Rumours and Such......

1) With the GM meetings over with we decided it was time to ask what up with the various players who have been rumoured to be on the block. The biggest prize of course is Marion Gaborik. We have been told that Doug Risebrough informed all the 29 fellow GM's in Chicago that the Slovak sniper is available BUT only at the right price. There are several question/problems though that would have to be addressed to facilitate a trade.

• A contract extension guaranteed with a trade: We're told that Marion's agent is insisting on a 'deal in principal' be in place prior to any trade. Gaborik does NOT have a no trade clause, but it would behoove a team trading for the forward to not make the mistake of obtaining him without a guarantee of keeping him beyond this season
  
  
• Adequate cap space top accommodate Gaborik. This, we're told is the biggest stumbling block(right now) As of now almost 2/3 of the league is within 1 mil of the salary cap maximum. In order to obtain Gaborik and his current 6.33 cap hit, most teams would have to unload payroll. The teams that have the cap space (Islanders, LA, etc have little interest in adding an "injury prone primadonna"


• With those restrictions in mind we'd have to say that a deal is NOT imminent! As one asst GM told one of our most trusted sources earlier last week,: "Gaborik is probably saying put". We have to say that we agree. Perhaps we might see something at the deadline, but certainly nothing before the holidays.
  

3) Here are some other interesting issues in and around the league:

• Ovechkin on leave: The story out of DC is that reigning NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin is headed back to Russia to spend time with his ailing grandfather. That angle of the story is legit. Ovechkin's grandfather, 83 year old Nikolay Kabayev, is reportedly gravely ill. However, one of our sources in the nation's capital told us the team was very supportive of this idea because their super star has also been nursing a nagging groin strain that he injured late in training camp. Alex has been reluctant to rest, so this time away allows the team to keep him away/off the ice to heal, while at the same time allowing him to say his final respects to the man who helped raise him. He's likely to miss at least 2 games, and be back next week
  
  
• Cloak and Dagger in NY? Things in NY have gone from silly to bizarre in short order. This all with respect to the NY Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro. It seems whenever the 'goalie for life' is injured (even before the new NHL rules governing injury) the team has been more than obtuse with the media with respect to the extent of the injury. (Anyone recall the label"generalized body soreness" used to describe a clear concussion late in 2007?)


• Since then DiPietro has had surgery on BOTH hips, and arthroscopic surgery on his knee in July. He was supposed to be 100% by camp. He evidently wasn't (his back up started the season's first 4 games), but the club was reluctant to say why or if DiPietro was injured at all. Leading to all kinds of speculation (rumours). Club beat writers, especially NewsDay's Mark Herrmann and Greg Logan have been pretty direct in their criticism of this situation, which made the team almost appear to be in full 'siege mentality'.
• We believe this approach is not the best way to go. Reducing media (and there by fan) interaction/openness is not a good way to go when you're trying to increase interest/good will in the community. Especially when the team is in a self proclaimed 'rebuild' when W's might be few and far between.
• However, our sources tell us that the team is very concerned about DiPietro's surgically repaired knee. We hear he had a 'meniscus tear' that the arthroscopic procedure was possible inadequate in solving, but the team and Ricky didn't want a more invasive open surgery that would have shelved him 3-6 months. Now the possibility is that this may be required anyway and possibly end his season. Of course the team won't inform their fans/media until next fall. ; )


• Staal/Spezza trade rumours: Spezza who has just started a new 7 year 49 mil deal is rumoured to be in the team's dog house. To that we say, "too bad!" Anyone could see that the kid was one dimensional. Good offensive ability, but no heart/inner drive to succeed. We would have never given such a player along term lucrative deal. The Sens are essentially stuck with him. Do NOT believe the various rumours going around that he will soon be dealt.
• As for Staal do NOT believe the Gaborik for Staal crap that many rumour mongers have been upchucking lately. The Pens have enough big price guys and don't want another long term expensive contract on the books. IF, and that's a huge IF the Pens do want/have to trade Jordan it won't be until next June's draft