News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. The Senators have something to prove tonight. Like why the hell they are stopping the economic stimulus package.
2. The staff at TSN try to choose the best pest in the NHL.
3. JP Dumont has inked a 4 year extension with the Predators.
4. Guy Lafleur wants his case to be held by a jury of his peers. Because if there is one place you can find 12 chain smoking guys with nicknames like "The Flower", its Montreal.
5. John Kreiser looks at 5 good and 5 not-so good trades.
6. A look back at the Bruins-Rangers blockbuster trade from 1975.
7. A look at Greg Puhalski, coach of the Wheeling Nailers.
8. Mark Recchi still making a contribution in Atlanta.
9. The Oilers have traded Dick Tarnstrom to Columbus for left winger Curtis Glencross. This is a good move for the Oilers, whose depth on the 3rd and 4th lines was limited to about 23 or 24 role players.
10. Pierre Lebrun suggests 10 trades that would help out both teams invovled.
11. Jim Kelley of Sportsnet airs his grievances with the NHL. A Festivus for the rest of us!
12. A profile on Michigan Tech of the WCHA.
13. Eric Duhatschek examines the all-important race for the basement in the NHL.
14. Former Wisconsin Badger Robbie Earl will make his debut against the Senators tonight.
15. Simon Gamache has officially left the Maple Leafs.
16. Scott Cullen of TSN with a complete list of NHL rumors.
17. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette breaks down the number of former first rounders by team.
18. The unofficial USHL power rankings.
19. Team Rbk takes down Team CCM in the USHL All-Star Game.
20. Fanhouse tells us that NCAA hockey is considering adopting overtime.
21. Check out this video of Marty Turco pimping Matt Niskanen's ride, a Pontiac Sunfire, of all things.
22. A note on the prospects that are coming out of US High School hockey.
23. A sure sign of the coming apocalypse, Edmonton and Calgary join forces to bid for the World Junior Championships.
24. Georges Laraque eyes a career in fitness training after his NHL career is over.
25. Another installment in the Hockey News feature on Roseau.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

Due to a large number of late day transactions at my place of business, this post is wayyyyy late. The good news is that we will have some exciting new features very shortly. Until then, here are a few late night tidbits.

-Jason Spezza has suffered a groin pull and is day to day.
-Derian Hatcher could miss a month with suspected cartilage damage in his knee.
-NHL.com looks at the emerging talent in the Swedish Elite League.
-Predators owner Craig Leopold has extended the deadline for a local group to purchase the team.
-The excitement is growing in Chicago.
-Bruins goaltender Jordan Sigalet, who suffers from MS, has been recalled from Providence.
-Paul Maurice bag skates the Maple Leafs.
-Saku Koivu forced to defend his lack of French language skills. Montreal fans should thank their lucky stars Esa Tikkanen isn't their captain. Could he speak any language?
-Pierre Lebrun with a list of best and worsts from the first month of the season.
-Eddie Belfour wins his Swedish Elite League debut.
-Matt Greene is out for 3 months with a broken ankle. The Oilers are about 1 injury away from scouting the Adult Safe Hockey League.
-Scott Morrison says there will be no easy answers in the Rick Tocchet situation.
-Inside College Hockey looks at the early favorites for the Hobey Baker.
-The Score notes that Jannik Hansen is expected to be recalled by the Canucks. Do they really need a soft Dane with few offensive skills that badly?
-Ontario man may have the puck that won the 1972 Summit Series.
-A rash of injuries will test the Oilers depth.
-Adam Proteau with a vain attempt to tie Halloween to Hockey.
-The Clarkson Cup, awarded to the top women's team in Canada, faces an uncertain future.
-TJ Oshie is the WCHA Player of the Week.
-Solid drafting helps the Wings win in the salary cap era.
-Harvey Rosen with a look at the accomplishments of some Jewish hockey players.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Prospect Pulse: Petr Kalus

Much like RP, I also attended the Wild-Sabres game Monday night in Grand Forks. While none of the regulars put much effort into the game, a number of rookies put forth an effort. Petr Kalus, obtained by Minnesota in the Manny Fernandez trade, was one of those players.

A shifty, offensive forward, Kalus struggled as a junior in his native Czech Republic, but blossomed offensively when he came to the WHL's Regina Pats. After finishing second in scoring amongst WHL rookies and tied for the Pats' team lead, Kalus was chosen in the 2nd Round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He had a strong training camp for the Bruins in the fall of 2006, and was assigned to Providence of the AHL. Kalus had a strong rookie campaign with the Baby Bruins, posting 30 points in 43 games and scoring 5 points (including 4 goals) in a 9 game stint with the big club.

Projected as a top two line forward, Kalus may get a look on the top line with Slovaks Pavol Demitra and Marion Gaborik. Scouting reports on Kalus focus on his individual 1 on 1 skills and his skating, and are also pleased with his ability to go into traffic. Kalus is said to possess a good attitude and a willingness to accept coaching. Defensively responsible, the lone negative note on Kalus is that he doesn't use his nasty side more often. Prospect Pulse feels that spending some time with Derek Boogaard should help that problem.

News You Can Use Late in the Day:

-Cam Neely named a VP in the Boston Bruins organization.

-TSN with a number of candidates for a breakout season.

-The Senators Ray Emery will make his pre-season debut tonight.

-The Anaheim Ducks acquired Mark Mowers from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Brent Skinner and Nathan Saunders.

-The Clarkson Golden Knights are tops in the ECAC preseason poll.

-Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wonders if Kyle Wellwood is the victim of a medical mishap.

-The Arizona Republic with a story on the Coyotes' BIG Line.

-Robert Tychowski of the Edmonton Sun notes that Oilers' prospect Sam Gagner may be talking contract with the Oilers. In related news, Anson Carter is back skating.

-Anze Kopitar with a hat-trick as the Kings beat Red Bull Salzburg 7-6.

-Spector notes that the Bruins may be close to signing Danny Markov. Just a rumour, but I thought it was interesting all the same.

-Bruce Dowbiggin reports that Mikka Kiprusoff is looking for a contract in the $7 million per year range.

-In related news, Darren Dreger of TSN notes that Dany Heatley is seeking a contract in the $8.5 million per year range.

-Ansar Khan reports that the Detroit Red Wings have made several cuts, including Jason Cullimore and former Manitoba Moose Adam Keefe.

-Footage of the Rangers-Islanders brawl, courtesy of YouTube.

-Kevin Mio of the Montreal Gazette notes that the Canadiens may lose a few players to waivers. Note that they demoted Jamie Rivers.

-Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reports that Glen Metropolit is close to earning a job with the Bruins, and that Bobby Allen is once again in tough to gain a roster spot.

-The Palm Beach Post says their is an open roster spot up for grabs with the Florida Panthers.

-Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay apologetic after a fight filled contest with Everett. Note that he was also fined $500.

-The full Canadian Press interview with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

-Check out this sweet goal by Juuso Puustinen of the Kamloops Blazers. (Hat tip, Taking Note)

-Allan Houston of the Globe and Mail discusses the problems with the NHL expanding to Europe.

-The transcript of an interview with Vincent Lecavalier. Very interesting read.

-Three interesting stories from Fanhouse. Note the discussion on the Oilers possibly rushing Sam Gagner to the NHL.

-Roberto Luongo vows to quit if the NHL adopts larger nets.

-The Leafs' Jiri Tlusty still hanging around at Leafs' camp.

-Paul Henderson says he is still remembered for 1972.

-Danny Groulx looking to provide experience to a young Moose team.

-Are Tanguay and Keenan the new odd couple?

-Randy Sportak details the Calgary Flames' reactions to the new Rbk jerseys.

-An emergency room nurse in the Rob Ramage case says that Ramage did not appear drunk despite a high blood alcohol level.

-The Nashville Predators will look to Alexander Radulov to replace their lost goal scoring.

-Stan Fischler notes that many of Iron Mike Keenan's players respect him more after the fact.

-Wes Goldstein reports that Alex Ovechkin practices his English on girls.

-The CBC details Wade Belak's experiences playing hockey in England.

-Ryan Hollweg will not accept the apology of Chris Simon.

-Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pens are concerned about their powerplay.

-Good news in the desert as a number of Coyotes players and prospects are performing well.

-Doug Harrison of CBC Sports interviews the Flames' Matthew Lombardi.

-Benoit Pouliot impressed Coach Lemaire Monday night in Grand Forks.

-Another story on the Panthers Cory Murphy.

-The Bruins demote top prospect Tuuka Rask.

-The Sporting News with a pre-season review of the Bruins.

-The Blues want to end their "sloppy" play.

-Craig Custance goes interactive to get readers to help pick the Thrashers forwards for the upcoming season.

-The Score with news that goalies are seeing a lot of shots this pre-season. Also a note on Nicklas Bergfors of the New Jersey Devils.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior.

Prospect Pulse

Due to an extremely busy weekend, there will be no prospect featured til Monday. Please keep yourself busy reading the news from this afternoon.

News You Can Use on Saturday Afternoon:

-Bruce Garrioch notes that Heatley and Spezza will be split up for tonight's game in Montreal. Coach Paddock just noted on Sportscentre that they will play together 95% of the time, but they are not inseparable.

-Capitals' owner Ted Leonsis is a man with many stories to tell.

-Taking Note gives us word that American phenom Luke Moffat has decided to forego the WHL to play for the University of Michigan.

-Cory Emmerton and Logan Pyett feel their time with Coach Sutter will improve their chances of playing in the NHL.

-Bill Lankhof discusses Scott Clemmensen's decision to sigh with the Maple Leafs.

-Potential 2009 1st Overall pick John Tavares continues to tear up the OHL.

-Dallas Drake happy to be in Motown. Love the Drake. Also note Larry Wigge's mention of the success the Red Wings have had with the 1989 draft class.

-The Hockey News with a look at who will make the playoffs in the East.

-Special thanks to Amanda Kosior for pointing out that Mike Comrie bought Hilary Duff a Mercedes. Please note that Mercedes' are not available at the Brick, Canada's version of Sears.

-Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald looks at the 10 Best players ever in the QMJHL.

-A Q and A with Panthers' prospect Michael Frolik.

-The Empty Netters blog with a recap of Penguins news.

-Big Bad Bruins set to return.

-Not all the New York Rangers are in favour of the new Edge jerseys.

-The Score notes that Thrasher's rookie Bryan Little is getting a long look at Centre. Also note that the Forecaster predicts teenager Peter Mueller will be the Coyotes' #1 Centre.

-An interview with Dan Wood from the Orange County Register, a very good paper for hockey news in Southern California. Also note the review of the various NHL preview magazines.

-Penguins send Ty Conklin down. Could this be the end for Conks?

-Brian Burke as interviewed by the BBC. A whole new country full of journalists for Burke to hate.

-A little off topic, but a funny story all the same.

-Teams that may surprise in this year's CHL season.

-The LA Times feels Jonathan Bernier may have played his way into a full time job with the Kings.

-The Lightning defensemen want to play a more physical brand of hockey this year.

-The Offside Blog thinks the new Edge jerseys are just for looks.

-Ryan Kesler thinks he can create chemistry with roommate Mason Raymond.

-Notes from all 6 Canadian teams.

-Dallas Stars' prospect Matt Nisaken makes the most of his time at camp.

-Are the Stars' prospects ready to make the leap to the NHL?

-Rob Schremp happy to be out of the spotlight in Edmonton.

-The Florida Panthers look to attract kids and businessmen with a noon start during the week. I am pretty sure I would ditch work for a game. If Florida wants to stick around, they are going to need to be innovative.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Prospect Pulse

The Rangers' Alex Bourret might be one of the best examples of a highly touted prospect flying under the radar. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Bourret continued to improve his play after his draft year, posting a nearly 30 point improvement in the 2005-2006 QMJHL season. Injured early in his first pro campaign, Bourret bounced back and was producing nicely for the Chicago Wolves when he was traded to the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers AHL affiliate.

He posted 18 points in the final 23 games with Hartford while skating on the top line with Nigel Dawes and Jarko Immonen. Bourret stepped up his game in the playoffs, going 3-8-11 in 7 games. The improved performance at crunch time may be Bourret's calling card, as he has produced at least a point per game in all the playoff series' in which he has been involved.

A combination of impressive skill and physical tenacity, Bourret does not shy away from the corners or traffic and can make plays in both of these areas. He will stick up for teammates and is not afraid to intimidate opponents with his size. The knock on Bourret is his consistency, but this can be said about any young player, so I don't know why scouts even bother anymore. Like other young players, Bourret will make bad decisions with and without the puck from time to time.

Bourret noted that his slow start in the AHL was partially due to the fact that he spoke no English and had trouble adjusting to life in Chicago. Wolves Coach John Anderson took the right approach, pairing him with a French teammate and giving him the odd game in the press box with an assignment to watch what players do in certain situations.

The Rangers expect Bourret to be a solid two way player who grows into his offensive game. If he can build on his impressive first year of pro hockey, he will be a legitimate top line forward who can score from anywhere. Currently playing well at Rangers' camp, Bourret may get an extended look from the Rangers thanks to his physical play and offensive prowess.

A video interview with Bourret can be found here.

UPDATE: Alex Bourret was sent back to Hartford by the Rangers.

News You Can Use in the Late Morning:

-Avs' prospect and Michigan alum TJ Hensick hopes to make the team out of camp.

-A look at the Rangers' top prospects from Hockey's Future.

-The Coyotes have their own MySpace page. Oh Phoenix, the rest of the world, including Illegal Curve, is on Facebook. Only pedophiles and Marc Hoe are left on MySpace.

-RDS reporting that the Sharks may be interested in Halak. If Price plays well in camp, Halak may be expendable.

-Martin Gerber stops 52 shots for a shutout in London, Ontario. This might help Ottawa move him, if thats what their intentions are.

-Oilers tough guy? Zach Stortini fighting for a job.

-The Sabres' Larry Quinn still mad at Edmonton for the Vanek offer sheet, won't consult Edmonton in preparation for the Ice Bowl. Also news in Buffalo, Quinn misses nap time, throws tantrum, gets sent to bed without supper.

-Former Prospect Pulse feature Marco Insam cut by the Regina Pats. May be headed to the USHL or Italian pro hockey.

-Top Ten Stories to watch in the OHL.

-Live-blogging from Capitals' camp.

-The WHL roundup from Taking Note.

-Interesting insight from the Bruins' Andrew Alberts.

-Jonathan Toews gives Chicago fans a taste of his talent. Also note that the Blackhaws returned Akim Aliu to junior.

-North Bay impresses. Maybe Jim Balsillie can move a team here?

-Kip Brennan takes down Zdeno Chara in a fight. Do the B's really want Chara fighting in the pre-season?

-Greg Wyshynski weighs in on expansion over at Fanhouse. Also note the Senators preview below main story.

-Offside looks at Dominik Hasek.

-The Wild look to start the year with clearly defined roles in net.

-Capitals pin their hopes on Nylander.

-A preview of the OHL.

-A Buffalo Sabres preview.

-The WHL Top Ten list.

-Voice of the Jets howling mad over his treatment by the Coyotes.

-An update on the Rob Ramage situation.

-Nick Foligno adjusting to the pro game.

-Wes Goldstein analyzes goalie competitions in the NHL.

-Tampa Bay still experimenting with line combinations.

-Lightning camp exhausting for players.

-Results from the minors and juniors.

-NHL Board of Governors agree to schedule changes.

-Naslund told to shoot more if he wants to increase production. I am labelling this one as obvious.

-Vokoun not concerned about poor outing in Edmonton.

-Coyotes hope a road trip will produce a clear cut #1 goalie.

-News and notes from Stan Fischler. Note that the NHL is moving its HQ in New York and will be opening a hockey store.

-Oilers and Leafs talk in the Six-pack.

-Team by team checklists from the Score. Note that the Blues have invited Mike Johnson to training camp.

Note: For our returning readers, we at Illegal Curve would be more than pleased if you had any comments on our articles or news stories. We have a plethora of writers who would love to discuss the topics and enlighten you with our always accurate opinions.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Maple Leafs rumored to open '08-09 season in Europe

In the news on Sunday

The Maple Leafs are one of the teams to be rumored to open the season next year in Europe. With the globalization of sports, this has become quite the trend in recent years. The Kings/Ducks open their season in Europe, pending on the success of that event, we could see even more of these overseas games to come.

One of my favourite blogs, the Uniwatch blog, gives their review of some recently released jerseys and shares my opinion in that the new jerseys look like crap.

TSN reports that Michael Ryder may be looking to move away from his home in Newfoundland as his car and house have been vandalized. He is an unrestricted free agent next summer, with a good season he may be able to cash in and buy that new home he is seeking.

Sportsnet lets us know all the line configurations and cuts that all the Canadian teams performed during Sundays training camps.
I would like to note that John Paddock has juggled the Sens lines and gone with
Niko Dimitrakos - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Antoine Vermette - Nick Foligno -Daniel Alfredsson
Patrick Eaves - Chris Kelly - Shean Donovan
The only question is how long will they stick with these until they don't work and are forced to revert back to the "cash line" (who gave it that awful nickname?) of Spezza, Heatley, Alfredssson.

The Vancouver Canucks were hit with the injury bug on Sunday, Trevor Linden went down with a groin, Sami Salo will have X-Rays tomorrow for a broken wrist and Roberto Luongo took a shot in the throat from Brad Isbister. Everyone will be re-evaluated on Monday.

See you in the morning

-remis

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.

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

Morning Musings: It's about time

On Wednesday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they will be retiring the jersey numbers of both Bob Gainey and Larry Robinson during this upcoming season. After hearing this announcement, my first thought was, what took them so long? Both of these players have been out of the game for well over ten years now and both were easily voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now, I understand that Les Habitants have retired more jersey's than any other team in the league and, therefore, are very particular about whose jersey's they send up to the rafters; but these are two players who should have had their numbers raised to the rafters long ago.

On to the morning papers:

• With two open roster spots up for grabs at Calgary Flames' training camp, there are sure to be some intense battles between the organization's prospects writes the Calgary Herald's Scott Cruickshank.
• Hurricanes' star-forward Eric Staal tells Luke Decock of the Charlotte News & Observer that he never expected his arrest would garner this much attention. Does anyone else agree that this is simply much ado about nothing?
• Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, details the maturation of the first overall pick from the 2007 Entry Draft, Patrick Kane. It looks like Kane spent the summer in the gym bulking up.
• Apparently David Vyborny's wife hasn't had enough of Columbus and was, in fact, the main reason why Vyborny has told the club he would like to sign a long term contract that would keep him in Columbus for the next few years.
• Coming off back-to-back 30 goal campaigns, Michael Ryder may cash in after the 2007/08 season writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean brings to light the possibility that one of the Predators' young guns, such as Shea Weber, may receive an offer sheet next summer.
• According to Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press, the Senators are still hot after Peter Forsberg. However, Forsberg's agent Don Baizley says his client is no closer to making a decision on if he'll return to the NHL, and if so, which team he will suit up with.
• There is never a dull moment in the life of Ray Emery; Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen has the story.
• The Penguins are excited for their rookie tournament and with their young talent, who wouldn't be?
• Newest St. Louis Blues' winger Paul Kariya would like nothing more than to play well enough for his newest team to earn a spot representing his country in the 2010 Olympic Games.
• Tim Taylor of the Lightning may very well have played his last NHL game.
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has an interesting piece on the questionable workings of the NHL-NHLPA substance abuse policy.
• Curtis Sanford of the Canucks says he isn't worried about the numbers of games he plays during this upcoming season, which is good because he won't be playing in many while backing up arguably the league's best goaltender in Roberto Luongo.

Morning Musings: Canada/Russia Super Series leaves much to be desired

After Canada destroyed Russia 8-1 on Tuesday night in Winnipeg, one has to wonder why this tournament was put together in the first place. Now, I understand the long standing relationship between Canada/Russia dating back to the storied 1972 Summit Series, but that was 35 years ago, in a fierce political climate that no longer exists between the two countries. Since September 28, 1972, Canada has played Russia in a number of hockey championships, but it is not as if any of those games were more heated than say games against the United States. In fact, with Canada's close battles with the United States over the past couple of years, maybe they would have been better off staying on this continent and playing an eight game series throughout North America. I can guarantee you one thing, that series would not be this one-sided.

On to the morning papers:

• Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses the negotiations that lie ahead for Don Waddell. Both Kari Lehtonen and Marian Hossa will be free agents in the summer of 2008.
• Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun provides an honest opinion for why the league has come out with new uniforms across the board.
• While Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun has the story behind Andrei Taratukhin heading back to Russia before his entry-level contract has been completed. Let's just say it is not like Darryl Sutter is going to lose too much sleep.
• A sense of excitement is percolating throughout the Columbus Blue Jackets dressing room, prompting one player to say the "dark ages are over." Maybe this is the year the Blue Jackets finally make the playoffs...
• Once a top prospect of the Detroit Red Wings, it appears Igor Grigorenko has made it all the way back from a serious car accident in 2003 writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
• Devastating news out of Edmonton last night, and as Terry Jones explains, Fernando Pisani's health is far more important than any on-ice results.
• Almost under the radar, Panthers' defenseman Jay Bouwmeester pleaded guilty of DWI on Tuesday in Edmonton. Let's hope that is the last time we hear about an NHL player and the law for the rest of the season.
• Excitement is abound for the newest Montreal Canadiens, says Pat Hickey in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• The Predators have already sold 9,000 season tickets around 1,000 more than they had at the same time last year. Was everyone too quick to write off Nashville as a viable hockey market?
• Apparently Sens' goalie Ray Emery will be ready for the beginning of the regular season, but maybe not before that.
• The San Jose Mercury News previews the Jeremy Roenick era in the Bay Area and one has to wonder whether the Sharks would have been better off standing pat for the rest of the off-season.
• I'm sure it won't take Vesa Toskala long to realize that he isn't playing in San Jose anymore. Both Paul Hunter of the Star and Mike Zeisberger of the Sun have interesting pieces about the Finnish netminder and the challenges that await him in the pressure cooker that is Toronto.
• With all the troubles Mark Bell has gone through recently, according to the Toronto Sun he may yet be in the line-up to start the season.
• While Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province wonders if maybe this is the year Brad Isbister finally reaches his potential? Yours truly wonders, maybe not....