NHL Buzz: Sunday, July 4th

It was a busy week in the NHL, here is a recap of everything that happened as well as some rumors of what might be on the horizon.

Rumors

Yesterday I spoke to Miroslav Satan's agent Allan Walsh and asked him about the rumors that he and his client were in talks with the Blues, he replied "no truth" so you can put the Satan to the Blues rumors to rest.

Rumours continue to circulate that Russian sniper Nikolai Zherdev is hoping to return to the NHL this season. The main teams interested are the Maple Leafs and Sabres however the Ducks, Devils and Kings could be teams to watch out for as well.

The Maple Leafs have contacted Russian forward Maxim Afinogenov, rumor has it they are offering around 2 million a year.

As most of you know Simon Gagne has been asked to waive his NTC by the Flyers, nothing is close yet but expect Gagne to be moved sometime next week if not today.


Versteeg Trade

I personally think the deal was good for both teams as the Blackhawks got Viktor Stalberg who can replace Versteeg and added 2 very solid prospects. As for the Maple Leafs they got a pretty solid prospect and a top-6 forward in Kris Versteeg.

Lombardi to the Predators

That was a GREAT move by the Predators in signing Matthew Lombardi. He will be the team's #1 center and comes at a price of 3.5 million a year, which is less then Arnott who was traded to the Devils recently. If you combine the trade that sent Arnott out of town with the Lombardi signing the Predators add Matt Halischuk, Matthew Lombardi, a 2nd round pick and clear over a million in cap space....nice work.

Crowning Kovalchuk

The 3 main suitors for Kovalchuk's services right now appear to be the Islanders, Devils and Kings. Rumor has it the Kings are going after Simon Gagne and if they were to acquire him that would likely kill any chance Kovalchuk has of coming to LA, unless the Kings clear some cap...

This concludes today's edition of NHL Buzz, enjoy!

This article can also be found at mtrmedia.

For the latest news and rumors follow me on twitter @ToddNHL