NHL Rumors of the Day–Kovalchuk An Oiler? Winnipeg May Get Team?

Detroit’s Jimmy Howard has looked suspect as Chris Osgood’s backup, so the Red Wings may be seeking a solid No. 2 netminder.  Meanwhile, the New York Islanders may soon have three solid goalies.  If injured Rick Dipietro gets anywhere close to healthy, look for Islanders GM Garth Snow to offer either Dwayne Roloson or Martin Biron to the Red Wings.

The chances of superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk re-signing with the Atlanta Thrashers is 70-30 according to my sources.  But if he doesn’t want to re-sign with the Thrashers then it’s possible he may be traded to the Edmonton Oilers.  If the Thrashers are moving their captain and best player at the deadline, it means they can’t sign him and he’s going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  That complicates things for the team dealing and the team that’s interested because Atlanta wants to get something for a guy who’s going to walk, but can’t get market value for an impending unrestricted free agent.

Anaheim Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere could be headed north to the Toronto Maple Leafs after Vesa Toskala’s struggles.   Also, Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson who is looking to unseat Toskala as the teams number 1 goalie got his first start last night and ended up losing 2-1.  There are reports that the Leafs are afraid that Toskala is not viable and that he will continue to struggle.  The leafs acquired Gustavsson in the offseason because they were not convinced that Toskala would be their future between the pipes.

It seems as though Semyon Varlomav playoff run last season has not won him any favors with the Washington Capitals coaching staff.  Head Coach Bruce Boudreau needs Varlamov to be mentally tougher.  He lets opposing teams score in bunches and that zaps his confidence.  In the playoffs it’s easier to keep your head in the game because everything is always on the line, sometimes you get caught up in the regular season feeling as if things should be easier only to find out they’re not.  The rookie needs to keep his chin up and all will be good, let’s remember he does have a few guys who can score in bunches of their own like MVP Alex Ovechkin.

I’m hearing rumblings of an NHL team moving back to Winnipeg.  Their have been ongoing negotiations with the Atlanta Thrashers to possibly relocate.  It’s no secret that the Thrashers are losing money (6 million a year to be exact) and now word comes that Canada’s richest man may be getting involved.  David Thomson is interested in bringing a team to the northern Manitoba city.  Thomson already owns the arena where the Manitoba Moose play and is looking to revive the history of the Jets.  The team left Winnipeg for Phoenix Arizona where they thought they would find greener pastures. Over fifteen years later that isn’t the case and that same team is hemorrhaging money.  Blackberry owner Jim Basillie is trying to acquire the Phoenix team and move it to Hamilton.  He hasn’t been successful yet which is why I feel Thomson is getting involved with the NHL, he is way to wealthy and influential to not get what he wants.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story. Follow us on Twitter @hockeylicious.