HockeyVOX

With all the wheeling and dealing going on in Tampa, there is continued speculation that coveted defenseman Dan Boyle might be on the way out if the Lightning can work out a trade.

Boyle has a no-trade clause, though, and he is not likely to waive it. The Lightning could put Boyle on waivers, but he would surely be claimed and the Lightning would get nothing in return but cap space, which makes that scenario unlikely, too.

Boyle’s agent, George Bazos, told TSN he has not been contacted by the Lightning regarding Boyle’s future with the team, and his client has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause.

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Scratch defencemen John-Michael Liles and Adam Foote from the list of available free agents. Sources tell TSN that Liles and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth an average of slightly more than $4 million per year.

Liles was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. The deal is likely to be formally announced Monday. It’s also expected the Avalanche will announce then that they have also re-signed Foote.

Sources tell TSN Foote’s deal is believed to be for two years and a total of $6 million, or $3 million per year. Read Original Post Here

The Minnesota Wild traded forward Brian Rolston’s rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a conditional draft pick in either the 2009 or 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Wild will get a selection in either the 2009 or 2010 draft. The pick will depend on whether Tampa Bay re-signs Rolston before they know what pick Minnesota will get in the deal.

The 25-year-old Flint, Michigan native has 12 NHL seasons under his belt with stints in New Jersey, Colorado, Boston and Minnesota.

The acquisition to the rights of Rolston is the latest move by new Lightning ownership since taking over the team. After drafting Steve Stamkos first overall, Tampa Bay bolstered their lineup by adding Ryan Malone on Saturday as they continue to try to improve on last season’s disappointing campaign.

"As we said earlier this week and we are trying to prove after making our deal with Pittsburgh (Saturday), we will work feverishly to improve the Lightning team for the 2008-09 season," owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie said in a joint statement. "We believe getting the Lightning a head start in the negotiating and signing process can help us secure the players we are targeting. Nothing is guaranteed here, but we hope to have a chance to get another quality player in a Lightning uniform sooner rather than later."

A 1st round, 11th overall draft selection by the Devils in 1991, Rolston’s put up 286 goals and 348 assists in 977 NHL games played. Last season, he tallied 31 goals and 28 assists in 81 games.

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The Los Angeles Kings unloaded another high-priced player this off-season as they dealt defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene.

Visnovsky, 31, slumped to eight goals and 33 assists last season but has been the team’s highest-scoring defenseman for the last three years. He is scheduled to make $7 million this season in the first year of his five-year, $28-million extension. In seven seasons with the Kings, Visnovsky scored 70 goals and had 279 points. He had 17 goals and a career-high 67 points in 2005-06 and had a personal-best 18 goals and 58 points in 2006-07.

"It’s never easy to give up a player of Lubo’s caliber, but for the direction of the franchise, this exchange allows us to add two players who fit the long-term vision for this team," General Manager Dean Lombardi said.

In trading Visnovsky and Michael Cammalleri, the Kings have cleared $10.6 million of salary off the 2008-09 books. The club needs to sign Stoll, who will be a restricted free agent on Tuesday, but has Greene at a reasonable $1.25 million next season.

Stoll, 26, has a hard shot and can play the point on the power play. He had 14 goals and 36 points last season, far off his career season of 2005-06, when he had 22 goals and 68 points in helping Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup finals.

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With the free-agency signing period to begin Tuesday, the drama surrounding the future of New York Rangers right wing Jaromir Jagr has only deepened.

Jagr, the team’s captain for the last two seasons, has repeatedly said that returning to the Rangers was his first option. But the Russian team he played for during the lockout, in 2004-5, is dangling a contract in front of him, and Jagr could return to the Czech Republic to play for his father’s franchise. And if nothing is decided by noon Tuesday, the other 29 teams in the NHL will have a chance to woo him, too. At that point, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Jagr held a news conference last weekend in the Czech Republic, where he told reporters that he did not know what would happen. "I’m not bluffing," Jagr said, according to several translations of his remarks. "One day it looks like I’ll play in Europe, another day in America. I have always believed it will end the best way possible."

The Rangers and Jagr are apparently at odds over the length of a deal. Jagr has said he would like to play in the NHL for two more seasons. For the Rangers, a one-year contract laden with bonuses makes the most sense. But if money were Jagr’s first priority, he would probably have signed already with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Hockey League; Avangard’s general manager, Anatoly Bardin, has been pursuing him for the last several months. Czech newspapers reported the offer was worth $35 million, but Jagr said it was not nearly that high.

Jagr is only one of the Rangers’ unrestricted free agents with an unsettled future. Left wing Sean Avery, the team’s agitator and a fan favorite, appears to be headed elsewhere because the Rangers have not been willing to meet his asking price, about $3.75 million.

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The Minnesota Wild traded the rights to star forward Brian Rolston to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional draft pick Sunday. The Wild will get a selection in either the 2009 or 2010 draft, with Wild spokesman Aaron Sickman saying Sunday night it will depend on whether Tampa Bay re-signs Rolston. Read Original Post Here

The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday for forward Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene. The 31-year-old Visnovsky had eight goals and 33 assists for the Kings last season. In 499 NHL games, he has 70 goals and 209 assists. Stoll, 26, had 14 goals and 22 assists last season. Read Original Post Here

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired the short-term negotiating rights to Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts on Saturday for a conditional draft pick. The deal allows the Lightning to talk exclusively to Malone and Roberts until the NHL free agency signing period begins Tuesday. The Penguins didn’t feel they could afford to re-sign either Malone, a Pittsburgh native who had 27… Read Original Post Here

The Anaheim Ducks placed Todd Bertuzzi on unconditional waivers Friday and intend to buy out the final year of his contract. The forward was due to earn $4 million in the second and last year of his contract. The Ducks will buy out that final season for $2.6 million. Bertuzzi was to clear waivers on Saturday morning unless he is claimed, Ducks spokesman Alex Gilchrist said. Read Original Post Here

The Philadelphia Flyers and Jeff Carter agreed to a multiyear contract Friday, only days before the center was set to become a restricted free agent. The 23-year-old Carter was taken 11th overall by the Flyers in the 2003 draft and he has 66 goals and 132 points in 225 career games. Carter played in all 82 games last season and had 29 goals and 53 points. Read Original Post Here