NHL Rumour Report - NHL Trade Rumours and Speculation

Vesey Watch: List of contenders grows to 11, three tiers emerge

At least eleven teams have expressed interest in pending UFA winger Jimmy Vesey. The 23 year old spent the last few seasons playing for Harvard, and is ready to step into the NHL this upcoming season.

Several key RFAs still don't have deals in place as the NHL offseason drags on. Most teams are able to sign their RFAs in due course, but other negotiations drag on until the eve of training camp, raising the spectre of a trade.

We've more or less reached the midpoint of the NHL offseason, and a defenseman many assumed would go in the first few hours of free agent frenzy still finds himself without a team.

In two weeks time, the hockey world will be squarely focused on pending college free agent Jimmy Vesey. Scouts believe the 23 year old winger is ready to have an immediate NHL impact, making him by far the top player still available this offseason. That is, unless the Buffalo Sabres can work out a deal before he hits the market on August 15th.

For a while, there was a sense that this offseason would be filled with trades as cap concerns and expansion drafts sparked panic among NHL GMs. Instead, there seems to be a very cautious and quiet tone to the market, despite the large number of names in play. But for these six skaters, it seems not a matter of 'if', but a matter of 'when' they get dealt.

A rumour is floating out there that the Bruins and Blues could be contemplating a swap of Kevin Shattenkirk for David Krejci.

Two key pending RFAs need new deals, and the time to negotiate has all but run out. But if the history of NHL GM decisionmaking is any indication, deadlines usually produce timely resolutions.

Reports have pointed in all sorts of directions regarding the Maple Leafs search for backup goalie. It's long believed the club would go for one with plenty of NHL experience, which rules out anyone currently in the Leafs system.