NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for Monday the 6th of October:

• Whether he starts the season with the Blue Jackets or not, there is no doubt that Nikita Filatov is extremely talented.  Jason Chimera got hit hard yesterday…by referee Marc Joannette.
• Rod Brind’Amour and Ray Whitney seem to have found their legs in the Hurricanes’ final exhibition game versus Nashville last night.  In injury news, Tuomo Ruutu continues to rehab his groin.
• The Stars have put a ton of shots on net this pre-season, they just can’t seem to turn those into goals, writes Mike Heika.
• The Flyers released both Jim Dowd and Bryan Berard on Sunday, writes Ed Moran.
• Aside from Luke Schenn having seemingly made the Leafs’ opening night line-up, there weren’t many surprises at Leafs camp.  The Leafs did not have a game this pre-season where they gave up less than three goals, writes Damien Cox.  It sure doesn’t help that the Leafs continue to collapse in the third period.
• Penguins coach Michel Therrien was changing up his lines at a furious pace yesterday afternoon, writes Shelly Anderson.  The Penguins are optimistic that Petr Sykora (groin) will be ready for the team’s home opener on Saturday.
• The Rangers gained the maximum four points from their trip to Europe, writes Steve Zipay.  Wade Redden proved why the Rangers gave him so much money with his performance in the team’s first two games.
• The Sharks’ second line of Michalek-Pavelski-Cheechoo has looked very sharp during the pre-season.
• The Panthers have a tough decision to make as to which young forward will crack their starting line-up.  The Panthers have had so many little injuries to a number of their players this pre-season that it has been difficult to implement the team’s new system and develop chemistry.
• The Flames of 2008/09 have a team-first philosophy heading into the regular season.
• Wings forward Ville Leino proved throughout training camp just how good he can be, writes Ted Kulfan.
• Barry Melrose was not happy with the Lightning’s offensive performance in Prague.  Is Shane O’Brien on the trading block in Tampa?
• The Blackhawks have some final roster decisions to make today, writes Chris Kuc.
• The Avalanche had a strong pre-season and are feeling good about themselves heading into the real games, writes Adrian Dater.  Wojtek Wolski looked sharp last night.  Meanwhile, coach Tony Granato says center Tyler Arnason can be a solid player for the Avs.
• Jason Strudwick has been a pleasant surprise at Oilers camp.  Mathieu Garon is clearly the undisputed number one netminder in Edmonton.
• Benoit Pouliot has made the Wild as the team’s number four center.  It appears that Colton Gillies has also earned a spot with the big club, writes Michael Russo.
• The Habs players would like to see the pre-season a little more spread out next season but have now shifted their focus to the regular season.
• The Senators defeated the Penguins on Sunday 3-1 and the controversy has already started as to which netminder will start the home opener.
• Pavol Demitra and Mason Raymond have demonstrated some nice chemistry on the Canucks’ second line, writes Ben Kuzma.
• Barry Trotz has told Jordin Tootoo to model his game after Gary Roberts.
• Anssi Salmela and Petr Vrana have made the Devils’ final roster.
• Both Chris Bourque and Karl Alzner had good training camps with the Washington Capitals which will make roster decisions that much more difficult for George McPhee and Co..
• With so little practice time, it is difficult for John Anderson to implement his new system in Atlanta.
• It looks like Patrice Bergeron will man the left point for the Bruns on their power play to start the season.  Meanwhile, rookie Blake Wheeler has certainly earned a spot on the Bruins with his play but his contract bonuses may dictate his playing status to start the season.
• The Sabres better hope their awful pre-season scoring slump doesn’t carry over into the regular season.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

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