NHL news you may have missed

SAINT PAUL, Minn –  With all eyes on Friday’s draft, and the upcoming free agent market, big news around the league is happening everyday. Coaching moves, rumor mills, trades, and all of the other off-season maneuvering that is not as pretty to report still must get done. Here’s an update from around the league for all of the hockey news junkies like myself.
 
Coaching Moves:
  The biggest news behind the bench is the strong indication that Barry Melrose, and his fantastic mullet, will be coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning next season. Reports are that the only obstacle standing in the way of making an announcement is that the team is currently in the midst of an ownership change, and the new ownership wants to make the announcement. To make the deal all the more solid, former Wild center Wes Walz has been contacted about an assistant spot on Melrose’s crew.
 
In other mullet-less, but no less important, coaching news, Ottawa has put Craig Hartsburg in charge of the team. Hartsburg is a former Canadian World Juniors head coach, but this will be his rookie campaign in the NHL. Hartsburg said “I know it’s a great challenge, and I can’t wait.” A challenge, indeed, given the fact that he could coach the Senators to the best record in hockey for the first half of the season, and all anyone will be thinking is, “when will they fall apart?”
 
Peter DeBoer, the man who was thought to be in the lead for the Ottawa job, will be coaching the Florida Panthers next season. DeBoer had this to say about the new position, ‘I am looking forward to the challenge of guiding this franchise back to the playoffs and to putting a team on the ice that our fans in South Florida can be proud of.’
 
Red Wings assistant Todd McClellan will coach the Sharks next season, saying “It’s a really good feeling.” Ron Wilson, after being fired from the Sharks job, will be behind the bench for Toronto, after signing a four year deal with the Leafs. Marc Crawford was fired in Los Angeles, though a replacement has yet to be found.
 
Two coaches returning to their respective benches are Mike Babcock and Jacques Lemaire. Babcock was rewarded for winning the Stanley Cup with a three year contract extension. Lemaire returns after long discussions with GM Doug Risebrough about the direction the team is headed in. The Wild lost in the first round to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Atlanta Thrashers hired their AHL Chicago Wolves head coach on 20 June, the day of the draft (see related story).
 
Signings and Trades:
  While the majority of signings will come after July 1^st, there have been some signings of note already. Ryan Potulny signed a one-year deal with the Oilers, after being traded to Edmonton from Philadelphia. Goalie Michael Leighton signed a two year-deal with the Hurricanes, and forward Patrick Eaves inked a three year deal with the club. Anaheim signed back-up goalie Jonas Hiller to a two-year extension, and the Montreal Canadiens signed forward Maxim Lapierre to a two-year deal.
Trades will have always been a big part of draft day, with the draft being the second busiest period of trading behind the in-season deadline. There have been few trades of note thus far, but expect that to change as the draft approaches. Two moves that are worth noting include the trade of defenseman Marc-Andre Burgeron from the Ducks to the Wild in exchange for the Wild’s third round pick in this year’s draft. In the other deal, the  Avalanche acquired defenseman Marty Sertich in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in next year’s draft, from the Dallas Stars.
  Retirements:  
It seems every year the fans lose some of the greats to retirement. This year is no different. Dominik Hasek retired after 16 seasons. He won six Veznia Trophies, and two Hart trophies. He is the first European goalie to win the Stanley Cup, and is most certainly a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.
 
Trevor Linden also announced his retirement. Linden spent nineteen seasons in the NHL, sixteen with the Vancouver Canucks. Despite being the best player in franchise history, Linden never captured a Stanley Cup. ‘Today is an emotional and exciting day for me as an athlete and a person,’ said Linden. ‘It closes one chapter of my life, my playing career, while opening up another which I am very much looking forward to. The game of hockey has been good to me and I would like to thank my family, former teammates, coaches, managers, support staff and the incredible fans that have been so generous in their support of my career.’
 
Dallas Stars defenseman Matthias Norstrom also called it quits. After 14 seasons spent with the Rangers, Kings, and Stars, Norstrom decided to remove himself from the distraction of this being a contract season, saying, “This wasn’t a rash decision by any means and I comfortable with it.”
 
Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley ended his 20 year career having spent 13 with th Hurricanes / Whalers franchise. Wesley helped transform the ‘Canes from a hapless NHL club in a warm weather market to Stanley Cup champions, winning the Cup in 2006. On ending his career in North Carolina, Wesley had this to say, “It seems like 30 years to me now. It’s been a process, and saying that, I think we’ve continued to grow and develop the game here. I think it’s probably been the best it’s been, and hopefully, we can continue to grow the game with the players that are on the ice, management. I think all the right things are in place here.”
 
Rumors:
The draft and the free agent deadline have led to a rampant rumor mill. Trades involving all-stars Olli Jokkinen and Marian Gaborik, among others are being floated in online blog sites, as well as making their way into main-stream media reports.
 
Alexi Yashin has been in talks with several NHL clubs about a return from Russia. Most notable are the NY Islanders, and the Minnesota Wild, though the Wild deny any contact this off-season, and most of the reports have him talking seriously with the Islanders.
 
The Minnesota Wild believe they are close to signing free-agent-to-be Brian Rolston, and hope to sign him before the draft. The Wild are alos very interested in Olli Jokkinen, possibly enough to package RFA Pierre-Marc Bouchard and the team’s first round pick to land him.
 
The Ottawa Senators are shopping goalie Ray Emery in hopes of landing some prospects. Reports are that if they cannot trade him, they will simply buy out his contract.
 
The Penguins have made Marian Hossa a long term offer, though there are no reports on how close the two sides are. Evgeni Malkin is quoted in multiple sources as saying he fully expects to sign an extension with the Penguins.
 
The Avalanche are looking to re-sign Adam Foote and Kurt Sauer. Joe Sakic’s return, and how much that will cost the Avs will play a big role in one or both of them coming back.
 
The Canadiens are pursuing Teemu Selane, and are sending out the big guns to convince him. Saku Koivu has been reported to be in contact with The Finnish Flash.
 
The author can be reached at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com