NHL Rumor Wire – May 12th, 2011

Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber will be an restricted free agent on July 1st, but he expects to get a deal done with Nashville.

From Josh Cooper (The Tennessean)

"For all those who were worried about Shea Weber and the pending restricted free agent’s contract status this summer, the defenseman and the Predators made several powerful statements today that indicated he would return.“It’s going to get done,” Weber said. “Obviously, this is a place I love to play, and you saw how close we were this year to getting to the conference finals, and possibly further. This is a place I want to be and it’s going to be a matter of time before something gets done.”"

Should the Washington Capitals trade Mike Green? Ryan Dixon from The Hockey News thinks they should.

From Ryan Dixon (The Hockey News)

"First and foremost, if Caps GM George McPhee made it known Green was up for grabs, a number of teams would be kicking the tires hard enough to knock the bolts loose. Yes, he’s had some injury troubles, but he’s still only 25 and his annual cap hit of $5.3 million is on the books for just one more year, at which time he becomes an RFA. Green led all defensemen in scoring in both 2008-09 and 2009-10, earning a Norris nomination in the latter campaign.If you want to find clubs that would be interested in Green’s services, start at the bottom, as in where Columbus (29th) and Florida (30th) ranked in terms of power play efficiency. The Blue Jackets have been in search of an offense-oriented defenseman since their inception and the Panthers could pad the youth movement by adding a guy who is just entering his prime."

Jaromir Jagr‘s name has been surfacing on the possible return to the NHL, Brian Stubits on CBSSports.com names some potential landing spots for Jagr in the NHL.

From Brian Stubits (CBSSports.com)

"Pittsburgh Penguins: There’s obviously plenty of nostalgia that could lure him back to Pittsburgh. Plus, once Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are back at full strength, the Pens are instant contenders for the Cup. The Penguins wouldn’t need a ton of production, so it could be a nice ease-in situation for him to come back to and not be asked to do too much at this stage of his career. This would seem to be the most likely. Per Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: This likely play out with #Jagr staying in #KHL; #Pens working him back into franchise fold then retiring no. 68, I’m told.Montreal Canadiens: The Habs make the list because a recent report out of Montreal said the Canadiens would be on Jagr’s short list of teams. Part of the allure could be joining fellow Czech Tomas Plekanec, helping Montreal take the next step. The Habs have been getting closer the past few seasons to being a true contender in the East. While Jagr’s goal totals are declining, he can still score and is a very capable player, even at 40. He could help them get over the hump."

Now that we know the Phoenix Coyotes are not moving to Winnipeg this year, could it be possible that the Atlanta Thrashers will be moving?

From John Manasso (FSSouth)

"Earlier this week, the pendulum swung back towards Atlanta – once again because of news out of Arizona. The city council in Glendale, home of the Coyotes’ Jobing.com Arena, voted in favor of covering the losses of the NHL, which runs the Coyotes, in the amount of $25 million for a second straight year. The idea is that it will give more time to complete the sale of the team to a buyer who will keep the team in Arizona.As a result, all eyes once again are on Atlanta. Rumors are flying. On Wednesday, a rumor appeared on Twitter that a meeting of all Thrashers employees was imminent. The implication was that they were being told the franchise would be moving.However, Ben Wright, a Thrashers employee who writes the Blueland Blog on the team’s Website, shot that down."

The St. Louis Blues begin contract talks with Patrik Berglund, also Blues’ Vladimir Sobotka could be headed to the KHL.

From Andy Strickland (TrueHockey.com)

"Like most NHL GM’s, Doug Armstrong has plenty of off-season business to tend to. His St. Louis Blues roster is loaded with future Restricted Free Agents, most notably Patrik Berglund who’s coming off a career year offensively.The process is well underway in an attempt to get Berglund signed. As I’ve been reporting, look for Armstrong to stay the course and offer up short –term deals."

From Andy Strickland (TrueHockey.com)

"Sources tell me at least one KHL team has offered Vladimir Sobotka significant money to play next season over in Russia.I’m told Sobotka’s preference is to stay in the NHL with the Blues but he’s not ignoring the opportunity to play overseas. The Blues like Sobotka an awful lot as he and Matt D’Agostini were two of the best surprises to come out of last season."