NHL Buzz: Are the Edmonton Oilers Interested in Antti Niemi?

For those who don't know, Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin's court hearing yesterday didn't go over very well.

Khabibulin will now spend a minimum of 30 days in jail. Once he gets out, he will need some time to get into shape before he returns to the Oilers.

Now that Khabibulin is out of the picture in Edmonton (for a couple months anyways) you have to believe they will take a long hard look at Antti Niemi.

He would likely sign at a very reasonable price and would be a huge upgrade over Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Deslaurier.

The Ilya Kovalchuk saga is almost over. I am not going into all the details as they will make you all berserk. I will just tell you that the Devils and Kovalchuk have submitted a contract to the NHL.

The NHL now has a five-day window to look at the contract, but good or bad, the NHL will probably not take all five days. Today is day two, could we see an announcement? I wouldn't be shocked.

The Anaheim Ducks continue to search for defensemen; they are currently looking at cheaper options like Marc-Andre Bergeron and Jay Mckee.

Eric Stephens of the OC Register is reporting that the Ducks have "considered" trading for Kevin Bieksa but it is believed the Canucks are in no hurry to move him.

As most of you know, Paul Kariya will not play in the NHL this season, as he is still suffering from post concussion symptoms. It is a shame as Kariya is still a talented player and he is a great guy. I believe he may be back next year if everything goes well.

Now that the Maple Leafs acquired Matt Lashoff, they have nine defensemen on one-way contracts. In my opinion, eight was more than enough, but nine? Something must be up.

I don't want to go around making rumors up but you have to believe Burke will move at least one of them.

This concludes today's edition of NHL buzz, enjoy.

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This article can also be found at MTRMedia.com and  Sportshaze.com

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