Oren Koules on the Dan Boyle trade

From Jerome Stockfisch of the Tampa Tribune:

"Like anything in life, there's two sides to the story," he told fans after one inquired about the circumstances. "I'm certainly not going to debate that Dan Boyle won a Stanley Cup here. He's a great hockey player, the best puck-moving defenseman in the league.

"To make our team better, to make it better tomorrow, to make it better in the future, to make it better now, we felt this was a move we had to do. We got four great assets back for him and Brad Lukowich. It makes us a better hockey club."

Read Stockfisch's entire profile of Koules here.

Trading Boyle sure doesn't make the Lightning better now. In the future, it may be a beneficial move; however, if the Lightning is so concerned about the future, why sign Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts and Olaf Kolzig?

Not so hot-Lanta

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Boyle’s reaction, from a story in the St. Petersburg Times: “I’ve given this franchise everything I had. I love the area. I love the fans. But at the end of the day, I was misled and lied to and completely disrespected. When you threaten to be put on waivers and end up in Atlanta, it was an eye-opening situation for me.”

So, the prospect of ending up in Atlanta is the NHL equivalent of your worst nightmare?

Read the entire story here.

The fact is, with their current roster, not many players are going to want to end up in Atlanta unless they are significantly overpaid. The cure for this problem is, of course, winning. But after looking at the team's roster, that could be a long, long ways away.

The Boyle Situation in Tamps Is More Than Meets the Eye

Defenceman Dan Boyle, recently traded to San Jose, was evidently unhappy with new owner Len Barrie, in a dispute that may go back to the days when they played together in Florida.

"I don't know if I have too much class or what, because I don't want to say exactly what was said, but when it gets personal like it did, the line was crossed," Boyle said. "When my work ethic is questioned, my offseason work ethic and the way I get ready for games and what I do is questioned, and it gets personal and I'm threatened, that is absolutely the way not to do business."

It seems that Tampa Bay is working hard to keep itself in the news. I suspect this issue will be hashed out over the next few days.

Dan Boyle not happy with Lightning ownership

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

“I understand at the end of the day that it’s a business, this is a business. I
understand that more than anybody. But there is a way to conduct business, and
the way that my situation was handled was absolutely not the way to do it. I,
for a long time now, have been under the impression that I was part of this team
going forward, wanting input from me on other players, and never in a million
years did I think that I was one of the guys that needed to go. Just a few days
ago [media were told] that the rumors were a joke, Dan Boyle is going to play 25
minutes, he’s not being traded, he’s not going anywhere. They made it clear that
we are not going to go after an offensive-defenseman [in free agency] because we
have the best one in the league. Now, going back to business-is-business, when I
find out from an absolutely ton of different sources that my [butt] has been on
the trading block since I signed the extension, that to me, is not the way you
do business...

Read more from Bolts Report here.

Boyle has a right to be angry that new ownership denied he was going anywhere then traded him about a week and a half later. That said, Boyle should be ecstatic he was traded because the Sharks should be Cup contenders for the foreseeable future.

Top four winners so far this off-season

I realize it is only three days into the free agent process, however, there has been an incredible amount of activity the past few days. Therefore, I think it is time to compile a list of the four winners since the off-season began:

Winners

1. Detroit Red Wings: Well this is easy. The Red Wings were able to re-sign Brad Stuart to a four-year contract and then pen Marian Hossa to a one-year deal at $7.4 million. More importantly, the Wings didn't lose anyone off their 2008 Stanley Cup roster. The best team in the entire NHL got substantially better without giving anything up. With the roster the team has lined up for next season, they will be even more overwhelming favorites than they were this past season. What does Ken Holland eat for breakfast in the morning? I'd love to know.

2. San Jose Sharks: The past few seasons, the Sharks have been loaded at forward; unfortunately, the team has been lacking the necessary defensive corps to take the next step. Well, that is no longer an issue for Bay Area fans. The Sharks' back-end is now comprised of Dan Boyle, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, Rob Blake, Christian Ehrhoff, Kyle McLaren, Doug Murray and Brad Lukowich (Craig Rivet was traded as this was written). That is a terrific blend of finesse and toughness. The additions of Boyle and Blake cannot be underestimated. Maybe the most important fact of all is that both players have won the Stanley Cup.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson has done a great job of molding his team and establishing organizational credibility throughout the NHL. By signing Mike Commodore and trading for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman, the Jackets were able to solidify their defense going into next season. Additionally, the team was able to replace the scoring void left by Nikolai Zherdev by quickly signing Kristian Huselius. With these trades, the Jackets are demonstrating their intention of building from the net out. That is a perfect strategy with Ken Hitchcock at the helm. More importantly for Jackets fans is that Howson has signed or acquired players with 3/4 year deals; thus, not handicapping himself down the line when prospects Derrick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, etc. come up for their second contracts.

4. Montreal Canadiens: This may same like a strange team to include on this list but bear with me for a second. The Habs haven't done anything stupid this off-season, in fact, they have actually improved their roster. While they lost Mark Streit to the Islanders, the Habs would have been more foolish had they actually paid Streit that type of money (5yr, $20.5 million). The Habs only really need to replace Streit on the power play, and with Kirk Muller continuing to guide the team with the man-advantage and Andrei Markov playing the point that shouldn't be a big concern. Additionally, the Habs have become more talented up-front with the addition of tremendous passer Alex Tanguay. As well, the team added much needed muscle on the fourth line by signing the hulking Georges Laraque to a three-year contract. Finally, the team signed Andrei Kostitsyn to one of the more reasonable three-year contract extensions I've seen in a while (3yr, $9.75 million). Good work by Bob Gainey and Company.

Honorable mention:
New Jersey Devils

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Boyle dealt to San Jose

From TSN:

Sources tell TSN that Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Dan Boyle has waived his no-trade clause and has agreed to a trade to the San Jose Sharks.

The paper work confirming Boyle has consented is being processed right now and once signed by Boyle, it will clear the way for the Sharks and Lightning to complete the deal.

In return for the 31 year old veteran defenseman, its believed Tampa will receive a package that will include 23 old defenseman Matt Carle, a 1st round pick, a prospect and a 4th round pick.

Read the entire story here.

Great trade for the Sharks. They have added one of the premier offensive defenseman in all of hockey and one who is actually quite underrated as well. While known for his puck-moving skills, Boyle is also a solid defender. His addition to the Sharks' back-end makes them arguably the second best team in all of hockey (behind Detroit).

The fact that the Sharks gave up Matt Carle, a 1st rounder (which will probably be the 28th-30th pick), a prospect and 4th rounder makes me like the trade even more. This team is a contender that just got significantly better. Also, Carle had clearly fallen out of favor with Doug Wilson as he has been rumored to have been in a number of previous San Jose trade offers.

As for Tampa Bay, I can't say I understand this move. They splurged on a bunch of forwards when their primary need was defense. Then they decide to trade their best defenseman for some draft picks and a defensively poor defenseman in Carle. They may have garnered a lot of media attention the past few weeks, but I don't think the Bolts are as good as their fans may think.

Boyle to decide between three teams

From Darren Dreger of TSN:

The Vancouver Canucks are one of three teams in the running for veteran defenseman, Dan Boyle.

Sources tell TSN the Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers are the three teams Boyle is considering, however he has yet to waive his no-trade clause to clear the way for a trade.

The belief is Boyle will consent to trade at some point today and will select the team of his choice, however until he officially waives his no-trade, there is always a chance the Lightning's efforts to move him may be scuttled.

Read the entire report here.

The Sharks seem like the perfect landing spot for Boyle. The team could use a top-tier defenseman and has been looking for one for some time now. If the Sharks could add Rob Blake and Dan Boyle in consecutive days, then they would have to be considered the co-favorites (with Detroit) for the Western Conference crown next season.

Philadephia also could be a nice fit for Boyle. The team desires a puck-moving defenseman and would like to get quicker on the blue line. Boyle obviously satisfies both of those needs. One problem, the Flyers are already over the cap, so unless they trade substantial salary back to Tampa, then they will be behind the 8-ball the rest of the summer trying to shed salary. Additionally, Tampa would probably be less apt to trade Boyle within the conference, especially to a contending team like the Flyers.

Vancouver is an intriguing team for Boyle as well. Considering the team needs forwards and is fairly secure on defense, it is interesting that they are this heavily involved in negotiations. However, they have more than enough cap space to fit Boyle into their payroll and they obviously realize Boyle's ability to change the game from the back-end. This would be a nice acquisition for the Canucks and would give them one of the top five defensive corps in all of hockey.

Boyle has been asked to waive no-trade clause

From Damien Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:

Things all of a sudden seem to be moving fast with the Lightning and Dan Boyle as the Lightning defenseman confirmed the team has asked him to waive his no-trade clause.

"They have asked me to waive my no-trade clause," Boyle said, "but that's all I can say right now."
It was unclear if the Lightning gave Boyle a destination.

Owner Oren Koules could not be reached but owner Len Barrie said simply, "We're working on some things. ... When these things happen for a player, the team wants to do it in the right way and make it easiest for the player. Dan is a good guy and a good guy in the organization."

Read more from Lightning Strikes here.

It seems like a formality that Dan Boyle will be playing elsewhere in 2008/09.

Dan Boyle sure didn't like Mike Keenan

From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:

"I play for the guys in the locker room," Boyle said. "That's who I play for. They're not involved in the negotiations. When I was in Florida (with the Panthers) I still played my heart out for a coach (Mike Keenan) I couldn't even bear to look at. I just play."

Read more from Lightning Strikes here.

So, I guess we can scratch Calgary off the list of teams Boyle could end up with.

Senators interested in Boyle?

From Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

In the case of the Senators, it's believed the price is either winger Antoine Vermette or defenceman Andrej Meszaros, along with a high draft pick. The Senators can afford Boyle's $6.67-million salary per season, but the club isn't sure it's ready to make a six-year commitment.

Read the entire article here.

Boyle is an Ottawa boy, so if he were to waive his no trade clause then that seems like a logical place to land. What isn't logical, however, is the Bolts' desire to trade him in the first place.

Boyle looks like he will be dealt

From Darren Dreger of TSN:

The Dan Boyle trade rumours have resurfaced.

Sources also say the Tampa Bay Lightning have contacted the Boyle camp to alert them to the fact a deal may be in the works. Whether or not the Lightning have officially asked Boyle to waive his no-trade clause is unconfirmed, however a source close to the player says they have.

Read the entire story here.

As I said on Tuesday, trading Boyle would make no sense. After all the moves the Bolts have made, they are suddenly looking to trade their best defenseman? I don't understand the rationale.

Looks like Bolts are shopping Boyle

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

The more I keep hearing about Dan Boyle, I’m convinced that the rumors are indeed true and he is being actively being shopped around the league. I asked around about it tonight and didn’t get any kind of a hard denial at this point. It makes sense to me since the new ownership wanted to deal him at the trade deadline before compromising and allowing Jay Feaster to sign him to a six-year extension. The team is on the lookout for a “mid-level’’ defenseman, which means they are looking to move at least one if not two or three bodies off the blue line before the season starts. And with all the payroll added over the weekend, maybe they feel they need to pare it back some by trading Boyle and bring back a player or two who is cheaper.

Read more from Bolts Report here.

I couldn't be more confused. First off, in my opinion, Boyle is better than any player the Bolts have brought in over the last week. Secondly, why is the team looking to trade their best defenseman when they are so weak on defense in the first place? Am I missing something here? Forget his salary, he is substantially better than anyone they have right now.

Boyle not going anywhere

From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:

Oren Koules rolled his eyes when told about the rumor floating around the Lightning. Barry Melrose just chuckled.

The rumor from Canada's TSN: Defenseman Dan Boyle could be trade bait this summer in order to free up some salary cap space.

Melrose said it was a case of the Canadian media trying to "make" the news, and added, "Danny Boyle is the guy I'm counting on to play 25 minutes a night."

Read more from Lightning Strikes here.

Boyle is a terrific defenseman. There would be no reason at all to trade him.

A short interview with the new Lightning owners

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

Q: So does that mean you have a pretty aggressive game plan put together in terms of free agency when it opens on July 1?

LB: “We might be camping out at two different spots selling our team, selling our city and selling our passion.’’

OK: “We are probably going to be in certain player’s back yards with a tent, seriously, the day of. The day the clock strikes we will probably be at their home. And I don’t want that written because I don’t want anybody stealing our ideas. But we are serious, we are seriously talking about doing that.’’

Read the rest of the short interview here.

It sure looks like the Lightning isn't going to be overly worried about the salary cap this summer. With a core of Lecavalier, St. Louis, Boyle and Stamkos, a couple of good moves this off-season could vault the Bolts up the standings and back into the playoffs.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Sean Avery likes to pay for it.
2. Dan Boyle should avoid all sharp objects.
3. Spector expects many changes to the Wild's roster for next season.
4. The NHL will experiment with virtual ads during the playoffs.
5. The NHL did not break any anti-competition laws when it stymied Balsillie's attempt to purchase the Penguins.
6. Ian Mendes reflects on his prediction that the Penguins will miss the playoffs.
7. An entertaining column on the use of ice level analysts for hockey broadcasts, including a tidbit about Pierre McGuire apologizing to his bff, Sidney Crosby.
8. Larry Brooks with his thoughts on the Rangers loss to Pittsburgh, including a mention of Jaromir Jagr meeting with the Omsk GM.
9. Richard Peddie needs a Xanax. Cheer up buddy! You will still sell out for the foreseeable future.
10. All Things Avs is not especially happy with the return of Peter Forsberg.
11. The Blueshirts Blog wonders why referees get fooled by dives and embellishment.
12. Does any rookie get more press than Milan Lucic?
13. The NHL Playoffs from a European perspective.
14. Paul Kukla hopes to see some consistent officiating in the playoffs.
15. Bob Nicholson would like to see fewer fights in the CHL, which is reducing rosters from 23 to 21 in the hopes of curbing fighting.
16. Ken Campbell discusses the rankings of the NHL General Managers.
17. Adam Proteau with his thoughts on the NHL.
18. Pierre Lebrun discusses the winning ways of the Detroit Red Wings.
19. Need a laugh? Check this out.
20. The field for the Frozen Four is set.
21. The new coach of the Canadian Women's hockey team will accept no excuses for losing.
22. Scott Burnside with his Monday rant.
23. The Puck Stops Here discusses the restoration of hope in Oilerville.
24. Kyle Rogers has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
25. To end the day off right, check out these quotes from the Penguins play by play guy and the Tampa mascot terrorizing people on the beach.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• There are reasons to be tense in every Canadian market right now, writes Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail.
• William Houston provides readers with Don Cherry's perspective on the Jonathan Roy incident in the QMJHL.
• Mark Spector of the National Post has an interesting article on fighting; in terms of who wants to keep it in the game and who does not.
• USA Today previews the important games upcoming over the weekend.
• Not only have the Sharks been good this year,
• Not only have the Sharks been good this year, but they have been good with the 27th ranked payroll in the NHL, writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Leafs are finally out of contention for a playoff spot after last night's 4-2 loss at Boston. GM Cliff Fletcher is already looking to improving the team for next season, writes Kevin McGran.
• Bryan Murray was not happy after his team blew a third period lead to the Sabres and ended up losing 4-3 in a shootout. Mike Fisher is not only one of the Senators' top scorers, but he also a Christian rock song written just for him.
• Habs winger Tom Kostopoulos cannot wait to get his first taste of playoff action in about two weeks, writes Herb Zurkowsky.
• The Bruins did not have a good second period last night, but they weathered the storm and played a strong third period to defeat the Leafs 4-2 at the Banknorth Garden. Peter Schaeffer scored one goal and added an assist last night, which is pretty impressive considering he was not even planning on being in the line up.
• The Sabres' playoff hopes are faint, however, they could have completely ended last night had it not been for a late third period goal by Paul Gaustad. If you have not noticed, Ryan Miller has been a horse all season long, and he has now played more games in one season than any other Sabres netminder.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• Scott Gomez unexpectedly suited up for the Rangers last night and helped his team defeat the Devils for the seventh time in seven chances this season. Meanwhile, John Dellapina floats the possibility that Jaromir Jagr may leave to play in Russia next season.
• The Flyers will be looking to exorcise their Jersey demons tonight, writes Ed Moran. Apparently Derian Hatcher will only return this season if the Flyers advance two rounds in the playoffs.
• The Penguins did not even need scoring from Crosby, Malkin or Hossa last night, writes Dave Molinari. "It's not like we lost confidence in him," said Penguins coach Michel Therrien about his decision to move Ryan Whitney up to forward for the time being.
• To say the Islanders' line up is depleted would be an understatement, writes Greg Logan.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger thinks the Rangers were lucky to come away with a victory against the Devils last night. In injury news, the Devils may have lost defenseman Bryce Salvador for the remainder of the season.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• Forget the game, Dan Boyle was more worried about his life last night, writes Erik Erlendsson. While the Bolts season is ending in less than two weeks, John Tortorella's season will continue as he is reportedly going to be the head coach for Team USA at the World Championships.
• The Panthers needed to win last night to keep their slight playoff hopes alive, but they lost 3-2 to the lowly Thrashers and can now start setting their tee times. In an interesting development, Jacques Martin called out Olli Jokinen on his recent poor play.
• The Thrashers remembered that you are allowed to win on the road last night, as they defeated the Panthers 3-2 in South Florida.
• The Hurricanes have not been giving Cam Ward any rest, writes Luke Decock.
• The Capitals got a huge overtime goal from Tomas Fleischmann last night, to remain only two points out of a playoff spot.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted soon...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here the Sunday rumor columns:

• Here is Larry Brooks' Slap Shots column from this morning's NY Post.
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun provides you with more rumors than you could possibly imagine in this morning's paper.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Rangers got off to a great start against the Sabres yesterday, and cruised to a 5-1 victory at MSG, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. The best player on the ice yesterday for the Rangers was youngster Brandon Dubinsky, writes John Dellapina of the NY Daily News.
• The Bruins thoroughly outplayed the Leafs in the first period last night, but only came away with a 1-1 tie after twenty minutes and it was downhill from there as they were defeated 4-3 in overtime. Here are some news and notes about the Bruins roster.
• The Thrashers were outshot but a ridiculous 49-10 margin last night, as the Islanders defeated Atlanta 4-1. Thrashers defenseman Alexei Zhitnik was scratched last night with the flu.
• The Sabres got off to a horrible start at MSG yesterday, on their way to their first game in their last eleven without recording a point. Both Jaroslav Spacek and Brian Campbell were victimized last night by the Rangers forwards.
• Even with all their injuries and and the recent Cory Stillman trade, the Canes continue to be a resilient bunch as they defeated the Panthers 5-4 on Saturday night. On the injury front, Carolina got a big boost last night with the return of Matt Cullen to the line-up.
• The Flyers lost their sixth game in a row last night, but they weren't unhappy with the way they played, writes Tim Pannaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pannaccio also tells readers that everyone who thinks Danny Briere is a bust, should take a deep breath.
• Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an interesting article about how kids from the Pennsylvania area can make the NHL. On the ice, superstar Sidney Crosby returned to full practice yesterday.
• The Capitals can thank veteran Olie Kolzig for last night's 3-2 victory over the Lightning, writes Tarik-El Bashir of the Washington Post.
• Darcy Tucker continues to increase his trade value, as the feisty winger recorded two goals and an assist in last night's 4-3 overtime win over Boston. Apparently Cliff Fletcher spent the entire second period of last night's game meeting with Stars GM Les Jackson behind closed doors.
• "It's pretty devastating," said Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle after last night's loss to the Capitals. John Tortorella says his top stars need to be better.
• The Senators turned in another poor performance last night, losing to the Devils 3-2.
• The Islanders have taken coach Ted Nolan's instructions to shoot the puck more to heart, as they outshot the Thrashers 49-10 last night in their 4-1 victory. Meanwhile, Islanders winger Trent Hunter is trying to not let his ongoing contract talks bother him.
• The Devils got off to a good start against the Senators, and that was probably the difference as they went on to a 3-2 road victory.
• Carey Price recorded his first NHL shutout last night in the Habs 1-0 hard-fought victory over the Flyers.
• The Panthers blew a late-game two period lead to the Hurricanes and let first place fall out of their grasp by losing 5-4, writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are continuing their in-house search for a suitable second-line center, writes Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register.
• Flames coach Mike Keenan says he’s never seen such a veteran group of NHL’ers be as inconsistent as the Flames have been this season.
• Blackhawks super-rookie Patrick Kane understands that he has to get bigger and stronger this off-season to be able to compete better at the NHL level.
• The Avalanche have the second worst power play in the NHL and need to improve on their efficiency if they hope to make the playoffs, writes Terry Frei of the Denver Post.
• Jimmy Howard will get first start in three years today for the Red Wings as they take on the Stars. On the trading front, apparently the Wings have been scouting Brad Stuart.
• Coach Craig MacTavish was disappointed his team lost 4-2 to the Canucks last night, but happy that they stuck together, writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. MacTavish would have loved to have seen the Oilers play like that two months ago, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• Dallas coach Dave Tippett says his team needs to maintain its focus this afternoon if it wants to beat the Red Wings.
• Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch weighs the pros and cons of the Jackets trading before the deadline. Here are the Jackets’ lines for today’s game against the Blues.
• Wild GM Doug Risebrough wants his team to simplify their power play, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. Youngblood’s colleague Michael Russo talks about the trade deadline in his Sunday Insider.
• The Predators were a lot better in their 2-1 overtime win over St. Louis last night than they were earlier in the week against the Blackhawks.
• Jeremy Roenick is not looking forward to playing at MSG because it brings back bad memories of his jaw injury, writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Manny Legace was the only reason that the Blues were able to record a point last night in their 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators.
• Radim Vrbata bailed out the Coyotes last night by scoring the game-winning goal after his team blew a two-goal lead.
• Henrik Sedin called yesterday’s win over the Oilers a “great team win.”

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Tony Gallagher of the National Post opines that the hockey being played in the NHL's Northwest Division is boring.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today believes that the Penguins have a variety of problems not just goaltending problems.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• If Don Waddell hires a coach this season, it will be from inside the organization writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• The struggling Bruins' offense got the medicine it needed (aka the Leafs defense) and tallied five goals on the way to a 5-2 victory. Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli told a Toronto radio station that injured center Patrice Bergeron could very well be gone for the entire season. Chiarelli also noted in the interview how close Tuukka Rask is to playing a substantial role for the Bruins this season.
• The song remains the same for the Sabres as they were defeated 3-2 by the Senators on Thursday night. Sabres' GM Darcy Regier is sick of watching boring hockey, not as a general manager with sour grapes, but as a fan. (Writer's note: His take is interesting, and I have to say I agree with most, if not all, of what he says.)
• The Hurricanes are frustrated over the amount of blowout losses they have suffered this season writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. Canes' winger Erik Cole will be out 7-10 days to allow the swelling in his neck to subside.
• This time the Panthers didn't blow a late third period lead as they successfully closed out the struggling Capitals 2-1 on Thursday night. Don't expect Jacques Martin to make any rash trades writes George Richards of the Miami Herald.
• The Habs are hoping usual fourth-liner Tom Kostopoulos will add some life to the team's top line. (Writer's note: I guess cousin Jesse was unavailable for first line duty...)
• The Devils are hoping Paul Martin won't have to miss another game, after he left the Devils/Rangers game with back problems earlier this week.
• The Rangers were dishing out all the cliche answers about why they are suddenly winning games after last night's 4-3 shootout victory over the Flyers. Last night's victory moved the Rangers into a tie for first place with the Flyers.
• "I don't think that was our best effort," said Islanders' goalie Rick DiPietro after his team's 3-2 loss to the Penguins.
• The spotlight was on Daniel Alfredsson last night in Ottawa as the Senators' captain was playing in hi 800th career game and topped out that milestone game with two goals of his own. (Writer's note: I have a suggestion, more stories about Daniel Alfredsson and less stories about Sean Avery. Heatley and Spezza may get all the press clipping in Ottawa, but Alfredsson is team's best player.)
• Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News has been very impressed with the play of Mike Richards this season.
• Michel Therrien scratched Darryl Sydor, Colby Armstrong and Mark Recchi for last night's game, which the Penguins won 3-2 over the Islanders.
• The Lightning defensemen have done a great job of collectively picking up the slack for their injured defensive leader Dan Boyle writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• "We weren't ready. We weren't prepared to do the job tonight and that's why we lost," said Leafs' defenceman Tomas Kaberle after last night's 5-2 loss to the Bruins. One of the many problems for the Leafs, is their inability to get the puck quickly out of their own zone.
• The Capitals inability to get goals from anyone other than Alexander Ovechkin is killing the team's chances of turning around their prolonged slump.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• All indications are that Blues' rookie David Perron will remain with the NHL club after he plays his ninth game tonight.
• The Sharks completely demolished the Coyotes last night, defeating them 6-0 on the road. Both defenseman Craig Rivet and forward Marcel Goc missed last night's game due to injury. (Writer's note: The Sharks have played six games in nine days, three of those games were against the lowly Coyotes, yet Evgeni Nabokov played each and every game. When does Ron Wilson plan to give him some rest?)
• "The last three games have been unacceptable," Coyotes' captain Shane Doan said after last night's embarrassing performance.
• The Predators played the role of comeback kids last night with a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime victory over division-rival Chicago. The Predators are proving to have two strong scoring lines writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• The Oilers continue to struggle putting goals on the board as they were defeated last night 4-2 by the Wild. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal thinks there is a goaltending controversy on the verge of taking place in the Albertan capital. Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun has an interesting piece on the Oilers' youngsters playing down in Springfield of the AHL.
• Niklas Backstrom was pulled from the Wild net last night, yet he wasn't injured and his team actually had the lead. If Backstrom is in Lemaire's doghouse, then he won't have any trouble finding Keith Carney who has been a healthy scratch eight times this season.
• The Ducks' top line was better than the Kings' top line and that's why the Ducks edged Los Angeles 6-3 at the Staples Center on Thursday night. "Hopefully we're turning a corner and understanding how difficult it is to win in the NHL," said Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle after last night's contest. (Writer's note: Randy, what does that even mean? Your team won the Stanley Cup last season.)
• Flames' netminder Miikka Kiprusoff is hoping to build off of his own performance in Tuesday's win over the Wild.
• The Avalanche will have Andrew Brunette in their lineup even after he took a scary spill in practice two days ago, and also Jose Theodore will be the starting netminder for the Avs tonight when they take on the Stars.
• Fans of offense in hockey may cringe when they read Dave Tippett's comments in this Dallas Morning News article.
• Dominik Hasek seems to be having trouble with the lack of shots against that his team gives up but he knows he has to play better for the Wings.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch has an interesting article on the openness of practices in the NHL. Here are the Blue Jackets' probable lines for tonight's game.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings

After an exciting Saturday night of hockey, which included an inordinate amount of high-scoring games, there is much to read about this Sunday morning.

Here are the morning papers:

• The Rangers allowed three goals in 52 seconds in the second period and were defeated by the defending Eastern Conference champion Senators 3-1. The Rangers don't face the Senators again until December and John Dellapina of the New York Daily News wonders if New York will be up to the challenge of competing with the Senators. Larry Brooks of the NY Post previews the new look NHLPA under soon-to-be-named leader Paul Kelly in his Sunday Slap Shots column.
• With last night's win over the Rangers, the Senators finished off a stretch of seven games in eleven days with a 6-1 record. Martin Gerber was terrific for the Sens last night, turning aside 35 of 36 shots.
• Even though Sidney Crosby was the star of the Leafs/Pens games with two goals, the most exciting moment of the night, without question, was seeing Jason Blake score his first goal of the campaign. Even though Crosby had "struggled" to start the season, it wasn't something he was overly worried about writes Rose Dimanno of the Toronto Star. Some good news for Leaf fans, second-line center Kyle Wellwood is approximately a week away from returning to the team's lineup after undergoing hernia surgery three weeks ago.
• As Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains, Sidney Crosby will score many goals before his career is over, but none may be easier than the winning goal he potted last night versus the Maple Leafs. Penguins' coach Michel Therrien believes Marc-Andre Fleury can play better than he has so far this season.
• The Canucks, unsurprisingly, were led to victory last night by Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun affirms the fact that Luongo was on top of his game in the team's 4-1 victory over the Oilers.
• So far this season, the Oilers have allowed the opponent to score the game's first goal in five of their six contests writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun. Youngster Robbie Schremp has improved his defensive game which is one of the reasons he is up with the big club attempting to carve out a consistent roster spot at the NHL level. Meanwhile, Jim Matheson has a great piece about the out-of-work John Muckler in this morning's Edmonton Journal.
• The Flames inserted Eric Goddard into the lineup for toughness, yet the hulking winger made the move pay off offensively as he scored the game's winning goal early in the third period. Martin Gelinas wanted to sign with the Flames this past summer but Darryl Sutter waited too long to make a move, prompting Gelinas to sign in Nashville; Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun has the story.
• The Predators have been turning the puck over too much writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. Although Chris Mason hasn't exactly helped matters with his poor play in between the pipes these past three games.
• The Bruins demonstrated strong character in their last second 2-1 victory over the Sharks last night. Manny Fernandez is confused as to why he can't stop the puck these days writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald.
• It's not a Sunday without Kevin Paul Dupont's usual notes column which can be found here.
• Marc-Edouard Vlasic's clearing attempt hit a stanchion that separates the plexiglass and that indirectly led to the Bruins' game-winning goal with under fifteen seconds remaining in the game.
• The Sabres thoroughly dominated the visiting Capitals last night winning the game 7-3 at the HSBC Arena writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• Capitals' coach Glen Hanlon was unhappy after the Capitals second straight loss and explained that this is "the third game in a row where we've been embarrassingly outshot."
• The Devils are relieved to have finally registered their first victory of the season, narrowly averting matching the 1983/84 Devils' team that had only one win in its first five games. Patrik Elias was the hero, scoring with under 30 seconds left in regulation time to give the Devils the 6-5 victory over Atlanta.
• As Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Bob Hartley is not worried about his job security, he is worried about his team.
• Olli Jokinen proved why he is captain of the Panthers on Saturday night leading the team to a 6-4 victory over the rival Lightning.
• The Lightning just can't seem to win in South Florida writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune. Injured Dan Boyle appreciates the different perspective a player can get while watching games from the press box.
• The Hurricans accomplished the impressive feat of going 3 for 3 on their Eastern Canadian road trip; Luke Decock of the News Observer has the story. Meanwhile, with the way the Canes have been playing, Decock wonders if the team's five day break in their schedule could come at a worse time.
• Aside from Cristobal Huet, the Habs didn't impress anyone in their home debut writes Red Fisher in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Kevin Mio of the Gazette provides readers with a Q & A with Habs' defenseman Mike Komisarek.
• The Wild were lucky to be facing a young Coyotes squad on Saturday night because they somehow squeaked out a late victory against Gretzky and Co.
• Only 12,000 fans were on hand to witness the Coyotes blow their third period lead to the undefeated Wild writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic. (Writer's note: But don't worry, the NHL doesn't have an attendance problem...)
• The Flyers defeated the Islanders 3-1 and proved to their home crowd that they can forget about 2006/07 because this is a whole new season.
• The Islanders got bad news yesterday when they learned that forward Jon Sim will undergo complete reconstruction of his knee and miss the entire 2007/08 season.
• Joe Sakic doesn't age, at least not to our knowledge, as the veteran scored a hat trick last night in leading the Avalanche to a convincing 5-1 victory over the Blue Jackets. In other Avs' news, Jordan Leopold has missed the team's past two games with a minor hip injury. (Writer's note: Jordan Leopold is missing time? I think it is at the point where he has become the Martin Havlat of defensemen).
• The Blue Jackets didn't match the Avs' sense of urgency writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
• The Blackhawks scored two powerplay goals in their 2-1 overtime victory over the Stars on Saturday night.
• Stars' rookie Tobias Stephan was starting his first ever NHL game and after facing an amazingly high total of 40 shots, it can only be described as baptism by fire.
• With all their defensive injuries, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Dispatch wonders if St. Louis defensemen are cursed?
• After their debacle against the Bruins on Friday night, the Kings have been focusing on improving their penalty kill.
• Readers of the Detroit Free Press give their answers as to why there is a lack of buzz surrounding the Red Wings.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.