This August has been a much quieter time for real NHL news than in recent ones post-lockout, and for good reason: most NHL reporters were either on vacation or covering the recent Summer Olympics in Beijing, while most NHL general managers and their staff were vacationing or off on scouting missions.

Of course idle hands are the devil’s work and some folks (none of them accredited hockey reporters, by the way) have been busy filling hockey cyberspace with lots of unsubstantiated trade and free agent rumors.

So since there isn’t really very much real hockey news to comment on, here’s a look at some of the latest internet rumors going on:

- Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander put his house up for sale and could be traded to Vancouver.

Nylander has put his house up for sale, which can be a legitimate tip-off of an imminent move, but according to the Washington Post that’s because he and his family are moving into a smaller one. Nylander has a movement clause and isn’t planning on waiving it, nor have the Capitals asked him to.

-The Montreal Canadiens are pursuing Chicago Blackhawks center Robert Lang.

Canadiens GM Bob Gainey admits he has a “plan B” in place should Mats Sundin opt to sign elsewhere, but it remains to be seen if that’s pursuing another center or sticking with his current roster. The Lang rumor was erroneously attributed to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who’s been on vacation for much of this summer.

-The Canadiens are interested in Toronto’s Bryan McCabe to replace the offense lost when Mark Streit signed with the Islanders.

No, they’re not. Folks conveniently forget that the Canadiens still have Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik on the point, and they’re certainly not going to take on McCabe’s bloated $5.75 million per season salary.

-The Florida Panthers will trade Jay Bouwmeester before the start of the upcoming season.

No, they won’t. Bouwmeester is on a one-year contract and in all likelihood won’t be returning with the Panthers after this season but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes he has a chance to convince Bouwmeester to remain he won’t move the blueliner. If “Jay-Bo” is traded it’ll be in January at the earliest, most likely by the February trade deadline.

-The Minnesota Wild are shopping or will shop Marian Gaborik before the start of the season.

Same situation as Bouwmeester, although judging by recent reports out of Minnesota it appears there’s a willingness on both the Wild and the Gaborik camp to get a deal done.

-The NY Rangers will trade Scott Gomez to make room for Mats Sundin.

Sorry, folks, but I just don’t see that happening. It makes no sense to trade a 28-year-old playmaker entering the prime of his career and in the midst of a long-term contract for a 37-year-old center who, as great as he is, might only commit to one or two years of hockey.  If Rangers GM Glen Sather does this, he has no right being an NHL general manager.

-The Rangers will trade Gomez to Minnesota for Gaborik.

And on that day, the devil skates to work.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

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I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

Nearly two weeks into the NHL’s UFA pool and the depth is getting shallower.

The biggest free agent signing of note over the past several days was that of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Williams, who after several days of speculation out of Ottawa had him signing with the Senators (“Done Deal” according to some internet sites) would up inking a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Williams, 27, is coming off an injury-shortened season which saw him net 13 goals and 36 points in 43 games (four of those goals game-winners), leading the Blackhawks in power-play ice time until a sports hernia sidelined him for 35 games.

This is a good signing for a Thrashers team thin on offense heading into next season. He can play center or right wing and it’s possible he might be placed on the same line as star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, especially on the powerplay.

In a move suggesting a trade is in the offing the Anaheim Ducks signed former Florida Panthers defenseman Steve Montador to a one-year, $800K contract.

Montador, 28, had a career year with the Panthers last season, with 23 points in 73 games and plus-minus of +1.

The Ducks are expected to dump some salary to free up valuable cap space before the start of next season with Mathieu Schneider and his $5.75 million contract for next season considered the likely candidate and Montador filling his spot on the Ducks blueline.

Tampa Bay Lightning ownership continue to load up at forward, re-signing veteran center Chris Gratton to  a one-year contract.

With seventeen forwards currently on the roster (including 2008 first overall pick Steve Stamkos) it believed the Bolts will soon shop one or two forwards for some much needed veteran depth on their blueline.

Frequently suggested trade candidates include Jussi Jokinen and Michel Ouellet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed a need for more toughness, acquiring checker Ryan Hollweg from the NY Rangers for a fifth rounder in 2009.

Hollweg’s aggressive style should make him a good fit on the Leafs fourth line.

TSN's Bob McKenzie reports defenseman Brian Campbell is to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks to an 8-year, $7.1 million per season contract.

GM Dale Tallon had Campbell in his sights for months and managed to out-bid clubs like Ottawa and the New York Rangers for his services.

Campbell was considered the best available defenseman in this summer's UFA pool, but as TSN's Pierre McGuire pointed out, it seems wrong that he's earning more money than Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom, the best defenseman in the league.

Campbell's a good defenseman and he should be a welcome addition to the Blackhawks defense corps, but he's not worth $7.1 million per season, particularly when one considers he was seeking $5 million per season last fall to re-sign with the Buffalo Sabres.

TSN also suggests this move puts the Blackhawks over the cap ceiling by over $5 million for next season (considering Cristobal Huet's new contract of $5. 6 million per season), meaning Tallon will have some significant salary to dump between now and the week before the start of next season to get under the $56.7 million cap.

**UPDATE** One of my readers (thanks, Mickey) crunched the numbers and claims the Blackhawks are nearly $2 million over the $56.7 million cap, sitting currently at $58.6 million. Still, they'll need to dump more than that to get comfortably under the cap and leave some wiggle room for next season.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed an experienced backup for starting goaltending Ryan Miller by inking Patrick Lalime a two-year, $2 million contract.

It was speculated Lalime might land back with the Ottawa Senators where he was a starter earlier in the decade but it appears they opted for the more affordable option in Alex Auld.

Lalime earned positive reviews for his efforts in Chicago backing up Blackhawks starter Nikolai Khabibulin but management decided they needed to bring in an established starter and let Lalime walk via free agency.

He should prove to be a better backup than Jocelyn Thibault, as the Sabres were looking for someone capable of lightening the workload of starter Ryan Miller.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a major splash in the 2005 free agent market by signing the best available free agent goaltender.

Three years later, they’ve done it again, signing Cristobal Huet to a reported four year deal worth $5.6 million per season.

Huet will split the goaltending duties with Nikolai Khabibulin, who was signed with much fanfare three years ago to be the Blackhawks starting goaltender, but injuries have adversely affected the performance of the crumbling ‘Bulin Wall.

The ‘Hawks aren’t expected to re-sign Khabibulin when his current contract expires after next season and he’ll likely be relegated to backup duty behind Huet this coming season, which at $6.75 million will make him the most expensive backup goalie in the league this season.

For the Blackhawks, it’s worthwhile, as the team made significant improvement last season and might’ve made the playoffs if they could’ve had better goaltending.

They’ll get that in Huet, who’s a proven regular season netminder although in his limited playoff experience he’s yet to win a series, but for a Chicago team hungry to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, they’ll be happy if he can backstop them to the postseason first and then they’ll worry about his playoff record.  

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed one of their unrestricted free agents today, inking forward Pascal Dupuis to a three-year contract worth an average of $1.4 million per season.

Dupuis joined the Penguins at the trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Marian Hossa from Atlanta to Pittsburgh and quickly established himself as a valuable energetic forward capable of playing on the scoring lines as well as the checking lines.

The Calgary Flames added some affordable depth at forward by acquiring Rene Bourque from the Chicago Blackhawks for a draft pick.

Bourque was once considering among the Blackhawks most promising players but injuries hampered his development and with the emergence of other young ‘Hawks prospects he no longer fit into their roster.

Two players swapped for each other during last season’s trade deadline have re-signed with their new teams.

On Monday the Chicago Blackhawks announced the re-signing of forward Andrew Ladd to a two-year contract, and the following day Tuomo Ruutu – whom the Blackhawks dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes for Ladd on February 26 – inked a one-year contract extension worth $2.25 million.

That trade worked well for Ruutu and Ladd (both former first round draft picks) as they were struggling with their former clubs.

After netting only 21 points in 60 games with the Blackhawks Ruttu had 11 in 17 games with the Hurricanes, while Ladd had 12 points in 20 games with the Blackhawks after notching only 18 points in 43 games with the ‘Canes.

It’s rare a trade works out well for both clubs involved in such a short period of time so it’s understandable why the Blackhawks and Hurricanes rushed to get Ruutu and Ladd under contract prior to July 1st, when as restricted free agents they might’ve been targets for offer sheets from rival clubs.

The NHL recently released their All-Star and All-Rookie Teams for the past season:

ALL-STARS:

First team:

Goaltender: Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks.

Defensemen: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings. Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

Center: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Right Wing: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames.

Left Wing: Alexander Ovechkin.

Second Team:

Goaltender: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils.

Defensemen: Brian Campbell, San Jose Sharks. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins.

Center: Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

Right Wing: Alex Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens.

Left Wing: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.


ALL ROOKIE TEAM.

Goaltender: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens.

Defensemen: Tobias Enstrom, Atlanta Thrashers. Tom Gilbert, Edmonton Oilers.

Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks.

The San Jose Sharks addressed the first of their off-season free agent issues on Tuesday, when  veteran forward Jeremy Roenick announced via video that he’d be returning to the team next season.

Roenick didn’t announce the terms of the deal but TSN.ca reported it was expected to be around $1 million for next season, nearly doubling his salary from this past year.

“JR Superstar” isn’t the great offensive forward he once was, but he provided depth and leadership experience to the Sharks last season. In 69 games he scored 14 goals and 33 points, but ten of those goals were game-winners, tops on the Sharks and second overall in the league only to Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, proving that Roenick could still come through in the clutch.

One of those goals was also Roenick’s 500th career regular season goal, and his 503rd goal later in the season placed the outspoken star behind only Mike Modano for most career regular season goals scored by an American-born player, numbers which should pave the way to a future Hall of Fame induction.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks announced they’d reached terms on new contracts with forwards Adam Burish and Dustin Byfuglien and defenseman James Wisniewski. Terms have yet to be released.

Byfuglien, 23, was a pleasant surprise for the Blackhawks this season, as the versatile winger/defenseman notched 19 goals in 67 games, his first full season in the NHL.  Burish, 25, led the Blackhawks in penalty minutes with 214 in this, his first NHL season.

Wisniewski, 24, played his second full NHL season with the Blackhawks in 2007-08, notching 26 points and a plus-minus of +12.

The NHL recently announced the finalists for their individual awards, which will be presented to the winners in a ceremony in Toronto next month following the Stanley Cup Finals.

Here’s the list of nominees in each category and my picks for the winners. As always I’ll be interested in reading your comments, folks, just keep it clean.

VEZINA TROPHY (Top goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers; Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks.

My Pick: Brodeur. Tied for most games played with Nabokov with 77, was second in wins behind Nabokov with 44 and was fifth behind Nabokov in GAA with a 2.17 average. However, what clinches it for me was his .920 save percentage, superior to Nabokov’s .910 and Lundqvist’s .912. He faced the fourth highest shots of all goalies this season and made the second-most saves.

NORRIS TROPHY (Top Defenseman): Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

My Pick: Lidstrom. Not only did he lead all defensemen in assists and points but also in plus-minus with +40, well above Chara’s +14 and Phaneuf’s +12. Lidstrom is the best all-round defenseman playing today.

CALDER TROPHY (Top Rookie):  Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals; Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks; Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks.

My Pick: Kane, who led all rookies in assists and points after making the jump from Junior A despite his small size (5-9,160). Kane not only rose to meet lofty expectations, he excelled and led the Blackhawks in scoring.

LADY BYNG(Sportsmanship): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres;Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

My Pick: Datsyuk. He finished fourth in overall points, second in overall assists, led the league in plus-minus with +41 and led the Wings in scoring, all while only racking up a mere 20 minutes in penalties. Proof that you can excel at both ends of the rink and still play a clean game.

SELKE TROPHY (Top Defensive Forward): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; John Madden, New Jersey Devils; Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.

My pick: Datsyuk. Madden is more of a pure defensive forward but Datsyuk’s defensive game is every bit as strong as his offensive game, putting him in the same class as former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov in 1994.

HART TROPHY (League MVP): Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames; Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals.

My Pick: Ovechkin. Not only did he lead the NHL in points and become the first player in 11 years to score over 60 goals in a season but he also carried the Capitals to their first playoff berth in five years.

ADAMS TROPHY (Best Coach): Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings; Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals; Guy Carbonneau, Montreal Canadiens

My Pick: Boudreau. Babcock and Carbonneau did a tremendous job with their teams but both had far more to work with than Boudreau, who took over a team in disarray early in the season and turned them into a playoff club.

The Chicago Blackhawks swung their second trade of the day, shipping veteran forward Martin Lapointe to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth round draft pick.

Lapointe was once considered one of the better checking forwards in the NHL during his years with the Detroit Red Wings. He’s still considered to have value as a checker and leader and comes with plenty of playoff experience, although his best years were with the Wings in the late 1990s.

Senators energy forward and tough guy Chris Neil is currently sidelined with an injury which may be more serious that feared and thus required a replacement like Lapointe.

It’s also hoped that Lapointe’s grit and experience might help shake up what’s believed to be a moribund Senators dressing room given how the club has struggled since mid-March. That however remains to be seen.

For now the Senators will be happy if Lapointe can contribute on the ice.

In a swap of former first round draft picks, the Chicago Blackhawks traded forward Tuomo Ruutu to the Carolina Hurricanes for Andrew Ladd.

Ruutu was the 9th overall pick of the 2001 entry draft and was once considered a potential superstar following his promising rookie debut in 2003-04, but a series of injuries has hampered his development and saw him used as a checking line forward this season.

Ladd was drafted fourth overall by the Hurricanes in the 2004 entry draft and like Ruutu was labeled with the tag of future superstar. He showed flashes of brilliance during the Hurricanes Stanley Cup run in 2006 but has yet to fully play up to lofty expectations, as injuries (albeit not on the same scale as Ruutu’s) also slowed his development.

It’ll be interesting to see if a change of scenery can help get these former first rounders back on track.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been pursuing a veteran defenseman all season but on Sunday they retained one of their promising young blueliners, re-signing Brent Seabrook to a three year, $10.5 million contract.

That will be a cap hit for the Blackhawks of $3.5 million per season starting next season, but the team and their fans will probably agree that it was well worth it.

Only 22, Seabrook has become one of the more reliable defensemen on the Blackhawks blueline and his best years are still ahead of him.

This season Seabrook currently has 17 points and a plus-minus of +12 in 57 games. He’s on pace for 27 points, just under his rookie season total of 32 but better than last season’s 24, and his plus-minus is already at a career high.

At 6-3 and 220 he’s not a physical blueliner but plays more of an offensive game, known for his sharp passing and hard shot. If he continues to develop as expected he could become one of the NHL’s top offensive defensemen.

Seabrook was the subject of trade rumors last year, which GM Dale Tallon consistently dismissed. This signing should put those speculations to rest.