Morning Musings: A busy Sunday

There are so many articles this morning that I am going to forego my usual preamble and just provide you with the day's articles.

On to the morning papers:

• Paul Maurice is on the hot seat writes Steve Simmons in this morning's Toronto Sun.
• Ducks' off-season acquisition Mathieu Schneider injured his ankle in Saturday night's exhibition game versus Los Angeles writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Jason King of the Ducks has two goals in two exhibition games which should considerably help his efforts to crack the Ducks' roster as one of the team's depth forwards. (Writer's note: Having played for Randy Carlyle with the Manitoba Moose may give King a leg up)
• It appears Marian Hossa is in no rush to sign a contract extension with the Thrashers. Realistically, can you really blame him? He is coming up on UFA status right in the middle of his prime.
• It wouldn't be a Sunday morning without Kevin Paul Dupont's terrific article in the Boston Globe. This morning, Dupont discusses, among other things, the Bruins' upgrade in net as compared to a season ago.
• Former Memorial Cup MVP Milan Lucic is trying to make a good impression at Bruins' training camp.
• Manny Fernandez wants the starting goaltending job all to himself writes Stephen Harris in this morning's Boston Herald. (Writer's note: This news is a real shocker!)
• Stephen Harris also has a quick rundown of the highlights of yesterday's intra-squad scrimmage in Boston.
• Tim Graham details the possibility of veteran winger Jochen Hecht moving to the middle to center the Sabres' third line in this morning's Buffalo News.
• Without the firepower of a season ago, the Sabres are going to have to shift more of their focus on to the defensive side of the game.
• As Seth Macfarlane writes in this morning's Calgary Sun, Mike Keenan pulls no punches and his former Panthers players appreciated that quality.
• Kristian Huselius and Mike Keenan are looking to start anew in Calgary and put their Florida days behind them.
• Matthew Lombardi wants to improve his consistency and bring it every night like Flames' captain Jarome Iginla.
• Owen Nolan can contribute in many different aspects of the game writes Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald. (Writer's note: I think I have read five Owen Nolan feature articles in the past week.)
• In contrast to the team's strong forward depth, Carolina has only seven NHL defenseman under contract. (Writer's note: Not only do they lack depth on defense but talent isn't exactly pouring out of their top six.)
• After being forced into early retirement because of a genetic disease, Steve Konowalchuk is adjusting to life as the player development coordinator for the Avs.
• Jiri Novotny can't suit up at Blue Jackets' training camp because he can't get a visa.
• Coming into their contract years, Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov are looking to have rebound seasons; Aaron Portzline has the story in this morning's Columbus Dispatch.
• Dave Tippett loves the competition for the final spots on the Stars' roster writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Mike Babcock is impressed with a couple of Red Wings youngsters writes Helene St. James. While general manager Ken Holland has been very impressed with Tomas Kopecky thus far in camp.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal takes issue with the actions of the Buffalo Sabres after Teppo Numminen failed his physical.
• Dennis Grebeshkov is looking to crack the crowded Oilers' defense writes Joanne Ireland.
• Joni Pitkanen shrugs off his minus rating from a year ago and is looking forward to starting anew with the Oilers. (Writer's note: The Flyers are going to regret trading Pitkanen when he wins a Norris Trophy in Edmonton.)
• Michael Russo profiles Brent Burns in this morning's Star Tribune.
• With all the attention on Carey Price and Cristobal Huet, Jaroslav Halak has yet to allow a goal in two days of scrimmages; Pat Hickey has the story in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• They may have lost a number of offensive weapons but the Predators still have one of the best young defenses in the league.
• Kevin Weekes is excited to be able to give Martin Brodeur a rest whenever he needs it writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger. (Writer's note: Weekes' line after the season: 3 wins, 2 losses.)
• Darius Kasparaitis is in terrific shape heading into training camp this season for the Rangers. (Writer's note: Don't you just love stories about a player being in shape a year after they came to camp fat? Are we supposed to commend them?) (Extra writer's note: Best line I've read all morning, "He liked my haircut." -Kaspar in reference to Glen Sather.)
• Greg Logan of Newsday has the story of Rick DiPietro being the man for the Islanders coming into camp. (Writer's note: It still trips me out that I will be 37 when his contract expires.)
• Bruce Garrioch tells us John Paddock is already line-juggling early in camp.
• Erin Nicks explains the possible organizational repercussions, both positive and negative, of a breakout offensive season for the Sens' Mike Fisher.
• The Coyotes have some of the top prospects in all of hockey at training camp and he wants them to play as much as possible.
• Dany Sabourin is excited to be back in Pittsburgh and is looking forward to playing more than once a month.
• Marc Vlasic is looking for a new defensive partner with the departure of Scott Hannan to Colorado, but as Mark Emmons writes, Ron Wilson isn't the least bit worried about Vlasic.
• Local kid Mike McKenna is making quite the impression at the Blues' training camp writes Jeremy Rutherford.
• Andreas Karlsson is looking to rebound from a difficult 2006/07 campaign.
• Tarik El-Bashin documents the many allergies that Tom Poti has to deal with in this morning's Washington Post.
• Bryan Muir thinks he is fortunate to just be at an NHL training camp writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. (Writer's note: How many more Bryan Muir stories do I have to read?)
• As Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun points out, the Leafs are sure to get a win tonight in the Blue/White matchup.
• Is Jason Blake the missing link? (Writer's note: Over/under 45 more stories on Jason Blake possibly playing with Mats Sundin)
• Ryan Shannon is not taking anything for granted at Canucks' training camp.
• Don't expect Todd Bertuzzi to return to Vancouver this Monday.

To retire, or to not retire?

• Taking a page out of the books of Roger Clemens, Brett Favre and most recently, teammate Scott Niedermayer. Teemu Selanne has sure been taking his sweet ass time contemplating retirement. Even though the two future hall of famers are coming off a Stanley Cup win, training camps have begun. They really are leaving the Ducks hanging. Luckily the Ducks have taken the proper precautions by signing fellow member of the tribe Matthieu Schneider and the son Brian Burke never had Todd Bertuzzi. Even if the two do not return, or just one of the two, the Ducks are still primed for another run at the Cup.
• The Atlanta Thrashers are optimistic about their chances at making the playoffs... I'm pretty optimistic that they will not get past the first round.
• The Flyers are expecting a huge improvement over last season. I would have to agree, Paul Homgren has done an outstanding job since he stepped in as GM. After suffering through years with the gruesome twosome of Antero Niittymaki and Robert Esche He has accquired a number one goaltender in Marty Biron, signed Daniel Briere, traded for Joffrey Lupul, Jason Smith, Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnell. I'd look for the Flyers to make some noise this upcoming season. I expect Simon Gagne to post huge numbers this year, with Daniel Briere setting him up instead of oft-injured Peter Forsberg. Over the past year Forsberg has spent more time in rehab than Lindsey Lohan.
• As always, there is a significant amount of pressure on the Leafs to make the playoffs. The Globe and Mail reports that John Ferguson Jr. " is acutely aware that his future will be in doubt should the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season". Who are we kidding? As Richard profiled earlier this week the Leafs chances of making the playoffs are slim and none. They should get the ball rolling and fire JFJ already, what are they waiting for? The much overhyped signing of Jason Blake will not get the Leafs into the playoffs
• The Detroit Red Wings are loving the Drake. Really? I didn't know the former Winnipeg Jet was still kicking around. Ansar Khan reports "When Drake's on the ice, opponents better keep their head up." Ya, forsure.

-remis

Prospect Pulse

Note: My recent prospect features have been very heavy on Euro and American content. I feel that most Canadians get a pretty steady diet of information on the top Canadian juniors and prospects from our sports media. With that in mind, I am trying to go off the path a little to highlight some exceptional talents from around the world.

Both of these young Slovaks are named Juraj Mikus. (The left one is the older, former Canadiens prospect) They are about a year about in age and are/were prospects in the NHL. I had heard some buzz about Juraj Mikus the forward playing on a line with Ziggy Pallfy in the Slovakian league and thought he might be a good feature for Prospect Pulse. About 20 minutes into researching this post, I realized there was double the fun. Here goes:

Juraj Mikus the Elder, originally taken in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens (4th Round, 121st overall), came over to play in North America last year and ended up with decent point totals despite a slow start. Despite the more than point a game clip, the Canadiens declined to sign him, citing too many forward prospects in their system. The right shooting forward had a strong draft year campaign, leading the Slovak team in scoring at the World Junior Championships. He is playing this year with Skalica of the Slovak Extraleague.

Taken in nearly the same spot (5th Round, 134th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mikus the Younger is a talented offensive rearguard who put up very good numbers in the Slovak junior league. The 6'4, 185 defender posted a solid +32 rating, but needs to fill out his frame in order to advance to the next level. Expected to stay in Slovakia to develop, internet scouting reports on him are sketchy and/or unreliable because of the other Mikus. Even Hockey's Future has the wrong picture and stats up for him. He is expected to play this year with Dukla Trencin in the Slovak Junior League.

News You Can Use in the Late Morning:

-Lightning forward Tim Taylor likely finished after hip surgery.

-Colby Cosh with a post linking pre-season success to regular season wins. (Hat tip, Mirtle)

-Pens and Sabres to play an outdoor game.

-The Leafs' Paul Maurice predicts the playoffs for the Leafs. They were pretty close last year, and with the steps backward taken by the Islanders, its certainly possible.

-Interesting notes on off-season training.

-Profile on Oilers prospect Chris Van de Velde. The Oilers hope he builds upon last years' strong second half.

-Sens' prospect Jim O'Brien has not changed his mind about the pro game.

-Cujo waiting for the phone to ring.

-Mike Comrie plays grab-ass with Hilary Duff. Maybe she is after the Brick fortune? Little Mikey should watch out, at only 19, she has been passed around by more than her share of emo rockers.

-Panthers ink Noah Welch.

-5 Rookies to watch at Leaf's camp.

-Killer named one of the assistant coaches for the Spengler Cup. Maybe there are some 14 year old babysitters in Switzerland.

-5 Players on the bubble at Leafs' camp.

-Arnott named Predators captain.

-An update on the Wickenheiser playing with men story.

-The Kings' Derek Armstrong is willing to play any role on the revamped roster.

-The Ducks' Bobby Ryan ready for a fresh start.

-Hints and tips on how to select a hockey stick. (Hat tip, Kukla)

-Hawks open camp today.

-Ducks-Kings Game Day Preview.

-A heated battle to back up Kipper.

-A couple of brief profiles of Caps' prospects.]

-Wes Goldstein with a preview of the Central and Northeast divisions.

-Lightning players look for ways to escape Camp Torturella.

-Lightning training camp lines.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Prospect Pulse Part Deux

San Jose GM Doug Wilson went into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft with no first round picks, and managed to swing a couple of days so that he walked away with Logan Couture and Nick Petrecki as first rounders. McKeen's notes that the 6-3, 215 pound Petrecki went into the 2006-2007 season pegged as a potential top 5 pick, only to nearly slip out of the 1st Round with his erratic play for Omaha of the USHL.

A first round pick in the OHL draft, Petrecki opted for the USHL so he could play with the Boston College Eagles. Some scouts dismissed his choice and suggested that it cost him a top 5 selection in the draft, but the feeling is that Petrecki will still be an NHL calibre defenseman based on his agility, meanness and shot.

Possessing some offensive upside, Petrecki strives to be a solid 2-way performer. He plays a solid physical game and aims to hurt people with his checks. One of the knocks on his game is that he fails to notice players out of his field of vision in the defensive zone, and is extremely error prone when off his game. McKeen's Forecaster was especially wary of these shortcomings, while most other scouting services and reports keyed in on his positive attributes, namely his size, mobility (especially skating) and physical game. Petrecki is also said to possess a booming shot, having won the Hardest Shot competition at the USHL All-Star Game.

An in-depth Q and A can be found here.

Some Apres-Supper News:

-Brian Lawton has left his sports agency firm to pursue full time work in the NHL.

-World Junior and Calder Cup phenom Carey Price looks to crack the Habs lineup this fall. I saw him the AHL playoffs and he was nearly unbeatable.

-Bruins and Islander swap prospects.

-Ducks officially suspend Niedermayer. Zzzzzzz, wake me up when this is over.

-Ovechkin "not surprised" at the outcome of the not so Superseries. Ouch, the comrades aren't going to like this.

-Ted Leonis predicts the playoffs for the Caps.

-The Canucks Aaron Miller to have abdominal surgery.

-The Sabres change their game-plan.

-Oilers to unveil new jerseys at the Joey Moss Cup.

-An interesting interview with the Kings prospect Jack Johnson.

-Some news from the Caps' camp.

-Who's still looking for work.

-A Q and A with the Hansons. Fuckin' machine took my quarter.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Cory Murphy is the new Tom Preissing

In the world of fantasy sports, expert knowledge is everything. How many times have you found yourself in a hockey pool where someone decides to draft an unknown Finnish Elite Leaguer or NCAA late-bloomer like Brian Rafalski of the New Jersey Devils in 1999'2000 or Chris Kunitz of the Anaheim Ducks in 2005'06. These picks, although suspect at the time, can often win drafts for keen puckheads.

Tom Preissing is one such defenseman who surprised many fantasy experts by registering 43 points with the San Jose Sharks in 2005'06. Preissing emerged as one of the top offensive defensemen on a stacked Sharks team after starting the year as a 26-year-old unknown depth defenseman out of Colorado College. Preissing impressed so many hockey insiders that he was a hot commodity in last summers player market, and was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators in a 3 way deal which also included the Chicago Blackhawks ( Preissing had a solid 38 point campaign in 2006'07, including 7 points in 20 playoff games).

You don't have to look any further than Illegal Curve for this years Tom Preissing because his name is Cory Murphy and he will play for the Florida Panthers this season. Some readers may know Murphy as the "guy you didn't know" on Team Canada during the 2007 World Hockey Championships (yours truly), some may have read his name on hockey blog sites or in The Hockey News Pool Guide. Murphy, from Kanata, Ontario, has spent 5 of the last 6 seasons in the Finnish Elite League, registering 50 points for HIFK Helsinki in 2006'07. Murphy went undrafted after a solid collegiate career with Colgate ('97-'01). He signed with the Panthers in 2007 after catching the eye of a Panthers pro scout ( it is rumoured that many teams were interested in Cory Murphy, the New Jersey Devils included among them). The 29-year-old Murphy should have much success on a young Florida team in desperate need of a puck moving defenseman who can also also chip in on the power play. Murphy will thrive playing with the likes of Jay Bouwmeester, Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss and it is because he will be given every opportunity to thrive in a solid hockey system just like Brian Rafalski, Chris Kunitz and Tom Preissing did before him.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg