NHL

TRADES & SIGNINGS

- PHX has traded F Petteri Nokelainen to ANA for an undisclosed draft pick.

- PHX has traded D Anders Eriksson to NYR for G Miika Wiikman and a 7th-round pick.

- CBJ has traded F Chad Kolarik to PHX for F Alex Picard.

- CAR has traded F Stephane Yell, F Harrison Reed to COL for F Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll and a 6th-round pick

- EDM has traded D Steve Staios to CAL for D Aaron Johnson and a 3rd-round pick.

- CAL has traded F Dustin Boyd to NAS for a 4th-round pick.

- PIT has traded D Chris Peluso to TOR for a 2010 6th-round pick.

- EDM has traded D Lubomir Vishnovsky to ANA for D Ryan Whitney and a 6th-round pick.

- CBJ has traded D Mathieu Roy to the FLA for F Matt Rust.

- TOR has traded G Joey MacDonald to ANA for a 7th-round pick in 2011

- CAR has traded D Andrew Alberts to VAN for a 3rd-round pick.

- CBJ has traded F Fredrik Modin to LA for a conditional draft pick.

- CAR has traded D Joe Corvo to WAS for D Brian Pothier, F Oskar Osala and a 2nd-round pick.

- TOR has traded F Lee Stempniak to PHX for 4th and 7th-round picks.

- CAR has traded F Stephane Yelle.

- CBJ has traded D Milan Jurcina to WAS.

- BUF has traded F Clarke MacArthur to ATL for a 3rd and 4th-rounder.

- CBJ has traded F Raffi Torres to BUF D Nathan Paetsch and 2nd-round pick.

- CAL has traded G Curtis McElhinney to ANA for G Vesa Toskala.

- MIN has traded F Eric Belanger to WAS for a 2nd-round pick.

- TB has traded F Jeff Halpern to LA for F Teddy Purcell and a 3rd-round draft pick (from Panthers).

- VAN has traded D Mathieu Schneider to PHX for D Sean Zimmerman and a conditional 6th-round pick.

- DET hsa traded F Kris Newbury to the NYR for F Jordan Owens.

– PHX has traded F Peter Mueller and F Kevin Porter to COL for F Wojtek Wolski. Wolski has arbitration rights, COL reportedly felt he’d get more than they wanted to pay.

- STL has traded F Yan Stastny to VAN for F Pierre-Cedric Labrie.

– CAR has traded F Scott Walker to WAS for a 7th-round pick.

– EDM claims F Ryan Jones off waivers from NAS.

– ANA trades G Justin Pogge and a 4th-round pick to CAR for D Aaron Ward.

– FLA has traded D Dennis Seidenberg and D Matthew Bartkowski to BOS for F Craig Weller, F Byron Bitz and a 2nd-round pick (from Lightning).

– TOR has traded D Martin Skoula to NJ for a 2010 5th-round pick.

– BOS has traded D Derek Morris to PHX for a 2011 4th-round pick. Morris waived NTC.

– MTL has traded F Matt D’Agostini to STL for F Aaron Palushaj.

– TOR has traded F Alexei Ponikarovsky to PIT for D Martin Skoula and F Luca Caputi. Caputi will remain with the Leafs for the rest of the season and is scheduled to play tonight. TOR turned down 2nd and 4th-round picks in order to acquire Caputi.

– ANA has traded D Nick Boynton to CHI for future considerations.

– BOS has traded F Matt Marquadt to EDM for D Cody Wild.

– MIN has re-signed D Marek Zidlicky to a three-year/$12M deal.

– NYI has traded D Andy Sutton to OTT for a 2010 second-round draft pick.

– ANA has traded D Steve Kampfer to BOS for a 2010 conditional 4th-round pick.

– ATL has signed D Chris Chelios, 48.

– ANA has traded F Evgeny Artyukin to ATL for D Nathan Dystrick and a 2011 conditional draft pick.

– NYI has traded F Greg Moore to NAS for D Dylan Reese.

– EDM has traded D Denis Grebeshkov to NAS for a 2010 2nd-round pick.

– CAL has re-signed F Matt Stajan to a four-year/$14M deal. The deal is worth $3.5M annually.

– ATL F Slava Kozlov, 37, has formally requested a trade. He has a full NTC.

– FLA has traded D Jordan Leopold to PIT for a 2010 2nd-round pick.

– CHI has traded G Joe Fallon to STL for G Hannu Toivonen and D Danny Richmond.

– DAL has re-signed F Steve Ott to a four-year extension.

RUMOURS

- VAN GM Mike Gillis says going rate for a player with an expiring contract was a 2nd-round pick.

- PIT F Alex Ponikarovsky wanted a 4-year deal, TOR unwilling to give it let to trade.

- Kaberle expressed interest in 3 unnamed teams, TOR not interested in making deal with that team. Burke did not ask Kaberle to waive his NTC.

- BOS, CHI, MIN, OTT, SJ, STL, TB, NYI done for today.

- TOR are reportedly not done trading. Kaberle is not involved. F Lee Stempniak has been traded, but not F Wayne Primeau or D Garnett Exelby. PHI and BUF reportedly out of running, STL remains. No word yet on where/return price.

- NAS D Dan Hamhuis is not being traded.

– EDM D Sheldon Souray will not be traded. Souray (hand infection) is out for the remainder of the season. Likely to be dealt this summer.

- CAR F Ray Whitney not being traded.

- MTL has expressed interest in EDM F Andrew Cogliano.

- TOR D Tomas Kaberle deal, if completed, appears to be down to WAS, PHI or BOS.

- WAS reportedly has offered TOR for F Eric Fehr, D Karl Alzner and a 1st-round pick for D Tomas Kaberle. Shortly after that was leaked Burke and two boardroom members left the boardroom.

- TOR D Tomas Kaberle possibly back in play. Willing to waive NTC is right deal comes along. Kaberle has agreement with Burke – if Burke gets a call for Kaberle, Burke will inform Kaberle of the offer and will let Kaberle decide if he wants to waive his NTC for that team. Kaberle said it is his preference to remain with TOR, and there is NO list of teams he’d be willing to waive his NTC for. VAN not in running.

- VAN shopping F Steve Bernier?

- NYR about to make a deal.

- WAS expected to move winger, deal rumoured to be part of Hamhuis deal.

- PHI not in on DAL G Marty Turco.

– Teams calling for PHX’ F Peter Mueller – COL (most interest), NYR, ATL, CHI, VAN, TOR, EDM.

– ANA D James Wishniewski, F Ryan Whitney unlikely to be traded.

– CBJ F Raffi Torres is generating interest, asking price is a 1st-round pick. Rumoured to be interesting in playing for TOR next season. SJ in on trade talks.

– ANA not actively shopping any defencemen.

– CAR working on moving at least one more player. With Ward deal and another salary expected to go, it’s likely F Ray Whitney stays.

– BUF and MTL interested in ANA D James Wisniewski.

– Asking price for COL F Wojtek Wolski is a 1st-round pick.

– CAL has expressed interest in MIN G Josh Harding.

– DAL and STL scouting VAN G Cory Schneider.

– FLA’s asking price for G Tomas Vokoun is PHI F Jeff Carter.

– NYI receiving lots of interest for G Marty Biron, F Sean Bergenheim and F Richard Park.

– LA in lead for CAR F Ray Whitney. PIT now out of running, WAS interested.

– MTL reportedly not dealing either G Jaroslav Halak or G Carey Price.

– TSN: TB players have been told their flight has been pushed back to 3:30 ET and not to be surprised if there are moves made.

– MTL rumoured to be interested in FLA F Nathan Horton.

– EDM D Sheldon Souray has softened on trade stance. Won’t waive for Canadian team, but will for 19 other teams.

– MTL possibly in on STL F Brad Boyes.

– NYI F Sean Bergenheim was a healthy scratch yesterday, expected to be moved today.

– MTL D Roman Hamrlik asked to waive NTC.

– TOR D Tomas Kaberle has not given team a list of teams he’s interested in, has not expressed interest in waiving NTC. Burke says he will not ask him to waive.

– ANA not trading D Scott Niedermayer.

– TOR and FLA both sellers. PHI and CHI in on G Tomas Vokoun. Bowman tells FAN CHI not in market for a goalie.

– Interested in FLA D Denis Seidenberg is rising despite $1M bonus at season’s end.

– NAS D Dan Hamhuis to PHI for D Ryan Parent. Hamhuis still could remain with NAS. VAN and WAS in on Hamhuis.

VoV

- Email – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
– Twitter – @VoiceofValeri

UFC

– UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (4-1) will face Shane Carwin (11-0) at UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas. It was originally rumoured that Carwin would fight Cain Velasquez (6-0) at UFC 106 with the winner getting a shot at Lesnar next year. However, Valasquez will now fight an unnamed opponent and there’s talk of him getting a shot at the winner of Lesnar-Carwin. For those unaware, Carwin is almost a mirror image of Brock. Should be a dandy.

MLB

– The Cardinals have signed RHP John Smoltz. Smoltz, 42, is 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in eight starts for the Red Sox this season. Great add for the playoff run. GM John Mozeliak said Smoltz would likely start Sunday at San Diego, and would probably get at least a few turns in the rotation.

– The Astros have placed SS Miguel Tejada on waivers, but pulled him off when another team made a claim. The Astros did the same thing with former C Ivan Rodriguez, and a similar fate is expected to happen with RHP Jose Valverde. For some reason, owner Drayton McLane and GM Ed Wade continue to state that they are still in it for this year and aren’t building for next year.

– The Mets have released RHP Livan Hernandez. The 34-year-old Hernandez was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA,  and had allowed 18 earned runs in 14 1-3 innings. He allowed six runs in a 10-1 loss to San Francisco on Monday, and the Mets went 2-10 in his last 12 starts.

Speaking of the Mets, they have placed LHP Billy Wagner on waivers, and according to ESPN, he is apparently ready to waive his no-trade clause. Anybody who takes Wagner will have to shell our about $2.7M for the rest of this season, in addition to a $1M buyout for next year. Wagner will be in tough for a job, though, as he has an $8M option for next season. It’s unlikely anyone will claim him off waivers, so the Mets will probably try and work out a trade. Wagner is coming off Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in the bigs since last September, so his trade value is rock bottom. Still, Wagner doesn’t want to finish his career this way and apparently would like to get up to the 420-save mark or thereabouts. He’s at 385 now.

Still with the Mets, they had placed OF Gary Sheffield on waivers last week, and pulled him later on. It’s now believed that Sheff won’t last the season with the team. If the Mets place him on waivers again, they lose the ability to pull him off or negotiate a trade. Sheffield, 41, says he wants to go somewhere with a strong lineup, but thus far, only the Marlins and Rangers have shown interest.

According to the NY Post, Sheffield asked for a contract extension from the Mets Thursday and was denied, and is now threatening to leave the team and might soon be released outright. Things had been running smoothly in New York until Sheff made a couple of curious comments on Tuesday night in reaction to trade rumors. “Based on what I know now, no, I do not think I will be here. But if I am sent to a team that I don’t want to play for, I would go home.” He was scratched from the lineup Thursday night.

– The Brewers have traded 3B Bill Hall to the Mariners for P Ruben Flores. Hall hit 35 home runs in 2006 and was rewarded with a four-year/$24M contract, but he was hitting only .201 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 76 games when the Brewers designated him for assignment last week.

– The Orioles have claimed RHP Chris Lambert off of waivers from the Tigers. The 26-year-old Lambert was 0-1 with a 14.85 ERA in two relief appearances with the Tigers this season. He was 6-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 21 starts with Triple-A Toledo.

– D’Backs RHP Jon Garland has cleared waivers. Arizona will likely have to part with some cash to make up for the $4M left between his contract and his 2010 buyout, but there’s a chance that a contender in need of pitching depth may decide to take their chances and deal for him. Stay tuned.

– The Reds have placed RHP Johnny Cueto (arm) on the 15-day DL. Cueto is 8-10 with a 4.61 ERA in 24 starts.

– The Dodgers have signed RHP Vicente Padilla.

– The Nationals have named Mike Rizzo as their next GM. Rizzo was acting in an interim role this season following the firing of Jim Bowden.

– The Rangers have placed RHP “Everyday” Eddie Guardado (knee) on the 15-day DL.

– The Mariners have transferred LHP Erik Bedard to the 60-day DL. His season is over.

– The Reds have placed OF Willy Taveras (quad) on the 15-day DL.

– The Dodgers have placed RHP Hiroki Kuroda (head) on the 15-day DL, retroactive to August 16.

– The Royals have released 3B Travis Metcalf.

– The White Sox have placed OF Dewayne Wise (shoulder) on the 15-day DL.

– The Mets have placed SS Alex Cora (thumbs) on the 60-day DL.

– The Astros have placed LHP Mike Hampton (torn rotator cuff) on the 15-day DL.

– The Rangers have placed 2B Esteban German (groin) on the 15-day DL.

NBA

– According to sources, F Amare Stoudemire is playing his last year with the Suns this season. Amare was reportedly very unhappy when Shaq was dealt to Cleveland, and was unhappy with being put on the trade block last February when he was supposedly in talks with the Warriors. He’s putting his odds of staying with the team after next summer at 50/50, though, as he can decline a $17.6M salary for 2010-11 next summer and become a free agent. Stay tuned.

– Bucks F Andrew Bogut still hasn’t participated in contact drills as he continues to recover from a lower back stress fracture that ended his season early last year. Bogut’s main goal is to be ready for training camp, but he’s been working on a limited schedule since July and the fact he hasn’t had contact drills yet is a concern.

– Nets F Yi Jianlian may be allowed to skip the rest of the Stankovic Cup in China and return to New Jersey earlier than expected in order to prepare for the start of the season. Yi has been playing very well for Team China, but the Chinese media is reporting that team officials are considering his request to return to the states early.

– According to the Arizona Republic, Cavaliers F Shaquille O’Neal’s new reality show, “Shaq Vs.” apparently was an idea that Shaq stole directly from Suns G Steve Nash when Shaq was originally traded there in February of 2008. Nash talked to a lawyer and now he’s listed as executive producer on the show.

– Knicks G Nate Robinson was arrested Tuesday after officers pulled him over in the Bronx at about 5:30 p.m. and discovered he had a suspended license. According to the NY Post, the 25-year-old RFA was apparently a complete jerk to the cop who pulled him over for driving with an unfastened seat belt. He turned up the volume pretty loud when the cop walked back from Robinson’s SUV to the police cruiser to check his license and then kept singing the words to the rap song when the officer returned to the window. As soon as he heard he was being arrested, Robinson apparently pulled out the I’m-A-Celebrity-card and tried to sway the officer to let him go. KryptoNate was taken to the 52nd Precinct and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and issued a summons to return to court at a later date.

– The Magic have signed G Jason Williams. Williams, who sat out last year, will back up G Jameer Nelson and probably immediately move in front of G Anthony Johnson on the depth chart.

– G Desmond Mason will not return to the Thunder next season.

– The Grizzlies continue to look into G Jamaal Tinsley, G Flip Murray and G Tarence Kinsey.

WWE

– Unless things change at the last minute, Jeff Hardy’s last day with WWE will take place at either SummerSlam or the following SmackDown! taping. WWE is still trying to get him to stay, though. As a result, it pretty much goes without saying that he will be dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk next week. Matt Hardy tweeted the following message to Jeff Hardy yesterday morning: “The time is near for the Hardy Empire to begin.. Starting with the Charismatic Enigma.. 8/25/09″ Hmm…

Also, WWE released the first-ever “WWE Kids Poster Book” special edition on Tuesday, which features individual posters of practically every male star on the roster. One glaring omission is that of Jeff Hardy, who is not featured on the poster. You can see the giant poster here.

– There is a lot of talk within WWE about having DX vs. Legacy in the main event position at SummerSlam, even though it would go against the tradition of ending with a title match. The feeling is that if CM Punk is going to beat Jeff Hardy for the World Title, which there’s a good chance of that, it’s better to end SummerSlam on a happy note. This would also indicate that John Cena isn’t planned to take the WWE Title from Randy Orton but that’s not confirmed.

– As of last week, there was a rumour that WWE was planning a major swerve at SummerSlam that would involve either Triple H or Shawn Michaels turning heel at SummerSlam. WWE is now advertising DX vs. Legacy in a steel cage match for the SmackDown and ECW tapings on September 1 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This could be a sign that plan was changed or it could be a way to keep a possible heel turn a surprise.

– WWE.com has announced that ECW Champion Christian will defend the gold against #1 contender William Regal at Summerslam this Sunday.

– Former WWE superstar and Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently spoke to the UK’s The Sun. Some highlights:

His Troubled Teen Years: “I had a very checkered past. I got into trouble a lot and had multiple arrests. For a lot of years I struggled to stay on the right path. I had multiple arrests by the time that I was 17. The last time I was arrested, my parents came down to the police station to get me. My parents were struggling at that time, even to put food on the table. That was a lot of stress at that time and I was adding to it. When they came to the police station I remember their disappointment. For years the disappointment had never bothered me but for some reason this time the disappointment in their eyes moved me. And that was when I realized that I was causing a lot of pain for my parents and I did not want to continue to do that.”

His father’s reaction to ‘The Wrestler’: “He didn’t take it very well. We lived the life that you saw in the movie, The Wrestler. That essentially was my dad. The character that Mickey Rourke played so wonderfully was my dad. So when I graduated from college and had an opportunity to play pro football, naturally it was easy for my father to say he did not want me to wrestle. He had nothing to show from a wrestling career. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment and he did not want that life for me. But instinctively I thought I had something to offer that world of entertainment. It took a little of convincing him but eventually we worked together. But being a parent I now understand where my dad was coming from.”

Getting Into Acting: “Ten years ago I knew that I wanted to be a good actor as I wound down my wrestling career. There is a great amount of acting in wrestling and wrestling is a great form of entertainment. For me that training ground was really invaluable because I did not go to school for acting. I went to school for football and studied criminology. I knew it was going to take time and 10 years went by pretty quickly.”

– Former WWE star Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson’s no-compete clause with WWE is set to expire within the next 2 weeks. He will therefore be able to work for any wrestling promotion that wants to hire him. He now goes under the name Mr. Anderson and TNA is said to have high interest in signing the former WWE star.

– As announced Friday afternoon on WWE.com, Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore was released from his WWE contract. According to several sources, the feeling is that he showed up at last week’s RAW taping looking terribly out of shape and Vince McMahon made the decision right then and there to cut him loose. He had just been hired back about a month ago. McMahon is pretty big on first impressions. For instance, his first impression of Takeshi Morishima following a tryout match a year ago this week killed any possible interest in signing him.

An issue of Power Slam noted the following: “August 19: Still on the warpath, Vince claims two more victims: he basically says Morishima looks like a giant, fat girl and that Laurinaitis was wasting his time by hyping such a s colourless and podgy wrestler. Vince also sagely notes that because fellow Japanese name Kenzo Suzuki tanked in WWE, obviously Morishima was likely to be a failure as well – solely on the basis of their shared ethnicity.”

Reportedly, the creative team wanted to get Eugene on television very quickly, so the fact that he was released after his first appearance adds further credence to the theory given.

– This week’s edition of WWE Monday Night RAW drew a 3.8 rating, which is down from last week‘s 3.9 rating. The first hour did a 3.58, while the second hour finished off with a 3.99.

NHL

– Blackhawks F Patrick Kane, 20, and his cousin James Kane, 21, pleaded not guilty during a brief arraignment before Buffalo judge Thomas Amodeo. The appearance came a day after the two were indicted by a grand jury. The Kanes are facing misdemeanor assault, theft and harassment charges that he and his cousin beat up a cab driver over a fare. The panel dismissed a more serious felony charge of second-degree robbery.

– The Sharks have removed captaincy from F Patrick Marleau. Yeesh, about time.

– The 2-month-old son of Capitals G Jose Theodore has died. The goalie’s sister-in-law made the announcement Thursday during her show on a Montreal-area radio station. Theodore also has a 3-year-old daughter, Romy. My condolences go out to the Theodore family.

– The Hurricanes have signed F Stephane Yelle to a one-year/$550K deal. The 35-year-old had seven goals and 11 assists with Boston, and has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Avalanche.

– The Sabres have signed F Jeff Cowan to a one-year deal. Cowan is an eight-year NHL veteran but spent last season playing for Peoria of the AHL. He previously played two years with Vancouver, where he combined for seven goals and four assists, and 203 penalty minutes in 88 games.

– The Ducks have re-sogned D Brett Festerling to a two-year contract. Festerling played 40 games with Anaheim as a rookie last season, recording five assists and 18 penalty minutes. He also played extensively for the Ducks’ top minor league affiliate in Iowa.

– Mark Messier was not offered the head coaching job with the Oilers last season when Craig MacTavish was fired.

– Stars owner Tom Hicks is not putting the team up for sale. Forbes says the team is worth about $405M, but one suspects somebody could get the team for less than that. Hicks’ HSG has until August of 2010 to satisfy his debts before any kind of movement by creditors could be made to take over the teams. He dug himself a hole, though, when his HSG defaulted on a $10M interest payment at the end of March on $525M in loans.

NFL

– WR Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty to felony weapons charges in a Manhattan court Thursday and received a two-year prison sentence. This could easily end the 32-year-old’s career. NY State still must approve Burress’ plea deal – if it doesn’t, Plax could stand trial for two counts of second-degree criminal weapons possession and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment, and face even more prison time. Plax has probably played his last NFL down.

– The NFP is reporting that Raiders assistant Randy Hanson will turn over medical records, and he’s expected to cooperate with Napa, California police. Police, as well as NFL Security, have been attempting to get Hanson to talk since the story of his fractured jaw emerged earlier this week. It’s believed that he will now cooperate because the Raiders will not allow him to return to his former position. The next step is likely an investigation and a possible felony charge against head coach Tom Cable. Cable has declined to comment.

– The Chiefs have signed WR Ashley Lelie.

TNA

– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle spoke with WTAO in Pittsburgh. Here’s what he said: “I don’t like confrontation, so I kind of back away from it. This is really hard for me. I spent nine hours in jail and it was the lowest point of my life,” Angle said as he started to break down crying pleading for his reputation. “I was sitting there in a county jail thinking about why I even started dating this girl. I don’t even know when I’m allowed back in my own home. I just hope that the hearing goes okay and I can move back into my home. I just want my life back.”

F1

– YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley has confirmed his involvement with the new Team US F1. US F1 will be joined on the 2010 starting grid by Manor Grand Prix and Campos Meta 1.

– F1 teams will go back to qualifying on low-fuel for the final session next season. According to FIA , the final 10 cars involved in the Q3 qualifying session will not have to declare their fuel levels due to the fact there will be a ban on refueling next year.

That should bring back the days of a real qualifying shootout in which the fastest car is actually the one on the pole. That was not always the case under the current system as teams were forced to declare their race day fuel levels before Q3, meaning different strategies forced teams to use different fuel levels.

Other changes to the rules will see eight cars knocked out in both Q1 and Q2 to take into account the expected increase to 26 cars next season on the starting grid. The current point system will also be maintained for at least one more season. There have been recommendations to go to an Olympic-styled medal system in which the driver with the most wins would be declared the world champion. Even though the FOTA-based teams have agreed not to use the KERS system next year, the FIA rules have increased the weight of the cars to 620kg to take into account the additional weight of the energy recovery system. Tire warmers, which were also expected to be banned along with refueling, will remain – at least for one more season.

MMA

– Kim Couture, the wife of UFC legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, has responded to Lisa Marie Varon’s (a.k.a. Victoria) comments about a potential MMA bout. “I think that with my name I have a target on me. That’s fine. I don’t imagine that’s going to go away any time soon I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me. If she can make my weight – she seems from the picture a lot taller, a lot bigger than me. But if she can make 135 pounds, if (Strikeforce CEO Scott) Coker wants to put it together then so be it.”

VoV

– Sorry about the lack of updates as of late. Between the NHL playoffs, Jays and the inconsistent hours at work, it’s hard to devote time.

– Beth, our new VoV.com writer, will debut her WWE Extreme Rules PPV thoughts tomorrow. Get ready to laugh.

– New VoV feature that I was talking about should be up soon. Still smoothing out the rough edges, per se.

NHL

– After the signing of G Tim Thomas and F David Krejci, the Bruins have only about $6M of cap space to ink all their other free agents. That would include RFA’s F Phil Kessel, D Matt Hunwick and F Byron Bitz as well as UFA’s F PJ Axelsson, F Mark Recchi and F Stephane Yelle. G Tuuka Rask will likely make next year’s squad as a backup to Thomas and his $850K will also count against the cap. Unless there is some significant roster shuffling, it will be hard for Boston to meet Kessel’s demands. A trade is a possibility.

– Devils’ coach Brent Sutter is expected to make a final decision on his future in the NHL shortly.
Sutter is still under contract to coach the Devils next season and would not comment on the possibility of jumping ship to the serve as the bench boss for brother Darryl’s Calgary Flames. “I know I have to make a decision soon, out of respect to [general manager] Lou [Lamoriello] and the Devils,” Sutter said. “Teams want to know who their coach is going to be, if not by the draft, then by July 1 at the latest. I can’t sit around and take months to make a call on this. I’m leaning one way right now, but I want to make absolutely sure. Whichever decision I make will be the right one, I know, but I want to take the time I need.”

– The Maple Leafs signed three prospects this week including Quebec Remparts’ star F Mikhail Stefanovich. Stefanovich, 19, led the Remparts in scoring last season with 49 goals and 27 assists in 56 games. He was the Leafs’ 4th round pick in the 2008 draft and is shaping up to be a steal. He signed an entry-level contract with Toronto earlier in the week and has an outside chance of making the Buds’ roster this coming fall. Also signing contracts this week were D Carl Gunnarsson, 22, (6th choice in 2007) and D Juraj Mikus, 20 (4th choice in 2007). Neither blueliner is expected to crack the Toronto lineup in 2009-10.

– The Devils and UFA F John Madden have not had any contract discussions. The 36-year-old defensive centre wants to return to New Jersey but may have to wait until a coaching decision is made.

– Penguins’ F Ruslan Fedotenko looks like he may have won a contract with the Pens due in part to his strong play in the playoffs. Look for Fedotenko to re-sign with the Pens at the conclusion of the Cup finals.

– Patrick Lalime is recovering from two surgeries this off-season. He underwent surgery to fix a sports hernia as well as an arthroscopic procedure to repair his hip. The 35-year-old Lalime, who missed the final three weeks of the 2008-09 campaign due to the injuries, has one more year to run on a two years/$2M left.

MLB

– According to the Boston Globe, the Giants have had internal discussions about shipping LHP Jonathan Sanchez to the Indians for 3B Mark DeRosa.

– According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are interested in Brewers’ SS JJ Hardy. SS Jed Lowrie isn’t expected back until the All-Star break, and the team is deciding whether to deal or use a tandem of SS Julio and SS Nick Green. Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin plans on bringing up 22-year-old Alcides Escobar to fill the potential void.

– Cubs’ RHP Carlos Zambrano said Friday that he expects to retire in five years. The topic came up when a reporter mentioned Giants’ LHP Randy Johnson’s 300th win.

Zambrano said, “For 300′ Me? No, I’ll be out of here in five years…No, believe me. After this contract I’m done. I’m serious. Because I don’t want to play anymore.”

Big Z is notorious for changing his mind and randomly spouting off. At age 28, he’s 100-63 with a 3.50 career ERA.

– LHP Tom Glavine may file a grievance against the Braves following his release Wednesday. Glavine said Friday he believes he was released for financial reasons and to clear a roster spot for Tommy Hanson. GM Frank Wren, team chairman Terry McGuirk and president John Schuerholz said Glavine was released because they did not believe the 43-year-old left-hander would make a successful return from surgery on his elbow and shoulder.

Speaking of Glavine, if he does return, it’s believed that he will stay in the NL. The Cardinals could be in the mix.

– The Braves have placed 1B Casey Kotchman (calf) on the 15-day DL.

WWE

– In an interview with B95 FM in central California, Jeff Hardy spoke on his current WWE contract status, saying;

“There’s nothing concrete. There’s rumours out there about me not re-signing, but we haven’t decided that yet. They’re real cool with giving me time. There’s a very good chance (I’ll still be on TV in six months), but we’ll see.”

He also spoke on 2008 being a tough year for him when he lost his house and dog while serving a wellness policy violation suspension.

Jeff said, “I was tested like crazy. Really hard time for me to get through those 60 days. Had to pee in a cup to prove myself to them (WWE) again.” He denied reports that he was doing an MTV series.

Hardy closed out the interview by saying he’s going to try to be creative to come up with new moves with Edge in the ladder match at the Extreme Rules PPV on Sunday.

– The Slammer wrestling column in the New York Daily News ran a story today on Ric Flair that quoted the Nature Boy as saying

“The decision (to leave Ring Of Honor) was mine alone. Nothing against ROH, but I decided you can’t serve two masters, and my loyalty lies with the WWE. I feel very comfortable being there.”

– Triple H is being featured in local television commercial advertisements for the upcoming June 19th WWE RAW-brand house show in Des Moines, Iowa. Commercials aired as recently as Friday night during WWE SmackDown! promoting HHH’s in-ring return in a match against Randy Orton for the WWE title. The 6/19 house show is less than two weeks away. With Extreme Rules airing tonight, if the ads are correct, “The Game” could return at any of the upcoming shows.

– Jeff Hardy was interviewed by the Big O and Dukes Show on 106.7FM in Washington D.C. this morning. On the subject of Ken Kennedy recently being released from WWE, Hardy said,

“It was really sad, you know? I think he’s a real talented guy. I don’t know if it was the right move, but we’ll see.”

He also mentioned that Ken was a guy that he had worked with and traveled with quite a bit and that he was extremely shocked to find out about his release.

Hardy said, “There’s been a lot of releases, a lot of friends that are getting released just out of nowhere. You gotta deal with it, move on and just know to yourself that its not the end of the world and that there’s other things out there.”

– Chris Masters is telling promoters that he has not cancelled all of his future bookings and will still work those shows, indicating that the recently re-signed WWE star won’t be returning to TV in the immediate future.

– Evan Bourne was recently interviewed by The Sun in the UK. Here are the highlights:

The new ECW vs. The original ECW: “You can’t make a direct comparison between the rosters, as we’re so different. But if you compare ECW now to the old ECW on TNN – we blow that show out of the water. Every week we blow it out of the water. I have tons of respect for Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Super Crazy and Tajiri – as they were the guys I idolised growing up. I loved ECW. So that’s why I’m so proud to part of the current ECW, to make sure the name has the same feel and fans feel the same way I did at that age.”

On differences between now and then: “The main difference is that the original ECW’s events weren’t as large as ours. They were wrestling in front of 4,000-5,000, whereas WWE’s arena shows attract 10,000. That makes a huge difference as you have to adapt to your crowd and give them the best show. Also ECW had no rules, you could use any language you want. I loved the promo Tazz cut on Steve Corino, where he cursed for 10 minute straight, but we can’t do that. We’re a PG product and I’m proud to be a part of that. I love doing it for the kids, but I never want to forget about that 18-24 male demographic that needs ECW to be like EXTREME Championship Wrestling was back in the day. Me and Tyson Kid can easily be the Super Crazy/Tajiri or RVD/Jerry Lynn of the new ECW. “

On the poor ratings: “You have to look at ratings as a long-term picture, but I did notice that the week I made my second debut was one of ECW’s highest rated shows. And I think we’re going to see a slow increase coming up. I measure more by live crowd reaction and how it looks on TV. I don’t make any money off ad sales, so ratings are nowhere near as important to me as having a good product.”

– Jim Ross has a new blog up at JRsBarBQ.com, here are the highlights:

On Mickie James and her new career?: Mickie James, arguably the WWE’s most talented in ring diva, is contemplating trying her hand at country music as Mickie has apparently written several songs and is preparing to do a demo as I understand it. This doesn’t mean Mickie is leaving wrestling whatsoever. I wish her luck if she decides to travel the country music road as it won’t be easy but neither was her getting in WWE.

On Ric Flair and ROH: It looks like Ric Flair is completely finished with ROH, or at least that’s my take on it, and that Flair will eventually wrestle again for promoters abroad but not wrestle for WWE. Flair seems destined for a reoccurring role on WWE TV but I don’t know the details of such or the time line. After being punted by Randy Orton Monday night in Birmingham, one would not expect to see Naitch back on WWE TV for quite some time. Right?

On Smackdown kicking Raw’s ass: It looks as if SD will be in a position to kick Raw’s ass again this Sunday at “Extreme Rules.” In my biased opinion, no match on the card is more eagerly anticipated than the Ladder Match for the World Title with Edge defending against Jeff Hardy. To think that I inked both these men to WWE contracts over a decade ago is a testament to how time flies. I assure you that both men will take ridiculous risks Sunday and I will be shocked if the use of the ladders as weapons doesn’t bust someone open.

NBA

– Contrary to rumours, the Celtics are not shopping G Ray Allen.

– Lakers’ F Lamar Odom said on Friday that he intends to re-sign with the Lakers this summer.

Odom said, “It would probably take an offer I couldn’t refuse for me to play somewhere else. It would take something incredible, which I don’t think is going to happen.”

Odom has embraced his sixth-man role and is three victories away from a championship, so there’s little reason to think his position will change over the summer.

– Hornets coach Byron Scott said Friday that F Tyson Chandler’s injured ankle was worse than originally thought. His rehabilitation from ankle surgery could take around four months. This new timetable puts Chandler’s status for training camp in doubt. Scott at least offered some reason for optimism, saying that “[Chandler] really feels this is going to give him the agility and the movement that he had a few years ago, so he can get back to playing like his old self.”

NFL

– Colts’ RB Joseph Addai revealed on Friday that he recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which caused him to sit out the start of Colts minicamp. Addai refused to say which knee was scoped. Coming of his worst season as a pro, Addai is going through routine rehab work and the Colts are saying all looks good.

– Bengals’ WR Chad Ocho Cinco said on NFL Network Friday that last year’s shoulder and ankle injuries were the result of not doing any workouts at all in the 2008 offseason. “I didn’t lift one weight, I didn’t run one route, I didn’t excercise,” said Ocho. He’s now going out of his way to remake his image after a disastrous 2008, insisting that he’s in top physical condition and fully on board with owner Mike Brown and coach Marvin Lewis. This comes less than two months after Ocho was reportedly crying because he couldn’t get traded out of Cincy.

– Eagles’ RB Brian Westbrook underwent successful surgery to remove bone fragments and scare tissue Friday. The Eagles expect him to be 100% for the regular season.

– Colts’ K Adam Vinatieri recently underwent surgery to relieve discomfort in his right hip. The same doctor who operated on the Yankees’ 3B Alex Rodriguez performed the procedure, and does not believe it will affect Vinatieri’s availability for the season.

– RB Brandon Marshall’s trial for two misdemeanour charges has been pushed back to August. This is the trial from his March 2008 arrest involving his former girlfriend. Marshall’s attorney asked for the postponement into late summer. If he’s found guilty, Marshall faces another suspension from the NFL.

VoV

– New blog up.

TNA

– Bobby Lashley still has yet to sign a contract with TNA Wrestling. As a result, company officials have decided against using him on television again until he signs a contract. He wasn’t brought to the most recent set of Impact tapings.

Lashley recently said he was trying to work out scheduling issues with TNA. He also said he would be working no more than four days a month with them and wouldn’t do any pro wrestling matches within a few weeks of fights due to the injury risk.

TNA taped some stuff with Lashley at the prior iMPACT! tapings which may be inserted into shows over the next few weeks if needed. Although, the fact his name was never mentioned during the last two weeks of Impact is a good indication they’re putting his storyline on hold until he signs, which is where the situation stands at the moment.

– Speaking of Lashley, he recently appeared on Inside MMA and when asked why he left World Wrestling Entertainment, he responded, “That’s the million dollar question, and it’ll cost me a million dollars to answer it.”

Both sides signed confidentiality clauses and agreed not to bad mouth each other when they gave him a full release. The deal also allowed him to work for TNA if he wanted to, even though he had time left on his contract. The feeling is that if he went public on his complaints on Michael Hayes, and there was some corroboration, it would make the company look bad. So WWE officials agreed to release Lashley on his terms on the condition that he not say anything negative about the company.

NHL

– Bruins’ D Matt Hunwick, who is recovering nicely from surgery to remove his spleen, is likely to re-sign with the Bruins over the next 4-to-6 weeks. He is one of 10 free agents on the squad. F David Krejci and F Phil Kessel are the most prominent players on the list, and bringing them back to Beantown is a priority for GM Peter Chiarelli. Of the other free agents, only Hunwick and rugged F Bryon Bitz will attract Chiarelli’s attention over the next month or so. F P.J. Axelsson, F Shane Hnidy, D Steve Montador, F Mark Recchi, F Stephane Yelle and G Manny Fernandez (who will likely not return) will have to wait to see what the Bruins’ cap situation looks like before being extended any offers.

– Speaking of David Krejci, look for the Bruins to deal with soon-to-be restricted free agent quickly. GM Peter Chiarelli will likely ink him to a deal prior to the entry draft in June. Chiarelli will then turn his attention to F Phil Kessel, who is also slated to become a UFA, but may be more difficult to negotiate with. Although it may hurt the Bruins in the pocketbook, we expect both Krejci and Kessel to be re-signed in the next month.

– The Thrashers are likely to move one of their goaltenders prior to, or during, the entry draft in June. The team has many needs and can’t really afford to waste its depth in goal with both G Kari Lehtonen and G Ondrej Pavelec capable of starting. Look for one of them, likely Lehtonen, to be dealt in the next month.

– Speaking of the Thrashers, GM Don Waddell told reporters that F Ilya Kovalchuk will not be traded as part of a deadline deal next season. The Russian star is scheduled to become a free agent next July and the Thrashers are desperately trying to re-sign him to a long-term deal. That said, if they are unsuccessful in luring Kovalchuk back to Hotlanta, Waddell indicated he will not move him to salvage something in a trade. Strong words, but it’s very possible that he goes back on his word. There’s likely to be a few more turns in the Kovalchuk-Atlanta story before the final chapter is written.

– The Thrashers seemingly want to re-sign F Marty Reasoner before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The veteran registered only 30 points in 2008-09 and is not strong enough defensively to play a prominent role on a checking unit, so wanting to re-sign him seems like a questionable task.

NBA

– According to the NY Daily News, the Nets are hoping to trade underperforming F Yi Jianlian this summer. Yi was acquired from the Bucks last summer and still has plenty of upside, but he’s been slow to improve his defense, rebounding and passing.

NFL

– Patriots’ RB Laurence Maroney revealed Saturday that he had a broken bone in his shoulder last season. Maroney injured the shoulder in Week 2 and tried to play through it to no avail. “I feel like it still shows my toughness and my dedication to the team and how much I really want to contribute,” said Maroney. “The shoulder is great. Not good, great.”

WWE

– In a possible Judgment Day spoiler, Rey Mysterio is advertised to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga at a SmackDown/ECW live event on Sunday, June 14 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Mysterio will be defending his championship against Jericho during tonight’s pay-per-view.

– WWE has reportedly re-named the Great American Bash PPV. It is now simply being called The Bash. The Bash takes place on June 28th at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.