The week started off with the signing of RFA forward Maxim Lapierre for a two-years contract awarding him 575 000$ in 2008-2009 and 800 000$ in 2009-2010. Was it a right move? Definitly, since Lapierre has been able to establish himself as a hard worker and a devoted player for the Montreal Canadiens and he just keeps getting better at what he does, and let’s not forget to mention how well he plays defensively when the Habs are on the penalty kill. Lapierre ended the 2007-2008 season playing 53 games and scoring 7 goals and 18 point.

That is a good news for the Habs, but what about Andrei Kostitsyn? How are things going with him and did Bob Gainey even start negotiations yet? Gainey told the press two week ago that they have contacted Andrei to talk about his future with the organization, but it appears that a team from Kazan in Russia has made an offer for next season that values 1.5 million. However, Don Meehan, Kostitsyn’s agent, commented the rumor stating that his client intends on sticking to his career in the NHL, but that he would prefer to get him more of a short-term contract, unlike the ones that have been given to other young players such as Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers. He went on adding that he expects the negotiations with the Canadiens to be all but easy. If the rumor happens to be true, than I believe giving 1.5 million for 2 years should do the thing for him to stay in Montreal.

What about other players waiting to know what to do next season? Well it appears that Corey Locke, one of the Habs’ prospect playing in Hamilton, is currently being chased by the Kloten Flyers from Switzerland’s national League. The Flyers’ sports director commented the rumor simply by confirming it and saying his team did indeed make an offer for Locke to consider.

While some are probably going to look at every options, one has made it clear that he is leaving the organisation. Yann Danis, another Habs’ prospect and goaltender for the Hamilton Bulldogs, prefers to leave the Canadiens for good and test his UFA status starting July 1st. Danis was portrayed as one of Montreal’s future goaltender a couple of years ago, but simply lost his place with the team when Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price showed up and took over. I wish Yann all the best and hopefully he will end up with a good team that will use his undeniable talent to the fullest, maybe a team like the Ottawa Senators would do the thing.

Now there are some good UFAs on the market the the Habs are definitely going to pursue come July 1st. Let’s start with Mats Sundin. Sundin is beeing pursued by probably every team in the NHL seeing how good of a player he is and the price to get him probably isn’t going to be that high. Although any team would take Sundin, he wouldn’t take any team. Since he wants to stay in Canada, Montreal is certainly a strong option to consider. The Sundin case is surely and interesting one.

Then you have Teemu Selanne, one of Saku Koivu’s best friend. It appears Koivu has finally been able to convince Selanne to play his last NHL season with the Canadiens while spending time with him at the World Championships. This rumor has been going on for years, but Selanne has never accepted the offer to join the Habs. This time, things are looking a bit different because even the Anaheim Ducks’ GM Brian Burke believes this time might be the right time and that Selanne might finally accept Montreal’s offer. Two days ago, Anaheim’s defenseman Francois Beauchemin commented the rumor saying it was clearly impossible since Selanne has been living in Anaheim for over 10 years and has a house, a family and kids that attend school in Anaheim. He believes that if Selanne plans on playing for another season in the NHL, he’s going to play it in Anaheim and nowhere else and if he can’t come down to an agreement with the team, he is probably going to announce his retirement. One thing is for sure, we are going to have all the answers to our questions come July 1st, since that is the last day Selanne could give an answer to Burke.

Now on to the main event: Marian Hossa. Rumors have been all over the place with that guy and it’s not about to stop, at least not until he inks his name on a contract. Hossa is definitely going to be a target for Montreal this summer and I’m sure Gainey already has an offer planned specially for him. Is Hossa going to consider it? Maybe yes, maybe not. Earlier this week, Hossa said on a radio station in Pittsburgh that he enjoyed his stay with the Penguins and would definitely consider signing a contract for less money to be able to stay with a good and competitive team like the Penguins. But the thing is Montreal isn’t the team it was a year ago. Montreal has become a good and competitive team in the NHL and, if the right moves are pulled by Gainey, they are probably going to become a Stanley Cup contender for next season. Well now it appears that Pittsburgh really intends on keeping Hossa with them since rumors have been circulating as of yesterday that they have pitched a 7-years/50 millions$ contract at him. Is it going to be enough to persuade him to stay with the team? It could to the thing, but how big is Evgeni Malkin’s contract going to be? If they sign Hossa, they are probably going to have to give up on forward Ryan Malone and defenseman Brooks Orpik. If the Penguins do manage to keep Hossa, Malkin, Crosby and Stall all together, Ray Shero definitely deserves to have his name on the hall of fame.

Now enough with the stress and let’s talk about something else.

The NHL awards took place this week and Guy Carbonneau was nominated for best coach of the year. Unfortunately, the award finally went to the Washington Capitals’ Bruce Boudreau. Although I really wanted Carbonneau to win that award, I must say Boudreau deserved recognition for his work just as much as Carbo. He took the worst team in the NHL in November and led them to win their division’s championship and and believe me, nobody expected that to happen.

If Carbo didn’t get recognition for his hard work, Carey Price and Alex Kovalev did. Price was named on the All-Star rookie team and Kovalev had his place on the 2nd All-Star team of the NHL. Now that puts a smile on my face!

Just want to remind everyone that the NHL draft is coming up and the Habs are drafting 25th overall and I wouldn’t be surprised if some trades are made so that recruiting director Trevor Timmins could draft at a higher position. That is going to be very interesting to watch and who knows what Montreal is going to pull out from their sleeves. I would personally be pleased if they manage to draft Jared Stall, the youngest one of them that is expected to get drafted in the 30’s overall. I have learned one thing in the NHL, and it is that you can not go wrong with a Stall! They are like the hockey factory or something!

Enough for now. I will definitely come back soon for more.

The Montreal Canadiens are heading into draft day so far without signing any of their RFA’s or UFA’s. With the top priority for the Habs being the Mark Streit situation, there has been no news since the end of the Habs post season campaign. One has to think that Gainey is up to something.

Mats Sundin–who the Canadiens tried to acquire at the trade deadline–has yet to make up his mind about his future, or has he?
David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail wrote an article called “Sundin Coy About Future”. In this article Mats Sundin was asked if he was going to retire or return to the Maple Leafs, Sundin replied,

“I do think I have a lot of different options I can explore. I think I still want to end my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Saying that though, the way the situation is right now, I don’t have everything in my control either.”

Sundin went on to say,

“There’s got to be a mutual agreement there. And as I said, I don’t have anything I can say about what’s going to happen next year yet. I don’t know. Obviously what’s going to happen in Toronto is very interesting, and it’s going to affect my decision in the future.”

When Sundin was asked when he thought his decision would be made, Sundin had this to say,

“In the next month or so, I guess.”

Wow. For someone who said in late February that he wanted to stay in Toronto he sure changed his mind quick.

If Sundin becomes a UFA come July 1, Montreal will surely knock on his door again. Sundin made $5.5 million last season and if one reads between the lines he will want more to play next year. Will the Habs clear some space to accommodate him? I believe so.

With Bob Gainey studying what’s happening around the league right now, is he also planning something? Gainey has a plethora of young players to sign and his pick in this year’s draft to go along with a potentially un-happy goalie in Jaroslav Halak to deal with. Will Gainey make something happen at the draft and worry about signing players after the draft to see what he has left?

There are rampant reports in Montreal that the Tampa Bay Lightning could be preparing a trade including Vincent Lecavalier and Evgeni Artyukhin. Could Gainey be secretly in on this deal? With the sale of the Bolts being imminent, I find it hard to believe that the new owners wouldn’t want Lecavalier’s star power on the team but they could also want to start their own team with Steve Stamkos expected to be their pick in this year’s draft.

Then there is the Marian Hossa sweepstakes which will commence on July 1, 2008. Hossa will be the most sough after UFA this summer. With most likely almost all the 30 teams in the NHL already talking to his agent, Hossa will have exactly what he wants. Gainey also went after Hossa at the trade deadline. Will he attempt to sign Sundin and Hossa? Is Gainey preparing something at the draft to enable him to do so?

The goalie situation is also interesting. With Carey Price being the franchise goalie it and the Habs needing an experienced goalie to help Price develop and provide some relief duties, will Gainey go after disgusted goalie Olaf Kolzig? Kolzig was basically replaced buy Christobal Huet when the Canadiens traded him there at the deadline. Kolzig has said that he will not be returning to the Washington Capitals.

TSN wrote an article on Kolzig, when asked about his feelings on how the turn of event affected him Kolzig replied,

“For me it was disappointing the way it ended. It’s unfortunate because they have a good team here now. It’s a fantastic team, fantastic group of guys. Not to be part of that is going to be tough, especially after 17 years and three years of what we went through post lock out.”

When Kolzig was asked about his future he had this to say,

“I haven’t completely made up my mind. For me it’s all about my family. The situation has to be good for my family. I still feel that I can be a dominant goalie in this league. If the offer is not out there…. I’ll just sit by the pool with a six-pack.”

It is too quiet in Montreal right now. Nothing is going on. Some are speculating that there is something going on. Gainey could be setting the table to do something at the draft to either set his team up to sign a couple of UFA’s (Sundin, Hossa) or acquire a player to entice one or both of those players to come to Montreal. Gainey has to make his team better than last year as all NHL eyes will be on the Habs considering all the celebrations planned for this year.

Why not? Kolzig although 38 years old, could be a mentor for a couple of years for young Carey Price, not to mention the fact that the Montreal Canadiens would have two big goalies.

Kolzig who called it quits in Washington, has stated that he is not ready yet to retire, but if no offers come in, then he will sit by his pool, and drink his beers while taking it easy.

With Jaroslav Halak stating earlier this week that he would like to play more than 25 games next season, Bob Gainey has some questions that need answering. First there’s the how many games does Price want to play, next being the fact that Halak is a restricted free agent as of July 1 2008, will Gainey be able to sign him to play 25, or fewer games? Will Bob Gainey be able to attract a veteran goalie like Kolzig to mentor young Price, and will Kolzig want to play, but in a reduced capacity?

This situation puts the Habs in a good position, both Price and Kolzig have played for Tri-City, Price needs some fine tuning, which Kolzig could help Price with, as well as be ready and not too tired to play when Price needs a break. The reason that Ollie the goalie was tired is because he was the no.1 goalie for the Caps, in a reduced role, Kolzig could regain some of his stature, Kolzig has 7 seasons of 20 wins, as well as 5 of 25 wins, he’s not the best goalie, but perhaps he would be the best back-up for Price, if of course Kolzig would accept that role.

There has been no mention of this possibility, but consider that Halak has to be signed, and for the amount of games that he would play next season for the Habs, that is looking unlikely, so if the Habs are going to try and attempt to sign a veteran back-up goalie, why not Olaf?

Bob Gainey would be wise to contact Kolzig’s agent as soon as possible, as the draft is in a month’s time, and Gainey could trade Halak at the draft to either get a higher pick, or a forward if he knows that Kolzig would replace Halak.

Let’s hope that Gainey is awake, and smelling the occasion that could be his, if he acts quickly enough. Kolzig has two years left in him, at a reduced capacity, why not bring him to Montreal, he would be good for Price as well as the team.

Hopefully Gainey will inquire about Kolzig, if Gainey is able to sign Kolzig, then the Habs would have one less thing to worry about next season, as they would have a good veteran back-up goalie.

The team that most fans wanted the Habs to play in round no.2, the Flyers, will start round 2 at the Bell Centre on Thursday. Some fans said it didn’t matter who the Habs faced as long as they stuck to their game, but admitted that the Flyers gave the Habs the best chance to move on to the Conference Final.

In the Flyers, you get a team with some young talent, a decent goalie, but slow defense-men. Daniel Briere will be constantly harassed by the fans for choosing the Flyers over the Habs. Unfortunately both Briere, and Martin Biron are from Montreal, Biron has the tendency to play well in Montreal.

Anything can happen in the play-offs, most people said the Habs have the best chance against the Flyers, but the Flyers could surprise many people. I do think however that the Canadiens have a better shot at going into the Conference Finals by passing through Philly, instead of New York, but like I said, in the post season anything can happen.

The Canadiens will now have one day to compose a game plan, as they resume play on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. The fans in Montreal made the difference in the Habs previous series against the Boston Bruins in game no.7, and you can bet that they will keep doing the same thing, especially when it comes to Briere, maybe even Biron.

Round no.2 for the Habs should not be as physical as round no.1 was, sure there will still be a physical aspect, but it shouldn’t be as bad as it was against the Bruins.

Unfortunately for the Habs bumps and bruises, they didn’t have much time to heal, but they had more time than the Flyers did, let’s hope it helps. The Habs won the season series against the Flyers this season, yes the post season is different, but at least they have some notion as to how to play the Flyers. Both teams have some bruises, so they are even there, But Carey Price is better than Martin Biron. Alex Kovalev is better than Briere, Saku Koivu when healthy is better than Mike Richards. As for the defence, well the Habs take the cake there too. For all intents and purposes, the Habs are the better team, and should win this series.

Let’s hope that the Canadiens of games no.1, and 7 show up for this whole series, and that they don’t make this series go as far as the previous one. The young kids on the Habs will be better this round as they don’t have a Zdeno Chara to deal with, and that they will have more room to skate and make things happen.

GO HABS GO!

The scorers for the Habs were, Mike Komisarek, from Alex Kovalev, and Saku Koivu, then Mark Streit, from Maxim Lapierre, and Kovalev, then Andrei Kostitsyn, from Sergei Kostitsyn, and Roman Hamrlik, the fourth goal was scored by Andrei Kostitsyn, from Patrice Brisebois, and lastly Sergei Kostitsyn, from Andrei Kostitsyn, and Tomas Plekanec. Carey Price made 25 saves for the shut-out.

This was the real Habs, the Habs of the regular season, the Habs that took a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes of game no.1. Where had they been hiding all this time? The Boston Bruins didn’t stop all game long, but Carey Price was spectacular on many occasions, Price made some exciting saves at opportune times, even though the Habs scored 5 goals, it was the Price show tonight, most likely a little disgusted at the fact that he let in 5 goals in each of the last two games.

The whole team played well, even Sergei Kostitsyn who once again got a couple of un-timely penalties, played well. Sergei got hit hard on the boards and had to go get some stitches, but came back and played well. The rest of the team played well too, but for the few times that the team was lacking some defensive zone coverage, Price was there to prevent the Bruins from getting any momentum.

If the Canadiens played like that all series, it would have been over in 5 games maximum. Boston’s light for the future is Milan Lucic, what a thorn in the sides of the Habs, but a good player. Yes the young factor had something to do with the fact that the Habs didn’t play well for a few games, but they prevailed, this time. Let the kids go out and celebrate tonight, and let the team breathe for a few days, no hard practices, let the bumps and bruises heal, and let Saku Koivu, and Francis Bouillon completely heal.

The Canadiens did almost everything right, they blocked shots, scored a power-play goal, and didn’t stop when they got the lead, of course Price helped, especially during the penalty-kill. Once again the referees made some bum calls, and let many penalties slip by, but it didn’t hamper the Habs tonight.

The Habs won this series, but await the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals series which after the Caps won tonight, is tied 3-3, if the Flyers win, then the Habs would play them in the next round, if the Caps win, the Habs would play the New York Rangers. Although I think that the Habs have a better chance to get to the Conference Championship if they play the Flyers, I don’t think that they want to chose their opponents. It doesn’t matter who the Habs play, as long as the whole team shows up every game, and they play their style, they can beat anyone in the east.

Koivu, and Bouillon returned in game no.6, even though they are not healed completely, Koivu who won over 70% of his face-offs in both games, and was key in certain plays, helped the Habs give the Bruins something they didn’t plan for. Bouillon played decent, but more to the point, he gave the Habs another veteran on the blue-line, for which Andrei Markov could take a breather. Guy Carbonneau wore his ugly lucky tie, I’m starting to like that tie.

So the Habs wait for another day to see who they will face, Flyers, or Rangers. As long as the whole team plays, it doesn’t matter. Congratulations, it took longer than everyone thought, hopefully adversity will help the young kids get back to earth, and bond the team even more.

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!

It’s about time Price got recognition for his accomplishments this year, not bad for a rookie goalie, his record is, 22-12-3 with a goals against of 2.64, and a save percentage of .918, along with three shut-outs, not bad for a rookie. Price was thrown into the #1 job when the Canadiens traded then no.1 Christobal Huet to the Washington Capitals at the deadline.

Price was the Habs fifth overall draft pick in 2005, and has a gold medal for the world juniors in 2006, and helped the Hamilton Bulldogs win the Calder Cup in 2007, for which he also received the Most Valuable Player award. This Vancouver native is quickly catching the eyes of everyone in the NHL, and the fact that Bob Gainey picked Price over Anze Kopitar made people wonder what Gainey was doing, but not now, people are starting to realize that although the Habs drafting was atrocious in the past, since Gainey has been there, everything has changed.

Price has shown in the past that he is not afraid of pressure, in fact he deals with it really well, to the point where every person who talks to him is amazed of his composure, and his maturity. Price will face his biggest pressure cooker yet, being the #1 goalie, for the Montreal Canadiens, in the play-offs, let’s hope that he is ready to deal with that one.

The Canadiens now have what seems to be a real no.1 goalie, that they will presumably have for a long time to come. What will happen in the post season largely depends on Price, sure he can’t score the goals, but he can steal games, as well as prevent other teams from setting the pace of the game.

The most frequently used nick-names for Price are, Jesus Price, Priceless, The Price Is Right, and God Bless The Price, they are the most used, I’m sure that if he does well in the play-offs in his first year, there will be more. Way to go kid, you made the Habs a better team, keep going, at long last, there is no more goalie controversy in Montreal!

Let’s face it, Huet as professional as he was when he found out he was traded to the Washington Capitals, still had some mixed feelings about the whole thing, and I guarantee that he would love nothing better than to eliminate the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, however, the Habs know how to beat him, and Carey Price along with Jaroslav Halak, would want to prove that the Habs management made the right decision by sticking with the kids, instead of the veteran.

Alex Ovechkin is an amazing goal scoring machine, and who did he beat when they played the Habs, Huet, and now that he isn’t playing for the Habs anymore, he would have to figure out Price, or Halak, could he do it in time? The Hab players would also try to show the management that playing the kids was the right decision, so they would play hard as well.

Either way, it would be a good series, not for the scoring or the hitting, but was the decision the right one, or not. The Habs had a tough time against the Caps, but like I said, Huet was in nets for those games, it would be fun to see as both teams have tons of speed, even-though the Habs edge out the Caps in that department. What a fun series it would be, the only thing is, the Habs don’t have Alexander the Great playing for them, but they do have Jesus Price, and Kovalev the swift playing for them.

In the end as much as everybody would put emphasis on goalies, which would be a bit of a factor, the whole team would have to be the deciding factor, goalies are good but they don’t score the goals. It would be an entertaining series to watch, probably built up as, did Bob Gainey make the right decision, but I doubt that Huet would play most of the games as the Caps have a capable Olaf Kolzig in nets as well.

The wizards ( NHL planning directors ), thought of something controversial, the team that wins in overtime gets 2 points, the one which loses gets 1 point. By doing this I find that the wizards are rewarding losers, which once you become a professional, should not exist, the players are not children anymore, they don’t have to reward effort, you lose, tough luck, no points. Why should teams be babied, to tell owners that the wizards have their back, well who has the fans back??

The shoot-out is a different story, if both teams have made it past the overtime, then they should have at least one point each, with the extra point going to the winner of the shoot-out. That is the way it should be, if you make it past the overtime, you get a point, you lose in overtime, no point for you, enough with the constant child like rewards.

Unfortunately, the loser point has made things interesting in the race for the play-offs this season as a multitude of teams which should not be in the hunt are. Teams like the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, and so on, even teams which are at the top would possibly not be there if the loser point wasn’t there, but some teams at the top also lost in the shoot-out, so some would still be at the top anyway.

In the current situation, I do not think that the NHL will remove this loser point anytime soon, it’s giving teams which arguably shouldn’t be in the race a chance to get into the play-offs, in the end the owners of low market teams probably like it that way, some teams don’t want to spend more then the floor cap, and they are happy to be in the hunt for the play-offs. It is exciting as all spots are pretty much up for grabs, however they should be challenged by winners, not overtime loser points, shoot-out loss is o.k. as both teams made it past overtime, by the old standard, they both get a point, but please, players, and owners are past the age of positive reinforcement.

One must wonder why the Panthers really just have such a hard time winning against such a depleted team. The fact is, even when they are depleted, they still seem tough as ever. That’s with losing Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore to trade, Rod Brind’amour to injury and Justin Williams, others as well. Yet they keep moving along like nothing has ever happened. Quite amazing to me. A team so injury plagued, they still put up a fight each night and victorious on most. Even new comers to the team like Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo look like they could have been there all season. Is it Peter Laviolette? Or is it just the amount of skill and experience the team itself has. I’d think its both, they don’t get rattled by much. The worst can happen and they will still play their system the best they can and keep doing what they do best. Sometimes thats all they need to win games they shouldn’t be in, too.

After being denied a history making eight game winning streak, the Panthers decided to start another winning streak by beating Tampa Bay. If they want to make the playoffs they need to get about 10 more points and rely heavily on teams out of the playoffs to put up a fight with the seventh and eighth spot holders.

Unlike other teams, the Panthers have a schedule that is heavily in their favor. Tampa Bay Lightning twice, Washington Capitals twice and the Hurricanes twice. Tampa Bay, I don’t see being a problem but the Capitals and the Hurricanes just might be a thorn in the side. The Capitals aren’t that same team that you just look at and expect them to fold to teams that are making a playoff push. They are right in it as well and needless to say a much better team on top of it all, than they used to be. Olaf Kolzig? Good goaltender but Huet I believe is more consistent, Sergei Fedorov definitely helps them and I believe Matt Cooke has a bit of an edge over Matt Pettinger. With Bruce Boudreau coming in as well and doing a wonderful job, I just don’t think winning against Washington will be all that easy.

I already talked about how we can’t seem to have any luck against Carolina, to begin with. Winning against the Capitals will be the MOST important objective to get into the playoffs, winning both games eliminates them from the playoff race because ideally Florida and Washington are chasing the same spot. Both games are must win scenarios for the Panthers. The Panthers also need to at least win one game against Carolina to stay in the chase. Although the schedule looks easy, to me, it really isn’t. The Panthers need to come out and play some of the best hockey they could ever imagine playing to make it that far. There is no other way around it. This roster on paper, wouldn’t make the playoffs. They are playing with their hearts and souls into the game. Thats the way they need to play to win. Thats the only way. Florida just does not have the Michael Frolik’s and the Shawn Matthias’ ready for the club yet.

I personally could not fathom the feeling of seeing the Panthers in the playoffs, in my opinion they have every right for being there as much as the next team. It would just be so nice to overcome the “laughing stock” that the Panthers are, in the NHL. Its never easy or nice to hear, “They haven’t made it into the playoffs in over six years.” Over and over again. I blame that on the endless ring of coaches and general managers that Mr. Alan Cohen felt was needed to make this team into a winner.

Olli Jokinen has certainly stepped up his game. After the Zednik incident he went into a prolonged slump. Something not good for this club that already has horrible troubles trying to score. Not only that but its like dressing a player that is injured. He was close to useless for that time. It took him to score against Henrik Lundqvist in a Panthers win to snap out of it, and ever since he has been back to the captain clutch, that he is. That the Panthers need. That the team relies on. If there is no Jokinen leading the way and helping the team. There is no playoffs. There is no leadership. There is no hope. Most of all, everybody in that locker room loves that guy. If there isn’t Jokinen doing what he does best, there isn’t a Panthers team that has desire to do much.

The belief is that Carter will seek a similar deal to the one signed by teammate Mike Richards, who signed a 12-year, $69 million contract extension earlier in the season. Carter and Richards have similar career statistics, and so would be comparables during negotiations.

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch suggests that the Columbus Blue Jackets may re-sign pending UFA forward Michael Peca because he has a great “dressing room presence” and could help guide Rick Nash through the “early stages” of his captaincy.

Portzline also speculates that the Buffalo Sabres will botch contract negotiations with goaltender Ryan Miller much in the same way they did with forwards Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, and defenseman Brian Campbell.

Miller is set to become a UFA after the 2008-09 season, and word is that he already sees himself playing for the Detroit Red Wings in 2009-10. A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Miller is also good friends with Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that if the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t trade forward Darcy Tucker, they should buy him out.

A buy out would cost the Maple Leafs two-thirds of Tucker’s $6 million contract; the club would be on the hook for a $1 million cap hit per season, over six years.

Garrioch also wonders if teams like the Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks may put in an offer sheet to Montreal Canadiens pending restricted free agent goalie Jaroslav Halak this summer. Aside for Cristobal Huet of the Washington Capitals, the free agent market appears to be pretty bare, leaving teams looking for an upgrade in net to perhaps try and poach RFAs.

Lastly from Garrioch, he reports that if Boston Bruins struggling forward Glen Murray doesn’t start scoring and help the team earn a playoff spot, he will likely be dealt in the off-season.

Murray’s $4.15 million salary could then be used by the Bruins to try and land Pittsburgh Penguins pending UFA forward Marian Hossa.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella tells Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times that 23-year-old defenseman Paul Ranger is an “untouchable” in terms of trades.

“To me, he’s an untouchable because of what he’s going to be.”

“He’s one of the most underrated players in the league,” Tortorella said. “He’s a huge piece of our team as far as transition, as far as his stick, getting us out of our end zone, penalty killing. Ranger is more physical than any of our D. He’s grown.”

Not because they want to be stingy with their only NHL-ready puck-moving blueliner, but because they want to determine if the 25-year-old’s breakthrough season was a fluke or not. The Bruins would like to see Wideman sustain his level of play for at least one more season before deciding to lock him up long-term.

Wideman, who is expected to get a raise either way, has a few options at his disposal: “accept a one-year qualifying offer and hope he has another solid season in 2008-09; sign a multiyear extension; or go to arbitration.”

His current comparables include Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brent Burns of the Minnesota Wild, and Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings. They all earn at least $3 million per season.

Of course, Wideman’s representatives will also keep tabs on the likes of Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, Andrej Meszaros of the Ottawa Senators, and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators and their negotiations. Whatever each player in that trio manage to sign for could also impact Wideman.

First off, the Oilers could use a “sniper” to bolster their attack, some in the mold of San Jose Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo.

Secondly, the Oilers will look to add some toughness. While it’s unlikely that former Oilers tough guy Georges Laraque will return to Edmonton, there are other options. Those include UFAs Wade Belak of the Florida Panthers, Jody Shelley of the Sharks, Darcy Hordichuk of the Nashville Predators, and Todd Fedoruk of the Minnesota Wild.

Jean LeFebvre of The Calgary Herald suggests that Calgary Flames pending UFA forward Kristian Huselius may have a hard time getting the contract he wants this summer.

While his play in the months of October, December, January, and so far in March, has been superb, November and February saw the skilled forward play the worst hockey of the season.

Ottawa Senators pending UFA forward Cory Stillman tells James Gordon of The Ottawa Citizen that he’d love to re-sign with the club.

“I’d like to stay. It’s close to home, to my home town,” the Peterborough, Ont., native said. “You know, I was happy in Carolina, but (Ottawa) is one of the places I had said that if I ever had the chance to play, I would jump on it.

“So I’m here now and hopefully I can continue on for a couple years.”

Stillman says he hasn’t had any talks about a contract extension with Senators’ management, yet.

“My thing right now is to come play, win hockey games and continue to play into June,” the 34-year-old said.

According to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post, Washington Capitals pending restricted free agent forward Brooks Laich could receive a significant raise this summer. A three-year, $3 million deal isn’t out of the question.

The New Jersey Devils were one of the teams trying to acquire Smith, but weren’t willing to meet the Flyers’ demands.

Expectations are the Smith will become a free agent and sign with the Devils in the summer.

Despite injuries to two of their blueliner, Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post Online reports that the Flyers will not call-up defenseman Denis Gauthier from their AHL affiliate team.

Gauthier would have to pass through waivers in order to be promoted to the big club, meaning teams could claim him at half the cost of his $2.1 million salary. Since the Flyers would be on the hook for the other half, it’s unlikely they will go through with it.

If Pittsburgh Penguins pending restricted free agent forward Evgeni Malkin demand a contract worth an average of between $9-10 million per season, John Buccigross of ESPN.com suggests the club should consider trading him.

The Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that it remains unclear which of the Washington Capitals’ three deadline acquisitions, namely goalie Cristobal Huet, and forwards center Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke, will be back with the club next season.

All three are pending UFAs.

According to The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster’s next move will be to get Vincent Lecavalier’s name on a multi-year contract extension.

Lecavalier, who can become a UFA after next season, will undoubtedly look for as big a raise as he can get. And if that is too much for the Lightning to accept, Lecavalier could end up being “the most highly pursued UFA-to-be” before next year’s trade deadline.

Shinzawa also reports that the Ottawa Senators are negotiating a contract extension with pending RFA forwards Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette, as well as Andrej Meszaros, all of which due for substantial raises.

Forward Chris Neil, who becomes a UFA after next season, could also be in line for a raise on his $1.1 million average salary.

A UFA this summer, defenseman Wade Redden will also need to be re-signed. However, he may be too expensive for the Senators.

One way that Senators GM Bryan Murray can clear some payroll by trading enigmatic goalie Ray Emery, if he can find a team to take him.

Lastly from Shinzawa, he reports that a number of teams have called the Boston Bruins to inquire about the availability of forward Milan Lucic.

“It’s a different style,” he said. “I find it more fun to play. I know last year when I went to Calgary, I liked it more. The games were a little more intense.”

So, could it be with the Red Wings?

“I think I’m hoping things go well and that maybe I find a spot here,” he said. “I can see myself enjoying it here and wanting to stay.”

Red Wings GM Ken Holland is believed to have pursued Stuart during the past off-season, but the blueliner decided to sign with the Los Angeles Kings.

Still with the Red Wings, Holland tells George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press that the club is close to signing with pending UFA forward Dan Cleary to a contract extension.

“We’re talking term,” Holland said. “We’ve been talking anywhere from four to six [years].”

Erik Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune reports that Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster is interested in re-signing pending UFA forward Chris Gratton.

With the acquisition of pending UFA goaltender Cristobal Huet from the Montreal Canadiens on trade deadline day, George Solomon of the Washington Post implies that the Washington Capitals may be sending a message to their long-time starter, Olaf Kolzig.

Kolzig, a soon-to-be UFA himself, could be nearing the end of his tenure with the organization he has played for the past 18 years.

“There are things in life and in the game of hockey that are out of your control. It’s how you deal with it that separates you from other people.”

According to Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild was ready to deal forward Benoit Pouliot at the trade deadline. However, clubs were more interested in players like James Sheppard, Mikko Koivu and Colton Gillies.

San Jose Sharks pending unrestricted free agent forward Jeremy Roenick tells David Pollak of the Mercury News that he hopes to play hokey past this season.

“I’ll talk to [Sharks GM] Doug Wilson at the end of the season and see if he’ll give the old man another wheel around,” Roenick told reporters. “I definitely feel I can do it - I’m at 190 pounds and I haven’t been there in 10 years.”

Now, more and more NHL teams are employing the hockey version of cheerleaders.

The Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning all have them. That’s 16 teams.

Three Canadian teams have them, too, including the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and the Vancouver Canucks.

So, what exactly do Ice Girls do?

Well, according to PuckThatHit.com, this is what the job entails:

Ice Girls often (but not always) step onto the ice, clean away excess snow, wipe down the glass, and of course give away t-shirts. Any excuse to have them parade their increased chest sizes and minuscule waists is good enough for management and fans.

For those interested, there’s a poll over at PuckThatHit.com where you can vote for which team has the best ice girls. There’s pictures, too… pretty pictures… go check ‘em out. I threw in my vote for the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ice Crew.

Anyway, I’m wondering how soon will it be before ALL NHL teams has a crew of Ice Girls dancing in a seat near you? And which team will it be the next in line? Will it be the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, or the Washington Capitals?

This is an unscientific poll, by the way.

The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont reports that Atlanta Thrashers forward Erik Christensen wanted out of Pittsburgh because he wasn’t getting enough playing time.

Dupont also suggests that the Boston Bruins should give goalie Tim Thomas a one-year contract extension, while signing Glen Metropolit to a two-year extension due to their strong performances this season.

Lastly from Dupont, he reports that the San Jose Sharks tried hard to deal struggling forward Patrick Marleau before the February 26 trade deadline, but could not find any takers.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Marleau has a “no-movement” clause kicks in on July 1, so he will be even more difficult to deal. That’s why the Sharks wanted to part ways with him now.

Garrioch also reports that the Montreal Canadiens contacted the Chicago Blackhawks to inquire about the availability of forward Martin Havlat, but could not put a deal together. Speculation is that Havlat may be moved during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens were also working on trading pending unrestricted free agent forward Michael Ryder to the