The Defense has been fairly strong the last few years as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have been the anchors that the blueline strength has leaned on. With Brent Sopel coming in last season to lend a much needed veteran presence, the Defensive core got that much stronger on the depth chart. This season the highest rated free agent defenseman, Brian Campbell, signed a big contract to come be a Blackhawk. Whether Brian is the last piece of the puzzle or not is yet to be seen, but at $7.1 million per year expectations will be high. The depth at the #5/#6 spot was filled out last year nicely by James “Wiz” Wisniewski. But Wiz is out until probably December healing up from his 3rd knee surgery. While Cam Barker played defense for 45 games last season, he has been sent down to the AHL partner in Rockford. Rumors suggest Cam will return to the NHL as early as this weekend. The other surprise on the blueline is defensive specialist Niklas Hjalmarsson. With only 13 NHL games under his belt last season, Niklas will surprise in my opinion. I expect good things on the Blueline this year over all.

On the Free Agent Frenzy day (July 1st) Dale Tallon (Blackhawks GM)surprised and shocked the NHL by signing Christobel Huet while already having Nikolai Khabibulin under contract. With $13 mil worth of starting goaltending, it is most likely that one will be dealt. Rumors have abounded that Khabibulin will be traded, but no substantial action has taken place yet. Having two starting goaltenders has pushed back the promotion of either Corey Crawford or Antii Niemi for now. Look for Khabibulin to be dealt and both Crawford and Niemi to make appearances in the NHL. If it’s Crawford, expect big things from the talented netminder who shut out the Ducks for his first NHL career win. But keep a close eye on camp stand out Niemi, as he has shown alot of promise.

Robert Lang being dealt left the veteran presence on the Forward lines thinner. Craig Adams is the oldest Forward on the team at a measely 30 years old. But don’t let the youthfulness on the club fool you. Kane and Toews have already been mentioned at only 20 years old a piece. They might not be legal to buy beers, but they can still play. No doubt about that. Dustin Byfuglien switched up to Forward from Defenseman last season and has slowly developed into a more competent and able power forward. Martin Havlat claims he’s ready to play 82+ games this season, but I wouldn’t take that to Vegas. Though possibly the most talented forward on the team, his career has been plagued by a string of injuries. IF Havlat was to remain healthy he would no doubt lead the team in scoring and be a giant boost to the entire offense.

It will be a DO or DIE year for 2005 1st round pick Jack Skille. Many expect big things from him, but at this point in his career and contract, it’s breakout or move on for him. Dave Bolland will make his first full season debut having made the NHL roster for this year. Kris Versteeg will also make his first full season debut this year with Colin Fraser. With question marks having over these players’ heads it will make for an interesting season. Whether they will be up to the challenge is up to them.

Andrew Ladd was the surprise mid season addition last year when the Blackhawks unexpectedly traded energy player Tuomo Ruutu. After coming to Chicago his game caught fire and he clicked with the game style played in Chicago. Whether that was a fluke will be seen this season. I suspect him to come out ready to go and surprise.

Patrick Sharp was snubbed in All Star voting last year for I imagine the last time in his career. Every season has seen Patrick’s play improve by leaps and bounds. With a penchant for stickhandling into and through traffic and a dangerous shot, Sharp earned himself an “A” on his sweater. This year he should get the respect and esteem he deserves after flying under the radar last season.

I could not possibly skip over either Adam Burrish or Ben Eager. Eager will begin the season with a 3 game suspension. If he doesn’t step it up, he’ll be playing Rockford before the season is over. While Adam Burrish also spends his share of time in the box, his super pest game and razor tongue get results without suspensions. I have a sneaking hunch that Adam will find the back of the net more than 4 times this year. Despite being a defensive specialist and a pest, he possesses a high level of skill for the game. My advice is to never take your eye of the guy when he’s on the ice.

I expect the Blackhawks to come out hard and heavy from the word “Go!” this season. Having only missed the Playoffs by a measely 3 points last season, they’ll be playing for blood this season. Finally having put the “C” on a player and giving a nod to leadership will be strong. Whether 20 year old Jonathan Toews is up for the challenge of being a Captain in the NHL is yet to be seen, but the players seem to be behind him all the way. Whether that unification will pay off is not known. At any rate I can assure you that Blackhawks hockey will be an exciting entertainment outlet for all Hockey afficiandos. Tune in Friday October 10th to see the Blackhawks kick their season off against fellow Original 6 franchise the New York Rangers.

Now some of you may say; the last four years have been horrendous for Leaf fans.   They have had to endure a half-decade long playoff drought; so, the Leafs must make the playoffs.  Others would say; rebuilding a team is a process, this method takes time.  This recent trend of black and white thinking has become an eternal struggle, it is an argument I have had with many followers of the Maple Leafs.  Though I do not have a dogmatic, narrow-minded view of the current Maple Leaf situation, I am inclined to agree with the latter.  Simply because while the Maple Leafs do have a myriad of future assets including but not limited to; Jiri Tlusty, Nikolai Kulemin, Justin Pogge and the newly-acquired Mikhail Grabovski, to name a few. None of these potential stars really stands out to attain the status of super-star.  Now that they have finally obtained one of these superstars in Luke Schenn, it is time to acquire someone equally as high in status and talent to launch the Maple Leafs into triumph.

Take a second to look around the league, while the most extreme example being the Pittsburgh Penguins (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury) there are many others around the league who have had high draft picks over the last few years and will surely be successful in the near future.  Perhaps the most talked about turn-around in hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks, have a dynamic duo in Jonathan Toews (3^rd overall in 06) and Patrick Kane (1^st overall in 08) to go along with their abundance of other career NHLers such as Cam Barker, Dave Bolland and Jack Skille.  The Los Angeles Kings who have been quietly stock-piling future talent for years, made there biggest splash this year with 2^nd overall pick Drew Doughty to accompany future stalwart Jack Johnson (3^rd overall in 05).  Another standout of course is Wayne Gretzky’s new and improved Phoenix Coyotes who acquired Danish prospect Mikkel Boedker (8^th overall in 08) to complement Kyle Turris (3^rd overall in 07) and Peter Mueller (8^th overall in 06). FYI: I firmly believe these aforementioned teams will be a top the NHL standings in no later than two years.

These are just mere examples of what the Leafs are now facing. But one thing is abundantly obvious; most dominant teams are built on at least two or three standout prospects.   It has been 41 years since the great city of Toronto has seen the Leafs hoist the Stanley Cup.  Is it really too much to ask to endure one more season of failure?  Personally, I do not wish for a top 10 pick, I believe it’s imperative to obtain a top 3 pick.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have the choice between mega-prospects John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Luke Schenn’s brother; Brayden, among others. The Maple Leafs have been mired in mediocrity for so many years, it has certainly become an exercise in futility.  Many Leaf followers wish for the return of Mats Sundin and for some strange reason, Maple Leaf brass is seemingly leaving the door open for his return.  The team Cliff Fletcher has fielded for the 08-09 season has hockey pundits everywhere saying that not only is this team not good enough to make the playoffs, they will be lucky to escape with the 13^th spot in the Eastern Conference.  It is almost set in stone that the Leafs are a shoe-in for another playoff mishap for the fifth consecutive year. With presumably the only bottom-feeders below them being the Garth Snow inflicted; New York Islanders and the one-pony show; Atlanta Thrashers.  So if Sundin loyalties get their wish, it is my belief that it may only move them up a mere one, maybe two spots in the standings.  Is that really what we want?  You really have to ask yourselves Leaf-fans, do you want another Nik Antropov in the 09 draft, or someone who can vault this team to Stanley Cup success? So I implore you Leaf fans, as a life-long fan myself, we must lose, really lose, to win.

The list includes forward Andrei Kostitsyn (RFA, $612,000); defensemen Mark Streit (UFA, $600,000) and defenseman Mike Komisarek (signed through next season, $1.9 million); and goalie Cristobal Huet (UFA, $2.75 million).

Word is the Canadiens would like to keep Huet for one more season to mentor youngster Carey Price, but if another team offers him a multi-year deal the French-born goaltender could bolt.

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli tells Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that he is having a difficult time finding the right trading partner.

“There’s hardly anything out there right now, unless you’re willing to give up something very, very significant,” Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said. “You can get a top-six forward, a goal-scorer, but it’s going to cost, it’s going to cost a lot.”

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tells Koshan that he will not move pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Adam Foote if the club is in a position to claim a playoff spot.

“I have no intention of trading him if we’re in a playoff race,” Howson said.

Howson and Foote met Wednesday to discuss the blueliner’s future with the Blue Jackets but nothing was settled.

Lastly from Koshan, he reports that the Buffalo Sabres would like to sign defenseman Brian Campbell to a contract extension rather than deal him before the February 26 trade deadline.

One club interested in acquiring Campbell should he become available is the Chicago Blackhawks. Word is that they may offering defenseman Cam Barker or forward Jack Skille in exchange.

Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News reports that Dallas Stars Co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson are looking to bolster their club’s offense.

However, the duo are having trouble finding a scoring winger that can help them score some goals.

New York Islanders forward Mike Sillinger tells Tal Pinchevsky of the New York Times that he would like remain with the club past the February 26 trade deadline.

“Look, no one (from management) has approached me about (waiving it) yet,” McCabe said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

McCabe, who has a salary cap hit of $5.75 million per season through 2010-11, says that he’d like to remain with the Maple Leafs.

“I’ve said all along I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. That’s why I signed here.”

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that the Montreal Canadiens should initiate contract talks with pending UFA goalie Cristobal Huet.

If he hits free agency, Garrioch speculates that Huet could end up signing with the Los Angeles Kings or Tampa Bay Lightning.

Garrioch also reports that, despite reports to the contrary, Buffalo Sabres pending UFA defenseman Brian Campbell is still negotiating with the club.

But with no substantial progress having been made, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the Sabres will try to move Campbell before the February 26 trade deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer. Word is that the Sabres will want a roster player, a prospect and a first round draft pick in exchange.

Interested teams are said to be the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.

Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are dangling forward Jack Skille in exchange.

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch suggests that the Columbus Blue Jackets should begin contract negotiations with pending restricted free agent goalie Pascal Leclaire.

With the possibility of a number of teams putting in expensive offer sheets for the Blue Jackets’ franchise goaltender, it would be wise for the club to get him under contract before he hits free agency.

Look for the Lightning to be among the teams hoping for the chance to poach Leclaire away from Columbus.

Portzline also reports on speculation is that if their respective clubs don’t get pending RFAs Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames), Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks), Matt Stajan (Maple Leafs) and Alexander Semin (Washington Capitals) under contract before July 1st, teams will extend them offer sheets.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal suggests that a payoff-bound team looking to bolster their back-up goaltending position, like the Sharks, might take a chance on UFA Eddie Belfour.

Belfour, who is currently playing for Leksand of the Swedish Elite League, would have to clear waivers to return to the NHL.

Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford tells Matheson that teams looking to improve their roster for a Stanley Cup run will have to overpay to acquire top talent leading up to the trade deadline.

“I think the price and the return for top players will be higher than it’s ever been,” he said. “First off, there likely have never been this many teams packed so closely in the standings, many of whom feel one top guy can put them over the top. And, secondly, there simply aren’t that many top players who will be available, so the bidding for those are (available) should just keep going up.”

Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe reports that Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli did not deny he may have some interest in picking up Hurricanes forward Jeff Hamilton.

Hamilton was placed on waivers last week by the Hurricanes.

“He’s an intriguing player,” said Chiarelli, noting his reluctance to say much more, because Hamilton, though having cleared waivers, remains Carolina’s property.

“He has a good shot – a big shot – and, yeah, we’ve talked about him.”