NHL Free Agency & Trade:
- With the NHL entry draft now in the rear-view mirror, the workload for 30 general managers and their front-office staff is set to increase in the next few days.
- This weekend’s slow-go development in the NHL is tied inextricably to the upcoming free-agency period.
- Today, Darryl Sutter will likely be in Edmonton to talk to Jay Bouwmeester and his Edmonton-based agent Bryon Baltimore.
- With the long and often tedious NHL draft process behind him, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli headed to his hometown of Ottawa on Saturday for a very brief respite before free agency begins.
- The Red Wings were hoping to secure the signing of Marian Hossa to a long-term contract over the weekend but it appears the sides are still far apart.
- Henrik and Daniel Sedin are facing the reality they may have to leave the only NHL city they have ever called home. During a pre-lockout game between the visiting Maple Leafs and host Vancouver Canucks earlier this decade, a veteran left coast hockey scribe could only shake his head after watching Vancouver’s promising Swedish twins grind through a couple of lunchpail shifts.
- Barring any sudden movements, the Senators have 48 hours before they must stroke a $4-million cheque for a winger who really doesn’t want to be here and wave goodbye to a winger who really does.
- With just two days remaining before the start of the NHL’s unrestricted free agent market, the Predators haven’t managed to re-sign any of their four primary targets.
- After accumulating so many draft picks, the St. Louis Blues could be in a position to trade some for immediate help.
- Is the Marian Gaborik watch still on in Vancouver? Because I’ve been watching for a week and would like to know if I should stop.
NHL Teams:
- Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times has an interesting Q & A with Tampa Bay Lightning top draft pick Victor Hedman.
- Craig Leipold loves the passion and hype and hoopla that comes with the draft, and he told me he’s looking to soon bring one to Minnesota.
- Insatiable demand for Pittsburgh Penguins championship apparel has helped several NHL licensees and retailers set postseason and regular-season sales records in 2009.
- Pardon the Colorado Avalanche if they change their moniker to Boston University West. Or, perhaps the Colorado Terriers.
- Without Kris Letang, Sid the Kid might not have become the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup.
- At 34, Chris Pronger‘s much wiser than the guy who has collected nine suspensions during a sometimes stormy but brilliant 15-year career.
- If all goes as planned, the New York Islanders will ride first-overall draft pick John Tavares to the top just as the Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins did with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin after their lean years. Isles clearly on right track, but this will take a while.
- Predators General Manager David Poile doesn’t usually take these kinds of risks in the NHL Draft, but he is excited about the current class of prospects.
- The Red Wings weren’t sure if Jimmy Howard was ready to play 25 regular season games in the NHL last season. They hope he’s ready now.
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Oren Koules, left, and Len Barrie have an NHL-set timetable for problem-solving.
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First-round coverage of the annual showpiece seems to drag and drag these days. Sure, NHL teams selected more than 200 players in the entry draft this weekend — but who’d they miss?
Minor Hockey & Prospects:
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With no European players on the Red Deer Rebels roster, owner/president Brent Sutter will attempt to alleviate that shortage during the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Tuesday.
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The bench door opens at Buccaneer Arena, home of the Des Moines Buccaneers, and out skates a 15-year-old carrying a bucket of pucks.
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Of the 26 New York Rangers prospects who will take the ice Monday as development camp opens, only a few will have an opportunity to come to training camp in September and battle for a job.
