Rumour on the Fritsche

Update (3:26 PM): The rumour has been declared a hoax. It's too bad, and not for the sake of the possibility of the trade, but because a potentially good source for rumours has lost some credibility. Whether Theodore will still end up getting traded remains to be seen, though it will be difficult. Gainey will most likely shop for a top-4 defenseman, as he has previously stated he would.

So now that the rumour is just about everywhere on the Internet, I figured I'd post it. I try not to post ridiculous rumours that seemingly have no basis, but sometimes I give into the temptation to legitimize Eklund's fantasies. According to Bob McKenzie, his Tampa Bay (Richards-for-Theodore) rumour was completely false. Anyways, this is the MTL-COL-CBJ rumour:

• To Montreal: Marc Denis, Ian Laperrière
  
• To Colorado: José Theodore
  
• To Columbus: Dan Hinote, Tom Fritsche
  

Draft picks here and there, details not yet known about whose would go where. Eklund claims this rumour is completely false, but it seems pretty legitimate. It works in terms of the salary cap, and it has even been published in today's La Presse. If this deal goes through, Eklund is officially the biggest liar in the game. If not, this Tom Fritsche character that divulged this information is going to be in a lot of trouble with a lot of people.

And this from Mike Boone in today's Gazette:

I asked a knowledgeable writer whether the NHL had any expansion plans.

"Probably not," Pat Hickey replied.

Too bad. It would be great to have professional hockey in Montreal.

(© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006)