NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for Sunday the 5th of October:

• The negotiations between the Minnesota Wild and Marian Gaborik look to have hit a wall, writes John Shipley.  Michael Russo profiles Owen Nolan in this morning’s Minneapolis Star Tribune.
• Martin Gerber did not have a very good start to the regular season as his Senators lost to the Penguins 4-3.  Alex Auld is going to get the start this afternoon for the Sens.  “Both sides want to get something done,” said Senators GM Bryan Murray about his team’s negotiations with Daniel Alfredsson on a contract extension.
• Markus Naslund was happy to crack the scoresheet in his debut with the Rangers.  The game wouldn’t have been as close as the 2-1 score indicated if not for Mike Smith.  Coach Tom Renney was happiest with the team’s play in the second period of yesterday’s tilt.  Meanwhile, Larry Brooks wants the NHL to enter into a working relationship with the IIHF and other international hockey federations.
• Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution doesn’t think the Thrashers look very ready to begin the regular season.
• Simon Gagne looks fully recovered from last season’s concussion issues.
• Aaron Portzline has a nice piece on Rick Nash being the undisputed leader of the Blue Jackets at the young age of 24.  In other Jackets news, there are still some difficult roster cuts to be made.  Rostislav Klesla is trying to work on keeping the game more simple.
• Tyler Kennedy was the hero for the Penguins on Saturday.  Both Ruslan Fedotenko and Jordan Staal will find themselves in front of the net on the power play.  If the Penguins are trying to avoid jetlag on the return back to North America, they should listen to this guy.
• Jason Blake looks to be returning to his 2006/07 form heading into the regular season, writes Paul Hunter.
• Vinny Prospal’s diary entry on last night’s game.  Sure Mike Smith played well last night but all he cares about is if his team wins.  The Bolts just took too many penalties on Saturday.
• The Ducks demoted Brett Festerling on Saturday after the youngster had a very, very impressive training camp.
• The Habs saved their worst pre-season performance for the last game of the exhibition season.
• Flames GM Darryl Sutter has some important roster decisions to make prior to the regular season, writes Randy Sportak.  He gets paid a lot of money to play hockey, but family always comes first for Todd Bertuzzi.
• There are still many questions surrounding Nikolai Khabibulin’s future, writes Chris Kuc.  The talented but oft-injured Martin Havlat is heading into the 2008/09 season “pain-free”.
• The Avalanche put increased emphasis on fitness this off-season to try and limit team injuries.  In other Avalanche news, 20 year old Chris Stewart was demoted to the AHL.
• Oft-injured forward Tim Connolly is expecting to be ready for the Sabres’ season opener on Friday against Montreal.
• Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers really impressed Craig MacTavish on Friday and is going to get a chance to prove himself at the NHL level when the season begins.  The Oilers play Dallas tonight and are expected to dress almost their entire starting roster for the regular season.
• The Bruins are still pondering what to do with a couple of the tough roster decisions they have to make prior to the season.  Former Bruins forward Glen Metropolit was thankful for the opportunities provided to him in Boston, but he had to take up the great offer from the Flyers.
• Chip Alexander of the News & Observer tells readers that the Hurricanes season will depend heavily on the play of netminder Cam Ward.
• The Sharks have seen an increase in season ticket sales this season.
• Both Les Jackson and Brett Hull have created an attitude of family in the Stars organization, opines Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• The style of play Peter DeBoer is teaching in Florida is one that players love to play.  There are a number of Panthers players who would jump at the opportunity to open the NHL season overseas.
• The Predators have basically set their roster for the 2008/09 regular season.
• It is old and young in the Islanders dressing room this season, writes Greg Logan.
• Coyotes netminder Ilya Brygalov looked sharp in his final pre-season action before the regular season.
• It is essentially decided, Anssi Salmela has made the Devils’ top-six defense corps.
• Jose Theodore seems to have a way of following top goalies, explains Corey Masisak.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

*If you are prepping for your pool/draft this weekend or are just plain interested in all things hockey, be sure to check out the Illegal Curve Fantasy Preview Podcast*