Oilers Trade Rumors

" A player with a bad knee and without a contract would be a fool to play in a tournament, so you can't blame Pitkanen for protecting his livelihood. As for his contract talks, they haven't started yet, but Pitkanen is already taking heat for an opening offer in the $5 to $6 million range. Lowe, however, says it wasn't their opening offer, but, rather, a figure from a year ago, when they first acquired him from Philadelphia and were kicking around a long-term deal... Pitkanen is a restricted free agent, so he doesn't have a lot of options."

"Rob Daum might not return to the University of Alberta to coach with his three-year leave of absence over, but he's not sure if he's coming back to be an Edmonton Oilers assistant coach, either. Daum, who signed a one-year contract with the Oilers last summer when Craig Simpson left to be a Hockey Night in Canada colour commentator, is in a state of limbo. He was an injection of new blood to the coaching staff, but the NHL season's been over for three weeks and there's no indication if Daum will be rehired."

"Q: What are the chances of Brian Campbell or Marian Hossa coming to the Oilers as free agents?... A: Zip. Campbell, who's done some wonderful things in San Jose, will almost surely re-sign in San Jose for five or six years and $6.5 million a year."

" "We have Denis (Grebeshkov) and Joni's (Pitkanen) contracts coming up," said Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe. "We have (Robert) Nilsson, (Marc) Pouliot and (Jarret) Stoll. So there's lots of work to do and that's pretty much the norm in the NHL." Grebeshkov and Pitkanen are two keys on the back end for the Oilers. "

" However, Gilbert decided to put pen to paper now and came to terms on a new six-year, $24-million deal with the Oilers announced yesterday. It is expected Robert Nilsson will follow suit at $5.5-million for three years, although that's yet to be made official. "

"Defencemen Tom Gilbert, Denis Grebeshkov and Joni Pitkanen are set to become RFAs, as are Jarret Stoll and Robert Nilsson. Marty Reasoner, Curtis Glencross and Geoff Sanderson will be unrestricted on July 1. "Am I concerned about our RFAs? Not one bit," said Lowe. "

"If that was Jarret Stoll's last game as an Edmonton Oiler, he went out with a bang. If it was merely an advertisement for what comes next, the Oilers might want to hang onto him."

" Dustin Penner is growing into his spot as the first line left-winger. Robert Nilsson is oozing skill on the kid line. Ethan Moreau has a spot reserved on the third. Curtis Glencross ignited the fourth. So where does that leave Raffi Torres? "

"MacTavish went on to say that there are a few other grey areas that will get sorted out between now and the start of the 2008-09 season. One of those, of course, is where Raffi Torres will fit in. After 32 mostly forgettable games, the mercurial winger was sidelined with a knee injury."

"But if GM Kevin Lowe wants a nuclear deterrent, he'll have a few alternatives this summer. Wade Belak of the Florida Panthers will be an unrestricted free agent. Ditto for Jody Shelley of the San Jose Sharks, Darcy Hordichuk (Nashville Predators) and Todd Fedoruk (Minnesota Wild)."

" The New York Post is reporting that former Oilers GM Glen Sather is interested in making a deal for Edmonton Oilers prospect Rob Schremp, who can't seem to make any inroads with the big club."

"Meanwhile, the Rangers are believed looking elsewhere for help on defense, perhaps toward Edmonton's Joni Pitkanen, since Tampa's Dan Boyle yesterday signed a six-year, $40 million extension that removes him from the top of the rental market... With Boyle re-signing with the Lightning, Tampa is expected to have to deal former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards, who has a no-trade clause and may have the Rangers, and possibly the Devils, on his short list of acceptables."

"The Post has learned that the Blueshirts have had dialogue with Edmonton aimed at obtaining talented AHL winger Rob Schremp, the 25th-overall selection in the 2004 Entry Draft."

"And as for trading Jaromir Jagr, don't hold your breath... As usual, expect Sather to deal with GMs with whom he has some personal connection - such as longtime pals Brian Burke of Anaheim, Kevin Lowe of Edmonton or Doug Risebrough of Minnesota or former Edmonton assistant GM Scott Howson (Columbus), former Rangers broadcaster John Davidson (St. Louis) and Phoenix GM Don Maloney, who was Sather's longtime second-in-command with the Rangers."

"Richards' name has been most often linked to Columbus and Vancouver, with Montreal, Philadelphia and Edmonton also believed to have interest in acquiring the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, with Columbus believed to be the front-runner should Tampa Bay decided to trade Richards."

"Sources have confirmed Lowe is trying to insinuate himself into the bidding war, such as it is, for overpriced Tampa Bay forward Brad Richards. Lowe hinted at it on Friday's pay-per-view broadcast."

" Dwayne Roloson, who relieved Mathieu Garon for the third period, stood by his stance that he'd rather be traded than be a benchwarmer, but says a sub-head in yesterday's Sun suggesting his kids were being bullied at school is misleading."

"The rumor with the most traction continues to surround talk that Lightning general manager Jay Feaster has put out feelers to see what kind of return could be had for C Brad Richards, with Columbus allegedly showing the most interest at this point, although TSN Canadian television reported that Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Edmonton also have interest. Richards, however, holds a no-trade clause, which means he would have to agree to any trade, which might eliminate Edmonton's chances."

"So if the Bruins want a top-six forward (other possibilities include Calgary's Alex Tanguay, Tampa Bay's Vaclav Prospal, and Edmonton's Jarret Stoll), other GMs might include Phil Kessel, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Tuukka Rask, Matt Lashoff, and Zach Hamill on their wish lists."

"Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe may be in pursuit of free-agent sniper Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, according to sources. Hossa, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, is one of the hottest commodities on the trade market less than a week before the Feb. 26th NHL trade deadline, with no less than eight to 10 teams -- including Stanley Cup contenders like the Ottawa Senators -- interested in acquiring his services."

"Forsberg was Plan A. Risebrough now moves on to Plan B. Last month, Risebrough conveyed interest to Florida GM Jacques Martin regarding captain Olli Jokinen, but the Panthers are four points out of a playoff spot and would want a huge amount for Jokinen. Another option could be Edmonton's Jarret Stoll, a potential restricted free agent who's having an off year but has a cannon for a shot and ranks 11th in the faceoff circle."

" In a perfect world, the Oil would make a two- or three-for-one to land a front-line talent like a Marian Hossa out of Atlanta, but that isn't going to happen. A player who could be had is the Montreal Canadiens' Michael Ryder."

"The countdown is on for the Ottawa Senators to choose the goaltender who will lead them into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Asked yesterday if he was close to making a decision on whether Martin Gerber or Ray Emery would get the reins heading into the final quarter of the campaign, head coach John Paddock said the time is coming... General manager Bryan Murray could still trade for an upgrade between the pipes, though the names that have been thrown out so far (Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson and Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin) seem both unrealistic and counter-productive."

"The Tampa Bay Lightning was to begin seeing this week if it can get Ottawa native and defenceman Dan Boyle's name on a contract extension... The Oilers are doing their best to move goalie Dwayne Roloson, who will be 39 in October and has $3.67 million left on his contract next year... The Canadiens will be trying to get potential unrestricted free agent Cristobal Huet's name on a new contract before July 1, but Michael Ryder will be free to walk, if he hasn't been traded by then."

" The Oilers are likely to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, as they are going to need a lot of help to climb from the depths of 13th and 14th in the West into a playoff position. The names being thrown around as potential trade bait are Joni Pitkanen, Jarret Stoll, Steve Staios and Dwayne Roloson. "

"An attention-grabbing $200-million offer and the involvement of National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman has Edmonton billionaire Daryl Katz much closer to owning a whopping majority stake in the Oilers. He may, in fact, get all 7,492.5 shares of the Edmonton Investors Group."

"Daryl Katz's quest to buy the Edmonton Oilers has suddenly become much easier with the collapse of a potential bid from within the team's board of directors. The small group of non-Katz members within the Edmonton Investors Group have notified the 34 EIG members that there is no counter bid that can match or exceed the local billionaire's offer. "

"Three members of the Edmonton Investors Group board of directors resigned Thursday, a clear signal that Daryl Katz's aggressive pursuit of the Oilers continues to divide the company and is gaining momentum. Tendering their resignations were Ron Hodgson, Neal Allen and Brian Hryniuk. Hodgson told The Journal he has also transferred his 130 shares to Katz, who is attempting to buy at least 60 per cent of the EIG's 7,492 shares in order to close the deal he presented on Dec. 13."

"With the Feb. 26 trade deadline a little more than a month away, it's not unusual to see high-level executives from other teams passing through the press box at the St. Pete Times Forum. Tuesday, Dallas co-GM Brett Hull and director of player personnel Dave Taylor were in attendance, as was Chicago scout and former Lightning player Marc Bergevin. While it's unclear whether Hull and Taylor were scouting the Lightning or Oilers, Bergevin was believed to be focusing squarely on Tampa Bay."

"The Oilers' owners huddled for nearly four hours Monday, discussing the details of drugstore billionaire Daryl Katz's $188-million share offer for the NHL club, and at meeting's end, board chair William Butler again withheld approval of the deal "in its current form." "We are not recommending refusal so much as that in its current form, it was not recommended," Butler told a news conference after a three-hour, 45-minute meeting of the Edmonton Investors Group at the Petroleum Club."

"The sides have made their pitches. Now the future of the Edmonton Oilers ownership is up to the individual investors. Yesterday, members of the Edmonton Investors Group gathered at the Petroleum Club for an information session to discuss the most recent offer made by drugstore billionaire Daryl Katz to buy the hockey club. "

"Five weeks remain to complete the construction of a contender. Don't be surprised if Lou Lamoriello joins the Kings' auction of Rob Blake or perhaps grabs Brad Stuart to bolster his backline and power play... Another name advanced as a potential Devil target is John-Michael Liles, but Colorado is expected to be a buyer, not a seller. Other teams likely to be sellers are Phoenix, where Ed Jovanovski has two more seasons on his $6 million deal, and Edmonton, where pickings are slim."

"Jarret Stoll's agent, Don Meehan, who also represents Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, was in town to talk with Oilers GM Kevin Lowe about the Group 2 free-agent's contract situation, but they've agreed to wait to seriously talk, maybe until next month. Gives both sides more time to see how Stoll is playing."

"Canadiens GM Bob Gainey told the media in Montreal on Monday, he's not happy with their faceoffs (they're 26th in the NHL at 48.1-per-cent efficiency). Sources in Montreal say one of the guys he's keeping an eye on is Oilers centre Jarret Stoll, who had one of his better games of the year (two points, only his fourth multiple-point game). He also won seven of 12 face-offs, and is winning 53.8 percent on the year, which puts him in the top 20 in the league."

"Daryl Katz's persistent, unrequited pursuit of the Edmonton Oilers is enough to make Jim Balsillie cry. While Balsillie lost out on his bids to buy the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, Katz has been rebuffed at least three times in his pitch to own the Oilers. The next brush-off could come Jan. 21, when the Edmonton Investors Group will meet to consider Katz's latest offer — $188-million — for the NHL franchise."

"There has been a small surge of trade talk around the league entering this week, partly due to teams wanting to wrap up odds and ends before the holidays. The Edmonton Oilers, with Sheldon Souray and Dick Tarnstrom returning to the lineup this week have a surplus, with Tarnstrom believed to be available, Scott Niedermayer's return to Anaheim means one less job there and Frantisek Kaberle is a healthy scratch in Carolina. Joe Corvo could be acquired from Ottawa, but never in an intra-division swap with the Leafs. Toronto is almost out of cap space, so Ferguson would have to be creative in getting an experienced defenceman."

" That hasn't stopped teams from calling. The talk is the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes are both interested in Joe Corvo. While the Hurricanes want a puck-moving blueliner, the Oilers are trying to peddle either C Jarrett Stoll or LW Raffi Torres to the Senators. Both were scratched Friday. "

"Two names to keep in mind if the Blue Jackets are, in fact, trying to acquire a scoring-line center -- Edmonton's Jarret Stoll and Florida's Olli Jokinen."

"While Columbus is off to a terrific start and coach Ken Hitchcock is looking for a centre and a puck-moving defenceman, it's believed the Jackets have to talked to the Oilers because Howson has a strong relationship with GM Kevin Lowe. The Oilers wouldn't mind moving winger Raffi Torres, but the club has its own problems on the blue line and can't satisfy the Jackets' needs there ."

"With salary-cap concerns -- the Oilers are close to the $50.3-million ceiling --they may be taking out feelers to see if anybody else is interested. The Atlanta Thrashers have been watching a lot lately. With the New York Rangers hard-pressed to get any offence from the back end, maybe they're looking, too."