The Blackhawks will kick off the month of April on April Fools' Day with a visit to the Columbus Blue Jackets. When these two teams met last season (five times) the Blackhawks gained a 3-2 advantage in those games and will need to play just as well or better in this game in order to win and keep pace for a playoff berth.

Following their away game in Columbus, the Blackhawks will return to the United Center to face the Tampa Bay Lightning. In action last season, these two team met one time and the Blackhawks won that lone game. Hopefully they can win this one as well.

Chicago will travel to Montreal after that to take on the Canadiens. The Canadiens and the Blackhawks played one game last season and the Blackhawks won that lone game.  This is the only game that these two teams will play this season.

Following their visit to Montreal, the Blackhawks will host the St. Louis Blues for the final time this coming season. During last season, the Blackhawks and the Blues met up a total of five times and the Blackhawks held a 3-2 advantage in those games. Being that this is the last game that these two teams will play against one another this coming season, it should be a good one.

Their final two games of the year will be played against the Detroit Red Wings. The first game will be played at Detroit and the second game (two days later) will be played in Chicago and will be the last game of the month of April and the last game of the regular season. Last season, these two team met six times and each team won three games a piece.

Look for these last two games to be two of the more intense games of the season for the Blackhawks as hopefully they are either poised to make the playoffs (and need a win or two against Detroit to get into the playoffs) or are already in and just want to tune up a bit against their arch rival.

The following is a look at their entire schedule for the month of April:

April 1st: Chicago at Columbus
April 3rd: Tampa Bay at Chicago
April 5th: Montreal at Chicago
April 6th: St. Louis at Chicago
April 8th: Chicago at Detroit
April 10th: Detroit at Chicago

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

On Wednesday, GM Ken Holland sat down with Maltby and explained that, as the Wings already have more forwards under contract than they need, most of them several years younger than Maltby, offering him a one-way, NHL contract just isn't in the cards.

Maltby has been a Red Wing so long that some may forget that he actually started his NHL career with Edmonton, in 1993 and didn't come to the Red Wings until 1996.

Regardless, thinking of "Malts" as a life-long Wing isn't too far from the truth.

After all, he came right at the beginning of Detroit's 11-year, four championship run, became a fan-favorite upon joining the famous "Grind Line," and always showed up in the playoffs.

Kirk Maltby has had a career most other players would kill for, and now it appears that career might be at an end.

Malts has a few choices.

He can accept a two-way offer from the Wings that would likely see him start the season in Grand Rapids and don his No. 18 in red and white only if and when an injury occurs in Detroit.

He can chose to look elsewhere for employment, as there are many teams that wouldn't mind adding a four-time, veteran Cup winner to their fourth-line.

Or, he can call up Ken Holland, thank him for the offer, and tell him that he's more comfortable just calling it a career.

This last one is really the best of the bunch.

Even though the Wings' depth, again, more youthful than Maltby, has essentially pushed him out of a heretofore guaranteed roster spot, Kirk Maltby isn't really an AHL player.

Had the Wings not been able to sign Patrick Eaves, Drew Miller, and/or Justin Abdelkader, Maltby would likely have been welcomed back as a Red Wing roster player.

The decision to offer Maltby an option to start in the AHL isn't really indicative of where Holland feels his playing level is, but, as contracts go, it is the only financially viable option he can offer at this point.

As far as looking for a new gig outside of Detroit, if Maltby really considered that a possibility, he should have started looking before now.

It's likely that, even now, he could still sign on somewhere for the league minimum and perhaps help a younger team improve or make a playoff push.

But, his team options aren't likely to be many or all that appealing this late in the summer.

Inasmuch as his age and the Wings' financial constraints have marginalized his role in Detroit, and considering the deep roots he and his family have in the area, retiring is really the only sensible option for Kirk Maltby.

Were he to call it quits, there's no doubt Maltby would be honored by the team in a pre-game ceremony, be presented with a special gift, and likely have the whole night be named "Kirk Maltby Night".

Additionally, while Maltby's career really doesn't warrant a jersey retirement, I'd bet anyone who came to the Wings and wanted to wear No. 18 would be instructed to contact Malts to get his OK first (this is what Derek Meech did with Brendan Shanahan when he wanted to wear No. 14).

In short, Malts would retire with honor, fanfare, and a great send-off.

Additionally, referencing Greg Eno's take on the Wings' practices with regards to retirees, Maltby may also be offered another job in the organization that would keep him close to the game and the team.

You really couldn't design a better scenario for retirement.

The alternative would be to start riding to games in buses instead of private jets, or uprooting his family to play in another city for relative peanuts.

At this moment, Maltby is mulling his future, however, he should do right by himself, the team, and his family and give his career the honorable funeral it deserves.

Follow Matt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAhutter12

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

It wasn't long ago—July 17th, to be exact—that the Devils and Kovalchuk had agreed on a 17-year, $102 million contract that ended up being rejected by the NHL.

This new contract agreement apparently calls for 15 years and $100 million, which would be a cap hit of $6.666 million (very appropriate for a team called the Devils, no?).

So, what has changed this time around? Well, the rumor circuit had been very tight, although Nick Kypreos reported first that the last five years of the contract total $10 million, making the deal significantly less front-loaded than the last contract.

The contract would then basically be broken down to 90 percent in the first 10 years and 10 percent in the last five years, which is obviously a significantly better structure than the previous version. It also invalidates the argument of not giving Kovalchuk a reason to play out the contract beyond the 10-year period, but depending on how the five years are structured, it could strengthen or weaken the argument.

Unfortunately, the whole situation seems to have become quite a struggle for the NHL. Instead of being a situation where the NHL is analyzing the Kovalchuk contract as a single item, it has turned into a power struggle between the National Hockey League and the Players Association.

The NHL is taking the opportunity to try to take advantage of a Players Association without a leader. Currently, the NHLPA has no leader after it took a step back to analyze the demands of potential hire Donald Fehr, leaving players, teams, and fans in limbo.

Remember, once the Kovalchuk contract is finalized, there will be fallout around the league in terms of players being traded or signed elsewhere. What could have been done over the course of weeks will now happen in a matter of days, uprooting families, etc. It's just a terrible mess the league has escalated to ensure a designed loophole in the CBA gets closed two years before a new CBA is negotiated at the bargaining table.

Without a leader, the NHL sees the opportunity to go after front-loaded contracts and try to eliminate any current loophole that exists in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The strategy worked in rejecting the first Ilya Kovalchuk contract and was upheld by arbitrator Richard Bloch.

However, with rumors of an ultimatum being given to the NHLPA, it seems apparent the NHL is on the verge of possibly declaring war against the concept of front-loaded contracts.

The players who appear to be targeted include Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, Roberto Luongo, and Marc Savard. The rumors have not been overlooked by Savard's agent, Larry Kelly, who has mentioned the possibility of suing the NHL if the contract was voided. What started out as a simple rejection of a contract is now potentially putting the league on a dangerous path of possible Armageddon.

Who is the biggest loser here? Unfortunately, it's the fans, who are constantly kept in limbo and fear another potential work stoppage between two sides that can't seem to get out of each other's way.

In a sport that has certainly regressed substantially in the United States sports landscape the last 15-plus years, the last thing the NHL needs is another black eye. However, this situation is looking like it may be a lot more similar to the loss of a limb rather than just a black eye. 

Let's hope they get it together, as egos need to be checked at the door—or a Commissioner on a potential power play could find himself short-handed in the end, without a profitable league, if the fans continue to be treated in such a poor and despicable way.

Want to discuss the Kovalchuk saga, the Devils, or hockey in general? Look me up and follow me on TWITTER @ LEVINAKL. 

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

2010 Record: 30-38-14 (74 points), fifth in NHL Northeast Division

Roster Changes

2010-2011 Notable Arrivals: Colby Armstrong (ATL), Mike Brown (ANH), Brett Lebda (DET), Marcel Mueller (DEL), Jussi Rynnas (SM-Iiiga), Kris Versteeg (CHI), Clarke MacArthur (ATL), Matt Lashoff (TB)

2010-2011 Notable Departures: Chris Didomenico (CHI), Garnet Exelby (FA), Jamie Lundmark (NSH), Ben Ondrus (EDM), Phillipe Paradis (CHI), Wayne Primeau (FA), Viktor Stalberg (CHI), Mike Van Ryn (Retirement)

Leafs Report Card

Forwards

Since the departure of Mats Sundin, the Leafs have lacked that No. 1 center and it was thought to many, that Brian Burke’s main goal was to fill that void on the Leafs roster.

This offseason, General Manager Brian Burke has so far failed address the team’s No. 1 priority in acquiring high caliber center to help feed the puck to sniper Phil Kessel.

However, Burke has managed to bring in some very serviceable second and third line players adding the likes of Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg , signing hot draft prospect Jerry D’Amigo to a three-year entry-level NHL contract.

As well, the front office expects top prospect Nazem Kadri to crack the opening night roster following training camp. He also just recently inked forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year contract.

MacArthur will help the Leafs out in the goal scoring department this year. Always a very streaky goal scorer, MacArthur should provide good scoring depth on the Leafs squad.

Kadri certainly stood out during training camp and throughout the preseason leaving many experts to believe he had earned a roster spot with the big club last year. But it was not in the cards for Kadri as he was sent back to junior and proceeded to light up the Ontario Hockey League collecting 93 points in only 56 games.

The addition of these talented and skilled forwards (Versteeg, Kadri, D’Amigo, MacArthur, Armstrong) to the top two or three lines will mean more goals for an anemic Leafs offence.

This was very much an area that Toronto struggled in last season on even the best of nights. The addition of Mike Brown, who adds some much needed sandpaper to the bottom six and will provide Toronto with a wonderful penalty killer, giving the Leafs some more penalty killing depth going forward.

Top Fantasy Forwards in 2010-11

RW Phil Kessel (36G/30A/66Pts/-1), C Tyler Bozak (14G/40A/54Pts/+1), LW/RW Kris Versteeg (21G/31A/51Pts/+3), RW Colby Armstrong (15G/18A/33Pts/80PIM), C Nazem Kadri (17G/30A/47Pts/-10), C Mikhail Grabovski (15G/27A/42Pts/-5)

Overall Grade:  C 

Defence

The Leafs defense is easily the club’s most valuable asset. Brian Burke’s philosophy has always been to build from the goalie out and it is very evident with this year’s edition of the Leafs. Having committed around 65 percent of the cap towards their defense, the Leafs boast a potential Top Six that make at least $2.9 million dollars each. The question remaining is are they really worth that much?

The Leafs recently named Dion Phaneuf captain, and named Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek alternates. These four will make up the Leafs top two pairings, how they’ll be matched up is anyone’s guess.

The bottom two will consist of Luke Schenn and one of Carl Gunnarsson, Brett Lebda or Jeff Finger. Finger will most likely be demoted to the AHL so his salary comes off the books, leaving the sixth man to be fought over by Gunnarsson and Lebda. The Leafs also have prospects Keith Aulie, Korbinian Holzer, Jesse Blacker, and Jiraj Mikus nipping at their heels.

Top Fantasy Defenders in 2010-11

Tomas Kaberle (5G/51A/56Pts/-7), Dion Phaneuf (14G/20A/34Pts/-1), Francois Beauchemin (9G/24A/33Pts/-4)

Overall Grade: A-

Goaltending

Last season the Leafs were second last in goals against and they really did nothing this offseason to address the situation in goal. At least that is what many critics would say when they see the movement by the Leafs during this offseason.

However, as many non-Leaf fans don’t know, the Leafs last year finished the last 20 games of the season earning 26 points, all of that can be attributed to a new found confidence in their goaltending.

Veteran net minder Jean Sebastian Giguere comes into this season as an expiring contract and will be motivated to earn another lucrative contract for himself. Giguere’s presence alone, along with goaltending coach Francois Allaire, helped young goalie Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson in his rookie year that started off very shaky.

Many of the Leafs worst goaltending games were played when they had Vesa Toskala and Joey MacDonald in net, so the Leafs goaltending is not really as bad as it seemed.

I fully expect Gustavsson to eventually become the Leafs No. 1 goalie and Giguere to be dealt to a team in need of cap relief, just a little prediction for discussion sake.

Top Fantasy Goaltender in 2010-11

Jonas Gustavsson (20 W/18L/8OTL 2.65 GAA, .903 SV%)

Overall Grade: B

Top Five Prospect Watch

1. C Nazem Kadri

Age: 20

Drafted: Seventh overall by Leafs in 2009 NHL Entry Draft

Current Team: London Knights (Ontario Hockey League)

Key Attributes:  A very skilled, speedy forward. He’s fearless, plays with reckless abandon and it’s not scared to get physical. His size and strength remains his greatest issue going forward, but many people in the organization believe, at least Kadri’s strength with get better as he gets older and more used to the NHL game. Easily projects as the Leafs top line center in the coming years. 

2. G Jussi Rynnas

Age: 23

Drafted: Undrafted (Signed as a free agent in 2010)

Current Team:  Ässät (SM-liiga)

Key Attributes: Coming in at a lofty 6’5” and 215 lbs, Rynnas is one of the larger goaltenders the Leafs have ever had. When he sprawls out he can cover the bottom half of the net very well. Rynnas, who is the latest addition to an explosion of talented Finnish goaltenders hitting the NHL, joins Boston’s Tuukka Rask,Nashville’s Pekka Rinne and Calgary’s Miikka Kiprosoff among others.

3. LW Jerry D’Amigo

Age: 19

Drafted:  Sixth Round, 158th overall by the Leafs in 2009 NHL Entry Draft

Previous Team: Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute [RPI] (ECAC of the NCAA)

Key Attributes: A very skilled offensive talent, who is crafty and can finish well around the net. At 5’10” questions remain about his size, but again that part can be worked on. D’Amigo for all the good he can do, also is prone to the occasional brain fart in a game, making a terrible pass or forgetting assignments on the ice. At 19 years old though, the more experience he’ll get, the better his overall game will become. 

4. LW Brad Ross

Age:  18

Drafted: Second Round, 43rd overall by Leafs in 2010 NHL Entry Draft

Current Team: Portland WinterHawks (Western Hockey League)

Key Attributes:  Was regarded as the hardest player to play against in the Western Hockey League. Playing on a line with top draft picks Ryan Johansen (CLB) and Nino Niederreiter (NYI), allowed Ross to maybe gain a little more offence than he may have been capable of with other players. Still though, he has the potential to be a 20 goal, 200 PIM player in the NHL. 

5. D Keith Aulie

Age: 21

Drafted: Fourth Round, 116th overall by the Calgary Flames, 2007 NHL Entry Draft

Current Team: Toronto Marlies (American Hockey League)

Key Attributes:  Aulie is a classic stay-at-home defenceman, who brings size, leadership and a big body to the table. Not overly gifted offensively, Aulie will be mostly relied upon in the future to become a shut-down defenceman who the Leafs can play against other teams’ top players. Aulie is a very good skater for his size, which lends itself very well to the new, faster NHL. 

Fantasy Outlook

Analysts’ Fantasy Stud: RW Phil Kessel

He should easily get 30 goals if healthy, and provide a wonderful power-play option for your fantasy team.

Analysts’ Player to Avoid: D Dion Phaneuf

Has seen a rapid decline in offensive numbers lately and should not be a plus defenceman with the Leafs. Even with Kaberle feeding him the puck on the power-play last season, Phaneuf struggled mightily to score goals in his short time with the Leafs last season.

 Analysts’ Sleeper Special: D Carl Gunnarsson

One of Toronto’s best young defenders on the team, Gunnarsson is blessed with a gun from the point and will get to use it on the second unit of the powerplay. He was a plus defenceman last year and should be this year as well. Has the potential to put up 30-40 points this year if given the opportunity.

Expectations and Predictions

The Leafs should have a better season this year and could potentially push for a playoff spot if they manage to acquire or sign a few more offensive talents. For Leafs to succeed this year, they  will need to cut down on their goals against, improve their special teams, score more consistently, and lastly, get consistent goaltending for them to make the playoffs.

There are still a lot of “ifs” with this team, so right now we expect them to be on the outside looking in at the end of this season in the Eastern Conference.

Prediction: 11th place in Eastern Conference

Overall Team Grade: B-

Look for Day Three: Florida Panthers being posted tomorrow by Anthony Bumbaco. 

These article can be all found at SportsHaze.com 

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

With Evgeni Nabokov parting ways with San Jose and opting to join the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg, the Sharks had to fill the huge void between the pipes.  Antero Niittymäki was signed on the first day of free agency but he has never matched his solid international play during his mediocre NHL career. 

Most NHL experts consider Niitymäki a "middle of the road" goalie but Niemi has huge upside and is coming off a playoffs in which he displayed many heroic performances in net.  He became the first Blackhawks goalie since Ed Belfour to record a playoff shutout and repeated the feat set by legendary net-minder Tony Esposito in 1974 by achieving two shutouts in one series against Nashville.

Those shutouts propelled the Blackhawks into the semifinals meeting with the Vancouver Canucks.  In a high-scoring series, Niemi out-dueled Roberto Luongo as Chicago marched on to the West Conference Finals.  It was a high-pressure series and Niemi proved his grit.

His outstanding play in net was pivotal as the Blackhawks swept the Sharks in the Western Conference Finals.  Niemi recorded two 40 plus save games during the series and his 94.8 percent save percentage against San Jose's prolific snipers was impressive.

Now it is his task to take the under-performing Sharks a step further by helping them reach the Stanley Cup Finals.  San Jose has been long-favored to lift the Cup but seem to self-destruct every playoffs.  Their roster is loaded with stars but the Sharks have failed to gel when it matters most.

Niemi outplayed the vastly experienced Nabokov in last year's Conference Finals and if he can repeat his stellar form in the 2011 playoffs, the Sharks have an excellent chance of finally living up to expectations and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

After an entire summer of questions about Ilya Kovalchuk—where will he go? how much will he get, and for how long?—the circus appeared to be put to rest in late July when the New Jersey Devils announced they had signed the Russian sniper to a whopping, record-breaking, 17-year, $102 million contract.

While everyone was still trying to digest the very idea of such a ludicrous deal, the NHL immediately cried foul and informed the New Jersey Devils that they were not going to approve a deal that quite obviously circumvented the NHL's salary cap.

To say the deal was front-loaded is factual, but it doesn't capture the true audacity of the deal's structure.

The New Jersey Devils would have you, I, and the NHL believe that they planned to have Kovalchuk suit up until he was 44 years old and that, from age 39 on, he'd be playing for $550,000 per season.

Never mind the fact that $98.5 million of the proposed $102 million contract would be paid out within the first 11 years of the deal, this contract is totally on the up-and-up and filed in good faith (wink, wink).

The NHLPA promptly filed a grievance on behalf of Kovalchuk, and the whole matter was eventually reviewed by an independent arbitrator, who rightly upheld the league's incredulity by ruling in their favor on August 9th.

Kovalchuk was once again a free agent and he and the Devils were sent back to the drawing board to draft a contract that would resemble something not created in Fantasy Land.

What they've come back with is a 15-year, $100 million dollar deal.

Wow!  What a difference, eh?

They shaved a whole two years off of the original proposed contract, and with that, $2 million!

The previous contract would have resulted in a $6 million annual cap hit, a far cry from the actual $11.5 million that Kovalchuk would make in the richest years of the deal.

The new contract will up that cap hit to, wait for it...$6.6 million.

Yes, surely, this deal is much more in line with the league's salary cap restrictions and in no way circumvents or attempts to circumvent the cap.

Please.

Just take a look at the numbers reported in a piece by Bleacher Report's Tab Bamford on Wednesday. 

By reducing the salary to $1 million in years 11 thorough 13 and then upping the salary in years 14 and 15 to $3 and $4 million, respectively, the Devils seem to be making it painfully obvious that this contract, unlike the last one, isn't buyout-friendly and that, they truly believe Kovalchuk will be worth a combined $7 million at age 42.

And you thought the first contract was ridiculous.

The sharp drop-off in the final years of the 17-year contract rejected by the league in August was obviously put in place to make a buyout much easier once Kovalchuk entered his 40s.

But, you could suspend disbelief long enough to see that, perhaps, the Devils anticipated a drop-off in Kovalchuk's abilities in his later years and thus reduced his pay accordingly.

You could almost see that as likely.

This new contract makes the likeliness of a buyout, well...less likely, but the Devils' attempt to circumvent the cap is made even more obvious than before.

What this means is that, if the NHL is true to its convictions (and I'm not saying they are), then they should reject this deal even more quickly than they did the first one.

However, in so doing, they will have taken one step closer to open war with the NHLPA, and that means the fate of the entire NHL will start to hang in the balance.

As easy as it might be to lay this whole mess at the feet of Gary Bettman, doing so would be unfair.

The NHL was totally justified in rejecting Kovalchuk's first idiotic contract and will be totally justified if and when they throw this one out as well.

The blame, therefore, for the lockout/strike to come should be placed squarely on the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk.

After all, there is no mandate, guideline, or stipulation that, in order to play in the NHL, Ilya Kovalchuk must make over $10 million per year and must play under a long-term, $100 million contract.

But that's just the kind of delusion the Devils seem to be operating under.

Ensuring that the salary demands of a greedy, self-centered player be met is not something guaranteed by the CBA, but the New Jersey Devils management seems to think that it is.

The point is, none of this has to happen. 

In fact, if New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello had done what Kings GM Dean Lombardi did earlier in the summer and gave Kovalchuk a "take it or leave it" deal that paid him handsomely, but without circumventing the salary cap, then none of this would be happening.

The principles of supply and demand would have simply priced Kovalchuk out of the market.

Think about it, if no one was willing to pay Kovalchuk his asking price, how long do you think he'd wait before either lowering his demands, or go to the KHL?

In business, be it a fruit stand or the NHL, the market always determines price of goods.

If you're asking $20 a pound for grapes, guess what, you're going to have a lot of rotten grapes on your hands.  Lower that to $1 per pound, and you'll see them flying off the shelves.

The same is true for hockey players.

If Kovalchuk was seeking, say, an eight-year deal at $8 million per, he'd not only have many more suitors, but by this point, an NHL contract.

Instead, Kovalchuk's greed, and the Devils' foolish willingness to satiate it have forced the NHL into a corner.

If and when the next strike or lockout comes to pass, which is looking more and more likely as this idiocy continues, make sure to send a basket of rotten grapes to Lou Lamoriello and Ilya Kovalchuk, for it is this dynamic duo of greed that will be to blame for all of us losing NHL hockey yet again.

Follow Matt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAhutter12

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Some of arguably the best players to ever play their position wore the Indian head sweater, but the Blackhawks weren't ever able to get over the hump. For 49 years, Chicago was without the Stanley Cup.

But in the spring of 2010, the Blackhawks won it all.

So, in honor of the first time the Hawks will begin a season as defending champions in the United Center, let's again look back at the top 25 players in the history of the franchise. There are some changes and additions from last year's list, so keep an eye on the list.

Begin Slideshow

Many of us over here in the Eastern side of the continent haven't heard much about this guy, but if you ask Vancouver fans about him, you'll probably get a sneer and hear that he wasn't very well received in GM place, once traded.

In fact, he was down right hated.

People are describing him as a hard working, speedy right winger, 110 percent all the time, gritty fouth liner, dime a dozen as well.

A few have described/compared him to Ryan Hollweg with better speed and more smarts.

He fits nicely into the the middle-weight category when it comes to the fist-a-cuffs, and ain't a-scared of no one, tough as nails, and won't back down are other expressions being linked to Brown.

He should see some time on the penalty killing unit, granted he makes the team, but being from Anaheim he must have been on Burkey's radar for sometime as BB seemingly has spies still in Duck-land and Van-land, so the likelihood of his named being penciled in on the finalized roster to start the season is a good one.

So the pressure is off Orr when it comes to guys like Dan Carcillo who will only fight smaller guys and Milan Lucic/Chris Neal will also get a partner to dance with when playing Toronto.

Knowing that a guy is there that will drop the gloves and is in their weight class when it comes to the pugilistic aspect of hockey, may limit the agitation factor that these aforementioned guys bring for their respective clubs, advantage Leafs!

I figured I'd leave ya with a couple Mike Brown highlights, just so ya can get an idea for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn8IbG4x6HY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcfRk5fehes&feature=player_embedded

Advantage Toronto!

106 Pims in 75 games with the Ducks last year and 306 Pims in 142 total NHL games.

I think Mike Brown, though his name is a common one, will certainly gain popularity quickly in the city of Toronto and will be addressed by coaches in the Eastern Conference as one to watch out for when he's on the ice for the Blue and White this upcoming season!

New Mike Brown fan right here!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

In a story first reported by Larry Brooks of the NY Post, the NHL has given the Players' Association an ultimatum that must be agreed upon before the league will accept Kovalchuk's re-worked 15-year, $100M contract. And Kovalchuk's contract isn't the only paper in question.

According to Brooks' sources with the NHLPA, the league has singled out the contracts of Kovalchuk, Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, and Chicago forward Marian Hossa as questionable and reviewable. However, the league will overlook their concerns on all three contracts if the NHLPA agrees to a number of changes to the collective bargaining agreement immediately.

The two conditions that must be amended in the CBA, according to Brooks, are:

• That the cap hit on future multi-year contracts will not count any seasons that end with the player over 40 years of age. The cap hit would be calculated on the average of the salary up through age 40 only.
• That the cap hit on future contracts longer than five years will be calculated under a formula granting additional weight to the five years with the highest salary.

If the NHLPA does not agree to these specific amendments, sources indicate the league will not only deny Kovalchuk's contract with the Devils, but will also veto the Canucks' deal with Luongo, and will "investigate" the deal between Hossa and Chicago.

There are a number of issues with this report that make these new pieces of information a potentially historic problem for the NHL.

First, there are other contracts that could, and should, be an issue for the NHL. Other than Luongo and Hossa, there are deals in place for players like Chris Pronger, Danny Briere, Marc Savard, Henrik Lundqvist, and others that would have to be considered reviewable under these amendments.

Indeed, the contract extensions of Savard and Pronger would appear to be more open to the league taking action than Hossa's in Chicago because they don't begin until the 2010-11 season; Hossa has already played a season under his deal.

What does the league hope to achieve by "investigating" Hossa's deal after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup? Are they going to schedule a parade in Philly for a team that has just as many questionable contracts as the Hawks had in the Finals?

Secondly, the bigger issue with this ultimatum is that the CBA has already been extended through 2012 by the NHLPA. By definition, the CBA is not open to review until that time. However, the league now wants to make changes when the CBA is not open to discussion. By forcing the players to accept their ultimatum, the league is almost guaranteeing that there will be significant issues before a new CBA is put into place in two years.

With statistics indicating that the NHL is near an all-time high in popularity, and with the previous work stoppage almost completely in the rear view mirror (finally), making a bold move like this indicates that the league is ready and willing to stand strong against the players.

In a western movie, someone would now spit and say "them's fightin' words."

There have been a lot of issues people could take with Gary Bettman's tenure as  commissioner, but his regime has brought the game back from hell after the last strike. Taking these steps indicate that Bettman's office is apparently naive enough to think they now hold the power in the game.

The players are the product.

If there is no product to sell, there is no power.

However, reality indicates that the players are not free from guilt in this situation. More specifically, players' representatives and team management have been abusing loopholes to circumvent the salary cap for years, and the league is no longer willing to sit by while contracts mock the spirit of the CBA.

We now move into a tedious two-day window during which the NHLPA will look to leadership that isn't formally in place yet - Donald Fehr - to guide them into uncharted territory. The league is gambling that they hold the cards, but the players could easily balk at the league's ultimatum and the coming season could suddenly be in doubt.

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Kennedy has spent the previous two seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization, and played seventy-eight games in his rookie season (last season) with the Sabres. In the seventy-eight games he played, Kennedy scored ten goals and assisted on sixteen others, for a total of twenty-six points.

Tim Kennedy brings speed, toughness, stick-handling skills, and another hard working energizing rookie to the Rangers. It’s tough to say where Kennedy will end up on the Rangers line-up, but my best bet would be third or fourth line center or winger, possibly putting an end to Brian Boyle and maybe Sean Avery as Rangers.

Why Brian Boyle and Sean Avery?

Brian Boyle didn’t really work out to well last season, and with the crop of forwards that the Rangers own, he may end up being an outcast and sent to the minors.

The Rangers owned four energizing players to the roster before signing Tim Kennedy; those players being Ryan Callahan, Brandon Prust, Derek Boogaard, and Sean Avery. Now with the addition of Kennedy the Rangers have a little too many players filling that specific role. Sean Avery’s name has been tossed around lately, and he does have quite a big cap number. I hate to say it, because I do like Avery, but he may end up in the minors, or traded.

Back to Tim Kennedy

I believe he will be an excellent addition to the Rangers, and has the potential of becoming a very good player in the NHL and hopefully for the Rangers.

Thanks for the read, hope you enjoyed. Feel free to comment below.

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Niemi became a UFA just a couple of weeks ago after the Chicago Blackhawks walked away from his arbitration award due to their lack of cap space.

Niemi proved he was a legitimate NHL starter last season as he had 7 shutouts and won 26 games in just 39 starts during the regular season.

In the playoffs you could say Niemi was even better as he posted a record of 16-6 and made a fair share of big time saves in clutch situations.

In San Jose Niemi will likely get the majority of the starts but will not start as many games as a Ryan Miller or Henrik Lundqvist as the Sharks are quite content with Antero Niittymaki.

The deal between Niemi and the Sharks is expected to be a one-year deal worth approximately two million dollars.

If you have any questions or comments about anything (news, rumors, etc...), feel free to email me at NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com anytime, thanks.

This article can also be found at MTRMedia.com and Sportshaze.com

Follow me on twitter for the latest news and rumors @ToddNHL

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Conroy made his Flame debut in 2001, after being part of a controversial trade with Cory Stillman. The skilled center was soon named the captain of the Flames, a title he held until the beginning of the 03-04 season, when Jarome Iginla took the leadership. Conroy remained an assistant captain until he was picked up from the free agent market by Los Angeles in July of 2004.

He would not stay away for long. As the Los Angeles Kings embarked on a road trip through Alberta (starting in Edmonton) in late January, 2007, the GM's of the two teams were working out a deal. After a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings jumped on a bus and headed south on Highway 2. They would stop in the small city of Red Deer, and Conroy would be left behind.

The news that Conroy would be donning the flaming 'C' once again was filled with mixed emotion. He was elated to be coming to the city he had called home for years, but didn't know how he was going to get there! Luckily long time friend and teamate, Jarome Iginla made the trip to pick him up and he was ready to play on the January 30.

Perhaps as a bit of vengeance for the team that abandoned him on the side of the highway, he scored 2 goals and 1 assist in a Calgary victory. The night ended with chants of 'Conroy' from the 19000 plus fans in attendance. He was visibly moved on the bench and knew he was home.

In the summer of 2010, after a dissapointing season, he was hoping to sign a new contract with the Flames. That happened on August 11, where he signed a league minimum $500 000/ 1 year deal that would probably see him retire as a Flame.

As an added bonus, he needs only to play 9 more games to reach the 1000 game milestone. A feat he did not think he would ever reach.

A humble, friendly and chatty man, Craig Conroy is the go to guy for interviews in the Flame locker room, and some reporters joked that he may take their jobs in broadcasting when he retires.

He has been a long time fan favorite, and one of the kindest people you will ever meet, he is never too busy to sign autographs or just chat with fans. As a long time Flames fan personally, I couldn't be happier to see him spend his final seasons in the Flames organization, and perhaps one day in the future we will see 'number 24' hanging from the rafters, high above the Saddledome Ice

Chris Smallman 

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It's hard not to say that this deal will somehow affect the Blackhawks now that they have a very good chance of competing against Niemi, given that he wins the No. 1 spot against Antero Niittymaki. 

San Jose is, no doubt, trying to bolster its roster to make a deep run into the playoffs that always seem to just barely escape from its grasp. Very few teams look as good as the Sharks during the regular season. However, once postseason starts, they become an underachieving mess. 

So will Niemi be that piece that puts San Jose on track to beat other playoff favorites, such as Detroit and Chicago?  

I wouldn't get too excited. 

It's hard to have total confidence in this team when, for a couple of years now, it's been the same story. However, last year was an improvement compared to the other few years before, so it would also be a mistake to totally count San Jose out. 

If Antti Niemi is as good as he and his agent thinks he is, then he could have a huge impact on this team. San Jose is gambling on him, but with the way he played in the playoffs last season, there is good reason to suspect that Niemi will only get better.  

On the other hand, while Niemi did play well in the postseason, he wasn't totally spectacular. Playing on a team with a rock solid defense and a potent offense definitely helped, and it's questionable whether Niemi can play without the stellar defense of Chicago. 

It's really a sink or swim deal for the Sharks, and there's always the chance that Niemi might not even play if he loses the battle for the number one spot to Niittymaki. 

So, as of right now, I'd be skeptical about the affect Niemi will have against the Western Conference and teams like Detroit and Chicago. 

It's a move that could benefit the Sharks a lot. There's just no way of knowing this early. We'll have to wait till hockey season begins. 

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After Niemi was awarded $2.75 million in arbitration, the Blackhawks released him and signed former Dallas Star Marty Turco for $1.3 million. It's interesting that San Jose showed interest in signing Niemi because they had already committed $2 million dollars  to Antero Niittymaki on the first day of free agency.

There are many misperceptions about Niemi, with the biggest being that he is a “proven” winner. He may have a ring on his finger, but he is still far from proven. He started last year as a clear back-up (and a rookie at that) to Cristobal Huet, a multi-million dollar starter who was thought to be THE guy in goal in Chicago. Huet’s continued struggles were the only reason Niemi saw significant playing time as the season progressed.

He may have played admirably in the playoffs and helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, but he was not a Vezina, Conn Smythe, or even Calder Trophy winner. He played in only 61 games combined between the regular season and playoffs, and while he was solid in save percentage and goals against, both categories were similar to the numbers posted by Evgeni Nabokov.

Furthermore, Niemi had better defensive support. Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith, Brent Sopel, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and company are a much stronger group from top to bottom than the pairings the Sharks were able to field, even before they lost Rob Blake. Niemi has shown nothing to prove he can repeat his 2010 magic, especially if he has to play behind a depleted-by-comparison defense.

The signing also potentially creates a major financial obligation in net, negating the benefit of allowing Nabokov and his $6 million-plus contract to walk, and limiting the Sharks’ options for bolstering the previously-mentioned defensive unit.

Unless Sharks general manager Doug Wilson knows something few others do, and Niittymaki has some trade value carrying a $4 million contract, this signing could put the Sharks in a major bind. The urgency with which Wilson pursued Niittymaki could suggest there was other interest, but the consensus overage in salary for the to-date mediocre NHL goaltender would feasibly drastically limit his trade value.

Trading or releasing Thomas Griess would do nothing to alleviate the salary cap hit, so the only other scenario that could make sense would be a sign-and-trade.

Could Doug Wilson have inside information that another team is willing to deal a top-flight defenseman for Niemi in the $2 million range? It is a possibility that such a team might not pursue Niemi directly due to the lack of cap room, but could be amenable to acquiring him through a sign-and-trade.

How large a possibility is anyone’s guess.

If these rumors prove to be true and the Sharks retain Niittymaki and Niemi, they could find themselves in hot water. Time will tell how this plays out.

Keep the Faith!

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Oshawa decisively turned down an opportunity to get its city on to the professional sports map, that a few adventurous members of the council wanted.

The majority of the council felt it was in the best interests of the taxpayers not to help bail out an owner of a professional sports franchise by pouring their money into a sports facility.

Many councilors viewed Hamilton owner Bob Young as someone who would one day hold them to ransom, as they feel he is doing with the city council in Hamilton.

They felt that the local public was not in favor of investing their tax dollars in a sports enterprise of a private, professional nature, instead of an international event that could be said to be representing Canada, a province, and a local community.

Quebec should be paying attention to this, because their efforts to build a $400 million arena and front an NHL franchise bid are based on getting government money from all three levels of Canadian government.

The Quebec City Council has already voted to invest $50 million for the new arena, with the provincial and federal governments to pay the rest, $175 million each.

While the provincial government has been warm to such an idea, investing federal money in such a project may have bad political repercussions.

Most of the Canadian public do not want their tax dollars invested in sports facilities for professional purposes.

They are willing to have their money spent on sports projects that represent Canada, like the recent Vancouver Olympics or the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games, but they do not want to pay money for projects that benefit rich sports franchise owners, except if it is indirectly, like a new Pan Am stadium eventually becoming the new home of the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

To sway the rest of Canada, Quebec is trying pass the argument that the new arena is necessary to bid for a future Winter Olympic Games.

But money is awarded by the Federal Government only AFTER a successful Olympic bid and Quebec is yet to get its toe wet in a step in that direction.

What Quebec should be doing is trying to attract more private investment to fund the project.

But that might mean (horrors!) having to accept investors from "English" Canada or the United States.

Most of the NHL arenas in Canada were funded privately, and many Canadians are also against using tax dollars to build facilities for a league that many of them view as hostile to Canada.

Many still remember how Quebec and Winnipeg were stripped of their teams, and how the NHL fought tooth and nail last year to prevent Hamilton from acquiring the Phoenix Coyotes.

Right now, Quebec's attempt to get an arena and a franchise are in limbo while they await the results of an unnecessary "feasibility study."

If Quebec had enough money, the shovels would already be in the ground.

Instead they are hoping that the provincial and federal governments will become sugar daddies for their NHL dreams, something unlikely, at least at the federal level, where Oshawa sounded the unspoken opinion of most Canadians.

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Generally speaking, the Maple Leafs look very solid on the backend and their goaltending, anchored by J.S. Giguere and Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, looks to be adequate.

Up front, the picture is not quite as rosy, but there is hope.

The 2009-10 season saw the Maple Leafs score a pathetic 103 goals (27th overall) at home, while accounting for another 107 (14th overall) on the road for an average of 2.56 goals per game (25th overall).

On the power play, the Maple Leafs were equally inept, scoring 22 times at home (29th overall) and 22 times on the road (21st overall).

Overall, the Maple Leafs finished the season with a total of 210 goals (25th overall) and 44 power play markers (27th overall). Simply put, they were terrible.

Given the Maple Leafs lack of offense, seemingly caused by a lack of chemistry and effort on the part of several players, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke shipped out a lot of players at the trade deadline and over the summer in an effort to change the dynamics of the team.

Lee Stempniak, Matt Stajan, Alex Ponikarovsky, Jamal Mayers, Viktor Stalberg, Ian White, Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman were all sent packing for players and prospects. Combined, the “Great Eight” combined for a total of 109 goals, 25 of which came on the power play.

Through trades and free agency, Burke has acquired a number of players that he hopes will bring a different attitude and more offensive spark to a team that was/is in need of a shot in the arm.

Dion Phaneuf, Luca Caputi, Colby Armstrong, Mike Brown, Clarke Macarthur, Kris Versteeg, Brett Lebda and Matt Lashoff, represent the majority of changes for Burke.

Combined, this group of eight scored a total of 72 goals last season, 13 of which came on the power play.

On the surface, it would appear as if Burke has actually downsized his offense, but the bigger picture should tell another story.

Rookie forward Nazem Kadri is expected to score between 15-20 goals this season. Phil Kessel, who spent some time on the sidelines last season, is expected to approach the 40 goal mark this season, which would be an improvement of 10 goals. Armstrong, Versteeg and MacArthur are all expected to light the lamp more often with the benefit of what many expect will be a dramatic increase in playing time for all players involved.

Tyler Bozak, who is coming off a decent rookie season, is expected to get a full season alongside Kessel, which should see his goal totals and point totals rise significantly.

Fresh off a new contract, Nikolai Kulemin is expected to raise his game, while Mikhail Grabovski should be good for a 15-20 goals himself.

Burke hopes the sum of the parts up front and on the backend is enough to outshine what the castoffs accomplished offensively last season. In the end, if every player plays up to expectations (which, admittedly is always difficult to project), the Maple Leafs should see a modest improvement on last seasons offensive numbers, which could be significant.

Want proof? The difference between the Leafs 25th ranked offense (210 goals) and the 15th overall offense (Ottawa Senators) was a grand total of ten goals (220).

Clearly, with just a few more goals, the Leafs could catapult themselves from laughingstocks of the league to a respectable offensive team, which, in turn, should equate to more wins and, and with a little luck, a playoff spot.

Can the Maple Leafs current lineup squeeze a total of ten more goals than last years crew accomplished? That remains to be seen, but there are plenty of reasons to expect a better, if not modest, result this season.

Not to be forgotten, the additions of Phaneuf, Lebda, and possibly Lashoff, should provide the Leafs with a much improved rushing game from the backend, ultimately leading to more goals five-on-five and on the power play.

Armstrong, Versteeg, MacArthur and Kadri should provide the Maple Leafs with a better combination of puck support, checking abilities and offensive creativity than the previous crew, who, at times, were criticized for their lack of consistency and questionable drive.

Yes Leaf Fans, if the Leafs are going to improve offensively, it will likely come from the new faces, which is what Burke wants.

Got a Question you need answered? A unique article idea?

Email me at mailto:theslapshotpucktalk@gmail.com where I will pick one question each week, posting my answers on my website at www.theslapshot.com

Until next time,

Peace!

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Dave Feamster sums up his life with that simple, yet brilliant quote.

The youngest of five boys, Feamster grew up in Detroit living and breathing hockey. Every winter, his father would flood their backyard so he and his friends could play.

“Every afternoon after school we’d have a big game,” Feamster recalled. “Everyone in the neighborhood would come over and we’d have the draft, pick the teams; my dad would bring hot chocolate out between periods. It was kind of like the neighborhood hangout, built around the rink in our backyard.”

Feamster joined his first team at nine years old, the Little Caesars hockey club. At 14, he was awarded a scholarship to play hockey at Colorado College and, in 1978, was drafted in the sixth round (96th overall) by the Chicago Black Hawks.

In college, Feamster enjoyed great success, scoring 184 points in 150 career games. After staying an extra year to obtain a business degree, he played a season in the Central League with the Dallas Black Hawks before turning pro in 1982.

But Feamster did not enjoy the same success as an NHL defenseman.

“I just never had a coach who gave me the confidence to (let me make plays),” he said. “I always thought of myself as an offensive guy in college, but when I got to the NHL, I became a penalty killer. I never saw one minute of power play time in the NHL, yet in college, I was on the power play every shift.”

Nerves also played a big factor in his pro game.

“You play a little bit more reserved and don’t want to make any mistakes, because you may not get another shift,” Feamster explained. “That pressure of not allowing yourself to make a mistake was bad. I always wanted to move the puck and never get too far out of my position; where in college, I could take chances and if you didn’t succeed, well, you’re going to go out there the next shift.”

His NHL career was short-lived. In a game against the North Stars in his third season, Paul Holmgren hit Feamster from behind, slamming his head and back against the boards.

“I was kind of dazed,” he said.

Feamster didn’t think much of the injury and wound up finishing the 1983-84 season. However, during the 1984 Canada Cup training camp, he started to lose the power in his legs. After a visit to the hospital, he was informed that he had a stress fracture of his L5 vertebrae.

“If you were my son,” the doctor told him, “I’d tell you to go out and get a real job.”

After taking a year off to rehab his back and attempt a return, Feamster realized there was no hope of returning to the NHL. He tried to make a transition into management, but after two years of scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, he realized it was not the field for him.

“The only thing scary about working in hockey is that you’re only a phone call away from getting the gas pipe,” Feamster said. “If a new regime comes in and your GM is out the door, you’re going to be, too. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny.”

In a strange twist of fate, Feamster entered the business that gave him his first opportunity in hockey—Little Caesar’s.

“The transition was very tough, because I was forced to leave the game, I didn’t choose to leave,” Feamster said. “I was feeling like I wasn’t at a good place with my confidence.”

Feamster spoke with Little Caesar’s and Detroit Red Wings owner Marian Ilitch, who he said was “very positive and very encouraging.”

The Ilitchs, along with their son, Mike Jr., started Feamster on his second career with his own Little Caesar’s pizza store in Denver. Today, he owns seven additional stores in the state.

“You have to follow your passion,” Feamster said. “If you don’t have passion, you’re not going to be able to take it to the next level, you’re going to limit yourself. You won’t have the fire to show up at six in the morning for practice.”

However, Feamster recognizes that his success stemmed mainly from the generosity of his bosses.

“The Ilitchs have just been so kind and generous to me, from the time I was a kid, to helping me get started in the pizza business, to financing my first store, to letting me work with the Red Wings for a couple years scouting,” he said. “I am nothing but grateful to them; they’re great people.”

Alan Bass is a writer for The Hockey News and THN.com. In addition to writing for Inside Hockey and Pro Hockey News, he has also worked for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College hockey team as well. You can contact him at BergHockey24@gmail.com.

This article was originally featured on TheHockeyNews.com. For the original article, click here.

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The fell to third in the division and sixth in the conference, Thomas was unseated by Tuukka Rask, and of course the painful end to the year in which they lost a 3-0 series lead to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers.

Turns out the offseason was a bit of a ride for the Bruins too. While there was the acquisition of Nathan Horton and the drafting of Tyler Seguin, there was also the controversy and questions surrounding Thomas and Marc Savard, as many wondered whether they'd be with the team come training camp.

Seems like a pretty good place to start the 10 Bold (or not so bold) Predictions for the Boston Bruins doesn't it?

1. Marc Savard stays, Thomas goes

While both have said that they're "happy" staying in Boston, a play is made for Thomas during the season by a playoff team that sees a star goalie fall to injury without a contingency plan. With a chance to realistically win the Cup, Thomas goes. While forwards seem more likely to be traded during the offseason, goalies are the ones who draw the headlines during the season, thanks in large part to injuries.

2. Nathan Horton scores 25 goals

I don't see how he can't. With two stellar play-making centres (Savard and Patrice Bergeron) to choose from, Horton will be the top-line right winger on this team. At the same time, he'll be expected to produce like one too. Fast fact, it's been three seasons since Horton scored at least 25 goals.

3. Zdeno Chara scores 15 goals but finishes with 45 points

By no means is that a bad season for any defenseman, but it's a bit of a letdown for Chara, who had his streak of consecutive 50-point seasons (two) snapped last year. He's the goal-scoring threat on this defense, with probably the best point shot in the league, but he won't match last year's career-high of 37 assists.

4. Milan Lucic bangs and crashes his way to another 100 penalty minutes

Last year was a letdown for Lucic as it seemed he could barely get off the IR. This year, he'll be back to the hard-nosed, win-at-all-costs form that made him a fan favorite, and the point production should probably return too.

5. Tyler Seguin won't have the success that many think he will

Let me set this straight by saying it's not because he isn't talented—he obviously is. What's different about Seguin though, is that he's going to a team where he isn't a featured piece. Honestly, since when do playoff teams draft second overall? Seguin is probably due for Jordan Staal-type rookie numbers (42ish points) as he'll probably be playing left wing and learning a top-end two-way game. Because they're trying to avoid pressuring Seguin unnecessarily, if he doesn't take to the NHL game right away, maybe he gets returned to the OHL. Look...it's unlikely but not unheard of, OK?

6. Mark Recchi finishes with 40 points, 28 of them assists

Just twelve goals for the NHL vet this year, but that's not exactly chicken feed for a guy that was playing junior hockey just three seasons after the 1980 Miracle on Ice. Recchi's always been more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, so the 23 and 18 goal years he's enjoyed the past two seasons are coming to an end, whether I'm right or he proves me wrong and then retires.

7. The Bruins' defense ranks amongst the lowest scoring in the league

Boston does have some offensively capable defensemen. Obviously there's Chara, and Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg have each put up 30-point seasons before (Seidenberg is working on back-to-back 30-point seasons), but past that Boston is going to be relying on a lot of youth. Johnny Boychuk, Adam McQuaid, Matt Hunwick, and Mark Stuart will all be in the mix, but Boychuk is the only one with an offensively dominant season under his belt (66 points in the 2008-09 AHL season), he and Hunwick are both helped by the fact they each had fairly productive playoffs (six points in 13 games), but there's going to be a lot of onus on the forwards to pick up the slack.

8. Patrice Bergeron wins 60 percent of his faceoffs

Percentage-wise, he doesn't have far to go seeing as he finished last year fifth in the league winning them at a 58 percent clip. He'd join Scott Nichol, Rod Brind'Amour, Kris Draper, and Yanic Perreault as guys who have finished with a 60 percent success rate since the lockout.

9. The Bruins try to find another Miro Satan mid-season...and it doesn't work

This one is dependent on what happens with Seguin and the other young players that could earn themselves a shot on the wing. If they have trouble getting production down the sides, Boston's going to have to find someone to fill in. Think Freddy Modin or Marek Svatos.

10. Despite a late surge over the last three weeks of the season, the Bruins miss the playoffs

The defense needs to mature a little and they'll need bigger performances offensively (Last season's leading scorer had 52 points). If those things don't happen then Tuukka Rask needs to be even better than last year, which is a lot to ask from a young goalie.

The Stretch: Boston tanks the season and somehow takes Toronto down with them, giving them the first and second overall picks. The top defensive pairing then becomes Adam Larsson and David Musil.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report and is featured over at Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game! E-mail BT at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at BryanThiel_88.

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Meaning instead of a Huskins/Mitchell type of scenario, the aforementioned player to be determined for the trade to be determined will be a significant player. Most likely young, most likely very talented and will most likely go on to succeed wherever he goes.

For a team and GM who puts so much into the farm system and youth providing depth, puzzling does not even begin to cover this scenario.

Further adding to the already complex situation is Joe Thornton's contract situation considering that he's scheduled to become a UFA after the upcoming season. How exactly is Doug Wilson going to resign Thornton without losing significant depth will be a miracle in and of itself. Patrick Marleau already resigned for a considerable hometown discount. Thornton would have to follow suit if he wishes to remain in sunny and media friendly San Jose.

Is Niemi what the Sharks need? Perhaps he is, but not under these conditions. The man posted a 26-7-4 record last year, sporting a 2.25 GAA, with a .912 save percentage. He also recorded seven shutouts while playing behind the deep and talented defence of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Niitymaki and his agent cannot be pleased with this outcome, and I'm sure this move will raise some eyebrows amongst soon to be NHL free agents.

This offseason so far has been an odd one, and this latest move if true does not buck the trend. One can only ask, where is all this heading? What moves does Wilson have left to make? Who will be the one traded before training camp or the deadline? How badly will the Sharks top six be affected by whomever will be traded?

Read more about the Sharks goaltending here.

What do you think? Does this move make any sense whatsoever?

Update : ESPN reports that Niemi signed as of this morning.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=5523143

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The NHL and the NHLPA mutually decided that they should move the deadline for a decision to Friday at 5 pm.

All I can say is, if the NHL was okay with the proposed $100 million, 15-year contract, then they would have accepted it today. This leads me to believe that the deal will be rejected just like the previous offer. If they were to accept it, this will have been a giant waste of time.

This whole situation has gone on too long in my opinion. Wrong or not, the New Jersey Devils have given us one of the most embarrassing stories the NHL has ever faced. Not to mention this is most likely going to end with Kovalchuk going to play in the KHL.

That is where Gary Bettman has made his mistake. In losing Kovalchuk, he will be losing one of the top 10 players in the NHL, something that is never good. Maybe Kovy bolting to Russia will finally open Bettman's eyes about the threat the KHL is to the NHL.

Although, as I wrote in a previous article, Kovalchuk leaving could help the players fighting to play in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

I wish I could say this will all be over come 5 pm Friday, but if the NHL does reject the offer, the NHLPA will most likely file another grievance, making this deal take even longer than it already has.

I'll end this article with a personal message to Kovalchuk: Ilya, please sign with the KHL and put all of us out of our misery. We're begging you.

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The NHL made all kinds of headlines when it challenged the Devils original contract offer to Kovalchuk which would have paid the talented Russian sniper a total of $102 million over 17 years.

The NHL made its case on the suspicion that the original contract was guilty of a “circumvention” of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which an independent arbitrator later agreed with.

If the latest contract is rejected, its back to the drawing board for the Devils, who have been working closely with the NHLPA and NHL in order to facilitate a deal that would be deemed acceptable by the NHL.

It is widely felt that the latest deal will not meet the NHL’s approval, which could cause Kovalchuk to consider other options, including the KHL.

If the deal is approved, the Devils would be well over the salary cap and would likely have to shed some salary in or to facilitate bringing Kovalchuk into the fold.

According to capgeek.com, the Devils are currently sitting at $56,441,667 committed to 20 players, leaving them a total of $3,698,333 under the salary cap.

With the Kovalchuk deal believed to net out to a cap hit of $6 million or more in the first year, the Devils would be $2-$3 million over the cap once everything is said and done.

Defensemen Bryce Salvador ($2.9 million), Danius Zubrus ($3.4 million), and Travis Zajac ($3.887 million) are believed to be the players that the Devils would most likely look at dealing in order to create the necessary cap space required to bring in Kovalchuk.

Some wonder if the Devils would be better off without Kovalchuk in the lineup, but with little left in the way of free agents and considering the price the Devils gave up to the Atlanta Thrashers (Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a 2010 first round pick) in order to bring Kovalchuk to the team in the first place, re-signing Kovalchuk looks to be a high priority for Lou Lamoriello and the New Jersey Devils organization.

Either way, the Kovalchuk deal or no deal will have a huge impact on all other NHL contracts, including those that are currently under investigation and beyond.

The contract will also have an impact when it comes time to negotiate the new CBA in 2012, with players terms and monies being reviewed. Further, when you consider the hard feelings it has created between the players, the NHLPA and the NHL, the topic of player contracts looks to be a very hot topic, one that could make or break an agreement between all sides.

It all leaves NHL fans wondering: When will the Kovalchuk saga ever end?

There is hope for Friday, but I would not hold your breath.

Until next time,

Peace!

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What on Earth is Gary Bettman waiting for? I admit I am biased and have yelled for this contract to be void as well, but come on. There has to be a way to speed up the process. Might I recommend putting Kovalchuk through a polygraph machine asking him whether he plans to retire well before the contract ends. 

The main reason for my frustration is not the deadline has been extended. My main problem is why did they give a deadline of Wednesday if they had to extend it? Now we have to look at any deadline they give us with reticence.

On the bright side, they can force Kovalchuk to miss training camp until his contract is signed. This would be a problem for New Jersey as they will try to make him defensively responsible, and missing camp is not the way to begin that. Personally I hope Bettman is just considering what punishment to give them.

At the end of the day this contract is still trying to circumvent the cap. The fact that people compare how this contract is better than the one they rejected does not show it should be accepted. Of course it has to be better, otherwise Bettman will not even look at it.

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The Sharks have unofficially signed Niemi to a $2 million contract, which in turn ends up being $750,000 less than the NHL arbitrator awarded him back on July 31st.

Niemi No No... is no more.

The Finnish Fortress... well still could be, but now as a rival.

So how about the Finnish Fish? Hmmmm...sounds about right. Blackhawks fans as a whole could only hope for a flop as conference foes.

Sharks' front office officials time and time again reiterated that they had never been interested in the young Finnish goaltender. What can't be ignored is the offer sheet that was handed to Nikolas Hjalmarsson.

Hjalmarsson was a restricted free agent entering the offseason and with salary cap woes, the Blackhawks were determined to keep the second-line defenseman a Hawk. 

Unfortunately, when a player produces on the ice consistently at a young age they are almost in tune to earn more the following season(s). This was not an issue the Blackhawks would be surprised by. What the true surprise was the amount at which the Sharks tried to put forth in order to lure away a good defensive player.

On July 9th, the offer sheet was signed with San Jose for a $14 million deal for over four years. Knowing that Hjalmarsson was a player the Hawks would not back down from, it is now easy to understand why the offer sheet was dealt.

With the signing of Hjalmarsson, the Hawks chances of signing Niemi minimized. This served as blood in the water for the Sharks after deciding to part with Evgeni Nabakov. 

Perhaps the best move of the offseason by any team, this exactly displays how patience can become precedence in a hard salary cap era. The Blackhawks were forced to choose one or the other. Their loss ultimately has become the Sharks gain.

In saying this, does this catapult the Sharks into elite status? Well it is hard to imagine one considering them anything but. Will it be hard for fans to chant against a Stanley Cup hero in Niemi? Possibly...especially if Niemi is the one who steals the game in the manner he did so many times as a Blackhawk. 

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Niemi, who is coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Chicago Blackhawks, was recently awarded $2.75M in salary arbitration due to his fantastic rookie campaign.

Despite his impressive performance as a rookie, the Blackhawks decided the $2.75 million mark to be out of their price range due to their current salary cap limitations.

This left Niemi to become a unrestricted free agent but long after the original free agency date of July 1st and so the goalie market had already proved to be extremely thin with all types of goaltenders having to settle for smaller deals.

After all, most NHL GMs have noticed that the recent Cup winning goaltenders haven't been the big-name, high-priced names that dominated in the past.

Naturally, most teams are now allocating less money to the goaltending position than they have in years past.

As for the Sharks, and their GM Doug Wilson, this philosophy of paying more for defense and less for netminding was thought to be included in their offseason plans.

Instead of re-signing long time starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks decided to sign the now former Tampa Bay Lightning starter Antero Niittymaki to a two-year $4M dollar deal on the opening day of free agency.

Nabokov was looking for upwards of $5-6 million per year and the Sharks felt that money would be better spent at other positions.

But if the reports are true that the Sharks are going to sign Niemi to a $2M/year contract, then the philosophy San Jose is applying begins to get fuzzy.

Why sign two different goalies with similar question marks to decently sized contracts, when the idea earlier in the offseason was to spread the money to other positions?

Niemi and Niittymaki will now combine for $4 million this season, which is only a fraction less than what it would have taken to bring back Nabokov.

So unless the Sharks trade Niittymaki or get an abnormally increased level of play from their returning defensemen, San Jose will be clearly worse than they were last year.

With or without Niemi, the Sharks have less talent at defense and forward than they had last season and will now have bigger question marks between the pipes.

Of course, Wilson could have a trade for a premier defenseman in the works.

However, if that is true, how does he acquire a top notch defenseman without giving up a top notch forward?

By signing Niemi, the Sharks wiggle room with the cap takes a solid hit, and it now becomes difficult to add on the contract of a top defenseman without giving up a top-six forward.

Sure, San Jose could trade Niittymaki, Kent Huskins, and Niclas Wallin for a top notch defenseman and that would work out salary cap wise.

However, this is real life and not NHL 2011. Teams can't just trade older and inconsistent players for top notch stars.

In the end, these Niemi rumors to the Sharks don't make sense.

The Sharks said they were going to spend money on defense instead of goaltending.

Signing Niemi would be doing the opposite.

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Sportsnet also cites a $2M base salary amount, which is $750,000 less than an arbitrator awarded the netminder after winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in June.

On July 1, the Sharks signed veteran goalie Antero Niittymaki to a two-year contract worth $4M to be their starting goaltender. They also have young German prospect Tomas Greiss matriculating through their system.

Adding Niemi would not only give the Sharks quality depth between the pipes, but also a significant financial investment at one position. However, with an aging lineup and in the final year of veteran Joe Thornton's contract, the Sharks appear to be in a win now mindset.

Niemi and Chicago eliminated the Sharks in four games from the Western Conference Finals.

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West coast source has confirmed Antti Niemi will sign with the Sharks as early as tomorrow. I hear 2M base, possibly for just the 1 year.

via @RealKyper

The goalie has been rumored to sign with either an NHL or European team for weeks, and it seems like he has finally found a home. The Sharks have gotten a pretty solid goalie and if Kypreos is right, at a pretty cheap price.

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