cap room, the Leafs may not be a threat, but the Oilers do have considerable cap room available to possibly bid competitively for Allison.
# Speaking of the Maple Leafs, it's believed they're going to stick with 40-year-old netminder Ed Belfour, although his $3.9 million for the upcoming season will take a considerable bite out of their payroll.
There's been some talk of the Leafs perhaps attempting to bring back Curtis Joseph if things don't work out with Belfour during next season, but given their cap limitations, the Leafs may not have any space available for "Cujo" or any other UFA netminder.
# A recent report in the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested the new CBA could mean the Philadelphia Flyers might become a younger team next season. The club may jettison aging players with big contracts in favor of signing up young prospects like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and re-signing goalie Robert Esche and forward Simon Gagne.
It's believed the Flyers will buy out the contracts of aging stars John LeClair and Tony Amonte, and they're not expected to re-sign unrestricted free agents like Vladimir Malakhov, Alexei Zhamnov and Sean Burke.
# Another team that may be forced to sacrifice veteran salaries in favor of youth is the Detroit Red Wings. Recent reports out of Motown speculate that Derian Hatcher and Ray Whitney might be bought out, while Curtis Joseph and Chris Chelios may not return.
The Wings must get talented youngsters like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg under contract, so something's gotta give in Detroit.
While on the topic of Red Wings goalies, there's a rumor making the rounds the club might give consideration to bringing former Wing Chris Osgood to split the netminding duties with Manny Legace, but that's been more the subject of fan gossip than anything generated in the press.
# Speaking of Joseph, a recent report on the Toronto Star's sports Web site suggested he might make a good fit with one of his former clubs, the Edmonton Oilers, backing up their starting goalie Ty Conklin.
The site suggested Joseph is no longer a 60-game goalie, but that's likely to be disputed by Cujo and his agent.
# The site also wondered if the Minnesota Wild might be interested in signing Dallas Stars captain Mike Modano and bringing him back to where he began his NHL career.
It's possible Modano might not be re-signed by the Stars, but for the time being they've stated their intention to try to retain him.
# Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla has gone unsigned since last summer, but he's still hoping to return with the Flames next season.
Under the terms of the new CBA, Iginla can earn no more than 20 percent of the Flames cap for next season, so it's possible they can re-sign him for less than the $7 million-plus he made in 2003-04.
The Flames will have plenty of cap space to re-sign "Iggy", but a recent report in the Calgary Sun suggests the highest the Flames may go with their payroll is $30 million, considerably lower than the proposed $39 million league-wide cap.
If so, that could lower the amount of available room for the Flames to re-sign other players once Iginla is under contract.
# The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel recently reported the Florida Panthers are expected to be buyers in this summer's free agent market.
It's believed they'll have about $16.5 million to spend on re-signing key free agents like goalie Roberto Luongo and team captain Olli Jokinen, yet still have enough to go shopping this August for quality roster depth.
No word yet as to which players Panthers GM Mike Keenan might have in mind.
At home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, he's known as Lyle Richardson. But around these parts, he's known as Spector, FOXSports.com's Prince of Pucks. Check in with Spector for the latest NHL rumors from around the league and buy his book.
Fox (http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/3763866)