The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

September 6, 2010

The Hockey News - Sep-06-10

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012147/9426580-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="713" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S NEARLY TIME</b> to get our game faces on for 2010-11 and, even after all these years (21 and counting for me at The Hockey News), the anticipation remains early-morning fresh.</p><p>There&rsquo;s another great rookie class poised to make noise, a defending Stanley Cup champion attempting to overcome an historic roster makeover and, thanks to incredible parity, approximately 29 more clubs feeling pretty darned fine about themselves.</p><p>One of those franchises with serious aspirations of dethroning the Chicago Blackhawks is a fellow Original Six team seeking to end an eternal drought, the Boston Bruins. THN&rsquo;s Ryan Dixon analyzes in our cover story on pg. 38 how a team with an impressive &ldquo;on paper&rdquo; roster is planning to overcome their epic choke in the 2010 playoffs.</p><p>Regardless of whether Boston is able to eliminate the memory of surrendering a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia, we&rsquo;re confident &ndash; with the game in the best shape it has been in on the ice for decades &ndash; we&rsquo;re in for another treat of a season.</p><p>So why the sense of darkness on the edge of town, a foreboding of what&rsquo;s to come?</p><p>Call it the Collective Bargaining Agreement Blues. We&rsquo;ve been down this road frequently, we&rsquo;ve seen the shadow boxing and rhetoric exchange so often, we know another war is imminent.</p><p>The CBA expires in two years, which may seem like a massive window, but history tells us it will close abruptly and harshly. The union and NHL are already bracing for the worst, as senior writer Ken Campbell notes in our featured story on pg. 16, in which he also outlines the key bargaining issues.</p><p>Since there&rsquo;s no pressure point, don&rsquo;t expect talks to begin anytime soon. In fact, we worry hockey fans everywhere enabled bad bargaining behavior by coming back and supporting the NHL so swiftly following the lost 2004-05 season. If the two sides prepare for another lengthy stoppage, what urgency will they feel in coming to an agreement? The threat of doing irreparable damage to the league, as many projected the last time around, is probably viewed by the principals as a little hollow now.</p><p>That&rsquo;s a shame, because the fandom of the NHL unwittingly surrendered its leverage. It gives added reason to be afraid.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021822/9426573-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="476" height="254"></div><h2><b>LISTEN UP!</b></h2><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW FRIDAYS XM 204</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031465/9426566-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="185" height="72"></div><h2><b>NEXT ISSUE SEPTEMBER 13, 2010</b></h2><p>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE: <b><a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></b> CONTACT US: <b><a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

EXCITED & CONCERNED

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01560/9427328-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="280" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The latest salvo in the tense negotiations between the New York Islanders (and their political supporters) and the Town of Hempstead came in the form of an ominous message on the website for the Lighthouse Project.</p><p>The project, which Isles owner Charles Wang envisions including not only a new arena, but also condominiums and several other major amenities, has been in dispute for some time and a recent counter-proposal from Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray &ndash; one in which the Lighthouse Project would be greatly diminished in scope &ndash; was not received well by Lighthouse proponents.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02352/9427321-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Isles&rsquo; new arena is still just a vision right now and talks aren&rsquo;t going well.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF NEW YORK ISLANDERS)</span></figcaption></div><p>According to a joint statement on the website attributed to county executive Edward P. Mangano and the Lighthouse group, Murray&rsquo;s proposal &ldquo;looks to be economically unviable for both the developer and the owner of the site (of the project).&rdquo;</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The Lighthouse Project&rsquo;s origins stretch back to 2003 and the attendance at Nassau Coliseum &ndash; one of the oldest rinks in the NHL &ndash; isn&rsquo;t exactly growing by leaps and bounds.</p><p>In order for the Isles to be a financially sound franchise again, a new arena is a must. The Isles are beginning to put together an intriguing young core, but fans need a proper barn to watch them in.</p><p>No option seems to be off the table right now, as everything from Native American casinos to partnerships with baseball&rsquo;s New York Mets have been bandied about.</p><p>The concept of relocation has also reared its head and it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see Wang eventually tire of municipal politics.</p><p>Queens was the potential landing place when the Mets connection was made, while Brooklyn is getting a shiny new arena for the NBA&rsquo;s Nets in the near future.</p><p>Kansas City is also a popular pick when relocation is mentioned, since the state-of-the-art Sprint Center is still without a major sports tenant. Given the Isles&rsquo; history, moving would be a shame, though.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN EVERY ISSUE

NY Islanders

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NHL Depth Charts

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-05103/9427766-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="264" height="167"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> There was plenty of talk Jason Spezza might not be back in Ottawa. The reality is he was never going anywhere.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Spezza is one of the club&rsquo;s best players. Like many Senators, he is inconsistent.</p><p>While the teams&rsquo;s No. 1 center told GM Bryan Murray in a post-season meeting he wouldn&rsquo;t stand in the way of a change, Murray had no interest in getting into another Dany Heatley scenario with a top player. The Sens tried briefly to deal Spezza at the draft, but talks went nowhere.</p><p>So with Spezza&rsquo;s no-trade clause in effect, he&rsquo;ll return to the city where he was upset at being booed during the playoffs with a focus of trying to get the Sens to the next level.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Ottawa

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY TREVOR MAHONEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012124/9426535-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CWHL.CA)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>I&rsquo;m No. 1!</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>lympic gold-medalist Tessa Bonhomme, flanked by Toronto GM Barb Fisher and coach Dan Lichterman, was tabbed with the top pick in the first CWHL draft.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="byline">Nauman Vania, Oshawa, Ont.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04617/9426687-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="888" height="1157"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DON SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05392/9426694-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="225" height="226"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he NHL is going to be looking at a number of issues concerning the future of the game at the World Hockey Summit. Included in those discussions will surely be the rules of the game.</p><p>I like the idea of revamping the faceoff system. One thing I have never understood was that one team causes a stoppage in play &ndash; icing, offside, freezing along the boards, shooting it out of play, etc. &ndash; yet they have an equal opportunity to get the puck back via faceoff.</p><p>If a team causes play to be stopped, the other team should get control of the puck, like it is in soccer and basketball.</p><p>How can this be done? Place the puck on the dot and blow the whistle. The center, uncontested, can then pull the puck back or push it forward; either way the team that didn&rsquo;t cause the stoppage has the puck. Could be very exciting in the offensive zone: potentially an instant scoring chance, like a free kick in soccer.</p><p>This could eliminate the need for a minor penalty for the player who shoots the puck over the boards and would cause defenders to think twice before they ice the puck &ndash; no line change and no puck.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-031005/9426680-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="246" height="210"></div><h2><b>FREE SWAG!</b></h2><p>Each issue, we&rsquo;ll give a cool THN hat to the top letter.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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NONE-ON-ONE?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012129/9426649-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(AJMESSIER/AJMESSIER.COM)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021549/9426642-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="313" height="427"></div><h2><b>MIXED EMOTIONS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen the NHL emerged from the lockout in 2005, it brought in the salary cap and fans were excited because every team was on an even playing field; the Stanley Cup truly was up for grabs.</p><p>But now, five years later, the fans are complaining about the cap because there&rsquo;s &ldquo;too much&rdquo; parity and no dynasties. I thought we wanted competitive balance in the league?</p><p>Well, now we have it and we&rsquo;re complaining because there are no great teams? Make up your minds already people.</p><p><b>Corey Kendall, St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld.</b></p><h2><b>DREAM SEQUENCE</b></h2><p>Kudos to Ken Campbell for writing the best article I have ever read in THN (Urban Legends, Aug. 2).</p><p>The story of these two remarkable young men truly describes the essence of hockey &ndash; perseverance, determination and an unflinching desire to achieve their goals in the face of extraordinarily long odds.</p><p>My son and I were fortunate enough to meet Stewart at a small practice rink when he was playing for the Kingston Frontenacs. He had just come off of the ice after a 50 minute &ldquo;bag skate&rdquo; and was asked to come into my son&rsquo;s atom AA team&rsquo;s dressing room to meet the players.</p><p>In spite of his exhaustion, he was polite, enthusiastic and incredibly accommodating with this group of impressionable kids.</p><p>Campbell&rsquo;s article should be required reading for any young hockey player and his/her parents as a reminder of the rewards of hard work.</p><p>The life lessons he describes resonate far beyond the confines of a hockey rink.</p><p><b>Charlie Barr, Kingston, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>A GOOD SWIM</b></h2><p>The Sharks have been one of the most successful teams this decade.</p><p>You can&rsquo;t possibly count success as winning Cups alone.</p><p>There are 29 teams each year that don&rsquo;t win. Does that means only one team had success and there were 29 failed teams of superstars/GMs/coaches?</p><p>Give your heads a shake, people.</p><p><b>Josh Barr, Flin Flon, Man.</b></p><h2><b>FLYING SOUTH</b></h2><p>About five years ago, I switched allegiance from the Maple Leafs to the Thrashers, in large part due to Ilya Kovalchuk.</p><p>When Kovalchuk left, I had to choose between player and team. I chose team because I simply couldn&rsquo;t bring myself to root for the Devils and, if nothing else, the Thrashers still had some decent young players who could bring a brighter future.</p><p>All was well, or as well as hockey could possibly be in Atlanta, until this summer when the Thrashers picked up Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd. To put it simply, they received two over-hyped grinders. In return they gave up a first round pick, a second round pick and two fairly highly regarded prospects.</p><p>Now the situation is this: there still isn&rsquo;t any hope for the present, any hope for the future has been traded away and now I&rsquo;m likely the only kid in southern Ontario stupid enough to cheer for the Atlanta Thrashers.</p><p>Feel free to laugh. I&rsquo;d be laughing, too, if it wasn&rsquo;t me.</p><p><b>Ryan Bricker, Oshawa, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>LET OLD BE NEW</b></h2><p>What if, for a few games per year, expansion/relocated teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes or the Phoenix Coyotes wore their old throwback Whalers or Jets jerseys?</p><p>If the league doesn&rsquo;t want to move the teams back to where they should be, they could at least let them fly their old colors a couple times a year.</p><p><b>Brett Hornall, Vancouver</b></p><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><p>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06253/9426635-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="87" height="87"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>SUBMIT YOUR LETTER AT: <b><a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">THN.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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“The life lessons he describes resonate far beyond the confines of a hockey rink.

<div class="byline">with Matt Duchene</div><p><b>What went right for the Avs last year?</b></p><p>It was a combination of young stub-bornness with our team and never believing we could lose a game. We had no pressure on ourselves. I think we surprised a lot of teams with our speed and work ethic. We had a great combination of veteran leadership and experience and we had a lot of young energy.</p><p><b>How did coach Joe Sacco help the young guys grow?</b></p><p>He brought a great game plan to our team and one that, as a young group, we could really play and execute. We kept it really simple and he really allowed guys like me and some of our other younger guys to make mistakes and learn as the year went on. He never crushed our confidence.</p><p><b>How do you build on what you did last year?</b></p><p>We&rsquo;re going to have a very young team this year and it&rsquo;s going to be a lot of responsibility on our young guys to step up and be the guys right off the bat. There&rsquo;s going to be a lot of leadership responsibility put on lots of guys. The biggest thing is to stay grounded, not get too high from our success last season, just keep an even keel and keep being driven to reach our ultimate goal to win the Stanley Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012374/9426732-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="518" height="467"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021607/9426725-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="82" height="90"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Check out the video: <b><a href="http://thn.com/duchene">thn.com/duchene</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04607/9426784-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="630" height="541"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUDLER: JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03950/9426791-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="187" height="187"></div><p>Adam,</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith Jiri Hudler and Mike Modano in the lineup and Ken Holland eyeballing another defenseman such as Willie Mitchell, do you think the Red Wings are the team to beat in the West? It seems Vancouver and Detroit took a step forward and San Jose and Chicago fell back.</p><p><b><i>Dave York, Mount Gilead, Ohio</i></b></p><p>Dave,</p><p>Detroit definitely is a serious contender, but they wouldn&rsquo;t be my prohibitive favorite to finish on top of the West. While I agree with your sentiment the Canucks and Wings have improved, Chicago and San Jose still have a ton of upper-tier talent and shouldn&rsquo;t be counted out. Even a team like the Kings are considered a dark horse.</p><p>Adam,</p><p>If a player can take a team to arbitration, why can&rsquo;t a team do the same to a player who underperforms?</p><p><b><i>Aaron Etches, Roatan, Honduras</i></b></p><p>Aaron,</p><p>The reverse arbitration concept might sound good in theory, but revisiting a player&rsquo;s contract before it expires hasn&rsquo;t been part of the NHL&rsquo;s collectively bargained labor agreement, so it isn&rsquo;t an option. For RFAs, club-elected arbitration is an option if the correction conditions exist, as was the case with the Buffalo Sabres and Patrick Kaleta this summer.</p><p><b>SUBMIT YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS AT <a href="http://THN.COM/ASKADAM">THN.com/askadam</a></b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07222/9426777-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="87" height="87"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> column every Friday at <b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></h3><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p>Should the Boston Bruins send Tyler Seguin back to OHL Plymouth for one more year?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05478/9426770-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="474" height="111"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06343/9426763-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="1014" height="649"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SEGUIN: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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ASK? Adam

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RAND SIMON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012122/9426829-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>After winning the Stanley Cup, Antti Niemi was teamless through late-August.</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>A</span>fter an fascinating summer that saw the defending Stanley Cup champions part company with their goaltender, THN asked player agent Rand Simon &ndash; a representative for Newport Sports Management &ndash; for some perspective on the process</i></p><p><b>THERE ARE MANY</b> hidden gems in Article 12 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but none better than 12.9 (b) that states, &ldquo;The minimum spacing (of salary arbitration briefs) shall be double and the font shall be Times New Roman.&rdquo;</p><p>Article 12 deals with salary arbitration and the just-completed round of that process was like no other as it featured two walk-aways and a buyout among the five cases that actually went to hearing.</p><p>When the CBA was completed following the 2004-05 lockout, it stated teams could walk away from a one-year salary arbitration award if it was greater than $1,042,173. After several seasons of average-salary growth, the number rose to $1.61 million this summer and both the Atlanta Thrashers (Clarke MacArthur) and Chicago Blackhawks (Antti Niemi) exercised their right to make those players unrestricted free agents.</p><p>There are restrictions as to the number of times a team can walk away from a salary arbitration award. If it has two salary arbitration awards, it can only say &ldquo;no thanks&rdquo; to one; four awards and the team can walk from two; five awards, three.</p><p>While players regularly file for arbitration, teams can as well, which the Buffalo Sabres did this summer with Patrick Kaleta. But when a team files, it cannot walk away from the decision and the player gets to decide whether he wants a one-or two-year award. In cases where the player files for arbitration, the team decides if the award will be for one year or two, but clubs cannot elect two years if the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency.</p><p>Our firm &ndash; Newport Sports Management &ndash; filed on behalf of six players this summer and settled all of them prior to hearing, though we went right down to the deadline with the New York Islanders and Matt Moulson, coming to an agreement the morning of the hearing. Two other cases &ndash; Blake Wheeler and Tim Kennedy &ndash; went forward in the adjoining conference rooms at the downtown Toronto hotel.</p><p>Moulson was a fascinating case of a player who signed a two-way contract last summer and then exploded for 30 goals in his first full NHL season. Needless to say it was not a normal career path and finding comparable players was a challenge for both us and the Islanders. However, as we got closer to the July 27 hearing date some common ground started to be formed as somewhat statistically similar players such as Eric Fehr and Mason Raymond agreed to contracts.</p><p>In the end, we settled on a one-year deal (Moulson is unrestricted after 2010-11, so if we had arbitrated the award would have to be for one year) at $2.45 million, a nice raise over the $575,000 he made in 2009-10.</p><p>While it can be frustrating to prepare a 40-page brief, 45-minute direct case and 45-minute rebuttal during a several-week period only to have the case settle minutes before the hearing begins (in Evgeni Nabokov&rsquo;s case several years ago, I was just about to make my opening remarks when the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; representative requested a discussion with us that ended in a settlement), it is generally acknowledged to be in the best interests of all.</p><p>What happened to Kennedy is evidence of that. For the first time in salary arbitration history, a player was bought out after the award was rendered. Since Kennedy was awarded less than the $1.61 million walk away number, the Sabres had to accept the award, but then they exercised their right to buyout the player for one-third the value of his $1-million contract.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012265/9426822-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="666" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TIM KENNEDY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KENNEDY: DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Looking forward to next summer, there are some potentially fascinating arbitration cases as players such as Shea Weber, Zach Parise, Jeff Carter and Brent Seabrook could all find themselves in front of an arbitrator if they don&rsquo;t sign new deals prior to next July 1.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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BYE-BYES & A BUYOUT

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021724/9426867-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="720" height="1255"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TEEMU SELANNE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE: DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>+ BACK IN A FLASH</b></h2><p>Still a dangerous sniper at 40, Teemu Selanne decides to suit up for an 18th NHL season with the Ducks.</p><h2><b>&ndash; FEELING IL-YA</b></h2><p>Watching the Ilya Kovalchuk contract saga drag out for so long tested even our resolve to pay attention to hockey all summer.</p><h2><b>+ STAN NOT SHY</b></h2><p>Hawks GM Stan Bowman has shown fortitude in making necessary cost-cutting moves, always with head over heart.</p><h2><b>&ndash; HAB HEADACHE</b></h2><p>Uncertain summer in Habs crease as team trades playoff hero Jaroslav Halak, then let negotiations with RFA Carey Price drag.</p><h2><b>+ GOOD LUCK, BOYS</b></h2><p>Columbus&rsquo; Scott Arniel, Jersey&rsquo;s John MacLean and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Guy Boucher all get their first NHL head coaching gigs.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Plus/Minus

<h2><b>5 FIVE</b></h2><p><b>Icing was introduced</b> in 1937 to do exactly what it does today: keep panicky teams from firing the puck down the ice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031215/9426905-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="672" height="544"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEAN BELIVEAU</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BELIVEAU: DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>4 FOUR</b></h2><p>Thanks to the mid-&rsquo;50s Habs&rsquo; potency, the league was forced to limit teams to <b>one goal per power play</b> in 1956.</p><h2><b>3 THREE</b></h2><p>In 1917, the NHL eliminated the <b>stand-up goalie rule</b> that forced keepers to stay on their feet or take a penalty.</p><h2><b>2 TWO</b></h2><p><b>Offside rules</b> were codified in 1930-31 to check the flow of players into the offensive zone.</p><h2><b>1 ONE</b></h2><p>In 1929-30, <b>forward passing</b> was allowed in all zones. Scoring exploded and the modern game was born.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

Starting from 5

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012236/9426950-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kevin Bieksa&rsquo;s off-season has included much speculation about his future.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BIEKSA: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05524/9426957-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="120" height="120"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>EING IDENTIFIED</b> as the pre-season Stanley Cup favorite isn&rsquo;t necessarily the favorite thing of NHL teams, most of which preach a wait-and-see approach.</p><p>Then again, as Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa will tell you, being tabbed as Stanley&rsquo;s top suitor is better than the alternative.</p><p>&ldquo;A little presumptuous, but I like it,&rdquo; said Bieksa, when asked if THN was on the mark when we picked Vancouver to win the Cup in our annual Yearbook. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s better than picking us to not make the playoffs, so we&rsquo;ll take it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021630/9426943-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="367" height="491"></div><p>Selecting a Stanley Cup winner about 10 months before the trophy is handed out is never a straightforward endeavor, but the process seemed even more fraught with peril this year given the league-wide parity induced by the salary cap. Vancouver felt like a quality choice in part because it went out and bolstered its blueline this off-season.</p><p>But while the summertime acquisitions of Dan Hamhuis (via free agency) and Keith Ballard (trade with Florida) make Vancouver a more formidable club, they also led to speculation Bieksa could be moved out the door to create space on the ice and under the cap.</p><p>After a 42-point campaign as a sophomore in 2006-07, Bieksa&rsquo;s progress was slowed by two unlikely injuries that saw him endure serious cuts from skate blades in both &rsquo;09 and &rsquo;10.</p><p>The 29-year-old&rsquo;s chances of sticking with the team improved when Sami Salo tore his Achilles tendon while playing floorball in Finland this summer, but that hasn&rsquo;t completely halted speculation Bieksa will be moved.</p><p>But how do those rumors impact a player?</p><p>&ldquo;I think it depends who you are and what kind of personality you have,&rdquo; Bieksa said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty easy-going, so I don&rsquo;t really let it bother me too much. The best way is just not to read anything or listen to anything, so that&rsquo;s the approach I&rsquo;ve taken and I&rsquo;ve had a great summer.&rdquo;</p><p>Vancouver is celebrating its 40th season in the NHL this year and the city would love nothing more than to cap it with the first Cup in franchise history.</p><p>The Canucks have seen their championship aspirations trounced in Round 2 the past two seasons by the Chicago Blackhawks.</p><p>&ldquo;I think a lot of it has probably been mental losing to Chicago,&rdquo; Bieksa said. &ldquo;But I like to think we&rsquo;ve learned a lot from those last two rounds and hopefully if we get back to that situation we&rsquo;ll be a smarter, better team because of it.&rdquo;</p><p><i>THN&rsquo;s 2010 Yearbook and Fantasy Pool Guide are on sale now at newsstands and <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a></i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04719/9426936-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="82" height="90"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Check out the video: <b><a href="http://thn.com/bieksa">thn.com/bieksa</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

FABULOUS AT FORTY?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031038/9426988-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="572" height="1012"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHELIOS: DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE</b>&nbsp;<b>BIG</b> question whenever a baseball player enters the Hall of Fame is what team cap he&rsquo;ll be represented by on his bust. Hockey Hall of Famers aren&rsquo;t specifically aligned with just one team, but if they were, Chris Chelios&rsquo; career would start one heck of a Blackhawk or Wing debate. Chelios, who finally looks as though he&rsquo;ll retire at age 48, won two Norris Trophies and was named a first-team all-star three times in eight-plus seasons with the Hawks. In nine-plus seasons in Detroit he won two Cups, was a first-team all-star in 2002 and was runner-up for the Norris the same year. So&hellip;which jersey &ndash; Chicago or Detroit? Oh yeah, there was also a Cup and a Norris in Montreal.</p><p><b>AMONG THE</b> highlights of the first Canadian Women&rsquo;s League draft was a standing ovation for goalie Sami Jo Small. While she&rsquo;ll be the first to tell you she was just one of many female players working tirelessly to make the league a reality, the reaction Small got indicates the level of respect and admiration her peers have for her.</p><p><b>DALLAS EAKINS</b> must still be achin&rsquo;. The Toronto Marlies coach and former NHL defenseman completed the famous Leadville 100 bike race in Colorado in mid-August, traversing up treacherous rocky terrain for more than 11 hours.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

Snapshots

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012183/9427033-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Igor Larionov was 41 when he won his final Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div><p><b>WHEN MIKE MODANO</b> suits up for the winged wheel for the first time this season, he&rsquo;ll do so on a Detroit squad laden with fellow veterans.</p><p>In fact, along with &lsquo;Mo,&rsquo; the Red Wings will trot out Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Tomas Holmstrom, Chris Osgood, Todd Bertuzzi, Kris Draper and Ruslan Salei &ndash; all of whom are 35 or older.</p><p>And while the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins have proven in the past two Cup finals that youth is currently king in the NHL, there&rsquo;s something to be said for a bunch of cagey vets who know how to win. In fact, that&rsquo;s exactly how Detroit won the Cup in 2002.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody had a goal,&rdquo; said Igor Larionov, who was 41 when he helped the Wings back to the top in &rsquo;02. &ldquo;That was the chemistry of the team: no personal egos. You&rsquo;ve got to put everything together.&rdquo;</p><p>With an average age of 31.8, the &rsquo;02 Wings were one of the oldest Cup winners in modern time. Three years prior, the Dallas Stars (featuring a 29-year-old Modano) pulled the same trick.</p><p>&ldquo;No question we had lots of guys who could handle pressure situations,&rdquo; said Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk, who had 21 points and won the Conn Smythe for Dallas en route to the Cup in 1999. &ldquo;And we had Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Jamie Langenbrunner in their primes.&rdquo;</p><p>So obviously it can&rsquo;t all be greybeards. But linking generations is also key to victory in such situations. For example, Pavel Datsyuk was just 23 when the Wings won in &rsquo;02.</p><p>&ldquo;You want to make sure they feel welcome,&rdquo; Larionov said of the kids. &ldquo;Nobody would turn their back to the young guys. It&rsquo;s like a tradition in Detroit.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>By the same token, a veteran dressing room means certain niceties can be done away with when the team needs a talking-to.</p><p>&ldquo;Things could be said that didn&rsquo;t have ill feelings put toward each other; you could be honest,&rdquo; Nieuwendyk noted. &ldquo;Guys like Pat Verbeek, Benoit Hogue &ndash; it always rolled off backs.&rdquo;</p><p>Having the right personnel is the story of every Stanley Cup winner and checking out the rosters of Detroit in &rsquo;02 (Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman were also north of 35 at the time) and Dallas in &rsquo;99 (Guy Carbon-neau and Craig Ludwig) also proves the axiom. And the last time there was a Cup parade in Toronto, back in 1967, it was thanks to a Maple Leafs squad that was one of the most veteran NHL champion teams ever.</p><p>Seven members of that title team were 35 or older, including linchpins Tim Horton, Red Kelly and Allan Stanley, not to mention both goalies, Terry Sawchuk and Johnny Bower.</p><p>But as Larionov pointed out, there must be a method to the chemistry madness; simply doling out big bucks to big names won&rsquo;t do it.</p><p>&ldquo;Look at the New York Rangers,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve tried that for years now and haven&rsquo;t gotten anywhere.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021711/9427026-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="134" height="278"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CUPS & CANDLES</b></h2><p><i>The Detroit Red Wings have made a habit of winning it all with some very veteran lineups. Here are the past 10 Stanley Cup champs and the average age of the roster when the grail was hoisted. Note the difference between Chicago and Detroit&rsquo;s last title team.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031100/9427019-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="1627" height="966"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

EXPERIENCE WANTED

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021620/9427120-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>shallower nets with Plexiglass tops for better camera shots</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012157/9427127-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="187" height="222"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031099/9427113-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="676" height="837"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>a yellow line so viewers know when pucks fully cross goal line</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04753/9427106-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="1024" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>whistle-initiated faceoffs that begin with the puck on the ice.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>S</b>&nbsp;<b>THE SLUDGE</b> of the anti-climactic Tomas Kaberle trade drama &ndash; the nasty, never-ending Gulf Coast Oil Spill of the NHL&rsquo;s 2010 off-season of news &ndash; drifted around the shores of Toronto in late August, there was one shining beacon of genuine hope emanating from the city&rsquo;s far west side.</p><p>It was coming from the Maple Leafs&rsquo; practice facility, which was hosting the NHL&rsquo;s research and development camp. And it signaled a much-needed willingness by the league to acknowledge that its product is organic, that cries of &ldquo;there&rsquo;s nothing wrong with the game&rdquo; were part of what led to the Dead Puck Era, that ingenuity and open minds have a place in every business.</p><p>Conducted over two days, the R&D camp featured suggestions for new rules &ndash; rules that were tested in game situations by 33 juniors, the majority of them top-rated players eligible for the NHL&rsquo;s 2011 draft &ndash; and was put together by former superstar Brendan Shanahan.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&lsquo;I THINK WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PUSHING THE ENVELOPE&rsquo;</b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re really just collecting information,&rdquo; said Shanahan, the league&rsquo;s vice-president, hockey and business development. &ldquo;This is an opportunity for everybody in the hockey world who&rsquo;s been invited here from all the different leagues to see things first-hand, to compare notes, to discuss things.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no hurry; there&rsquo;s no timetable here. We&rsquo;re really happy with the way the NHL and our game is right now. This is a matter of collecting information, being proactive and not resting on our laurels.&rdquo;</p><p>The camp was broken into two sets of morning and afternoon scrimmages, each featuring different rule changes that ranged from radical (i.e., 2-on-2 overtime &ndash; which, as I said on <a href="http://twitter.com/thehockeynews">twitter.com/thehockeynews</a>, should be cause for a coup at NHL headquarters if the league ever dared to implement it) to rational (i.e., a hybrid icing call that would allow linesmen the leeway to halt a long and quick race for the puck if one player reached the faceoff dot before his opponent).</p><p>But perhaps the most crucial factor at play was the decision to employ those draft prospects to play all four games. The youngsters&rsquo; speed and determination was the closest practical replication of actual NHL-caliber play &ndash; not to mention one of their first opportunities to play before the hordes of NHL GMs and scouts in attendance &ndash; and was just what Shanahan had hoped to see.</p><p>&ldquo;Because they&rsquo;re playing in front of GMs, scouts and their parents, there was that competitiveness there,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;The energy level was great. They played hard and they did everything we wanted them to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Added Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Dave King, who was helming one of the benches at the camp: &ldquo;These kids are competing really hard and so the rules that we&rsquo;re trying, you&rsquo;ve got 100-percent effort behind those rules. The kids are playing with lots of intensity, so that gives (the rules) about the best test you can give them.&rdquo;</p><p>Predictably, there was a wide-ranging variance of opinion on the proposed changes to the game. Many liked the suggestion to change the NHL&rsquo;s current overtime format (consisting of five minutes of 4-on-4 play, followed by a shootout) to five minutes of 4-on-4, followed by five minutes of 3-on-3, followed by a shootout.</p><p>&ldquo;Two-on-two was a little bit gimmicky, but when it went 3-on-3, (the puck) was in the net,&rdquo; said veteran coach Ken Hitchcock, who guided the second team of prospects. &ldquo;I think in the NHL, if it ever went 4-on-4 then 3-on-3 in overtime, I don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;d get to many shootouts. (The puck) would be in somebody&rsquo;s net for sure.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021348/9427099-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="1399" height="1138"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Line-change zones help officials identify legal changes</b></figcaption></div><p>According to Hitchcock, the change that needs to happen quickest is any rule that reduces the impact and frequency of shootout endings to games.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s too many times in our league right now that (coaches) have ways of making sure that we keep the 4-on-4 a non-scoring event so we get into the shootout,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of work being done on shootout players, there&rsquo;s a lot of emphasis placed on the shootout and to me, not enough time on that 4-on-4 where you can get the two points.&rdquo;</p><p>Shanahan also liked 3-on-3 action.</p><p>&ldquo;The 3-on-3 was interesting to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just liked how defense quickly turned into offense. A scoring chance for one team that went wrong quickly turned into a scoring chance for the opposition. It was dangerous.&rdquo;</p><p>Other changes that received positive reviews in an informal THN poll of GMs and NHL executives: nets that were shallower (giving players more room with which to work between the goal and the end boards); no line changes for any team called for an offside (a rule that would lead to more tired players and more ensuing scoring chances); and forcing a penalized team not only to touch the puck, but also to control it and clear the defensive zone before the play is stopped (allowing for more delayed power play time).</p><p>Most important, though, was the willingness of all who participated to honestly assess their roles in keeping the sport vibrant and responsive to an ever-changing sports landscape.</p><p>One of the more interesting examples of that attitude came when Hitchcock admitted the need to continually guard against the overcoaching of the game.</p><p>&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t keep looking at ways to make it better, you get in a position where all of a sudden things just stall out,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;I can see things down the line &ndash; and I see this from a coaching perspective &ndash; that coaches are starting to do things now that we could end up stalling it a little bit here if (coaches) get our hands on it too much.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of these (suggestions) take it out of our hands, which is, long term, probably a real good thing.&rdquo;</p><p>None of the changes could be adopted for the 2010-11 campaign, as the results of the camp must be passed along to NHL GMs for further study and possible recommendation to the board of governors for final approval.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04700/9427092-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="1398" height="800"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Faceoff areas in the center of the ice promote play down the middle, theoretically limiting whistles.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03938/9427085-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="666" height="425"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>wider bluelines offer more room to maneuver and mean fewer offsides.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MATTHEW MANOR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the next step,&rdquo; said St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll find out what we like as a group, talk to Brendan and the guys at the NHL offices and decide if this is something we now take to the American Hockey League and say, &lsquo;these really work and we&rsquo;d like to see them (implemented) this year.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the NHL will implement a single proposal from the R&D camp, but at the very least, kudos have to be given to a process that encourages idea-sharing.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we always have to be pushing the envelope,&rdquo; Armstrong said. &ldquo;But when we&rsquo;re pushing the envelope, we&rsquo;re not saying the game is broken &ndash; we&rsquo;re saying, &lsquo;how can we improve it?&rsquo; And I think all sports do that. We just have to make sure these changes will have the proper effect and we don&rsquo;t want to radically change our sport.&rdquo;</p><p>Added King: &ldquo;The game should continue to evolve. It should get better. And this is an effort to allow skill to make a difference. Anytime you do anything in the game to allow skill to make more of a difference, you&rsquo;ve made a positive change.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05514/9427078-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="74" height="74"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Adam&rsquo;s web-exclusive <b>Screen Shots</b> column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011905/9427071-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="82" height="90"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Check out the video: <b><a href="http://thn.com/research">thn.com/research</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

NOT TOO EARLY TO IMPROVE

f0016-01

Let the Countdown Begin!

f0038-01

no Pain NO GAIN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03257/9427366-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="286" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> It was the Summer of Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils. They signed other free agents and hired new coach John MacLean, but put most of their effort into an uncharacteristic stab to make a splash and change the franchise&rsquo;s face.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> They won some, outbidding the L.A. Kings to initially sign Kovalchuk, and they lost some, seeing his contract rejected by the league and arbitrator Richard Bloch.</p><p>But owner Jeff Vanderbeek clearly redefined the Devils&rsquo; image: The goal was to obtain a star they could market and build around long-term.</p><p>The Devils catered to Kovalchuk, perhaps a bit too much. Most importantly, what will Zach Parise think of all this?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-03

New Jersey

<div class="byline">&#x2013; STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04211/9427397-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="270" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The initial stages of a three-summer, $850-million transformation of 42-year-old Madison Square Garden quietly began this off-season. Not included in the blueprints &ndash; but in the minds of management &ndash; is a Rangers renovation aimed to blossom in 2012-13: A transition to a consistent Stanley Cup contender.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> It&rsquo;s about time. Gone are the annual over-spending flurries that lured aging free agents with long-term deals. The current commitment to retain (not sacrifice) youngsters is long overdue.</p><p>Sure, the Blueshirt bosses yearn to make the playoffs. But some fiscal sanity &ndash; and strategy &ndash; has surfaced in the front office.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-04

NY Rangers

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05168/9427428-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="286" height="167"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> New goalie? No go.</p><p>Taking the inexpensive, non-marquee option for a netminder is hardly headline news in Philadelphia.</p><p>But when the Flyers decided to stick with potential UFA Michael Leighton (two years, $3.1 million), eyebrows were raised higher than usual.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Many thought GM Paul Holmgren would pursue a big name like Evgeni Nabokov or Marty Turco.</p><p>But Holmgren, apparently impressed with Leighton&rsquo;s performance in the Flyers&rsquo; run to the final, stood pat.</p><p>There were cap issues involved, but trading Simon Gagne (making room for Andrej Meszaros) proved the GM would cut payroll if needed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-05

Philadelphia

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB ROSSI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06147/9427459-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="320" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The first pairs of skates to touch the ice at new Consol Energy Center were worn by a couple of Penguins icons, Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and captain Sidney Crosby.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Consol Energy Center will give the Penguins the NHL&rsquo;s newest arena after playing in the oldest, the former Mellon Arena, which opened in 1967 as the Civic Arena.</p><p>The Penguins constructed player facilities they believe are unrivaled in the NHL.</p><p>And the rink is already paying dividends in terms of recruiting. Defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek each noted the new arena, which they hadn&rsquo;t seen, as a selling point for coming to Pittsburgh as free agents.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-06

Pittsburgh

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01516/9427497-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="320" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> The biggest question facing the Stanley Cup-champion Blackhawks entering the 2010-11 season is simply posed, but painful to answer.</p><p>Is there is enough left to defend their crown?</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Trade winds blew through the Windy City all summer long as eight members of the team left in a massive and necessary salary dump. No defending champion has begun a season with as many holes and question marks since the 1967 expansion draft gutted the Cup-winning Toronto Maple Leafs.</p><p>Impending salary cap issues thanks to new deals that kick in this coming season for Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith assured some significant pieces of the Hawks would be sent packing.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02336/9427490-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The big boys in Chicago are still around, but can they overcome the departures?</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>But even the most persistent pessimist couldn&rsquo;t have imagined change of this magnitude.</p><p>&ldquo;You could argue that every guy was important and a factor in us winning,&rdquo; said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville after goalie Antti Niemi, defenseman Brent Sopel and forwards Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, John Madden, Ben Eager, Kris Versteeg and Adam Burish all exited.</p><p>Incoming is uncertainty. Is there sufficient fluid remaining in veteran Marty Turco&rsquo;s tank to take over for Niemi in goal? Are Bryan Bickell and Jack Skille schooled enough to step in and replace the physical presence of Byfuglien or the speed and scoring of Versteeg?</p><p>The Blackhawks had better hope so, although, truth be told, there was little they could do to avoid the fire sale.</p><p>&ldquo;Regardless of whether we were winning or losing, the reality was we were going to be losing some players,&rdquo; Quenneville said. &ldquo;You knew it was going to happen and it was going to change the complexion of the team.&rdquo;</p><p>Quenneville makes a valid point. Even without the positive outcome in the Cup final against Philadelphia, many key pieces of Chicago&rsquo;s puzzle would still be departing.</p><p>Now the new and remaining players have to prove they can compensate for all the losses.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

Chicago

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03269/9427535-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="319" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> After finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NHL last season, GM Scott Howson made sweeping changes &ndash; but only to the coaching staff.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> How big of an impact can coaches make? For the Jackets to get back to the playoffs, it will need to be significant.</p><p>Scott Arniel &ndash; an energetic, 47-year-old former NHLer &ndash; was hired to replace Ken Hitchcock, once thought to be the savior of the franchise. Arniel&rsquo;s assistants &ndash; Brad Berry, Bob Boughner and Dan Hinote &ndash; all played in the NHL.</p><p>Arniel plans to institute an energetic, puck-possession style and wants the defense to be more involved in the play.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-03

Columbus

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04205/9427566-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="319" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Still an elite talent at an age when most players are retired or their skills have deteriorated considerably, Nicklas Lidstrom decided to play n 2010-11 rather than retire, signing a one-year contract with the Red Wings.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Seldom in NHL history has a 40-year-old had this large an impact on a team&rsquo;s fortunes. The Wings are Stanley Cup contenders with Lidstrom: the six-time Norris Trophy winner would be irreplaceable if he retired.</p><p>A slow start meant Lidstrom, for only the second time in 12 seasons, was not a Norris finalist in 2009-10. It is no coincidence the Wings have qualified for the playoffs in each of his 18 seasons.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-04

Detroit

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05155/9427597-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="316" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Once he became the franchise&rsquo;s third chairman, Tom Cigarran realized hockey was a very &ldquo;specialized&rdquo; business, prompting him to hire two executives with extensive experience in non-traditional markets.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> CEO Jeff Cogen spent the past 15 years with the Dallas Stars and president-COO Sean Henry was with Tampa for the past 11 years.</p><p>For much of its history, the team&rsquo;s top execs had roots in places like New York and Detroit, and tried to force a traditional approach to selling tickets, sponsorships, etc. That ownership finally embraced the reality of its market ought to provide a welcomed shift in attitude for the fan base.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-05

Nashville

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEREMY RUTHERFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06126/9427628-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="301" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> New GM Doug Armstrong isn&rsquo;t wasting any time putting his stamp on the club. Even before Armstrong officially took over for Larry Pleau July 1, he orchestrated a trade for Jaroslav Halak to replace Chris Mason in goal.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Armstrong was quiet on the UFA front because of the Blues&rsquo; tight internal budget, but he still had to re-sign several of the team&rsquo;s young RFAs. Even in doing that, Armstrong left his mark, limiting Erik Johnson and David Perron to two-year contracts.</p><p>Asked why he didn&rsquo;t sign them to longer-term deals and avoid paying through the nose later, Armstrong said: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to get into the projection game.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-06

St. Louis

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01393/9427666-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="289" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> It has been a productive summer for the Boston Bruins &ndash; a team that believes it is a Stanley Cup contender.</p><p>Not only did Boston pluck talented center Tyler Seguin with the second overall draft choice, the Bruins also addressed offensive concerns with the addition of scoring winger Nathan Horton, while improving their forward depth with Gregory Campbell.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Despite the advances, the overall picture in Beantown has some cracks. GM Peter Chiarelli has backed himself into a salary cap corner, a short-term headache that requires some fixing.</p><p>The Bruins find themselves above the $59.4-million ceiling. Indeed, as of late August the team&rsquo;s cap hit stood at more than $66 million.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02247/9427659-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Marco Sturm&rsquo;s injury is the only thing keeping Boston out of salary cap hell.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The team will alleviate some early pressure by putting injured winger Marco Sturm and his $3.5-million cap hit on long-term injury reserve until he returns from knee surgery, probably in mid-to late November. But once he&rsquo;s cleared, the Bruins will be faced with the same dilemma.</p><p>Chiarelli intimated another move could become necessary.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always things that crop up,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Things happen. At some point we&rsquo;d have to make some changes, when Marco&rsquo;s ready to come back.&rdquo;</p><p>There are several players the GM could potentially jettison. Leading the list is winger Michael Ryder with his $4-million salary. And, although Tim Thomas has visions of regaining his role as the team&rsquo;s No. 1 netminder, he currently remains the backup and a $5-million cap hit is outrageous for a No. 2.</p><p>Chiarelli has always been proactive signing players to extensions and doling out substantial salaries to lock his core leaders up for years. Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Marc Savard, Horton and Ryder are all earning $4 million or more, but that pales in comparison to the $7.5 million for defenseman Zdeno Chara.</p><p>The hulking Slovak is eligible to become a UFA following 2010-11, so the Bruins might be running out of time in their quest for the Cup.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

Boston

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN VOGL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03171/9427704-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="314" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Getting rid of a third-or fourth-line forward usually isn&rsquo;t a big deal. But it was in Buffalo, because the team that claims it takes pride in the local hockey system shockingly dispatched one of its own.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The Sabres became the first team to buy out a player following an arbitration hearing, essentially walking away from South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy&rsquo;s $1 million award (only $200,000 more than they had offered) following his 26-point rookie year.</p><p>The Sabres have been known as notorious penny pinchers for years and getting rid of a 24-year-old ingrained in the community over a pro sports pittance only made their image worse.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-03

Buffalo

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04139/9427735-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="315" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Speculation and anticipation are running rampant in Montreal with coach Jacques Martin&rsquo;s announcement the Canadiens will have a captain in 2010-11 after going without one for the first time in their 100-year franchise history.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The Habs&rsquo; captain, arguably, is more significant than other franchises&rsquo;; his responsibility carrying over into the socio-cultural community.</p><p>The next captain will likely be an Anglophone, with candidates including Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri and Josh Gorges. The first two are signed long-term, but D-man Gorges, whose playing style earns him a ton of respect in the room, is entering the final year of his contract.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-04

Montreal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL TRAIKOS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0685/9427797-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="300" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> After Toronto once again failed to send him packing, Tomas Kaberle remains a Leaf. The puckmoving defenseman, whose trade window came and went for a second straight summer, reportedly drew interest from as many as 10 teams. But GM Brian Burke didn&rsquo;t get the deal he wanted.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> So what&rsquo;s next? While Burke said he was pleased that there was a &ldquo;resolution,&rdquo; keeping Kaberle leaves the Leafs with eight NHL-caliber blueliners, but no such luxury of depth up front.</p><p>So expect someone to be moved. It will not be Kaberle, but with a need to add a high-scoring forward (Marc Savard?), expect Burke&rsquo;s phone to start ringing again.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-06

Toronto

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01359/9427835-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="301" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> Will going back to the future bring the Calgary Flames forward?</p><p>GM Darryl Sutter, whose stint with the Flames after the team missed the playoffs last season was either up in the air or very close to coming to an end depending on who you talk to, took an off-season tact of turning to familiar faces to get the team back into the playoffs.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Make that a couple of shockingly familiar faces.</p><p>The decision to sign Olli Jokinen is likely the make-it-or-break-it moment for Sutter in the Stampede City.</p><p>Jokinen&rsquo;s calendar year with the Flames came nowhere near expectations. Pegged to finally be a front-line, powerful center to play with Jarome Iginla when he was acquired at the 2009 trade deadline, Jokinen skated in 75 games for Calgary collecting 19 goals and 50 points before being traded to the Rangers.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02264/9427828-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Olli Jokinen returns for a Calgary encore despite being a Broadway bust.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRAD WATSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Sutter, who acquired Ales Kotalik and his contract with two years remaining for $6 million in the Rangers trade, re-signed Jokinen to a two-year, $6-million deal with a no-movement clause.</p><p>The revolving door bringing back players didn&rsquo;t end there.</p><p>Alex Tanguay, whose point totals have steadily and dramatically dropped since his first of two seasons in Calgary in 2006-07, was also signed after a horrible season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.</p><p>The end result is Sutter&rsquo;s vision of a top line with two former castoffs &mdash; Tanguay asked for a trade following his second year in Calgary because he was unhappy with his role under Mike Keenan &mdash; and Iginla, another player coming off a disappointing season.</p><p>The GM said signing Tanguay was part of the plan when the club decided to bring back Jokinen.</p><p>For all we know, Sutter&rsquo;s mad scientist experiment will work out. Or maybe Sutter has taken his &ldquo;jump the shark&rdquo; moment and his aging team will sink further.</p><p>If that&rsquo;s the case, it&rsquo;s a good bet there will be a new body in the GM&rsquo;s chair next summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

Calgary

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03203/9427873-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="303" height="167"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> The big question in Denver this summer was: When were the Avalanche going to spend some money?</p><p>By late August, the once money-is-no-object Avs were still $5 million below the cap floor with two top forwards unsigned and no UFAs inked.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The Avs must get to the $43.4-million floor, so fans have little to worry about with unsigned RFA forwards Chris Stewart and Peter Mueller.</p><p>With training camp nearing, mum was the word about the negotiations. Mueller was the team&rsquo;s leading scorer after being acquired from Phoenix at the trade deadline (20 points in 15 games), but with 28 goals overall, Stewart was in line for the bigger ticket.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-03

Colorado

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04185/9427904-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="303" height="167"></div><p><b>NEWS</b> The house-cleaning is pretty much over &ndash; you can tell by the worn-out carpet leading to the exit door.</p><p>GM Steve Tambellini punted the coach, an assistant coach, the trainer, the equipment guy, the captain and others in a massive bloodletting that gutted a bad team and satisfied an angry fan base.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Now, after four seasons out of the playoffs and a franchise-worst 30th-place finish last year, an organization that&rsquo;s spent so much time living in the past (because the present was so cruddy) can finally focus on tomorrow.</p><p>Nobody knows where the Oilers&rsquo; youth movement will be in two or three years, but at least there is a long-term plan.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

Edmonton

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05145/9427935-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="320" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> GM Chuck Fletcher re-signed captain Mikko Koivu to a seven-year, $47.25-million contract that kicks in for 2011-12 and added defense-minded John Madden and Eric Nystrom, plus veteran center Matt Cullen, from free agency.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The Wild were supposed to usher in a new era of excitement when Jacques Lemaire left town.</p><p>But a year after signing Martin Havlat and trading for Cam Barker and Guillaume Latendresse, the Wild committed $6.1 million to three players who, combined, will be in tough to outscore Latendresse. The team also hired veteran assistant coach Rick Wilson, whose bread and butter is defensive hockey.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

Minnesota

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN WOODLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0678/9427966-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="311" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The Canucks shook up the coaches this summer, but curiously the only assistant to survive was Rick Bowness, who was in charge of a &lsquo;D&rsquo; and penalty kill that fell apart.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The dismissal of Ryan Walter, who worked with an offense and power play ranked near the top of the league came after long-time goalie consultant Ian Clark was replaced by Roland Melanson.</p><p>The moves were notable because the entire staff reportedly signed two-year extensions last season. That no one will comment apparently has to do with the resulting settlements. Franchise goalie Roberto Luongo made his statement by personally hiring Clark to work with him in the off-season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-06

Vancouver

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01341/9428004-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="307" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> There was a sense going into the Anaheim Ducks&rsquo; uncertain summer that the playing futures of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne would profoundly affect the course Anaheim subsequently charted - and that if one chose retirement, the other likely would as well.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> In the end, it turned into a good news/bad news scenario for the Ducks. Niedermayer chose to pack it in &ndash; this time for keeps &ndash; completing a wholesale revamping of their defense corps that will have a ripple effect on the team for years to come.</p><p>On the plus side, Selanne decided to return for one more season, leaving the Ducks nicely positioned to ice two scoring lines and meaning their most productive power play man is available to torment NHL goalies once again.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02243/9427997-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>After thinking about leaving the flock, Teemu Selanne is back with the Ducks.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Good thing, too, because in addition to Niedermayer and fellow Norris Trophy-winner Chris Pronger, the Ducks have also shipped out Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski and others from their blueline within the past 18 months. All were big minute-munchers, capable of playing in every situation; the sort of defensemen a coach comes to rely on at crunch time.</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t so long ago the Ducks defense was one of the strongest in the league and the driving force behind their 2007 Stanley Cup victory.</p><p>But now, operating with a modest mid-market budget, the Ducks are down to one legitimate No. 1 defenseman in Lubomir Visnovsky, who came over from the Edmonton Oilers at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline.</p><p>Free agency brought in useful journeymen Toni Lydman and Andy Sutton. There has been interest in adding one more veteran to the mix.</p><p>Until that happens, however, it will be left for coach Randy Carlyle to cobble together an NHL defense corps from Luca Sbisa, Sheldon Brookbank, Brett Festerling, Danny Syvret and/or Brendan Mikkelson. Top 2010 pick Cam Fowler is signed, but not likely to step in right away.</p><p>In short, patience will be key on defense this year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-01

Anaheim

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03139/9428042-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="318" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The Dallas Stars have been very lucky in goal. They went from Andy Moog to Ed Belfour in 1997 and from Belfour to Marty Turco in 2002. That&rsquo;s it&hellip;and Dallas has the NHL&rsquo;s third-best regular season record during that time.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> In 2010, the Stars will switch over full-time to Kari Lehtonen. The Finn was the first big acquisition for GM Joe Nieuwendyk and will likely define his administration.</p><p>Lehtonen, 26, is a project of sorts and the Dallas staff has worked hard with him through the summer. Now, armed with a three-year contract extension, he will be given a chance to show that he can be a No. 1 goalie for the foreseeable future.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-03

Dallas

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JONATHAN DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-04110/9428073-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="312" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The saying goes, don&rsquo;t put all your eggs in one basket. One could say the Kings did just that when they spent all their time and energy trying to win the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, causing them to miss out on other free agents.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Toss in the news defenseman Matt Greene will miss the start of the season after shoulder surgery &ndash; leaving the team with a big hole on the blueline &ndash; and the summer has become a tough one.</p><p>The team&rsquo;s off-season wish list included adding a big-time scorer, help on the blueline and finding a solid second-line center. Aside from signing Alexei Ponikarovsky to replace Alexander Frolov, the Kings came up empty-handed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-04

Los Angeles

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM GINTONIO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0573/9428104-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="274" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> GM Don Maloney was thinking two moves ahead when he signed free agent Ray Whitney. The veteran forward is 38, but shows no signs of slowing down &ndash; indeed, he is getting better with age. In the past two seasons with Carolina, he collected 45 goals and 135 points. Whitney&rsquo;s scoring potential fills one of the Coyotes&rsquo; greatest needs.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> The signing will allow the Coyotes to move Wojtek Wolski, an artful stickhandler, to center and opens the possibility of a Whitney-Wolski-Shane Doan line.</p><p>&ldquo;We felt he was a great fit for us,&rdquo; Maloney said. &ldquo;Whitney&rsquo;s playmaking skills will help whoever he plays with, including Shane Doan.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-05

Phoenix

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0660/9428135-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="308" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Though the Sword of Damocles seemed to have been hanging over the heads of the Sharks should they once again fail to get to the Stanley Cup, GM Doug Wilson made very few waves after being swept in the West final by the Hawks and added just one new NHLer in the off-season.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Allowing goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to walk in free agency (he signed in the KHL) is all well and good, but Antero Niittymaki can&rsquo;t score clutch goals for the Sharks from his own crease. The big names on this team (Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau in particular) still haven&rsquo;t overachieved in the playoffs and the loss of Rob Blake and Manny Malhotra won&rsquo;t help.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-06

San Jose

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GRIGG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01293/9428173-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="320" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="119" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The Caps proved last year they&rsquo;re a great regular season squad and showed during their Round 1 exit in the playoffs there&rsquo;s work to do on their post-season game. However, the squad remains largely the same; worse, even.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> GM George McPhee did little to augment his team this summer, failing to address needs on defense and in goal.</p><p>&ldquo;The same questions that I had going into last year are really no different,&rdquo; said Versus color commentator and former NHL player and coach Ed Olczyk about the Caps. &ldquo;Can they defend well enough? And their goaltending might be a bigger question with the veteran (Jose Theodore) out of there.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02211/9428166-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="1047" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Green scores goals, but who will prevent them on the Caps blueline?</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Olczyk was quick to note the Caps are loaded up front and that&rsquo;s how they&rsquo;ll succeed.</p><p>But there are problems there, too. After Nicklas Backstrom and Eric Belanger, the pivots are converted wingers, fringe NHLers or (gasp!) the demoted Michael Nylander.</p><p>In the East, the big boys &ndash; Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston &ndash; are stacked at center, which doesn&rsquo;t bode well for Washington matchup-wise.</p><p>There were rumors UFA shutdown blueliner Willie Mitchell &ndash; just the type of defender needed in D.C. &ndash; visited with the Caps in mid-August, but otherwise, a team that finished in the bottom half of the league in goals-allowed last season will rely a lot on kids Karl Alzner and John Carlson along with offense-minded Mike Green to keep pucks away from young netminders Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.</p><p>Coach Bruce Boudreau has said repeatedly that his team ran into a hot goalie (Jaroslav Halak) in the playoffs, but there&rsquo;s more to it than that.</p><p>&ldquo;When you have world-class thoroughbreds, it&rsquo;s hard to not allow them to play, showcase their abilities,&rdquo; Olczyk said. &ldquo;But in the big picture, they need to take the next step.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to adapt and it&rsquo;s a lot easier if you&rsquo;ve done it over the course of the season than it is at the drop of a hat.&rdquo;</p><p>After all, the goal is the Stanley Cup, not the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-01

Washington

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GUY CURTRIGHT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03149/9428211-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="310" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> You might as well call them the Atlanta Blackhawks. The team is trying to duplicate Chicago&rsquo;s turnaround, using some key parts of the Hawks&rsquo; success to do so.</p><p>Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel are all Thrashers thanks to the Hawks&rsquo; cap issues. Also in Atlanta is John Torchetti, who was named associate coach.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Thrashers GM Rick Dudley formerly worked for the Blackhawks, so he knows the additions well. The task for new coach Craig Ramsay is to blend the players and get the franchise to the post-season for just the second time.</p><p>All the Atlanta Blackhawks have expanded roles, meaning plenty of new incentive.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-03

Atlanta

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-04119/9428242-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="318" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The Hurricanes open the season in Europe and, for the first time, will have their AHL affiliate playing just down the road in Charlotte. But the All-Star Game in January overshadows both those stories.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> A full decade after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman promised an All-Star Game to Raleigh, the official announcement came in April, leaving The Triangle less than nine months to prepare.</p><p>There&rsquo;s already an advertisement on the side of a downtown skyscraper, featuring Cane Eric Staal and the NHL&rsquo;s biggest stars.</p><p>The Hurricanes have successfully hosted the 2004 NHL draft as well as two Stanley Cup finals, so the area is ready.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-04

Carolina

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GEORGE RICHARDS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0584/9428273-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="320" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> The Panthers are expected to become the first NHL franchise to miss the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, but with the front office moves made this past spring, it&rsquo;s not business as usual in Sunrise.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Former Chicago GM Dale Tallon was brought in to overhaul the on-ice product and his vision is to build a contender through the draft. After jettisoning several former core players, Florida had six of the first 50 selections in the 2010 draft. Expect more vets to be moved at the deadline, assuming the team is out of playoff contention.</p><p>Fans may dread another rebuild, but Tallon and new assistant GM Mike Santos have a firm plan they&rsquo;re sticking to.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-05

Florida

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GRIGG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0670/9428304-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="291" height="167"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>EWS</b> Owner Jeff Vinik first hired Steve Yzerman to be GM and VP; Yzerman then plucked Julien BriseBois from Montreal to be his assistant and coach Guy Boucher from AHL Hamilton (Montreal&rsquo;s affiliate). Vinik then wooed Tod Leiweke &ndash; who has had success in the NFL, NBA and MLS &ndash; to be the franchise&rsquo;s CEO.</p><p><b>VIEWS</b> Yzerman and Co. bring respectability to the hockey ops.; Leiweke&rsquo;s business acumen does the same off the ice; and Boucher was a hot-shot coaching prospect. The moves bode well for Lightning players and fans, but also for the NHL, which can feel better about the chances of stability in Tampa Bay and a real chance at stanching its flow of red ink.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-06

Tampa Bay

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01270/9428349-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="956" height="1173"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF PHOENIX COYOTES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02178/9428342-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="196" height="195"></div><p><b>NHL ORGANIZATIONS</b> have their battery of tests, mental and physical, to help them with prospect selection.</p><p>The Phoenix Coyotes have a unique test that tells them, if nothing else, about a prospect&rsquo;s mettle &ndash; climbing the Camelback.</p><p>Defenseman Michael Stone, former co-captain of the Western League&rsquo;s Calgary Hitmen and a third round pick in 2008 (69th overall), made it up and down Camelback Mountain during the team&rsquo;s prospects camp this summer.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never done anything like that,&rdquo; the Manitoba native said. &ldquo;The most I&rsquo;ve ever done was probably run up (Winnipeg&rsquo;s) Garbage Hill.&rdquo;</p><p>In Phoenix&rsquo;s searing summer heat, the Camelback&rsquo;s 1,200-foot rise is not just an afternoon hike. And coming down is as taxing.</p><p>&ldquo;You go at your own pace and they tell us that because you don&rsquo;t want anybody getting hurt,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Even though we do it early in the day, you get a pretty good sweat going.&rdquo;</p><p>Stone, 20, can expect to sweat some more once NHL training camps convene. Known for a big shot, he&rsquo;s coming off an up-and-down, though solid, four years with the Hitmen, putting up 21 goals and 65 points last season.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be able to play with bigger, stronger guys, obviously&rdquo; said the 6-foot-4, 207-pound blueliner. &ldquo;Coming out of junior is in some ways like going into junior.</p><p>&ldquo;I was green, but developed a bunch of confidence. Now I&rsquo;m looking to come in and be the new guy that can find that comfort zone through the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Stone knows the AHL&rsquo;s San Antonio Rampage is the assignment that awaits him unless the chips fall exactly right.</p><p>&ldquo;You push for a spot &ndash; we&rsquo;re always told nobody will be given anything,&rdquo; Stone said. &ldquo;They say there are always spots open for guys who come in and play well.&rdquo;</p><p>Stone signed his entry-level pro contract last December.</p><p>Though he struggled with consistency at times, he said the signing was no factor in his play.</p><p>&ldquo;I kind of went into a slump after Christmas and people might have thought it was, but I never thought about that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I got back into the swing of it later.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe I took a step back, felt a little too comfortable&hellip;but I think our results (WHL title and a trip to the Memorial Cup), going the distance, changed a lot of people&rsquo;s opinions.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Michael Stone</b></h2><p>San Antonio Rampage</p><p>&nbsp;<b>Ht.</b> 6-4</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 207</p><p><b>Pos.</b> D</p><p><b>Age</b> 20</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-03125/9428335-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="211" height="126"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 181</b></h2><p>Stone&rsquo;s point total in 264 games with the Calgary Hitmen.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-01

PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

COYOTE CLIMBING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM CAMPBELL</div><p>The summer of 2010 has seen a flurry of coaching changes in the Western Conference.</p><p>A half-dozen announcements have been made since the playoffs ended.</p><p>In Rochester, Chuck Weber has been hired from ECHL Cincinnati. Weber takes over from Benoit Groulx, who departed the Florida organization after the Amerks poor second half was followed by a first round playoff exit.</p><p>&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t just need a head coach, we needed a culture change, we needed a new attitude,&rdquo; Florida assistant GM Mike Santos told the Rochester <i>Democrat and Chronicle</i>. &ldquo;I know Chuck can develop a winning culture, he can develop our prospects.&rdquo;</p><p>Elsewhere, the Hamilton Bulldogs hired Randy Cun-neyworth to take over for Guy Boucher, who was hired by the NHL&rsquo;s Tampa Bay Lightning.</p><p>In Winnipeg, the Manitoba Moose flipped coaches with the NHL&rsquo;s Columbus Blue Jackets. Jackets interim coach Claude Noel &ndash; also the former coach of the Milwaukee Admirals &ndash; replaces Scott Arniel, now Columbus&rsquo; bench boss.</p><p>In Houston, former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Mike Yeo is the new Aeros coach, replacing Kevin Constantine, who was not retained by parent Minnesota. Yeo played five seasons with the Aeros.</p><p>In Peoria, Jared Bednar is the new coach of the Rivermen. Rick Wamsley, sent to Peoria in the wake of Davis Payne&rsquo;s promotion to St. Louis, was not retained.</p><p>And in San Antonio, the Rampage made it official &ndash; Ray Edwards loses in the &ldquo;interim&rdquo; label and is the team&rsquo;s new coach. He replaced Greg Ireland Nov. 23.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

COACHING CAROUSEL GOES ROUND

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01277/9428418-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF WORCESTER SHARKS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02161/9428411-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="195" height="195"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>COUR THE WEB</b> for Steve Zalewski and, if you don&rsquo;t include the words San Jose, Worcester, Sharks or hockey with his name, you&rsquo;re guaranteed to find stories about someone who doesn&rsquo;t wear skates for a living.</p><p>Namely, a Steve Zalewski who once dated Danielle Staub, a former star of Bravo&rsquo;s television hit, <i>Real Housewives of New Jersey</i>. Lawsuits and tabloid drama, and nothing to do with a hockey rink.</p><p>&ldquo;One of my friends found it one day and told me about it,&rdquo; hockey&rsquo;s Zalewski said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not all that common of a name so it&rsquo;s pretty funny.&rdquo;</p><p>Maybe someday soon, Zalewski &ndash; San Jose&rsquo;s fifth round pick (153rd overall) in 2004 &ndash; can be front and center when searched. That&rsquo;s his hope, anyway.</p><p>A 24-year-old from Utica, N.Y., Zalewski recently signed another contract with the Sharks. It&rsquo;s a two-way, one-year deal and it takes him back to Worcester for his third pro season.</p><p>Last year Zalewski went from a learn-the-ropes rookie to filling the role of reliable scorer. He netted 22 goals and 62 points in 78 games, and also played his first three NHL games with San Jose (no points). The year before as a rookie pro he scored 13 goals and 39 points.</p><p>That development moved him from San Jose&rsquo;s eighth-ranked prospect in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2009 to No. 4 this past spring.</p><p>His goal this season: to continue the progression into a possible top-six forward, while erasing a few negative marks from his plus-minus rating (minus-13 in &rsquo;09-10).</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really thrilled with where my plusminus ended up,&rdquo; Zalewski said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not where I&rsquo;m used to it being.&rdquo;</p><p>In four years at Clarkson University, Zalewski was a solid two-way forward and earned first-team all-ECAC honors as a senior. Last season with Worcester he began to resume that role and showed coveted versatility with the ability to play any forward spot.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel comfortable anywhere,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The biggest thing is that I get a little faster, a little stronger on the puck. I want to continue to get better at winning faceoffs, winning puck battles, things that guys do consistently well in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;Getting those couple NHL games was one of the most exciting times of my life.&rdquo;</p><p>With another year of growth and development, his life should get even more exciting.</p><h2><b>Steve Zalewski</b></h2><p>Worcester Sharks</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-0</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 195</p><p><b>Pos.</b> C</p><p><b>Age</b> 24</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-03106/9428404-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="211" height="126"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 16</b></h2><p>AHL special teams goals, 43 percent of his career total<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-01

SEARCHING FOR THE NET

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>A year ago Mark Mancari spent part of training camp holding out for a one-way contract. He never got it.</p><p>This summer, he signed another one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres, but he&rsquo;ll at least be financially rewarded if he&rsquo;s still playing with the Portland Pirates.</p><p>His AHL salary will more than double, from $50,000 to $105,000, while his NHL salary remains virtually the same at $575,000.</p><p>Mancari, 25, will be playing his sixth season in the Sabres organization, though he has skated in only 16 NHL games (two goals, five points).</p><p>The 6-foot-3, 225-pound right winger has led the Sabres&rsquo; AHL team in scoring the past three seasons (Rochester in &rsquo;07-08, Portland the past two seasons). He scored 28 goals and a career-high 74 points in 73 games for the Pirates last season and had a goal and an assist in six NHL contests with Buffalo.</p><p>NEW BLOOD Complaints are raised when NHL teams recycle coaches, but that&rsquo;s not happening in the AHL where nine coaches without AHL or NHL head coaching experience were hired:</p><p>Albany, Rick Kowalsky (from Trenton of the ECHL); Houston, Mike Yeo (Pittsburgh assistant); Norfolk, Jon Cooper (Green Bay of the USHL); Oklahoma City, Todd Nelson (assistant with Atlanta); Peoria, Jared Bednar (assistant in Abbotsford); Rochester, Chuck Weber (Cincinnati of the ECHL); Springfield, Rob Riley (scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets); Syracuse, Mark Holick (Kootenay, WHL); and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, John Hynes (promoted from assistant coach).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

PIRATE GETS TWO-WAY BOOTY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><p><b>DAVID SAVARD</b> represented the best of both worlds during his Quebec League career.</p><p>Two seasons ago, he was among the three nominees for the league&rsquo;s best defensive defenseman. Last season, he was the league&rsquo;s highest-scoring blueliner and played a prominent role helping the Moncton Wildcats capture the QMJHL championship.</p><p>&ldquo;I understand that as a defenseman my first responsibility is to take care of the defensive side of the game,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;But I also like to contribute to our attack when the opportunity is there. I like to join in the rush and contribute on the power play.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Savard, 19, was a fourth round pick of Columbus in 2009 (94th overall) and looks to be a bargain. He was plus-32 last season, became the first blueliner to ever lead the QMJHL in assists with 64 and totaled 77 points in 64 games. His efforts earned him a spot on the CHL first all-star team and the defenseman of the year title.</p><p>The knock on him used to be skating, likely the reason he was passed over in the 2008 NHL draft. He&rsquo;s improved significantly in that area, but it&rsquo;s something he must continue to work on in making the jump to the pros this season.</p><p>At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, he was the No. 1 blueliner on a Moncton squad that was best defensively in the &lsquo;Q&rsquo; the past two seasons. He was regularly matched up against the opposition&rsquo;s top line and also suited up on both the power play and penalty-kill.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud of him because I know the commitment he&rsquo;s made to really maturing into a complete defenseman,&rdquo; said Moncton coach Danny Flynn. &ldquo;He had a terrific junior career and he&rsquo;s a solid pro prospect. He&rsquo;s got great hockey sense, great hands, great composure and his game has taken significant steps year by year.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very good offensively, but he&rsquo;s also very dependable and very solid defensively.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>The native of St. Hyacinthe, Que., is grateful for his time in junior.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01246/9428494-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="682" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DANIEL ST. LOUIS/MONCTON WILDCATS)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;When I arrived in Moncton at age 17, I was quiet and shy and I wasn&rsquo;t in the best physical condition,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said. &ldquo;The coaches pushed me in the right way and gave me the direction that I needed. I can&rsquo;t even begin to describe all the ways they helped me get better.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02161/9428487-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="324" height="173"></div><h2><b>David Savard</b></h2><p>Moncton Wildcats</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-2</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 212</p><p><b>Pos.</b> D</p><p><b>Age</b> 19</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-03115/9428480-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="343" height="83"></div><h2><b>Draft Status</b></h2><p>Drafted 94th overall by Columbus in 2009</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0486/9428473-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="211" height="126"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING +61</b></h2><p>Savard&rsquo;s cumulative plus-minus the past two seasons with Moncton<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-01

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0559/9428525-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="251" height="148"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>oug Soetaert finally has reason to celebrate a goal by a Ferraro. Soetaert, GM of the Everett Silvertips, acquired recently-turned 19-year-old center Landon Ferraro from the Red Deer Rebels in late July. His father, Ray Ferraro, scored his first of 408 NHL goals on Soetaert when he tended goal for the 1984-85 Montreal Canadiens. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t imagine it was a very nice goal, judging by most of his goals,&rdquo; chuckled Landon, whose father was a rookie with the Hartford Whalers at the time. The younger Ferraro was selected 32nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 draft after a 37-goal sophomore season with Red Deer. The Rebels obtained center Byron Froese, 19, in the Ferraro deal, which also included a swap of draft picks.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-05

FERRARO FLASHBACK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0640/9428556-1-eng-US/f0055-062.jpg" title="f0055-06" width="301" height="94"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>ike Van Ryn begins his second career as an assistant coach with the Niagara IceDogs. The 31-year-old defenseman decided his wonky knee wasn&rsquo;t up to the task and retired from the NHL. He finished his career in Toronto, playing only 27 games after being acquired from Florida in September 2008 for Bryan McCabe. He missed the 2009-10 season following knee surgery and the Leafs announced June 30 he&rsquo;d also sit out 2010-11. But there was no retirement announcement. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think a lot of guys announce their retirement unless they play for a really long time,&rdquo; Van Ryn said after playing only 353 games in seven seasons. Added Leafs GM Brian Burke: &ldquo;Mike will do very well as a coach with his high hockey IQ and his great people skills.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-06

DOGS’ DAYS JUST BEGINNING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0729/9428587-1-eng-US/f0055-072.jpg" title="f0055-07" width="237" height="140"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Montreal Juniors are looking to make noise in their third season. &ldquo;Our team presents a solid roster, one that is very capable of competing for the Memorial Cup,&rdquo; said coach-GM Pascal Vincent. The Juniors are especially excited after this summer&rsquo;s addition of center Louis Leblanc, selected 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2009. He was the top scorer last season as a freshman at Harvard University with 11 goals and 23 points in 31 games, but chose to leave the NCAA to play more games and be closer to the Canadiens. He&rsquo;s the only Quebec-born player chosen by the Habs in the first round since Eric Chouinard in 1998. Leblanc, 19, will surely be in the spotlight as a marquee Habs prospect playing in Montreal, his hometown.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-07

JUNIORS LOOKING FOR MAJOR STEPS

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><h2><b>Remaining UFAs as of Aug. 19, 2010</b></h2><p><b>Anaheim:</b> Bobby Bolt; Kyle Calder; Ryan Donally; Aaron Ward</p><p><b>Atlanta:</b> Evgeny Artyukhin; Chad Denny; Rylan Kaip; Vyacheslav Kozlov; Clarke MacArthur; Steve McCarthy; Mark Popovic; Christoph Schubert; Matt Siddall; Tim Stapleton</p><p><b>Boston:</b> Steve Begin; Drew Fata; Drew Larman; Kevin Regan; Miroslav Satan</p><p><b>Buffalo:</b> Jeff Cowan; Joe DiPenta; Matt Ellis; Matt Generous; Tim Kennedy; Michael Kostka; Adam Mair; Raffi Torres</p><p><b>Calgary:</b> Brad Cole; Nigel Dawes; Andy Delmore; Brian McGrattan; Garth Murray; Colin Stuart; Vesa Toskala</p><p><b>Carolina:</b> Steven Goertzen; Rob Hennigar; Manny Legace; Michael Ryan</p><p><b>Chicago:</b> Danny Bois; Mike Brennan; Kim Johnsson; Peter MacArthur; Antti Niemi; J-C Sawyer</p><p><b>Colorado:</b> Codey Burki; Matt Hendricks; Wes O&rsquo;Neill; Derek Peltier; Tom Preissing; Brett Skinner; Marek Svatos; Darcy Tucker; Stephane Yelle</p><p><b>Columbus:</b> Daniel LaCosta; Kevin Lalande; Jordan Smotherman; Andrei Plekhanov</p><p><b>Dallas:</b> Jere Lehtinen; Tyler Shelast</p><p><b>Detroit:</b> Riley Armstrong; Andreas Lilja; Kirk Maltby; Brad May; Evan McGrath; Ryan Oulahen; Jason Williams</p><p><b>Edmonton:</b> Mike Comrie; Josef Hrabal; Aaron Johnson; Bryan Lerg; Matt Nickerson; Geoff Paukovich; Ryan Potulny</p><p><b>Florida:</b> Peter Aston; Luke Beaverson; Chris Beckford-Tseu; David Brine; Dan Collins; Rory Fitzpatrick; Ville Koistinen; Andrew Sweetland; Nick Tarnasky; Craig Weller</p><p><b>Los Angeles:</b> Gabe Gauthier; Jeff Halpern; Randy Jones; Fredrik Modin; Joe Piskula</p><p><b>Minnesota:</b> Wade Dubielewicz; Andy Hilbert; Shane Hnidy; Danny Irmen; Ryan Lannon; Duncan Milroy; Owen Nolan; Brandon Rogers; Roman Voloshenko</p><p><b>Montreal:</b> Marc-Andre Bergeron; Michael Busto; Mike Glumac; Georges Laraque; Paul Mara</p><p><b>Nashville:</b> Ben Guite; Ryan Maki; Peter Olvecky</p><p><b>New Jersey:</b> Ilya Kovalchuk; Dean McAmmond; Mike Mottau; Jay Pandolfo; Brad Snetsinger; Myles Stoesz</p><p><b>NY Islanders:</b> Sean Bergenheim; Mark Flood; Freddy Meyer; Richard Park; Doug Weight; Brendan Witt</p><p><b>NY Rangers:</b> Paul Crowder; Anders Eriksson; Enver Lisin; Matt Zaba</p><p><b>Ottawa:</b> Drew Bannister; Jonathan Cheechoo; Shean Donovan</p><p><b>Philadelphia:</b> Arron Asham; Josh Beaulieu; Rob Bellamy; Sean Curry; Ryan Dingle; Jeremy Duchesne; Ray Emery; Krys Kolanos; Lukas Krajicek; Michael-Lee Teslak; Jason Ward</p><p><b>Phoenix:</b> Robert Lang; Petteri Nokelainen; Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan; Mathieu Schneider; David Spina; Lee Stempniak; Josh Tordjman</p><p><b>Pittsburgh:</b> Aaron Boogaard; Ruslan Fedotenko; Bill Guerin; Jay McKee; Wyatt Smith</p><p><b>San Jose:</b> Matthew Jones; Jed Ortmeyer; Daniel Rahimi; Brett Westgarth</p><p><b>St. Louis:</b> Derek Armstrong; Joe Fallon; Paul Kariya; Pierre-Cedric Labrie; Bryce Lampman; Cam Paddock</p><p><b>Tampa Bay:</b> Todd Fedoruk; Chris Lawrence; Mark Parrish; Stephane Veilleux</p><p><b>Toronto:</b> Andre Deveaux; Garnet Exelby; Matt Jones; Phil Oreskovic; Wayne Primeau; Kyle Rogers</p><p><b>Vancouver:</b> Michael Funk; Ryan Johnson; Willie Mitchell; Kyle Wellwood</p><p><b>Washington:</b> Quintin Laing; Brendan Morrison; Jose Theodore; Scott Walker</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01216/9428625-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="784" height="1050"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Two-time 100-point man Paul Kariya is still without an NHL home.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f00056-02/9428618-1-eng-US/f00056-022.jpg" title="f00056-02" width="87" height="87"></div><p>Can&rsquo;t get enough numbers? Visit our online <b>&lsquo;Stats&rsquo;</b> section every day at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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Inside the Numbers

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02143/9428663-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="913" height="913"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01203/9428670-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="140" height="139"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 He&rsquo;s coach in Pittsburgh</p><p>8 Boston&rsquo;s Milan ___</p><p>9 An NHLer from 1969-81, Guy ___ now coaches Kamloops</p><p>10 City of hockey&rsquo;s Pats</p><p>11 Trophy won by Evgeni Malkin in 2009</p><p>12 Mark closely: two words</p><p>14 Veteran winger Owen ___</p><p>17 Fred Shero steered them to two Cups</p><p>19 Hockey players</p><p>20 Home of the expansion Seals</p><p>21 Praise</p><p>22 Number of games played by NHL teams</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>2 Philly&rsquo;s Arron ___, pictured</p><p>3 Sudden increases in speed</p><p>4 A ___ puck is up for grabs</p><p>5 Prince ___ is another Western League city</p><p>6 Writers, like Ken Campbell</p><p>7 Fighters</p><p>11 Veteran Mathieu ___ last played in Phoenix</p><p>13 The Oilers and Flames meet in &lsquo;The Battle of ___&rsquo;</p><p>15 Heckle</p><p>16 Gord Miller is a play-___-___ man</p><p>17 ___ Hollett was the first 20-goal defenseman</p><p>18 To re-sign a player is to ___ his contract</p><h2><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</b></h2><p><b>ACROSS</b> 1. KIPRUSOFF, 8. LOOSE, 9. WILLIAM, 10. SECOND, 11. AGENTS, 12. STORY, 14. MARIO, 17. SHAKEN, 19. AWARDS, 20. SOVIETS, 21. EDDIE, 22. JOE MALONE</p><p><b>DOWN</b> 2. ICING, 3. ROLAND, 4. SEALS, 5. FLYERS, 6. ROLOSON, 7. KEN DRYDEN, 11. ADAM OATES, 13. ORLANDO, 15. ONDREJ, 16. DANIEL, 17. STORM, 18. EATON</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03105/9428656-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="1530" height="767"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0554/9428701-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="683" height="654"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VINTAGE MINNESOTA HOCKEY.COM)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0486/9428708-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="140" height="140"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Huskies of St. Cloud State currently rock a jersey with baseball-style lettering and a shoulder patch modelled after the Habs logo, but back in the day there was a whole different style.</p><p>This replica from <a href="http://VintageMinnesotaHockey.com">VintageMinnesotaHockey.com</a> recreates a real nice jersey with scripted lettering as the focal point and those big, wide stripes that were so popular in hockey&rsquo;s earlier days. The game-worn versions of this edition also featured the player&rsquo;s number right below the &ldquo;D&rdquo; in St. Cloud.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>ST. CLOUD ST. HUSKIES</b></p><p>1956-57<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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JERSEY Hound

<div class="byline">with Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0058-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02143/9428739-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Steve Yzerman got the benefit of Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s wisdom in Detroit.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01215/9428746-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>N THE DAY</b> he joined the Calgary Flames front office, the estimable Jay Feaster was asked about the man who ended up in his old job, running the suddenly intriguing Tampa Bay Lightning. Feaster noted wryly that he would have to start prefacing all remarks about Steve Yzerman with the modifier &ldquo;future NHL executive of the year.&rdquo;</p><p>And, in many ways, that&rsquo;s what a lot of us have been thinking about in the summer of 2010, as the year crosses that annual divide, where we spend less time remembering last season&rsquo;s results and more time pondering what lies ahead.</p><p>Yzerman has had a dazzling run of late, starting with his role as GM of Canada&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s Olympic team, the one that won the gold medal on home soil and solidified his place among national icons. But assembling an Olympic team is a far different challenge than putting together a respectable NHL squad. There are no trades to make, there is no salary cap to deal with and no marketing issues that enter the equation.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>LONG-STANDING CREDIBILITY HELPED REVERSE TAMPA&rsquo;S SLIDE</b></blockquote><p>With the Olympic team, you essentially have no wrong choices &ndash; just a pleasing assortment of right ones. And even as Canadians loved to debate the last few spots on the roster and whether they would make the difference, the reality was always this: If the top players performed to their level and the moons aligned properly, they would win. Otherwise, no.</p><p>Running an NHL team, the first time around, is a whole different enterprise, especially one as badly run as the Lightning were the past few years. Under Feaster, Tampa went through a version of what the Chicago Blackhawks faced this summer. The 2004 Lightning were the last team to win a Stanley Cup before the lockout that ushered in the salary cap era. It forced Feaster to dump his No. 1 goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, and convinced him to throw big money at a couple of core players, including Stanley Cup MVP Brad Richards.</p><p>Within a couple of years, a bizarre new ownership group took over from William Davidson; Feaster was out and the Lightning made that extraordinary plunge from first to worst in a four-year span &ndash; no mean feat, no matter who is running the show.</p><p>So when Yzerman went in, as new owner Jeff Vinik&rsquo;s handpicked choice, there was much to do &ndash; and he was at pains to point out that the rebuilding of a franchise takes years, not months. It is a lesson Yzerman learned at the start of his career, when he originally joined the Detroit Red Wings at a time when they were an NHL laughingstock. In a quarter of a century with that organization, he saw them become the league&rsquo;s most respected organization. That takes time &ndash; and years of consistently being a competitive team, a team that drafts well, a team that becomes a destination for players, not a place where the creme de la creme want to book the first ticket out of town.</p><p>Yzerman&rsquo;s own long-standing credibility in the game helped reverse the slide almost immediately. It was a point that Martin St-Louis made when he signed an extension with the team earlier this summer &ndash; that even as a 30-something player with a finite number of years remaining in his career, he saw enough glimpses of Yzerman doing all the right things to stay on in Tampa and help the Bolts work their way back to respectability.</p><p>That was the view from the ice.</p><p>What struck Yzerman&rsquo;s new peers in the front office was how well he tweaked a capped-out roster, replete with the sort of salary cap anchors that far more experienced managers are having a hard time making disappear.</p><p>Example: He gently nudged Andrej Mezsaros out of town, finding a buyer in the Philadelphia Flyers, then used that money to get two thoroughly competent NHL defensemen in his place &ndash; Pavel Kubina and Brett Clark.</p><p>In goal, he identified Dan Ellis as the next in a long line of goalies that have been biding their time, waiting for the opportunity to be a de facto No. 1. In Ellis and Mike Smith, Yzerman has modest dollars committed to his goal-tending, not unlike the model GM Ken Holland made work for years with the Red Wings.</p><p>He coaxed Guy Boucher, everyone&rsquo;s favorite choice as the next bright coaching candidate, to come south, scooping him up when it looked as if the Columbus Blue Jackets had him locked up.</p><p>Up front, the Lightning&rsquo;s shocking lack of scoring beyond the Big Three of St-Louis, Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier made the Simon Gagne gamble thoroughly defensible.</p><p>Yzerman noted that he went into the transaction with eyes wide open &ndash; that in the years Gagne was injury free, he was a contributing top-six forward on a lot of good Flyers teams (plus he&rsquo;s on the final year of his contract).</p><p>Restoring Tampa&rsquo;s credibility will take more than a single summer of smart moves, but thanks to Yzerman, in virtually no time at all, the process is well underway.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0058-02

YZERMAN STARTS STRONG

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September 6, 2010

EXCITED & CONCERNED

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