Morning Musings: Exhibition Overload

After watching TSN and Sportsnet on Thursday night, I began to wonder whether the NHL was already in the middle of the regular season. Not only are there pre-game reports (held live at the arena no less) previewing meaningless exhibition contests, but in the evening, the highlights are looped so that the highlights from these games are shown twice in a one hour show. Does anybody else consider this to be overkill? How can TSN justify showing exhibition highlights of a Sens/Capitals game when there are four tremendous division/wild card races taking place in Major League Baseball? The increased television exposure of every training camp/pre-season moment is unnecessary.

Additionally, why are you showing us who the exhibition scoring leaders are? Exhibition scoring leaders rarely tear it up when the games actually matter. If TSN and Sportsnet cut the exhibition highlights, or at least, showed them after meaningful games in other sports have been highlighted, I would be one happy fan.

On to the morning papers:

• Mike Brehm profiles Martin Brodeur in this morning's USA Today.
• Vesa Toskala was not sharp in his debut writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• Kyle Wellwood was scratched from last night's contest because of a minor groin injury, however, coach Paul Maurice is not overly concerned.
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star wonders why Wayne Gretzky won't talk about the Rick Tocchet issue with the press. (Writer's note: Why does Gretzky have to answer questions on this topic?)
• Jannik Hansen will be out of the Canucks' lineup 4-6 weeks with a broken thumb.
• Luc Bourdon is being outplayed by a number of other Canuck defenders who are vying for a spot on the Vancouver blueline writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province.
• Taking his family's needs into account, Glen Metropolit is hoping a decision on his future is made sooner rather than later at Bruins' camp.
• While Manny Fernandez had a fairly positive debut, the Bruins were defeated by the Devils 3-0 on Thursday night.
• Dennis Wideman possesses plenty of skill but the key to his development may be his decision-making ability; Stephen Harris has the story in this morning's Boston Herald.
• John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that Teppo Numminen had successful heart surgery and is now resting comfortably.
• In less serious news out of Buffalo, coach Lindy Ruff is experimenting with splitting up his top defensive pairing of Tallinder and Lydman and putting each with a more offensive defenseman.
• As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune explains, Wild prospect James Sheppard made some positive plays in his NHL exhibition debut but also made a big mistake which left Jacques Lemaire fuming.
• Marian Gaborik is wondering who is going to be centering the top line in Minnesota this season.
• Losing a significant amount of scoring this off-season, the pressure is on the big guns in Nashville to carry the scoring load writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. The team's defensemen are also going to try and do their part to make up for the lost offense.
• Wings' coach Mike Babcock says the seating arrangement in the team's locker room is not by accident.
• Colby Armstrong made a point of thanking the fans of Pittburgh for their support. While defenseman Kris Letang was 'sent down' to the secondary group at training camp.
• Mike Richards will be used as the checking line center in Philadelphia this season.
• Sami Kapanen had an adventerous return to Philadelphia because of visa problems.
• The Capitals were defeated by the Senators 5-4 on Thursday night in Ottawa.
• When Andy Murray arrived in St. Louis last season, Eric Brewer took his game up a couple notches. As Jeremy Rutherford writes, Murray wants to see Brewer take his game up another notch by becoming a little more offensive minded.
• There may be a numbers crunch on the blue line in Anaheim but Joe Dipenta can be sure he has one important supporter in Randy Carlyle.
• Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald details the battle for the final forward roster spot on the Flames and the competition is heated.
• Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun has the story of David Moss and his off-season training program in Russia this summer.
• Lorenzo Perez takes a closer look at Glen Wesley, the elder statesman on the Canes' blueline, in this morning's News Observer.
• Jonathan Toews is lucky he only has a small crack in his index finger and not a broken hand writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• A couple of pleasant surprises at Avs' camp are making the roster decisions that much more difficult for coach Joel Quenville.
• Joel Bouchard had an epiphany while he was laying sick in a hospital bed with a serious infection; now he is back healthy, and is attempting to crack the Blue Jackets' defense. (Writer's note: It is hard not to like Bouchard after reading this article. Lets hope he makes the Columbus defense.)
• The Stars have one of the top backup goalies in the entire NHL and as Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News points out, a good backup may mean the difference between just making the playoffs and finishing on the outside.
• Sheldon Souray's bomb from the point definitely impressed coach Craig MacTavish on Thursday night. (Writer's note: Oilers' fans are probably more concerned with his pinch at the blueline with 10 seconds remaining that led to the winning goal. But guys, it is only pre-season!)
• Rostislav Olesz will be looking for his own shot more this season writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has a neat story on the rising Canadian dollar and its effect on various members of the Habs' organization.
• Doctors are still unsure about whether Colin White incurred damage to his eye and the tough defenseman is understandably worried.
• The makeup of the Habs' lineup is beginning to become clear writes Pat Hickey. (Writer's note: More importantly, the practice referred to in the article was played at the Martin Lapointe Arena. Martin Lapointe has an arena??????? I hope it was given to him before he signed with Boston...)
• As Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports, the Senators sent down 13 players to their AHL affiliate on Thursday.
• Brian McGrattan is concerned about the new RBK jerseys writes Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun.
• As Greg Logan explains in this morning's New York Newsday, both the Islanders and Andy Sutton are happy to have each other.
• Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen reports that Mike Fisher is almost ready for game action.
• Injuries are starting to pile up at Lightning camp.
• The battle for the backup goalie position in San Jose will not be decided solely on play in a couple of pre-season games writes David Pollak in this morning's San Jose Mercury News.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock

Morning Musings: Sometimes the best off-season moves don't involve player acquisitions

While the signings of Scott Gomez, Chris Drury and Ryan Smyth garnered much off-season attention, the hiring of Brent Sutter by Lou Lamoriello and the New Jersey Devils may have been the most significant addition in the summer of 2007. Sutter was the best coach outside of the NHL for a number of years now and had been pursued by numerous NHL organizations with appealing coaching offers. Finally, this summer the former Red Deer Rebels coach decided it was the right time to make the jump into the NHL coaching ranks and he could not have found a better dancing partner. New Jersey is the perfect fit for Sutter and vice versa. Sutter, a Stanley Cup Champion with the New York Islanders in the early 1980’s, coaches much like he played. His teams are known for being well-prepared, hard working, always willing to finish checks, never afraid to stand up for one another and an undeniable willingness to compete. Sutter’s opinions on the game almost mirror those of Louo, thus, making this a match that, is allegedly, made in heaven.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Lamoriello’s penchant for firing coaches almost annually; however, this situation appears to be completely different. Sutter is a coach who could have gone anywhere, and probably could have had full control over personnel decisions; instead, he took a job in New Jersey, a place many consider to be a death sentence for coaches. Sutter would not have taken this position without being confident in the make-up of the Devils’ roster and, more importantly, his ability to mesh with Lamoreillo.

Hiring Brent Sutter should result in New Jersey ascending significantly in the standings and producing more points than they did in 2006/07. Although the Devils may not be the most talented team in the National Hockey League this season, they will definitely be one of the most difficult teams to play against, and that, of course, is a Sutter calling card.

On to the morning papers:

• As Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger tells us, the Devils are concerned about Colin White after he was hit over the right eye in practice on Wednesday.
• Aaron Asham of the Devils is concerned about the new jerseys and the fact that they are coming apart at the seems; Mark Everson of the New York Post has the story.
• As far as Sean Avery is concerned, the Rangers are going to win the Cup in 2008.
• Head coach Tom Renney believes it is imperative for the Rangers to spend time at West Point to team build, but more importantly, to have the experience of spending time with people who sacrifice for their country.
• Gerard Gallant will be responsible for running the Islanders' powerplay writes Greg Logan in this morning's New York Newsday.
• After a season of struggles, Martin Gerber is motivated to reclaim the number one goalie title in Ottawa. Supriginsly (Writer's note: or not), after Gerber's impressive exhibition performance two night ago, Ray Emery was practicing for the first time yesterday testing his surgically repaired wrist.
• Mike Rathje injured his groin at Flyers' camp and will be out for at least the next week according to GM Paul Holmgren.
• Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun details Patrick Eaves' attempts to stick on the top line at Senators' camp. The young forward has impressed coach John Paddock who has called him "one of the best players in training camp."
• The Coyotes are hoping power skating coach Mark Ciaccio can help both veterans and youngsters improve their overall game.
• Phenom Sidney Crosby could see himself playing on the penalty killing unit this season in Pittsburgh writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Writer's note: I love this idea. The Oilers used to do this with Gretzky all the time. With Crosby's hockey sense and speed he would be a good penalty killer and, would also put pressure on the opposing team's defensemen on the point or make them put a defenseman on the point instead of their usual forward.)
• Nineteen players were assigned to Peoria of the AHL from Blues' camp on Wednesday. This group did not include youngsters Patrick Berglund and David Perron; Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Disptach has the story.
• Both Chris Gratton and Michel Ouellet went down to injury in the Lightning's pre-season opener against Dallas on Wednesday. Luckily, neither injury is believed to be overly serious.
• Instant chemistry? As Lance Hornby writes in this morning's Toronto Sun, it appears that the combination of Mats Sundin and Jason Blake have already taken a liking to each other's playing styles.
• Also in this morning's Toronto Sun, Hornby wonders why the NHL hasn't returned to Winnipeg yet.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star doesn't understand why the NHL is playing the outdoor game in Buffalo. (Writer's note: Amen brother)
• Tarik El-Bashir explains the reasoning behind Josef Boumedienne's attempt to return to the NHL.
• It is fair to say that Mike Keenan and Roberto Luongo were more than content not running into each other before last night's Flames/Canucks exhibition contest writes Grant Kerr of the Globe & Mail.
• Barry Macdonald has a complimentary piece on Alain Vigneault in this morning's Vancouver Sun.
• Exhibition or not, the Flames were out to set a physical tone against the Canucks on Wednesday.
• Kari Lehtonen may have been a top prospect but that does not mean he is getting a free ride to the starting goaltending spot in Atlanta this season. As Craig Custance writes, Lehtonen has to compete with Johan Hedberg for the starting spot.
• The Predators are excited by the potential of their last selection in the 2005 draft Patric Hornqvist. (Writer's note: More importantly, I just read that Paul Fenton is the Assistant GM in Nashville. Paul Fenton! The former Winnipeg Jet! If I recall, he wore number 11, but I am not 100% sure. If I am wrong, drop a line in our comments section.)
• The Bruins are not as easy to play against this season writes Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe.
• According to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, The Stars will be pushing for a scheduel change at the November meetings.
• Jared Boll was playing like a house on fire in the Jackets' exhibition contest Wednesday against the Blackhawks.
• After an off-season of spending, expectations have changed in Colorado heading into 2007/08.
• Teppo Numminen is understandbly nervous for today's open-heart surgery.
• The Hawks had an eventful night as Patrick Kane struggled in his first taste NHL action and Jonathan Toews broke his finger in his second NHL exhibition contest. Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune has the details.
• Luke Decock has a good piece on Brandon Sutter in this morning's News Observer.
• Jimmy Howard has matured significantly since being drafted in 2003 writes Helene St. James in the Detroit Free Press.
• The Slovak combination of Nagy and Handzus carry with them high expectations heading into 2007/08 with the Kings.
• As Michael Russo writes, GM Doug Risebrough can't seem to shake Benoit Pouliout's inconsistent performance in the AHL last season.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette tells us that Yan Dannis's stock is on the rise at Habs' camp. (Writer's note: The Habs have so much depth in goal it is bordering on ridiculous.)
• Miikka Kiprusoff was sharp in Wednesday's exhibition contest versus Vancouver. Randy Sportak has a player-by-player report card of Wednesday's contest.
• Fernando Pisani may not return this season but his stall remains open as his teammates hope for the best.
• The Oilers have been bitten by the injury bug in camp.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings: Thoughts on the outdoor game

(Note: I apologize for the late post this morning. My internet quit in my apartment right before I intended on posting this article around 8:50am CST. For new readers, the Morning Musings are generally posted between 8am and 9am CST.)

With all the talk about the outdoor game in Buffalo on New Years Day, I have to be honest, I really don't care. Didn't this type of game already happen? In fact, the idea has been done a couple times now. The Oilers/Canadiens played in Edmonton earlier this decade and Michigan State/Michigan played outdoors a few years back as well. Most likely, the game will result in a cash cow for the City of Buffalo, which is terrific, however, playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium during a winter day isn't exactly going to raise publicity about the game of hockey for more than a day or two. Moreover, who wants to sit outside and watch a game in early January? Never mind the fact that most fans will be too far away in the football stadium seats to actually enjoy the game.

I think it is fair to say that this game is being played because the NHL sees a one time shot where they can sell 60,000+ seats and make a boatload of cash off the event. The publicity is secondary in this instance, for the NHL the all mighty dollar is number one.

On to the morning papers:

• Damien Cox wonders how much failure Wayne Gretzky will be able to take this season in this morning's Toronto Star.
• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail examines Todd Bertuzzi's attempt to reclaim his status as one of the best forwards in the NHL this season in Anaheim.
• Coach Lindy Ruff has an idea of how he wants his lines to look heading into the start of the season writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
• Still wondering why Maxim Afinogenov missed the third game of round one of the playoffs last season? If so, the story has finally been revealed.
• The Flames played with more spark in their exhibition game in Saskatoon on Tuesday night.
• Ryan Bayda is attempting to stick with the Hurricanes this training camp and not have to move back and forth between the NHL and the AHL; Lorenzo Perez has the story in this morning's News Observer.
• More notes from Canes' training camp.
• Jonathan Toews impressed his head coach in the Hawks' exhibition debut on Tuesday. Speaking of debuts, Patrick Kane is expected to make his debut on Wednesday night when the Hawks host Columbus.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post has an interesting piece on the relationship between Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth in this morning's Denver Post.
• The Stars are hoping they have the next Mattias Norstrom in rookie defenseman Nicklas Grossman.
• To say that youngster Kris Russell has impressed coach Ken Hitchcock in Columbus would be a significant understatement.
• Coming off an intense off-season of fitness training, Jiri Hudler is looking to play regular minutes this season on one of the team's top two lines.
• Arriving to the arena only an hour before the game didn't seem to have an affect on the Red Wings as they dominated the Wild 6-1.
• The Oilers' players were getting injured left right, and center last night versus the Maple Leafs.
• Robert Nilsson looks comfortable playing on a line with Jarret Stoll and Raffi Torres writes Robert Tychkowski in this morning's Edmonton Sun.
• According to Michael Russon of the Star Tribune, Sean Hill claims he never took steroids and, in fact, took a lie detector test to prove just that.
• Jacques Lemaire is having a hard time finding someone to play on the team's top line alongside Gaborik and Demitra.
• Rookie goalie Jonathan Bernier is making the Kings' decision on their two goalies more difficult than they imagined writes Lonnie White of the L.A. Times.
• Tomas Vokoun is not going to allow one poor pre-season performance to affect his confidence; Steve Gorton of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has the details.
• According to Bob Hartley, youngster Brett Sterling was born to score goals.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette predicts the Habs will make the playoffs but provides a small caveat.
• The Ducks assigned 14 players to Portland of the AHL on Tuesday.
• The Bruins are hoping Shawn Thornton can provide the team with a necessary physical component that they were missing last season.
• Dennis Wideman is looking forward to being able to begin the season with the Bruins and expects to contribute, especially on the powerplay.
• Even though he gave up three goals, Carey Price didn't think he played that poorly on Tuesday night.
• Alexander Radulov is trying his best to avoid suffering the sopohomore slump writes Jessica Hopp in this morning's Tennessean.
• Larry Brooks of the New York Post wonders how much better the Rangers would be if they had actually drafted well in the first rounds of 2003 and 2004. As Brooks notes, don't expect Hugh Jessiman to start the season up with the big club.
• As John Dellapina writes in this morning's New York Daily News, Henrik Lundqvist would play all 82 games if he could.
• Rookie coach Brent Sutter was happy to see his team stick up for one another and stick together during a meaningless pre-season game versus Philadelphia.
• While he was disappointed to lose Ryan Smyth as a teammate, Islanders' forward Mike Sillinger was happy with the team's off-season acquisitions.
• The Senators received terrific performances from Martin Gerber and Nick Foligno as the defeated the Flyers in exhibition action on Tuesday.
• Jesse Boulerice knows his role and is hoping to bring a physical presence, along with an upbeat tempo to the Flyers this season.
• Martin Rucinsky is looking to rebound from a difficult year in St. Louis writes Jeremy Rutherford in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Wayne Gretzky is going to give all his goaltenders in camp a chance to earn the number one spot writes Jim Gintonio in the Arizona Republic.
• Mathieu Darche is attempting to make the Lightning roster as a 30 year old career minor leaguer. If any organization will give him a chance, the Lightning are his best bet.
• Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News is excited that Ron Wilson is back as the Sharks' coach and is talking as per usual (a.k.a. a writer's delight).
• Diminutive defenseman Mike Weaver has been doubted all his career because of his 5'9 frame; however, he has become a threat to make the Pens' defense and nudge youngster Kris Letang to the minors for some seasoning.
• Tarik El-Bashir details Ben Clymer and his battle for a checking job at Capitals camp.
• Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province has a great story on Ryan Kesler who was so disappointed that he got injured during game one of the playoffs last year that he actually told the trainers to cut off his injured finger so he could play.
• Justin Pogge impressed during his first NHL exhibition action versus the Oilers on Tuesday night.
• Paul Maurice would prefer his team not initiate any fights in any of the eight game pre-season writes Lance Hornby in the Toronto Sun.
• Coach Maurice didn't pull any punches when describing the play of the team's top line on Tuesday night; Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star has the details.

Morning Musings: Evaluating the Broadway Blueshirts

(Note: Each morning as part of my Morning Musings, I write a small piece about questions/issues in the NHL. If you are just looking for the morning papers links, scroll down to the bottom of this entry, where they can be found every morning.)

It is hard not to garner attention when you sign two of the top unrestricted free agents available in early July. With the signings of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to long-term contracts in New York City, not only did the Rangers become a better team but, almost equally as important, they significantly worsened the chances of the Sabres and Devils, two teams they compete with in the Eastern Conference on an annual basis. Going into the 2007/08 season the Rangers go from being dark horse contenders to amongst the top three favorites in a very competitive conference.

Here are five questions people have about the 2007/08 version of the New York Rangers:

Is the team a shoe-in to win the Atlantic Division?

Absolutely not. In fact, it says here that the Rangers are the second best team in their own division behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have more forward depth through all four of their lines, are younger and, therefore, are more likely to be able sustain a high quality of play for the entire season. Whereas, the Rangers will most likely take some nights off in order for their veteran forwards to preserve themselves for the more important playoffs.

The Rangers signed all these free agents late in the 90's and it didn't do them any good, what reason do we have to think this time is different?

The primary difference between this summer's signings of Drury and Gomez as compared to past signings is not management, as Sather has been around for a while now, but rather the fact that Gomez and Drury are 27 and 31 respectively. In the past, players that the Rangers signed were at least 31 years of age because that was the minimum age for unrestricted free agency under the old Collective Bargaining Agreement. One of the perks the Players Association received for accepting a hard salary cap was the benefit of unrestricted free agency at a younger age. The Rangers have taken advantage of this new rule and have made themselves better without making their core significantly older.

Is Jaromir Jagr the most important player on the team?

With the copious amounts of offensive talent this team now possesses in Jagr, Straka, Gomez, Drury and Shanahan, Jagr is no longer the most important player on the team. Rather, that title goes to former Gold Medal Olympian Henrik Lundqvist. In my opinion, Lundqvist is the fourth best goaltender in the National Hockey League behind Luongo, Brodeur and Kiprusoff. His play this season will determine how far the Rangers can advance in the playoffs.

Is the team's defense good enough?

The Rangers leave much to be desired on the back end, however, the addition of youngster Marc Staal will help add speed, smarts and a good first pass to the Rangers' defense. If Michael Roszival can continue his stellar, and largely unheralded, play from a season ago, the team's defense will be a little bit better than people think. Toss in Mara, Malik, Tyutin and whomever wins the sixth starting spot and the Rangers, while not strong on defense, won't be as weak as they have been in the past few seasons.

Can the Rangers win the Cup?

After some premature talk of a Cup run last season, the Rangers are better equipped for a Stanley Cup run this year. They possess more team toughness, better penalty killers and overall skill than a season ago. So long as there are no consistent chemistry/leadership issues that cause the team to struggle, the Rangers should be able to contend for Lord Stanley's Cup in 2008. Considering that Jagr getting up there in age, and is entering the final year of his contract, this may be the team's best chance for a while.

On to the morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail details all the questions surrounding the Maple Leafs heading into the season.
• The best hockey writer on the planet, Eric Duhatschek, writes about Mike Keenan and the expectations that go with playing for Iron Mike. (Writer's note: To say it is going to be an entertaining year in Calgary would be an understatement)
• While Kevin Allen of the USA tells us about Blues' rookie defenseman Erik Johnson and the ups and downs that come with playing defense in the NHL as a teenager.
• Ray Emery was on the ice yesterday for the Sens, and is hoping to play in two or three exhibition games before the real games begin.
• If Christoph Schubert moves back to defense as expected, there is an open spot up for grabs with the Sens' forwards and Nick Foligno thinks that spot can be his. If he makes the team out of camp, his grit would provide some necessary jam to the team's forward corps.
• The Flyers' Mike Rathje unexpectedly showed up at training camp and if he were to make the team, he would put the Flyers over the cap. The team already has Denis Gauthier, Randy Jones and Alex Picard fighting for the last spot available on the team's defense. Never mind the training camp invite given to former Canuck Rory Fitzpatrick. Expect this Rathje situation to be ironed out soon rather than later.
• The Coyotes have signed Dave Spina to an AHL contract and he is hoping to become the first ever player from Arizona to make the NHL.
• Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News has the story of a nervous Logan Couture arriving at San Jose's training camp and lining up alongside players like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Looks like the Sharks have a keeper in Couture.
• Dustin Jeffrey impressed Penguins' management so much in the rookie tournament that he was given an invite to the team's main camp in order to give management a longer look at him writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Brad Richards is trying his best to forget his 2006/07 season and the Bolts have him lining up with Jan Hlavac (Writer's note: Oh boy. Hlavac=40 goal speed, 15 goal hands) and Michel Ouellet in order to improve on last season's poor output.
• Damien Cox tells us what Doug Gilmour will be doing this season, and it appears there isn't as much dressing and undressing as there was when he was a player.
• Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun breaks down the Leafs by position in order to determine who will be fighting for work this training camp and who already has a job.
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has an interesting piece this morning on the parallels in the careers of Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph.
• In other news, the Leafs have signed defenseman Bryan Muir. (Writer's note: If he cracks the Leafs' starting defense, then some Leaf fans will be resorting to crack use).
• The Canucks' best prospect in a number of years just happens to play the same position as the best player to lace up skates in Vancouver, arguably ever. Nonetheless, Cory Schneider has a positive attitude going into training camp with his eye on the an NHL job.
• The Manitoba Moose's top forward from a year ago, Jason Jaffray, will be at Canucks' camp competing for a job and is hoping to make a lasting impression on the Canucks' coaches. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun has the story.
• Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province reports that off-season acquisition Aaron Miller will only be out of the team's lineup for two weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery.
• Karl Alzner is attending Capitals' training camp and management is not closing the door on the possibility he will make the team out of camp. If the youngster plays as well as he did at the Super Series it will be hard to keep him off the NHL roster.
• Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register has a nice piece on Todd Marchant and his path to the NHL.
• The Thrashers will be naming a captain in the next few days and Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is convinced Bobby Holik will get the patch.
• If Marian Hossa tells the Thrashers he wants to sign contract, all signs (no pun intended) point to a three to four year deal in the $28-30 million range.
• Kevin Paul Dupont informs us of Patrice Bergeron's off-season workout plan and his expectations for an improved 2007/08.
• Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald has a realistic article on what the Bruins need to happen in order to make the post-season.
• Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes about the Sabres' new uniforms. (Writer's note: Has this become an annual event in Buffalo?)
• After an impressive Super Series, Leland Irving is arriving at Flames' camp with high expectations. In the period he did play at Flames' camp, Mike Keenan was impressed by his play.
• The Blue Jackets' rookies failed to win the rookie tournament for the third consecutive year. Aaron Portzline has the story.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News details the struggles of Stars' rookies in the prospects tournament.
• The Red Wings are looking to improve their offense from within the organization writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
• Rob Blake is looking forward to 2007/08 after the Kings impressed him with their off-season moves.
• Toronto Sun writer Mike Zeisberger does his best to rub it in the faces of Habs' fans that they didn't sign Daniel Briere this off-season.
• After all that has gone on in Nashville, the team has announced an increase in ticket prices. (Writer's note: Damn the NHL is smooth)
• Just because there are not a lot of job openings, doesn't mean there is a lack of competition at Habs' training camp writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.

Morning Musings: Did the Sens do enough this off-season?

After bowing out to the Ducks four games-to-one in the Stanley Cup finals, questions were abound whether the Senators would able to sustain another run to the finals in 2008. Senators' managment, led by former head coach Bryan Murray, remained largely inactive over the summer, and some believe management's inability to address the lack of team toughness and secondary scoring will, once again, be the Senators downfall.

Here are five questions many have about the 2007/08 version of the Ottawa Senators:

Is John Paddock capable of filling Bryan Murray's shoes?

Paddock has paid his dues in the minors since his days in Winnipeg coaching the Jets. His adjustment period shouldn't be very long considering Paddock's knowledge of the player personnel from his days as an Assistant Coach with the Senators and Head Coach in Binghamton. The guess here is that Paddock won't be much of a drop-off from Bryan Murray. As long as he lets his stars play, the team will comfortably be in the top four of the Eastern Conference standings.

Do the Senators lack secondary scoring?

In a word: yes. However, they lacked secondary scoring last season too and came within a series of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup. After Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson the goal scoring falls off significantly. This was the downfall of the Senators when they had to match up against the Ducks and their top defensive pair that included either Pronger, Niedermayer or both. One reason that the Senators' secondary scoring wasn't an issue in the first three rounds is because they didn't come up against a top defensive pairing; therefore, the team's top line of Spezza/Heatley/Alredsson could abuse lesser defensive pairings. Once the Ducks threw Pronger/Niedermayer at them, the top unit had difficulty creating offense, and were broken up on multiple occasions. If the Sens don't address their lack of scoring depth, they will be hard pressed to repeat as the Eastern Conference champions.

Will the team miss Schaeffer, Preissing and Comrie?

Not really. Schaeffer has a reputation as a strong player along the boards, and while there is merit to that point, he lacks the necessary scoring touch to justify playing on one of the top two scoring lines of a contending team. Additionally, his play during the latter part of the playoffs left much to be desired.

Preissing had a terrific regular season, and took advantage of that impressive play by signing a nice contract in Los Angeles. The diminutive defenseman gave Ottawa some great mobility on the back-end and consistently led the breakout with a good first pass. Nonetheless, the Sens are probably the deepest team on the back end in the entire league and Preissing was really playing third unit duty during the 2007 playoffs. The former Shark will not be difficult to replace.

Comrie was mostly ineffective during his stay short stay with the Sens and when he wasn't scoring, which was often, he wasn't contributing much else. Comrie will hardly be missed in the Nation's Capital.

Is Ray Emery the real deal?

Ray Emery is not in the class of Luongo, Brodeur, Kiprusoff or Lundqvist but he doesn't have to be. He slots in solidly behind the top tier of goaltenders in the NHL. The big backstop benefits from plenty of goals up front and a defense that is terrific at keeping teams to the outside and getting in passing/shooting lanes. In the unlikely event that Emery falters, the team has Martin Gerber there to back him up. Fans should count on Emery for 40 wins and a respectable G.A.A. in 2007/08.

Can the Senators make it back to the finals?

Sure they can; however, their road to get there became a lot more difficult with the additions of Gomez and Drury in NYC and the Penguins adding a nice mix of veterans to go along with their bundles of young talent up front. Overall, these should be the three teams that compete for Eastern representation in the Cup finals. Although, it says here that the Senators will not return to play for Lord Stanley's mug in June 2008.

On to the morning papers:

• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has a fascinating piece about the Canadiens hiring a stickhandling coach. Perhaps more teams will hire speciality coaches?
• Kris Letang is attempting to make the Penguins a year after being sent back to the QMJHL after only a few NHL games. The sentiment around the team seems to be that Letang's will be given a starting defenseman job that is his to lose.
• After essentially telling John Tortorella that he was going to stick it to him, Marc Denis has a lot of pressure on his shoulders entering Lightning training camp; Erik Erlendsson has the story in this morning's Tampa Tribune.
• Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star documents Mats Sundin's expectations for the upcoming season. Apparently the word "cup" was uttered (I am wondering if the word drunk was also uttered).
• As Rosie Dimanno of the Toronto Star learned, there is never a dull moment with Darcy Tucker.
• Brent Sutter and Lou Lamoriello should have a great, long-lasting relationship due to their similar hockey philosophies writes Damien Cox of the Star.
• Canucks' prospect Juraj Simek was promoted to the main training camp on Monday writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
• Being a newcomer last season resulted in some nerves for the Canucks' Roberto Luongo. This season the nerves are gone and he is looking to lead the team from the outset of camp.
• Scotty Bowman, once again, denies he is leaving the Red Wings for the Leafs in this morning's Globe and Mail.
• The Ducks are going to assume Selanne and Niedermayer are not returning says Randy Carlyle in this morning's Orange County Register. As Dan Wood writes, with an early trip overseas, the Ducks better be well-prepared to break camp.
• In this morning's Boston Herald, new coach Claude Julien stresses defensive responsibility, along with offensive creativity as some of the keys to a successful team.
• After locking up Jarome Iginla and Robyn Regehr this summer, Darryl Sutter has shifted his focus to re-signing Miikka Kiprusoff this season writes Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald.
• With the Blue Jackets returning to the prospects tournament title game, their championships in the past two tournaments exemplify how meaningless team results in these tournaments really are.
• While the Stars are short on goalie prospects for the first time since their arrival to Texas, their NHL depth is among the top in the NHL writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Coming off a tremendous Super Series, Oilers' 2007 first round pick Sam Gagner is looking to make an impact at the big camp. The Oilers don't want to put too much pressure on their top prospect but do feel he's coming into camp at the right time.
• The Oilers' players' wives come to the defense of the City of Edmonton in this morning's Calgary Herald (how ironic?).
• Steven Gorton of the Florida Sun-Sentinel tells us that Mike Van Ryn will have two healthy wrists for the first time in a while.
• The Kings are not exactly easing into training camp writes Lonnie White of the L.A. Times.
• Ryan O'Byrne is hoping size works in his favor as he tries to crack the Canadiens blue line.
• Jim Dowd is not done with hockey yet and has been invited to Flyers' camp writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Morning Musings: Give Ray Emery a break

For the past few days there have been a number of articles detailing the driving incident between Ray Emery and an Ottawa motorist. The details are murky at best, and most of what has been reported on both sides is purely speculative. Nonetheless, Emery has received a fair amount of bad press about the incident. The question I have is: Are we holding athletes up to standards that are unreasonably high? In all honesty, how many of these driver-rage incidents happen in any given day, in any given city? I am pretty sure the number is extremely high. While Emery obviously would have been better off ignoring the other driver and driving off, he had a bit of a fit, something many drivers do everyday. Do not take this opinion to be a complete defense of Emery's actions, but rather this writer merely wonders why we have even heard about this incident? If Emery wasn't a hockey player, would the driver still have reported the incident? The guess here is that he wouldn't have.

On to the morning papers:

• J.D. Corbin is trying to break into the Avalanche organization any way he can. The University of Denver forward is on an amateur tryout agreement until camp ends, with the hope that the Avs find some place for him within the organization.
• Brett Hull is back with the Stars in an advisory role and the team is trying to determine how to use Hull's knowledge and maximize his effectiveness in a managerial role.
• The Red Wings played the Royal Oak Fire Department in a charity softball game on Sunday with all the proceeds going to the Detroit Red Wings Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
• The people of Yellowknife treated the Oilers' rookies with great respect and the youngsters did their very best to give back to the community during their stay up north writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal.
• After loading up on forwards and defensemen during the off-season, it appears as though the Kings may be lacking in the goaltending department; Lonnie White has the story in this morning's L.A. Times.
• Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette has a piece about habsinsideout.com that is most likely of interest to any avid blog readers. Let's just say that there is no such thing as an off-season in Habs country or anywhere on the internet for that matter.
• The Canadiens' oldest rookie, 25 year old Janne Lahti, is hoping to eventually make the big squad but understands that he may have to earn his stripes down in Hamilton to begin with.
• While Jack Todd of the Gazette wonders why there was so much outrage over the seemingly sensible comments of long-time Habs captain Saku Koivu a few days ago.
• According to the Tennessean, Predators fans should not expect the NHL Board of Governors to vote on the sale of the team any time soon.
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun has the recap of yesterday's Battle of Ontario, rookie style.
• Bryan Murray has admitted he is looking for a veteran winger, however, it may be November before anything gets done.
• Steve Downie is at Flyers' camp with a tough guy reputation that precedes him. Nonetheless, those who have seen the 20 year old play before know that he is the real deal. That being said, Downie may have been born in the wrong generation, because he would have fit in perfectly on the Broadstreet Bullies of the 70's.
• Penguins' prospect Ryan Stone is almost all the way back from a wrist problem that limited him to 41 games last season and is hoping to crack one of the last roster spots on the team as a fourth line grinder.
• After getting over the initial shock of John Tortorella's conditioning drills, Chris Gratton took some time to sit down with Erik Erlendsson of Tampa Tribune and answer a few question.
• Is Scotty Bowman still an option for the Maple Leafs? Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun thinks so.
• Jannik Hansen impressed Canucks' coach Alain Vigneault at camp on Sunday. In contrast, Vigneault had some harsh words of advice for defensive prospect Alex Edler.
• Patrick Coulombe may have a difficult time sticking with the big club writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
• Grant Kerr of the Globe & Mail has the story of the tremendous experience the Canadian juniors had in their utter domination of the Russians in the eight game Super Series.

Morning Musings: Are the Flames better?

When Johan Franzen scored the OT winner for Detroit in the sixth game of a series that really shouldn't have gone past a fifth game, many believed that changes were in store for the 2004 Stanley Cup Finalists. With expectations of change high, the team went out and acquired defensemen Adrian Aucoin, Cory Sarich, Anders Eriksson and forward Owen Nolan.

What do the team's four main acquisitions bring to the table?

Aucoin can play a ton of minutes and quarterback the team's powerplay but his problem has always been health. During his two year stint in Chicago, he only played 92 games total.

Sarich was brought in right after the free-agency period began and was given a hefty deal that will pay him $3.9 million during the 2007/08 campaign. Sarich is a warrior who plays every game and plays a physical game. In addition, he is strong on the penalty kill and should improve the Flames' special teams play.

In Nolan, the team is adding a power-forward whose best days are most obviously behind him. Nonetheless, the Flames are only asking Nolan to play a second line scoring role and he should be able to contribute the 20-25 goals that teams like to receive from that spot.

Eriksson, while the most unheralded of all the off-season acquisitions, was an extremely solid pickup. The puck-moving defenseman improves the team's defensive depth and was an extremely impressive +12 on a terrible Columbus squad last season.

With all the additions this off-season, the Flames were not without their fair share of departures. Out went Jeff Friesen, Tony Amonte, Brad Stuart and Roman Hamrlik.

What did the team lose with these departures?

While the losses of Friesen and Amonte won't be felt at all, the losses of Stuart and Hamrlik could be significant.

Hamrlik played an unheralded game but meshed well with Dion Phaneuf and did a good job of bringing the youngster along during his first two seasons in the NHL.

Stuart, admittedly not a favorite of mine, does skate well, makes a nice first pass and can log plenty of minutes on the back-end.

What about the coach?

After mentioning all these transactions, I have yet to mention arguably the biggest off-season move by Flames' management and that was the hiring of Mike Keenan. Keenan has a reputation that precedes him as a tough, manipulating head coach who runs out his welcome quickly in all the cities he coaches in. Sutter obviously believes his team needs extra motivation and is not worried about the ramifications of a Keenan hire and the disaster that could come along with it.

So is the team any better?

All in all, the Flames are not substantially better than they were last season; however, they are not substantially worse either. The team needs to address its awful play on the road, and I think Keenan will actually help in that regard. Nonetheless, my main concern lies with the team's forward speed. Keenan, like his protege Sutter, likes to play a high-pressure, high-forecheck game and the Flames lacked enough speed last season to be able to mount an effective forecheck. The addition of Owen Nolan will not do much to change that speed deficiency. It will be interesting to see if the team changes its game plan to fit its personnel, or vice versa.

The Flames are most likely a five or six seed in the Western Conference this year but are they substantially better than they were last year? On paper, maybe slightly. However, with Iron Mike in the picture, just about anything can happen in 2007/08. This will be one team that will be exciting to follow all year long.

On to the morning papers:

• Eric Francis has a 1-on-1 interview with the aforementioned Mike Keenan in this morning's Calgary Sun.
• President of Les Habitants Pierre Boivin took exception to a report that Daniel Briere chose not to sign with the Canadiens because he wasn't assured a spot on the top line alongside Michael Ryder and Christopher Higgins.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette discusses the pressure that has already begun to mount on the shoulders of Carey Price at Habs' camp.
• The Flyers' rookies are at camp, but they shouldn't get their hopes up about making the team this season writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Jonathan Filewich is hoping to makes the Penguins this training camp after maturing in the AHL. Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the story.
• Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune has a very interesting piece about the NHL below the 49th parallel.
• Damien Cox's tackles just about every question a fan might have going into the 2007/08 season in this morning's Toronto Star.
• Having watched the Manitoba Moose in person many times last year, I share the sentiments that Alain Vigneault has about Mason Raymond, Alexander Edler and Jannik Hansen. All three are said to be a cut above the rest at Canucks camp thus far.
• In one of the more interesting reads this morning Fluto Shinzawa takes a look around the NHL in his Sunday morning piece for the Boston Globe.
• Phil Kessel cut out ice cream, candy and soft drinks from his diet and is in much better shape entering camp this year than he was last year.
• While the Sabres are entering camp without a captain, the team is not the least bit concerned about a leadership gap writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post says the Avalanche have been extremely impressed with the play of prospect Chris Stewart at the team's rookie camp thus far.
• Ken Hitchcock told GM Scott Howson he wanted to change the atmosphere in the Columbus dressing room and Howson has taken him up on his request. Doug MacLean's office (why did he have an office in the dressing room?) has now been replaced by a meetings room.
• The Jackets have been extremely impressed with first round pick Jakub Voracek so far at rookie camp writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.
• As Mike Heika writes in the Dallas Morning News, Dallas prospects, and brothers, Michael and James Neal would like nothing more than to one day play on the same NHL team.
• The Detroit Free Press tries to answer five key questions about the Red Wings heading into training camp for the 2007-08 season.
• The Predators may be playing without Forsberg, Kariya and Vokoun this season, but they won't be playing without their fair share of distractions, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.

Mornings Musings: Are the Leafs a playoff team?

Living in Canada, the exposure to hockey is greater than any other country in the world. While more exposure to hockey is a positive for all hardcore hockey fans, the over exposure of the Toronto Maple Leafs drives many a fan crazy. This is a team that has not hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since 1967 and, to be honest, hasn't done anything of significance since that storied year. I won't begin to tease Leafs nation by wondering whether the 2007/08 version of the Maple Leafs will win the cup because that would be a waste of everyone's time. Keeping it simple (and, of course realistic), let's evaluate whether the Leafs have become a playoff team over the off-season.

Before we examine the Leafs' transactions over the summer, let's examine the moves of the other eight teams that finished ahead of the Leafs in the standings.

1. Buffalo Sabres: The top team in the entire conference last season lost, arguably, its two best players in Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to the Rangers and Flyers respectively. Additionally, the team also let Dainius Zubrus walk to the Devils after trading for him at last season's trade deadline. With all that said, the team still has lots of firepower up front and a world-class goalie in Ryan Miller. I expect the Sabres to fall off their 2006/07 production but they won't finish below the Leafs.

2. New Jersey Devils: Losing Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski would cause most teams to nosedive in the standings; unfortunately for teams in the Eastern Conference, most teams aren't run by Lou Lameriello. The Devils are a team that is loaded with young talent and they have done a good job of incorporating some young puck moving defenseman on their blue line. Never mind the fact that they have the best goaltender in the world in between the pipes and that they hired one of the best coaches in the world, Brent Sutter, over the summer. It is safe to say that this squad is not missing the playoffs in 2007/08.

3. Atlanta Thrashers: This is a team that is led by its duo of Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Hossa is entering a contract year, and should put up his best season yet in 2007/08. Having said that, the progression of this team most likely lies in the hands of young goaltender Kari Lehtonen. Thus far in his career, his inconsistent play has cost his team some games in the standings and has even cost him substantial playing time. Expect Lehtonen to have a much better season in 2007/08, however, expect the Thrashers to be fighting tooth and nail for one the final two playoff spots.

4. Ottawa Senators: Other than replacing Bryan Murray with John Paddock, the defending Eastern Conference champs did little to change the look of their team this off-season. With the amount of top-level talent they have up-front and one of, if not, the best one through six defenesive corps in the league, and it is safe to say this team is going to finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference once again.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins: This is my favourite to win the Eastern Conference in the upcoming season. The team has loads of young talent on the front, and back ends. Every young player on their team just continues to get better and new general manager Ray Shero did an admirable job of augmenting his young talent with the likes of Petr Sykora, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, all three of whom have won Stanley Cup rings. The Leafs have zero chance of finishing ahead of this team in the standings.

6. New York Rangers: The Rangers had a tremendous off-season which saw the organization sign both Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to patrol center ice on Broadway for the next few years. While I do have some concerns about team chemistry and the team's defence, those concerns are in regards to the the team's Stanley Cup capabilities because this team is a synch to make the playoffs.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning: The Bolts can go only as far as its terrific trio of Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis take them. Goaltending always seems to be the issue with this squad and, once again, it will be the question heading into next season. Expect the Bolts to be fighting for a playoff spot up to the final days of the regular season.

8. New York Islanders: The Islanders began the off-season with the ultimate addition by subtraction transaction by buying out Alexei Yashin. Unfortunately for Isles' fans the team then lost Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov and Jason Blake to free agency. The Isles should be finishing in the last few spots of the Eastern standings this season, and are one team the Leafs can expect to finish ahead of in the standings.

With a rundown of last season's eight playoff teams, it becomes readily apparent that the Leafs' chances are not especially high to even make the playoffs this season. While they have improved in net with Vesa Toskala, and on the wing with Jason Blake, these moves are not sufficient to make them anymore than a chance playoff team. We have not even taken into account the improvements made by teams behind the Leafs in the standings such as the Capitals and Flyers. It says here that Leafs' fans should probably start looking forward to the housecleaning that will be the 2008 summer.

On to the morning papers:

• Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe has some interesting little tidbits about the Bruins in his training camp blog this morning.
• Being a rookie at Flames' training camp must be nerve-wracking with Mike Keenan watching from one area of the stands and Darryl Sutter the other.
• Derick Brassard the Blue Jackets' 2006 top draft pick is hoping to make it difficult for the organization to send him back to juniors after training camp. I'm sure General Manager Scott Howson would prefer these kinds of tough decisions.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has an interesting piece on Stars director of player personnel Dave Taylor, and the adjustment to his new position in Dallas.
• Brent Sutter will miss his days in Red Deer writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
• With an amazing four fights in the Oilers' first session of rookie camp, it is sure to be an interesting few weeks for the Oilers' brass. The team has yet to see Sam Gagner in camp, but he is getting rave reviews for his performance in the Canada/Russia Super Series thus far.
• The Oil are going to miss Fernando Pisani and Bob Stauffer of the Edmonton Sun speculates that the team may need to trade one of its dearth of defenseman to upgrade the forward corps in his absence. Here's hoping the Edmonton native gets healthy soon and the team doesn't need to go through the process of replacing his minutes and production.
• Luckily for Ray Emery, the police announced that charges will not be laid after his well-publicized roadside confrontation earlier this week.
• Tyler Kennedy, the Penguins' rookie of the year with their minor-league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, is trying to push for a spot on the big club writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• With all the problems Mark Bell has faced, he can count on the friendship and support of Leafs' minor-leaguer Nathon Perrott writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun.
  If you are still complaining about the refereeing in last year's playoffs, according to Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail, you have nothing to be complaining about.

Morning Musings: Is Niedermayer selfish?

Late yesterday afternoon, Scott Niedermayer informed the public that he has yet to make up his mind about whether he will return to the NHL for the 2007/08 season. Most hockey fans have been tossing in their two cents with regard to whether Niedermayer will return to the Ducks for the upcoming season or not. But before the four-time Stanley Cup winner decides one way or another, I think it is fair to ask whether Niedermayer is being selfish with his long drawn-out decision. For my money, the long-time New Jersey Devil is not holding his team hostage. After the Ducks defeated the Senators in the Cup final and Niedermayer subsequently announced he was taking time away from the game, the Ducks took necessary precaution by going out and signing arguably the most-talented defenseman on the open market (albeit an old talented defenseman) for the next two seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that Niedermayer informed Ducks' General Manager Brian Burke that he was leaning towards retirement and to prepare the team accordingly. Additionally, if Niedermayer leaves open the possibility of a return, as he did yesterday, some say he is holding the Ducks' salary cap situation hostage. But if that is the case, then for whom is he doing this? Who are the Ducks going to sign in the next little while that would upgrade their offense/defense even marginally? The answer is no one. The All-Star defenseman is taking this time to make the decision he feels is right for himself, and if anyone in the hockey world has earned the right to a protracted career decision, it is number 27.

On to the morning papers:

• Apparently not having Niedermayer or Selanne at camp isn't the Ducks only concern, explains Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Perhaps the Sabres have learned from past miscalculations and it now appears they are willing to discuss extensions with soon-to-be unrestricted free agents says Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
• There will be some healthy competition over who will be the backup to Miikka Kiprusoff. The Flames have few roster spots available but backup goaltender is one of them.
• As Steve Macfarlane documents, Eric Nystrom is champing at the bit waiting for training camp to get under way in Calgary.
• Mike Keenan is back in the NHL and would love nothing more than having some of the Flames' youngsters make his roster decisions more difficult. Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald has the story.
• The Hurricanes unveiled their "new" jerseys yesterday, and, once again, they look an awful lot similar to the "old" ones.
• The Avalanche signed fan-favorite Ian Lapperriere to a contract extension on Thursday that will take him through the 2008/09 season.
• The Blue Jackets are going to get an up close and personal look at their 2007 first round draft pick Jakub Voracek this training camp and, according to GM Scott Howson, the Jackets plan on letting Voracek compete for a roster spot.
• In some great news for fans, the Red Wings plan on bringing back some $9 seats this season.
• The Detroit Free Press has an interesting interview with Ken Holland, one of the best general managers in the business.
• With rookies already showing up at training camp, Kevin Lowe has let it be known there are roster spots up for grabs, writes the Edmonton Sun's Robert Tychkowski.
• While the Oilers do have many jobs that players will be fighting for at camp, of more concern to Kevin Lowe is the health of Fernando Pisani.
• Legendary hockey writer Red Fisher explains how Saku Koivu's comments were incorrectly interpreted in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• Fisher's colleague at the Gazette, Pat Hickey opines that maybe the future is now for the Habs' Carey Price. For those of you who haven't seen Price play, the Canadiens have their goalie for the next 15 years once the youngster proves he is NHL ready.
• The New York Post's Mark Everson details the Rangers' plans to lift Brian Leetch's number 2 to the MSG rafters.
• According to John Dellapina of the New York Daily News, Rangers' Head Coach Tom Renney attempted to coax Leetch back to the Rangers, while he was sitting out last season, to run the Rangers' powerplay.
• Senators' top draft pick from this summer's draft Jim O'Brien won't be able to partake in the team's four-day rookie tournament says Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• Apparently Ray Emery needs to do a better job of controlling his temper on the roads, never mind the ice.
• Without Vesa Toskala around, Evgeni Nabokov (remember when people used to call him John?) is the Sharks' number on netminder for the upcoming season writes David Pollak of the Mercury Times.
• Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star has the story of Justin Pogge and his maturation and progression while playing his first season in the AHL.
• Star Reporter Kevin McGran explains the tragedy that hit the Steen family 17 years ago and what the family is doing to help at-risk youth both in Toronto and Winnipeg.
• Expectations are high for Canucks' prospect Mason Raymond, and no one has higher standards than Raymond himself. Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province has the story.