TSN reported earlier today that the Florida Panthers have a deal in place to move Gary Roberts, but it would depend on his waiving his no-trade clause.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette subsequently confirmed the offer came from the Penguins. This is an unexpected turn of events, as it's been widely believed the Pens were seeking defensive depth and perhaps an enforcer to ride shotgun on Sidney Crosby's line.

A report out of Phoenix last Friday had the Pens talking with the Coyotes about Georges Laraque but it appears now that those talks have cooled.

Roberts was informed of the Penguins offer this morning and given time to think about it, since it was well known he'd only consider waiving the NTC to go to Toronto or Ottawa.

It's now been several hours with no word yet from Roberts or the Panthers, which has me wondering if perhaps the Senators, who are believed very interested in him, are trying to put together a counter-offer to match or beat the Pens offer.

**UPDATE**. TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Monday night that Roberts had agreed to waive the clause, setting up a trade to the Penguins for prospect Noah Welch, which is expected to be officially announced on deadline day.

There is some speculation, however, that Roberts' destination may have changed. A late report on TSN during Monday night's Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs game claimed the Leafs had offered a second and fourth rounder along with a prospect for Roberts.  

Stay tuned, folks, hopefully we'll find out later today how this plays out.

Keith Tkachuk is finally on the move.

The veteran forward agreed to waive his no-trade clause, allowing the St. Louis Blues to trade him today to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forward Glen Metropolit, Atlanta’s 2007 1st round pick, 3rd round pick, a 2nd rounder in 2008. There is also a conditional pick based upon whether Tkachuk resigns in Atlanta or not (courtesy Kukla's Korner).

The Blues were seeking high draft picks and/or prospects for Tkachuk, and with this deal, they certainly have that and more. Even though this year's draft isn't expected to be a deep one, it'll nevertheless give the Blues a better opportunity at landing a quality prospect.

Metropolit's had a career resurgence this season in Atlanta, signing with them as an unrestricted free agent last summer after spending the previous three years playing in Europe. It remains to be seen how well he'll fit under Andy Murray's system in St. Louis.

Thrashers GM Don Waddell was long believed interested in Tkachuk, particularly with his club sliding down the standings and with a long-anticipated playoff berth now in jeopardy. Waddell didn't have to part with much off his roster to land him, and with the quality of talent already locked up long term (Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa) Waddell obviously feels he can sacrifice a first rounder in a weak draft year for immediate roster help.

It remains to be seen, however, if this'll pay the immediate dividend that Waddell's roster needs to stabilize their position in the standings. Tkachuk doesn't come with a reputation as a playoff gamebreaker, and it's unlikely the Thrashers will be able to re-sign him after this season.

Indeed, it's entirely possible Tkachuk could return to the Blues as an unrestricted free agent this summer, following the same example as his now-former Blues teammate Doug Weight and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Mark Recchi. Both agreed to be dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes, and after helping that team win the Stanley Cup, re-signed with their former teams.

All of that, however, is for the future. For now, the Thrashers and their fans will be thrilled if Tkachuk can bolster their playoff hopes. If he can, it may be worth the price.

Last night I received an e-mail claiming ESPN radio in Pittsburgh reporting Phoenix Coyotes forward Georges Laraque could be on his way to the Penguins provided he waives his no-trade clause.

I received another e-mail from a source this morning claiming the deal was all but done, and a report in today's Arizona Republic suggests this swap could occur soon. No word on what the return would be from the Pens.

Keep an eye on this one, folks, for if these reports are correct (and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be), this deal could go down as early as today. Stay tuned...

 **UPDATE** According to reports, the Coyotes apparently put a steep asking price on Laraque's services:  a No. 1 and a prospect, for Laraque and a second- or third-round pick".  Hat tip to "BlackGoldPenguin21" for posting this in the comments thread. I agree, that's too much to pay for an enforcer like Laraque, and I don't see anyone, let alone the Pens, paying that price.

The Coyotes will have to come down on that price if they intend to move Laraque, who's apparently been told he won't be playing another game with the Coyotes between now and the deadline on Tuesday.
 

Whilst perusing the latest updates of friend Paul Kukla's latest update to his Korner, I ran across a link to a recent column by Ted Montgomery of USA Today.

The following blurb from Ted caught my eye:

“Here’s a radical idea for the Toronto Maple Leafs to consider: Trade Mats Sundin to a contender in March for a bevy of young and talented defensemen, and start anew. While Sundin is a supremely talented player, the team hasn’t won anything with Sundin as its leader, and they really need an infusion of defensive talent.”

I posted a response to this on Paul's blog but I wanted to share it with my readers here for your review and, if you'd like, your input:

"Now I’ll forgive him the faux pas of forgetting the trade deadline isn’t in March this year. His trade suggestion, however, overlooks the fact that the Leafs have over $17 million committed in payroll toward four d-men (McCabe, Kaberle, Kubina and Gill) for this season and the next two. Where are this bevy of young and talented defensemen supposed to fit on the Leafs blueline as well as their payroll? And which teams would be crazy enough to part with this supposed bevy of blueline riches?

It’s not a radical idea, Ted. It’s an unworkable one."