Morning Musings: What to expect from the Canadiens

After an off-season consisting of more misses than hits, the Montreal Canadiens enter the 2007/08 season as a team searching for an identity. Just missing out on the Daniel Briere sweepstakes, losing Sheldon Souray to free agency and seeing veterans Mike Johnson and Radek Bonk out the door, Les Habitants are entering this season with lower expectations than years past. Guy Carbonneau has the unenviable task of turning this team around after its second-half spiral out of the playoff picture last season. With expectations having been lessened, maybe Carbonneau can motivate his team enough to surprise some of the upper-echelon teams in the powerful Eastern Conference and just scrape into the playoffs.

Here are five questions people have about the 2007/08 version of the Montreal Canadiens:

Will the Habs have enough offense to get them into the playoffs?

Last season, the Canadiens scored 245 goals on the season which was less than every Eastern Conference playoff team aside from the Rangers (who were far more adept at keeping goals out of their own net than Montreal). This season the team is hoping a bounce-back year from Alexei Kovalev and the maturation of youngsters such as Tomas Plekanec, Guillaume Latendresse and Christopher Higgins will lead to an increase in offensive output. Increased ice time for the team’s youngsters should result in more secondary scoring for the Habs than they received last season from Johnson, Bonk and Sergei Samsonov. Expect the Habs to improve on their 245 goal total from a season ago.

Will the team’s powerplay be significantly affected by the loss of Sheldon Souray to free agency?

The loss of Souray cannot be understated. The team’s impressive first half in 06/07 was due, in large part, to the team’s efficiency on the powerplay. Souray’s big and accurate shot allowed the team’s forwards more room to work off the half-boards, because penalty killers had to cheat on his slapshot in order to avoid getting burned by the big defenseman for a goal or big rebound. Without his imposing shot, the Habs will rely on Andrei Markov to carry the powerplay burden. While Markov does not possess the booming shot of Souray, he’s an adept passer, with good hockey sense. Markov could easily quarterback many powerplays around the NHL. Additionally, Kirk Muller has proven to be one of the better powerplay coaches in the NHL and will make any adjustments that need to be made in order for the Habs to remain efficient on the man-advantage.

Was the Roman Hamrlik signing worth it?

Some fans have questioned why the Habs would give Roman Hamrlik $4 million per year and let Souray walk for just a little bit more than that. Nonetheless, Hamrlik is one of the more underrated all-around defenseman in the game today. The former first overall draft pick moves the puck well out of his own zone, can quarterback the second powerplay unit and is positionally sound. Some people don’t realize the effect Hamrlik had on Dion Phaneuf’s progression as a dominant defenseman in Calgary the past two seasons. Although his offensive numbers won’t be those of Souray’s, his defensive game is far superior to the big Albertan’s. The Hamrlik signing will prove to be a solid one for the Habs GM Bob Gainey.

Who will be the Habs starting netminder at season’s end?

One position where the Canadiens have a lot of depth is between the pipes. With the likes of Huet, Jaroslav Halak, and top prospect Carey Price the Habs are set in goal for years to come. The Habs will start the season with Cristobal Huet in goal, however, if the team is faltering late in the season, expect the French netminder to be dealt at, or before, the trade deadline. GM Bob Gainey may be better off dealing Huet during the season and promoting the impressive Price to finish the season, in order to get the youngster some NHL experience before 2008/09. It says here that Price will be the top netminder in La Belle Province at season’s end.

Can the Canadiens make the playoffs?

Perhaps, but it is not likely. A lot of Eastern Conference teams improved significantly over the summer and the Habs were not one of them. Factor in the team’s 10th place finish in the conference last season, and it is difficult to find a team that is considerably worse than the Habs. Still, due to their good coaching, and youthful exuberance, the team should be difficult to play against throughout the season. That being said, it will not be enough to return the team to the playoffs and another summer on the golf course is probably in order for the winningest organization in hockey history.

On to the morning papers:

• In sad news this morning, long-time Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz has passed away.
• Damien Cox previews the Buffalo Sabres in this morning's Toronto Star.
• As Eric Duhatschek explains, the Flames' roster is almost entirely in place to start the season.
• Greg Boeck of USA Today profiles David Aebischer and his new opportunity in Phoenix.
• Dan Wood of the Orange County Register is already over in London and can't wait for the Ducks/Kings to kick off the regular season on Saturday.
• Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tell us about his experience standing between the benches during a Thrashers' exhibition game.
• The Bruins demoted prized prospect Tuukka Rask on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Bruins made more news on Tuesday by announcing that former Bruin star Cam Neely has become the team's vice president.
• Neely is a perfect fit as vice president opines Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald.
• Good news from Buffalo, as doctors expect Teppo Numminen will be released from the hospital in the next couple days.
• These new RBK jerseys are more trouble than they are worth writes Randy Sportak in this morning's Calgary Sun.
• Many people are suprised that Warren Peters is still in Flames' camp with a chance to crack the opening day starting roster.
• Kristian Huselius had two goals and the shootout winner in the Flames' 3-2 victory over the Sharks on Tuesday night. Prior to the game, coach Mike Keenan reminded the Flames that they were the only team in the NHL without an exhibition win.
• Brett Hedican feels his hip injury has progressed to the point that it shouldn't bother him on the ice anymore.
• After playing just under seven minutes, Hawks' forward Martin Havlat left Tuesday night's exhibition game with a strained groin. (Writer's note: We all know Havlat is going get 55 points while playing only 42 games this season; lets just get it over with.)
• Joel Quenville is happy with the depth the Avalanche have on the powerplay this season writes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.
• As Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch writes, Jason Chimera's mind has finally caught up to his legs. Meanwhile, the Nikolai Zherdev center experiment is now over in Columbus.
• After an intense Monday morning team workout, the Stars were admittedly tired versus the Avalanche last night. Dallas was defeated by the Avs 5-4.
• Red Wings' defenseman Brian Rafalski didn't waste any time endearing himself to his new teammates on Tuesday night versus the Rangers.
• Oilers' backup netminder Mathieu Garon was tremendous in the team's 2-1 victory over the Coyotes last night.
• Craig MacTavish says you won't be able to crack the Oilers' defense unless you possess the ability to move the puck writes Joanne Ireland in this morning's Edmonton Journal.
• Panthers' newcomer, and Illegal Curve favorite, Cory Murphy has been dubbed the "The Specialist" by Florida captain Olli Jokinen.
• Anze Kopitar tallied a hat trick in leading the Kings to a 7-6 victory over EC Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday night in Austria.
• Michael Russo of the Star Tribune has an interesting piece on former University of Minnesota defenseman Erik Johnson.
• Wild coach Jacques Lemaire has been extremely pleased with the play of Dominic Moore so far this pre-season.
• Patrice Brisebois is back healthy and was excited to get return to the ice on Tuesday.
• The Predators think they may have another Kimmo Timonen writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• The Devils are finding out what it's like to play for Brent Sutter writes Rich Chere in this morning's Newark Star-Ledger. Meanwhile, youngster Andy Greene has impressed the rookie coach so far this pre-season.
• Scott Gomez was the only Ranger to score in their 6-1 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday.
• Sean Avery won't be be sitting out the Rangers' rematch with the Islanders on Friday night writes Steve Zipay of Newsday.
• After Steve Downie's gutless hit on Dean McAmmond, the Sens have revenge on their minds writes Bruce Garrioch in this morning's Ottawa Sun.
• Apparently Dany Heatley is asking for $8.5 million per season and it may take Eugene partaking in the negotiations to get a deal done.
• Flyers' coach John Stevens is unhappy with his teams work ethic only eight days before the team's first game.
• Ed Moran of the Phildelphia Inquirer examines the Flyers' defensive logjam and all the options the team has heading into the season.
• Ryan Whitney has reached his comfort level in Pittsburgh writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Hannu Toivonen was named the Blues' backup goaltender on Tuesday, just beating out Jason Bacashihua.
• Doug Janik is attempting to become a regular on the Lightning defense writes Cristina Ledra of the Tampa Tribune.
• Carlo Colaiacovo will sit out the Leafs' remaining three pre-season games in order to rest his sore knee. Nonetheless, coach Paul Maurice predicts the defenseman will be ready to begin the season against the Senators next week.
• Mike Zeisberger provides us with the details of Boyd Devereaux's medical scare in this morning's Toronto Sun.
• The Vancouver Canucks demoted 11 players to Manitoba of the AHL on Tuesday. Included among the group is highly touted prospect Corey Schneider.
• If the NHL makes their nets bigger, they will lose one of the best goaltenders in the league to retirement.
• Ryan Shannon impressed the Canucks' brass during training camp and has secured a spot on the opening day roster.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Was that really necessary?

In a previous post, I noted that the NHL was looking into addressing the issue of head shots. This week, the NHL will have their chance to prove that they are, in fact, serious about removing this unnecessary part from the game.

Tonight, Dean McAmmond suffered a concussion while on the receiving end of a Steve Downie check. Downie, who is known as an "energy" player, delivered an overly dirty hit as he left his feet, launching his body like a missile, and hitting McAmmond's head square on with his shoulder. The Senators' forward was knocked out instantly and laid motionless on the ice as teammates came to the rescue. McAmmond, coming off a concussion from the Stanley Cup Finals, had to be taken off the ice in a stretcher.

Is a hit like this really necessary, especially in an exhibition game? This is a recurring problem in sports and it seems to be particularly an issue during exhibition games when players are doing anything to get noticed while trying to secure a roster-spot. Downie is a young player fighting to make the team and there is pressure for him to perform at a high level and show that he belongs on the Flyers. For McAmmond, he is already an established veteran trying to get ready for the season. It is a theme that will continue as long as exhibition games are around.

The NHL has suspended Downie indefinitely. If/When he returns to play for the Flyers this season he will be expected to face the wrath of Brian McGrattan, who, in Bertuzzi-like fashion, vowed to get his revenge on Downie.

"A guy can't defend himself and you take a 40-foot run and jump and hit him. Hopefully the league takes a look at it. Those are the hits we don't want in our game. He'll get what's coming to him. He'll get what's coming to him next time we play him, that's for sure."

Yesterday, I came across an article posted by Eric McElrain at the AOL Fanhouse that is definitely worth a read, titled "Is the NHL Ignoring a Concussion Problem". They definitely will not be ignoring the severity of this hit. McAmmond is likely to be out for a while and, with his history of concussions, could miss the entire season. In fact, at the age of 34, this serious concussion could force him into early retirement.

We can only speculate how many games Downie will receive. Cam Janssen recieved only three games for his hit on Thomas Kaberle. If Collin Campbell and the NHL are as serious as they claim about getting rid of these cheap head shots, then this is the time to prove it. Downie must receive at least a 15 game suspension. A clear message must be sent to the players.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Michael Remis

EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a daily look at the latest international hockey news.

Recent Signings:

- St.Louis Blues Draft Pick Patrik Berglund (2006,1/25) was cut from training camp and will return to the Swedish Division 2 Club VIK Västerås HK. The highly touted Berglund had an impressive 48 points in 35 games last year.

- Luca Cunti, a 2007 Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Pick (3/75), has signed on to play for St.Cloud State University of the NCAA League( American College Hockey). The Zurich native played for the GCK Lions ( Division 2 Swiss League)in 2006'07, scoring 2 points in 5 games. Cunti looks to improve his chances of making the Lightning next season by testing the more rugged American college league.

- Former NHLer Tomas Surovy has signed on with Linköping of the Swedish Elitserien. Surovy split last season between the Elitserien and Slovakia. He scored 23 goals, and 32 assists in 55 games for Luleå while also playing 7 games in Slovakia. Surovy last played in the NHL in 2005'06 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old Slovakian had 12 goals and 13 assists in 53 games that season. Surovy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2001, 4th round, 120th overall.

- Cory Murphy, considered one of the best players in Europe- and not in the NHL-last year, has been turning heads in Florida Panthers training camp. The 29-year-old Kanata, Ontario native is expected to pair up with Jay Bouwmeester this season to form an explosive 1-2 power play punch. Murphy signed with the Panthers in 2007 after posting solid numbers in the Finnish League last season. Murphy had 13 goals and 37 assists in 45 games playing for HIFK Helsinki. Check out this piece on Cory Murphy on Fanhouse. Jes Golbez wonders if Murphy will be able to make the smooth transition from the Finnish League like Brian Rafalski and Lubomir Visnovsky did before him.

- Jeff Heerema, a 1998 1st round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes ( and former Manitoba Moose, 2004'05) scored a goal and led his new team, The Franfurt Lions to a 4-1 victory over the Augsburger Panthers last night. Check out the other Die 1 Bundesliga scores here.

Füchse Duisburg - Hamburg Freezers 4-5 OT
Adler Mannheim - Kölner Haie 1-2 OT
Frankfurt Lions - Augsburger Panther 4-1
Sinupret Icetigers Nürnberg - Krefeld Pinguine 7-2
Ingolstadt Panthers - Düsseldorf Metro Stars 3-2 SO
Hannover Scorpions - Straubing Tigers 5-0
Eisbären Berlin - Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg 5-1


For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

MEDIA MISHAPS, AND MISCELLANEOUS MUSINGS

MEDIA MISHAPS, AND MISCELLANEOUS MUSINGS

Sorry I’m a little late with this posting. I was out purchasing a new television after I broke the screen on my last one on Sunday while watching Bomber kicker Troy Westwood shank field goal after field goal against the Argos. Seriously, when are they going to get rid of Westwood? Is there anyone who kicks worse than he does (aside from the entire roster of Toronto FC)?

Moving onto hockey, but staying on the subject of television….

The preseason is a time when NHL teams trot out some players in their farm systems for tryouts, and players make mistakes while working out the cobwebs following a summer on the links. That’s normal. But this year, it seems like the irregular decision-making goes beyond the rink, and into the television studio as well, as evidenced by a couple of recent developments at the self proclaimed ‘Canada’s Sports Leader’, TSN.

1. TSN Hires Former Isles GM Mike Milbury as a Hockey Analyst.

There’s this big trend going on right now where all the big on-air sports shows need to have like twenty guys on the panel at once. You see it everywhere – look no further than ESPN’s NFL Countdown, which has succeeded in hiring every ex-player and coach in history as an analyst, taking a major weight off the NFL’s pension plan. So it shouldn’t be surprising that TSN decided to follow suit and add to its cast (then again, nothing should be surprising seeing how the network already has a monkey doing its NHL playoff picks!) But what is surprising – or at least should be to anyone who followed his GM career - is that they went with Milbury. I won’t sit here and tell you that Mike Milbury made some bad decisions during his tenure. But let’s just say that if you look closely at footage of when the Indians decided to sell Manhattan for $1, you can pretty clearly make out Milbury in the background proclaiming “This is a Great Trade! Let’s even throw in a first round pick too just for fun!” So yeah, I’m surprised.

2. SportsCentre is showing way too many preseason fights

Listen…I know. Fighting in hockey is great. It’s exciting, it makes players accountable for their cheap shots, and it’s essential to growing the sport south of the border. And I enjoy watching a good fight just as much as the next guy. I even still have all my old 1980’s Rock’Em Sock’Em Beta videos somewhere. But the thing is, a good fight involves real hockey players…guys on the roster…guys we know and can cheer for and against. That kind of stuff can be Highlight of the Night material sometimes. What I can live without is this: highlight after highlight of last year’s tenth leading penalty minute getter in the ECHL going toe-to-toe with some other guy who’s trying to prove he can make the Blue Jackets while being called up for a quick tryout from Moscow Dynamo. There’s got to be better things to fill half an hour with (like, say, anything sports-related but NASCAR).

Speaking of Nascar and hockey fighting….I spent the summer in the U.S. and A. (as Borat calls it) and it’s clear that this peculiar activity involving cars making left turn after left turn has completely supplanted hockey as the fourth major…ahem…sport. ESPN’s SportsCenter almost always devotes a full segment of each broadcast to discussing a cast of characters named Jimmy, Bobby, Danica, and Dale Jr. Hockey, even during the playoffs, barely gets mentioned. Granted, this is partly due to major TV contract between NASCAR and ESPN, and the lack thereof between the network and the NHL. But another reason, in a free market economy governed by supply and demand, has to simply be this: Americans don’t care about hockey anymore. And I don’t think this is going to change whether or not fighting in hockey goes up or down. In fact, I know it isn’t. Something else needs to be done (aside from relocating the Predators, Lightning, Panthers, or Blue Jackets to Winnipeg), and that something is this:

Every NHL intermission should include a 2 hour Zamboni Race. That’s right. Instead of one Zamboni boringly cleaning the ice, we will now see FIVE (5!) Zambonis descend on the ice surface at once. These Zambonis will then race around the perimeter of the rink (making only left turns, of course), until one of them wins. (I don’t know how someone wins a NASCAR race, but however they do, well, then that’s how you’ll win a Zamboni race too).

I’m confident this proposal will help the NHL gain in popularity south of the border, and if I’m wrong, then at the very least it should pique the interest of Al Gore (Zamboni fumes can’t be good for global warming, can they?) and draw some much-needed attention to the league.

Moving on……

I can’t pen a column without addressing one of the strangest incidents in recent memory…..

Gretzky Gets Caught Wearing Tocchet’s Gloves

For those of you who missed it, an astute reporter noticed at last week’s Coyotes practice that head coach Wayne Gretzky had taken the ice wearing a pair of gloves with the name of embattled former assistant coach Rich Tocchet embroidered on them. Tocchet, of course, was suspended by the league after it was revealed that he was intimately involved in an illegal gambling operation. When asked why he was wearing the gloves, Gretzky apparently responded by saying something to the effect of, “These were the only gloves I had around.”

Right. That line is almost as hard to believe as the fact that Gretz once dropped 212 points in a single season. Are we really supposed to believe that Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player of all time, endorser of seemingly every product in the universe (both hockey and non), didn’t have another pair of gloves lying around…and the Tocchet gloves just happened to be the only ones he could find? I don’t know about you, but I think this has to go down as one of the nominees for “Worst Excuse About A Glove….Not Involving OJ Simpson.”

I don’t really know what to make of the whole situation, except to say that Gretzky has been extremely supportive of Tocchet throughout his ordeal. Just this week, Gretz said that if Tocchet were cleared, he would welcome him back behind the bench with open arms. This seems a little strange, since illegal gambling is nothing to sniff at, especially in light of the recent NBA scandal. All I can say is that Tocchet should be happy that his boss has decided to go from The Great One, to being The Grateful One, at least with regards to his former assistant.



I’ve got a lot more to say, but since I have my four-year hockey pool (see Adam Gutkin’s article earlier today for more on that) as well as a regular one-year draft coming up later this week, it’s time to start doing some research! You think Mike Milbury might be kind enough to give me some advice? I wouldn’t bet on it (but Rick Tocchet would!).

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.

Money for Nothing? Apparently Not.

With my hockey draft less than a week away, I decided that it was time to start preparing. This draft, however, is no ordinary hockey pool. Each team has to draft players to fill a full 22 man roster. The catch? Well, we use each player’s current NHL salary and our team salary cannot exceed the current NHL team salary cup. Naturally, as both an NHL fan and as a fantasy owner of Lecavalier’s and St. Louis’ collective $12 million plus salary, I was quite happy when the NHL announced again this year that the cap would be increasing.

The strategy for this pool is to obviously draft players who produce a lot of points relative to their salary. It’s all about maximizing player’s point production! Accordingly, in order to prepare for this draft, I searched the internet for NHL player stats and salaries, so I could perform my nerdy calculations.

Sure enough, someone had beat me to it. I came across a study by Canadian Business magazine entitled “Hockey’s Most and Least Valuable 2007”. The study compared each player’s 06/07 salary to their production and provided statistics like $/game played, $/goal, $/point, and $/minute on ice. As a fantasy hockey participant, I found this site very interesting and it would have certainly provided me with an edge for the upcoming draft. However, in the interests of Illegal Curve, I have sacrificed my competitive edge and posted this article with a link and now all of my competitors can read it and prepare accordingly.

As a fan of the NHL, though, should I really care about these stats? Should I really care how much money my favourite players are being paid? Should I go out and buy a John Pohl (ranked #20 in the NHL last year for $/point) jersey because he is only costing my beloved Maple Leafs (please email your condolences) $15,517 for every point he scored last year and toss out my “old” generation Sundin jersey because he had the nerve to “charge” $100,000 (tied for 283rd overall) for every point he scored? Further, does this mean that John Ferguson Jr. is a good GM because the Leafs have a whopping 6 players in the Top 100 list for $/points (Pohl, Ponikarovsky, Battaglia, Perreault, Stajan, and Steen)?

In short, no! As a fan, all you should care about is that the player’s on your favourite team are producing. Those six guys on the Leafs who were in the Top 100 list combined for a measly 217 points on the way to helping the team miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Conversely, do you think anyone is going to suggest that Jay Feester made a bad move by signing Lecalvalier to a contract that saw him earn $7,166,667 last year?

Lecavalier is one of the best players in the league. Last year, he posted the best numbers of his career scoring 108 points with 52 goals. However, he cost the Lightning $66,358 for every point he scored, which was almost $60,000 more than first place Milan Michalek. The fact is, it doesn’t really matter how much a player makes. All that really matters is that there are owners out there who are willing to pay the salaries.

Last year, Kristian Huselius scored 77 points while “only” being paid $1,400,000 placing him a respectable 39th on the list. Sure, that seems like such a great signing by the Flames, but do you actually care that he makes almost $6 million less than Lecavalier? Would your now prefer to have Huselius on your roster instead of the inefficient Lecavalier? I certainly would not. Save the conversations about these “bargain” players for the guys that actually pay the bills. All we want is for the players to produce.

So, you ask, does that analysis of player productivity compared to their salary actually indicate anything? Indirectly, it does! What it mainly demonstrates is which teams have drafted or signed talented young players. The majority of the players at the top of the list are very promising and very skilled young hockey players, including the likes of Stastny, Plekanec, Parise, and Getzlaf. Players’ salaries are capped for the first years of their professional careers. Therefore, as a fan, you should be excited to see young players on the top of the list, like the 9th placed Vanek. You should be excited not because he only costs $11,219 for every point he produces, but because that number, mathematically, indicates that he had a great year, scoring 84 points.

When your team signs a player to a contract, do not be concerned about how much money he is making. Instead, be concerned about how he will produce. Let Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment worry that they will only make $61 million this year instead of $65 million.

For now, I am adding Anze Kopitar (#26 with $16,131/point) and Travis Zajac (#66 with $23,433/point) to my draft target list.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

Morning Musings: Taking a look at the Sabres

On Monday night, while I was in line at the concession stand during the first intermission of the Sabres/Wild exhibition game in Grand Forks, I had the opportunity to educate Maxim Afinogenov on what a corn dog is (and yes, it was as funny as it sounds). Afinogenov sat out this exhibition contest, along with teammates Brian Campbell and Derek Roy which made the game far less exciting than it could have been had they played (Exhibition hockey: Gotta love it!). After watching the Sabres morning practice and exhibition contest, I figured it was time for a Sabres season preview.

Without further ado, here are five questions people have about the 2007/08 Buffalo Sabres:

Will the team have enough offensive punch after losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency?

If any team is capable of withstanding the loss of scoring machines like Briere and Drury, it is the Sabres. Many forwards on the Sabres had reduced roles in 2006/07, not because of their lack of scoring ability, but rather because of the high number of quality forwards the team had at its disposal. With the departure of Briere and Drury, forwards such as Derek Roy, Maxim Afingenov and Thomas Vanek should all expect to see their ice time increase in 2007/08. Factor in more than capable forwards Ales Kotalik, Jochen Hecht, Jason Pominville, Tim Connolly and the team is anything but offense-starved. Expect the Sabres to continue to light the lamp in 2007/08.

Will the Sabres miss the leadership of Drury?

The loss of Drury’s leadership will, arguably, be more difficult to replace than his offensive production. Regardless of the fact that the Sabres alternate their captaincy, the undeniable leader of the Sabres the past few seasons was Chris Drury. The hard-working forward plays in every single game situation and leads by example. Without his quiet leadership, the Sabres are going to have to look for other players to step up in the leadership role. Worsening the loss of Drury was the team’s loss of Teppo Numminen’s leadership after the veteran was recently sidelined with heart problems. The Sabres are a very, very young team that will require someone new to take the bull by the horns and lead Buffalo back to the playoffs. Whether this will happen or not is anyone’s guess.

Is the team’s defense good enough to compete?

The Sabres have one of the more underrated defensive units in the NHL. Anchored by Tony Lydman and Henrik Tallinder, the Sabres’ defense moves the puck extremely well out of its own zone. Additionally, by splitting up Lydman and Tallinder to start the season, the team will become more defensively well-balanced on the back-end. Brian Campbell, who has improved his defensive game significantly over the past few seasons, will continue to quarterback the team’s powerplay. Also, the Sabres are expecting improved play from Dmitri Kalinin and Jaroslav Spacek this season as they both weren’t at their best in the in the 2006/07 campaign. Overall, the team’s defense is definitely strong enough to help the team clinch a playoff spot.

Can Ryan Miller carry the team?

The Sabres are admittedly weaker than last season, and if they expect to accomplish anything close to their playoff success of the past two seasons, they will need the former Michigan State netminder to carry them. Miller is more than capable of handling this burden. He is a positionally sound goaltender, who keeps an even keel and has good reflexes. Look for him to rebound from his subpar 2nd round playoff performance last season and contend for the Vezina Trophy in 2007/08.

Can the Sabres be a threat to win the Eastern Conference?

Most people probably say they aren’t a contender, but stranger things have happened. Although the team is extremely young, and without an established leader, Lindy Ruff, one the best coaches in the NHL, always finds a way to get the most out of his players. Teams with talent levels like the Sabres are always capable of surprising their contemporaries and making a run in the playoffs. Don’t expect the Sabres to win the Eastern Conference, but, then again, don’t be surprised if they knock off a serious contender in the first round either.

On to the morning papers:

• The Sabres were defeated 2-1 by Minnesota in Grand Forks last night. Prior to the contest, the Sabres sent five players back to their junior clubs.
• Brian Rolston is already in mid-season shooting form after scoring both the Wild's goals on Monday night.
• Goaltender Nicklas Backstrom continues to maintain an even keel regardless of the situation writes Michael Russo in this morning's Star Tribune.
• According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Dany Heatley contract issue could be decided by this weekend.
• Dan Wood of the Orange County Register examines whether Todd Bertuzzi will affect the Ducks' team chemistry.
• It looks like Brett Sterling will crack the Thrashers' opening day roster; Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if center Bryan Little will join him.
• David Krejci may have shored up his defensive game enough to make the Bruins' starting roster as a third line center.
• The Bruins want to finish their pre-season schedule on a high note heading into the regular season opener.
• Adam Pardy is likely to be sent down to the Flames' AHL affiliate in Quad City to start the season, but his expected demotion won't be for a lack of good play at training camp.
• Andrew Ladd has arrived at Canes' training camp more mentally prepared than last season writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer.
• Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews aren't the only impressive rookies at Hawks' camp writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• With an assortment of lingering injuries at Avs' camp, coach Joel Quenville may have to hold off a little longer before making roster decisions.
• Kris Russell has impressed everyone at Blue Jackets' camp, including, most importantly, coach Ken Hitchcock.
• The Stars have allowed far too many goals in their first four pre-season games for Dave Tippett's liking.
• Nick Lidstrom is looking forward to playing with his newest defense partner Brian Rafalski, now that the Wings' big off-season acquistion is fully healed from a hip injury.
• Marty Reasoner knew he was going to be in a battle for playing time this season and, therefore, took upon himself to increase his summer workout regimen.
• The Oilers are having quite a battle for their number one center spot writes Robert Tychkowski in this morning's Edmonton Sun. Meanwhile, Anson Carter was back on skates at camp yesterday and coach Craig MacTavish says his chances to crack the starting roster are not over yet.
• Former Finnish leaguer Cory Murphy is impressing coaches in Florida camp. (Writer's note: Props to Illegal Curve writer Ezra Ginsburg for tipping us off to Cory Murphy a few weeks back.)
• The Habs made some cuts on Monday, but Carey Price was not among them writes Kevin Mio of the Montreal Gazette.
• Nobody has taken the bull by the horns in the fight for the backup goaltender job in Nashville this season. Coach Barry Trotz is still undecided on his final forward lines writes Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean.
• Kevin Weekes has a mild concussion and may not be ready for the Devils' opening game in 10 days writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger. With so many Devils going down to injury in training camp, Mark Everson of the NY Post details who could be in line to replace the injured Devils on the roster to begin the season.
• The Rangers/Islanders exhibition game saw a goalie fight and multiple game misconducts. The start of the brawl can be attributed to the stick-swinging incident between Chris Simon and Ryan Hollweg late last season. By the way, the actual final score of the game was 5-4 in favor of the Islanders.
• In other Rangers' news, Darius Kasparaitis was waived by the team on Monday.
• Sidney Crosby's groin has been acting up, but according to coach Michel Therrien, "it's not a major thing."
• Mark Eaton's is going to stick with the defensive side of the game and leave the offense to his Penguin teammates writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• The Capitals powerplay should be much improved this season after all the summer acquisitions made by GM George McPhee.
• Christoph Schubert played defense last night, after playing wing the game before, and scored two goals to lead the Sens to a perfect 4-0 record so far this pre-season.
• The Flyers are undecided on whether to keep Claude Giroux with the big club or send him back to juniors writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Even if he doesn't make the Sharks, Sandis Ozolinsh has done a good job of turning around his life writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• The Leafs weren't exactly impressive against the Sens in exhibition action on Monday night. However, the combination of Sundin and Blake did have the crowd buzzing on a couple of occassions.
• Ryan Craig is out of the Lightning lineup indefinitely with a herniated disc.
• Barry MacDonald of the Vancouver Sun wonders whether Markus Naslund can have a bounce back season.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

The HD Corner - Best Duos

News comes out of Florida today that former NHLer Randy Moller is taking the plunge into the broadcast booth for Panthers radio broadcasts this season (Check out his career stats here). What's unique about Moller's move is that he will be taking on the role of play-by-play announcer, as opposed to colour commentator - the first for an ex-NHLer. Moller's Pat Sumerall-like transition is unheard of in sports broadcasting (Summerall is an ex-NFL placekicker), with a rare number of players having the ability to call a game in a professional manner. Something tells me he'll easily surpass the skills of long time announcer Gary Thorne (shot....save....rebound.....score!).

The above topic provides a nice segue into my next discussion. With the season less than a week away, I thought it would be an appropriate time to break down some of the best TV play-by-play and colour commentator combos. Centre Ice package, here we come!

1) Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Drew Remenda (colour) - Sharks. This season signals Drew Remenda's return to the Fox Sportsnet Bay Area broadcast booth, after a one year stint on HNIC. Although the two are quite the big pair of homers and are very Shark-biased, their on-air chemistry together resembles that of a young Jamie Baker and Link Gaetz in their primes.

2) Paul Steigerwald (play-by-play) and Bob Errey (colour) - Penguins. Last year marked Steigerwald's first year of TV work, after taking over from long-time Pens TV announcer and Hall of Famer Mike Lange. Although I was initially sanded with the thought of missing Lange's famous calls ("he beat him like a rented mule", "scratch my back with hacksaw", "Elvis has left the building", etc...), Steigerwald has shown a tremendous amount enthusiasm and accuracy when calling games. Bob Errey is not only hilarious, but provides insightful information while not overtly rooting for Sid the Kid. Errey works sporadically on The Score as well, so if you can, check him out. Maybe the next time Yom Kippur falls in October, Lange could fill in for old times sake for Steigerwald.

3) Dean Brown (play-by-play) and Garry Galley (colour) - Sens. When not eating "beaver tails" at the canal of our nation's capital, Dean Brown can be seen doing a bang-up job for Sens broadcasts. Whether it be Sportsnet East, A-Channel, or even HNIC, Brown brings a certain amount of respectability to each and every game. I truly do believe his calls are so objective, that it's hard to tell he is in fact employed by the Sens. The sleeper pick here is of course Galley, the long time NHLer. Usually Greg Millen is Brown's partner; however, when Galley fills in his commentary skills are second to none. Although still a bit raw (much how Dean Brown likes his steak), Galley is quickly shooting up the ranks. Watch for him randomly on HNIC this year as well.

4) Finally, Rick Jeanerette (play-by-play) and Jim Lorentz (colour) - Sabres. First of all Jim Lorentz sucks. Yes I went there. I would take to much heat from our readers and Illegal Curve contributors if I didn't mention Jeanerette, so I had to give him props. "La La Lafontaine", "May Day, May Day, May Day", "top shelf where mama hides the cookies". If you've never heard a Jeanerette call live you haven't lived (man I need a life). Jeanerette always has fun while broadcasting, and can even be seen dressed up in costume for Halloween and in a tux for New Year's Eve.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Neil Rockman

EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a daily look at the latest international hockey news.

- Pierre Lebrun of the Globe and Mail talks about how the National Hockey League is interested in expanding it's reach in Europe. The article goes on to discuss the success of the game in Canada and the problems the game is experiencing in the United States (TV Ratings, Revenues, etc.) Will we ever see an NHL Europe? This writer hopes not.

- Russianprospects.com provides a detailed scouting report on Toronto Maples Leafs 2006 Draft Pick Forward Nikolai Kulemin (2/44). Kulemin had 27 goals and 12 assists in 54 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk last season.

- Igor Makarov ( 2006 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, 2/33), the son of Sergei Makarov, says that he doesn't feel the pressure to follow in his fathers foosteps and simply wants to help his team win. Makarov plays for SKA St.Petersburg of the Russian Super League. SKA St.Petersburg is led by former Red Wings assistant coach Barry Smith.

- Ossi Vaananen signed with Djurgården of the Swedish Elite League.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Fantasy Watch: Avoiding the Hot Seat

Drafting a goaltender stuck on the hot seat can be one of the most stressful things about fantasy hockey. Not knowing who's going to start and who's going to sit can kill your fantasy team. Hoping to avoid that scenario, here are seven goaltenders that should post league leading stats and be free of controversy for this upcoming season


Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Brodeur was a fantasy monster last year, collecting career highs in wins (48) and shutouts (12). Ranking third in the league in both goals against average and save percentage, Brodeur was hands down the top fantasy goaltender last season. Losing Scott Gomez's play making ability may hurt his win totals, but don't expect Brodeur's numbers to drop that significantly.

Mikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
Last season, Kiprusoff's numbers were down from his 2005/06 statistics , but he was still among the leaders in most statistical categories including wins (40) and save percentage (.917). Although Calgary lost two key defenseman in Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart, the signings of Adrian Aucion and Cory Sarich should help shore up Calgary's defense for this upcoming season. The only thing holding Kiprusoff back from becoming the league's best goalie is his inability to win on the road.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
It only took Fleury three years to vault into the class of some of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Having a career year last season, Fleury's 40 wins placed him third in the league. Fleury still needs to improve on his goals against average, as well as his save percentage but at 22 there's plenty of time for improvement. Newcomer Darryl Sydor strengthens Pittsburgh's defense, which should allow Fleury to lower his GAA. Look for Fleury to continue to pile up wins as Pittsburgh boasts one of the league's best offenses this year.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim Ducks
Giguere has battled injuries for the past few seasons making his latest setback no surprise. Out for the the season opener, Giguere is not expected to miss a lot of time as he recovers from a sports hernia. The goaltending situation in Anaheim is much different from a year ago; This season Gigeure enters as the sure number one netminder. While his role as number one goalie is cemented, Giguere will be without defenseman Scott Neidermayer, who has yet to decide whether to stick around for one more season or not. To add insult to injury, the former Conn Smythe winner will also be missing newly acquired defenseman Matthieu Schneider for the first couple weeks of the season. As a result, the Ducks will be a little thin on defense but are still deep enough to make Giguere a sure bet for 40 wins.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Finally escaping Florida, Luongo put up a career high in wins with 47 and a .921 save percentage, good for fourth best in the league. The only question mark surrounding Luongo is not his ability, but his team's offensive support (or lack thereof); the Canucks were ranked near the bottom of the NHL in goals-for last season. As evidenced by last year's playoffs, Luongo can only take the team so far, without any feared goal scorers in front of him, Luongo may miss out on a few extra victories.

Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
Splitting time with Vesa Toskala last season, Nabokov only appeared in 50 games, collecting 25 wins on the season. Although his 25 wins weren't as high as projected, Nabokov's goals against average was among the top 10 in the league. With Toskala gone to Toronto, the starting job is now Nabokov's. Expect the Russian netminder to revert back into a top goaltender which means at least 35 wins for this upcoming season.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabers
Improving his win total by 10 from the previous year, Miller led Buffalo to the best record in the Eastern Conference, but failed to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, as they were defeated by Ottawa in last year's Conference Finals. Although Miller's stats aren't atop the leader board, he still manages to post a ton of wins, which makes him a top fantasy goaltender. Expect Miller's numbers to take a slight hit this season with the loss of Briere and Drury; however, Miller should still post more than respectable numbers.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis.

Prospect Pulse

Having just returned from watching the Buffalo Sabres at their morning skate in Grand Forks, ND, I decided to feature one of their plethora of prospects. T.J. Brennan, a defenseman from South Jersey, was taken 31st overall in last year's NHL Entry Draft, is the latest high profile draft pick from the Garden State. Joining the likes of Bobby Ryan, James vanRiemsdyk and Bobby Sanguinetti, Brennan had originally intended to pursue collegiate lacrosse when he decided to switch gears and play hockey full time.

A late bloomer, Brennan was playing AA hockey until the 2005-2006 season, when he made the jump to the Philadelphia Junior Little Flyers. From there, he garnered a tryout with the St. John's Fog Devils of the QMJHL and made the team, progressing rapidly once he hit the Q. In fact, he was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year with 41 points in 68 games.

Blessed with quick (see video here), skilled hands and a mean streak, Brennan also boasts a shot in the 97 mile per hour range. Acknowledging that he wants to improve his defensive game and become a shutdown defenseman, the 6'1 202 lb Brennan is widely thought to be a very coachable prospect. The Sabres project that he will need a couple more years at the junior level before he makes the jump to pro hockey, which is understandable as he has only been playing for eight years.

News You Can Use Late in the Day:

-A look at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Top Prospects from Hockey's Future.

-The Montreal Canadiens make some cuts. Among the notables are Yann Danis, Sergei Kostitsyn and Duncan Milroy. Note that Carey Price is still in the mix.

-TSN reports that Sidney Crosby left practice today with a sore groin. Likely from having Pierre McGuire attached to it at all times.

-Referees are excited about the new tools they will have to enforce the rules.

-Famous hockey artist Ken Danby passes away.

-Who's Hot and Who's Not in the CHL.

-John McKinnon of the Edmonton Journal feels hockey nicknames are too bland these days.

-The Ducks trim their roster. Included among the cuts is Jason King.

-Taking Note observes that Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard rebuffed his doctor's advice to wear a visor.

-Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports that although Jimmy Howard had a good camp, he will be heading back to the minors.

-Tim Panaccio notes that Jim Dowd is in tough to make the cut at Flyers' camp. Also note that Simon Gagne is finally ready to take the Captaincy in Philadelphia.

-On Frozen Blog highlights the complaints against the new Rbk uniforms.

-Fanhouse with notes on Patrick Kane's take on his place in the Chicago sporting world and on Shawn Horcoff's ice-time for the coming season.

-A transcript of the Alex Ovechkin press conference. Note that he denies the off-season altercation with Gennady Ushakov.

-Pierre Lebrun highlights teams to watch this season.

-In a departure from the new NHL uniforms, the Omaha Lancers of the USHL go old-school. Very sharp.

-Scott Burnside of ESPN discusses the Top Story Lines for the season, including expansion. He is not confident of Winnipeg's chances.

-More uniform talk from Chris Johnston of the Canadian Press.

-John Pohl of the Leafs looks to make the most of his opportunity.

-5 Questions for the Manitoba Moose.

-Randy Sportak reports that Adam Pardy will likely start the season in the AHL.

-Blue Jackets owner John H. McConnell with a candid assessment of Doug McLean.

-Battle of California with a look at Lubomir Visnovsky and Mike Cammalleri.

-Battle of Alberta with a scouting report on Saturday night's Battle of Alberta. Note the scathing report on the Hockey Jesus, Rob Schremp.

-Add Stan Fischler's name to the growing list of people betting on Vegas to join the NHL.

-Wes Goldstein has the Top 50 NHL Players. Discuss amongst yourselves.

-Scott Morrison would like to see and end to baseball style swings at the puck. I say keep them in, we need more goals.

-Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports that Brett Hull is pushing Mike Modano to score more.

-Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review answers readers' questions.Note the quote from Jagr, saying that Pittsburgh made him feel like he was "dying alive".

-Senators prospect Alex Nikulin with another blog entry. This stuff is priceless.

-Wild rookie Petr Kalus, acquired from Boston, may make the opening night roster.

-The Bruins look to exploit Phil Kessel's versatility this year.

-The Score with training camp notes from around the league.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior

Morning Musings

I am going to catch the Sabres' morning skate so I will be skipping my usual preamble for two consecutive days. The normal Morning Musings format will return on Tuesday.

On to the morning papers:

• According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ryan Malone is in the best shape of his career and coach Michel Therrien believes Malone has matured as a player and person.
• President John Davidson thinks the Blues have played "sloppy" thus far in the pre-season and need to get rid of some of their bad habits so the team doesn't have a bad start like it did last season. The Blues lost 4-3 to Chicago in exhibition play on Sunday.
• Dan Boyle severed three tendons in what can only be termed as a freak accident after the Bolts' pre-season loss to the Capitals on Saturday. The good news is the surgery to repair the wrist went "perfectly." Boyle is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. (Writer's note: This is a big loss for the Bolts. I am interested to see how the team will start off the season w/o their best defenseman by a country mile.)
• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star takes a look at the forward options for the Leafs heading into the season without Kyle Wellwood or Mark Bell for significant time. (Writer's note: After looking at these forward lines, Leaf fans may cancel their subscription to Leafs TV.)
• Alain Vigneault was not happy with the play of Brad Isbister and Curtis Sanford in the team's 5-0 exhibition loss to the Ducks on Sunday. To make matters worse, former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and two assists in the first game against his former club.
• Pierre LeBrun of the Canadian Press has Gary Bettman's thoughts on the NHL in Europe and the success of the salary cap system thus far.
• Scott Taylor of the National Post has a good article about the NHL and the city of Winnipeg. (Writer's note: In the article an unnamed TSN commentator questions whether Winnipeg can support a team if they can't even sell out one game a year. I'd love to know who this genius is. Last season the MTS Centre was sold out for an exhibition game between Edmonton and Phoenix. First off, no one cares about either team in Winnipeg. Secondly, you are paying regular season prices to watch wannabe NHL'ers who will be in the AHL, playing in the MTS Centre the next week, for a quarter of the price. I have one question: Who else sells out arenas for exhibition games?)
• As Dan Wood of the Orange County Register details, Bobby Ryan is making his case to stay up with the big club when final cuts come in the next week. The youngster had four assists in the Ducks 5-0 victory over the Canucks on Sunday night.
• Coach Bob Hartley wants to see a more intense attitude and an increased number of battles at Thrashers' camp.
• It looks like Bobby Allen will be in a fight to make the Bruins as a seventh defenseman. Fluto Shinzawa has this story and other notes from around Bruins' camp in this morning's Boston Globe.
• With eleven games before the Bruins' first game, Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald takes a look at how the team's forward lines might look heading into the season.
• The Sabres defeated the Blue Jackets 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday.
• Blue Jackets' camp is about to get more serious as cuts are expected to be handed down today. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has that story and other notes from Jackets' camp.
• Flames' prospect Brent Krahn can't catch a break and the injury he incurred in the first rookie skate has cost him a chance at beginning the season as the team's backup goaltender.
• As Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald writes, David Moss is doing his best to forget about the missed opportunity he had to win game six for the Flames in last year's first round. (Writer's note: He shouldn't feel bad. The Flames were thoroughly outclassed and were lucky to take the series to six games.)
• The Canes somehow only scored one shootout goal all of last season and are hoping Matt Cullen's ability to score in the one-on-one battle will rub off on his teammates. Here are some notes from around Hurricanes' camp.
• Hawks' forward Jason Williams had a goal and two assists in his team's 4-3 victory over St. Louis on Sunday. Hawks' coach Denis Savard is encouraging his players to go to the net to generate more scoring chances.
• The Sakic-Brunette-Smyth line has yet to develop good chemistry but the Avs aren't overly worried.
• The Stars fourth line may be all "goons" this season but, as Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes, Dave Tippett likes to have that presence and energy on the ice.
• It is rather evident that age is just a number to Chris Chelios as he goes into the 2007/08 season at age 45.
• Andrew Cogliano is impressing the Oilers' brass at training camp and is looking to secure a full-time roster spot. However, he is not the only youngster turning heads at Oilers' camp.
• With the roster being slimmed down, Jacques Martin is getting down to what he does best and that is teaching.
• Lonnie White of the L.A. Times details the Kings' plans in Europe before they play the Ducks on Saturday in London, England.
• With roster spots still available, coach Jacques Lemaire wants one of the Wild's youngsters to prove that they warrant a roster spot with their play.
• While Carey Price is the future in Montreal, Cristobal Huet is the present writes Dave Stubbs in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• Tomas Plekanec had a hat trick on Sunday as the Habs defeated the rival Bruins 4-3 in Halifax.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean tells us that the Preds may lose Josh Langfeld is they place him on waivers.
• Kevin Weekes of the Devils will be back on the ice today after a CT scan proved his head is in normal shape.
• While most of the attention goes to the big-name signings, the Islanders' signings of Jon Sim and Josef Vasicek have looked good so far in Isles' camp.
• The Coyotes could be icing one of the bigger forward lines in the entire league writes Jim Gintonio in this morning's Arizona Republic. Meanwhile at camp, even after being sent down, David LeNeveu still believes he can be a solid NHL goaltender.
• After turning down the Flyers' captaincy twice during the 2005-06 season, Simon Gagne says he will now proudly accept the captaincy if it is offered to him.
• Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen documents the worry surrounding the injuries to keep players at Sens' camp. Ray Emery's wrist isn't fully healed, and he is being joined on the sidelines by Wade Redden and Mike Fisher.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a daily look at the latest international hockey news.

- Russianprospects.com gives us a detailed scouting analysis of 5 young prospects currently playing in the Russian Super League. Dmitri Pestunov, a center with Spartak Moscow, and a 2003 Phoenix Coyotes draft pick (3/80), gets a grade of B+. Pestunov had 5 goals and 18 assists in 53 games last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The talented playmaker may find it hard to get a crack with the Coyotes this season as other players, including Alexei Kaigorodov and Enver Lisin, are ahead of him on the depth chart.

- George Richard of the Miami Herald reports that Jamie McLennan is back from Russia (Metallurg Magnitogorsk) and wants a back-up job in the National Hockey League, possibly with his old team, the Calgary Flames.

- The 2013 IIHF World Men's Hockey Championships will be held in the Swedish cities of Malmö and Stockholm. The 2008 World Championship will be held in Canada for the first time ever, with Halifax and Quebec City as the host cities. This season marks the 100th anniversary of the World Championships. Team Canada are current World Champions.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Morning Musings

Due to the high number of articles this morning, I am going to skip my usual preamble.

On to the morning papers:

• Shawn Horcoff may not be penciled in on the Oilers' number one line, but he will still play on the top powerplay unit and kill penalties. To his credit, Horcoff is not complaining about being demoted from the team's top line.
• All the youngsters were impressive for the Oilers last night versus the Flames writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• Sheldon Souray takes it personally when people put down the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta.
• As Steve Gorton writes, Olli Jokinen is coming into his own as captain and leader of the Florida Panthers.
• Dan Boyle suffered a freak accident in the locker room and the team will be without his services for 3-6 weeks.
• Injured Mike Van Ryn and Steve Montador both skated on their own yesterday in an effort to get ready for the team's first regular season game.
• After an impressive rookie campaign, sophomore Anze Kopitar is looking to improve upon last season's terrific numbers; Lonnie White of the L.A. Times has the story.
• Most families hate to see their children fight, however, the Boogards are a different breed writes Michael Russo.
• The newest line of Fiddler-Arnott-Dumont is gelling at Predators' camp writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. Meanwhile, the Predators made more cuts on Saturday and have now trimmed their roster down to 28.
• Saku Koivu think that the Habs need to work on their powerplay. The Habs went 0-for-5 on the man-advantage in their 2-1 loss to the Sens on Saturday.
• The Rangers' forward combination of Gomez and Jagr needs more time to click writes John Dellapina of the New York Daily News. The Rangers left much to be desired in their 5-0 defeat to the Flyers on Saturday.
• Sean Bergenheim and Charles Wang have put their differences behind them and Bergenheim is looking forward to a having big season with the Islanders.
• With Sheldon Souray gone from Montreal, Jason Spezza picked a new Habs' defenseman to pick on and that was Mark Streit.
• Christoph Schubert impressed a number of scouts who were taking in the Sens/Habs pre-season game on Saturday.
• Many fans are unhappy with the look of the NHL's new uniforms writes Hugh Adami of the Ottawa Citizen.
• Wayne Gretzky was very happy with the way his team's youngsters performed in a 6-5 victory over Dallas on Saturday.
• Because the new uniforms repel moisture, players are noticing all of their equipment is having to absorb more sweat than before writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• The Pens lost to the Red Wings 5-2 on Sunday.
• The NHL is looking to grow its brand across Europe writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• There is plenty of competition in Detroit for the final two roster spots writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
• As David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News explains, there are four players fighting tooth and nail to win the Sharks' sixth defenseman job this training camp.
• The Blues were able to sign Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya for the same price it would have cost to sign Scott Gomez writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Blues defeated the Thrashers 3-2 on Saturday night.
• According to Mark Zwolinksi of the Toronto Star, the best case scenario for a Kyle Wellwood return is 3-4 weeks. However, Paul Maurice thinks we should know more about the situation in the next 2-3 days.
• The Leafs are considering lining up Chad Kilger as the team's number two center. The adjustment may not be as significant for Kilger as people thing because, as Kilger points out, he started his career as a center.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star opines that the 2005-06 NHL season was the exception rather than the rule in terms of increased offensive hockey.
• Not unlike just about every game last season, the Canucks asked too much of Roberto Luongo as the team was defeated by the Sharks 3-1 on Saturday.
• Patrick Marleau is opting to put last season's playoff struggles behind him and is looking forward to 07/08 writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
• Mike Modano is only six points from passing Phil Housley and becoming the all-time points leader for American born players.
• Chris Clark has moved from a scoring role, back to his old checking role and is not in the least bit complaining.
• The Columbus Dispatch has a Q & A with the Blue Jackets' owner.
• With Jose Theodore nursing an injury, long-shot candidate Tyler Weiman may begin the season as the Avs' backup goaltender; Andrian Dater has the story.
• As Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains, Keith Tkachuk has only good things to say about his time in Atlanta.
• The Hurricanes lost to the Predators 4-1 on Saturday; Luke Decock of the News Observer has the recap.
• While making the Sabres' opening day roster seems unlikely at this point, Patrick Kaleta only has one gear and he is not going to change his style of play just because his chances to make the team are slim at Sabres' camp.
• Kevin Paul Dupont's usual Sunday morning gem of an article can be found here.
• Dupont also provides us with a recap of Saturday's Bruins/Leafs contest and notes from around Bruins' camp in this morning's Boston Globe.
• Newcomer Peter Schaeffer has developed great chemistry with Marc Savard in Boston training camp thus far.
• The youngsters were flying on the ice for the Flames as they took on the Oilers on Saturday night. While the number one line of Iginla-Langkow-Tanguay was put together for the first time this pre-season and didn't disappoint.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.