Latest Rumors on Kariya, Hannan
12:05: Once the Blues missed out on Jason Blake, they came out of nowhere and pursued Paul Kariya to sign in St.Louis. The Penguins offer was substantially less than St.Louis. The Blues are believed to have offered Kariya a 3 yr deal worth over 5 million. The Penguins had a 3 – 12 million deal on the table. Vancouver was also a finalist. 11:54 – Hockeybuzz.com is reporting Paul Kariya has signed with the St.Louis Blues. Looks like money has won out. Looking into the money differences. Don’t really care that i was wrong because i was just posting what i was told around 11:00. 11:08 – Paul Kariya is “very” close to signing with the Penguins. I don’t like
Penguins linked to Paul Kariya
I’m writing this with caution but i just got word a few minutes ago that Paul Kariya has narrowed his list down to 3 and the Penguins appear to be the favorite at this moment. The Buzz on the Burgh has learned that the Penguins and Kariya are currently talking about a 3 year deal. The Penguins are offering less money than others but are offering a third year. The Penguins have re-signed defenseman Ryan Whitney to a 6 yr extension. I reported Wednesday Whitney was seeking 5 years to the Penguins intial offer of 4 years – 14 million but Whitney was able to land a 6 year deal which is great for him and the franchise. The deal
Rumor Updates on the Penguins & NHL
2:18: Up to 6 teams including the Penguins have inquired about Paul Kariya. Kariya has narrowed his list down to three and take it for what its worth but i’ve been told that Kariya and the Penguins are working on a 3 yr deal. 1:50: The Penguins have inquired about defenseman Scott Hannan, Danny Markov and Andy Sutton. The Penguins have offered Hannan a four year deal worth between 13-14 million. The offer is believed to be front loaded. Once Hannan is off the market, the Penguins will try to lure Markov & Sutton. 1:28: 7 teams have inquired about Scott Hannan and he has narrowed his field down to 4. 1:18: Detroit Red Wings are pursuing Brian Rafalski. Rafalski
Rumors, Rumors, Rumors,
The Penguins top targets on defense are Scott Hannan and Danny Markov. The Penguins will place a call to Hannan right when the clock strikes at noon. The Pens offer to Hannan is expected to be a 4 yr deal worth 3.5 million per season. Thats the highest they’ll go i have been told. Unless Hannan takes less money, he won’t be signing in Pittsburgh. Markov is being pursued by Chicago and Detroit. The Penguins do not appear to be interested Cory Sarich or Shane Hnidy. Either through trade or free agency the Penguins are looking to add a second tier goal scorer today. The Bruins have made it known to all 30 teams they are looking to move Glen
Joe Paterno telling recruits he is getting close to retirement
Talked to a good source today who is very close to one of Penn States top recruits out of Western Pennslyvania and he revealed to me that Joe Paterno is telling 07-08 recruits he will retire in the next 2-3 years. Paterno is telling the recruits that he will not be there for the duration of their college careers at Penn State but my source told me they were all told the next coach will be hired from in-house.
Latest Penguin Buzz
Will the Penguins make a big splash when free agency begins? Most likely not but they are expected to add a defensive defenseman, backup goaltender and a possibly a top 6 forward at a reasonable price. The Penguins budget for spending in free agency will be 6-8 million to fill 3 spots whether through FA or trades. I’ve been told 8 million might be a bit higher than they are expected to spend. The spots that will be filled are for a defensive defenseman, top 6 forward and backup goalie. It appears their first priority is to sign or trade for a defensive defenseman. Their projected budget for spending on free agent defenseman appears to be around 2-3 million per
Penguins could still make a play for Kovalev
The Montreal Candiens are expected to send a long term offer to Daniel Briere that could be worth up to 7 million dollars per season & are also seeking to find a replacement for Sheldon Souray. The Canadiens cap number right now is around 34-36 million and the latest out of Montreal is all of this could lead to the Canadiens putting Alexei Kovalev back on the trading block to save some cap space. The Canadiens entertained offers to see what they could get at the draft and touched based with the Penguins, Capitals and a unknown third team. If they feel any offers are worth it they would love to get rid of Kovalevs salary. While i was in
Francis, Messier among 07 Hall class
Congratulations to Ron Francis being inducted into the hockey hall of frame. Francis will go into the hall quietly behind Mark Messier who will get all the press but thats suits Francis because that’s how he went about his business during his NHL career. Francis may be one of the most underrated players in professional sports. Great two way player who had all the tools. Francis was a player who could put up 80-100 pts in any given season, great on draws, teams top penalty killer, finished 4th on All-Time pts list and most importantly was a professional on and off the ice. This years Hall of fame has to rank in the top 3 of all time. Mark Messier
Regher to Pittsburgh talks dead
Latest Penguin Buzz…… As of this afternoon the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins have broken off talks about a potential trade where Robin Regher would be traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for Brooks Orpik a 2nd round pick and a unknown roster player a source close to the situation has told me. The Flames are willing to move Regher but believe the offers they have received are not worth moving Regher at this time despite the possibility of losing Regher to free agency following the 07-08 season. A report in Canada says the Flames have received up to 3 offers regarding Robin Regher. Talks with the Penguins are at a stalemate, The Penguins are obviously exploring all their options but
Time to Play GM
A look at what teams in the Atlantic Divison are going to do when free agency begins 1. New Jersey Devils 107 pts first place in Atlantic divisionThe Devils are most likely going to lose Scott Gomez to free agency but that still doesn’t leave them much cap room. Lou hasn’t been that successful managing up against the cap and its going to be interesting to see where he sees his club moving forward. Does he try o replace Gomez through trade of free agency or does he build from within? The signings of Alexander Mogilny and Vlad Malakhov in 05 have hampered the Devils in free agency the past couple years but despite the strong possibility of losing Scott