Ottawa needs to win a trade

From Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun:

Ottawa, it appears now, will be in the mix with Tampa, Carolina, Buffalo, Florida, the Islanders and the Thrashers for the eighth spot.

To improve the Senators' chances of making the playoffs, their Murray needs to recreate some magic. He needs to win a trade.

For the Senators to have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup, he needs to reach out and touch another Mike Milbury.

Read the entire article here.

Brennan points out the lack of depth on the Senators' roster; so, precisely how is the team going to make a trade if it lacks the necessary depth to do so?

Taking a Look at Shootout Stats

Here is a dandy breakaway goal from last night scored by Penguins' agitator Jarkko Ruutu.


Who would have thought that Ruutu could pull such moves on a breakaway?

Since the skills required to score on a breakaway, are similar to the skills required to score on a shootout (being 1 on 1 with the goalie), watching this goal triggered memories of Ruutu scoring some nice goals in a shootout. I decided to take a look into Ruutu's stats.

Before I begin, let me ask you a question. Your team has a crucial game on the line and needs someone to score in the shootout. You look down the bench and see the following players: Jarkko Ruutu, Evegni Malkin, Jaromir Jagr, Trevor Linden, Dany Heatley, Erik Christensen. Without thinking you may pick Malkin, Jagr and Heatley. But look more into the stats.

Jarkko Ruutu: 3 for 6 this season and 6 for 12 in his career (50%).

Compare him to some of the leagues top goal scorers:

Evegni Malkin: 0 for 5 this season; 3 for 17 in his career (17.6%).
Jaromir Jagr: 0 for 5 this season; 5 for 22 in his career (22.7%).
Dany Heatley: 0 for 4 this season; 3 for 16 in his career (18.8%).

Players who are not known to score goals:

Trevor Linden: 5 for 9 this season; 7 for 12 in his career (58.3%).
Erik Christensen 6 for 11 this season; 14 for 25 in his career (56%).

Erik Christensen should definitely be shooting, as he fits into the Jussi Jokinen (17 for 29 58.6% career) mold of a player who consistently performs above average in the shootout but less than average in game (purely based on points scored). (Coincidentally, both players were traded at the deadline, which says something about their value to teams)

Hypothetically if all these players were on the same team, and they were in a shootout to determine a playoff berth. Would you put the game on the shoulders of your star players (Malkin, Jagr, Heatley), or let scrappy players like Ruutu and Linden shoot?

I could see some coaches having a difficult time putting in Ruutu or Linden over a Heatley or Malkin. But the stats say otherwise.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Michael Remis.

All stats provided by NHL.com

Sens/Canes Trade Analysis

To Carolina:
Patrick Eaves
07-08 Salary: $900,000
RFA next season

Joe Corvo
07-08 Salary: $2.5 mil
08-09 Salary: $2.75 mil
09-10 Salary: $2.75 mil

Carolina finally gets the true powerplay quarterback they have been looking for in Corvo, after employing a forward on the point (sometimes even two forwards) throughout the majority of the season. The initial idea was that Frantisek Kaberle would be the powerplay quarterback, but after struggling out of the gate recovering from off-season surgery, it became apparent that Carolina truly needed a number one defenceman to run the troops with the man advantage. Corvo’s booming shot, accurate outlet pass, and quick feet will surely be a boon to the Canes offense. After a promising rookie campaign, Eaves has had injury troubles the past two seasons. Not known for his aggressive style of play, Eaves is a talented winger with offensive potential who couldn’t really find a comfortable spot in the Sens’ lineup. Projected 2nd line winger.

To Ottawa:
Cory Stillman
07-08 Salary: $1.75 mil
UFA next season

Mike Commodore
07-08 Salary: $1.3 mil
UFA next season

Conversely, the Sens are shedding a good chunk of salary for the next two years, in bidding adieu to Corvo. The Sens will miss his heavy shot from the point, and it surely does shake up their powerplay. The likely result will either be Meszaros or Schubert being paired with Redden on the #1 unit, or Alfredsson filling the void on the point from time to time (a scary thought thinking back to Pominville walking around Alfredsson to score the series clinching goal for the Sabres two years ago). Another possibility may be to put Heatley back on the point, but with his skating being weaker than Alfredsson’s, this doesn’t seem too likely. The thought is that defenceman Brian Lee will be ready for some primetime action next season on the blueline. Acquiring Stillman is a great move, and will give coach Paddock some more options if he wants to break up Alfredsson from Heatley and Spezza come playoff time. According to GM Bryan Murray, Stillman is slated to play with second line centre Mike Fisher. Not known to be too aggressive in the corners to say the least, let’s hope that Stillman’s 34 year-old body holds up. In Commodore, the Sens acquire a physical blueliner with playoff experience winning the Cup with Canes and reaching the finals with Calgary in 2004. Known for having a cult following with his crazy hair and bathrobe, Commodore will fit in nicely as a depth defenceman on the Sens.

The Result:
To quote legendary GM Sam Pollock, the team who gets the best player wins a trade. If that is true, then the Sens are the winners in this deal. Looking more closely, the departure of Corvo will create an offense hole on the Sens’ blueline, but one that can be fixed with a quick shuffle of powerplay duties. What can’t be overlooked is the $2.5 mil vacancy created on the team’s payroll over the next two seasons. Although the Sens likely won’t re-sign Stillman after next season, he will hopefully provide some leadership and Cup experience this year, coupled with a secondary scoring option. Depending on how Eaves progresses over the years, the Sens appear to have won this deal for the short term.

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail wonders if Don Cherry will be on his best behavior in Winkler, Manitoba this Saturday for Hockey Day in Canada.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has an interesting article on the difficult decisions that have to be made by Columbus GM Scott Howson prior to the trade deadline.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers had their chances to win last night, but played a poor third period and were defeated 2-1 by the visiting Canucks. Thrashers defenseman Niclas Havelid didn't play in last night's contest because he had the flu.
• If today's morning skate goes well, Glen Murray will make his return to the Bruins lineup after missing nineteen games with a hip flexor. Coach Claude Julien will be looking to give Alex Auld a start in between the pipes, either tonight or tomorrow.
• Sabres forward Tim Connolly is going to try and play through the pain of his hip injury and see if he can withstand the pain to be able to play the remainder of the season. With Connolly being out of the lineup, coach Lindy Ruff moved Jochen Hecht to center and his line has enjoyed great offensive success.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into broadcasting a hockey game on television.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post calls out essentially the entire Rangers roster for a lackluster performance last night in their 4-1 loss to the Ducks at MSG. Ryan Hollweg of the Rangers was not happy that Alexei Kovalev was not suspended for his elbow on Hollweg on Sunday.
• Start the uproar, Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News believes Eric Lindros should be in the team's Hall of Fame. In current Flyers news, winger Scottie Upshall has been lost to the team for the next 7-10 days with an ankle sprain.
• After being called out in the press by his coach, Pens defenseman Ryan Whitney scored two goals and added an assist in his team's 4-3 victory over the Islanders on Thursday. Meanwhile, Mario Lemieux was skating yesterday at Mellon Arena yesterday to fulfill the wish of a sick child.
• With the start that the Captials and Hurricanes got off to respectively this season, no one would have believed that the Hurricanes would be trailing the Capitals in the Southeast Division standings at this point in the season.
• "We have to play a bit more stingy than that if we want to be successful on the road," said Panthers netminder Tomas Vokoun after his team's 5-4 loss in Ottawa last night. Even after the loss, the Panthers still have four points in the first three games of their road trip and hope to make it more with two games left before they head back to Sunrise.
• The Habs lost 4-2 to the Leafs last night at the Bell Centre, and coach Guy Carbonneau believes the main reason the team lost was that they strayed away from their defensive game. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette gives readers an inside look at the struggles this season of former Hab Darcy Tucker.
• Scott Niedermayer makes his first appearance in New Jersey tonight since signing with the Ducks in 2005. For the first time since the inception of the salary cap, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has money to spend come trade deadline time, writes Mark Everson of the NY Post.
• The Islanders caught a tough break last night as Bill Guerin's tying goal with 0.6 seconds remaining in the third period was waved off and the team lost 4-3 to the Penguins.
• The Senators were really happy with the way Dany Heatley played in his return from his shoulder injury, as the sniper scored two goals and added an assist in his team's 5-4 victory at home over Florida. With Dany Heatley back in the lineup, Don Brennan says the Senators should focus on some other concerns, such as their struggling penalty killing.
• After defeating the Predators 2-1 in overtime at Nashville, the Lightning has moved to within six points of the Southeast Division lead, writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• After defeating the streaking Habs 4-2 in Montreal, everyone can get off the Leafs' backs for one night, writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. Kevin McGran of the Star provides readers with more background information on highly sought after free agent forward Fabian Brunnstrom.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks, sparked by the play of their fourth line, went into MSG and defeated the Rangers 4-1, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• The Flames couldn't replicate their comeback against Phoenix last night as they lost 2-1 at home to the Blackhawks, thanks in large part to the play of Nikolai Khabibulin. With his name being tossed around in almost every trade scenario, Flames winger Alex Tanguay says he tunes out all rumors.
• The Jackets were concerned with the loss of Pascal Leclaire for their two-game road trip, but Fredrik Norrena was strong in the team's first game of the trip leading them to a 2-1 victory at Phoenix. Jackets players admit it will be weird to see Jody Shelley skating on the opposite end of the rink tonight as Columbus visits the Sharks.
• Who needs Marty Turco? Obviously the Stars, but not last night, as backup Michael Smith shutout the Wild in Minnesota to lead Dallas to a 1-0 victory.
• No one could have predicted this outcome, as the Wings, winners of eight consecutive games, blew a 3-1 third period lead to the lousy Kings and lost 5-3 on home ice. The Detroit Free Press provides fans with an interview with former Wing Shawn Burr.
• "First two period, I don't think we worked hard," said Wild coach Jacques Lemaire after his team's 1-0 loss at home to the Stars.
• After being called out for his poor performance against the Avalanche, Sharks winger Steve Bernier will see himself in the press-box tonight when his team hosts the Blue Jackets.
• Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a nice article on Jeff Woywitka and his family.
• The Canucks put an end to their four game losing streak and evened their record to .500 on their current road trip with a 2-1 victory at Atlanta last night. The Canucks clearly had a plan to knock Ilya Kovalchuk off his game, writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
• Ilya Brygalov wasn't as sharp as he needed to be last night and that was the difference, as the Coyotes lost 2-1 to the Blue Jackets on home-ice, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• "I didn't think we brought our best effort, but I don't want to take anything away from Tampa Bay," said the classy Barry Trotz after his team's 2-1 overtime loss at home to the Lightning.
• The Oilers are making a concerted effort to get back to playing a gritty game lately and it has paid off, writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Sam Gagner has stepped in beautifully for the injured Shawn Horcoff, making onlookers forget that his is only 18 years old.
• The Blackhawks outplayed the Flames last night, and came away with a well-deserved two points, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. In positive news, center Jonathan Toews may return to the lineup this Sunday.
• Avalanche GM Francois Giguere said he wouldn't have the interest he does in Peter Forsberg if he didn't he was worth pursuing.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Damien Cox with his list of 5 teams that have surprised him this year.
2. Celine Dion Phaneuf has signed a 6 year extension with the Calgary Flames, guaranteeing that they will boast the ugliest man in hockey until 2013.
3. Dany Heatley is expected to return to the Senators lineup on Thursday.
4. Peter Forsberg and his one good ankle reject offers from the Stars, Wings and Flames. Look for him to hop on over to the Senators.
5. Nathan Gerbe is a contender for the Hobey Baker, according to INCH.
6. Bob McKenzie dispels any myths that Marian Hossa is heading for Montreal.
7. Fabian Brunstrom and a couple of Linus' headline the top Swedish free agents. Good grief.
8. Adam Schwartz breaks down 5 successful trades that brought in role players.
9. The NHL Insider takes a look at Roberto Luongo and Tomas Vokoun.
10. A recap of all things NHL for the week that was.
11. A look around the CHL from Sportsnet.
12. Taking Note gives us a summary of the WHL Board of Governors meetings, which included a suggestion of a salary cap for off-ice employees.
13. BlackAthlete.net says that hockey doesn't need a "Tiger Woods" type player.
14. Proving that the end may be nigh, Mike Brophy makes sense.
15. Lincoln Stars forward Ryan Kretzer is making the most of his opportunity.
16. Sean Avery and Marek Malik exchange blows (thats what she said) at Rangers practice. Maybe Malik stole some of Avery's fashion mags.
17. Fanhouse hearts George Parros' mustache.
18. Check out this series of posts by Kerry Goulet, detailing his trip through Russia.
19. Allan Muir of SI thinks that the late season additions to the Ducks could do more harm than good.
20. John Buccigross asks NFL fans to give the NHL a shot.
21. The new European hockey league is one step closer to fruition.
22. Interesting article about the possibility of hockey returning to Baltimore.
23. Kyle Wellwood's career is in freefall.
24. Despite trading their captain and starting goalie, the London Knights just keep winning.
25. An exhibit of Maurice Richard items will be making its way to Newfoundland and Labrador.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Gary Bettman says the NHL may pass on the 2014 Olympics, since they are being held in Russia.
2. Fernando Pisani is close to returning to the Oilers, but Ethan Moreau is still out for the time-being.
3. Sean Avery will undergo wrist surgery after attempting to fit his entire hand into his mouth.
4. Ilya Bryzgalov has been a prime beneficiary of this move to the desert.
5. A profile on Peterborough's Zach Bogosian.
6. Chuck Kobasew has effectively filled the void created by Patrice Bergeron's injury.
7. Eddie Belfour's Swedish team is 18-1-1.
8. Inside College Hockey tracks the Hobey Baker favorites.
9. The Flyers have signed Braybon Coburn to a contract extension.
10. The NHL has visions of expanding the Chinese hockey market.
11. David Shoalts feels that MLSE must been unanimous when choosing the next GM.
12. George Johnson of ESPN with his picks for the NHL Awards.
13. Fanhouse notes that Jordan Staal is successfully demonstrating the sophomore jinx.
14. Chuck Gormley with an interesting story about the perils of the internet for professional hockey players.
15. Allan Muir of SI gives his contenders for the NHL Awards.
16. Kris Draper of the Red Wings is out for 10 days.
17. Dany Heatley answers readers' questions.
18. The Calgary Flames say they are tired of moral victories.
19. New details emerge about the death of Bob Gainey's daughter.
20. The NY Post discusses the Red Wings' PP.
21. Darren McCarty still hopes to return to the NHL.
22. The Leafs arethisclose to touching bottom.
23. The Blackhawks will welcome Martin Havlat back to the lineup tonight vs. the Bolts.
24. The New York Rangers have renounced their team option on Jagr for the 2008-09 Season.
25. 10 Tips from the NHL to the NFL to increase scoring.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Fantasy Watch: Last Night's Recap

F Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens
2 G, 15:37 TOI, 4 SOG

Koivu had a great debut last night notching the game winner. Owners should expect a steady output of power play points from Koivu, as Montreal's powerplay unit was tops in the league last year.

D Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
2 A, 21:15 TOI, 1 SOG

Markov is picking up right where he left off, assisting on two goals in Montreal's 3-2 OT win over Carolina. Although none of his assists came on the powerplay, owners should not be discouraged as there will be several opportunities for Montreal's top defenseman.

F Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators
2 G, 1 A, 24:38 TOI, 4 SOG

After signing a contract extension earlier in the day, Heatley came out firing, tying the game up in the 3rd period and sealing a victory with his goal in OT. As long as Heatley is paired with Spezza and Alfredsson, another 100+ point season should be easily attainable.

F Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche
3 G, 16:40 TOI, +3, 4 SOG

Quickly putting to rest any talk of a sophomore slump, Stastny scored a hattrick on Wednesday, leading the Avs to 4-3 victory over Dallas. Although Stastny is on the second scoring line, there should be no shortage of opportunities for the second year player.

F Andrew Brunette, Colorado Avalanche
3 A, 16:43 TOI +2, 1 SOG

After getting bumped from the first line, many thought Brunette would return to his usual 60 point self. Following Wednesday's game that may not be the case as Brunette set up all three of Stastny's goals. Although their won't be the same opportunities as there would playing Sakic, Brunette owners can breath a sigh of relief knowing he has linemates that can get it done.


Honorable Mention:
F Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
F Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim Ducks
F Jaroslav Hlinka, Colorado Avalanche



For Illegal Curve, Im Jonny Remis

Opening Night

The NHL season officially opened tonight, and it was an exciting one. Three of the games went to overtime and one game was within a goal. Hockey's back baby!

New visitors: This is last nights news post. This morning's Morning Musings can be found here.


In the news

• TSN Insider Bob McKenzie lists who is on the "hot seat" for this season
• The full details on Dany Heatleys new contract. Next up, Jason Spezza
• Gary Bettman is very busy at this time of year. Winnipeg is singled out as a city in which Bettman has had the most discussion for expansion. Notable quote by Commissioner Bettman: "It's always fun to come to a game at the Air Canada Centre. It makes you feel like you're in the centre of the universe." He's absolutely right Toronto IS the centre of the universe.
• Speaking of Gary Bettman, here is a nice Q&A with him via CBC.ca
  
• Nashville could be looking for a new buyer...again. Jim Balsilile have your blackberry ready, a call may be coming your way.
• Flyers GM John Stevens was active tonight as he inked Jim Dowd and Jesse Boulerice to one year deals.

Can I Get a Recap?

• Dany Heatley proves he was worth the cash, he scores 3 points including the OT winner in a victory over the Leafs. The Leafs top line of Blake, Sundin and Antropov was solid in their first regular season game together.
• The Red Wings failed to sell out their first regular season game since 1996 as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks on Jiri Hudlers shootout winner
• The Habs powerplay success of last year carries over in their 3-2 OT victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Saku Koivu scored 2 PP goals including the OT winner.
• Paul Stastny shows no effects of a sophomore slump. He makes it rain hats in Denver as the Avs win a close one over the Stars 4-3.
  

Heatley Signs with Sens

TSN reports that Dany Heatley has signed a six year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators. It is believed that Heatley will received between $7.5 and $8 million per year.

Great move for the Sens, he is an essential part of their team, and if they want to compete for the Stanley Cup in the upcoming years, they need to have him locked up.

Morning Musings: Is there anything better than a Brian Burke interview?

Last night I had the privilege of watching Brian Burke's interview with James Duthie of TSN and it was anything but a letdown. When asked about his relationship with Kevin Lowe after the summer offer sheet he gave to Dustin Penner, Burke responded, "If I had run my team into the sewer like that I wouldn't throw a grenade at the other 29 teams and my own indirectly." All I can say about that comment is WOW. Burke even went on to say that he wouldn't speak with Kevin Lowe even if he coveted one of his players in a trade; rather, he would have his assistant GM Bob Murray make that call. I am still wondering if the best part of the interview was Burke going off like that or James Duthie's "okay" response as you could see the anchor was in shock by what had just been said. Either way, it makes for good television.

I know Burke gets his fair share of criticism but, to be honest, I'm still not sure why. He does a tremendous job of building teams and fan bases as Eric Duhatschek points out in the Globe and Mail. Additionally, he gives his frank opinion on issues. In my mind that is a breath of fresh air. In this particular interview, Duthie asked Burke a question and regardless of your opinion on his response, you can't argue with the fact that he was being honest. Straight shooters are more rare in the game today than they were, say, twenty years ago and in my humble opinion, the NHL needs more personalities like Brian Burke.

On to the morning papers:

• Alexei Kovalev is making an effort to help his young teammates out this season writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. As far as predictions go, Hickey believes the Habs will finish in the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference and just squeak into the playoffs.
• Radek Bonk has impressed his new coach Barry Trotz with his poise both offensively and defensively. Meanwhile, Preds' forward Martin Gelinas will have stitches removed from his hand before the team's opener on Thursday.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger has a must-read human interest piece on Brent Sutter this morning. In other Sutter news, the new Devils' coach will wait to make a decision on team captain and open the season with three alternate captains. It is interesting to note that neither John Madden nor Jay Pandolfo were named alternates.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post is unimpressed with Tom Renney's plan to have Scott Gomez on the Rangers' second powerplay unit. It appears Chris Drury will get every opportunity to prove he can mesh with Jaromir Jagr to stick on the team's number one line.
• At Islanders' camp, Jeff Tambellini was demoted to Bridgeport of the AHL on Tuesday, however, a decision has not yet been made on the future of Bryan Berard.
• Due to their playoff success a season ago, the Senators are now a team with a target on their backs writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Chris Phillips is not buying the argument that this may be the Sens' last chance to compete for the Cup.
• Hugh Adami of the Ottawa Citizen suggests that Bryan Murray make Jason Spezza his first priority ahead of signing Dany Heatley.
• You can count Mike Richards as one player who is happy John Stevens is behind the Flyers' bench this season instead of Ken Hitchcock.
• Phil Sheridan of the Philadelpia Inquirer wonders if expectations are too high for the Flyers heading into the season.
• Heading into Thursday's opener against the Blues, Coyotes' coach Wayne Gretzky has finalized his team's lines. After looking at these lines, you can't help but think it is going to be a long season in the desert.
• David Pollack of the San Jose Mercury News provides readers with the line combinations at Sharks' practice on Tuesday.
• For Jordan Staal, adjusting to left wing is not as hard when your linemates are Sidney Crosby and Petr Sykora.
• The Blues' roster is so young that Doug Weight jokes he may have to go shopping for a new wardrobe to keep up with his new, hip, well-dressed teammates.
• John Tortorella never questions Vaclav Prospal's effort and expects a big year out of the winger. Tortorella also announced his starting goalteder for Thursday's opener will be Johan Holmqvist.
• It is time for the Leafs to start playing games that count writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. While Damien Cox of the Star believes the time has come for Mats Sundin to pass the torch on to a teammate. Sundin is fully aware he is nearing the end of his career writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun. (Writer's note: There was a brilliant quote by Jason Blake in Paul Hunter's piece this morning. "All three of us have different characteristics. Mats is big and strong. Nik is big and strong. I'm small and weak. Hopefully things will work out." Ummmm, I'm not sure, but I think big and strong and big and strong would be the SAME characteristics!!!)
• Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post examines how the CBA has worked two years after the inception of the salary cap.
• Roberto Luongo believes he is a better goalie than he was last season writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. (Writer's note: Is that even possible?)
• Modest Mike Modano is closing in on becoming the all-time leading U.S. born scorer in NHL history writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.
• As Illegal Curve told you last night, Bobby Holik is the newest captain of the Atlanta Thrashers.
• Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Shawn Thornton were all excited to see cut-down day go by without their names being included writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Here are the Bruins' line combinations heading into the season.
• The Sabres will use a monthly captain rotation this season with Jochen Hecht sporting the C to begin the season.
• Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun has a Q & A with new coach Mike Keenan. Keenan is the key to the team's fortunes this season writes Eric Francis of the Sun.
• Bruce Dowbiggen of the Calgary Herald provides readers with a preview of the Flames this season IF readers are ready for it.
• The Ducks are back from Europe and ready to renew their rivalry with the Wings.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer does a good job of capturing the optimism that surrounds the Canes heading into 2007/08. (Writer's note: The Canes won't be televising the team's first game. However, fear not Carolina fans, the league is working to get the Montreal feed on the Center Ice package so Canes fans can get the game. Nothing like a sound marketing strategy. I mean there has to be about two people with Center Ice in Carolina and I'm betting they probably don't speak French.)
• Injuries are no longer an issue for the Blackhawks heading into the season opener writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• As Adrian Date of the Denver Post tells us, Joel Quenville has strayed away from the team's successful line combinations from a season ago by flip-flopping Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette. Meanwhile, Terry Frei of the Post has a great piece on the adjustment to life in the Rockies for Ryan Smyth and his family.
• The Blue Jackets will start the season with a platoon in net writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. It looks like Mike Peca may not be ready for the season opener due to back spasms.
• Dave Tippett has become better at realizing when he needs to give his mind a rest from thinking about hockey; Mike Heika has the story in the Dallas Morning News.
• Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press provides readers with a few reasons why the Wings won't win the Cup this season. However, it is clear her article was just for argument's sake because in the Free Press prediction column, St. James has the Wings taking home Lord Stanley's Cup.
• New goalie Tomas Vokoun is the key to the Panthers' fortunes this season.
• Ladislav Smid was pushed to the AHL by the increased crop of talent that was in the big camp this season writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal.
• Apparently Craig MacTavish has quite a simple formula for picking the team's next captain.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Sens re-open negociations with Heatley

• The Ottawa Senators have re-opened negotiations with Dany Heatley. The Senators need to re-sign this dynamic forward, he is worth the money. The sides are reported to be $1 million apart, but he is worth the $8 or $9 million. If a deal is not completed before the beginning of the season Heatley will become an unrestricted free agent.
  
• Leafs defenseman Carlo Coliacovo will miss both games vs the Senators this week with a knee.
• Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley have been reunited as a line. Wow, I didn't see this one coming.
• The Maple Leafs are looking to get off to a quick start to open the season. I can't express how excited I am to watch them get shellacked by the Sens tomorrow night on TSN
• Remember when Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison were good? Alain Vigneault does, and is looking for them to have a rebound year. The Canucks really need them to rebound as scoring was a scarce commodity for the Canucks during the year and especially in the postseason
• In his 18th season, Mike Modano only needs 7 points to pass former Winnipeg Jet Phil Housley for most points among Americans
  
• The Buffalo Sabres have gone with a rotating captaincy to replace the departed Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. Jochen Hecht will be the first to wear the "C" this season
  
• Roman Hamrlik will be playing his first game in a Habs uniform on Wednesday. It will also be his 1,000th career NHL game.
• David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail is quite realistic and does not share the same optimism for the Maple Leafs that Coach Paul Maurice has.
• ESPN's NHL Power rankings. The San Jose sharks occupy the top spot, with the Coyotes at the bottom.
• Jeremy Roenick is very excited for the Sharks season. Personally, I'm very excited for him to pull a Brett Hull and retire mid season and move to the TSN broadcast booth. Would he hang 'em up already?
• The Edmonton Oilers are looking to rebound after a horrendous 06-07 season

Only 18 more hours until the season begins

Tonights Linkage

Tonights Links

• The Senators talks with Dany Heatley hit a speedbump on Thursday as negociations took place for five hours but a deal could not be reached. TSN reports that Heatley is seeking $8.5 million while the Senators want to pay $7 million similar to Joe Thornton and Jarome Iginla. Somewhere Eugene Melnyk is cursing Daniel Brieres $10 million salary.
• Todd Bertuzzi is feeling lighter and younger skating with the Ducks. He is fitting in nicely with the Ducks and wants to repay his father...I mean General Manager Brian Burke for believing in him.
  
• Eric Duhatchek also wonders if the RBK Edge jerseys will go the way of the synthetic basketball
• Dean McAmmond accepts Steve Downies phone call apology.
  
• The Score lists 10 players not named Sidney Crosby to keep your eye on this upcoming season
• Teppo Numminen was released from the hospital. I wish the former Winnipeg Jet a speedy recovery, and hope to see him playing for the Sabres later this year.
• Apparently, Joffrey Lupul's wrist isn't broken. Unfortunately, their diagnosis was correct for Scottie Upshall and RJ Umberger who will miss up to six, and two weeks respectively.
• Donna Spencer wonders if Mike Keenan is a right fit for the Calgary Flames
• St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay McKee who is in the second year of a four year $16 million deal, will be out 4-6 weeks with a fractured right foot.
• Brendan Morrison could end his consecutive games played streak (512) with an injured wrist
  
• Sports Illustrated gives their Atlantic Division previews and lists the Rangers as the team to beat.

Morning Musings

There will not be a preamble today because I am running a little late. The usual format will return tomorrow morning.

On to the morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail looks at the ups and downs of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise under the ownership of Bill Wirtz.
• Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail has a very interesting piece on the aftermath of the Steve Downie hit on Dean McAmmond.
• As Dave Shoalts explains, if the Leafs do not receive hall of fame type goaltending they will have difficulty succeeding in 2007/08.
• Damien Cox wonders when the NHL will finally take preventative action against headshots in this morning's Toronto Star.
• Vesa Toskala was not impressive in the Leafs' 7-2 loss to the Sabres on Wednesday night writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
• Neil Stevens of the the Canadian Press examines the Leafs' roster and the expectations the team is putting on itself this season.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette tells us Kyle Chipchura's take on Steve Downie the hockey player. Meanwhile at Habs' camp, coach Guy Carbonneau has some tough decisions to make regarding who will make his starting defense.
• In Calgary, Stephane Yelle has changed his number to 7 in deference to Owen Nolan.
• The Flames have some lingering injury problems, however, the team believes everyone will be ready to suit up for the first regular season game against Philadelphia next week.
• Improved puck-moving skills from the Oilers' defensive corps should lead to a much improved transition game in Edmonton this season.
• Craig MacTavish may be Sean Horcoff's biggest fan, and as Dan Barnes writes, the gritty center has returned to his spot on the Oilers' number one line.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal explains why the Oilers demoted 2004 first round selection Robbie Schremp.
• Dustin Penner better get used to taking Sheldon Souray's shots off his feet if he plans to park himself in front of the opposition's net every night.
• Andrew Cogliano has impressed at Oilers' camp and the Toronto native is a good bet to be centering one the four lines in Edmonton this season; Derer Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun has the story.
• As Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes, Dean McAmmond has been released from the hospital, but there is a very long road to recovery ahead of him. McAmmond's agent Steve Bartlett is not sure "when or if" his client will play again and warns that if the NHL doesn't put a stop to these types of head-shots, some player will get hit and not be able to get up.
• Today could be d-day in the Senators' negotiations with Dany Heatley writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• The Canucks were defeated by the Sharks 4-3 in a shootout on Wednesday night; Gordon McIntyre has the recap in this morning's Vancouver Province.
• Mike Green looks much improved in all aspects of the game writes Tarik El-Bashir in this morning's Washington Post.
• Karri Ramo's performance at Bolts' camp is giving John Tortorella something to think about when he makes his final roster cuts later this week.
• Coming off an injury that ended his 2006/07 season, Dan Hinote is looking forward to returning to the lineup and giving Blues' fans something to cheer about this season.
• Devon Setoguchi continued his terrific pre-season last night with two goals in the Sharks' 4-3 shootout victory over the Canucks.
• Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives readers an inside look at the Penguins' three-day stint at West Point.
• Coach Wayne Gretzky is trying to get his two rookies, Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal, as much experience as he can before the regular season begins next week.
• Injuries are rampant at Flyers' camp as Scottie Upshall will be out of the Flyers' lineup for 4-6 weeks, Joffrey Lupul will be out at least two weeks and R.J. Umberger will miss the next 7-10 days.
• Greg Logan previews who the Islanders' starting six defensemen will be in this morning's New York Newsday.
• As Brett Cyrgalis reports, Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez have been split up at Rangers' camp. Jagr skated yesterday on a line with Martin Straka and Chris Drury.
• The Devils defeated the Islanders 6-1 on Wedesday night.
• Coach Brent Sutter is impressed with Dainius Zubrus's commitment thus far at Devils' camp.
• The Predators still have just under 3,000 tickets available for their home opener next week. (Writer's note: Hockey in Nashville, gotta love it!)
• Off the ice the Predators may be struggling, but on the ice, the team has more forward depth than many realize. John Glennon of the Tennessean examines the possible forward lines for the Preds heading into the season.
• As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune writes, the team's second line of Belanger-Rolston-Bouchard has demonstrated great chemistry for the Wild this pre-season. Meanwhile, concern about the team's powerplay seems to have dissipated as the Wild have scored 11 powerplay goals this pre-season.
• The Kings defeated Swedish champions Farjestad BK 4-3 on Wednesday and, once again, Anze Kopitar was the hero. The sophomore scored the game-winner with only 46 seconds remaining.
• Coach Jacques Martin has grown sick of the Panthers' lazy penalties writes Steve Gorton of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
• Kirk Maltby wants to contribute in more aspects of the game than he has the past few seasons writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. The Free Press also conducted an interview with Wings' defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.
• Stars' forward Stu Barnes is expected to dress for his first pre-season game tonight versus the Coyotes. Barnes had been out of action because of a shoulder injury.
• Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is trying to dispel the notion that Norway is the most peaceful nation on earth writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post has the story of veteran Jaroslav Hlinka ,who appears to be on the cusp of securing a roster spot with the Avalanche.
• Bob Verdi of the Chicago Tribune chronicles the life of Bill Wirtz.
• It appears that Wirtz's son will take over ownership of the team writes Chris Kuc in this morning's Tribune.
• The Hurricanes have been very impressed with the play of youngsters Brett Carson and Carey Borer at camp thus far writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer.
• The amount of injuries at Sabres' camp concerns coach Lindy Ruff writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
• Bryan Little scored his first NHL goal on Wednesday night and is opening eyes at Thrashers' camp writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Newest Duck Mark Mowers had quite an adventure getting overseas after getting traded on Monday afternoon.
• Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe explains the purpose behind the Bruins' hiring of Craig Ramsay this off-season.
• Matt Lashoff, the Bruins' first round pick from 2005, was disappointed to be sent down to Providence on Tuesday.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Fantasy Watch: Who to draft at #2?

With Sidney Crosby being the unanimous number one pick, the next question that arises is 'who's going to go number two?' Unfortunately, having the number two pick is no easy task; luckily there are several players worthy of that particular selection. So instead of killing yourself over not getting the first overall pick, recognize that the scoring race was determined by only six points last year, and that the latter rounds of your draft are often most important.

F Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Although Ovechkin's totals were down from a year ago, the former rookie of the year finished with very respectable numbers, scoring 46 goals and 46 assists. Losing linemate Dainius Zubrus at the trade deadline clearly affected Ovechkin's play, as his point per game average slipped considerably over the last few months of the season. With no true center on the team, the Capitals went out and signed free agent Michael Nylander, who helped Jaromir Jagr eclipse 120 points two seasons ago in New York.
With Nylander firmly entrenched in the middle, look for Ovechkin's point totals to see a significant increase.
Bottom Line: Aside from the past two years, Nylander has had trouble staying healthy, completing an 82 game season only twice in his career. If Nylander can stay healthy all year, then the sky is the limit for Ovechkin, but if he goes down, expect Alex the Gr8 to finish the season below expectations of a #2 pick.

F Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

Finishing his first full year in San Jose with 114 points, Thornton returns to the Sharks with a new contract and most of his linemates back (sans Mark Bell). Projected to play with Cheechoo again, there should be no reason why Thornton won't reach last year’s totals. Although Cheechoo struggled to begin the season, he managed to get it together and finished the year with 37 goals, improving Thornton's totals along the way.
Bottom Line: With San Jose's main nucleolus back for another year, Thornton should have no trouble recreating last year's success, making him one of, if not the safest pick at #2.

F Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning

Lecavalier broke out last year recording career highs in goals, assists and points. It was quite an outburst for Vinny as his previous career high in points was only 75. With the big three, Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards, intact for at least one more year, the former first overall selection should have no trouble surpassing 100 points in 2007/08.
Bottom Line: With only one 100+ point season under his belt and the thought of having to pass up on Thornton, Lecavalier falls between the 3rd and 4th pick this year.

F Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators

Appearing in all 82 games for the second straight season, Heatley finished with a career high of 105 points. Having made no major transactions, Ottawa enters the season with the same core, which should result in Heatley playing on a line, once again, with Alfredsson and Spezza. Assuming everything remains intact; Heatley should exceed 100 points for the third straight year.
Bottom Line: After having almost identical seasons for the past two years, it’s pretty clear what you're going to get with Heatley. With his third year in Ottawa about to begin, only expect a slight increase in scoring, if at all.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Jonny 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.