Rangers/Flames Trade Update Post

Update, 12:55 a.m.:
TSN officially announces it.

...now I can go to bed. Just want to thank everyone who visited the blog today and added to my running updates. I'll have a lot more tomorrow.

Update, 12:53 a.m.:
Larry Brooks adds that the acquisition of Prust could mean the end of Brashear.

...it's like Christmas all over again.

Update, 12:49 a.m.:
Darren Dreger tweets that one of the most bizarre trades he has ever covered is done.

...hallelujah

Update, 12:46 a.m.:
Steve Zipay is saying, via Twitter, that it sounds like deal is done. Bob McKenzie agrees. Jokinen/Prust for Kotalik/Higgins.

Update, 12:43 a.m.:
Daren Millard of Sportsnet, via Twitter, says that trade may not be formally announced until tomorrow morning.

...please don't tell me I stayed up for nothing. 1 a.m. is my limit.

Update, Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, 12:37 a.m.:
Hearing trade will be announced any minute now.

Update, 11:59 p.m.:
Flyers defeat the Flames 3-0 with Jokinen ending the game with a -1 in 15:08 of ice time. While Prust played just a mere 7:27.

...nice to see both players make it out of the game alive. Now let's announce this trade so I can go to sleep.

Update, 11:41 p.m.:
George Richards at Miami Herald's hockey blog "On Frozen Pond" tweets that word is Jokinen expects tonight will be his last game as a Flame.

...it's sounding more and more like this is going to happen tonight, which probably means the trade is dead.

Update, 11:25 p.m.:
FYI, almost 8,000 page views and over 5,000 visitors to The New York Rangers Blog today.

...wow!!! Thanks to everyone who stopped by my little blog to follow the goings on of the Rangers/Flames trade saga.

Update, 11:19 p.m.:
Dreger, via Twitter, senses the deal will get done tonight.

...Jokinen and Prust's ice time tonight definitely suggests Dreger may be right.

Update, 11:09 p.m.:
Missed this earlier, Darren Dreger at TSN reports that Kotalik has agreed to waive his limited no-trade clause and accept the move.

...ball's in Calgary's court now.

Update, 10:38 p.m.:
With just under 16 minutes left in the second period of the Flames/Flyers game Jokinen and Prust have each played only a little over four minues each. Which is less than almost every Flames player.

...got to think Sutter is restricting their ice time due to impending trade. Right?

Update, 9:08 p.m.:
Just an FYI, the much talked about Flames/Flyers game starts at 9:30 p.m. in Calgary.

Update, 8:17 p.m.:
Darren Dreger at TSN, via Twitter, says deal is still very much alive and could be finalized after Flames/Flyers game.

While Jim Cerny of newyorkrangers.com, also via Twitter, reports that Dreger has also said that pehaps Darryl Sutter got cold feet.

Also a few rumors out there that the Flames were holding out for Callahan, but I'm not even going to entertain that rumor with links.

...you have to wonder why the Flames would want to wait until after the game tonight risking possible injury to Jokinen. Especially against a very physical Flyers team.

Update, 3:51 p.m.:
Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants speculates that Kotalik is exercising his contract terms to wait on a preferred destination ala Dany Heatley (Blocking trade to Edmonton then going to San Jose).

...i can't even get mad at Kotalik. It's in his contract, so he has every right to do what he's doing. The blame for this as usual falls at the feet of Sather.

Gross also pours salt in the wound by reminding Rangers fans that not even the great Brian Leetch was given a limited no-trade clause.

Update, 2:27 p.m.:
In other potential Ranger trade news, Mark Everson at the New York Post reports that the Rangers are said to have made low-ball bids for Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

...wow, Sather's got his hand in everything. I wonder what that low-ball bid was. Kovalchuk for Drury, Redden and Rozsival. Sounds good to me.

...h/t to reader Bob for the link.

Update, 1:38 p.m.:
Steve Zipay at Blue Notes says even if this trade doesn't go through the Rangers have showed their hand and will be buyers at the trade deadline.

...when are they not?

Update, 1:34 p.m.:
Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants says Higgins and Gilroy are scheduled to board the Rangers’ charter for Los Angeles while Kotalik will remain in New York and if this trade is completely dead, he’ll rejoin the team Thursday.

Gross adds that Sather does not want to address the media until the whole situation resolves itself.

...so what Gross is saying is that nothing is happening.

Update, 1:16 p.m.:
Elliotte Friedman at CBCSports says that Jokinen offers cap flexibility which the Rangers are aware of and hopes, for the Flames sake, it’s not wasted on Ales Kotalik.

...got to agree this is a very curious trade from the Flames perspective, but hey it's all good for the Rangers.

Update, 12:52 p.m.:
Larry Brooks at his blog Slap Shots reports the Rangers/Flames trade remains on hold because Kotalik has yet to waive his limited no-trade clause that includes Calgary and has told Glen Sather he needs time to ponder his options.

Brooks also says reports of Gilroy being involved in the trade have been disputed by reliable sources and appear to have no validity.

...right now the New York media is reporting that Kotalik is holding this up, while the national media is saying the Flames are. I'd have to go with the New York guys on this one as we all know the national media (mostly Canadian) love their hockey rumors.

Update, 11:05 a.m.:
Steve Zipay at Blue Notes chimes in saying this trade could happen in "some shape or form" after the Flames/Flyers game tonight.

Update, 10:55 a.m.:
NHL writer Andy Stickland, via Twitter, says the Flames are holding the deal up because the Rangers are offering Gilroy and they want Higgins. Stickland also reports that Flames GM Sutter hasn't spoken to Jokinen about the trade.

...huh? Why would the Rangers be offering Gilroy if the Flames for some odd reason want Higgins? This information is puzzling to say the least.

Update, 10:43 a.m.:
Bob McKenzie at TSN, via Twitter, says that Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust are scheduled to be in the Flames lineup tonight against the Flyers and that the trade is not expected to happen today or at all. However, McKenzie also says that trade could happen after the game.

...my head is officially spinning.

McKenzie now has a more in depth blog post on his above tweet at TSN.

Update, 10:35 a.m.:
In actual Ranger news, Steve Zipay at Blue Notes has this quote from John Tortorella on Michael Del Zotto wearing down...

“We’ve got to try to help him out here, to get him to the Olympic break,” Tortorella said. “It’s been a struggle for him, he was front and center on a couple of (goals) Saturday night. We don’t want him to lose his swagger, but we have to be careful. We did a pretty good job of trying to bit-and-piece him through the game until the third. We don’t want to keep putting him into a situation where it snowballs on him. So we are monitoring that.”

...this is something we were all worried about at the beginning of the season and I'm hopeful that the Olympic break is really going to help MDZ out.

Update, 10:25 a.m.:
TSN is now reporting that the deal is stalled with the Rangers waiting on the Flames final approval.

Posts from earlier today:
Darren Dreger of TSN, via Twitter, says that no one seems to know why Calgary is stalling on the Jokinen trade and wonders if a 3rd team has surfaced.

Rick Carpiniello at the Rangers Report says the holdup is Ales Kotalik’s limited no trade clause, which lists Calgary as one of three teams he cannot be traded without his permission.

Elliotte Friedman at Hockey Night in Canada, via Twitter, reports he received word last night that the deal has fallen apart.

Original post:
Instead of starting a new post everytime something happens with the Rangers/Flames deal, I'm just going to continue to update this one post with the most current information at the top.