- NHL center Andrew Ebbett is on the move again. 

Just over a month after being claimed off waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks from the Anaheim Ducks Ebbett has been claimed again, this time by the Minnesota Wild. 

Ebbett, 26, was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks after only ten games for two reasons; to make room on the roster for winger Marian Hossa's long-awaited debut as a Blackhawk, and to allow the club to free up some much-needed cap space. 

OK, there's also a third reason: he wasn't as good a fit as hoped when the Blackhawks claimed him earlier in the season in hopes he'd provide depth at center. 

After having a strong debut performance last season with the Ducks (32 points in 48 games) Ebbett did not have a good training camp this season and saw action

One of the NHL's greatest players of the past twenty years and one of Sweden's all time greatest hockey players has called it a career. 

Center Mats Sundin, former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, officially announced his retirement after 18 seasons with the Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks. 

As per TSN.ca:

The 38-year-old leaves the NHL having amassed 1,349 points (564 goals, 785 assists over 1,346), ranking him 25th on the all-time list.

Sundin ranks fourth in points among European-born players and holds the records for goals (420), game winning goals (79), powerplay goals (124) and points (987) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was also an eight time all-star and from 1997 to 2008 was the Leafs captain, becoming the longest serving European

In a move which is bound to further upset those within the NHL unhappy with players receiving lengthy contracts, the Vancouver Canucks today announced the re-signing of goaltender Roberto Luongo to a twelve-year contract extension. 

No official word yet on the dollar amount of the contract but according to TSN and RDS sportsites it's believed wort $64 million.

Broken down over twelve years that becomes a cap hit of $5.333 million per season, starting in 2010-11. Luongo is currently on the final year of a contract paying him $7.5 million for this season but is worth a cap hit of $6.75 million.

If the deal should be heavily front-loaded (like those of Detroit's Johan Franzen, Chicago's Marian Hossa and Philadelphia's Chris Pronger) it'll only further infuriate the critics of such

In the wake of the San Jose Sharks shipping defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Vancouver Canucks on August 28th and the Canucks subsequent signing of unrestricted free agent defenseman Mathieu Schneider, it's expected those two teams are through making deals. 

By trading Ehrhoff and Lukowich to Vancouver, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson freed up over $4.6 million in salary cap space, giving him much-needed wiggle room under the $56.8 million cap in which to either sign more players within the sytem and either signing an unrestricted free agent or perhaps another player by trade. 

As for the Canucks, their recent acquisitions push them roughly $2 million over the cap for the upcoming season but GM Mike Gillis recently told the Vancouver Province not only

It's been a busy day for Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis. 

Shortly after completing a trade with the San Jose Sharks which brought defensemen Brad Lukowich and Christian Ehrhoff to Vancouver, the Canucks also announced the signing today of veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider. 

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but it's a good bet it'll be a one year contract. I'll post financial details once they become available. 

Schneider, 40, had 32 points in 67 games split between the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens. He's long been among the better offensive defensemen in the NHL, amassing 221 goals and 734 points in over 1,200 career NHL regular season games.

Over the past two years however it's clear age is catching up to him as he's no longer capable

Rumored for weeks to be in the market for one or two defensemen,Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis found what he was looking for with the San Jose Sharks. 

On Friday Gillis acquired veteran blueliners Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich from the Sharks in exchange for defenseman Daniel Rahimi and forward Patrick White. 

The 27-year-old Ehrhoff, who had 42 points in 77 game with the Sharks last season should fill Gillis' need for another puck-moving defenseman. 

Lukowich, 33, is a physical defensive blueliner who has plenty of playoff experience having won Stanley Cups with Dallas and Tampa Bay. 

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson had been sitting just over the salary cap (at roughly $58.3 million) prior to making this move.

In shipping out Ehrhoff and

The Vancouver Canucks answered the question of who will back up goaltender Roberto Luongo next season, signing former Colorado Avalanche netminder Andrew Raycroft. 

Financial terms weren't immediately available but I'm guessing it's probably a one-year contract. 

Raycroft, 29, is a former NHL Rookie of the Year whose stock has slipped considerably since his impressive debut back in 2003-04 with the Boston Bruins. 

Injuries plagued him during the 2005-06 season and he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2006. Despite playing in 72 games in 2006-07 and winning 37 games Raycroft was often made the scapegoat for that club's inability to make the playoffs.

He saw considerably less playing time the following season and was bought out by the Leafs in June 2008.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis bolstered his forward lines today by signing former Detroit Red Wings winger Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year contract. 

Financial terms weren't disclosed but will be posted as soon as they become available.

Samuelsson should be a significant addition to the Canucks forward lines. He's netted 40 or more points in three of the past four seasons and he's proven himself a clutch two-way playoff performer. 

Along with other solid two-way players like Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows, Samuelsson will help make the Canucks even stronger at both ends of the rink.