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.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

In the NHL, injuries are simply a part of the game. Yesterday, the injuries piled up with such notable names as Zdeno Chara, Ilya Bryzgalov and Claude Giroux hitting the injured list. However, the two injuries we want to focus on were especially gruesome and thanks to Twitter we have screencaps of the proof.

Option #1: Derek Dorsett lower left leg injury

Dorsett looks to have snapped something in his left leg after falling over Tim Thomas and tumbling to the ice. The problem was, he didn’t really take a tumble as much as actually falling nastily on his leg. Take a look at the gruesome evidence as Dorsett is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

Below is a screencap, courtesy of @The6000LE:

Option #2: Ladislav Smid hit in the teeth with errant stick

At 8:23 of the second period, Olli Jokinen was called for a high sticking penalty as he hit Ladislav Smid in the teeth. The impact caused Smid to bleed all over the ice and miss the rest of the second period. Smid would later return in the third period, further proof that hockey players are the toughest athletes in the world.

Below is a screencap, courtesty of ChicagoSportsJD:

So now we ask you, the reader, to vote on the most gruesome injury of the night.

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.

Bruce Garrioch at Slam Sports (who happens to actually cover the Ottawa Senators) has recently suggested that the Flames are willing to move Olli Jokinen, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and David Moss. According to the article, this news was made privy to QMI agency by ‘league sources’.

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By Resolute (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0)

In the final two months of last season, and early into this season Jokinen has been one of Calgary’s best players. He seems to have found, and adapted to his role on the second line. With five points in 6 games this season (and 54 points last season), the center is certainly earning his place on the team. Lately, the Finish forward has been working hard, playing well in his zone, and creating excellent scoring chances. His value to this team is much higher than his value off this team. For that reason it hardly seems reasonable that Feaster would consider trading the forward. So while many outside of hockey may consider that Jokinen is “struggling”, that is last year’s news. The new-look Jokinen has been a revelation to the Flames, and a valuable asset this season.

Lets move on; Stajan is on the trading block. To be entirely honest, I’m surprised that is even news. It is well known that Calgary fans are disappointed with Stajan’s play over the last year. They are particularly upset about the $14 million/4 year salary he has been getting. But hey – that was in the past. It was both well known, and assumed that GM Jay Feaster would love to unload Matt’s contract. A better question is: Who is going to take it? There seemed to be little interest in Stajan last year, and I think the same holds for this year. If Feaster is able to unload this contract, he will be regarded as a hero in Calgary.  But for now, it is likely Stajan stays.

Hagman is another that the Flames were obviously shopping last year; but there were no takers, and so the Flames had to keep the winger. This season, however, Hagman seems like he has something to prove. Regardless of how he is playing, he works hard, he battles for pucks and tries to create opportunities. This season, already, that has translated into three points in six games, and a plus-2 rating. Not bad for a player that most considered were done. Credit is deserved for the 31 year old, who is battling hard for his spot on this team. The next month or two will really dictate how his season goes, but it is unlikely that there would be many takers for this UFA unless he begins to have a breakout season.

Moss tends to have his name pop up in rumors every year. It is certainly feasible that the Flames would move Moss, particularly as part of a bigger deal. Currently he is playing on the first line with Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay while Mikael Backlund is injured, and has to show any real magic. Known more as a winger, he typically plays on the third-line. His market value would be limited, so don’t expect him to be the focal point of a trade.

By Resolute (Own work)

There seems to be lots of interest for Curtis Glencross around the league, similar to the trade deadline last year. At that time, Feaster said he had many offers for Glencross – but none made the team any better. The 28-year-old had a career year last season with 24 goals, and already has three this season. He plays well in his zone, kills penalty, and provides a great spark. Further to that – this off season he took the ‘home team discount’ at $10.2 million/4 season. At that price, it is unlikely the Flames are going to get another player to make the team better – unless something highly rewarding is sent back the other way. So while the interest is there it would have to take a fairly significant deal to make Feaster think about it.Another hot-topic name coming up in trade rumors has been Rene Bourque. The streaky winger has three goals in six games this season, and put up 27 goals in the two previous seasons. He has the potential to have a 30-goal season, but inconsistency tends to plague the forward. His plus/minus has reflected his poor defensive play in his zone. That being said, he is a big, strong player, with an excellent shot – and a knack for the net. It is quite possible that the Flames would entertain trading the winger if the right deal were to present itself. You can certainly expect him to put up more than 20 goals this season, and asset that some teams may be searching for now, or down the stretch.

Finally – lets talk about Jay Bouwmeester. The fast-skating defenseman has been receiving much criticism lately from fans and the media. At $6.6 million per season, one would expect a greater offensive numbers in his 2 seasons in Calgary. However, playing over 25 minutes a night – he still maintains an excellent plus/minus, continues to move the puck well, and plays well in his zone (most of the time). This season, he has demonstrated flashes of old – jumping up into the play more, and attempting to contribute offensively. Many teams around the league would love to have a solid puck moving defenseman who can play more than 25 minutes a night. Sure he isn’t putting up the offensive numbers he was previously, but he is also playing a more defensively minded game in Calgary. Other than a fatal mistake in the New York game on Thursday – his play this year has been stellar. Having already lost Robyn Regehr, the Flames would certainly be a worse team without Bouwmeester in the lineup. So therefore, it would take a fairly significant deal to force Feaster to play his hand.

Feaster certainly wants his club to be excellent on the ice, but it is a little bit premature to be pulling the trigger – especially with the recent return of Brendan Morrison, and the anticipated return of Backlund in November.

The Flames have been playing improved hockey in the last few days, hopefully the trend can continue. Remember – that this is essentially the same team that went on a tear in the later half of last season. If they are to find that magic again – don’t expect Feaster to act rashly.

Shahbaz Syed
Twitter – DDxDino

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

Well here it is, just over a week away from the start of the NHL season.  It has been a long summer, full of tragedy around the NHL but hockey is once again ready to prevail as we prepare to kick off the 2011-2012 season.

Flames fans around the league enter the season with mixed expectations.  Known as an inconsistent team, there are fears that the Flames will begin the season in a dreadful rut similar to last year (15-19-3 prior to December).  Meanwhile, others are hoping they can instead begin the season as they ended it last year (27-11-9).  The question still remains which Flames club is going to show up this season.

After making some significant deals in the offseason, let’s take a look at the new cast of characters.

Notable losses from last year’s team are Daymond Langkow, Robyn Regehr, Adam Pardy, Fredrik Modin, Ales Kotalik and Steve Staios.

New to the club this year are Lee Stempniak, Scott Hannan, Paul Byron and Chris Butler.

1. The Feaster Spin

As Jay Feaster’s first offseason as GM, he has put his own new spin on the team.  The trade that sent Regehr to Buffalo was initially met with grimaces, as it is always tough to lose such a high quality defenseman.  Especially one that has been with the organization for so long. But included in the deal, the Flames were able to trade away the struggling Ales Kotalik.  In the process, they were able to dump close to $7 million salary, creating enough space to sign Alex Tanguay.  Coming back the other way was Paul Byron and Chris Butler – who have both had stellar training camps with the Flames this year, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Losing Daymond Langkow was difficult for long-time Flames fans to swallow, but in the grand scheme of things it was the ideal trade for the Flames to make. Coming the other way – Lee Stempniak brings a potential 40-50 point scorer, and makes the Flames not only younger, but faster as well.

The loss of Adam Pardy should be a cause for celebration; after receiving an offer from the Dallas Stars for $2 million, the Flames were unwilling to match that price tag, and rightfully so.  Given Pardy’s play in Calgary over the last few years, that is far too significant a price to pay for the lanky defenseman.  Instead, the Flames managed to sign Scott Hannan to a one-year, $1 million contract.  In today’s NHL market, this is a solid, no-risk signing.  Hannan can step in and play the defensive-defenseman role that is missing with the loss of Robyn Regehr.

So overall – the Flames are essentially status quo in comparison to last year, albeit with much more space below the salary cap.

2. Who impressed at training camp?

Jay Feaster and Brent Sutter were very clear prior to the start of training camp that each and every player had to earn their position on the team – providing incentives for the younger players at camp to fight for a roster spot.

Calgary drafted Sven Baertschi in the first round of the NHL draft this year, and in his first NHL camp the LW showed he possesses amazing talent and is very skilled with the puck.  His two-way game requires some work, but for an 18-year-old, he did a phenomenal job of impressing.  He is likely to return to the WHL this year, but expect him to be a regular in the lineup for the Flames in the future.

TJ Brodie impressed on the Flames blueline last preseason, particularly on the Flames powerplay but did not make it stick as an 18-year-old.  This preseason he showed similar offensive prowess, but was prone to making occasional mistakes, and still needs to work on his defensive game.  Another season the AHL will benefit this youngster greatly – and expect him to make the jump to the Flames roster next season, or if there are significant injuries on the blueline this year.

Roman Horak was perhaps the greatest surprise in training camp, the Czech centerman demonstrated his remarkable acceleration, solid two-way play, silky stick-handling ability and precision passing.  The 20-year-old is certainly making the coaching staff think twice about sending him to the AHL, but it is likely he will start there and receive the call-up to play a few games in the NHL this season.  Playing in the AHL for the Heat alongside former junior linemate Ryan Howse will promote even further development of his talents.

On the tune of Ryan Howse, the 20-year-old prospect had a stellar season in the WHL last year, putting up 83 points in 70 games playing on Roman Horak’s left wing.  In camp this year he showed flashes of his quick feet, excellent shot, and his ability to drive to the net.  It is likely he will be assigned to the AHL to further develop his game and offensive talents.  Expect him to be another player to wear the Flames jersey this season should injuries arise.

Paul Byron was the 22-year-old prospect obtained in the Robyn Regehr trade, centerman probably fought the hardest to convince the coaching staff to give him a spot on the NHL club this year.  He had an excellent preseason campaign, looking solid on both ends of the ice and using his speed to his advantage.  Not afraid to go into the boards to fight for the puck, he was able to bring energy to the lineup.  It is highly likely that Byron will see some action in a Flames uniform this season.  Byron will likely fill a role as a 3rd or 4th line center providing energy minutes and using his speed to his advantage.  Until then however, Byron will probably return to the AHL to continue his development as a more offensive player.

The last piece of the puzzle was also acquired in the Regehr trade – defenseman Chris Butler.  During the majority of this preseason Butler went about his business quietly – effectively maintaining his end of the ice, making smart plays with the puck and keeping out of trouble.  He very easily made a case to be on the Flames roster as a top-six defenseman this season.

3. Projected Lineup

Let’s take a look at the defenseman first;

Jay Bouwmeester – Scott Hannan
Mark Giordano – Cory Sarich
Anton Babchuk – Chris Butler/Brendan Mikkelson

On the forward side of things, the biggest question is who is going to be playing between Iginla and Tanguay.  Expect Mikael Backlund to get that opportunity to start in that spot this season.

Alex Tanguay – Mikael Backlund – Jarome Iginla
Curtis Glencross – Olli Jokinen – David Moss
Rene Bourque – Matt Stajan – Lee Stempniak
Niklas Hagman – Tom Kostopoulos/Horak/Byron/Morrison – Tim Jackman

The biggest dilemma in creating this potential lineup is Niklas Hagman.  After having a less than satisfying season last year, he was sent down to the AHL after not being picked up on waivers by any other team.  This preseason, however, Hagman has looked like the Hagman of old – using his skating ability, and shooting the puck more frequently.  He has undoubtedly made the opening squad roster, but where he plays remains a question.  Given the chemistry of the other lines, he will likely play on the fouth line and the coaching staff will evaluate his play from there.

4. How do they make the playoffs?

The Flames need to exorcise some demons this year, and come out playing like they ended last season.  A lot of supposed “critics” cite the Flames will not make the playoffs this season because of the lack of scoring potential.  Last season, Calgary held the eighth-highest goals per game average in the NHL, and the eighth-ranked powerplay.  Scoring obviously was not a problem, but they suffered on the defensive side of things, with the worst culprits being the forwards.

Towards the end of the season, the forwards began to buy into the coaching strategy; backchecking hard, wingers coming back along the boards, and none of the forwards were flying the zone prior to the puck exiting.  That was one of the main reasons for the turn around in their success.  With these systems in place, the forwards should be able to implement the defensively minded system to start the season, with the knowledge that they have the capability to score while playing that style of hockey.  Should the Flames step up and do that – they will no doubt be a playoff contender this year.

On an individual level, a few players have to prove their merit this year.  The first name that comes to mind is Jay Bouwmeester.  The often criticized defenseman put up fairly lack luster numbers last year (4 goals, 20 assists, minus 2 overall).  However, the 28-year-old defenseman was third in the NHL in average ice time per game, playing against the league’s best players night in and night out.  He is capable of moving the puck effectively out of his own zone, and is as smooth a skater as there is in the NHL.  Many suggest that the $6.68 million defenseman should put up greater offensive numbers to be paid that much, but his greatest offensive stats were on a Florida team that did not play defensively minded hockey – and so his capability to jump up into the play was enhanced.  While it would be nice for him to put up greater numbers this year, the Flames are still blessed to have a solid puck-moving defenseman that can play big minutes each night and maintain a respectable plus-minus.  This offseason demonstrated that the value for marquee defensemen is fairly steep, and so the Flames may consider themselves lucky to have the talents of Bouwmeester - despite him not putting the puck in the net as much as fans would want.

Jarome Iginla is a notoriously slow starter, and sitting out of the majority of preseason with back spasms probably won’t help his start.  But Flames fans hope that he can light a torrid scoring pace from the start, and don’t be surprised if he pots 40+ goals again this season.  This will be particularly true if he can recapture the magic that he had with Tanguay last season.

This is the season for youngster Backlund to step-up and prove his worth as a number one center in this league. He showed flashes of brilliance last year, and Flames fans hope he can maintain this on a regular basis this season.
The last 30 games of the season last year witnessed the emergence of the OMG line (Olli Jokinen, David Moss and Curtis Glencross). The three had stellar chemistry together, vaulting Glencross to a career season, and witnessed Jokinen break out of a two-year funk. The line looked solid throughout the preseason, and one can expect them to maintain that chemistry they possessed from last year.  Look for this line to provide essential secondary scoring throughout the season.

Should Matt Stajan return to the Stajan of old (…don’t hold your breath), he can provide a significant punch from the third line – especially playing alongside former teammate Lee Stempniak.  Rene Bourque may benefit from playing on this line, as he will be looked to as the designated shooter and will see his fair share of the puck.

Sure, there are a lot of ‘what-ifs’ and question marks on this Flames roster.  But should they play to their potential - and maintain the form that they carried into the end of last season they have the ability to position themselves strongly in the Western Conference - and for that reason I believe they are going to be a playoff contender this season, finishing in the middle of the West.  It also doesn’t hurt that Miikka Kiprusoff has looked like the world-class goaltender of old throughout preseason and training camp.

Look for the Flames to be a difficult team to play against night in and night out with a punishing style of defensive hockey with a solid offensive punch.

Shahbaz Syed
Twitter – DDxDino

The Calgary Flames announced the signing of 32-year old defenceman Scott Hannan to a one-year deal for one million dollars. Scott Hannan became a free agent on July 1st after spending his last season with the Washington Capitals.

The rugged D-man is not known for his offensive talents, but is regarded as a solid defensive-defenceman. Hannan brings a veteran presence with the ability to play top-4 minutes. In 11 seasons in the NHL, Scott Hannan has only been a minus once and has been a part of the playoffs in 9 separate seasons. After trading away Robyn Regehr earlier this season, Flames management felt that they had an extensive void to fill:

“We wanted to replace the veteran leadership we lost with Robyn Regehr, but we didn’t want to do it at any price, Scott is the guy who can come help settle things down.”

With a one million dollar price tag and only one year on the deal – this is a relatively risk free signing. Hannan can bolster the blueline and can help fill a gap that was left by Regehr’s departure.

The downside to this move, however, is the potential ice time that will be taken away from many of the defensive prospects that were hoping to crack the lineup.

The way things look right now, the Flames defensive pairings may look something like this:

Bouwmeester – Hannan
Giordano – Sarich
Babchuk – Butler/Carson/Mikkelson

However, both Feaster and Sutter have been very forthcoming in stating that if any player is struggling, there is someone else to step in to take his place. So it is possible that TJ Brodie, Matt Pelech, Keith Seabrook and the like may compete for a spot on the team if any of the other defensemen aren’t up to speed.

Scott Hannan is very excited to come to Calgary and he will fit right into the defensive core. Being able to play on either side of the ice, the versatile defenseman will help to provide top-4 minutes and to help fill the role of shutdown defenseman that was left from the Regehr trade.

Following the acquisition, the Flames now sit at 48 contracts (of the allowed 50) – so Feaster has suggested that the Flames are unlikely to make many changes prior to the start of the season, unless an opportune deal comes their way.

Shahbaz Syed
Twitter: DDxDino

NHL Hot Stove Staff

According to Rogers Sportsnet report Roger Millions, the Calgary Flames have inked defenceman Anton Babchuk to a new two-year contract. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but this is good news for the Flames back end. After recently trading Robyn Regehr to the Buffalo Sabres, Flames GM Jay Feaster knew that re-signing Babchuk was a must to keep some of the core together.

Acquired early in to the 2010-11 season, Babchuk put up solid numbers with the Flames, scoring eight goals for 27 points in 65 games with Calgary, it’s also worth mentioning that he was a plus-18 on a team that didn’t even make the playoffs. His season totals were  11 goals in the full 82 game season with both the Flames and Hurricanes. Over his 250 career NHL games the Ukraine native has 34 goals for 94 point — his best year came in 2008-09 with the Hurricanes where he scored 16 goals in 72 games.

During the 2007-08 season, Babchuk played in Russia with Omsk Avangard in the KHL, where he posted a modest nine goals for 24 points in 57 games.

It’s not known how many offers Babchuk’s agent was entertaining before agreeing to the contract with the Flames, but one would assume he had some suitors. A defenceman with the tools to score goals and maintain a good plus/minus is highly sought after for many teams. Clearly he saw his role with the Flames as a big one, especially after the trade of Regehr.

The 27-year-old will be part of a top-four that includes Jay Bouwmeester, Cory Sarich and Mark Giordano. Clearly the Flames need a little more on the back end if they plan on contending in the tough Western Conference.

Christian Ehrhoff and James Wisniewski never even hit the open market. Two teams, actually three teams if you include the New York Islanders, traded for their rights and re-signed them to mega-deals — the type of contract you scoff at, open market or not. As explained previously, this market has shifted in a player-oriented direction with offensive, puck-moving defensemen at a premium.  Younger, dominant puck-moving defensemen that is.

Both Wisniewski and Ehrhoff could be classified as powerplay specialists and are both coming off career seasons. While Tomas Kaberle just won the Stanley Cup, the Boston Bruins essentially did not need him as much as could be expected. He only scored one goal in 49 games as a Bruin, putting none in the back of the net during his 25 postseason games. At this point, their GM Peter Chiarelli is playing hard ball, not willing to overspend after already sacrificing a solid package during the regular season.

However, there may yet be hope for the 33-year-old Kaberle, who enters his second day of free agency in his career.

Prior to getting traded to Columbus, Wisniewski discussed a shortlist of six-to-eight teams that both held the cap space appropriate and needed a defenseman of his stature. He admitted the Columbus Blue Jackets were one of them, and by all accounts likely the Buffalo Sabres as well, but which other clubs could he have indicated? The Minnesota Wild hold both the cap space and the need after trading away Brent Burns but also hold veteran Marek Zidlicky on their roster — a very similar player. Perhaps the Los Angeles Kings could upgrade there as well if their presumed Plan A of Brad Richards falters. Regardless, an aging player like Kaberle likely does not fit into either of their plans organically.

Considering the sparse market for a puck-mover, Kaberle may now be forced to take a lesser role on a winning team. You mean like the Bruins? Yes, the Bruins are an option if they prefer him to the younger Steve Kampfer. He could also replace Brian Rafalski on the Detroit Red Wings or the big minutes of Robyn Regehr in Calgary. Nevertheless, to do this, he actually might have to take a pay cut.

So now the question becomes: How important is it for Kaberle to win? After coming off a Cup-winning season, he could decide he wants more money. Maybe the New York Islanders will offer him a market value deal and for a couple of years he will help groom some of their kids. He spent many lowly seasons in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform, perhaps he is used to it by now. Maybe, it is all he knows.

After a poor season for a good player, it is hard gauge what the League thinks of him, although I find it telling he was not signed on the first day of free agency. Then again, many top players were not.

Kaberle earned $4.25 million last season in the final year of his sweetheart, five-year contract signed after the 2006 season. He played well below market value as the top defenseman on every one of those teams and now after getting a taste of winning, likely wants a better paycheck. An increase in salary would indicate he is in fact a better player than Ehrhoff or worth a similar amount to Wisniewski. At 33, with declining skills, he is neither of these things. He would be lucky to receive a contract in excess of four seasons and in a similar range to his current pay.

In this market, some team might pay it, but all depends on what is more important. Winning or money, Tomas? Puck is in your end of the ice…