The Edmonton Oilers have moved a significant contract today in shifting Lubomir Visnovsky over to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Ryan Whitney.

The deal unpacks some space from the Oilers roster and enables them to get a skilled defenceman in return. Both players in this deal were Olympians, too, and it stands at this point as the biggest trade of trade deadline day.

Whitney was selected as a replacement to the injured Mike Komisarek to play on the American men’s Olympic team, while Visnovsky suited up for the Slovaks and has quite a history of international play.

It’s a trade that gives the Ducks a puck-moving offensively-minded defenceman to work with their talent and it allows the Oilers to move in a nice direction with a skilled defenceman of their own.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The Anaheim Ducks have traded goalie Vesa Toskala to the Calgary Flames in exchange for goalie Curtis McElhinney.

With the recent moves made by Darryl Sutter in Calgary, the team is certainly starting to look like the Toronto of the Western Conference. This deal, together with a contract extension offered to Matt Stajan, may make the Red Mile look an awful lot like Yonge Street.

The Ducks were probably never all that serious about Toskala, what with Hiller doing well in goal, and this is a pretty routine move for the club.

In any event, this deal doesn’t really boost Calgary’s profile at all. Toskala will have to sit on the bench behind Kiprusoff an awful lot and it doesn’t seem like a smart move in regards to salary, but maybe Sutter has something up his sleeve here before the day is out.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Brian Burke has officially begun the process of retooling the Toronto Maple Leafs. Within a few hours, the Leafs GM made some big moves and transformed the entire landscape of his hockey club.

A seven player deal kicked things off with a bang, as the Leafs acquired Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie in exchange for Ian White, Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers. The deal was announced just hours after the Leafs dropped its fifth consecutive loss after coughing up a 3-0 lead to Vancouver.

For his part, Phaneuf was in shock. “I know that’s a cliche … If Wayne Gretzky can get traded, anyone can get traded,” he said. “I was very surprised but on the other hand, I’m very excited to be going to the biggest hockey market in the world. I talked to them this morning and I’m very excited to be a Toronto Maple Leaf and getting there.”

Phaneuf is certainly the key component to the deal and his arrival in Toronto will certainly reconfigure the defensive core of the team. He adds toughness and will anchor the club defensively, showing an edge of grit that should set a nice tone for the rest of the Leafs’ defenders.

But Burke wasn’t finished…

Hours later, Burke closed another trade that saw goalie Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake head to Anaheim in exchange for Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The deal brings Giguere that starting job he wanted in Anaheim and gives him some motivation to play hard. It also provides Toronto’s Jonas Gustavsson with a solid mentor figure.

“J.S. is as classy and professional as they come,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. “On behalf of the organization, we thank him for his tremendous contributions to the franchise both on and off the ice, not the least of which were two trips to the Stanley Cup Final and one championship. We wish him well in Toronto.”

So will the changes help the Leafs? Will the changes help the Flames?

There’s no question that Toronto has some pretty significant build blocks to work with. They also dumped off some dead weight and cleared some salary cap room by moving disappointing players like Blake.

Burke comes out the winner with the best players in the deals, too, and Phaneuf is a huge acquisition for his hockey team. The Leafs are still right up against the cap, sure, but Burke probably dodged a few bullets by ditching the White contract’s expected raise. Hagman, too, had two more years to go on a $3 million price tag and was starting to look every bit his 35 years of age.

Brian Burke has finally gotten the ball rolling in T-Dot. Is he finished? Only time will tell, but these moves are significant enough to show that the GM has finally gotten serious about making big changes to his hockey club. Nobody is safe.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

First the Anaheim Ducks have had to deal with word that their goaltender, J.S. Giguere, was unhappy. The rumours are starting again this week, with rumblings that defenceman Scott Niedermayer might be looking for a way out, too.

With the Ducks sitting near the basement of the Western Conference and with Niedermayer certainly not getting any younger, some are starting to suggest that the defender might be willing to move to a team like the New Jersey Devils.

When asked about a potential trade, Niedermayer was honest: “I think it’s a possibility. Last year we were kind of in a situation where we were teetering and there was some talk and rumors. You start to think about it. But I’m not thinking about that right now. Our goal right now is to do well on this road trip, to play good hockey and get into the playoff picture and compete with this team. When those bridges come, I’ll deal with them.”

Niedermayer currently sits on the Ducks with a one-year contract worth $6 million. He does not have a no-trade clause.

“If the team came to me, they’d be free to do what they wanted. I don’t have a no-trade,” he said. “We’re still a ways from there. When the time comes, hopefully we’ll be in the playoffs and ready to compete for the Stanley Cup.”

The Devils would have to be the frontrunners for Niedermayer’s services at this point. Before he signed with the Ducks for this season, the New Jersey club was interested and Lou Lamoriello did inquire as to the possibility. Some are speculating that Niedermayer might be game for joining his brother Rob on the Devils for one last run with his old club before retirement.

“Obviously I was with (Devils head coach) Jacques (Lemaire) here for quite a long time and had some success here. He’s a good coach,” Niedermayer said. “So I’m not surprised to see where those guys are. They’re a good hockey club and Jacques is a great coach.”

Whether there are moves in the air remains to be seen, of course, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if the Ducks started making some major shifts to recover at least some of the current season. It may be time for a shake-up in Anaheim and moving Niedermayer might just be the type of thing to change fortunes for the team.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

It looks like goaltender J.S. Giguere is getting restless with the situation in Anaheim. The Ducks keeper is not at all pleased with his playing situation, said the Los Angeles Daily News, and if things don’t get better soon he’ll be looking for other options.

According to the paper, Giguere said that he’d “rather retire than be a backup goalie.”

“Something needs to happen,” Giguere told the paper. “You get a guy like (Hiller) that’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year and myself, making the money I’m making, either I’m leaving or he’s leaving.”

Giguere is set to make $13 million over the next two years and simple math tells us that he’s right as rain with his assessment. Hiller, 27, is going to make $1.3 million in the final year of his contract and all signs suggest that the Ducks will look to lock him up to a more significant deal.

Sources have said that Giguere has presented Ducks management with a list of teams that he’d accept a move to in the off-season and that he may be prepared to waive his no-trade clause in order to get something done. It appears that ice time is the major issue here and that Giguere is not pleased with splitting duties with Hiller.

“I want to play; that’s when I have fun. Right now, this is not fun,” Giguere told the paper. “I am looking forward to having fun at some point at some time. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen.”

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

After playing his first 13 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Saku Koivu is on his way to the Anaheim Ducks. Koivu, a two-time All-Star, had to make a choice when he discovered that the Habs weren’t going to be offering him a new contract this season. He signed with the Ducks, taking a pay cut to sign to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million.

Koivu earned $4.75 million last season with the Canadiens.

“I enjoyed every moment there,” Koivu said of playing in Montreal. “It’s a great place to play hockey. Not an easy place always, but a very interesting place. I think and I know I’m a better person after these years. I’ve learned a lot from Montreal. I will never forget the years I spent there.”

It became clear that Koivu was not going to be a part of the Habs’ plan for moving forward, especially after the signing of forwards Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri.

While it’s certainly a bittersweet moment, the transition to the Ducks will be made easier by the fact that Koivu will get to play with fellow Finnish superstar Teemu Selanne. The two worked together to help give Finland a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

“Saku Koivu’s character and leadership qualities are unquestioned,” Ducks GM Bob Murray. “He is a skilled playmaker and we are thrilled to add him to our team.”

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

While the Anaheim Ducks will be without Chris Pronger in the upcoming season, two veterans have dedicated their services. Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne will once again suit up and play with the Ducks, adding a solid seasoned presence to balance out the club’s young emerging stars.

Selanne turns 39 next week and, despite having one year remaining on his contract with the team, was never a sure bet to return to the team. The announcement, which may or may not have something to do with the commitment of Niedermayer, is certainly a welcome one for the team. His services will definitely come in handy.

Selanne had a good year, finishing with 27 goals and 27 assists in 65 games last season. He was impactful in the playoffs, too, wrapping up four goals and two assists in 13 playoff games.

Niedermayer will sign a new contract with the Ducks, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. The announcement from Niedermayer had a lot to do with the shipping of Pronger to the Flyers, as salary cap issues made General Manager Bob Murray choose one or the other. That Niedermayer won out is perhaps a testimony to his loyalty more than his efficacy, but the fact remains that he’ll suit up in a Ducks jersey for the upcoming season.

Niedermayer’s new contract will have to be announced by July 1 or he’ll be free to test the market, something he’s probably not going to do. Niedermayer is all but set in Anaheim, firm in his belief that his team can be a winning one.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Tonight’s Game Seven between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks concluded a hard-fought series with a Red Wings victory, closing out a series that proved that both teams deserved to be there. The final score, 4-3 for Detroit, was clear evidence at how close these two squads were and just how much blood, sweat, and tears was left on the ice.

The Wings will now go on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference final, thanks in large part to Dan Cleary’s tie-breaking goal scored with three minutes left. Already, the Wings are looking ahead.

“Most teams that have won the Stanley Cup don’t even get here,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “For us to be in this situation is a real positive, but we have a hungry Chicago team waiting for us.”

It is indeed difficult for Stanley Cup-defending champs to make the conference finals, with the most recent team to accomplish the feat being the Colorado Avalanche. Coincidentally, the Avs lost in a brutal 7-0 game to the Detroit Red Wings in the deciding game. Clearly this year’s incarnation of the Wings hope they don’t receive the same fate they doled out years ago.

It’s hard to knock the National Hockey League at this point and time. With three conference semifinals decided in seventh game situations, this is a really exciting time to be a hockey fan. The Red Wings vs. Ducks series proved to be invigorating, with Babcock stating that it was the best series he’s ever been in and many players on both sides claiming the same.

Detroit goalie Chris Osgood agreed: “It was a tough series, probably one of the toughest we’ve played in a long time.”

So now the preparation for the young, fast, dangerous Chicago squad begins and the Red Wings by no means have an easy task in front of them. We’ll have a full slate of conference finals predictions ready to go soon, so be ready with your predictions.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The Anaheim Ducks are without Brian Burke as GM and now they’ll be without one of their top defencemen for six months. Francois Beauchemin suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in the third period of Friday’s 4-3 loss to Nashville and is expected to miss around six months of action.

He underwent an MRI on yesterday which revealed the full extent of the injury. Beauchemin appeared in 18 games with Anaheim this season and scored five points, including four goals and one assist.

Without Beauchemin, the team will need other defenders to step up and take his place. He is a hard-working player and his presence will be missed on the ice by the Ducks. Right winger Bobby Ryan and defenceman Brett Festerling were both called up in Beauchemin’s absence. They were playing with the Iowa Chops, formerly the Iowa Stars, of the American Hockey League and will get set to step into the line-up.

“This is an unfortunate injury for Francois and we feel badly for him,” said Ducks GM Bob Murray in a statement. “However, knowing his character as a player and person, we know he will rebound from this and return to the ice at full strength. Our team has faced adversity before and we expect everyone to step up in his absence.”

Festerling will try to step into Beauchemin’s spot and will make his NHL debut shortly. He is currently second on the Iowa Chops in defenceman scoring. As for Ryan, he is tied for third in scoring in the AHL.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

As if purposely planned to further fuel speculation about a possible move to the Toronto Maple Leafs front office, Brian Burke turned down a contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks. He cited the desire to spend more time with his family as a key reason for turning down the extension, adding that he felt confident in the state of the team he was leaving behind.

Burke, now 53-years-old, noted that commuting back and forth coast-to-coast to be with his family was becoming taxing. With his six children on the East Coast, the move makes sense. And a job in Toronto would be convenient for the masterful manager…..maybe a little too convenient…

Burke will be replaced by Bob Murray, who has been with the Ducks’ organization for the past three seasons in the front office.

“People leaving a job tend to want to leave a monument and talk about what a great team they left - and the guy coming in wants to point out all the holes in the hull. But I believe I have delivered here and that I’m leaving Bob a pretty good team,” Burke said at a news conference at Honda Center. “The way we look at it, we have as good a defence as anyone in the National Hockey League, we’ve got the best money goaltender, the best checking line, and two of the best young players (Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry). So that’s part of my decision. If I felt a major overhaul was needed here, then it would be harder to leave.”

With obvious questions swirling around the possibility of Burke heading to Toronto to be a part of the Maple Leafs organization, he added this nugget that is sure to keep bloggers like me speculation until he signs on the dotted line: “This is the toughest decision I’ve ever had in my life, professionally, as far as what to do next. I’ve been wrestling with the decision. I’ve got four older children on the East Coast and two little ones (4 1/2 and 2 1/2), and I don’t see any of them enough. So I felt if I can get a chance to get in the same time zone with them, I’m going to take it.”

For the time being, Burke will remain with the club as a special consultant during the management transitional period. After that’s over, many are speculating that it won’t be long before Burke winds up in Toronto with the Leafs.

With this move, Burke is a top candidate for all sorts of jobs around the league. While Toronto might be the front-runner and the more obvious choice, the fact remains that Burke really could wind up just about anywhere in the National Hockey League. Speculation? Rampant. Opportunities? Endless. Brian Burke will be a great fit in just about any market and on any team in the league. The question isn’t when he’ll get another shot as a GM, the question is where. And most signs, at least all of the reasonable ones, point East.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.