Souray Submits a List

As we near the Olympic Break and the Trade Deadline, it really appears interesting to me that Sheldon Souray finds himself on the trading block after submitting a list to the Oilers to which teams he would waive his no-trade clause for. To me, this is a real break in the case of dissecting rumours and such, but now the rumoured list is somewhat of a hot topic.

First things first, why the heck would the Oilers want to move a guy like Souray? He's a top-two defenseman, who brings a wallop of a shot from the point and a real veteran presence. The Oilers, if they were to have a quick rebuilding turnaround, would actually require a guy like Souray to quarterback their power play. To me, this is very reminiscent of the Maple Leafs situation with Tomas Kaberle, it's very curious to deal away your cornerstone piece on the point.

In the Oilers case, they do have a bit more depth, especially with Lubomir Visnovsky still being part of the equation and some youth in Alex Plante and Taylor Chorney coming up through the system. Obviously, that seems to be enough for the Oilers going forward or else they would be taking a stand on keeping Souray for the better part of his contract. If the rebuild is going to take three or four more year, Plante and Chorney should have ample time to develop and who knows what the Oilers are going to get from the future drafts.

As for his list, I like to believe what's being speculated, that the list of teams are all on the West Coast, trying to stay near his kids. Souray has two more years left on his deal, so he cannot play the rental and sign somewhere in the West after moving to the East for the remainder of this season. That's some reasonable forward thinking on his part, so it will be interesting to see if any of the California teams like what they see from him, maybe even Dallas or Phoenix, it does sound more like a Pacific Division-type move, rather than going down the road to Calgary or Vancouver. Still though, you would have to think that if the Flames or Canucks came calling with a package, the Oilers would have to listen.

So, speaking of his salary cap status, he does have two more seasons left at $5.4 million against the cap in each of those seasons and a good portion remaining on this season. That is a pretty big hit for a Trade Deadline move, especially for a rental player.

In terms of this season, we're now at a point in the year where the math gets to be awfully complicated, after injuries and demotions and such, so any team that is generally speculated to be in this, should have some space left for the $2.5 million or so Souray would need to fit in. The easy fits, just looking on the surface of some teams and their annual hits, I can see Anaheim, Phoenix and Los Angeles being really easy moves and they are all in the playoff discussion.

Long term, the Pacific Division seems to be a ripe place to be building from, as a lot of teams are going to be dealing with free agency right off the hop. Even the San Jose Sharks has a list of only 11 players signed on for next season at a cap hit of approximately $35.2 million. If the Sharks could open up a ton of space, you would have to think they might be players to pair up Souray with Boyle. Call it somewhat unreasonable, for chemistry reasons though.

As always, there are teams that are unhappy with certain players, which we can throw into supposed deals all we like. One that comes to mind would be Phoenix trying to package Peter Mueller out of town, since he's been mentioned a few times this year, for Sheldon Souray. I'm sure the Oilers could use another young, talented centre to help mould into their form. Personally, I think that kind of package is reasonable. Sadly, I have no sources or contacts to justify this, I'm just speculating all I like with the pieces in front of me.

No matter what happens, if Souray goes down South to the Pacific Division, I don't think that brings enough to the table for any of those teams.

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Backes for Schneider

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics
To Vancouver	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	2010 Cap Hit	2011 Cap Hit
David Backes	Forward	25	49	10	26	$2.5 million	$2.5 million
----------
To St. Louis	Position	Age	MIN	Wins	Points	2010 Cap Hit	2011 Cap Hit
Cory Schneider	Goaltender	23	78	0	0	$1.084 million	RFA

An interesting trade rumour floated through Twitter this afternoon and I thought I would have a look at its validity. The Canucks would finally send blue-chip goaltender, Cory Schneider, away to St. Louis and in return, the Blues would send gritty forward, David Backes.

This is a very curious deal, especially since we are coming to the time of rental deals, where this deal has plenty of long-term value. The Blues would get a new franchise goaltender and the Canucks would get some more speed and grit for at least another season after this.

For the Canucks, they would upgrade their depth with a former 30-goal scorer in Backes, which has to be a very tempting player to pick up. Backes would likely slot between the second and third line, depending on chemistry, production and discipline.

For the Blues, they are on the verge of unrestricted free agency with Chris Mason and they only have one year remaining with Ty Conklin, so they would likely be giving Schneider a year behind Conklin, which would be valuable for his NHL experience.

Since this deal would see a player join the Canucks without giving up a roster player, there might be some complications, especially with the return of Pavol Demitra to their line-up this month. The Canucks would have to likely free up some space, which may also include another player or two in this deal.

In terms of the 2011, the Blues are in full flexibility mode, having only 12 players signed on for an approximate cap hit of $28.5 million. They will be happy to take a piece like Schneider and build around him. The Canucks, on the other hand, have most of their core in place and are paying for this core for years to come. They currently have 13 players signed on for $42.6 million, which doesn't leave a great deal for depth, but that's the trick of management.

I do like this deal a whole lot, especially being a Canucks fan. The potential of Cory Schneider being a good NHL goalie is there and David Backes has the ability to score 30 goals, so the value does seem to be there. Backes did miss the Blues' last game with an upper-body injury, so if there is supposed to be a hiccup on this deal, it would be that.

Discuss in the comments...

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Lecavalier to the Rangers?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To New York	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Vincent Lecavalier	Forward	29	48	12	46	11	$7.727 million
--------
To Tampa Bay	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Brandon Dubinsky	Forward	23	36	10	26	2	$1.85 million
Wade Redden	Defenseman	32	42	1	7	5	$6.5 million
Matt Gilroy	Defenseman	25	44	4	7	2	$1.75 million

I saw this rumour this morning on Puck Daddy and I thought I would draw it out, despite it being denied right off the hop and with much vigor as well. Frankly, this is just a discussion point to which there is little basis to this, it's just an interesting thought, don't you think?

From the Tampa Bay side, they have been in the middle of the Vincent Lecavalier rumour cloud for quite some time now and in some cases there might be some fire to all the smoke. It does seem awfully silly to be thinking about a move for Lecavalier, the face of the franchise, but the mistake of giving him a boat load on a very long-term deal does seem to be biting the team management in the ass a little bit. We all know that trying to move a cap hit over $7 million is one of the hardest things plaguing some NHL general managers these days.

The Rangers know all too well about trying to move a big cap hit and this proposed rumour has that individual case in this deal going back the other way. Wade Redden and his $6.5 million cap hit has been a plight upon Rangers management, especially with the lack of decent play from the blueliner. I can see what the writer of this proposed rumour was thinking... "let's swap the big contracts and then give the Lightning a little bit more, because they are taking on Redden." I can see it, it makes some sense, but for the Lightning its somewhat of a dumb move, especially since they wouldn't be getting anywhere near the offense from Brandon Dubinsky and their depth gets challenged a bit more.

On the face of it all, something is likely going to happen with Lecavalier, but this deal certainly isn't going to be it. I have a feeling that the Lightning now have some reason to be waiting to see what Ilya Kovalchuk garners in a trade from Atlanta. Sure, it isn't quite the same situation, but its two teams in the Southeast Division trying to figure out what their superstars are worth on the market. Both teams seem to be looking to rebuild a bit, so there could be a little bit of a market comparison in there somewhere.

I still don't know why the Lightning would trade Lecavalier away until Steven Stamkos is up for negotiations and the team feels they want him more than Lecavalier.

Plus, I truly believe that the Rangers are stuck with Redden for the duration of that deal.

Souray for Theodore?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Washington	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Sheldon Souray	Defenseman	33	27	3	12	3	$5.4 million
--------
To Edmonton	Position	Age	MIN	Wins	Points	Years	Per Year
Jose Theodore	Goaltender	33	1,140	9	18	1	$4.5 million

Without a doubt, this is one of the more interesting deals that I've seen on HockeyBuzz this year, but it really does solve a number of issues, the age range is right and the cap hits are about the same.

Both teams are going in opposite directions this season and both have their own issues to deal with. The Capitals need some depth and some veteran presence on their blueline, while carrying three qualified goaltenders. The Oilers are spinning their wheels in the Northwest Division, with all sorts of high priced talent, which is hurting their books and not winning games. The Oilers goaltending situation is also not very secure, with Nikolai Khabibulin on the verge of season-ending surgery and two young goalies now holding down the fort.

Looking at the two pieces of this rumoured deal, Sheldon Souray is a good veteran leader on the blueline and would be able to add that extra depth to the Capitals in the end of this season and a couple seasons afterwards. Jose Theodore is now turning out to be the odd-man out, once Semyon Varlamov is officially healthy again, and the former Hart Trophy winner would likely enjoy some more starting minutes, no matter where it is.

The cap hit, although has very similar numbers does pose a bit of a concern, mostly on Washington's side of the ledger. If the Capitals were to take on Souray, they would have him at his $5.4 million cap hit for the next two seasons, without having made any accommodations to Nicklas Backstrom or Tomas Fleischmann, who are both becoming RFA's this summer. Yes, they would have some depth on the blueline, but the Capitals are looking very well thought out in cap management, it might be a bit of a smear adding such a big name to the mix.

The Oilers would certainly be happy taking on a number one goalie in Theodore, who would essentially be a rental player, as Khabibulin recovers from his back problems. The team can remain competitive, even play spoiler, with a decent starter in their stables.

The elements are there, but again, its the cap concern that would easily nix this deal in the end. The Capitals would have a very formidable second power play unit, if Souray was to quarterback it and the Oilers would have $5.4 million more in cap room this summer if they were to end up moving him. That's a lot of flexibility given to a team that really needs it.

Caps & Jackets Cooking Up Something?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Washington	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Nikita Filatov	Forward	19	11	2	2	3	$2.225 million
--------
To Columbus	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Karl Alzner	Defenseman	21	10	0	4	2	$1.675 million

Now, this is a rumour that really getting some traction on the Twitter feed on this Monday morning. The Blue Jackets and Capitals are supposedly talking blockbuster trade and two of the prominent names floating around the mill is Nikita Filatov, the out-of-place sniper in Columbus, and Karl Alzner, who currently doesn't quite fit the Capitals budget as a balanced blueliner. Of course, there is probably more to this supposed deal, as trading these two prospects may be a bit short on calling it a blockbuster, but it does have some significant ramifications if it does go down.

Filatov, currently in Saskatchewan for the World Junior tournament with Russia, has been playing in the KHL since leaving the Blue Jackets earlier this season. Filatov was not the right fit in Ken Hitchcock's defensive system and Filatov was better suited to go back to Russia to develop his offensive talents a little bit more. I had a feeling that Filatov was not likely to see much more ice-time with Columbus, as long as Hitchcock was coaching.

Alzner, on the other hand, has been a bit of a burden to the Capitals management, but for the right reasons. Alzner is a former 1st round pick and has a cap hit that reflects that in his entry-level deal. The Caps are busting at the cap ceiling, thanks in large part to the Michael Nylander's nuisance of a deal, which the team finally cleared not long ago. Unfortunately, his defensive play isn't quite enough to make Alzner untouchable and he hasn't quite clicked offensively.

On paper, this deal looks like kind of a dud, but when you consider the style of play from each player, it really does have a lot of merit. Filatov could be slotted into a very offensive system, albeit next season for all intensive purposes (and cap reasons) and Alzner would be a great young piece to an already solid (on paper) blueline core in Columbus. Alzner could also be a quick fix for some defensive responsibility that the Jackets so desperately need. I like this deal for its merit.

Kovalchuk Vancouver-bound?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Vancouver	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Ilya Kovalchuk	Forward	26	28	19	36	1	$6.389 million
--------
To Atlanta	Position	Age	GP/MIN	Goals/Wins	Points	Years	Per Year
Pavol Demitra	Forward	35	0	0	0	1	$4 million
Cory Schneider	Goaltender	23	78	0	0	1	$1.084 million
2010 1st Round Pick

Well, this one is a doozy, wouldn't you say? The Thrashers have been the focus of many rumours and speculation and this one is no different. This rumour is thanks to this tweet, which popped up on Sunday afternoon.

Ilya Kovalchuk is an impending unrestricted free agent this summer and the Thrashers have been trying to lure their 1st overall pick in 2001 back into the fold for the long-term with some contract talks. The trade speculation has been amplified because the talks are supposedly not going very well.

The Canucks are trying to find their stride in the Western Conference playoff race, sitting in 10th spot going into Sunday's action and if there was any meat to this rumour, it would suggest that the Canucks are looking to add more consistent scoring to help out their defensive play.

The Canucks, in fairness, should be looking to unload Pavol Demitra, because of his high price tag and inability to make an impact in the line-up and they have a good trading piece like Cory Schneider, who is considered to be one of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL. The first round pick is more of a piece that puts the deal over the top.

I can't see this deal going down in the slightest. The Canucks have no cap space and I don't believe they would pay that much for a rental player. The Canucks won't have the cap space in the coming seasons to deal a long-term Kovalchuk contract, so you can immediately say that this is a rental agreement.

Another point against the possibility of this deal would be that the Canucks are not built on offense or a true offense style. The Canucks are trying to pride themselves on defense and a good transition game and/or forecheck. Yes, Kovalchuk would improve the transition game, but I don't think he has the defensive responsibility that the Canucks are looking for.

Deal Brewin' Between Oilers & Rangers?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Edmonton	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Brandon Dubinsky	Forward	23	18	3	10	2	$1.85 million
--------
To New York	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Andrew Cogliano	Forward	22	29	3	8	1	$1.13 million

Now, this is by no means a complete rumour, but there were names going both ways, so I thought I would toy with the names posted on Hockeybuzz this morning. Hell, I got to use a pretty cool picture of Andrew Cogliano while I'm at it, so that's okay.

So, in theory it looks like this isn't too terribly far off from being a straight swap. The Oilers would get what was thought to be the perfect centre for Marian Gaborik in Brandon Dubinsky and the Rangers would get a speedster that could actually keep up to Gaborik in Cogliano.

The Oilers need offensive depth and Dubinsky can be great behind or ahead of Shawn Horcoff in the depth chart at centre, which means he could be slotted in with either Ales Hemsky or Sam Gagner, depending on how the coach feels that day. That has to be rather exciting.

Cogliano, as explained to me earlier today on Twitter, hasn't been able to slow down and be in more control for the Oilers, so he's not really fitting in. Well, what city in North America loves the flash & dash? You're right, it's the Big Apple. As mentioned before, Cogliano could find himself playing with Gaborik, who is considered one of the fastest skaters in the league... so it's a perfect match. Now, if Gaborik's scoring rubs off a bit too, the Rangers are in business.

Now, I think we can all agree that Dubinsky will come with a higher market value than Cogliano, so that would indicate that the Oilers may have to throw in a little more to get this deal done. Would the Rangers be so bold as to get another defenseman to keep around? Probably not, their top six is so good that they don't even keep a seventh around. Maybe there is another prospect in there that the Oilers can pick up and then maybe throw a deep pick in going back with Dubinsky to call it square?

I think this has some merit to it... what do you think?

Canucks & Coyotes Talking?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Vancouver	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Peter Mueller	Forward	21	24	1	4	1	$1.7 million
--------
To Phoenix	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Shane O'Brien	Defenseman	25	20	0	0	1	$1.6 million

In an interesting tweet I saw today, the Canucks and Coyotes may be talking trade to help deal a couple of underachieving players from one team to the other. As you can see above, the Coyotes would ship Peter Mueller to Vancouver for Shane O'Brien. Both Mueller and O'Brien have drawn the ire of their coaches, being healthy scratches in the line-up of late, which does help to facilitate a trade and upon further review, you notice that they are both worth the same against the cap this season and they are both free agents at the end of the season.

Now, I do find it a tad hard to believe that this is a deal worth doing, as O'Brien is very one dimensional as a pugilistic defender, but if Mueller is available, there does seem to be some merit here. I would have to think that there is some extra value in Mueller being much younger than O'Brien, so if there was any discussion in this direction, the Coyotes would likely be looking for a 2nd round pick to make up the difference. Mueller comes with plenty of upside and the Canucks could use a little more depth up front, so if the Canucks can part with a decent pick, I suppose I could see it happening.

Rumour Revision

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Montreal	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Shawn Horcoff	Forward	31	23	5	11	6	$5.5 million
Gilbert Brule	Forward	22	24	8	17	1	$800,000
--------
To Edmonton	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Andrei Kostitsyn	Forward	24	24	2	10	2	$3.25 million
Sergei Kostitsyn	Forward	22	3	0	2	1	$817,000
Ryan O'Byrne	Defenseman	25	7	0	0	2	$942,000

In a rumoured deal already put forth in the blog, we potentially saw Shawn Horcoff going to the Habs for the Kostitsyn brothers, straight up. That rumour I thought had some muscle to it. Today, however, I wanted to throw into the ring a quick revision that I found a day or two ago, adding in a couple more players, likely to even out the odds a little bit.

The addition of Gilbert Brule and Ryan O'Byrne to the mix is fairly interesting. Brule is enjoying a rebirth to his career, which had fizzled quite badly in Columbus, while O'Byrne has been an up-again, down-again defenseman in Montreal, so he'll be looking for full-time work. Brule could give the Canadiens some more flexibility if some of the other rumoured deals are true (ie. Scott Gomez leaving Montreal), while the Oilers could be infatuated with O'Byrne's size (6'6", 228 lbs.).

Salary cap-wise, the Habs new hit won't be as hard with another $142,000 shaved off the cap hit they take on, which I thought was necessary to move the Kostitsyns, so that becomes somewhat of a wash.

In my opinon, the only thing really nixing this deal going forward would be what kind of value the Oilers have in Brule. They have done well to make them one of their own and actually get some secondary scoring from him as well. That can be easily counteracted by the value they put in both Kostitsyn brothers and whether or not they can turn them into valuable members of the run & gun style of play.

With Hemsky's season done, could this be a move forward, getting the brothers in hopes they can play with Hemsky and start to produce big numbers. Trading Horcoff and Brule away may be considered to be a season-ending move, but it's really all just if's and but's at this time.

A Staal in Edmonton?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Edmonton	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Eric Staal	Forward	25	16	3	7	7	$8.25 million
Undetermined Draft Pick
--------
To Carolina	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Andrew Cogliano	Forward	22	25	3	8	1	$1.133 million
Denis Grebeshkov	Defenseman	26	19	3	10	1	$3.15 million

Well, how about this one? This is a doozy of a rumour, which could have been brewing up for some time now. It takes a couple of different ideas and combines them into one really awkward and hard-to-believe notion.

The Oilers have been anything but quiet about trying to get themselves a superstar, including Dany Heatley and Phil Kessel. The Hurricanes could very well be looking for a change in direction altogether after their disastrous start to the year. A trade for both teams seems likely. Is this really what the mill has in mind though?

The Hurricanes would be trading away a franchise player from their roster with a heavy salary cap hit for the next seven seasons after this one. You could argue that this could be more of a salary dump to help buy themselves a new superstar when the free agent marketplace opens in July 2010.

The Oilers would then be moving the two players that they have been reportedly trying to deal for some quality talent and would be willing to take on that excess of salary that Staal has already been signed to.

I can't honestly see this going down though. There just doesn't seem to be enough going to Carolina in this deal. The Oilers are getting a 100-point player (when healthy) and the Hurricanes are getting two impending free agents for next season. There has to be more to it. The Canes could be looking for some more draft picks to help ease their way in the rebuilding phase of their franchise. Maybe then it would make some sense, especially if it was a really high pick.

Still though... moving Eric Staal is mildly far-fetched. Between him and Cam Ward, those are the two players Carolina should be building around.

Hawks & Leafs in Cap Move?

RUMOUR			2009/2010 NHL Statistics			2010 Cap Hit
To Toronto	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Patrick Sharp	Forward	27	22	6	19	3	$3.9 million
Brent Sopel	Defenseman	32	21	1	3	2	$2.3 million
--------
To Chicago	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Per Year
Matt Stajan	Forward	26	21	5	15	1	$1.75 million
Jiri Tlusty	Forward	21	3	0	0	1	$855,000
Garnet Exelby	Defenseman	28	11	0	0	1	$1.4 million

With the Blackhawks desperately seeking out ways to trim down their projected salary cap number for the 2011 season, in order to re-sign Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith to long-term deals, the Maple Leafs might be the team to help solve their problems, but its going to cost the Blackhawks dearly... or so we are to believe. Another rumour from the mill today saw Patrick Sharp and Brent Sopel heading North to Toronto for Matt Stajan, Jiri Tlusty and Garnet Exelby, which not only is a big player swap, there is plenty of cap room heading to Canada in return for two veteran players with large contracts extending past this season.

The surface of this deal is straight cap dump, but on a skill level, this is no real improvement to the Blackhawks, who are going after a championship this year, rather it's a big turn in the opposite direcetion. A feeling most people/fans would honestly believe. The real key to that argument would be Patrick Sharp, who has proven that he is far more valuable as a two-way player than his counterpart in the deal, Matt Stajan.

Despite clearing off $6.2 million of cap space off the books for the 2011 season, the Blackhawks likely won't want to sacrifice a season where they can actually win it all, unless they are somewhat confident that Stajan and Exelby can fill the void left behind by Sharp and Sopel. Exelby and Sopel are somewhat of a wash, skill & scoring-wise, so that isn't too bad. I really don't see Tlusty being the guy to bridge the gap between Stajan and Sharp, but the system in Chicago could be way more beneficial for both players... who is to say?

Sharp is just too valuable and it's the point that keeps coming back around to predict that this deal won't go down. Burke has been able to twist some arms off before, so you just never know for sure.