Trade Deadline Day - More Rumors

Reports: Ray Whitney, Erik Cole, Tomas Kaberle Among Bruins' Targets at Deadline

Canadiens netminders staying put

Flyers talking goalie

Sens GM plans to deal

Dealing for 'D' fuels speculation

For St. Louis Blues, no deal is imminent

The 10 players, teams shaking up NHL trade deadline day

Florida Panthers' Tomas Vokoun copes with rumors before trade deadline

Flyers Notes: Deal isn't essential, Laviolette says

GM Brian Lawton: Tampa Bay Lightning not seeking to rent players

Reports: Ray Whitney, Erik Cole, Tomas Kaberle Among Bruins' Targets at Deadline

Twas the night before the 2010 NHL trade deadline, and not a peep could be heard from Causeway Street.

After Boston's 4-1 loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday night, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was likely bunkering down in the bowels of the Bruins front office with a Blackberry glued to his ear, trying to make something happen for his Bruins team that once again blew another third-period lead, this time to its hated rivals.

"I haven't heard much from the Bruins front office today or tonight," one source said as the clock neared midnight. "I know Chiarelli wants a D-man bad, and obviously, [the Bruins] need help up front, but I think he has had some deals fall through on defensemen."

Watching his team fail to pad an early 1-0 lead and waste another solid effort by rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask may shift Chiarelli's focus. There is one problem, though: Chiarelli's main target, alleged to be Hurricanes veteran sniper Ray Whitney, is still holding up any possible deals with his no-movement clause because he wants to sign an extension with whatever team he is dealt to. Sources claim that the Kings, who had a deal in place for Whitney but backed out because Whitney wanted a three-year extension, may still get the coveted winger.

Late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, NESN.com also learned that the Bruins are also looking closely at Whitney's Carolina teammate, Erik Cole, a forward they coveted last season when he was with the Oilers. The 31-year-old Cole is set to be a unrestricted free agent this summer.

Another name that started to pop up again in trade chatter on Tuesday was Blues forward and Malden, Mass., native Keith Tkachuk. However, reports out of St. Louis have maintained that he prefers to stay put.

Also, a reliable source told me that despite numerous reports, it is "not 100 percent certain" that Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle still won't change his mind and waive his no-movement clause. If Kaberle, who played with David Krejci on the Czech Olympic team, did waive it, the Bruins likely would be first in line to acquire him, just as they reportedly tried to do at the NHL draft last June when a deal involving Phil Kessel fell apart. Kessel of course, was eventually dealt to Toronto for first- and second-round picks in 2010 and another first-round pick in 2011. The 2010 first-rounder likely won't be available back from Boston, but Chiarelli could net Kaberle with the Bruins' original 2010 first-rounder, possibly a second-rounder and a young roster player. The chances of this happening were unlikely as of Tuesday night, but "don't rule it out," the source said. "Anything can happen."

http://www.nesn.com/2010/03/report-bruins-possibly-working-on-multiplayer-deal-with-edmonton-as-deadline-approaches.html

Canadiens netminders staying put

PAT HICKEY, The Gazette

Twenty-two players will board the Canadiens' charter flight to San Jose this morning. The big question is whether all of them will be Canadiens when the plane lands in California.

The National Hockey League trading deadline will come and go while the plane is en route and there's no guarantee that general manager Pierre Gauthier, who is staying in Boston, won't change the final itinerary for one or more players.

There's a precedent in the Canadiens' recent history. The team was flying to Edmonton on deadline day in 1999 when team captain Vincent Damphousse got the word that he had been traded to the San Jose Sharks. When the plane landed in Edmonton, Damphousse stayed onboard and was the only passenger on the return flight to Montreal.

There's no end to the speculation about what the Canadiens will do, but it appears that Montreal will hold on to goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price, who as at the top of his game last night. Head coach Jacques Martin said as much after the morning skate yesterday when he said the team needs both of its netminders for the stretch run.

The goalies stay because a) the team is still confident that Price will develop into a first-rate goaltender, but b) Halak is the reason why the Canadiens are still battling for a playoff spot and Montreal might need him to carry the team for a second straight season.

If you place any stock in the rumour mill, the Canadiens are either going to get bigger with Edmonton's Ethan Moreau or smaller with Paul Kariya of the St. Louis Blues. Neither scenario makes a lot of sense, because the Habs are right up against the salary cap and Kariya makes $6 million, while Moreau's cap hit is $2 million.

As for players moving the other way, it's no secret that Montreal has been shopping defenceman Paul Mara, who was a healthy scratch last night. The big problem that is Mara hasn't been healthy for a chunk of this season and there hasn't been an opportunity to showcase him.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/Canadiens+netminders+staying/2634602/story.html

Flyers talking goalie

With the official announcement that Ray Emery will be done for the season, trade winds of the Flyers looking for a goalie are suddenly heating up.

A league source told the Daily News that the Flyers have looked into acquiring goaltender Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders.

At this point, the interest is preliminary. Roloson will be in net tonight for the Islanders, meaning a trade before the game would be unlikely. It may be something to keep in mind if the Flyers’ other lines in the water hit snags.

Here’s why that move may make sense: Roloson carried the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and he is well-liked in the locker room.

The Daily News learned earlier today that the Flyers were in intense talks with Roloson last summer prior to Emery’s signing. Chris Pronger, apparently, was one of the players that went to bat for Roloson with Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.

In the end, the talks stopped, the Flyers signed Emery and Roloson moved to the Islanders.

Let’s not forget: Paul Holmgren and Islanders GM Garth Snow (yes, the former Flyers goalie) are pretty tight. They even had a little wager going during the 2009 World Series between the Phillies and Yankees.

Sure, the Islanders aren’t far from the playoff hunt, but if they can nab a piece for Roloson that may help them in the future, I’d bet they’d be willing to let Roloson go, play Marty Biron for the rest of this season and use an AHL backup… assuming Rick DiPietro stays out of the lineup.

Here’s why the move might not work: Roloson is 40 and he has another year left on his contract.

Roloson’s $2.5 million cap hit is manageable for the Flyers to fit this season. If Roloson is on board, the Flyers can remove Brian Boucher’s $900,000 cap hit from the roster and send him to Adirondack.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/Flyers_talking_goalie.html

Sens GM plans to deal

Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Kurtis Foster could be off the Senators' radar list heading into Wednesday's trade deadline. And it also appears Ottawa defenceman Anton Volchenkov will be staying put.

A source says the Lightning have decided they will not trade Foster, a Carp native who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, because they feel they're still in the race for a playoff spot.

Senators GM Bryan Murray, however, is still looking to add to his blue line before the deadline.

"You know I'll get something done," Murray said with a wink after the Senators morning skate Tuesday. "As I've said all along, we'd like to address one need on our team. Probably a depth-type defenceman. But it seems like every team is looking for that, and that's the normal thing. I guess that's why we drafted defencemen as much as we did in the last couple of years.

"Beyond that, I feel real good about our team."

Murray said he's not surprised that Florida and Edmonton were able to get second-round picks in the last two days for defenceman who are slated to become unrestricted free agents in July.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2010/03/02/13082941-qmi.html

Dealing for 'D' fuels speculation

ADAM L. JAHNS

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman previously had said a team never can have too much depth on defense.

But with the NHL trade deadline at 2 p.m. today, it appears to be part of Bowman's philosophy or strategy, depending on how you want to view it.

''You can always use depth on defense,'' Bowman said earlier this year. ''I think if you would talk to all 30 teams, they'd probably say the same thing. Even the teams that are deep on 'D,' in theory, are worried about defense.''

The Hawks would be one of those teams that would be considered deep on defense, with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. They also have veterans Brent Sopel and Kim Johnsson.

But that hasn't stopped Bowman from stockpiling NHL-experienced defensemen with the Rockford IceHogs, the Hawks' American Hockey League affiliate. The Hawks' recent acquisitions of Jassen Cullimore, Danny Richmond and Nick Boynton have fueled speculation that a move involving more notable players might go down by the trade deadline today.

The Hawks acquired Boynton from the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday for future considerations. Boynton was sent to Rockford but has 547 NHL games under his belt.

The move came a day after the Hawks traded goalie Joe Fallon to the St. Louis Blues for Richmond and goalie Hannu Toivonen. Like Boynton, both were players assigned to Rockford. During the Olympic break, the Hawks signed Cullimore and sent him to the IceHogs.

A number of Hawks have been linked to trade rumors recently, none more often than goalie Cristobal Huet.

''The scuttlebutt or hearsay is beyond all our control,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''As players, you want to be a professional about it and go out and play. From just being around them [Tuesday], I don't think it's a distraction or disturbing anybody.''

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/2079895,CST-SPT-hawknt03.article

For St. Louis Blues, no deal is imminent

Dan O'Neill

Things were mostly quiet on the Western (Conference) front Tuesday, at least where the Blues and the NHL trading deadline were concerned.

"There's nothing imminent," Blues President John Davidson said late Tuesday afternoon.

The Blues did announce a minor deal after Tuesday night's game. They picked up forward Matt D'Agostini from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Aaron Palushaj.

D'Agostini, 23, has two goals and two assists in 40 games this season with Montreal. He had 12 goals and nine assists in 53 games last season. Palushaj, a 20-year-old forward, had been playing with the Peoria Rivermen.

The Blues have showed signs of a bigger deal in the works with the trading deadline approaching at 2 this afternoon. Several league sources confirmed the Blues alerted shoppers — aka other NHL teams — that forward Brad Boyes was available. The team's leading goal scorer the past two seasons, with 33 and 43 goals respectively, Boyes has struggled to find the touch this time around. His second-period goal Tuesday at Phoenix was only his 11th of the season, to go with 25 assists in 63 games.

But promoting Boyes' availability is one thing, constructing an actual trade around him is another. At age 27, Boyes has two more years remaining on a four-year deal that pays him $4 million annually. In these salary-cap-crunched times, a match might be difficult to find.

Boyes is not the only veteran Blues player drawing speculative scrutiny. Forwards Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk, defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo and goalie Chris Mason are in final contract years and can be unrestricted free agents when the season ends.

Kariya, 35, is finishing up a three-year, $18 million deal that has slightly more than $1 million remaining in the final weeks. Tkachuk, 37, is closing up a one-year, $2.15 million arrangement. Mason, 33, is finishing a contract he signed in Nashville that pays him $3 million this season, and Colaiacovo, 27, is making $1.3 million this season.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/blues/story/0E62CC5D04583A36862576DB001DF670?OpenDo*****ent

The 10 players, teams shaking up NHL trade deadline day

Greg Wyshynski

There are no Marian Hossas on the move at the 2010 NHL trade deadline. Heck, there are barely any Marcel Hossas. With Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) getting traded before the Olympics, the deadline drama has been reduced to a few huge names with no-trade clauses, a few "will they or won't they" trade options and a collection of players that can offer strong depth support down the lineup but aren't exactly getting their McFarlane figures any time soon (*cough*Raffi Torres(notes)*cough*).

We could see some interesting names move if the conditions are right; like, for example, if the Edmonton Oilers can trick someone into trading for a player with a contract beyond this season. The following list includes players that are expected to be moved or whose movement would bring some welcomed chaos to the deadline on Wednesday (3 p.m. EST). It also includes some teams that will be catalysts for big moves at the deadline.

Our deadline coverage begins early on Wednesday, with hourly live blogs. What trade would stun you? What trade is the most expected? And is there a player who might leave your team that you'd hate to see go?

The "shake up" list:

1. Tomas Vokoun(notes), Florida Panthers. Simply put, one of the best goalies in hockey when he's on. According to an interview with the Miami Herald, he's willing to waive his no-trade clause but hasn't been asked to yet. Trading for him is trading for a goalie that, on the right team, could mean a championship. But it also means a second and final contract year of $6.3 base salary and a $5.7 million cap hit.

2. Ray Whitney(notes), Carolina Hurricanes. Problem No. 1 for Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford: His asking price of a first-round pick and a roster player is rather steep for an effective, though arguably not a star, player. Problem No. 2: Even if he finds a deal, Whitney can kibosh it with his no-trade clause. He's a perfect fit on left wing for a team like the Pittsburgh Penguins or any team seeking a professional sniper with a ring.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-10-players-teams-shaking-up-NHL-trade-deadl?urn=nhl,225375

Florida Panthers' Tomas Vokoun copes with rumors before trade deadline

Tomas Vokoun practiced at Philips Arena on Tuesday morning, preparing for that night's game as he always does. But Tuesday was anything but typical.

First, Vokoun wasn't starting in a game in which he was in uniform for the first time since Dec. 27. He also knows that with Wednesday's trade deadline approaching, he might have played his last game with the Panthers -- although that probably is not the case.

Vokoun has another year left on his contract and is expected to start Wednesday night at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise as the Panthers play their first home game since the Olympic break. Vokoun apparently has drawn interest from Florida's opponent Wednesday, but the Flyers are close to the salary-cap ceiling and would have to make other moves to be able to make a deal work. Vokoun has a cap hit of $5.7 million and his prorated salary through the rest of the season is around $1.2 million.

General manager Randy Sexton stayed in South Florida to work the phones until the 3 p.m. Wednesday deadline.

``It's a little bit uncertain, but I can't worry about it,'' Vokoun said. ``Right now, all I know about it is rumors.''

Vokoun has control over what happens. He holds a no-trade clause in the contract Florida inherited when it traded for him in 2007.

On Tuesday, Vokoun said he and Sexton had talked about the various trade scenarios and that Vokoun was open to waiving the no-trade clause if the situation was right.

``We agreed we wouldn't make public any of the details,'' Vokoun said. ``It's more like, if there's a deal in place, he'll let me know. Ultimately it's my decision, yes or no.''

With Vokoun on the bench Tuesday, backup Scott Clemmensen got his 12th start of the season -- halting Vokoun's consecutive starts streak at 21.

• Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison was called up from the team's AHL affiliate in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/03/1509167/vokoun-copes-with-rumors-before.html

Flyers Notes: Deal isn't essential, Laviolette says

The Flyers are still trying to add a player before today's 3 p.m. trade deadline, but head coach Peter Laviolette says the team can challenge for the Stanley Cup without a deal.

"I think if we continue to play hard and execute, we can beat anyone that we have to beat," Laviolette said before last night's game against Tampa Bay.

"Over the last 25 games, we've found more consistency on a lot more nights than not," he said. "We're playing with a style, and an identity, that I think is conducive to winning."

The next six weeks, Laviolette said, "will determine our seed and our place in life - and our right to play for the Cup, really. We've got to get there before we can actually try to win it."

An NHL source said the Flyers had Ottawa's Matt Cullen, Los Angeles' Alexander Frolov, and Columbus' Raffi Torres among the forwards on their wish list, along with Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Atlanta winger Colby Armstrong also has drawn the Flyers' interest.

"My gut feeling is that we're going to get something done," a Flyers official said.

The club source said the Flyers were content with the goaltending duo of Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Still, with Ray Emery out for the season, the Flyers have made overtures for another goalie.

The New York Islanders' 40-year-old Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron are available, but the source said the Flyers felt neither would be an upgrade.

Vancouver backup Andrew Raycroft is also available.

"The trade deadline is unsettling for everybody," Laviolette said. "It presents possible change, and change sometimes is hard. But it happens every year at the trade deadline, so it's just something you have to deal with."

Clearing waivers
Defenseman Danny Syvret and winger Riley Cote cleared waivers and can be sent to the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20100303_Flyers_Notes___Deal_isn_t_essential__Laviolette_says.html

GM Brian Lawton: Tampa Bay Lightning not seeking to rent players

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer

Lightning GM Brian Lawton said acquiring a rental player before today's 3 p.m. trade deadline is not his first choice. Deals like that — for players whose contracts expire after the season — can provide short-term "pop" but can cost more in the long run if the player leaves.

"I don't want to end the day with a few rentals with nothing to show for the future," Lawton said. "The future will be here soon enough."

Besides, he added, the Lightning's lack of organizational depth won't allow it.

"We just don't have the assets from the past built up where we can toss a few out here, toss a few out there," he said. "We're looking for deals that make sense moving forward."

In other words, deals for players with contracts that don't expire after the season.

But considering what is available, Lawton said, and the high prices, he would not be surprised if he does not find the right deal.

Lawton said the current roster can make the playoffs.

"I like this group," he said. "You'd like to add some pop to the lineup, but I've said from Day 1 I like this group. I like their work ethic. I like the diversity in our group."

So Lawton will work the phones, looking for a defenseman who can move the puck and a scoring wing. He said he has made "major" offers, and there are rumors G Mike Smith and forwards Jeff Halpern and Alex Tanguay have been discussed. But the team's first-round draft pick, its two third-round picks, two fourths, a sixth and a seventh seem safe, and Lawton said he "would not be overly surprised" if he did not make a deal.

"You'd love to help, always," Lawton said. "That's the goal. I'm just not sure it's out there with the market the way it is."

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/gm-brian-lawton-tampa-bay-lightning-not-seeking-to-rent-players/1077002