Faceoff Factor

The Latest Rumors From Around the League

Michael Farkas | National Hockey League

Aug 19, 02:16 AM | Hype this story!

McCabe on the move? Florida to further bolster their defense spending?

It appears the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally convinced Bryan McCabe to go elsewhere. McCabe and his $5.75 million per year cap hit will likely be heading to Florida early in September. The oft-criticized offensive defenseman has a no-movement clause that he has refused to waive in the past.

The one thing holding up the deal is McCabe’s signing bonus of $2 million that is owed to him September 1. All parties will, apparently, agree to a move if the Leafs cover the aforementioned signing bonus.

The deal is reported to include McCabe and another Leafs player to Florida for at least one player. The player that would make the most sense going to Toronto would be Mike Van Ryn for a host of reasons including style of play and salary. However, the exact details of the trade have not been released but they have been agreed upon by both sides.

Jay Bouwmeester is not part of the deal.

Ignoring who is going back the other way, the Panthers new defense would look like this:
Bryan McCabe ($5.75 million)
Jay Bouwmeester ($4.8 million)
Nick Boynton ($2.95 million)
Mike Van Ryn ($2.9 million)
Karlis Skrastins ($2.4 million)
Keith Ballard ($2.275 million)
Cory Murphy ($825,000)
Noah Welch ($650,000)
Wade Belak ($650,000)
—-
9 defensemen – $23.2 million

Also under contract:
Keaton Ellerby ($1.3 million [includes bonuses])
Rory Fitzpatrick ($525,000)

My take: Obviously something has to give. My guess is Van Ryn. If the move is just for Van Ryn, it will give talented young defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Anton Stralman a good chance of seeing ice time in Toronto. It could also open up a spot for recently-drafted defenseman Luke Schenn.

Another offseason and another Swedish great dragging his feet

Mats Sundin has successfully put Peter Forsberg’s annual soap opera on the backburner for the time being. Sundin has yet to decide if he wants to play next season, and if he decides to play again, he’ll have a variety of suitors interested in his services.

Sundin’s agent J.P. Barry stated that six teams are in the running for his client’s services in 2008-09. Among them, Vancouver and Toronto are rumored to have made formal offers, while Philadelphia and the New York Rangers may not have. Vancouver’s offer is well-known, two years, $20 million and Toronto’s is rumored to be one-year, $7 million.

Sundin, 37, scored 78 points in 74 games last season for the Maple Leafs to lead the club.

Blues want to bring back Shanahan

The St. Louis Blues have inquired about the services of a familiar face, Brendan Shanahan. Shanahan, who spent four seasons with St. Louis, has indicated that his first choice is still the Rangers. The former second overall pick in 1987 has spent the past two seasons on Broadway.

However, sources close to Shanahan have said there is almost no chance of him signing in St. Louis because he does not want to uproot his family.

Shanahan, who will turn 40 this season, had 23 goals and 23 assists last season giving him 650 career goals and 690 career assists in 1490 games. (To boot, 2460 career penalty minutes, nice round numbers for everything, thanks Shanny).

Mark Parrish Update

Recently bought-out forward Mark Parrish has received quite a bit of interest since he was sent packing by the Minnesota Wild. According to various reports, Vancouver, Nashville and the Islanders have expressed interest in Parrish’s services. However, the Canucks are reluctant to make a decision before they hear back from Mats Sundin who still has a significant, to say the least, offer on the table. It’s been rumored that Dallas has kicked tires regarding Parrish as well.

Pokechecks:

The Minnesota Wild met with free agent to be, Marian Gaborik. They suggested that Gaborik does not need to leave to showcase his offensive talents. Wild management called the dinner meeting “positive.”

Gary Bettman has tried unsuccessfully to reel Alexander Radulov back into the NHL. According to KHL president Alexander Medvedev, Radulov signed a three-year contract overseas before the agreement to respect each side’s contracts was enacted. The Russian club, Salavat Ufa, has offered compensation to the Predators but the NHL has or will reject such an offer. Radulov said that it’s “time to stop robbing us” in regards to the NHL’s practices of signing Russian players.

Ladislav Nagy has elected to sign with the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL.

Rangers first rounder Alexei Cherepanov will not come to Rangers training camp and fulfill his contract with Avangard Omsk (KHL). The contract expires at the conclusion of this season.

It appears that, once again, Carl Soderberg has snubbed the Bruins and is not likely to report to training camp in September. Rather, he will stay in Sweden for another season. The Bruins acquired Soderberg from St. Louis in exchange for Hannu Toivonen back in July of 2007.