Kaberle On the Move? Schenn Goal, Plus More On Bulin...

Frantisek Kaberle that is. I heard from a source that Kaberle could be on the move sometime during the first half of the season. "If not then, then [Kaberle] will be moved at the [trade] deadline." The source went on to say that the suitors could be L.A, Montreal, or St.Louis but to "not count anybody out".
I like Frantisek. He's a great puck moving defencemen, the only thing that has hurt his value has been his injury's, but I think if he stays healthy, he's an asset for any team. The way my source tells it though, the Canes wouldn't be looking for a significant return.

If you wanna watch something that's gunna make you smile, Leaf fan or not, you gotta watch this heart warming goal by Luke Schenn- the shootout winner - last night. Oshie made a great move for St.Louis also, but lost the puck, or else he had a wide open right side of the net. Entertaining.

The latest on Khabibulin is that he was put on waivers as my source indicated, and has recently cleared waivers. A couple of people suggested to me that L.A would pick him up, but someone within the L.A organization told me "The Kings aren't really interested in Bulin, I think. From what I've heard, they're just focused on re-signing O'Sullivan and getting to the cap floor rather than going over it by acquiring [Khabibulin]." The source isn't high up in the L.A organization whatsoever, but was the only person I could get a hold of right now. So don't count L.A out just because of that, because there will obviously be some interest with the recent send down of Bernier. I was also told by someone point blank that the Sens were not interested in Bulin whatsoever, and that they'd like to ride Gerber, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense givin that Gerber hasn't exactly been solid in pre-season. But it's a hard one to call. If the Sens were to want to acquire Bulin, then they would want to move Gerber most likely to avoid another goalie controversy. So my question is this. Is Khabibulin that much better than Gerber? And wouldn't the Hawks want to avoid taking Gerber in return to avoid a goalie controversy of their own between Huet and Gerber? I dunno, just my thoughts.

Khabibulin On Waivers?

I'm hearing rumblings that Nikolai Khabibulin has been placed on waivers or is going to be placed on waivers. I got a text from a source that reads "Khabibulin on waivers." Not so much info there. The source isn't the most reliable but it's at least something to think about. To add on to that vague topic, a buddy of mine in Chi-town said that the talk was Bulin was headed to Ottawa.
I'll talk about that and more when I hear more about it....

UPDATE: Now confirmed by TSN..

Debunking Gaborik Rumors...

One subject that is sure to come up over the next couple of weeks (or perhaps months) is that of Minnesota Wild's star Marian Gaborik being moved to another team. Here's the scoop. Gaborik wants tons and tons of money if he's gunna stay and play for the defensive minded Wild. There's nothing to argue there. If Gaborik is going to have to restrict his offensive output then he wants long term security and big, big money. And he's got one of the best agents to do it. Now here's the thing, Minnesota has already offered him a fair amount of money, which he has turned down, and has recently left the Wild with a number and told them basically "Sign me for this, or I sign for nothing". This puts the Wild in a bit of a bind. If they choose to trade Gaborik they will not get full value, because everyone else is gunna know that they want to get rid of him. If they choose to keep him but not sign him, then they risk the chance of him calling them on their bluff and going elsewhere via free agency (which, believe me, will happen if they don't sign him). So the question is this: will the Wild sign him, or trade him. Many believe they will end up trading him if he continues to ask for the contract he's asking for (which I've heard is around Ovechkin-ish type of money, something he certainly has not yet earned). In fact I've had one person tell me straight out that in his mind Gaborik being moved is 100% happening.
Me? Not buying it. I don't see Gaborik going anywhere, but to celebrate a 9 year deal worth millions, with the Wild. The fact is, the Wild can't afford to lose Gaborik- and he knows it! Without Gaborik the Wild have the chance of losing not just games, but fans, and credibility. Even if they pull off a deal for him witch seems like an okay deal, unless they bring in at least, at least, fair value (aka a top forward or two or three) then the Wild lose. Even if they save that money from the Gaborik deal and use it toward the UFA market and try (key word is try) to bring in a nice forward, they still lose.
So my point is that the only way this conundrum is going to be solved is by the Wild giving Gaborik what he wants, even though it might be tough to see. So Wild fans, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the Gaborik issue, as I'm all but sure he'll be sticking around for a while, maybe even more than a while...

Taking In the Leafs/ Pens Pre-Season Game, Update Schneider Rumor...

Although it is only pre-season, these games give us a bit of glance of the talent of the players that will be playing next season. When watching a pre-season game, try not to think about the score, and try to pin point the players, and you'll instantly see the one's with good work ethic (along with the ones just fighting for a job). Two players really stand out in my mind from yesterdays game between the Leafs and Pens. Luke Schenn, and Justin Pogge. Pogge continued to look great and comfortable in net. He had little chance on the goals that he did let in: two went in off his own defenders (Boumedienne and Stralman), and one was a 2-0 with Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal- I'm sure even Marty Brodeur would have nightmares about that- after Stralman blew a tire and created the turnover in the Leafs defensive zone.
For me, Schenn was the only solid defender for the Leafs last night. Even Tomas Kaberle found his jockstrap in the crowd- along with other Leafs- when Malkin decided to have a little game of keep away. Schenn consistently makes smart plays, and doesn't show any rookie jitters or impatience. He's very very mature for a hockey player of his age. He did have one sort of bad turnover however, but right after made a smart move to gain the puck back. Ron Wilson is gunna have to send him out there alone if he wants to make a case for sending him to the minors.
Leaf overratee (yes it's a word now) Nikolai Kulemin seemed invisible once again, until one power play where he decided to dangle around a few Pens and snap a dangerous shot.
Grabovski had some bad turnovers in the game, but made up for them with a beautiful goal with around ten seconds left in the game. Draped all over Pens, Grabovski rushed to the net, and slid the puck home. Grabovski seems almost too selfish though. Even though it's a pre-season game, just watch him every time he gets the puck, he'll try to create everything by himself, but due to his size, often then not he'll end up planted on the ice. He is very skillful though, and I can seem him turning into a very solid forward force for the Leafs.
On the Pens side of things, they seemed like they were just playing with the young Buds. Malkin threw so many dangles together the Leafs must of thought they were in Slapshot 2.
Staal showed once again how unselfish he is on the 2-0 with Evgeni Malkin. Malkin promptly handed Staal the puck right in front of Pogge with no defenders in sight, and in a situation where most players in pre-season would try to plot the puck home for their own benefit, Staal threw it right back to Malkin who tapped it in to the mercy of Pogge.
The final score by the way was 3-2, but that hardly tells the full story as the Pens dominated the Leafs.

As for the Schneider rumor, I really thought it would have been over by now, the deal that is. It's the first time I've actually had a ton of people tell me the same thing over and over. For that, I suspect the deal should be done by the end of this week, but the mystery factor is still there because my none of my sources could give me any real hard info, like the details of the trade, so don't count this as too reliable. I'm trying to dig around for more info, but haven't got anywhere. If I come up with something I'll let you know. I do know that the Blues really need a defender, among other things, if they wish to make some noise this year. Schneider seems like an okay fit, but why not Marek Malik (UFA) ? He's not as top notch as Schneider, but is still a very good d-man in my opinion. And I'll keep campaigning for someone to sign him until some one does!

I shall be writing more later, especially if I find anything more on Schneider...
UPDATE: Traded to Atlanta

Schneider To St.Louis Apparantly Almost Done

I'm hearing from a ton of sources right now that a deal between St. Louis and Anaheim has been worked out, and only the final touches need to be gone over. I have no implications of what the deal involves, but am only hearing that the deal is going down because Erik Johnson is likely to miss the entire season. I tried to press a couple of people for more info, but got squat. Take that as you will. More on this rumor later, unless by then it's a done deal...

Can't You Smell the Hockey In the Air?

Well the regular season is almost here, and while we wait we can indulge in the cheap champagne called pre-season. Being a Leaf fan, I'm very curious to see how Pogge performs tonight against the Sabres (in the 2nd and 3rd periods), and how Kulemin will fair in North America. Great chance for me to take some notes and call some people. I wont be at the game tonight, but will probably kick around a couple of other games, just to scoop up some news. I'll be bringing some more rumors soon, just haven't heard anything blog worthy for a couple of days- although I'm still hunting around for the latest on Ian White being moved. Don't hold your breath though cause a bunch of people have told me if it's going to happen it wont be till just before the mid way point of the season.

On another note I'd like to welcome Leafy to the site as a co-blogger. I really thoroughly enjoy his articles, and I know you will too. Great stuff.
More later...

Malik Rumors...

I've started to hear some rumblings about where Marek Malik will land. Some sources have told me L.A and Montreal, while another source told me Atlanta. I think if Atlanta where to get Malik it would be a huge plus for them, as there's still room for improvement there, even with the additions of Ron Hainsey and Zach Bogosian. I'm not so sure Montreal would go after Malik, but rather Schneider instead. I know for a fact that the Habs want Schneider, but how much? By my calculations, Montreal only has about 2 mill under the cap, so they would definatly want to move someone.
Plus with the recent re-upping of Brezzer, the Habs have a cluster of d-man:
Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik, Gorges, Brisebois, Bouillon, Dandenault, O'Byrne; and some young ones on the horizon: McDonagh, Valentenko (for my money a future top D-man in the NHL), Subban, etc...

On another note, I sense some exciting things ahead. Don't ask, I just do. I'll be writing more later.

Schneider Rumors, Crash the Crease...

Just a quick blog right now, I was surprised actually that the Ducks were even thinking of getting rid of Schneider, but they recently put him on waivers, and I'm hearing that although teams are hesitant to pick him up, there will be interest if he clears waivers and is then released. Teams I'm hearing are L.A, Tampa, and Montreal. L.A would seem like a logical choice to get him because they have tons of cap room and they even need help getting to the cap floor. Not hearing any rumors that really flash out at me though.

And if you have the chance you'll probably wanna check out Crash The Crease. One of the premier hockey sites on the web. The link will be located on the side bar from now on, if you wanna check it out at any time.

I'll be writing more later.

Couple of Rumors

Sorry I haven't blogged in a couple of days, haven't come across any rumors really blog worthy, meaning I'm not gunna throw the trash rumors at you. Today though I heard that the Rangers will soon drop out of the Sundin "sweepstakes" if you wanna call it that. If they do drop out, my source told me they'll for sure re-up with Shanahan, and will probably re-sign him even if they do get Sundin- which would seem to be very difficult considering their cap numbers. And while we're talking about the big Swede, I might as well mention that I heard from someone that Mats is heavily considering retirement, but I'm not too fond on these rumors cause everyday, according to some people, Mats is thinking about something else. Until Mats comes out and says something, or I happen to find a chunk of his brain on a curb, I'm not trusting anybody.

Lang and Breezer in Montreal

Per TSN... Lang was acquired from Chicago for the 2nd rounder the CH got from T.O in the Grabovski deal. Breezer re-ups with the club also.
Really gotta thank my sources as they have been spot on so far with about 90 percent of the stuff I've been posting. Most recently with basically calling this one, telling me that if the Sundin talks didn't go like Gainey wanted (an actual commitment from Mats) that he would move on. And that's exactly what happened, I'm guessing givin the Lang trade and Breezer re-signing.
More later...

UPDATE: Bob Gainey has now officially closed the books on Sundin signing in Montreal. Thanks once again to my sources. Spot. On.

The Value Of Ian White

A couple of days ago I wrote a blog about how, according to a source, Toronto would be most likely parting ways with d-man Ian White. So after some vigorous calling, and emailing around, I came up with the following scouting report of how the rest of the league views Ian, and how much T.O would get in return. Again, this is a compilation from a bunch of different sources (not just one) so I can give you the overall feel of how Ian White is received league wide.
----------------------------------
Talent Analysis:
-"A solid contributor on offence, and defence alike"
-"A player that still needs a bit of fine tuning"
-"An underrated overachiever"
-"Under-sized"
-"Great puck moving defencemen"
-"...untapped potential"
-"A solid second/third line d-man"
-"A core contributor"
-"Sloppy in the defensive zone"
-"Too small to compete at a higher level of hockey"
-"Great hands, but doesn't always use them"
-"Scarcely engages in physical play"
-"The kind of player you'd love to have on your farm team as a call up"

So as you can see the reaction is mixed. As for what potential draw back White would be able to garner:

-"a mid round draft pick"
-"a solid prospect, and maybe a late round pick"
-"maybe a second rounder at best"
-"I know some teams that would be willing to trade a younger d-man for Ian's services"
-"a couple of late round picks...possibly a mid round"
-"a fourth line player and a pick"
-"possibly an underachieving veteran with a pick, make Toronto pick up the money on the veteran, and they're rewarded with the pick"
-"two mid round pics sounds reasonable"

And that's basically the overall picture that I have received. It's quite obvious Toronto wouldn't be getting a HUGE return, but a reasonable return considering 2 mid rounders or so can go a long way.
And finally to relate to the White to Philly rumor I kinda dug up, I asked a source close to the Flyers organization if the Flyers would be interested in White, who said "White would probably fit the mold for the Flyers. He's that puck moving d-man that they're really looking for. Even though Philly has the tendency to trade off picks for a quick fix, I think a couple of picks or a prospect for White would be painless to fix the void they have on the back end. I could see it happening if White has trouble under the Ron Wilson styled defence in pre-season."
So I have every reason to believe this rumor could actually happen. More later...

Quick Canadiens Rumor

I'm hearing that in Canadiens GM Bob Gainey's meeting with Mats Sundin he asked Sundin of his intentions- no skipping around the tree. The same source told me that if Sundin did not give a clear indication of when or if he is interested in playing for the Canadiens, then Gainey will move on and begin shopping. The bait? Chris Higgins seems to be the man in motion said my source. I also heard from an invalid source (someone I can't really trust for the best info, but is decent enough to post) that Halak would be a part of a package to attract attention from another team such as the Kings or Chi-town. From my point of view, dealing Halak doesn't seem like a smart move, as he and Carey Price make a very good tending duo. Although if they could attract a team like the Kings to bite on Halak, they could possibly get some good return. I like the idea of pedalling Higgins though. For me, he never looks comfortable on the ice, even though he has the talent to do great things. Just my thoughts.
I'll be posting more about Ian White being dangled later.

Rumors, Updates, Maple Leafs Hotstove, and such...

Some quick rumors for you:

A source has told me Philly is still looking for a defencmen. The trading partner? "Leafs and Chicago. Two team's that are looking to move. But don't expect anything till we get pre-season under way..." The source couldn't name any names, but I dug further and gave a call to one of my good buddies who's been all around the league who said Ian White will probably be the odd man out in T.O. I put 2 and 2 together, obviously, and present you with the rumors that Toronto's dumping White, Philly's looking for a d-man. Hmmm. Anyways, I can't see why the Leafs would trade Ian. IMO he's the most solid all around defender on the list of the Leafs back defence core (AKA excluding Kaberle and Kubina). But, that being said, that could be why they're trading him in the first place. If scout's are seeing the same thing I am, then the return for White could be pretty steady. Steady as in a mid draft pick or two. I'll have to put a couple calls through to check that.
Anyways, I'll probably be making some site updates soon, don't hold your breath though.
And finally I call all Leaf fans, or fans of good hockey writing to head on over to Maple Leafs Hot Stove , the leafs blog of Hockeybuzz's Alec Brownscombe. Great site. The link will be posted in the sidebar over there (to the right, you can't miss it) in case you wanna check it out later. Once I update the site I'll make it look fancy and what not.
One last note actually, I'm gunna be kicking on the blogging shoes a lot more now, so expect some regularly updated stories and rumors.

Q&A with Daniel Tolensky

I had the privilege to ask some questions with hockey blogger Daniel Tolensky of HockeyBuzz.com. If you haven't heard of him, I suggest you check out his daily blog. Good reads.

-Q: How did you get your start in hockey blogging?

I started my own small site and wrote there for a couple months. I ended up sending some of my stuff to one of the writers on Hockeybuzz and he ended up passing it along.. One thing led to another and next thing I knew I was staying up until all hours of the night writing a daily hockey column.

-Q: When you were growing up, who was your favorite hockey player?

Wayne Gretzky. My room was plastered with posters and at least half of my wardrobe was black and silver. Needless to say living in Toronto I wasn’t so popular in my class when the Leafs played the Kings in 93.

-Q: If you weren't a hockey writer, what do you think you'd be doing?

Sleeping a lot more. A LOT more.

-Q: What's your earliest hockey memory?

The first game I attended at Maple Leaf Gardens back in 1986. It was actually a playoff game and the Leafs beat Chicago 7-2 in game three to complete the series sweep (back then they played best of five in the first round). We were second row center ice right behind the Hawks’ penalty box and Denis Savard kept taking penalties so we thought he was this really tough player. I remember watching the graphics on the old scoreboard, the organ, the coloured seats and the incredible feeling you got being a young kid watching a game at the Gardens. From that day I was hooked.

-Q: For you, what's the greatest reward about covering hockey?

Getting to meet so many interesting people in and around the game, whether its’ players, management, members of the media or fans. It’s great to talk to so many others who share my obsession of hockey.

-Q: Other than hockey, what sports are most appealing to you?

Definitely NFL. I’m a huge Eagles’ fan and try and to one game a year when possible. My greatest football memory was the 2004 NFC Conference Final game in Philadelphia. I had gone down for the game the year before against Carolina and to be at the Linc to experience the lowest of lows and the return the next year to see them advance to the Super Bowl was just incredible.

-Q: In your opinion, which player has the most overall talent in the NHL today?

Alex Ovechkin. When you look at pure talent and what he can do with the puck, I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.

-Q: I know it's early and all of the rosters haven't been set, but if you had to pick one team as a favorite to win the Cup it would be______?

I hate making predictions, especially in August but I’ll go with the team I picked last year to win it all, San Jose.

-Q: If there was one rule in the NHL you could change, which rule would it be (unless you like 'em all) ?

Protect the players better – eliminate headshots and punish offenders more severely on plays where there is clear intent to injure or even just recklessness.

-Q: And finally, cause I gotta ask, where do you think Sundin lands?(Retirement included)

I’ve said Montreal all along and I’ll stick with them. If he wants to have a good chance to win the Cup, stay in Canada and play in a historic city, the Habs are the perfect choice. I still can’t see him retiring...


--Much thanks to Daniel for this interview.