The word now apparently is that Swedish hockey legend Forsberg could be headed off to play for Russia's Kontinental League. Forsberg is supposedly planning on signing with Ak Bars Kazan for multiple years and megabucks.

The thought in some parts of the NHL is that Forsberg can't keep his right foot and ankle healthy anymore. He told the Colorado Avalanche two years ago that he was healthy. Then he played in 13 games for the team. That cost him a lot in GM offices around the league.

For now, he'll have to stick with the Swedish National Team. Worst case scenario, he'll play again for MoDo, his hometown team.

Forsberg actually has two former stints in the Philadelphia organization. During one, he was the overseas throw-in in the trade with the Quebec Nordiques for Eric Lindros(notes).

Now the Flyers are apparently thinking they'd like to have Forsberg back again, especially since the team just lost Simon Gagne(notes) for six to eight weeks. According to The Fourth Period, the team is sending scout (and former Flyer great) Ilkka Sinisalo to Europe to check Forsberg out in the Karjala Cup, which starts on Thursday.

Folks from the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, and another Forsberg former team, the Colorado Avalanche, are all expected to be there as well.

Since Cohen and friends bought the team, it's been losing steam - and money. The team has supposedly lost $100 million in that time. Last year, it averaged 15,621 disgruntled fans, 24th in the league. The team also has the infamy of being involved in some lopsided trades in the past few years, including the one that sent goaltender Roberto Luongo(notes) to the Vancouver Canucks.

At least one of the pair will meet with folks in Phoenix next week. They apparently broke off from the Ice Edge group that put a bid in on the team earlier in the process.

They supposedly have around a dozen other financial backers who want to jump into ownership with them.

Meanwhile, the NHL is likely to get approval next week to buy the Coyotes and re-pay its $140 million in debts. Then the league will re-sell the team and the Argonauts owners would apparently like to be the ones who snag it.

The 40-year-old left wing was thought to be returning to the New Jersey Devils this season but the sides surprisingly parted only hours before the regular season got underway. Shanahan supposedly was the one who actually left camp, saying he didn't think things were a great fit. The Flyers supposedly nearly signed Shanahan last January.

He's supposedly meeting with the Flyers' medical staff today to figure out exactly what the next steps will be. The 29-year-old already went under the knife earlier this year to remove bone spurs in his right hip.

Gagne must be at least relieved to know what the pain is. He's apparently been suffering since the start of training camp.

Guess he's been feeling pretty powerless since young Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby(notes) made him hang up the phone during a conference call the other day so there could be a players-only part of the call.

It remains to be seen who could take over and make this bunch happy.

The problem with dealing Horton has apparently been the $4 million contract that he's got. Horton, of course, has apparently made it clear to the team that he would prefer to not be playing hockey in the Sunshine State and wants to be in a "more traditional hockey environment." He's gotten off to a crummy start (2 goals, 1 assist, nine games) so maybe a change in scenery would be good for him.

Penny, of course, led a coup against former executive director Paul Kelly late in the summer that left the union disorganized and confused. Players began questioning the coup and there seems to be a movement now to replace Penny. Crosby apparently told Penny to get off the call at one point so there could be a players-only conversation. Penny initially resisted but finally got off, ceding control to the young Penguins superstar.

Well, Forsberg is reportedly all healed up and getting ready to play in a tournament for Sweden that won't count against his NHL eligibility, according o the Denver Post. A slew of scouts will undoubtedly be on hand to see if Forsberg still has it.

The four-team Karjala Cup runs from November 5-8 and has Finland, Russia, and the Czech Republic competing against Sweden. Forsberg is expected to decide after that if he really wants to actually play in the NHL this season or not. Some strong offers might help him make his decision, of course.

Frolov was a healthy scratch on Monday night when the Kings took on the Dallas Stars and head coach Terry Murray has been pretty vocal about how unhappy he is with Frolov. The pair apparently have met 10 times to discuss it so far this season. That's more meetings than actual games played so far.

It's looking like Frolov is on the trading block. GM Dean Lombardi said, "He's either going to get on board or we'll go in another direction with him. It's as simple as that."
He'll cost any team he goes to $2.9 million against the salary cap. Word is that the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins all could have some interest.

Peverley was put on waivers last year by Nashville and picked up by Atlanta. He then went on to score 13 goals and provide 22 assists in 39 games. This year, he has four goals and three assists so far, trailing only Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) on the team-scoring list.

The deal is supposedly going to be finalized in the next few days.

Las Vegas and Kansas City are also apparently on the list but the Sun reports that Daly told competitor the Toronto Star on Oct. 11 that "the league favors Canadian cities that have supported NHL franchises in the past."

Quebec, of course, had the Nordiques, which became the Colorado Avalanche. So perhaps the league can put another team there and then eventually move them to Las Vegas or Kansas City.

The 35-year-old has been with the team since 2005 and apparently sees no reason to change. He's in the last year of a five-year deal. The team and Gonchar's agent have apparently decided to not talk about his next contract till 2010 rolls around and General Manager Ray Shero has a better idea of what his plans are in the future.

Gonchar seems OK with the decision but it may be that he's just relieved to finally be over the cold that's been dogging him since the last week of training camp.