What is going on these days, NHL-KHL, now KHL-NHL? This has to stop! First of all Zherdev was still under contract to play in the NHL so his departure was a no go, fine. Now rumors are surfacing that Jagr could come to the NHL and play for the Oilers? Don’t get me wrong, Jagr was one of the best players in the NHL for a long time, and might still have what it takes to play, not to mention that he has been playing hockey all season unlike a certain Swedish player who sgined in December and just got in to shape now, but how can the NHL allow this?

If a player decides to skip town when his contract is over and play in the KHL that’s fine, same goes for leaving the KHL and coming to the NHL, but why mid-season, this is completely ludicrous! The players have to wait untill the current season is over.

This all started with Teemu Selanne, and Scott Niedermayer taking their sweet time in coming back, then Zherdev wanting to leave, followed by Mats Sundin having to ponder his future in the NHL until late December when he signed with the Vancouver Canucks, now Jagr?

Yes I know, if the teams are willing to let this happen and be a part of it then the players will use and abuse it, but does that make it right? And let’s not forget Brendan Shanahan signing late this season as well.

The NHL has to put a stop to this other wise more and more players will do this, and the league will be a joke. The NHL has to put a policy in place that players have until the day before the season opens to sign their contracts and if the players have to ponder their career, well they have the whole summer to do so, or else they will have to wait until the current season is over.

This might become really annoying to fans who already think that players are making too much money, now they are allowed to sign contracts in the middle of the season? Ridiculous! but as long as owners are willing to let this happen and the league goes along with it, well then I imagine it will keep happening.

More on this NHL-KHL topic, pick one. NHL or KHL and live with your decision, no well i would like to play in the NHL again, too bad. Wait until the season is over then sign a free agent contract or else too bad. Same goes the other way. The Montreal Canadiens lost one of their defense-men to the KHL, Pavel Valentenko decided that if he wasn’t playing with the big club then off to Russia it is. I say suspend him for a whole year from coming back, after his contract is up with the Habs affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs.

Enough with this non-sense. You play in the NHL or the KHL, not come and go as you please. Let’s hope that the NHL will look into instating a policy which prohibits players from signing with an NHL club once the season has started, and also that they look into more specificaly players from another league whichever one it is and prevent NHL clubs from signing them during the current season.

Last season the Minnesota Wild won their first ever Northwest Division title but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. The big question for the Minnesota Wild this season is the whether or not they picked up enough goal scorers to make up for the players they lost in free agency. Here’s a quick rundown off who came and went, along with their scoring numbers from last year.

Gone

F Brian Rolston
Dynamic slap-shot guy goes to the New Jersey Devils
31 G 28 A

F Pavol Demitra
Talented but underachieving buddy of Marian Gaborik, goes to the Vancouver Canucks
15 G 39 A

F Mark Parrish
Minnesota native and Jacques Lemaire whipping boy, bought out by the Wild, still unsigned
16 G 14 A

F Aaron Voros
Gritty grinder goes to the New York Rangers
7 G 7 A

F Todd Fedoruk
Hard-skating occasional line-mate of Gaborik and Demitra, goes to Phoenix Coyotes
6 G 7 A

F Branko Radivojevic
Gaborik and Demitra countryman goes to Russia to play hockey
7 G 10 A

F Wes Walz
Gritty epitome of coach Jacques Lemaire-style hockey went MIA after 11 games and retired midseason. He is now an assistant coach for Barry Melrose in Tampa Bay
1 G 3 A, but his intangebles held the Wild together

Added

F Andrew Brunette
He of the biggest goal in Wild history back in 2003, returns to the Wild from the Colorado Avalanche
19 G 40 A

D Marek Zidlicky
Offensive defenseman, signs with the Wild from the Nashville Predators
5 G 38 A

D Marc-Andre Bergeron
Powerplay specialist, traded to the Wild from the Anaheim Ducks
9 G 9 A

F Antti Miettinen
Player looking to capitalize on his potential, signs with the Wild from the Dallas Stars
15 G 19 A

F Owen Nolan
Aging ex-superstar, signs with the Wild from the Calgary Flames
16 G 16 A

F Craig Weller
Guy I’d never heard of, signs with the Wild from Phoenix
3 G 8 A

The departing players add up to 83 goals and 108 assists in lost offensive fire power, while the additions give the Wild 67 goals and 130 assists. A definite drop in goals and most likely a wash in assists given the lack of goal scorers for the Wild. The question is, where will the offense come from? Rolston and Demitra were huge factors in the Wild offense. Demitra actually underachieved last season and towards the end was a non-factor. He and Gaborik never were able to recreate the magic they had in the ’06-’07 season. Rolston will be missed to an extent. He obviously scored a lot of goals and teams had to play for his big slap shot. However, he is relatively one-dimensional with said slap shot.

In the long run, the Wild will need the new players to contribute at least what they contributed to their respective teams last season. They will need to see improvement in goal scoring from returning players such as Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Benoit Pouliot, and James Sheppard. They need Mikko Koivu to continue to blossom into a superstar. They need some rookies, like Colton Gillies, to contribute a smattering of goals. And they need Marian Gaborik to stay healthy, interested, and actually on the team.

What Up with Gabby?
Speaking of Marian Gaborik, that’s the other huge key to this season, and potentially the next few seasons in Minny. Gaborik is on the cusp of being a superstar in the NHL. Gaborik is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. That translates into contract negotiations, or speculation. Rumors are that Wild GM Doug Reisbrough has offered Marian $8.5 M a year, but there are no indications that he is ready to sign. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin make $9 M a year. Is Gabby worth Sid the Kid and Ovechkin money? Does Gabby even want to play in Minnesota in the defensive system that supposedly limits his offensive potential?

Depending on how the Gaborik situation works out, the Wild may have their first fan grumblings on their hands. The fan base has sold out every game in franchise history dating back to the ’00-’01 season and they eat up whatever the franchise serves. But if there’s no Gabby, and if the team is not competitive, fans will start to find better things to do with what little discretionary income they may have.

Goaltending
Niklas Backstrom is the Wild’s #1 goalie. Josh Harding is the young up and coming understudy. Backstrom has put up some very impressive numbers. 33 wins and a 2.31 goals against last season. Harding shows a lot of potential but he needs playing time. Backstrom and Harding are both in contract years, so both goalies should be at the top of their games. This will be good for the team given the most-likely drop in offense.

Prediction
Last season’s early playoff loss put a damper on a great regular season. This season, I believe the Wild will tighten up their defense this season, returning to more of the type of hockey that got them a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals in 2003. Play very sound defensive hockey and capitalize when the opposition makes a mistake. Following that trend, I expect the Wild to finish 2nd or 3rd in the NW Division, make the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed. And since there’s always at least one surprise team to go deep to the Conference Finals or even the Stanley Cup Finals, why not the Wild?

Mind you, these people also said the same thing about Vancouver back in 2006 when they, you know, won their division and got to the second round of the playoffs.

And therein lies the reality for Canuck fans because, if we’re used to anything, it’s that this team is anything but consistent. Doesn’t matter who the players, coach or GM are the mantra often comes down to “Count them out and they’ll surprise you; count on them and you’ll regret it every second.” It’s a wonder any of us are still sane (the jury’s still out on me).

Here’s what will be happening this season: Vancouver will ice one of the best goalies on the planet (and the only goalie captain to boot). In front of him is a deep defensive core who hope to skip the curse of losing a league-high 164 man games due to injury like they did last year. Alongside the defense is a new offense molded around the Sedin brothers; Steve Bernier was yanked out of Buffalo specifically to be their new Anson Carter while Pavol Demitra (who has already likened linemates Mason Raymond and Taylor Pyatt to Marian Gaborik and Keith Tkachuk respectively) was lured away from Lemaire land to help bolster a legitimate second line. You have a shutdown line with Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows, two more agitating hockey players you’d be hard pressed to find. Rounding them out are new comers Darcy Hordichuk (Darcy Tucker is a dead man walking) and PK-extraordinaire Ryan Johnson. Sprinkled liberally into this mix are bubble guys like Kyle Wellwood and Matt Pettinger as well as a number of next generation Canucks like Jannik Hansen, Mike Brown and maybe the 2008 1^st round pick Cody Hodgson.

Lastly, they have a new sheriff in town in Mike Gillis, a guy who is doing things a bit unorthodox in a typically conservative hockey management world. We don’t know yet what his true stamp on the team will be (other then making us care about Mats Sundin for the entire month of July) but he has money to play with and an impatient audience.

No one is going to confuse the Canucks with the 1976-77 Canadians, but no one should confuse them with the 1974-75 Capitals either. As long as this team can stay healthy, coach Alain Vigneault can light a fire under his offense and Mike Gillis stays active in the market for another top six guy, then the safety net that is Roberto Luongo should keep them in every single game (more on that can be read here).

Every single team in the Northwest has their question marks; if the Canucks can find a rhythm and consistent play then it’ll be 2006 all over again. However, their margin for error is slim and prolonged losing streaks or, dare I say, injuries to anyone with the words ‘Sedin’ or ‘Luongo’ on their jerseys will render them dead in the water. Boom or bust: that’s Vancouver hockey.

Let the rest of the league count the Canucks out. As Wade Redden once said, “Some days, the sun even shines on a dog’s butt.”

RDS is reporting that there could be a transaction involving Ryan O’Byrne.

There is also the fact that Mathieu Dandenault seemingly has no place in Montreal.

With all of the young talent that impressed both Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau this pre-season, perhaps the Habs are finally in a situation to let some veterans go and make room for more youngsters.

Bob Gainey still wants an impact forward, even though Mats Sundin took too long to decide for the Habs, Gainey has stated for the past two years that he wants an impact forward.

Also consider that the Boston Bruins are actively trying to trade Marc Savard. Could be interesting.

There is the fact that Nashville is upset at Alex Radulov (with good reason) and that they could be looking to move him.

The Game at the Bell Centre against the Detroit Red Wings last night had 22 scouts in attendance. Sure the scouts could have been looking at the Wings also but…..

Although Marion Gaborik still isn’t signed for next season 2009-10, and that the Minnesota Wild are trying to sign him, Gaborik might be traded. All indications point to the Vancouver Canucks so that he could play with his buddy Pavol Demitra. But, there have been some rumours stating that Saku Koivu could be traded there to play with his brother………..

Either way the additions of Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang, and Georges Laraque are greatly beneficial for the Habs, and will bring some excitement to the fans, neither one is the impact forward that Gainey has said he wanted. Will Bob Gainey make a move thanks to the play of his young stars in the pre-season, or will the additions of the above mentioned players combined make the impact forward that Gainey wanted?

I guess we will all see.

What we’re looking for

This is a tentative list of posts and schedule we’re aiming for:

• Season Preview (Oct 1)
• All-Star Break (Midway season review and second-half preview) (Jan 25)
• Trade Deadline
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)
• Playoffs Preview (for every round your team plays)
  • Before 1st round (TBD)
  • Before 2nd round (TBD)
  • Before 3rd round (TBD)
  • Before the Stanley Cup (TBD)
• Playoffs Review (for every round your team plays)
  • After 1st round (TBD)
  • After 2nd round (TBD)
  • After 3rd round (TBD)
  • After the Stanley Cup (TBD)
• Season Wrap-up (TBD)
• The Entry Draft
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)
• Free Agency
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)

What we offer in return

In exchange for their efforts, RumorMeThis will offer all Guest Bloggers the following:

• blogger profile/bio, and a link back to your blog (article and archive pages)
• links to the last three posts on YOUR OWN blog (article and archive pages)
• one 180×150 and one 300×250 ad (article page)
• free registration to the RumorMeThis Hockey Links Directory

Who’s in already?

Thanks to all the following bloggers who have already committed to covering their respective teams for this season:

• Carolina Hurricanes – Jennifer Hammer (hammerrules.blogspot.com)
• Chicago Blackhawks – John Ruhnow (thenhlarena.com)
• Dallas Stars – Cat Court (untypicalgirls.wordpress.com)
• Detroit Red Wings – Stephanie Yates (npi-hockey.blogspot.com)
• Los Angeles Kings – Marie Stiles (purplecrushedvelvet.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota Wild – Jeremy Waschek (wildviewfromsection216.blogspot.com)
• Montreal Canadiens – Ken Beckett (thepowerplay.net)
• Nashville Predators – Buddy and Jackson Oakes (predsontheglass.blogspot.com)
• New Jersey Devils – Chris Wassel (hockeyprogram.blogspot.com)
• New York Islanders – Frank Mazzola (pigskinsandpucks.blogspot.com)
• New York Rangers – Dan Rakusan (sportsfiend.ca)
• Phoenix Coyotes – Tracy Tanner (truecoyotelove.blogspot.com)
• Tampa Bay Lightning – Jessica Lewis (femmesandfisticuffs.com)
• Toronto Maple Leafs – Jared Matchett (diehardblueandwhite.blogspot.com)
• Vancouver Canucks – Mike Pinzuti (yankeecanuck.com)

Want to join?

Interested in participating? Have comments or questions? Contact us.

The Philadelphia Flyers locked Joffrey Lupul up with a four-year contract extension. Lupul is one of several players the Flyers are committing to for years to come as they believe only good things will come from these young talents.

The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed left wing Daniel Carcillo in which they feel this sparkplug brings great balance of speed and toughness to the team. Carcillo led the league in penalty minutes last season as a rookie and that seemed to be the type of player the Coyotes want as they deal is undisclosed but was a 2 year contract.

The New Jersey Devils signing center Fedor Fedorov, who is the brother of Sergei Fedorov and has been playing in Europe the past few seasons.

Other signings this week included the Anaheim Ducks agreeing to one year contracts with left win Josh Green and center Eric Boguniecki. The biggest signing of the week has come from the Vancouver Canucks, as they signed six players Wednesday. Those players include RW-Ryan Shannon, C-Rick Rypien, RW-Mike Brown, Defs-Nathan McIver, Zach FitzGerald, and James Sharrow. Make sure to check back to see all the NHL’s top news as this year the Stanley Cup will truly be up for grabs. All this action is getting fans excited for the 2008-2009 season and with opening day being less than three months away it will be interesting to see what other deals come our way.

Will he accept it? Will he retire? Will he sign with other team? Only time will tell. Sundin is yet to make up his mind on his playing future. However, he has stated on numerous occasions that he would prefer to sign a one-year deal.

Sundin recorded 32 goals and 42 assists for 78 points in 74 regular season games with the Maple Leafs.

With the Vancouver Canucks waiving their number 10 pick around, coupled with the fact that they most likely won’t resign forward Brendan Morrison and the possibility that Markus Naslund will resign cheaper, the ‘Nucks will try something.

It is still unclear at this point if the Toronto Maple Leafs will resign Mats Sundin. What is clear however is that they are waiving their number 7 pick around and have been linked with Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen, and Vincent Lecavalier to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens have also been rumoured to try and move up in the draft to make a deal go through. Andrei Kostitsyn should be signed by the draft. Marc Streit could be also although rumours suggest that he would be traded. The Habs are also being linked to Marian Hossa, Sundin, Eric Cole, Ryan Malone, and Lecavalier to name a few. In Hossa’s case the Habs are trying to trade for his rights.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumoured to be in on Joni Pitkanen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are rumoured to be in on Marleau as well as Malone.

The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be hunting Jokinen.

The Boston Bruins are hunting Hossa.

To be brief, just mentioning seven teams and one could see that the draft this year might live up to the hype that every media source is putting out there.

Perhaps the draft will be more exciting than the first week of July.

Let’s hope that this year’s draft will be one not to miss.

The entry draft is for minor league players to move up in life, unfortunately for the minor leaguers, fortunately for the fans, this year it should be more about NHL players changing addresses.

There are 30 teams in the NHL. Perhaps not all the teams will make something happen, but if one believes the hype, it should be a draft day frenzy.

One could make a strong argument that this player is one of the best at his position ever in the NHL. WIth his five James Norris Memorial trophies, one Conn Smythe, having appeared in nine All-Star games, having been voted to the NHL All Rookie team and the Olympic tournament All-Star team and just recently winning his fourth Stanley cup Nicklas Lidstrom  also made history.

Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings. Having been named captain after Steve Yzerman retired at the beggining of the 2006-07 season, Lidstrom has never looked back. Being that Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings, this means that he will go in the history books as the first European to be the captain of a Stanley Cup winning team.

Before this season, no European was ever captain of a Stanley Cup winning team. No small feat. Yes one could argue that Europeans haven’t been in the NHL since the beginning of the league, but even so, one could look at some teams that boast having a European as their captain and see if they have ever won the cup with them.

The Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs. Sundin is an excellent player and captain on his team, but for whatever reason, the Leafs haven’t won the cup with him at the helm, albeit not the fault of Sundin.

The Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens. Same could be said for them.

The Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks. Same.

The Jaromir Jagr New York Rangers. Same.

To name a few, the European captain teams mentioned above have not won the prestigious cup with those captains. Those teams all have had a chance but have not been able to capture the biggest prize in the NHL.

Not that those captains aren’t good players, they are, but for whatever the reason be it lack of talent on the team, no goalie or whatever, they haven’t won it. This is just an overview but the stats remain.

Nicklas Lidstrom has taken a great team and lead them to the promise land. Something that European born players should be proud of. Lidstrom has now opened the door for others to follow. And this should quiet the “No European has ever been the captain of a cup winning team” talk.

Lidstrom will forever be in the history books as the first European born player to have won the Stanley Cup as a captain.

There is no more of a deserving European captain to be the first. With Lidstrom’s impressive resume, he will undoubtedly be in the Hall of Fame. He might even capture one more cup in the process. And he can now add something else to the list of accolades he possesses, European captain winning the cup.

Congratulations to Nicklas. All his hard work and determination as well as his dominating the offensive defense-man position has paid off before, when he won three Stanley Cups, but this one the fourth, will be the crowning achievement of his career.

First off, RDS is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens are under negotiation with Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn who is slated to become a restricted free agent come July 1, is said to be general manager Bob Gainey’s top priority.

Bob Gainey said this about the RFA,

“We think in Andrei’s case considering the season he just had, that he is the most important RFA that we have to resign.”

When asked about Mark Streit Gainey had this to say,

“Mark brought the team a particular contribution this year. He had many points on the power-play. The question is if we will have enough room in our team salary structure.”

With the Streit statement, one could surmise that the Habs want to keep him but not at any price. Could there be something else going on for the Habs to possibly use their money?
RDS is also reporting that Habs affiliate team the Cincinnati Cyclones have won the Kelly trophy in the ECHL. A team which Bob Gainey has helped to build.

Now for the good stuff.

The Hockey News is reporting that soon to be unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin might not resign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that the Detroit Red Wings could be gunning for him. But Sundin is also rumoured to be asking for 2 years at $8 million per year. Montreal and Ottawa are also rumoured to be getting ready to make a pitch to Sundin.

Next we have un-confirmed reports that Saku Koivu could be trying to convince Teemu Selanne to play with the Habs, this being Koivu’s last contract year. Koivu would like his best friend to play at least one year with him before Selanne retires for good.

Another un-confirmed report states that the Canadiens could be interested in soon to be RFA Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators. Although I do believe that Redden still has juice in the tank, is he the answer the Habs need at the blue-line? Redden is a puck mover, and is not physical, considering that when the Sens went to the final last season that the Anaheim Ducks pounded him like there was no tomorrow, I’m not sure that he is the answer. He is still good, depending on the price, and depending on who the Habs will have surrounding him to be the physical presence.

Next there is the fact that Pavol Demitra could be interested in the Vancouver Canucks and the Canadiens. Although this winger might still have a good season or two left in him under optimum conditions, he is not the answer for the Habs. He is good but why take a roster spot away from a youngster, I would rather see Selanne.

Lastly, something I mentioned in another article is that Olaf Kolzig could be in Montreal next season. With the New York Rangers so far being the only other team manifesting interest in him, the Habs could luck out. Kolzig is also part owner of the Tri-City Americans, a team which new number one Habs goalie Carey Price has played for.

Also there is mounting evidence that the Tampa Bay Lightning may be a little worried about Vincent Lecalvalier’s shoulder, and might be willing to trade him. Montreal is rumoured among other names to have thrown in Chris Higgins as part of a possible trade. Wouldn’t that be nice.

The top blue-line prospect for the Canucks had a promising future in the NHL. Unfortunately for us the fans, we will not get the chance to see Bourdon flourish in the NHL.

Prayers and best wishes go out to the Bourdon family as well as the Canucks organization and their minor league team the Manitoba Moose.

This is a sad day to say the least. I hope that the NHL will help the Bourdon family in whatever aspect it can.

It’s always easy to point at a coach when a team fails as dismally as the Lightning did this season. Hell, they’re only a few years removed from winning the Stanley Cup (2004)! This year, they managed to finish dead last in the NHL. In fact, since the lockout ended (the lockout was the season following their championship), the Lightning have struggled for two playoff berths before their plunge into the league cellar this year.

So, has Tortorella lost the room? What is the reason for a sudden, covert coaching change, assuming it happens?

Tortorella is notorious for being a hard-liner, often in conflict with his players. A few seasons ago, it looked like he may have alienated Vincent Lecavalier, to the point where trade rumours were floated almost daily. The two apparently made peace, but it is possible that Tortorella simply isn’t getting the most out of his players anymore.

But, on the other side of the coin, one has to consider Tampa’s woeful goaltending situation this past season. They started with the tandem of Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, who might well be considered a pair of backups on any other team. Neither looked particularly comfortable in the starter’s role, and neither met with much success. It got to the point where prospect Karri Ramo was inserted into 22 games as the go-to guy, also without great results.

A third factor that people point to is the absence of Dan Boyle, who only played 37 games after having wrist surgery. Boyle is viewed as a very solid puck-moving defenceman, and his absence definitely didn’t help the Bolts, but to attribute their failure this season to his absence is a bit of a stretch.

In reality, the Lightning’s awful season was due to a combination of all of the above, and that necessitates change.

Tortorella will have no trouble finding a job, and Barry Melrose can hop back behind the bench of a team that isn’t very good, just like in the old days of his Billy Ray Cyrus mullet.

Now, let’s take a look at who is out there, and who is looking for a coach.

• Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs canned GM John Ferguson Jr. and coach Paul Maurice, and had high hopes of luring in a big name to take charge of both the GM and coaching roles. However, to date they have been rebuked in most of their efforts, save for a multi-day interview with former Canucks’ GM Dave Nonis. In terms of a coach, there hasn’t been much said. Realistically, this could be a great fit for Tortorella, as the Leafs are in desperate need of a whip-cracking coach who will not hesitate to call out players who aren’t pulling their weight.

• Ottawa Senators: The Sens fired John Paddock after the team began a mid-season nose-dive. Many people point the finger to Paddock’s inability to rein in loose cannon goaltender Ray Emery for his firing, but the team overall seemed divided and directionless. More aptly, it was Paddock’s inability to gain the respect of the room that led to his dismissal. So far, it seems that Pat Burns, Pat Quinn and Doug McLean are the top candidates to take over from “interim” coach Bryan Murray. Oh, wouldn’t it be ironic if they ended up with Pat Quinn…

• Colorado Avalanche: They fired agreed to part ways with Joel Quenneville after being ousted from the playoffs in the second round, and have since replaced him with former Avs head coach Tony Granato. This is somewhat odd, since Granato was replaced by Quenneville at the end of 2004. Granato holds a solid 72-33-17-11 record in his previous stint with the Avs, and is a good replacement for Quenneville, who just never caught on in the Mile High State.

• Vancouver Canucks: Tired of not making the playoffs? Fire your ASSISTANT coaches! That’s the approach that new Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis took, sending in head coach Alain Vigneault to do the dirty work. Then, Gillis turned around and extended Vigneault, who is widely viewed as the wrong style of coach on an offensively challenged team like Vancouver.

• Atlanta Thrashers: When Don Waddell fired Bob Hartley early in the 2007-08 season, the thought was that he’d replace him temporarily. Well, that stretched out to the end of the season, and another season of not making the playoffs. So, the impoetus now has to be on finding a capable bench boss to turn things around. A prime candidate here would be Joel Quenneville, at least in my opinion. Other possibilities are Brad McCrimmon or maybe Pittsburgh assistant coach Andre Savard.

Well, if you believe in the hype coming out of Toronto, Burke will be the new general manager of the Maple Leafs next season, of course all this hype is coming straight out of Toronto, and nowhere else. Hey I’m not saying that there is no possibility of Burke ending up in Toronto, but Burke likes to answer to one person, not a board of directors made up of 5-10 people. It could happen though, if Burke’s demands are met, meaning salary, and to have carte blanche, and be the only one to make decisions when it comes to player personnel, he might bite in Toronto. Burke is exactly what the Leafs need, he would get that franchise back in order.

There is still the possibility that he remains in Anaheim, however, the Ducks did lose in the first round this year, if the Anaheim owners decide that what Burke is asking for is too steep a price after getting knocked out so early, and decide to let him go, well let’s hope for them that they find someone else that is as good as Burke, there aren’t too many of those out there.

Then you have the Vancouver factor. The Vancouver Canucks fired Dave Nonis last week, could they be in the running for Burke too? Don’t forget, the only thing that the Canucks needed when they were good while Burke was there was a goalie, with Luongo there now, Burke would start with what he wasn’t able to obtain when he was in Vancouver. The Vancouver fans also loved what Burke was able to bring to the organization, and Burke in turn, loved being the man in Vancouver.

Ottawa could also be a pit stop for Burke. With the recent collapse of the Ottawa Senators, Brian Burke would put that team back in order in a hurry. Burke would only need a no.1 goalie again.

Those four teams are the front runners in the Burke sweepstakes, there are probably more that have yet to make it public. Toronto is willing to give just about anything to get Burke, and it may work. It doesn’t matter where Burke ends up, being a Harvard graduate, having a law degree, having worked for the NHL, and being a general manager, Burke has the experience in many fields, and will bring what ever city is lucky enough to get him, a good team. Of course, I do hope that he stays out west……

Are they crazy? Nonis brought them all-star goalie Roberto Luongo, and a franchise record of 105 points last season, I guess the phrase ” what have you done for me lately” applies here. I think that the Nucks were a little harsh with Nonis, here are some interesting facts that perhaps Canucks owners did not factor into that equation.

The Canucks never had their top 6 defenseman on the ice at the same time all year, how does one expect a team to prosper like that, but they still only missed the post season by a couple of points. Also, Brendan Morrison was absent most of the season do to the fact that early in the season he had to have wrist surgery, and when he came back, he went out again with another injury. The 6 million dollar man Markus Naslund hasn’t helped either lately, not playing at all for his 6 million dollars.

What about the emergence of Alex Burrows, and Ryan Kesler this year? These two players played really well for the Canucks this year, well enough for Nonis to trade pending unrestricted free agent Matt Cooke to the Washington Capitals. But I guess that the Nucks failed to see those things, or maybe the fact that Luc Burdon should be ready next season doesn’t inspire the owners either!

Dave Nonis tried to get someone for the play-off push during the trade deadline, but the asking price was too high. With players like Naslund, and Morrison being UFA’s next season, the Canucks will have even more money to work with, as the cap is also expected to rise. If Naslund, and Morrison want to stay in Vancouver, it will be at a dramatic decrease in salary, so Nonis could have worked something there to make the team better, and I’m sure the injury riddled defensive core will not be as injury prone next season either.

I guess the owners said thanks for Luongo, and a franchise record of 105 points last year, and it doesn’t matter why you didn’t make the play-offs, you didn’t and that’s that so good-bye. The next gm of the Nucks is inheriting Luongo, not a bad start for a gm, as anyone knows, the way to build a team is from the goalie out, which is what Nonis was doing, perhaps the owners just ran out of patience. They said that this year the fans didn’t get the team that they deserve, ya right, it’s more the fact that the owners couldn’t line their pockets with play-off money!

Good luck Dave, I hope someone else gives you a shot, you started something which the next gm will be happy with. Even Brian Burke didn’t get a Luongo, some say with the team Burke built in Vancouver, all they were missing was a Luongo to go far, not anymore, now they’re missing a smart gm, they had one, but I guess the owners aren’t as smart as the gm was, or perhaps they don’t care who’s on the team, as long as they make the play-offs!

“I’m not just saying I want to stay because this is my home town,” says Morrison. “If this team was a bottom feeder, there’s no way I would want to hang around. I want to win as much as the next guy; I happen to think that’s possible with this team.”

However, salary and term will play an important factor in where he will play next season and beyond. Whether it’s in Vancouver, or elsewhere, Morrison doesn’t appear too interested in accepting any less than what he sees as fair value.

“… I’m not going to sit here and say the numbers aren’t important. Any player who would say money is not important is lying because you only have so many years to make a living in this business and you have to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes along.”

As for the Canucks, GM Dave Nonis has said in the past that “he intends to try to re-sign Morrison.” Of course, they want Morrison to take a pay cut on the $3.2 million salary he is earning this season and sign a short-term deal, too. But with a number of teams in the market for a play-making center, it’s unlikely that the 32-year-old will have to accept those terms.

“It all depends on what teams will be looking for,” said Morrison, who like so many players of his age and era has waited his whole career to get to this point of freedom. “We’ll look at it at the end of the year and see what happens.”

Morrison is believed to be seeking at least $3.2 million per season, on a deal spanning four years or more, perhaps pricing himself out of Vancouver.

“You do think about it,” Naslund said, adding he remains unsure how long he wants to keep playing. “When you have a family, you have to think a little further. But I honestly don’t know. I haven’t decided on anything.”

So, does Naslund’s noncommittal stance mean he’s ready to re-sign with the Canucks? Could he leave the Canucks for another team? Maybe return to play in his native Sweden? Possibly retire?

For his part, the Swedish forward admits to being very much interested in winning the Stanley Cup.

“You want to look back at your career and say you won something,” Naslund said. “That being said, it’s a tough task winning a Stanley Cup. Look at this franchise, it’s been around for a long time and made it to two finals. But that makes it more exciting to get in and have a chance.

So, it’s quite possible that he may continue his hockey career in the NHL. What remains to be seen is whether it will be in Vancouver, or elsewhere.

“It’s not the time to do it now,” says the Canucks GM. “The approach will be the same as last year and we’ll make that decision at that time [i.e. the offseason]. We have other things to focus on and it would be inappropriate to say anything else.”

Naslund agrees.

“Yeah, I have but I’m not going to comment on anything until after the year is over. We’ll see. It’s tough not to think ahead, but we’ll address that after the year. I’d just rather leave it at that.”

Both sides appear intent on avoiding any distractions down the stretch.

But is that all that’s going on here? It is a little strange that the Canucks aren’t trying to sign their captain and best player to a contract extension.

Perhaps the Canucks don’t want to shell out anywhere near the $6 million per season (the amount Naslund earns this year) to re-sign a player whose production has dropped significantly in recent years.

There is also speculation that the Canucks would like to reshape the makeup of their club, and give players such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa more responsibility.

All this could mean the end of Naslund in Vancouver. But not the NHL.

The Swedish forward is set to enter a weak free agent market at his position, so he is sure to attract attention from many clubs. Perhaps even get a “hefty” offer from a team desperate for some scoring help.

However, it’s uncertain if Campbell has a desire to remain in San Jose past this season.

According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Campbell felt pressured to turn down an extension with the Buffalo Sabres.

Whether by his own volition, or perhaps at the advice of the NHL Player’s Association, Campbell is said to have passed on a deal with the Sabres so as to not lower the market value for top free agent blueliners.

The result, of course, was Campbell being dealt to San Jose Sharks, something he may not necessarily wanted.

Should he and the Sharks not reach an agreement, a number of teams are believed to make a play for Campbell. That list could include the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, since they all called Sabres GM Darcy Regier to inquire about the defenseman’s availability.

However, the team believed to make the strongest push for Campbell is thought to be the Chicago Blackhawks.

I’ll admit that I was optimistic when it came to the Brad Richards trade, but as an easily excited fan, I was swept up in the possibility of getting someone of his caliber to play along either Nash, Modin, or Zherdev. When “The List” of teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for surfaced, I was even more excited. (p.s. “The List” included Dallas, Columbus and Vancouver supposedly) Anyway, the time passed, and eventually it was evident that Tampa Bay was highly interested in a goaltender for the rest of this season and next year (Mike Smith) than a solid defenseman, energy forward, and quickly developing prospect.

As soon as it was evident that the Richards trade was going the way of Dallas, GM Howson went ahead and made the trades that were predicted for the most part. Most fans expected center Michael Peca and Sergei Fedorov to be moved, as well as winger David Vyborny and possibly defenseman Adam Foote and/or Ron Hainsey. It shouldn’t have been as shocking as it was, but only Foote and Fedorov were traded away to gain prospects and draft picks.

My take on the trades:

Fedorov’s trade to the Capitals was for lack of a better word, “meh”. He was way overpaid and injury prone, and not quite the same Sergei Fedorov as he was before coming to Columbus. Not to mention that the Jackets has no plan to resign him after this season. Theo Ruth, I have no clue who he is except for a blueliner freshman at Notre Dame.

Foote’s trade to the Avalanche was downright aggravating, after hearing the aftermath that is. For the weeks leading up to the deadline Foote was supposedly having good negotiations with GM Howson looking to extend his contract for 2 more seasons at about 3-4million per season. But as Blue Jackets beat writers report in their weekly podcast the thought is that Foote’s initial intent was to get out of Columbus like his name was Llllloyd Carr. He and his agent set an amount that they knew that the Jackets would not meet, unless maybe the Richards deal had gone through. Even though the Dispatch writers expect that Foote would have just raised his asking price. Such a disappointing end to our supposedly “unquestioned” leader.

Going the other way is forward Matt Pettinger.

More details to follow.