Wednesday Morning NHL Papers (Western Conference): Managing NHL money, Dion Phaneuf at his best and what’s next for J.S. Giguere?

Central Division

• Dave Bolland had back surgery yesterday and could be out as long as four months.  At least the Blackhawks have organizational depth at center.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch has an interesting article on how athletes manage their money.  “To fans, I’m sure it looks chaotic, but there is a method to the madness,” said coach Ken Hitchock about his lines this season.  Speaking of lines, here is are the Blue Jackets’ projected lines for tonight’s game.
• Tomas Holmstrom admits it make a big difference when you can play without injures.  Kris Draper has some words of warning for former teammate, and new Versus analyst, Darren McCarty.
• “Overall, I thought we played maybe the best team in the NHL pretty well in their own barn,” said a not so unhappy Barry Trotz after last night’s 4-3 loss at San Jose.
• The Blues finally broke out last night and it must have been the Canucks that brought it out of them, explains Dan O’Neill.  Meantime, Andy Murray’s overtime strategy depends on the team he’s facing and the situation.

Northwest Division

• Dion Phaneuf was at his best last night in Montreal, even going at it with former teammate Michael Cammalleri.  A classic Dion Phaneuf performance was accompanied by a classic Miikka Kiprusoff performance.
• Avalanche coach Joe Sacco hopes Milan Hejduk can play tonight against the Blackhawks.
• Cory Clouston grew up in Viking, Alberta which means he was an Islanders fan growing up, not an Oilers fan.  The Oilers actually outshot the Senators in Kanata last night and probably outplayed them too, but could only secure one point.  Oilers netminder Jeff Deslauriers played well but Pat Quinn wishes he’d stop playing the puck.
• One of the most underrated players in hockey, goaltender Niklas Backstrom, was terrific in recording his 100th career victory at Toronto.  The Wild doesn’t expect any discipline to be handed to Steve Ott for his hit on Petr Sykora.
• “That’s a tough one to explain. We had a day off and two practices and obviously weren’t there,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault after his team’s awful performance in St. Louis

Pacific Division

• Scott Niedermayer always enjoys playing in New Jersey, but things aren’t the same as when he played in the Swamp.  Meanwhile, Ducks fans are asking if J.S. Giguere will be traded?
• James Neal doesn’t back down from opposing defenders, which is one reason why he’s the Stars’ leading goal-scorer.
• The Kings face the struggling Hurricanes tonight and here is a preview.
• Jim Gintonio writes about one of the more underrated players in the NHL today–Martin Hanzal.
• The Sharks demonstrated why it is so difficult to win a road game at the Shark Tank last night, explains Dave Pollak.

If you are looking for a winter hat and want to support Illegal Curve, take a look at our touques that are for sale for $9.99 plus shipping.