Trade Rumors
Three Way Trade In The Works?
It was reported on January 20th that New York Rangers GM Neil Smith was looking to step up a deal to acquire Keith Primeau from the Carolina Hurricanes, using Petr Nedved as trade bait. It was also claimed the Hurricanes are more willing to listen to such a proposal, given their recent slump that has seen them fall out of playoff contention. On January 21st, the New York Post, ESPN, FoxSports and the Slam! Hockey site all reported a major three-way deal may be in the works. Depending on which source you read or hear, the Rangers will send center Petr Nedved and youngster Manny Malholtra and possibly a draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes then send Keith Primeau and either a pick or prospect to the Phoenix Coyotes. In turn, the 'Yotes send Keith Tkachuk to the Rangers. The Post reports Tkachuk is very upset by this prospect, while ESPN reports Tkachuk told his teammates at a skills competition recently he's as good as gone from Phoenix. It's well-known the Coyotes want to dump Tkachuk's rich salary, which the Rangers could easily afford. While the Hurricanes in the past publicly dismissed the idea of swapping for Nedved, the Post believes GM Jim Rutherford has been putting pressure on owner Pete Karmonos as the Hurricanes continue to slump.
Yashin Rumors
Start Up Again
On January 16th, The Ottawa Sun suggested the
Senators may be planning to deal holdout Alexei Yashin, in the
wake of the impending tax relief to Canadian teams. He claimed
the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils both have contacted
the Senators, or were planning to soon, regarding a deal for
Yashin. The Sun said GM Marshall Johnston wants to trade Yashin,
but owner Rod Bryden was determined to keep him sitting out. It
also claimed the Tampa Bay Lighting, Nashville Predators and
Chicago Blackhawks were also interested.
Rumors Fly Around Buffalo
The Buffalo Newsreported on January 15th Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff had lost patience with his underachieving team and hinted he might suggest a trade or two from GM Darcy Regier to shake up his lineup. Names that were hinted at by the paper were Vaclav Varada, Wayne Primeau, Brian Holzinger, Dixon Ward, Alexei Zhitnik, Richard Smehlik, Geoff Sanderson, Jason Woolley, Michal Grosek and any prospect. Gleason claims the "untouchables" would be captain Michael Peca, forwards Curtis Brown, Maxim Afinogenov, Rob Ray, defencemen Jay McKee and Rhett Warrener and rookie goaltender Martin Biron. On January 16th, both the Ottawa Sun and New York Post contained speculative trade rumors concerning the Sabres. It was claimed the Calgary Flames have "coveted" Wayne Primeau all season, while the Canucks supposedly are looking to reunite Andrew Cassels with his former Hartford Whalers linemate Geoff Sanderson. The Post suggested the Rangers might try to acquire Vaclav Varada by offering up John MacLean.
Special Thank you to AOL Sports for their latest Trade Rumors.