I’ve been slipping on my weekly updates lately.  My job has taken over my life.  I need an extra hour in my days.  On to the current happenings in the NHL.

THE GOOD:

-Rick Tocchet won his first game as interim head coach of the Lightning after the firing of Barry “The Mullet” Melrose last week.  The Bolts are finally starting to put the puck in the net, which is the one thing most people thought they WOULDN’T struggle with this year.

-The NHL finally realized “fan voting” for the All-Star game wasn’t working out quite like they planned and did away with the automated votes certain Habs fans had been submitting for half of the Habs roster.  The results look slightly more believable now than they did two weeks ago — even if the entire starting lineup would be Canadiens if the voting ended today.  The site also has a CAPTCHA in place now to prevent any other

-The Devils figured out how to win games with someone besides Martin Brodeur in net.

-In other goaltending news, Roberto Luongo is a monster.  After having his shutout streak last week snapped, Luongo gave up only 3 goals to the tri-state area in games Monday and Wednesday, and looked absolutely unbelievable.  I absolutely love watching him.  The Canucks have also been strong offensively, as the return of Pavol Demitra on a line with the Sedin twins has been nearly unstoppable.

-San Jose’s record as of today is 17-3-1.  Just….wow.

THE BAD:

-The above mentioned Luongo was injured in the Canucks game against the Penguins yesterday.  There won’t be further updates until tomorrow, but it appeared to be a left groin injury, and it didn’t look good.  This would be a major blow to the Canucks if he is out for any major length of time.

-The hockey gods give and then taketh away.  The Devils were finally starting to get “healthy”, and are now without John Madden, who bruised his foot in a game against the Panthers on Thursday, and Mike Mottau, who was suspended for two games for a hit on Islander forward Franz Nielsen Friday night.  One of these days the Devils will have the team that took the ice back on October 10th back again.  Really.

-Third jerseys are ugly.  90% of the time.  Excluded from this list are those teams using throwback jerseys, and St. Louis and San Jose.  Everyone else, you’re on notice.  I’m looking at you Atlanta.

-Brendan Morrow was lost for the season this week with a torn ACL.  The comeback for the already struggling Stars just got a whole lot harder.

THE RIDICULOUS:

Sidney Crosby with another goal from the seat of his pants earlier this week.

Patrik Elias had a great week for the Devils, including this gem.

Not to go Devils heavy, but how about this fight between Bryce Salvador and Tim Jackman?  Jackman took a few stitches in his face between periods.

Have a great week everyone

I promise this isn’t turning into a Devils blog.  The injury situation has just gotten too absurd to not talk about.

I know what you’re thinking — isn’t just over a month into the season a little early to be talking about recaps?  Shouldn’t I wait until at least mid-season, or even the playoffs?  Well, in a normal season, I would agree with you.  But this season has been anything but normal for the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils began the season with a lot of promise — Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik were brought on board to help the team in many of the areas they struggled in last year (power play, face offs, etc.).  The young defensemen had a season of experience under their belt.  Martin Brodeur was poised to break the career wins and career shutout records.  Perhaps this would be a different team than the team that struggled mightily to score all season last year.

Things looked okay for the first 2 games — the Devils opened up the season with wins against the Islanders and Penguins, then dropped a game against the Rangers.  But it would be a 1-0 shutout win against the Thrashers on October 16th that would become indicative of the Devils season.

I wish I could say this was because the Devils stopped giving up goals.  That would be a lot more fun.  But they have not been quite so lucky.  After netting his first goal of the season in the second period of the game, Brian Rolston wiped out and fell awkwardly into the boards, suffering a high ankle sprain.  He has yet to return to action.

Let’s take a look at what’s happened since:

October 18th:  A 4-3 shootout victory against the Capitals.  Bobby Holik is hit in the hand with an Alexander Ovechkin slapshot that obliterates his pinky.  He has surgery the following week.  In the span of 2 games the team is suddenly the exact same team as last year, with the addition of two rookies.  Devils fans grow restless.

October 25th: A 3-2 overtime loss against the Flyers (complete with smoke bomb!).  Rookie enforcer Pierre Luc Leblond had several run-ins with Riley Cote during the game (and the course of the weekend home-and-home).  At some point during the second game, he broke a bone in his face.  Now our replacement players are starting to drop.  Things begin to look grim.

October 29th: A 6-5 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs.  Early in the game, Andy Greene breaks his hand after being hit by a Pavel Kubina slapshot, but continues to play the rest of the game (and put up 3 assists! A career high!  This would be even more exciting if he was still playing today!).  He also required surgery and won’t be back until sometime in December.  I begin to think perhaps I shouldn’t have laughed at the absurd level of the Flyers’ and Penguins’ injury woes earlier in the season.  Bad karma or something like that.

November 1st: A 6-1 victory over the Thrashers.  Halfway through the second period, on a seemingly innocent save, Martin Brodeur is slow getting up, and seems to grab at his arm.  The entire hockey fan community of New Jersey gets nervous.  On the scramble in front, as play heads out of the Devils end, Marty simply does not get up, now clearly holding his arm.  Devils fans begin to hyperventilate.  Vigils are held as 3 very long days pass awaiting news.  Antidepressant prescriptions among hockey fans in the state of New Jersey triple when the Devils announce Brodeur will be out three to four months to have surgery to repair a torn distal biceps tendon.  I try to take comfort in this photo. (H/T 2MA)

November 3rd: As the Devils community reeled over the loss of Brodeur, Paul Martin quietly didn’t show up to practice, due to the annoyingly vague “upper body soreness”.  He, also, hasn’t played since.  But no, this isn’t ridiculous at all.

The Devils lost 2-0 to Buffalo in rather pathetic fashion that evening.  In the first period of the game, Patrik Elias got nailed in the face with a puck.  He, thankfully, returned later in the game.  When he first got hit, I’m fairly certain most Devils fans were ready to forfeit and try again next year.

November 8th: The Lowell Devils visit the defending champs, losing 2-1.  Brian Gionta gets absolutely hammered into the boards, leaving the game with what appeared to be a head/neck/shoulder injury.  Bryce Salvador would leave the game late in the second after taking a John Madden shot off the back of the foot.  I joked about taking bets on who would get hurt next before the game.  I’m so sorry, Brian and Bryce.  Really.

November 9th: Despite both players assuring the media they were going to be ready to play, Gionta and Salvador did not dress for the Devils’ game against the Oilers.  The Devils call up defenseman Jay Leach and left wing Patrick Davis from Lowell.  (All together now Devils fans: WHO?!).  Their top forwards in Lowell, Matt Halischuk and Rod Pelley, are both on the IR as well.

At several points during the game last night, the Devils played a line composed of entirely rookies: Petr Vrana, Nicklas Bergfors, and Davis.  At one point, they had 5 Lowell Devils on the ice at the same time.  It was rather unfortunate to watch.

Additionally, 8 minutes into the game, Mike Mottau got hit in the face with a puck.  WHILE HE WAS ON THE BENCH.  Mike Rupp deflected the puck out of play and right into poor Mottau’s face.  He collapsed and was helped to the locker room, but luckily for the Devils, was back for the second period.

So for those keeping score at home:

Brian Rolston (high ankle sprain)
Bobby Holik (broken pinky)
Pierre Luc Leblond (broken orbital bone)
Andy Greene (broken hand)
Martin Brodeur (torn distal biceps tendon)
Paul Martin (”upper body soreness”)
Brian Gionta (head/neck/shoulder)
Bryce Salvador (foot)

27 man games lost BEFORE this weekend.  That number must be higher by now.  And yes, folks, its only the first week of November.

I have two words for Brent Sutter and the rest of the Devils’ coaching staff:  BUBBLE WRAP.

This week saw more domination by the Sabres, first wins notched by the Flyers and Lightning, and the return of Sean Avery to the tri-state area.  It was a wacky one, to say the least

THE GOOD:

• Buffalo kept up their fantastic play this week, handing Minnesota their first lost of the season and going 2-0-1.  The team has yet to lose in regulation, with only two shootout losses to their name.  Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the continued stellar play of Thomas Vanek, who has 11 points in 8 games.
• Carolina rookie Brandon Sutter (yes, one of those Sutters) scored his first goal against the Penguins in a losing effort by the Hurricanes this week.  He became the seventh Sutter to score a goal in the NHL.  It’s unfair how talented that family is.
• The last two winless teams in the league finally grabbed their first W’s this week - Tampa Bay with an overtime victory over Atlanta and Philadelphia with a pair of wins over the Devils this weekend. (I promise I’m not bitter.)
• Avery made his return to New York/New Jersey with Dallas early in the week, and was surprisingly well behaved.  He wasn’t a huge factor in either game - positive or negative, and managed to let the media circus go on around him without saying much of anything moronic.  I don’t like to give Sean praise, as I think he’s a MASSIVE asshole, but he handled the trip very well.  Kudos to the Stars for picking up 2 of 3 victories on the road trip, as well (and many thanks for imploding against the Devils!).
• Speaking of the Stars imploding, Martin Brodeur notched his 98th career shutout Wednesday against Dallas.  He needs only 5 more to reach Terry Sawchuck’s all-time record.  Brodeur’s stats prior to the Devils’ collapse against Philly this weekend marked the best start of his career.

THE BAD:

• NHL general managers met this week in Minnesota to discuss the state of the game and potential rule changes.  Coming out of the meeting, the GMs spoke of two specific rule changes that had been brought up at the meeting.  First, on a delayed penalty call in the defensive zone, the penalized team would have to clear the puck over the blue line before getting the whistle.  Secondly, the idea of making it illegal to leave your feet or slide on the ice to block a shot was discussed.  I don’t like either change, but I find the second idea TERRIBLE.  Shot blocking is a huge part of the sport and taking it away just seems stupid.
• Tampa Bay owner Oren Koules had masks made up for Lightning goalies Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig advertising his new movie Saw V.  The masks will eventually be auctioned off for charity.  While I appreciate the charitable side of the move, I don’t like the idea of marketing on goalie masks - so many goalies really go all out to make their masks an extension of their personalities - and making them a marketing tool really takes that away.
• Sarah Palin dropped the puck in St. Louis Friday night.  All politics aside, I think its getting a little silly that she’s continually being paraded around at games.  We get it, you’re a “hockey mom”.  Now can we quit mixing politics and sports and move on with the season?
• Marty Turco has been a disaster lately.  His goals against average is well over 4 and Dallas hasn’t given up more than 3 goals in all but 2 games this year.  He was pulled in a sloppy effort against the Devils on Wednesday and just has not looked sharp yet.  Dallas is going to struggle until he gets back on track.
• A fan in Philadelphia on Saturday threw a smoke bomb on the ice after a near-goal was waved off in what would eventually turn into an OT victory for the Flyers.  The bomb hit near the Devils bench, and play was halted for several minutes to let the air around bench area clear after the players and coaches cleared out.  A little scary that that made it by security at the Wachovia Center.

THE RIDICULOUS

First two highlights are videos on NHL.com. I unfortunately couldn’t embed them over here, but you can watch the ones I mention via the boxscores.

Brendan Morrow netted this impressive goal against Henrik Lundqvist Monday night in New York.

Sidney Crosby picked the puck out of mid-air to deflect it by Carolina back-up netminder Michael Leighton to spark a Pittsburgh comeback Wednesday night.

Milan Lucic attempted to shove Mike VanRyn through the boards and into the crowd in Toronto on Thursday.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT….

I didn’t know how to classify this story.  I don’t know how to describe this story.  But I just couldn’t let my readers miss out on a good “Swedish hockey game delayed by dildo shower” article.

Here’s Puck Daddy with the report.

The first full week of NHL play is in the books, and it’s been a wild one.  Some teams that were expected to be great have come out flat, and some teams that were expected to be….not-so-great….have come out flying.  Here’s a look at the some of the high and low points of the week, along with a few INSANE highlight reel plays to cap off your weekend.

THE GOOD

• It pains a Devils fan to say it, but the Rangers starting 5-0 was pretty remarkable.  The team came out playing very solid hockey (against an admittedly weak group of opponents, the Devils excluded) - they were scoring goals, playing great defense, and just choking the life out of the everyone.  I witnessed it first hand on Monday, take my word for it.  The line of Dubinsky, Voros, and Zherdev has been a great spark for the team - but if their top line doesn’t start producing soon, the Rangers are going to start to struggle.
• Who beat Thomas Vanek with the goal-scoring stick in the offseason? Coming off a disappointing 07-08 campaign that didn’t live up to his $10 million contract, Vanek has 7 goals in 5 games for the Buffaslugs — including 2 shorthanded goals and 3 tallies on the powerplay.  Lindy Ruff stated in the preseason that he wanted to give the 24-year-old a chance to become “the best 2-way player in the game.”  Vanek’s gotten a good jump on that early in the season.
• While most of the Devils have looked annoyingly similar to last season (Offense is overrated), the one and only Martin Brodeur looked as consistent as ever in pocketing his 97th career shutout on Thursday.  It was an ugly victory for the Devils, but I’ll take them how I can get them, and Marty gets within 6 of Terry Sawchuck’s career shutout record.
• Who doesn’t love a good come-from-behind victory?  If you’re a Pens fan, skip ahead, you won’t like this very much.  Thursday night was Round 1 of the Penguins/Capitals (and Crosby/Ovechkin) matchups for this year.  The Penguins had given themselves a solid 3-0 lead by the middle of the second period.  The Caps got one late in the period to make it 3-1.  And then had 3 third period goals to come back and win 4-3, and their superstar did not even register a point.  Can’t feel good to be a Penguin after that loss.  But as an uninvested outsider, those are fun games to watch!
• Fabian Brunnstrom, the young Swedish forward, finally made his well-hyped debut in Dallas on Wednesday — and what a debut it was.  The 23-year-old had a hat trick Wednesday, helping lead the Stars to a 6-4 win, and netting what would stand as the game winning goal.  Brunnstrom became only the third player in NHL history to record a hat trick in his NHL debut.

THE BAD

• Marty Biron was fantastic in the playoffs last year.  The Flyers came into this season as a popular pick for top of the Atlantic division, with a solid offense and a great goaltender.  After 3 games, Biron’s goals against is 5.75 and his save percentage is under .900.  I know the team’s defense is beat up, but there’s just no excuse for playing that poorly.  If he doesn’t shape up soon the Flyers are going to find themselves in a hole that looks a lot like the one they were in when they finished in last place two years ago.
• Barry Melrose has yet to win a game down in Tampa Bay.  Not to place all of the blame on The Mulleted Wonder, as the team gave up an average of 40-something shots a game in their first three contests and were so desperate for defensive help they signed Marek Malik to a one-year deal this week.  Not to say I told you so, but signing every free agent forward and shipping off all of your talented defenseman isn’t seeming like such a great plan now, is it?
• I saw parts of two games in Atlanta this week.  The entire lower bowl of their arena looked like it had maybe 300 people in it.  Maybe.  I’d like to think the upper deck is booming with fans, but it certainly didn’t sound like it.  What a shame.
• Denis Savard was fired as the Blackhawks coach after only 4 games, opening the door for former Avs coach Joel Quenneville to step behind the bench as a replacement.  The Blackhawks struggled out of the gate, going 0-3 before finally recording a 4-1 victory against the Coyotes on Wednesday — barely 12 hours before Savard was axed.  The organization has set extremely high standards for their club this year (probably too high for a group of very young players), and the firing was clearly meant to send a message.  Time will tell if this was the right move.
• Rick DiPietro had surgery this offseason on his hip and his knee.  He appeared to be ready to start the season for the Islanders - a team that this year, more than ever, needs him to be solid in order to be competitive - but mysteriously didn’t start the team’s season and home openers.  The Islanders were silent about the netminder’s condition, playing him as a backup, but it was fairly clear he was not available to play.  The whole situation was a little bizarre, and served as a distraction to an already ailing Islanders team.  DiPietro was back in the lineup Saturday night — we’ll see how long his health holds up.
• Lastly, and on a much more serious note, 19-year-old Alexei Chereponov, a Rangers prospect playing in the KHL, collapsed on the bench during a game Tuesday and was unable to be revived.  All hockey relevance aside, this is an unbelievable tragedy.  I can only hope the KHL takes the time to seriously reevaluate the emergency medical care they have available in their arenas.  RIP, Alexei.

THE AMAZING

Martin Havlat (lovingly known in some circles as Mr. IR) scored an unbelievable goal the other night against the Coyotes to jumpstart the Blackhawks first victory.

Please ignore my Devils fandom. Travis Zajac’s pass is ridiculous, and Zach Parise is just awesome.

I have no idea how Antero Niittymaki grabbed this.  Absolutely incredible.  Too bad the Flyers still haven’t won

And just for fun, a heavyweight battle between Riley Cote and Eric Godard from this weeks Flyers/Penguins matchup.

Welcome back to hockey season!

October is upon us, and that means only one thing in my little corner of the internet — hockey season!  The regular season official opened last weekend with a pair of games in Sweden and the Czech Republic, and the season started up on our home turf over the past few days.  I’m a little late to the party with this (damn real life getting in the way of important things like making an ass of myself by trying to predict the future!), but here’s my take on how the standings will look come April.

*Disclaimer: I made these picks and started writing my Eastern Conference picks over a week ago.  I’m sticking with them, despite some significant injury news (see: Philly’s defense).*

Eastern Conference

1. Montreal Canadiens — The Habs are coming off an extremely successful 2007-2008 campaign that ended with a disappointing playoff run.  The team stayed mostly intact over the summer and added some toughness in Georges Laraque, as well as some additional firepower in Alex Tanguay.  Carey Price dropped nearly 30 pounds in the offseason and has been playing like it in the preseason.  As long as they can play with more of a physical edge, there is no reason to believe, in their centennial season, this club can’t ride the momentum of their hockey-crazy hometown straight through to a top-seed repeat.

2. Philadelphia – The Atlantic Division is the best in the East.  Barring significant injuries, the division will produce 4 playoff teams for the second straight season.  Philly pulled off a remarkable turnaround last season, going from the bottom of the NHL to the conference finals in the course of a year.  The team has Simon Gagne back from post-concussion syndrome, and most of its core of forwards have remained the same.  The team can flat-out score.  And they have the physical play to beat the crap out of opponents night in and night out.  Some potential question marks on defense if injuries hit, but I think the Flyers are going to prove to be the team to beat in the Atlantic.

3. Washington — Any team with Alexander Ovechkin in the mix is going to compete.  Plain and simple.  We saw what this team could do during the stretch run last year, and goaltending aside, the core of the team has stayed mostly intact.  If they continue to play like they did for the majority of last season, they will absolutely be the best team in the Southeast.  Jose Theodore will need to play his best for them to truly be a playoff contender.

4. Pittsburgh — Yes, the Penguins went through a huge personnel overhaul over the summer.  Yes, the injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are going to be a factor.  But this is still a very talented team.  Crosby and Malkin have the ability to be game changers every night.  If Satan and Fedetenko’s numbers return to form, the Pens offense is formidable.  A lot of questions, but I think we see Pittsburgh sneaking into playoffs with home ice, after struggling early.

5. New Jersey — Oh, my Devils. This is a team that couldn’t score goals if you paid them last year, and was better off NOT going on the power play.  The addition of Brian Rolston as a point man for the man advantage and a center for the top line will increase numbers across the board.  Bobby Holik adds another true center, helping the team out tremendously in the faceoff circle (where they also struggled last year).  Their fourth line averages 6′5″, 230 pounds, and will drive opponents nuts this year.  Between the increased production of special teams, several players looking to have bounce-back offensive seasons (Brian Gionta and Travis Zajac, we’re looking at you), and the continued development of Zach Parise into a star player, this team will certianly be right in the mix all season.

6. New York Rangers — I see a few major keys to this team.  Team chemistry (which seems to be coming along nicely), in addition to overcoming the losses of Jagr, Shanahan, and Avery (its early yet, it remains to be seen what the role players are going to step in and replace them — and those are big shoes to fill).  And perhaps most importantly — Henrik Lundqvist’s health.  Reports at the beginning of the season were that his knees were not 100% from an injury sustained last year that Lundqvist proceeded to play through at the World Championships.  If he’s not playing at full strength, the Rangers may find themselves in some trouble.

7. Boston — Boston nearly pulled off an amazing upset in the first round of the playoffs last year, and the team is healthier and coming off of a few great off season acquisitions.  The return of Patrice Bergeron is going to solidify an already potent group of young forwards. The change of scenery and playing alongside one of the best assist-men in the league in Marc Savard should prove extremely beneficial for Michael Ryder.  As long as Zdeno Chara’s shoulder really is healthy and ready to go, the B’s defense is going to be solid.  This team could surprise people.

8. Carolina –  If this team could stay healthy for more than a week, they could challenge for the division.  But they’re already down Justin Williams until the All-Star break, and Scott Walker for up to 6 weeks, and if and they’ve been consistently injury plagued since their Stanley Cup Championship in 2006.  The team made a solid addition over the summer in Joni Pitkanen to bolster their blueline.  Look for the ‘Canes to sneak into the last playoff spot.

9. Ottawa — If Ottawa has truly worked out all of their internal issues, they may make a stronger push this year.  But I think their defense is weaker than it was a year ago — while Jason Smith is a solid addition, he is not the answer for the departure of Wade Redden and Andrej Meszaros, whose offensive skill will be missed on the power play.  Their goaltending remains a huge question mark — Martin Gerber has yet to prove he can be a reliable number 1 goalie, and Alex Auld isn’t a much better answer in the #2 spot.  As this team falls into line under new coach Craig Hartsburg they’re going to struggle early on — and while they may come out the other side of this season a better team than they started, I have a feeling it will end up being too little too late.

10. Buffalo — The Sabres are going to have a rebound year and nothing to show for it.  The team has taken some positive steps towards rebuilding (or preventing further losses, anyway) after getting destroyed by free agency last year.  But I don’t think they’re going to have what it takes to be a playoff team this year.  They are a good team.  But they aren’t a great team.  Maybe they’ll surprise me, but I think they’re missing a few key pieces and role-player-types to really get it done this year.

11. Tampa Bay — Everyone’s favorite team to talk about this summer, the Bolts have a remarkable 9 new forwards on their roster.  While any team boasting Lecavlier, St. Louis, and newbie Steven Stamkos on their top 2 lines is sure to produce goals, the real problem on this team is defense.  The blueline on this team is largely young and unproven, and probably only decent at best.  The loss of Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to San Jose and Filip Kuba to Ottawa saw the bulk of Tampa’s strong defensemen head out of town.  Andrej Meszaros will be the leader for the defense corps, and that’s just not going to cut it.  Barry Melrose has his work cut out for him this season.

12. Toronto — Let the rebuilding begin.  Out the door are Mats Sundin (for now, anyway), Darcy Tucker, and Bryan McCabe.  Joining the Maple Leafs are 5th overall pick Luke Schenn, Mike VanRyn, and a slew of other young players.  Ron Wilson is behind the bench.  Expectations aren’t high for this group, and understandably slow - the team is going to have some growing pains for the next year or two.  But they had flashes of what is to come in the future during their opening game win against Detroit, and while this season will ultimately end in disappointment, Toronto fans will have something to cheer for in the not-so-distant future.

13. Florida — The Panthers have been basement dwellers for the past several seasons.  The team has given no indication to expected otherwise this season.  The team lost top scorer Olli Jokinen in the offseason, bringing onboard young defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton.  Jay Bouwmeester’s likely impending departure could serve as a distraction for the team.  New coach Peter DeBoar has a tall task facing him — and the Panthers don’t look to be improving any time soon.

14.  New York Islanders — With Rick DiPietro seemingly not 100% after offseason hip and knee surgery, the Islander’s woes are even greater than initially expected.  Like the Maple Leafs, this is a VERY young team that will hopefully see a turnaround in a few seasons — but this is just not going to be their year.  Kyle Okposo has the potential to be a star, but does he have the talent around him to prove it?  Look for the Isles to be frontrunners in the Tavares sweepstakes at the end of the season.

15. Atlanta — The Thrashers made no progress this offseason.   They’re under a new coach, have no real defensive presence, and have given Ilya Kovalchuk very little help up front.  If they want any hope of keeping him onboard when his contract expires in two seasons, they’re going to have to improve, and fast.

Western Conference

1. Detroit — The defending champs have a little bit of everything going for them.  They stayed nearly completely intact during the summer, losing only Dominic Hasek and Dallas Drake to retirement.  Their offense was already one of, if not the, scariest in the league, and with the addition of Marian Hossa in the offseason will only be stronger.  Any defense with a top pairing of Nicklas “I Eat Norris Trophies For Breakfast” Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski is in great shape.  Osgood is good for 50-60 games and is nothing if not consistent, and Ty Conklin was a fantastic pickup to act as #2.  They are more than capable of repeating as champs.

2. San Jose — The Pacific Division is going to be EXTREMELY hard fought, and the top 3 teams are all very talented.  San Jose is going to have one of the best bluelines in hockey after adding Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, and Brad Lukowich in the offseason.  Their offense is already well-proven and if new coach Todd McLellan can push some consistent production out of recent underperformers Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau, this team could go deep in the playoffs.

3. Calgary — The Northwest is probably going to be a crapshoot, but I think Calgary has the veteran leadership to get it done.  They made some moves in the offseason (getting rid of Alex Tanguay who probably needed the change of scenery, picking up Mike Cammalleri from LA) that I think in the long run will help them improve, and Kipprusoff had an uncharacteristically poor season last year — look for him to come out strong this season.

4. Dallas– We saw how good this team could be in the playoffs last year.  The addition of Sean Avery gives them an increased douchebaggery level that will drive opponents crazy, and his scoring touch will be beneficial as well.  Having Brad Richards in the lineup for a full season will also be a big boost to the offense.  They may miss Sergei Zubov at the beginning of the season but their young defenseman showed last year that they were ready to step up so I think we’ll continue to see them play well.  And Marty Turco is more than capable of stealing a few games.  Look for Dallas to be another serious contender this year.

5. Anaheim — The Ducks struggled last year out of the gate minus Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne.  Both players are starting the season with the team.  This is a huge boost for the Ducks.  The addition of Brendan Morrison to the lineup adds some additional scoring punch to an already strong lineup.  If they can stay healthy they could make a run at the division title.

6. Edmonton — The Oilers were not far out of the playoffs last year, and a strong offseason will put them back in the postseason this year.  The addition of Erik Cole to their core of young forwards should be a definite positive for their offense, as should having a healthy Fernando Pisani in the lineup for a full season.  The defense will improve from a (hopefully) healthy Sheldon Souray and the addition of Lubomir Visnovsky.  Goaltending will continue to be a bit of a question mark, but look for the Oilers to try and play spoilers come the first round.

7. Chicago — There are a lot of expectations in the Windy City this year.  The addition of Brian Campbell to a potent young offense has Patrick Kane & company poised for their first playoff appearance in 13 years. If the team can hold up to the increased attention and continue to perform as they did towards the end of last season, there’s no reason to believe they won’t sneak into the playoffs this year.  Now if only they can work out that goaltending problem….

8. Minnesota — The Wild lost a lot of key players over the summer.  Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra, and Todd Fedoruk all headed out of town.  Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan were a good pickups but probably won’t be enough to fill in the offensive gaps left by the offseason departures.  More importantly, contract talks with Marian Gaborik don’t look particularly promising and may prove to be an unwanted distraction — see the Marian Hossa saga from last year.  Still, if Jacques Lemaire knows how to do one thing, it’s win.  Minnesota will be right on the bubble, but I think they’ll sneak into the last playoff spot.

9. Colorado — Coming off an extremely disappointing playoff loss to the Red Wings last year, the Avalanche are hoping for a better performance this year.  Unfortunately, this team just doesn’t look like it has what it takes.  Joe Sakic is back for one last shot at the Cup, and having Adam Foote in the lineup for a full season will certainly be a huge boost for this team.  But at the end of the day, the loss of Jose Theodore is going to be a big one — Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft have not proven themselves worthy of a consistent starting spot, and that’s going to be an issue against a very talented Western Conference.

10. Nashville — The Preds gave the Red Wings grief last year, and will be competitve again this year, but the youth movements in Chicago and Edmonton are going to bump them out of playoff contention.  The Alex Radulov fiasco is going to be an unwanted media distraction, as will all the nonsense with “Boots” DelBaggio and the constant talk of relocation.  The team can score, and Dan Ellis proved himself in the playoffs last year.  They’ll be right in the thick of things but ultimately, I think the Preds are going to fall short.

11. Columbus — The Blue Jackets are entering their 8th season and have yet to clinch a playoff berth.  I don’t think this is their year either.  Ken Hitchcock runs a tight ship in Columbus, and Rick Nash puts on one hell of a show, but the team has yet to put together a team with all of the pieces needed to really compete out in the West.  They made some great acquistions this year in RJ Umberger, Kristian Huselius, and Mike Commodore, among others, and I think they are a better team this season than they were last year.  In the Eastern Conference, they’d probably be a playoff team — but in the West, the postseason is going to be out of reach.

12. Phoenix — The Coyotes are a very young team that no one is expecting much from this season.  This may play to their advantage as they may surprise some people.  I think they’re probably a year or two out from a real playoff push, but the additions of Olli Jokinen, Todd Fedoruk, Kurt Sauer, and others this offseason will bolster their young core and allow for a great growth season this year to build on going forward.

13. Vancouver — The Canucks did not have a strong summer - losing Trevor Linden to retirement, Marcus Naslund to the Rangers, and Brendan Morrison to the Ducks - and really only replacing them with an often-injured Pavol Demitra (and floating Mats Sundin an absurd $10 million offer).  Roberto Luongo is going to be solid, but without much help there is only so much the newly-appointed captain can do.

14. Los Angeles — The Kings were surprisingly quiet this offseason - losing franchise defenseman Rob Blake to San Jose and really only signing on the kids already within the organization.  The recent extension of Anze Kopitar is a huge move for the team, as he is likely a future captain and franchise player.  The Kings are going to struggle this year - they are young, and they have awful goaltending - but they’ve got some scoring talent that shows promise for the next few years.

15. St. Louis — The Blues suffered a huge loss before the season even began when Erik Johnson tore his ACL in a freak golf cart accident.  The team was already set up for a building year - owner John Davidson seemed content to stick with the youth in the organization going forward.  Much like Toronto and the Islanders back East, the Blues will have a rough year this year, but looking forward (and eyeing the potential addition of Jon Tavares) the team will continue to mature and be more competitive in the coming seasons.

So that’s that.  Should be fun to look back and see how horribly wrong I was at the end of the year.

As I’ve been rather neglectful of this blog lately, between the lack of hockey-related news and starting a new job, I just discovered a comment from my last post a few weeks back regarding the trapezoid rule.

As I have watched zero hockey in the post lockout era, outside of the game played outdoors last year, what exactly is the trapezoid rule?

What are they no longer allowing goalies to do with the puck? I remember Marty used to be all over the place handling the puck as though he were a skilled forward.

Here’s your answer, Greg!

Post-lockout, in addition to cracking down on obstruction penalties in an effort to “increase scoring”, the NHL added an extra trapezoid area behind the nets.  Any goaltender handling the puck outside of the 28-foot area is penalized.  The rule is often jokingly referred to as the Brodeur rule because, as you mentioned, he was one of the best and it seemed to many as if he were being targeted.

I don’t think the rule has done anything positive for the game, and have hated it since it was first introduced.  I love watching plays develop from a great pass from a goaltender (maybe I’m spoiled from watching Marty all these years) and I always loved watching him try to score.  I think THAT’S exciting hockey. I think teams should be able to benefit from having that “6th defenseman” if they are fortunate enough to have a talented goaltender such as Brodeur, but what do I know

Training camps are in session, preseason has kicked off for the early bird teams, and I will be going full force here soon enough!  HOCKEY IS BACK

Greg Wyshynski’s Puck Daddy blog over at Yahoo! (which I highly recommend), has been running a daily feature throughout the month of August entitled “5 Ways I’d Change The NHL”.  He’s had hockey writers, retired players, coaches, and celebrities contributing lists of serious and not-so-serious suggestions for improvement in the league.  I’m a little late to the party (and couldn’t narrow it down to 5!), but I thought I would contribute to the fun.  In no particular order:

1. The Trapezoid — Get rid if it.  Am I biased as a fan of Marty Brodeur? Maybe a little.  But I think it was the worst of the rules instituted post-lockout, and I don’t think it’s done anything to “improve” the game.  If only a handful of teams get to benefit from their goaltenders’ puckhandling skills, great for them.  Brodeur has always been fantastic running the show behind the net, Marty Turco was, and still is, like a third defenseman for the Stars.  Let these guys flaunt their skills — I’m willing to bet guys will get better at handling the puck if they’re given more of an opportunity to do it.

2. Consistency — The handing down of punishments from the Colin Campbell and the rest of the higher ups in the league has to get more consistent.  Chris Simon’s stomp to Jarkko Ruutu’s ankle warrants a 30 game ban, but a stomp from Chris Pronger only gets 8 games?  Both have bad reputations including multiple suspensions (granted, Simon’s is much worse following the Hollweg incident last year), both incidents were fairly similar.  Why such a huge difference in punishment?  What sort of statement does this make for the players, for the public?  The league wants so badly to be seen in a positive light in the media, but it can’t even figure out it’s own suspension policy.  Figure out a system and hand things out as consistently as can reasonably be expected.

3. “The War Room” — Something needs to be fixed in the goal review process.  I saw at least two good goals get waved off in the playoffs this year.  The “war room” in Toronto has High-Definition cameras from every angle possible to view the goals and make a call conclusively in either direction, and they’ve still managed to bungle calls through this season and playoff year.  I don’t care how they implement it (one of the lists on Puck Daddy hit on this a little bit), but some sort of sensor system seems to be the answer.  Why have a bunch of guys staring at cameras when you can just have a sensor be set off as soon as all of the puck is over the line.  Half of the current goal review problems would be solved.  Then there’s just the problem of that damn “distinct kicking motion” rule.  But that’s a complaint for another day.

5. Marketing– I know Sidney Crosby is God’s gift to the NHL (with Alex Ovechkin running a close second), but there ARE other players out there that would be great marketing tools for this league.  Guys like Jerome Iginla, who is probably one of the classiest players in the game, should be used by the league for promoting the sport.  How about sticking Marty Turco or Vinny Lecavlier in some commercials?  So many of these guys have such great personalities — and do so much in the community, as well — and the NHL isn’t using it to their advantage.

Oh, and getting games on a network people actually have would probably help too.

6. Bettman– I know 75% of the lists on Puck Daddy said this, but its time for Gary to go.  The players don’t like him, the fans boo him everywhere he goes, and that’s not a good environment for the league to build on.  Move on.

Less than a month til preseason!

I hate August.  It’s hot, humid, and aside from my yearly trip to Maryland, rather dull. It’s also generally the most bleak month for hockey.  No more free agency buzz, rosters are pretty much settled — the majority of the NHL is in hibernation, lying in wait for training camp to start.  We have nothing to go on but our own imagination until preseason starts in late September.

In honor of hockey’s most boring time of year, I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 ways to keep yourself up to date and entertained during these last long weeks of summer.

5. Find other hockey-deprived people to talk to

This one is rather popular within my household.  We often sit and bullshit with each other on such things as “so when do you think Tampa Bay will release it needs to play defense too?” or “Approximately how quickly is Jay Bouwmeester headed out of Florida next year?” (I don’t think he’ll make it past the trade deadline).  Other topics include:

Who is Garth Snow tricking into taking over for Ted Nolan on Long Island?  And will it really make a difference?

Can the Thrashers make it to the cap floor?

Will Mats Sundin ever make up his mind?

How does Toronto plan to get better by signing guys like Ryan Hollweg? (Anyone with a logical answer to this one, please, enlighten me)

Will Sidney Crosby repeat the Zorro-stache next year?

The possibilities are endless.

4. Sean Avery

That’s right, a Devils fan promoting Sean Avery.  He’s out of my hair (and by hair, I mean conference) now so I can sit back and laugh instead of constantly wanting his face bashed in.  As much as he is a COMPLETE asshole, you can make the case that all of the constant publicity focused on him in the media circus in New York was probably a good thing for the NHL (in some cases, anyway).  This week, Sean made his debut in Dallas, and true to form, came out swinging for the fences.  In his introductory press conference he took shots at the Rangers new acquistions and joked that the team wouldn’t be as good this year.  He threw out the first pitch at a TEXAS Rangers game earlier this week, and was instantly good friends with Brendan Morrow and Marty Turco, who both spoke out rather harshly against Avery during the playoffs.

Nothing like a good dose of douchebaggery to brighten a hot summer day!

3. The Pensblog

As much as I’m a Devils fan and a lot of Devils fans would probably stone me for saying this, I have no probably admitting that I pulled for the Penguins pretty intensely after the Devils were eliminated from this years’ playoffs. Sid, Geno, and the rest of the Pens were just so much fun to watch.  Pensblog takes an incredible love for the Penguins and channels it into a hysterical daily blog.  Funny photoshops and videos, mockery of the entire league, and game recaps are just some of what you can expect from these guys.  Not recommended for Marian Hossa fans

2. Mats Sundin

If all else fails, Mats Sundin seems to be all the NHL cares about this summer.  He’s set at least two deadlines for deciding his future, politely declined a $20 MILLION CONTRACT from the Canucks.  As far as I can tell, is sitting on his ass in Sweden letting everyone in the hockey world hold their breath and wait for him to decide if and where he’s going to play.  At this point, I’m getting more entertainment from watching reports trip over each other to get the latest news all the while not realize just how ridiculous the whole situation has gotten (”Mats has decided today that he’ll decide a week from next Tuesday!”)than I think I’ll ever get from him deciding .  The funny thing is, I bet there’s a good chance, if he does decide to come back, he won’t be able to pull a Brett Favre and drag himself away from Toronto, no matter how awful they may be.  And all the hype will have been for nothing.

1. Puck Daddy’s Portraits in Heroism Contest

Greg Wyshynski’s blog over at Yahoo is worth a spot in your RSS reader of choice anyway, but this recent effort was particularly entertaining.  About 2 weeks ago the challenge was posted: make Commissioner Gary Bettman look heroic in whichever way you see fit.  The blog accepted entries until August 1st, and 230 hilarious entries later, Gary Bettman has been immortalized in ways that you will never un-see.  The contest winners are linked above, the full gallery can be seen here.

So, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not October yet, leaving us with lack of news on the hockey front now that the dust has mostly settled on free agency.  We’re stuck in those gloomy months of summer — nothing going down but the occasional low-key signing or coach being hired.

The withdrawal symptoms grow worse everyday.

Here’s the latest news to help ease your pain.

–Dallas Drake hangs ‘em up after 16 years in the NHL and his first-ever Stanley Cup victory this year in Detroit.

–Ryan Miller signs a 5-year contract extension with Buffalo, crushing the hopes and dreams of Red Wings fans convinced the Motown-native coming to play for his hometown team next summer.

–The NHL confirmed the 2009 Winter Classic for January 1, 2009, to take place at Wrigley Field between Chicago and Detroit.  I did a victory dance.

–Jonathan Toews was named captain for the Blackhawks for the upcoming season, becoming the third-youngest player given the honor.

–The Penguins gave head coach Michel Therrien a 3-year contract extension and increased his pay for the 2008-2009 season.

–Terry Murray was named head coach for the Los Angeles Kings.  God speed, sir.

–The Islanders “parted ways” with head coach Ted Nolan.  Its fun to watch the Islanders implode.

–Joffrey Lupul signed a 4-year extension with the Flyers.  Solid move for Philly.

–Mats Sundin signs with the Canucks.  Oh wait, no he didn’t.  Silly Swedish tabloids.

–The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended Alexander Radulov and 5 other players while investigating their transfers between the new Russian Continental Hockey League and the NHL.  Radulov had 1 year left on his contract with the Predators when he signed a contract with the KHL, breaching the IIHF transfer agreement.

–For the second straight season, the NHL season will begin with games in Europe.  On October 4th and 5th, the Rangers and Lightning will face off in the Czech Republic while the Penguins and Senators compete in Sweden.  The Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson will get the chance to play in his home country.  I’m sure the NHL had hoped, in scheduling the Rangers in Prague, to have Jaromir Jagr playing on his home turf as well, but no such luck.

–And, the best news of the week — the 2008-2009 schedule has been released! 75 days until the season starts. (And 81 days until the Devils home opener!)

Let the countdown begin!

I have been quite the slacker in my hockey fan and blogging ways this week, having neglected to keep everyone up to date on the craziness of the first week of the NHL’s free agency period.  After Tuesday’s initial onslaught, the hits just kept on coming throughout the week, with some big signings still coming in late last night.  To catch up, I’ve compiled a list of each teams gains and losses since Tuesday, a graded each team.

TEAM	GAINED	LOST	GRADE
	Re-signed Corey Perry, signed Stu Bickel, Brendan Morrison	Marc-Andre Bergeron, Todd Bertuzzi, Doug Weight	Locking up Corey Perry was important and Burke got it done early. Morrison is a solid addition up front. No big splashes, but great adjustments to an already great team – now if Burke would shut his mouth we’d be all set. Grade: B+
	Re-signed Johan Hedberg; signed Ron Hainsey	Bobby Holik, Jesse Shultz	It’s hard to sign players who have no interest in playing in your town. Atlanta reportedly offered Brian Campbell more money and he turned them down. They are still $8 million under the cap floor and the biggest name they could bring in was Ron Hainsey. Don Waddell has his work cut out for him. Grade: F
	Signed Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder, Petteri Nokelainen	Glen Metropolit, Alex Auld, Sean Curry	Michael Ryder is a great pickup. He had the best season of his career under Claude Julien in Montreal and surrounded by the young talent in Boston will look to repeat that. The B’s can only hope that Blake Wheeler will live up to the hype. Grade: B+
	Patrick Lalime, Craig Rivet	Dmitri Kalinin, Steve Bernier	Much better offseason for the Slugs this year. Craig Rivet can at least attempt to fill the hole left by Campbell, and Lalime will be a better backup for Ryan Miller. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another move up Regier’s sleeve, though. Grade: B-
	Re-signed Brandon Prust, David VanDerGulik, Mark Giordano, Jim Vandermeer; Signed Rene Borque, Ryan Wilson, Pete Vandermeer, Curtis Glengross, Todd Bertuzzi	Curtis Joseph, Eric Godard, Krisitan Huselius, David Hale, Owen Nolan	Lots of movement in Calgary. The locked in their core, tossed off those that weren’t working, and brought in some new talent and toughness to compete in the increasingly difficult Western Conference. I think we’ll see them do better than just barely scraping into the playoffs this year. Grade: A-
	Re-signed Anton Babchuk, Ryan Bayda, Tim Conboy, Wade Brookbank, Dennis Seidenberg; acquired Joni Pitkanen	Erik Cole, Darcy Hordichuk, Keith Aucoin	The deal with Edmonton came as a bit of a surprise – Pitkanen will certainly solve some of their defensive woes. Otherwise, not much change from a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 2 years. Grade: C
	Cristobal Huet, Brian Campbell	Rene Borque, Patrick Lalime, David Koci	The Hawks were the talk of the town on July 1 – bringing Brian Campbell in with a monster deal. They have an interesting situation to sort out in net, but with their young core constantly improving and the solid blueline help, I think we’ll see the Hawks be a contender next season. Grade: A-
	Re-signed Wojtek Wolski; Signed Per Ledin, Andrew Raycroft, Darcy Tucker	Andrew Brunette, Jose Theodore, Kurt Sauer, Jeff Finger, Wyatt Smith	Disappointing moves thus far from Denver. Replacing Theodore with Budaj and Raycroft is gutsy, and the biggest signing thus far is Darcy Tucker. With the potential losses of Sakic and Forsberg, the Avs are going to have to do a lot better than that. Grade: D
	Re-signed Michael Peca; signed Raffi Torres, Mike Commodore, Kristian Huselius, RJ Umberger	Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche, Ron Hainsey	Columbus is doing a bit of an overhaul – and depending on team chemistry next year, they could be in good shape. Umberger was a steal, and Huselius is a great replacement for Zherdev. With Ken Hitchcock at the wheel, I think the Jackets have a shot at their first playoff berth this season. Grade: B+
	Re-signed BJ Crombeen, Mikhail Grabovski; signed Sean Avery, Maxime Fortunus, Garrett Stafford, Landon Wilson	Niklas Hagman, Nolan Baumgartner	Winners (or losers?) of the Sean Avery sweepstakes, Dallas’ asshole factor certainly increased. Hagman was great in the playoffs but can be replaced. We may see Hull & Co make another move before the summer is out. Grade: B-
	Re-signed Andreas Lilja, Brad Stuart; signed Ty Conklin, Marian Hossa	Garrett Stafford, Mark Cullen	The Hossa deal caught everyone by surprise and is a genius move by GM Ken Holland to improve his already stellar lineup. Conklin is a great replacement for Hasek after proving himself in Pittsburgh last season. Detroit will be seriously favored to repeat. Grade: A
	Gilbert Brule, Erik Cole	Joni Pitkanen, Raffi Torres, Curtis Glencross	Kevin Lowe made a serious play for Marian Hossa – clearing out cap space in the form of Raffi Torres and Joni Pitkanen to do it – and came up short. He’s been obviously quiet (well, he hasn’t signed anyone, anyway) since. He’s going to have to do better than just Erik Cole to improve this team. Grade: C-
	Re-signed Rostislav Olesz; Signed Cory Stillman, Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton	Olli Jokinen	Olli Jokinen (and all the bad attention he had begun to attract) is gone. Cory Stillman is a decent replacement, although at their best, Jokinen is probably the better player. Florida still has some problems to address, with the exception of Tomas Vokoun between the pipes. And with players like Jay Bouwmeester coming out and saying they want out of Florida, you have to worry about the state of the locker room. Grade: C
	Denis Gauthier	Patrik Hersley, Ned Lukacevic, Rob Blake, Ryan Flinn	When you’re rebuilding with a young team and bringing in a new coach after finish nearly dead last in the NHL, the last thing you want to do is drive away a veteran player like Rob Blake. Grade: F
	Re-signed Kurtis Foster; Signed Andrew Brunette, Marek Zidlicky, Craig Weller, Jesse Shultz, Owen Nolan	Ryan Jones, Todd Fedoruk, Brian Rolston, Aaron Voros	Losing Brian Rolston hurt. The impending departure of Pavol Demitra hurts as well (he’s rumored to be signing in Vancouver). A lot of toughness left with Fedoruk and Voros. Brunette’s a good signing, and Owen Nolan brings in some toughness and veteran leadership, but we may see Minnesota suffer like Buffalo did last year. Grade: C+
	Re-signed Andrei Kostitsyn; signed Alex Henry, Cedrick Desjardins, Georges Laraque, Marc Denis, Ryan Flinn	Mark Streit, Michael Ryder, Jann Danis	Locking up Andrei Kostitsyn, especially after his performance in the playoffs, was a great signing by Bob Gainey. Georges Laraque will bring some much-needed size and toughness to the small, fast Habs team. Marc Denis gives them some flexibility in goal by adding a netminder older than 23 — however declining he may be –  to their roster. Solid additions. Grade: B+
	Ryan Jones, Drew McIntyre	Alex Henry, Chris Mason	Pretty quiet in Nashville. They managed to retain the bulk of the core of their team, and after Dan Ellis’ performance in the playoffs, Chris Mason was expendable. Nothing spectacular but no great losses either. Grade: B-
	Re-signed Bryce Salvador, Jay Pandolfo, David Clarkson, Barry Tallackson; signed Brian Rolston, Bobby Holik	Sergei Brylin, Arron Asham	The Devils needed scoring, and Brian Rolston (pursued by a whopping 17 teams) should be a big help, both at even strength and as a power play QB. Bringing back Bobby Holik will give them some toughness in front of the net and adds another true center. Locking up Salvador bolstered a weak defense, and Pandolfo was a must-sign. The team is close to the cap and has more bodies than roster spots. Look for GM Lou Lamoriello to move some players before the season starts, probably to acquire a defenseman. Grade: B
	Mark Streit, Jann Danis, Doug Weight, Mitch Fritz	Drew Fata, Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan	The signing of Mark Streit was quietly one of the best signings on July 1. He’s young, still developing, and looked great in the playoffs for the Habs. Solid grab for the Isles. Doug Weight is rapidly declining, so the move is marginal. Losing Fedetenko and Satan makes room for some of the young forwards in the Isles farm system to make their debut – but who knows how well they’ll be able to carry the team. Garth Snow would be wise to to lock up some more veteran talent. Grade: D
	Re-signed Michal Rozsival, Paul Mara, Stephen Valiquette; Signed Aaron Voros, Patrick Rissmiller, Wade Redden, Markus Naslund, Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche, Dmitri Kalinin	Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery, Martin Straka, Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman, Mitch Fritz	The Rangers will be a very different team next year. With Jagr and Straka headed for Europe and various other players scattering around the league, Sather, in all his glory, threw a massive contract at Wade Redden and big contracts at Markus Naslund and Dmitri Kalinin. Nikolai Zherdev is a gamble, but could have serious upside if he shows up. The Rangers, as always, have the star power to be great – but if the pieces don’t fit they could struggle.Grade: B-
	Re-signed Shean Donovan, Alex Auld, Jarkko Ruutu, Jason Smith	Cory Stillman, Ray Emery, Mike Commodore, Wade Redden	Buying out Ray Emery’s contract was the first order of business and rid Ottawa of the locker room issues that plagued them all season last year. Alex Auld was brought in as a replacement backup goalie. Jason Smith is a solid defensemen and great leader, having captained his last two teams. Wade Redden is no great loss, as he was not performing well in Ottawa the last several seasons. The biggest test for Ottawa will be if they can overcome the internal issues of last year. Grade: B-
	Re-signed Jeff Carter, Riley Cote, Randy Jones, Patrik Hersley, Ned Lukacevic, Ossi Vaananen, Glen Metropolit, Nate Raduns, Arron Asham, Sean Curry	Denis Gauthier, RJ Umberger, Jason Smith	Gained a solid forward in Glen Metropolit. Arron Asham has the potential to be a solid 4th line man, but as a Devils fan, I will tell you he doesn’t always show up. Losing RJ Umberger in order to clear cap space for Jeff Carter will hurt if Umberger explodes this year. The team will miss captain Jason Smith in the locker room and on the blue line. Grade: B
	Re-signed Al Montoya, Brian McGrattan; signed Kurt Sauer, Todd Fedoruk, Mikkel Boedker, Viktor Tikhonov, Derek Nesbitt, Drew Fata, David Spina, David Hale, Olie Jokinen	Radim Vrbata, Craig Weller, Pete Vandermeer, Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton	Olie Jokinen is a great addition for the young Coyotes – a change of scenery will certainly help Jokinen and he can guide the young forwards on the team. Losing Ballard and Boynton is no great loss, as they sign Sauer and Hale in their place. Fedoruk adds toughness and some scoring. Grade: B+
	Re-signed Pascal Dupuis, Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury; signed Eric Godard, Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Janne Pesonen, Matt Cooke, Ben Lovejoy	Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Adam Hall, Jarkko Ruutu, Marian Hossa, Ty Conklin, Georges Laraque	Everyone has been making a big deal about the Pens losses since the beginning of the free agency period, but their roster is still pretty strong. They’ve replaced Laraque with Godard, and brought in secondary scoring with Satan and Fedotenko (though neither are as strong as Hossa). Orpik, Malkin, and Fleury are locked up for the long haul. They’ll miss Gary Roberts in the locker room and Dany Sabourin is a weaker backup between the pipes. Regardless, this team will still be at the top of the pack next year. Grade: B+
	Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich	Brian Campbell, Patrick Rissmiller, Graham Mink, Mat Carle, Ty Wishart, Craig Rivet	San Jose lost Brian Campbell. So they turned around and signed Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, and Brad Lukowich. That’s one way to fill the gap on the blueline. They’ll be at the top of the pack again this year. Grade: A
	Re-signed Yan Stasny	Ryan Johnson	Quiet much? St. Louis is sticking by their current squad and letting them develop. That squad was a bottom feeder last year. GM John Davidson might want to consider bringing in some new talent. Grade: F
	Re-signed Ryan Craig, Janne Niskala, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Adam Hall, Radim Vrbata, Evgeni Artyukhin, David Koci, Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, Mark Recchi, Andrew Hutchinson, Brandon Bochenski	Marc Denis	Pittsburgh 2.0? After taking their pick of the Penguins free agents, Tampa moved on to add their pick of several other top free agents. Radim Vrbata is a solid pick, Ryan Malone will be a great winger for Steve Stamkos, and Gary Roberts can play “veteran leader” for another young locker room. But where’s the defense? Trading away the top pair hurt, despite freeing up cap space and bringing in a talented Matt Carle. Goaltending is a question mark. Can this be a better team than the NHL’s worst last year? Grade: B
	Re-signed Dominic Moore, John Mitchell, Matt Stajan; signed Curtis Joseph, Jeff Finger, Niklas Hagman, Wyatt Smith	Kyle Wellwood, Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft	Out with the old, in with the new. New GM Cliff Fletcher has not been shy about letting old players go, and rumor has it more may be on there way out. The team needs an injection of fresh blood, but the current signings aren’t going to turn the team around. More movement will have to happen before the end of the summer. Grade: C-
	Kyle Wellwood, Darcy Hordichuk, Ryan Johnson, Curtis Sanford, Mark Cullen, Nolan Baumgartner, Alexandre Bolduc, Steve Bernier	Marcus Naslund, Brendan Morrison	Losing Naslund, Morrison, and Linden (retired) all in one shot hurts the Canucks. Reports say Pavol Demitra is close to signing, which would be a good replacement for Naslund. Wellwood is talented but injury-prone. Bernier is also a solid pickup. Grade: C
	Re-signed Mike Green, Tyler Sloan; Jose Theodore, Graham Mink, Keith Aucoin	Cristobal Huet, Olaf Kolzig, Matt Cooke	Theodore replacing Huet is going to be an interesting scenario for the Caps. Huet really carried them through the last half of the season, and you never know which Theodore is going to show up. Re-signing Mike Green was huge, as he is proving to be one of the best young defenseman in the league. If the goaltending works out, watch out for Ovie & Friends next year. Grade: B

There you have it.  The rich get richer, as San Jose and Detroit come out stronger than ever, and bottomfeeders like St. Louis, Atlanta, and LA have done very little to improve.  In any case, the NHL will have many teams that look very different next year, and it should make for some very entertaining hockey.

Is it October yet?