NHL Rumor Wire – May 5th, 2011

The Atlanta Thrashers are trying to find a buyer that would keep the club in Atlanta, but it’s not going as smoothly as they would like.

From Tim Tucker (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

"More than two months after declaring a “sense of urgency” to find a buyer or investors who would keep the Thrashers in Atlanta, part-owner Michael Gearon Jr. reports limited progress.“We continue to have discussions with different prospective investors or buyers of the franchise,” Gearon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. “The comments I made in February generated some preliminary interest. I wish there was more. There are some people we are talking to, but nothing that is far enough along at this stage that it deserves further comment.”"

Luke DeCock  from newsobserver.com mentions that the Carolina Hurricanes most likely will not bring back defenceman Joni Pitkanen, who made $4.5 million this season.

From Luke DeCock (newsobserver.com)

"At the other end of the spectrum, the budget situation will make it very unlikely that the Hurricanes can afford to keep Pitkanen, who made $4.5 million this season.When the Hurricanes acquired Bryan Allen, they acquired his $3.15 million contract as well, so if the Canes want to keep Pitkanen it will require some budgetary sleight of hand."

Dallas Stars pending free agent Brad Richards is waiting for the Stars to be sold, so he can try to work out a deal with them.

From Mark Stepneski (ESPN Dallas)

"During an appearance on NHL Live! Tuesday afternoon, Richards was asked about where things stood with free agency about two months away.“Right now there is no deadline in sight because July 1 is so far away,” Richards said. “It’s try to get my body back to normal, relax and think things over and give it a chance over there in Dallas to see what happens with ownership. It sounds like things are moving a little bit right now. We’ll see. Sometimes you hear things differently than what’s actually happening. At least there is some movement and talk.”"

Washington Capitals where swept out of the playoffs last night by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Capitals’ head coach Bruce Boudreau‘s  job is in question by the hockey world, but should it be?

From Eric Duhatschek(GLOBE ON HOCKEY)

"There is talk that these may actually be the last days for Bruce Boudreau as the Washington Capitals coach, given how his team is down 3-0 in their second-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and need a comeback of historic Flyer-esque proportions to advance to the Eastern Conference final.This, of course, would be both absurd and patently unfair and one can only hope that Capitals owner Ted Leonsis grasps that notion, once the post-mortems begin in Washington.For starters, Boudreau’s record as the Capitals coach is extraordinary. It was his arrival on the scene to replace Glen Hanlon that coincided with an immediate about-face in the team’s fortunes. For the past three years, the Caps have been one of the NHL’s most successful and entertaining teams, a neat trick, and a necessary one in a market that was once moribund."

The Montreal Canadiens have to decide if it is time to let veteran defenceman Andrei Markov go. Markov will become a free agent on July 1st. There is a report that his agent will talk to Canadiens about a deal at the end of the month. Should the Canadiens re-sign him?

From Arpon Basu (CTV.ca)

"In my eyes, there are two major factors that must be considered when deciding not only whether or not to bring Markov back, but also in determining how much he gets paid and how long he’s signed for.The first, obviously, is his health and to what degree the Canadiens and GM Pierre Gauthier can be confident the recent string of injuries doesn’t represent a pattern that will plague Markov for the rest of his career.The second is need, a category that encompasses the potential of signing other free agents, whether the money Markov would make could be used more effectively at other positions and whether or not a team that once relied so heavily on him can now do without him."

Modo Hockey from Sweden’s premier ice hockey league, the Elitserien, wants to target NHL players. Modo recently signed Phoenix Coyotes Associate Coach, Ulf Samuelsson. There is now a report that they have Preds’ Linus Klasen,Blues’ T.J. Hensick, Avalanche’ Darren Haydar and Kings Oscar Moller, on their wish list.

From aftonbladet.se (Roughly Translated)

"Several players from the NHL has already been linked with Modo, including Linus Klasen, TJ Hensick and Darren Haydar.Sportbladet can also reveal that the Los Angeles Kings Swedish forward Oscar Moller, who mostly had to keep farms in the league, can be found at Modo wish list."

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