This did not quite come out of nowhere. You get that impression from Brent Sutter but I refuse to believe it. The bottom line is the New Jersey Devils came up short pretty much since Game 1. Even when they won…you were left with the feeling that it could fall apart. Tonight it did. Two strategic mistakes in the final seconds led to two goals by Carolina. Just like that, the Devils went from winning to OT to regulation Game 7 loss in one of the most cruelest ways imaginable.

However, the reality is the Devils were not good enough. Guys like Niklas Havelid, Colin White, etc…etc. are not defensemen you want to hang your hat on. There is a reason why this team had to score a ton in the regular season. These guys are just NOT GOOD! I will say it once and I will say it again. Look back to Game 5 when they just BARELY held on to a 1-0 win against Carolina. The defense sat back and let Carolina do whatever it wanted to. That is not acceptable and nor will it ever be acceptable!

People are going to second guess Martin Brodeur again and say he cannot win the big game. That is also nonsense! What simply happened is this team got caught with the deer in headlights look. Instead of recovering like a good team would when they got scored on…they let something happen that was even more improbable and that was give up a series winner in regulation. One cannot fault Brodeur for what happened there. The defensive breakdowns were many like they were all series. What happened was they kind of got lost in the shuffle until the most crucial moment of the season.

Again this team is too built for the regular season and not enough for the postseason. One line and a grizzled vet showed up tonight (Brendan Shanahan had 2 assists). There are going to need to be some pretty drastic changes. The first starts at defense. Because that is the main core of where the problems lie in Jersey!

First off…whatever it takes to make Colin White go away….do it! Colin has been a nice player for NJ for a long while but hey this is a business and its time to get better. There are guys like Steve Montador and Jay Bouwmeester who will be UFA’s among others. Throw a line out there….buy out White if you have to but this team needs a major overhaul on D. I can live with Bryce Salvador to a point but if by some miracle Jay-Bo does come to New Jersey…then its time to ship out Paul Martin as well. Cut the salary and send him to Minnesota. After that, make sure Mr. Havelid has a nice long walk off a short pier and bring up Matt Corrente from Lowell. Surely this will not fix all the problem on the Devils’ blueline but hey it is a start.

Next up…Rolston, Elias, and Gionta are not too bad together but Patrik Elias has to learn to SCORE in the playoffs again. It seemed Elias missed several glorious chances in this series that he normally would not miss. Patrik had a bad series…it is okay to say it. You cannot miss wide open nets like Elias did in this series if you want to be considered an elite player again. Until he lights the lamp enough when it counts…Patrik will just be another regular season performer. Lou Lamoriello will likely mend whatever fences with Brian Gionta and will offer him a deal. Question is will Gionta take it? If not, Lou Lams could go out into the UFA market. At this point….it could not hurt.

The fourth line was not too bad….Rupp and Clarkson were not so good tonight for whatever reason but overall during the season David Clarkson started to make those slow steps to becoming a better NHL player. I think next year he breaks the 20 goal barrier and with some more time on the extra man…he could get close to 25 goals. The duo makes for a nice energy line and hopefully they can find someone in Lowell to make a trio because Bobby Holik likely will not be back. At 2.5 million he is too expensive to have. In the end, the Holik reunion tour did not work.

Now whatever it takes to break up Madden and Pandolfo…..do it! The team is getting older and older and honestly for as hard as these two work….2003 is now 6 years ago. They are beginning to show their age together on the ice. John Madden paired with a younger gritty forward could work. However either Madden or Pandolfo or both may go and I would rather it be Pandolfo. Madden is too valuable on short handed situations still.

If that is not enough…oh believe me there is much more. It is now apparent and needed to take a deeper look at this farm system. When you are ranked at the bottom of the prospect heap…worse than teams like Colorado….its time to take a second look. I will never figure out why John Carlson was not taken over Mr. Tedenby. Everyone has seen what Carlson did with London of the OHL this year. Time to see where scouting can be improved because that once vaunted Devils scouting has slipped several rungs in the past few years.

Do a system’s check. Its like taking a car out and giving it a full tune-up after say 50,000 miles. The Devils are now six years removed from a Stanley Cup and for most fans and franchises…that would be a great thing. However for this fan…it is not! It really is time to take a look at all parts of this organization. Is Brent Sutter really the right coach for this team? Could John MacLean be replaced for a more NHL savvy assistant? From goaltending coaches to personnel…..this checkup needs to be done and done quickly. The draft is coming up in late June and July 1st is the free agent frenzy.

Can the Devils learn something from this? Yes they can but only if they really take a deep look in the mirror and realize what they have become is not the team they envisioned at the start of the 2008-2009 season. Ultimately that divergence led to their eventual and sudden downfall.

What got them there? Well honestly a resilient offense and timely goaltending from someone not named Martin Brodeur for most of the season is what got the Devils to this point. When Brodeur went down on November 1st…did anyone expect them to be in this position? No! Scott Clemmensen did an incredible job under the worst circumstances with 25 wins for Jersey. However he did tail off the last 10 days sort of like he did the first 10. Patrik Elias has 65 points for the team and Zach Parise has 73 points. The Devils, in all, have scored 186 goals in 61 games which is good for 3.05 goals per game. As an oh by the way Jamie Langenbrunner, the captain has chipped in with 52 points including 19 goals and 5 GWG’s….he is a clutch man when clutch is needed. Travis Zajac in his third year also has 52 points which has been a huge surprise for a team that did not expect quite that much from him.

Now what got them there to me is a simple philosophy that quite a few people forgot about. That started during last year’s playoff series in Game 3 where the Devils decided to play a little more of a run and gun style. They would go on to lose to the Rangers in five games but it set the stage for this season. Signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik helped play a big part in that. Now they have not produced in the way expected but they have been effective. Effective works as most know! Still this team does have some needs and that is a cold reality as team vie for the Stanley Cup come April.

What they need? It looks like the team needs a defenseman for starters. The goaltending is obviously covered. Never hurts to have an all-world netminder….ever! Ideally the Devils need a two way defenseman to create some more offense while being able to muscle guys out of Brodeur’s way. A guy like Jay-Bo wouldn’t hurt but the reality may dictate more a return of Scott Niedermayer or Jordan Leopold and even that might not be all that likely. After all, that is the whole point of a wish list. You wish for it but it does not mean you will get it. Sad commentary on life that your team cannot always get what they want.

This team could use another scoring forward especially if Brian Gionta really is as digruntled as people have said. That of course depends on who you read and who you ask. The Devils could bring up someone from Lowell if they really had to. It would not hurt to get a little younger as Gionta is having a nice season but should have just about a point a game with who he is playing. He did nearly score 50 once but that seems like eons ago! Rolson has also been a bit of a disappointment in that sense…people just expected more I guess. Maybe it will come next year but for chemistry’s sake a 2nd line scorer couldn’t hurt. Who could they get? Well Gabork is out…how about maybe a Tim Connolly perhaps. Time will tell.

What Will They Get? Not sure truthfully….there are so many wild rumors out there that usually the quiet ones are hard to gauge. This time of year really is like a “Christmas” of sorts for teams as they find out what they will have to work with as they go into battle for the Stanley Cup! Leopold might be the most practical and affordable but will the Devils have enough “goods” to aim higher? Brian Gionta and a pick or two, toss in a Pandolfo and the Devils might be able to address their needs. Then again the trade deadline is like high stakes poker….sometimes you have to go all in to get what you want.

Come Wednesday Evening we will see what the Devils wind up getting. Will it be enough? I do not know but surely we will be back with analysis of the Devils Trade Deadline as well as the NHL Trade Deadline. Enjoy the hockey till then!

Needless to say the memories of losing to the New York Rangers in 5 games last year do not fade away. That will definitely take some time. As the Devils lost 5-3 to the Rangers in Game 5, I remember saying to myself… “My god… we score and we can’t defend. We defend and we can’t score. Damn that has to change.”

So chug a beer after last year if you’re a Jersey fan… it may not make you feel any better though. The New Jersey Devils did get smart during the offseason. It did help naturally that the Devils were finally out of the Scott Niedermayer mess. Niedermayer signing with the Ducks messed up the Devils’ Salary Cap for 2+ seasons. Over the summer, the Devils were able to sign Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik and sent Vitali Vishnevski back to Russia. They also resigned several restricted and unrestricted free agents. A notable one was Bryce Salvador for 4 years, 11.6 million (until Jeff Finger signed with Toronto). With an improving, young defensive corp, the Devils could surprise many.

Why do I say that? Think about it! This year has been the annual Devils Bashing from media. I guess I have the right to name names at this point. The Hockey News as usual underestimates the Devils around 7th in the East but they are not the worst. ESPN actually has the Devils out of the playoffs. and they may be further from reality than ever. Case in point… ESPN has the Penguins winning the East. I won’t even say what CBS Sportsline thought.

Now hindsight is 20/20 folks. This is an annual occurrence and no one should be surprised. The reality is someday the New Jersey Devils are going to miss the playoffs but it won’t be this year. Here is why…..

I will say that Eklund is almost never right when it comes to these things. He had said that the Devils had the fifth worst offseason. Imagine what would have happened if the Devils had not signed Brian Rolston. Speaking of brainwashing… have you seen this one from Scott Burnside?

They haven’t missed the playoffs in years, but even if it takes 40 years they will eventually. I will predict it too. But how? I know! I will just predict them missing them every single year. I made look stupid at first but when they finally do miss them I will be looked at as the hockey guru of ESPN.

Sorry that will not happen either. I get the point….most network media does not like the New Jersey Devils. Okay well they do have some valid points. Martin Brodeur plays way too much. Hockeydb.com has all the evidence that you will ever need for this argument. All the practice rest in the world does not mitigate the debate at all. Playing games is playing games folks. You have to rest the big horse because face it, no rest equals early playoff exits and that is bad.

The offense was horrible… yet another valid point. However, it is not all bad for New Jersey. They seem to shoot an awful lot though but yet only had 206 goals (only the Isles at 194 was worse in the East). It is hard to make the playoffs with a stumbling offense. Patrik Elias only had 20 goals and 55 points last year and Zach Parise led the team with 65 points… not exactly numbers that scare opposing teams. These are players that probably should average a point or game… maybe even more.

The defense was not that good. Obviously many have said and rightfully so that Martin Brodeur is the Devils’ best defenseman. He does make the defense look a heck of a lot better than it actually was… especially last year. But with youngsters like Matt Corrente and a full season of Bryce Salvador…this team may not be so bad off after all. An improved defensive core is expected as they could not be worse than last year.

Special teams will improve… it has to. The Power Play was abysmal…. ranking 25th at 15.6%. Brian Rolston will be a key cog here and Bobby Holik may help on the second unit clogging the front of the net. Rolston, a natural QB, on the man advantage may even put the team in the top half of the Power Play rankings when all is said and done. The Penalty Kill was 82.8% which ranked a disappointing 13th. Now 13th does not sound that bad but this is the New Jersey Devils. For years, they were ranked in the top 5 or 10 on the man disadvantage. That may return this year with the return of Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston. Again as good as they are on offense..they are even better on the defensive end. With a little mix of youth thrown in, the Devils will improve on this statistic as well.

Prognosis: The Devils are an old, aging team to a point…they ranked 2nd in the league in current age…only Anaheim is older at 30.6. If Brent Sutter can find a way to keep the window open just a bit longer and playing Martin Brodeur maybe 70-72 games maximum… then the Devils will be better off in the long run. The team will improve overall but so has the rest of the Eastern Conference. However, with injuries and defections from teams… the New Jersey Devils will benefit. The Devils will finish 2nd behind the Philadelphia Flyers and again end up 4th in the Eastern Conference. Question will be what playoff lesson did they learn but that is for another time.

In the first part of our sit-down, we discussed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ off-season moves and the club’s upcoming campaign.

In, this, the second part of our interview, Shapiro shares his thoughts on the business side of the NHL.

Alin Mateescu: In one of your articles on RumorMeThis you stated that “[hockey and the NHL] will never reach certain segment/demographics in the US.”

Do you think that it’s the game of hockey that doesn’t attract large portions of the American population? If so, what makes hockey unappealing to certain regions of the United States?

Howard Shapiro: Because the game isn’t made for TV and you don’t really get a sense of how fast the game is moving and because it doesn’t translate well on TV you lose a significant portion of the public. The game gets no coverage on Sportscenter as well and that is a huge loss. It’s hysterical to me when I go to Canada and flip on TSN and the first 20 minutes of worth of highlights are from NHL games. It’s just always going to be a tough sell down here in the states,

AM: Is it the league’s fault for not doing a better job of marketing itself? Aside from promoting fighting, as you have suggested in the same article, is there anything more the NHL can do to increase their fan base in the US?

HS: I think the league has tried via commercials and other marketing means to increase the profile of the league but the number factor that they’ve messed up is the TV contract with Versus. Versus does a great job with the games and the post game show and things like that, but most people don’t even know what channel Versus is and if the league powers to be were smart, they’d crawl on their hands and knees and beg ESPN to take them back. To me, that’s the best thing they could do to increase the fan base.

AM: Has the labor dispute which caused the cancellation of the 2004-05 season had a negative affect on the league, in the US? How has it affected your view of the owners, players, and the league as whole?

HS: Actually, I think the strike has been the best thing to happen for the league…it’s probably Bettman’s single greatest (and some may say only) contribution to hockey. Instituting the cap was the only way to save hockey and it took a year to get it done, but it did and now the league is better off for the lost year.

AM: Can the salary cap continue to rise in the NHL despite falling revenue and flagging interest in the American market? Are the salaries that recent free agents have received out of line with the current economic state of the league?

HS: I don’t believe the salaries are out of line. The way things should work is that the top players should be paid the most and receive the high salaries. It’s when the Bobby Holik’s and Martin Lapointe’s of the world get top money, that’s when you have problems.

Check back for the third, and last, part of our interview with Shapiro as he talks about his latest effort set to hit stores October 7, “Hockey Player For Life.”

Shapiro will be signings autographs and chatting up fans in Toronto October 3rd at the Indigospirit location at the Royal Bank Plaza 200 Bay Street from 12:30 – 2:00 PM and October 4th at the Chapters-Runnymede at 2225 Bloor Street West from 11:30 – 1:30PM.

Sundin refused to waive the no-trade clause and allow the deal to go through.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs were also close to acquiring Philadelphia Flyers forward Jeff Carter and the club’s first round pick in return for defenseman Tomas Kaberle on deadline day. The deal “was written up at the league office and awaiting approval,” but Kaberle invoked his no-trade clause.

The Edmonton Journal claims that the New Jersey Devils will sign Flyers defenseman Jason Smith in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent.

Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell told Craig Custance of The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he is not negotiating contract extensions with any of the club’s pending free agents.

“There are no talks going on right now,” Waddell said.

Waddell says that there is plenty of time to discuss new contracts with possible UFAs Mark Recchi, Johan Hedberg, Eric Boulton, Bobby Holik and Steve McCarthy, and the team’s lone pending RFA Kari Lehtonen.

“On our current team there’s only one restricted and that’s Lehtonen. We have a couple unrestricted guys but right now no talks have gone on with any of our players. I think the [current] situation, I don’t see a big need just yet. We have a couple weeks here to focus on winning hockey games.”

Pat Hickey of The Montreal Gazette suggests that the Canadiens will have an easier time attracting quality free agent in the summer due to their excellent play this season and good group of talented young players.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette suggests that the Pittsburgh Penguins should not trade forward Sidney Crosby for any reason. Duh!

Indications are that the Thrashers would have no problem trading Holik, as they already tried to do so last fall.

Mark Everson of the New York Post confirms that the Thrashers and Devils discussed a swap involving Holik during the pre-season.

However, talks broke down when the Thrashers discovered that the player they were supposed to acquire, forward John Madden, came with “significant deferred payments.”

In New York, Brooks sees Holik as the perfect candidate to center the struggling Jagr. Holik is a defensive specialist who goes hard to the net and isn’t afraid to get involved physically when he has to.

The two Czech forwards have played together for 20 games during the 2003-04 season, and appeared to have some chemistry.

So, if Holik comes “for the right price,” Brooks believes that Rangers GM Glen Sather would be wise to re-acquire the former Ranger.

Even if Sather and Holik don’t appear to have much affinity towards each other. They’d only have to spend a couple of months together since Holik would be no more than a rental.

Holik suggests that part of the reason the club hasn’t initiated negotiations with him is because they’re preoccupied with more important matters. Like deciding what to do with soon-to-be UFA forward Marian Hossa.

“Because our best player [Hossa] is up for a contract or may be traded, people are pretty occupied with that, as they should be,” Holik said. “They have to be worried about the important things.”

Earlier in the season when the Thrashers were struggling, speculation was that they were thinking of moving Holik back to the New York Rangers. However, since the Thrashers begun to climb in the standings the rumors died down.

But now it appears as though the Thrashers may hang on to Holik. At least for this season.

Thrashers GM Don Waddell tells Gulitti that while he understands he’s got to plan for next season, he also has to worry about what’s happening this season.

“You’ve always got to worry about the future, but you also can’t forget about the present,” Waddell said Friday. “I think the trend you’re going to see — it may start this year, it may start next year — but you’re going to see a lot more unrestricted players stay with their teams throughout the year and then deal with it come July 1.”

Gulitti believes that Waddell may be willing to hang on to his free agents, including Hossa, so he can take a run at the playoffs.

Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals (unrestricted free agent}
There are a strange set of circumstances unfolding in Washington as the once-dead Caps crawled to within a point of the Southeast Division lead at the break. They did so in spite of pretty ordinary goaltending from the classy veteran Kolzig, who has recorded a save percentage of more than .900 in just three of his past 11 games. Could GM George McPhee find a team looking for veteran backup help a la the Calgary Flames, who recently signed Curtis Joseph? The New York Rangers, perhaps? Or San Jose Sharks?

Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres (unrestricted free agent}
The plot thickens in Buffalo, or sickens if you’re a Sabres fan. Campbell won’t talk contract with the Sabres until after the season. The team will be life-and-death to make the playoffs and GM Darcy Regier can hardly afford to let another key piece of his franchise take a powder without getting something in return. And Campbell, an All-Star and strong candidate for the 2010 Canadian Olympic team, is the best defenseman who could be available on the market. The New York Rangers need help defensively, as do the Sharks.

Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators (unrestricted free agent}
Interesting choices face Ottawa GM Bryan Murray. He’d like to bring in Peter Forsberg if the talented center is healthy, but he also has to keep one eye on the future. Ottawa has pretty good defensive depth, so it’s unlikely he’ll offer Redden a contract for the $6.5 million he’s making this season. Would he deal Redden to, say, Edmonton, for some offensive depth if he can’t land Forsberg? There are few quality defensemen who could be on the move, so the asking price will be high.

Dan Boyle, Tampa Bay Lightning (unrestricted free agent}
Boyle has missed all but five games this season, but he did return to action just before the break and netted two goals against Ottawa. GM Jay Feaster is already in a salary-cap predicament with his three top forwards (Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards). The question is whether Feaster can afford to lock up Boyle — a fine, underappreciated defenseman and another likely member of the 2010 Canadian Olympic team — without shedding one of the so-called triplets. The Bolts have little in the way of top prospects ready to play in the NHL and they need to restock the cupboard. The Rangers, Bruins and Sharks might be interested. If the Sens moved Redden, Boyle (an Ottawa native) would be a natural fit.

Marian Hossa, Atlanta Thrashers, RW (unrestricted free agent}
The top player that could be available on the market. GM Don Waddell will make one last-ditch effort to re-sign Hossa this week, but as one top agent told ESPN.com, there’s “not a chance” Hossa will sign in Atlanta. One of the top two-way players in the game despite an off year offensively (45 points in 49 games), Hossa should yield an attractive package of top picks, prospects and/or young NHLers. San Jose (possibly for center Patrick Marleau), Vancouver or Colorado could all use offensive help and Hossa could deliver. Hossa does not have a no-trade clause; hard to imagine a team acquiring Hossa without believing they could sign him long term.

Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs, C (unrestricted free agent}
There is still much debate about whether Sundin will waive his no-trade clause to allow the Leafs to restock their shelves. As a center enjoying his most productive season in years (54 points in 51 games at the break), Sundin should bring a premium package. Anaheim could use depth down the middle, while Vancouver, Colorado, Calgary and Philadelphia all have the needs and assets to put a deal together. Look for Jeff Carter to be part of any deal involving the Flyers. Sundin’s value will also go up if Forsberg can’t return or signs early.

Darcy Tucker, Toronto Maple Leafs, RW (three years left on four-year deal; $3M annual cap hit}
The Leafs will be in sell-off mode in the coming days (why else would they bring in interim GM Cliff Fletcher if not to clear the decks) and there might be some interest in the scrappy forward if a GM thinks he might be able to rekindle the fire that seems to have gone out this season for Tucker. His $9 million over three years will be a tough sell, though. He might fit well with Mike Keenan in Calgary, and Tucker is a Western Canadian boy.

Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs, LW (four years left on five-year deal, $4M annual cap hit}
Speaking of the Leafs’ yard sale, Fletcher will no doubt be working the phones to try and find a taker for the fiery winger, who has grossly underachieved this season (just nine goals after a career-best 40 in 2006-07). Would the Islanders, who struggle to attract top free agents, want Blake back?

Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers, RW (unrestricted free agent}
If the five-time scoring champ doesn’t collect 84 points and the Rangers don’t win at least one playoff round, then Jagr would become an unrestricted free agent. The team is on the playoff bubble, which raises the issue of whether GM Glen Sather would risk moving the talented 36-year-old winger, perhaps for defensive help, or seeing Jagr walk away for free in the offseason.

Mark Recchi, Atlanta Thrashers, RW (unrestricted free agent}
Just when it looked like it was over for the two-time Cup winner, Recchi has revived his career in Atlanta. He has 20 points in 23 games with the Thrashers, playing mostly with Ilya Kovalchuk. Still, does Recchi, who turns 40 this week, fit in long term on a team that needs to stop filling its lineup with castoffs and develop its own players? No. But Recchi might find a home on a playoff-bound team looking for scoring depth.

Bobby Holik, Atlanta Thrashers, C (unrestricted free agent}
Sources tell ESPN.com the New Jersey Devils inquired about Holik before the season, dangling John Madden. Why the Thrashers wouldn’t have jumped at such an offer is mind-boggling, but we digress. Holik was once considered one of the top shut-down playoff men in the business and may still have limited value on the open market. The Devils would be a good place to start.

Glen Murray, Boston Bruins, RW (one year left on contract; $4.15 million}
The big forward has missed 14 games and counting with a hip flexor injury and doesn’t fit into the Bruins’ plans moving forward. He’s a big ticket, but for a team with cap room and offensive needs like the Vancouver Canucks, it might be a good fit.

Michael Ryder, Montreal Canadiens, RW (unrestricted free agent}
The Newfoundland native scored 30 goals in each of the first two seasons after the lockout, but is having a miserable campaign in 2007-08 with just eight goals in 44 games. That said, Ryder has come around of late with two goals in the past four games. He might not yield much for the Habs, but there will certainly be interest. Perhaps from Colorado? The Avs are in desperate need of offensive help with Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth on the injury shelf.

Holik, however, remains unconcerned about his situation.

“It’s a reality, but nowadays those things aren’t as important as they used to be,” Holik said. “Turnover of players … is a lot bigger part of the game than it ever was before. It’s not that big a deal. My only concern right now is to help us be better.”

Still with Atlanta, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that Marian Hossa’s days with the Thrashers may be coming to an end if the two sides can’t agree on a contract extension.

Garrioch lists the Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers as some of the tams that may make a play for the pending UFA.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis is continuing his search for a forward that can help his club not only this season, but long-term as well.

However, he will not make a “desperation” trade to replace injured defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo.

The Detroit News is reporting that Detroit Red Wings forward Igor Grigorenko will sign with Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the Russian Super League, and perhaps cutting his ties with the Red Wings organization altogether.

“Yeah, I heard about that, too. It’s not true,” he said. “I plan on being there tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. I’m just going to keep showing up and work myself through this.”

Unrestricted free agent forward Peter Forsberg told Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren that he’s unsure about a return to the NHL, reports Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Forsberg keeps everything close to the vest. He’s really coy about what his future is. He’ll just see how he feels and go from there.”

“It sounded like this tournament is going to be a big test for him,” Holmgren said of Forsberg’s injured right foot. “He’s only been able to skate at half speed [in practice] and he needs to take that next step. He seems very non-committal about what he might do this season about coming back to the NHL. He told me: ‘I want to see if I’m OK first.’”

Holmgren and Forsberg met in Philadelphia last Sunday.

Kevin Allen of USA TODAY suggests that Bobby Holik’s $4.5 million salary is preventing the Atlanta Thrashers from adding any depth to their roster.

The Islanders have placed defenseman Freddy Meyer on waivers to clear a roster spot for Berard.

SI.com’s Allan Muir suggests that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nikolai Zherdev has reduce his market value to a point where no team is willing to take him on as a reclamation project.

Muir also suggests that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet could be moved before the trade deadline. With the Canadiens being in somewhat of a building move and having two good young goalies in Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, Huet could become “a luxury with which the Habs can afford to part” in exchange for “a few more pieces of the puzzle.”

A few more players that Muir predicts will be traded before the deadline are: Ilya Bryzgalov (Anaheim Ducks), Sergei Fedorov (Blue Jackets), Miroslav Satan (Islanders), Al Montoya (New York Rangers), Bobby Holik (Atlanta Thrashers), Glen Murray (Boston Bruins), Andrew Raycroft (Toronto Maple Leafs)

And where will UFA forward Peter Forsberg end up? According to Muir, the Colorado Avalanche will be the winners of the Forsberg sweepstakes. The Avalanche provide Forsberg with a place to win and a familiar place to play.