Today is a sad day at NHL Hot Stove as we close up shop.

I would like to thank every one who has ever contributed, commented and read our site. It was a fantastic ride which unfortunately we can no longer keep up.

Myself and David Strehle are taking on bigger roles at RLDHockey.net while Dustin Leed and The Hockey Guys has been generous enough to give a home to our other excellent contributors. Please be kind enough to give both sites a read.

The NHL announced tonight that they will change their current six-division setup into four conferences. For the first time since 1998, the League’s board of governors reached an agreement that not only alters the current outlook but also will allow every team to play a home-and-home series. The NHLPA will still need to approve the realignment but that appears to be a formality at this point.

These four conferences break down as the following:

Conference 1

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes

Conference 2

Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild

Conference 3

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Conference 4

Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

The current playoff configuration will also change with the first two playoff series coming within the Conference. However, eight teams will still make the show but there should be much more parity. For example, a team in a ‘weaker’ division would not be allowed to grab the third seed if they narrowly make the playoffs.

Furthermore, the schedule works out well for all teams. Home-and-home series should account for roughly 44-46 games with the remaining games getting played in rivalries within the conference. This change, as well as keeping natural rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit; Calgary and Edmonton; should pave way for more excitement and interest around North America.

Now that we have the details down, let’s get to the fun part. What do we name these conferences? Do they get the old names: Norris, Campbell, Adams and Patrick? Do we rename them something more current like Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Orr? Put your vote in below and give some write-ins into the comments.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Ryan Miller looked great in his first game back from injury. The Buffalo Sabres starting goalie was cruising towards a victory, perhaps a shutout as his team was winning 2-0 in the second period. Then, resident agitator of the Nashville Predators, left wing Jordin Tootoo, decided to test his boundaries against Miller.

Let’s take a look at the incident.

Tootoo clearly lost the puck and jumped in the direction of a sprawled Miller. Unlike the Milan Lucic incident, every member of the Sabres on the ice — including Paul Gaustad — decided to jump Tootoo and further protect their goalie from injury. In other words, all heck broke loose on the ice.

Ryan Porth of Smashville 24/7 reported, via Twitter, that Tootoo never meant to hurt Miller. Joshua Cooper of The Tennessean added, via Twitter, that the winger would face disciplinary action. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was quotably unhappy about the incident. On a related note, Why did Miller not go to the quiet room?

Seeing as running the goalie has become a hot topic this season, one can only expect Tootoo gets the book thrown at him. However, the number of games remains to be seen. As usual, we leave our readers with a vote; Where does your virtual Shanahammer fall?

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

Over the weekend, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan had some work to do. At least five separate incidents were reviewed (pretty much everything is reviewed in the ‘Shanaban’ era) but at the end of the day, only two players wound up suspended from the League. Dan Carcillo, a repeat offender, took a two-game ban for a dangerous push-from-behind on Carolina Hurricanes d-man Joni Pitkanen. Andy Sutton, another repeat offender, traveled to New York today in order to find out his punishment from a high clothesline delivered to Colorado Avalanche rookie Gabriel Landeskog.

One of the bigger non-calls was Francois Beauchemin’s open-ice hit on Mike Fisher, which came from the blind side. Fisher never saw it coming and while the hit was not targeting the head — the explanation handed down upon us — it came out of nowhere. Take a look for yourself:

Fisher, an outspoken veteran forward and team leader, was quite expressive over this non-call, via Twitter:

@ian_mendes players are really confused. I’m out because of a similar play and no dice as well. I don’t get it!

A very important center in the Nashville Predators system, Fisher already made his impact known with two goals and four points in three games. Last season he was a vital cog for coach Barry Trotz and company, helping them defeat the offense-heavy Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, his impact now will be counterproductive for the Preds as his absence hurts the team’s depth as well as their chances of getting back into the playoffs.

As this article is written, the Preds play without him in the lineup. In fact, his return to the lineup is somewhat indefinite. His presence on Twitter may indicate he’s healthy enough to perform daily activities but he almost certainly won’t travel with the team to Phoenix and is highly doubtful for their three games in California.

So, in summary, we leave you with the facts and the vote.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Yesterday, we let you in on our contest to play a ‘One Day FREE Fantasy Contest‘ to win $100 in cash prizes from Draft Steet. Well, I signed up, How about you?

Here’s my lineup, I challenge you to beat this roster:

LW: Zach Parise — $11,018
LW: Daniel Sedin — $14,799

RW: Bryan Little — $5,941
RW: Martin St. Louis — $13,081

C: Mark Letestu — $5,990
C: Valtteri Filppula — $6,118

D: Niklas Kronwall — $6,547
D: P.K. Subban — $7,817

G: Jonathan Quick — $20,665
G: Brian Gionta — $7,976

Do you have what it takes to defeat a fantasy hockey expert? CLICK HERE to sign up for free and register for NHL Hot Stove $100 Freeroll on DraftStreet.com. Entry is free of charge while you get a chance of earning $100. No brainer if you ask me…

If you haven’t heard, there is a new trend in the world of fantasy sports. Fantasy enthusiasts all over the country are now participating in daily fantasy leagues for cash on DraftStreet.com. We’ve partnered up with Draftstreet to do a FREE one-day fantasy league with $100 in prizes exclusively for NHL Hot Stove readers.

This is a salary cap league where everyone tries to assemble the best team out of the available players. You will have a $100,000 budget to build a team of 2 LW’s, 2 RW’s, 2 Center’s, 2 Defensive players, 1 Goalie, and a FLEX. Each NHL player has been allocated a price based on their expected fantasy performance. For example, star LW Alex Ovechkin costs $14,331 where as RW Jarome Iginla costs $12,256.

You can adjust your roster up until the contest start’s on Thursday 10/13 at 7:00pm ET at which time your rosters will lock and the Live Scoreboard will be available.

CLICK HERE to sign up for free and register for NHL Hot Stove $100 Freeroll on DraftStreet.com

By Jeff Quirin
NHL Hot Stove Associate Editor

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The hockey blogging community is the strongest its ever been and grows daily. From aspiring journalists to devoted fans who all want to share their unique perspectives on their favorite teams and push their material out across the net. Yet, they remain the greatest asset to the NHL with the weakest capitalization. So when opportunity presents itself to engage some of the best around and maybe add one more drop in the “acceptance of bloggers” bucket, I jump on it.

More often than not this will take the form of a Q&A. It’s concise and simple. As Associate Editor I hope to bring more of this style of content throughout the season to expose the readers of NHL Hot Stove to a wide array ideas and hockey points of view they may not have otherwise.

In this season’s first such venture five bloggers covering the five Central Division clubs have answered ten questions relating to the near future of the division.

Bringing the cannon to the party, is Columbus Blue Jackets fan and blogger Martin Poston of the Martini Hockey blog. You can follow him on Twitter: @MartiniHockey.

One of Smashville’s finest scribes, Mark Willoughby of Hockey Independent and The View From 111, has the Nashville Predators covered. You can follow him on Twitter: @TheViewfrom111.

Two of NHL Hot Stove’s own cover the top dogs in the Central. Ryan Hackett with the Chicago Blackhawks and Christina Roberts with the Detroit Red Wings. You can follow Ryan on Twitter: @Hawknut and Christina on Twitter: @Franzenmuth.

Normally I would dish out the thoughts from a St. Louis Blues pov, but for this post Brian Heanchen of Hank’s Sports Blog will take over. You can follow him on Twitter: @Brian_Haenchen

To the questions.

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Question 1. Who is the front runner to win the Central Division? The Detroit Red Wings or Chicago Blackhawks?

Martin Poston:Red Wings, easily. I’m not among those ready to anoint Chicago as a threat to the throne just yet. Corey Crawford had a breakout season for sure. Whether or not he can continue that success will determine whether the Blackhawks even make the Playoffs this year. And that’s not a given by any means.

Mark Willoughby: The front runner to win the Central is the Detroit Red Wings. The team still has the components to win the division: a solid netminder; sound defense; and forwards that know how to score. That being said, the Wings are going to net their backup goalie to give them some quality starts to spell Jimmy Howard. And as with every team in the division, they will have to stay healthy. A critical injury is all that separates any of the teams from contending and being an also-ran.

Christina Roberts: I’ve got to put in a little bias and say the Red Wings. While we may have lost some key players like Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, and Chris Osgood, we picked up some pretty good guys like Ian White, Mike Commodore, and Ty Conklin (who was good before when he was on our team). We haven’t lost our core players, and Nick Lidstrom is still playing as good as ever. Chicago was a little shaky last year, especially with Toews having a rough first half, and losing so many guys in the off-season hurt them a lot. I definitely wouldn’t count Chicago out of it, though.

Ryan Hackett: Way to make me sound biased right off the bat here, Jeff. I say it has to be the Blackhawks. They’re as deep as ever, and they added some much-needed toughness. The goaltending situation is solid with Crawford getting a nice extension, and they’ve had a nice long offseason to get healthy and hungry.

Brian Haenchen: Detroit Red Wings. Personally, I’m not sold on the Blackhawks. Corey Crawford showed a lot of potential in his rookie season and I expect him to continue performing at a high level this season. However, the pieces around him are not going to be enough for the Hawks to dethrone the Red Wings.

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Question 2. Between Nashville, St. Louis and Columbus, who has the best chance at unseating the top two and why?

MP: If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never count out Nashville. True, they lost some quality guys (and withstood an arbitration nightmare with Shea Weber) and didn’t add much in Free Agency in terms of marquee talent. However, Barry Trotz has proven to be a coach who can do a lot with less. They might even threaten Detroit in April.

MW: Nashville has the best chance of unseating the Wings as the top team in the Division. The Predators have the best goalie in the Division and one of the best in the NHL. The defense will be replacing a few components on the third and fourth pairing, but although young, these players will be immensely talented. The big question for the Predators is the forward group- more specifically, can they score goals? I think they will be able to do so, at least enough to win. Last season, the Predators went 4-2 against the Wings and were 3-3 against the Blackhawks.

CR: Nashville has always scared me. While St. Louis and Columbus have added components to their rosters, they both still have problems with injuries and until they overcome that, they won’t be scaring the Red Wings anytime soon (minus those handful of games us Wings fans like to block out that were, what, 8-0 and 10-3? Something ridiculous like that). Regardless, I think Nashville is still a force to be reckoned with. And Shea Weber scares me.

RH: Definitely Nashville. Their style of play really gums up the works of the fast, high-scoring offenses of Detroit and Chicago and their first playoff series win has to have them thirsty to get back there.

BH: The Saint Louis Blues have the best chance of those teams to finish among the top 2 in the Central…as long as they can stay healthy. Player to watch: Patrik Berglund. Berglund bounced back from a disappointing sophomore season, scoring a career high in goals. Do not forget about Jaroslav Halak, who will benefit from having that one full season as starting net minder under his belt.

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Question 3. Who made the best and worst off season moves?

MP: Columbus’ top-to-bottom audit of the organization led to a lot of offseason changes, and GM Scott Howson pounced in June with an unprecedented boldness, acquiring Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski via trade, then making the sale with Wiz in the final hours before free agency. It’s hard to call anyone’s offseason the “worst,” but Nashville’s offseason was rough, that was for sure. The team has tended to be frugal in the past, and going to arbitration with Weber burned them badly. However, accepting the huge arbitration award and keeping Shea Weber was about the best move they could make under the circumstances. Chicago didn’t add much more to help themselves, other than an aging forward in Andrew Brunette and a reason for opponents to watch their back when Dan Carcillo is on the ice. Some call it grit. I call it a suspension waiting to happen.

MW: The team that made the best off-season moves in the Division would have to be Columbus Blue Jackets. The addition of Jeff Carter up front and James Wisniewski on the blue line will certainly bolster their roster. Carter will add scoring punch to go along with Rick Nash, which has been desperately needed by the Jackets. The measure of this acquisition will be Carter’s mental approach to playing in Columbus and his presence in the locker room. If both are good, then this move by Scott Howson will be remembered as a turning point for the franchise. If Carter turns out to be a negative in both areas, the trade will also be remembered as a turning point, but not in a good way.

CR: I would have to say Columbus made the best moves. They jumped on opportunities to sign two awesome players: James Wisniewski and Jeff Carter. The worst moves…honestly, you could say the Red Wings. They didn’t make any super spectacular moves like everyone thought they would, what with Rafalski’s salary opening up. That’s not to say their moves were bad, just not as good as everyone else’s.

RH: The best: Columbus. Adding James Wisniewski at the blue line was a bit risky, especially at that salary, but could potentially pay big dividends, but the acquisition of Jeff Carter could finally relieve some of the pressure on Rick Nash. Worst: Nashville. The moves in the Central were altogether good, I just thought the Preds did the least amount of good, and possibly fractured their long-term relationship with defenseman Shea Weber.

BH: By adding Jeff Carter, a player not known for his play-making abilities, and sticking him on a line with Rick Nash, a prolific forward who can do it all, Columbus turned themselves into a serious playoff contender.

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Question 4. By season’s end, which potential one-two punch stands to push Pavel Datsyuk/Henrik Zetterberg for the best in the division: Jeff Carter/Rick Nash, David Backes/Chris Stewart, Patric Hornqvist/Martin Erat or Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane?

MP: Ah, the “one-two punch.” So invaluable to a team. Tough choice here. It’s hard not to go with Toews and Kane. However, Nash and Carter are going to turn some heads this year as the forward lines mesh in Columbus.

MW: Until someone in the division can step up and surpass their production, the best one-two punch in the Division is Toews and Kane. I think they will be again this season.

CR: Toews/Kane is always a good one-two punch that has the potential to give the Euro Twins a run for their money, assuming they both stay healthy. I can see Carter/Nash being absolutely insane, though. Nash is dangerous and giving him someone on his line that will easily complement him.

RH: Again, I’m going to sound like an absolute homer here, but I say it’s Toews & Kane. They have the championship experience and the depth behind them to have career years once again, and barring injury, could be the top duo in not just the division, but the entire NHL.

BH: As much as it pains me to say it, Toews and Kane will push Datsyuk and Zetterberg for the best one-two punch in the division. Those two players are something special.

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Question 5. By season’s end the top starting netminder in the Central will be: Jimmy Howard, Pekka Rinne, Jaroslav Halak, Corey Crawford or Steve Mason?

MP: Howard.

MW: The top starting netminder at the end of the season will once again be Pekka Rinne.

CR: I’d have to go with either Jimmy Howard or Pekka Rinne. Rinne always tends to annoy me when the Wings play against him because he seems to stand on his head and make phenomenal saves. He’s had a few solid years, too, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he were top. But don’t forget that Howard was up for the Calder two years ago with fairly solid numbers. His stats may have taken a slight beating last year in comparison, but he still wound up with the same amount of wins. It’ll be a tough battle for both goaltenders.

RH: I think it’s a two-horse race here between Pekka Rinne and Corey Crawford, with my early vote going to Rinne. If he even approaches the season he had last year, he’s going to take the Predators far.

BH: Jaroslav Halak. That full season as a starting goalie will do wonders for his confidence.

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Question 6. If any of the five head coaches are fired, who will be first and why?

MP: I’m not sure anyone is really on the hot-seat during the season, unless someone has an absolutely  disastrous October/November. If Chicago winds up the odd team out in the Central (which I think will put four teams in this year), then maybe Quenneville.

MW: No Central Division coach will be fired this season.

CR: Either Columbus’s head coach or St. Louis’s. Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville, and Barry Trotz’s jobs are all pretty much safe. Neither coach has been around for a super long time, and both are vying for playoff spots. If either team falters too much, I can see a head coach cut from the roster…

RH: Well we can throw out Mike Babcock and Joel Quenneville right away, as they’ve cemented their jobs for a few years. No one does more with less than Barry Trotz, so I doubt he’s on the hot seat. That leaves Davis Payne in St. Louis and Scott Arniel in Columbus, and Arniel has only had the job a year, so he’s got a little bit longer of a leash.

BH: I do not think any of the five coaches will be fired.

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Question 7. The Predators will make the playoffs again, if…

MP: …they get off to a hot start at the beginning of the season. After that, they have to keep playing their brand of hockey. Consistency will be the key, especially playing in the Central.

MW: The Predators will make the playoffs if A) they stay healthy and B) their young forwards step up and produce scoring. I’m looking at you, Colin Wilson, Blake Geoffrion, and Nick Spalding.

CR: The Predators will make the playoffs again if they stay healthy and focused.

RH: If Hornqvist can stay healthy and have near a career year and Rinne is a Vezina contender once again. Not necessarily a finalist, but at least in the conversation.

BH: The Predators will make the playoffs again, if Pekka Rinne can match his performance from last season (33 wins in 64 starts, 2.12 GAA).

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Question 8. The Blues will make the playoffs, if…

MP: …Halak gets better in net and steals more games. Also, if aging veterans Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner make the most of their one-year deals and provide leadership and scoring on the ice.

MW: The Blues make the playoffs if they can keep from going into some kind of mental funk that has seemed to plague them over the past few seasons. What’s up with not being able to win in your own barn?

CR: The Blues will make the playoffs if their roster stays healthy. Last year, I had them pegged as sixth in the conference come playoff time. But look at how many of their players went down with injuries and how well they fared once everyone came back.

RH: They either improve their penalty kill or stay out of the box and T.J. Oshie stops acting like Randy Moss and plays up to his enormous potential.

BH: The Blues will make the playoffs again, if they can stay healthy.

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Question 9. The Blue Jackets will make the playoffs, if…

MP: …Steve Mason rediscovers his rookie form, and if Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski deliver in the roles for which the Blue Jackets are paying them so handsomely. The Jackets have the personnel to roll out two threatening scoring lines, and possibly a third.

MW: The Blue Jackets will make the playoffs if Steve Mason returns to form from 2 years ago and if these guys get selective amnesia and forget their rather forgettable history up to this point.

CR: The Blue Jackets will make the playoffs if their expensive purchases over this past off-season pay off. And if Steve Mason has a season similar to his Calder-winning season.

RH: Nash and Carter can both eclipse the 60 -point mark and Mason returns to solid form.

BH: The Blue Jackets will make the playoffs, if the tandem of Jeff Carter and Rick Nash can live up to their lofty expectations.

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Question 10. What will be the final standings in the division?

MP: I’m not kidding, it’s a tough call on this. The Central will put four teams in the Playoffs (all five, if one of the Cali teams in the Pacific falters). The Central Division will reside in the top nine, and if it comes to this, the Blues edge out Chicago: 1. Detroit, 2. Nashville, 3. Columbus, 4. St. Louis, 5. Chicago.

MW: 1. Detroit, 2. Nashville, 3. Chicago, 4. St. Louis, 5. Columbus.

CR: Final standings in the division (this is tough): 1) Red Wings 2) Blackhawks 3) Columbus 4) Nashville 5) St. Louis. I think this will be one of the closest races in recent years.

RH: Chicago, Nashville, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis (Sorry Jeff…)

BH: 1. Detroit, 2. Nashville, 3. Saint Louis, 4. Columbus, 5. Chicago. I think Detroit will run away with it, but Nashville, Saint Louis, Columbus, and Chicago will all finish within 10-15 points of one another.

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Much has been said. Conclusions to draw?

- The Red Wings and Blackhawks are still the king of the mountain.

- Predators are a scrappy bunch who cannot be left for dead and will push on the top two. Maintaining what they have is the key, besides more goals.

- Won’t believe the Blues can do it till they actually do it.

- Kane and Toews are the top duo not named Datsyuk/Zetterberg.

- Doesn’t seem likely that a coach is fired.

- Goaltending is a significant concern for all five teams.

- Much love for the Carter trade and for Pekka Rinne.

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Not sure when the next Q&A will be, but some ideas are in the works. Have a topic you’d like to see discussed? Contact me via Twitter, @JTQ_1.

Thanks for reading.

By Jeff Quirin
NHL Hot Stove Associate Editor

Every season several players rise from the depths of obscurity in all its various forms. In this premier series of the X List I take a look at the top 10 players to come out of obscurity and forge their way into (back into in some cases) the NHL limelight. Here are numbers 9 and 10 plus the honorable mentions.

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Honorable Mentions:

Jakub Voracek (Forward – Philadelphia Flyers) and Derek Stepan (Forward – New York Rangers)

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Image via Paul Nicholson (Flickr)

10. Martin Erat – Forward – Nashville Predators

Few players since the advent of free agency have become lifers. Especially offensively gifted wingers. Martin Erat is one such soul. The Nashville Predators 7th Round selection in the 1999 draft has spent his entire career in Smashville. Appearing in 616 games and averaging 51 points a season since 2002-03. Significant numbers for a franchise that has struggled with scoring more often than not.

Many of the primary offensive threats have been let go to allow a new crop of talented forward room to grow. Steve Sullivan was allowed to test the open market. JP Dumot was bought out. Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott are long gone. Through attrition and culminating in a short off season, Erat has become the de facto veteran scoring leader (no offense meant to Mike Fischer or David Legwand).

For all the good that comes from Nashville and is given to the greater hockey community, to many it’s still considered a backwater stretch of the league not to be paid much attention to. Their brand of hockey is rarely flashy or warrants much fantasy attention (sans Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne). But they’re now a club in transition and Erat, at least in terms of forwards, is the man the spotlight will be on. With up and comers like Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn along with a year wiser Colin Wilson and established blueline threats like Ryan Suter and Weber, there is plenty of support for the Czech native to feed off of.

The question is, can he? Detractors will point to an inability to stay healthy as the reason to answer “no”, but according to Josh Cooper at the Tennessean Erat is healthy and ready to go. Though he missed 18 games were missed last season, Erat posted his second strongest points/game pace of his career, .781. A projected pace of 64 points over 82 games. A total that would have tied him with peers Phil Kessel and Dany Heatley and put him just two points behind the likes of Rick Nash.

Assuming good health and a return to a 90% attendance rate, Erat is poised to rise up the league stat sheets and bring a positive spin to the  phrase “Predator’s offense”.

 (Suggested further reading: Could 2012 be a Breakout Year for Erat | The Predatorial.com)

Image via BridgetDS (Flickr)

9. David Jones – Forward – Colorado Avalanche

The 2003 NHL Entry Draft is widely accepted as one of the deepest classes in recent memory. Many first and second round picks have become elite forces, superstars and Stanley Cup champions. Several late round picks have also developed in to solid NHL producers with upside to spare. Speaking namely of  Joe Pavelski, Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom, Shane O’Brien, Matt Moulson and Jaroslav Halak.

Soon to be included in to that list is the 288th selection, 5th to last, from 2003. David Jones.

As if the long road from draft day to the NHL isn’t arduous enough on its own, injuries have complicated matters for the Dartmouth scoring standout (teammate of fellow late 2003 draft picks Lee Stempniak and Tanner Glass). After battling through the first half of his first full tour in the NHL a shoulder injury sustained against San Jose in January 2009 ended his season. Jones would come back strong to start off the 2009-10 campaign. Registering 10 goals in his first 23 games before missing the majority of the season once again thanks to a knee injury suffered against against Minnesota.

Jones was down but not out. His third effort proved the trick as he appeared in 77 games and amassed 27 goals and 45 points in 2010-11.

Though his goal scoring prowess displayed has been above average, any notoriety has been buried under a bevy of highly touted forwards. Not just top three selection Matt Duchense, but also wily vet Milan Hejduk, top center Paul Stastny, the enigmatic Wojtek Wolski, top ten pick Peter Mueller, and fellow power right winger Chris Stewart.  Even with the trades moving out Wolski and Stewart, add in another lottery pick in like power Swede Gabriel Landeskog and Jones could be easily forgotten. But he shouldn’t be.

Players with 30 goal scoring capability aren’t available at the closest Total Hockey store. In the post lockout era game it takes size, speed, skill and the unteachable “nose for the net”. Over the course of Jones’ last 100 games, he has shown that he has the gift. Netting 37 goals for a pace of .37 goals/game or 30 per 82 games played. With Stewart out of his way,  the other reliable faces playing at left wing and center, Hejduk’s aging and questions around Mueller’s health , Jones has a path to take his place as the top right winger on the Avs depth chart.

Reaping the rewards of skating on a line with Duchense and/or Stastny will have Jones potting goals at a pace with some of the best goal scoring wingers in the West.

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Thanks for reading. As always you are welcome to follow me on Twitter: @JTQ_1.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Creative Editor

As each of the 24 scheduled NHL salary arbitration hearings slowly fell off the docket with settlements prior to any gruelling proceedings, one big date loomed large in how another star’s contract negoatiations will likely play out.

That day was today, August 2nd.

Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua

The Nashville Predators and restricted free agent defenseman Shea Weber – along with his agent from Titan Sports Management, Inc., Jarrett Bousquet - somehow could not reach an agreement, and instead ended up going through the process of a hearing this morning in Toronto.

There is no doubt that it would have been in the Preds’ best interest to have settled this matter prior to the hearing – the first arbitration to actually go through the hearing stage – as they had no leverage with the independent arbitrator.

Weber earned $4.5 million in each of the last three seasons and is about to turn 26 years of age (August 14th).  He’s an excellent skater with a booming shot who can hit and will even fight, whatever it takes to win.

He is the Predators captain.  He is their best and most-recognizable player, possibly in Nashville’s NHL existence.  He is the very face of their franchise.

During the 2010-11 campaign Weber scored 16 goals for a second-consecutive season, while recording a career-high 32 assists.  He was a first-time Norris Trophy finalist, appeared in every regular season game, and played the third-most minutes in the entire league.

In his first season as team captain, the Predators won their first playoff series since their inception in 1998.

Nashville currently has the league’s lowest payroll at just over $41.2 million, which leaves them with more than $23 million in cap space.  But GM David Poile also faces the prospect of having to re-sign two key pieces to the success of his squad moving forward.  Both goaltender Pekka Rinne and defenseman Ryan Suter are set to become unrestricted free agents following the upcoming season.

Prior to the hearing today – in which both sides were able to present their respective cases for 90 minutes each - Weber was to opt for either a one or two year deal.

The arbitrator has up to 48 hours in which to render their decision, one in which the Predators will have to accept.  They relinquished their “walk-away” rights because they were the ones that opted for arbitration.  By doing so, they kept other clubs at bay from being able to submit any offer sheets to Weber.

There is little doubt that Weber will end up with a contract in the $7.5-$8 million range when the award is announced.

While Nashville and the Weber camp can still attempt to hammer out a long-term pact after the award, the arbitration process is a bitter one that often leads to the demise in the player-team relationship.

Dirk Hoag of On the Forecheck posted the following this morning:

“Teams and players that go through this process tend not to stick together long-term. In Preds history, Denny Lambert was traded just days after his hearing, and Ville Koistinen was gone a year after his. Daniel Winnik was traded by Phoenix within a year of his award in 2009, as was Milan Jurcina in Washington and Blake Wheeler (2010) in Boston. By my count, 11 players have gone through arbitration in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and 10 of those players had moved to a new team within a year.

The uncomfortable, but natural question coming out of all this is whether the Shea Weber era in Nashville might end before it even got rolling.

Given the point that’s been reached, is this the guy the Preds really want wearing the “C”? Does he even want it? And what does this mean for the prospect of locking up Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne as well?”

I’m not trying to be alarmist, but arbitration most often signals the beginning of the end of a player-team relationship, and it’s stunning to see the Predators and their captain get to this point.

Those are some very real concerns, as it could not have been a good situation for Weber to hear Nashville’s representatives go on for an hour and a half as to why their captain isn’t worth the money he is requesting.

As this scene plays out, it’s obvious that there are some very curious parties on the West coast that are keeping close tabs on the eventual outcome.

While the Weber award won’t be the ultimate comparator in Doughty’s negotiations – this will be Weber’s third deal as compared to Doughty’s second – you can bet that those looking out for the London, Ontario-native will use it as some sort of measuring stick.

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

The contract negotiations between the Los Angeles Kings and another RFA star defenseman, Drew Doughty, has languished for some time.  Many believe Doughty’s camp is awaiting the Weber – Predators standoff to reach its finality to see where their demands can be taken.

Doughty’s agents from Newport Sports Management Inc., Don Meehan and Mark Guy, are looking for a huge upgrade on their client’s recently completed $3.475 million entry-level deal.

According to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times in a story on July 12th, GM Dean Lombardi and the Kings reportedly offered Doughty a 9-year deal worth in excess of $6.5 million per season.

At just 21 years old, Doughty has shown the potential to be a franchise defenseman.  After his rookie season of 2008-09, the young rear guard broke out in his sophomore year with a 16-goal, 59-point campaign in 2009-10.

Doughty also helped lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal victory in the Olympic Games in Vancouver in February of 2010 (a squad that just so happened to also boast the talents of Weber on the blue line).  Just when it looked as though he was on his way to becoming a superstar, Doughty experienced a bit of a hiccup early on last year.

He showed up to training camp out of shape, reportedly finishing last overall in conditioning scores for all Kings players.  After an understandable slow start, he came on as the year progressed to end the season with 11 goals and 40 points.

There is no reason to doubt that Doughty will return to top form come October when the regular season commences.  The smooth-skating, hard-shooting right hander is still the NHL’s top young defenseman.  The sky is the limit, and Meehan and Guy want to make sure that he’s not under-compensated as he progresses.

One of the sticking points in negotiations may very well be when Doughty is able to become an UFA.  He is eligible in four years, so that may be more the length of a deal that his representation is willing to explore.

According to CapGeek.com, the top 25 highest salaried defensemen (led by Christian Ehrhoff’s $10 million, and soon to be joined by Weber’s award) will each make $5 million heading into the 2011-12 season, so their concerns are within reason.

But from Lombardi’s point of view, the youngest among the top 25 is Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.  Green turns 26 in October and has been in the league since the latter part of the 2005-06 campaign.  Los Angeles may want Doughty to either lock into the long-term deal reportedly offered last month, or take a lesser amount annually if he insists on signing a shorter-term pact.

At the epicenter of the moment right now – seemingly holding up both player’s contracts – is Weber’s arbitration decision.

The very fate of both defensemen – as well as their respective clubs – could very well hinge on the arbitrator’s upcoming award.  It stands to reason that once Weber’s award is announced, the talks between Doughty and the Kings will begin again in earnest.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

The Nashville Predators announced today that they have signed Cal O’Reilly, Nick Spaling, Matt Halischuk, and Chris Mueller;  four of the RFA’s that were set to be a part of the hearing set for tomorrow, July 8th.

Spaling’s deal comes in at 2 years $2.1 million.  Spaling, as well as Halischuk who signed a 2 year $1.425 million deal were both vital to the Predators success in the playoffs.  Mueller signed a 1 year 2-way deal worth $550,000 and will return to Milwaukee where he led the Admirals in scoring.  O’Reilly’s deal of 1 year $1.05 million could be considered his last chance to prove himself worthy as an NHL center after several rocky seasons bouncing between Nashville and Milwaukee.

With Linus Klasen moving to Europe to play next season, and Andreas Thuresson being traded to the New York Rangers, the lone RFA left to sign is winger and leading scorer for the Preds last season, Sergei Kostitsyn.  Kostitsyn filed for arbitration earlier this week, and has a hearing scheduled to start tomorrow July 8th, and will conclude on Wednesday July 13th.  Kostitsyn not only led the team in scoring, but was tied for team lead in points as well, all while making only $550,000.  He stands to make quite the payday if arbitration goes his way and makes him an UFA.  This would allow him to accept offers from other teams, and use it as a bargaining chip with the Predators.

So, for now Predators fans are breathing a sigh of relief with the new signings and renewed depth on offense.  But they anxiously await the outcome of the Kostitsyn arbitration, as well as waiting for the Predators to announce they have finished a deal with team captain Shea Weber.