Rumours continue to swirl around Kiprusoff ahead of the deadline

Tight-lipped about many things these days, Bob Hartley did not reveal his starting goalie for Wednesday’s rematch against the Edmonton Oilers.
Read into it what you will but the Calgary Flames head coach may have options come the 8 p.m. puck-drop with trade rumours swirling around Miikka Kiprusoff ahead of the 2013 National Hockey League trade deadline (1 p.m. MT).
Or not.
Either way, both Hartley and the man himself — who happens to be the best goalie the franchise has ever seen — refused to feed any speculation on Tuesday.
And, lately, there has been plenty.
“That’s how it is,” Kiprusoff said to a crowd of reporters on Tuesday, following the Flames’ noon skate at WinSport arena (his last as a Flame?). “Every year, the same thing around some players. Now, more than ever, it’s around me this year. But as a player, it is what it is.”
This past week, two of Kiprusoff’s high profile teammates — Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester — were dealt by Flames general manager Jay Feaster, signalling a rebuild in the organization. News broke before Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers that the Flames had granted permission to the Toronto Maple Leafs to talk to Kiprusoff’s agent. Also, the 36-year-old refused to speak to the media following the 4-1 loss which saw him yanked after the first period, allowing three goals on six shots.
When asked directly what his preference would be — to stay or go — Kiprusoff stayed silent.
“Well, like I said a few days ago, I’m here getting ready for the next game,” he said. “I’m not talking about any trade stuff or any rumours.”
When asked directly if the Maple Leafs had been in contact with him, Kiprusoff also stayed silent.
“Like I said before, I cannot talk about any trades,” he said. “I’m getting ready for (Wednesday’s) game.”
But preparing for Wednesday’s game, of course, wasn’t the topic of choice on Tuesday.
Joey MacDonald, too, was being pressed about Kiprusoff’s mindset and emotions over the past few days.
“You know what, he’s been around here for a long time,” MacDonald said. “He’s played a lot of games. He knows how to deal with it the right way, but, on the other side, it’s tough. It’s tough when you get your name flashed out there for the past couple weeks. Everything is about you.
“It’s Kipper. He’s a great pro. A great guy and whatever happens will be good for him.”
Only a few days ago in Chicago, reports emerged that even if asked, Kiprusoff would refuse to report to any other team despite the no-trade clause in his deal having expired. Further speculation swirled that he’s already informed the team that he will not return to see out the final year of his current contract.
Regardless, all of the off-ice speculation can’t be good for the on-ice product — can it?
“You try not to think about it much,” MacDonald offered. “But these last couple days, it’s been tough on anyone. Everyone’s name’s being mentioned — a lot of guys in there. It’s tough to concentrate. But we are pros — and it happens every year.
“Everybody knows the time of year. in a couple days, it’ll be all over and we can go forward.”
The year has already, no doubt, been a tumultuous one for Kiprusoff who dealt with a knee injury in February.
He has been pulled twice in the past two games and, on top of getting tagged for Monday’s loss, he’s 1-5 in his last six starts with a 3.64 goals against average and a 0.868 save percentage. Truth be told, however, the unflattering numbers can’t solely be blamed on him.
Including Monday’s result.
“After the game, we talked about it,” MacDonald said. “It’s just a game. We have to forget about it. You look at the first two goals, I don’t care who was in net — no one was really going to stop them. Two turnovers and it’s in our net . . . I’ve been in those situations. You just have to go, ‘OK. I’ll try it again the next game.’ You can’t sit there all night (Tuesday), thinking ‘What should I have done?’
“Just forget about it and move on.”
When Kiprusoff was asked if the distractions off-ice have been affecting his game, he shrugged.
“It’s hard to say,” said the Turku native, who recently became a father for a second time. “It’s been tough games, a lot of tough games . . . you know, in the past, I’ve tried to work through things with my goalie coach and looked at games. But I need to be better and get ready for the next game.”
MacDonald empathized.
“It’s tough,” he said. “As a pro, or whatever, it’s still on your mind the whole time. Thinking, ‘I’ve been here for nine years . . .’ It’s tough. I think players can get away with it a little more. You can maybe make a few more mistakes. As a goaltender, if you make any mistakes, it all looks bad on you. But it’s tougher on a goalie. Especially a guy that’s been here for a long time.”
Meanwhile Hartley, who had been seen chatting with Kiprusoff for a lengthy stretch early on in Tuesday’s skate, maintained full support of his goalie.
“His plate has been pretty full,” he noted. “Obviously now with all the rumours, let’s see what happens. One way or the other, Kipper’s a great goalie and a great individual. I had a talk with him (Tuesday) morning.
“He’s fine but obviously all the rumours around him . . . it is what it is.”