NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition): The Rangers are looking to add an impact center, reaction to the NHL schedule and Peter Chiarelli won’t comment on rumors

Free Agency

• Thrashers netminder Kari Lehtonen accepted the team’s one-year qualifying offer on Wednesday.
• The Hurricanes added some size to their back-end by signing former Flyers defenseman Andrew Alberts to a two-year deal.
• John Tavares signed his three-year entry level deal on Wednesday.
• The Coyotes have signed newly acquired Lauri Korpikoski to a two-year deal.
• On Wednesday, the Penguins signed Ben Lovejoy and Tim Wallace to contracts.
• The Sharks have signed former Predators forward Scott Nichol to a one-year deal.
• The Canadiens have re-signed Guillaume Latendresse to a one-year deal.

NHL Schedule

• For the first time in a while, both the Kings and Ducks are opening the season at home, writes Helene Elliot.
• Atlanta starts the season with very few home games, writes Chris Vivlamore.
• Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe thinks tickets to the Winter Classic will run about $250 per.
• Meanwhile, Boston starts next season with five consecutive home games, before venturing out on the road to Dallas.
• Chris Kuc (who was one of our guests on the IC Radio Show last night) picks ten key points out of the Blackhawks’ 2009/10 schedule.
• The Avalanche figure to grow together on the road, as they play 21 of their first 32 games away from the Pepsi Center.
• Columbus GM Scott Howson is happier with this season’s schedule than last.
• There are no Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin games for the Stars fans this season.
• The Red Wings’ home opener is against none other than Marian Hossa and the Blackhawks.
• The Oilers’ hockey department likes next year’s schedule far more than they did last year’s.
• The Panthers are happy that the NHL schedule gives them some time to rest back home after opening the season in Europe.
• The Wild is scheduled to face both Martin Havlat’s old team and Marian Gaborik’s new team in the first week of the 2009/10 season.
• John Glennon provides fans with a nice overview of Nashville’s schedule.
• Unfortunately for Devils fans, Brent Sutter is not visiting town this season.
• The NHL schedule maker got it right when he/she scheduled John Tavares’s first game to be against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
• The Rangers begin the season visiting the Stanley Cup champion Penguins.
• Frank Seravalli has the details on the Flyers’ 2009/10 schedule.
• Lucily for NHL fans, the Red Wings and Penguins face each other twice next season.
• The St. Louis Blues will play home games at 7:00 pm next season instead of 7:30pm.
• Here are the highlights of the Lightning’s 2009/10 schedule, courtesy of Damian Cristodero.
• The Leafs begin and end the season facing the Montreal Canadiens.
• From January 27th through to March 13th, the Vancouver Canucks will not play at GM Place.
• The Capitals are still in talks regarding a possible game at the Big O in Montreal.

Development Camps

• Get to know the Saponari brothers who are both at Atlanta’s development camp.
• Hurricanes prospect Phillipe Paradis has many of the tools that will make him a very good NHL player.
• The Devils have been playing the team’s past two first round picks on the same line so far at the team’s development camp.
• The Coyotes have continued drafting and developing players from the University of Michigan.
• Blues prospect Ian Cole has told the Blues he is returning to the University of Notre Dame next season.
• Stefan Della Rovere made a good impression on the Capitals management this past season.
• The Flames open the season on October 1 against the rival Vancouver Canucks.

Other News

• Gary Bettman says the NHL has weathered the world’s econonmic problems fairly well.
• “I don’t comment on rumors,” said Peter Chiarelli about the Phil Kessel trade rumors.
• Dale Tallon is apparently not bitter about being re-assigned from GM of the Blackhawks to another far less powerful position.
• Apparently the Rangers are doing what they can to try and add an impact center to the organization.
• Sidney Crosby was not alone in being misrepresented on MySpace, as teammate Evgeni Malkin was also a victim.
• Ottawa Senators center Mike Fisher is a great humanitarian, writes Wayne Scanlan.
• One Team Canada defeated the other Team Canada to capture the World Jewish Hockey Tournament in Israel.