Monthly Archives: November 2011

Fernando Pisani to Europe?

Unsigned Fernando Pisani, who has been skating with the likewise unemployed Jason Strudwick, has some interest in Europe but nothing from any NHL teams. He’s only 34, too young to retire. But, maybe it’ll come to that.

Would he go into the construction business like his dad?

“I’m no good with tools,” he said, with a laugh.

BLUES RELIEVE PAYNE AS HEAD COACH, HIRE HITCH*****

The St. Louis Blues have relieved head coach Davis Payne of his duties and named Ken Hitch***** new head coach. Hitch***** signed a contract through the 2012-13 season, making him the 24th head coach in Blues’ franchise history.

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Flames' woes have 'vultures' circling

GM ready to deal if struggles continue

In other words, expect a move or two sooner rather than later – unless the Flames somehow turn it around in an awful hurry.

Regarding the strange case of intransigent Phoenix center Kyle Turis, the 22-year-old Group II free agent who will be ineligible to play in the NHL this season if he remains unsigned by Dec. 1, but who is refusing to sign nonetheless because he feels he has been mistreated by the Coyotes’ organization:

It took about 35 seconds after Pekka Rinne’s seven-year, $49 million contract extension was announced by the Nashville Predators for Montreal Canadiens fans to flood Twitter with Carey Price comparisons.

And yes, there’s no question that Price’s leverage just went up even more, if it wasn’t high enough to begin with.

They are not exact comparisons: Rinne was unrestricted free agent-bound, while Price will be a restricted free agent July 1. UFA-bound players always have a bit more leverage.

Defencemen are a hot commodity for NHL general managers.

League sources told QMI Agency that “if you’ve got an extra defenceman, you might want to hold onto him.” No fewer than 10 teams are looking for blue-line help, due to injuries or inability in their own zone.

While Montreal Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier has been the most desperate to find a defenceman with Andrei Markov still sidelined with a knee injury, he isn’t the only one.

James Reimer remains out for the foreseeable future.

The Leafs starting netminder has not played in two weeks and did not take part in practice on Friday as the team altered its course in his recovery process yet again.

“[He’s] kind of I’d say hit a plateau in his recovery so the trainers decided not to ask him to go on the ice,” said Ron Wilson, following the team’s workout at Mastercard Centre.

Linus Omark has had a propensity to take the direct route when it comes to his hockey career.

So when the Swedish left-winger was talking to Tyson Gibbons of PuckLife magazine Friday in Abbotsford, B.C., he made it clear he’s not keen on spending the rest of this season in the American Hockey League.

Omark had been assigned to the Oklahoma City Barons, the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate, earlier this week and was in the lineup for the Barons 3-2 victory over the Heat.

As the NHL approaches the one-month mark, the bitter, galling truth for the Columbus Blue Jackets is this: No matter who gets pushed over the side, no matter who falls on the proverbial sword, whether it’s today, tomorrow or next week, this season is lost.

Not even a month into the season, the Blue Jackets have stumbled and bumbled their way not just out of a shot at the playoffs but out of relevance. Shocking, really, how quickly this team has imploded, how quickly it has managed to suck the air out of a market that was already gasping for breath, having endured a full decade of NHL play without having seen the home side win one single playoff game.

Blue Jackets interested in Sergie Bobrovsky

NHL scout told me the Blue Jackets have interest in Sergie Bobrovsky. However, Flyers reporter told me he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/#!/KellyFriesen/statuses/132507114290688001

Hurricanes Trade Talk

Much has been made of the surplus on defense in Toronto and the eventual and likely trade the Maple Leafs will make using that surplus sometime this season.

But another team that’s willing to move a defenseman is the Carolina Hurricanes, a source told ESPN.com this week.

The idea is to give more ice time eventually to the likes of Justin Faulk or Derek Joslin, both promising young blueliners. The Hurricanes need to open up that ice time by moving a defenseman.

For a team like the Flames, with an average age of 29 second only to the Detroit Red Wings’ 30, a youth movement is on the horizon. So the addition of a potential top-line talent in Turris is extremely attractive. If (perhaps when) the Coyotes cave and get what they can for the kid, the Flames will be in the running. The Yotes have plenty of cap room, but it’s tough to justify a team being run by the league spending any higher than their current US$53-plus-million.