Latest Free Agent Signings

Scott Gomez signed a 1-year, $900K deal with the Florida Panthers. Gomez notched 15 points in 39 games for the San Jose Sharks last season.

Mats Zuccarello avoided arbitration by signing a 1-year, $1.15 million deal with the New York Rangers. Zuccarello was productive after returning from the KHL late in the season, as he scored 8 points in 15 regular season games and then another 8 in 12 playoff games.

The Winnipeg Jets locked up two of their core players to long term deals. Zach Bogosian signed for 7 years, $36 million while Blake Wheeler inked a 6-year, $33.6 million contract. The Jets are pretty high on these two, and they should be as they look to break through and make the playoffs next season.

Kyle Palmieri is remaining in Anaheim after signing a 3-year, $4.4 million deal. Palmieri scored 21 points in 42 games, with 5 game-winning goals. He added 5 points in 7 playoff games.

Nathan Gerbe is taking his talents to Tobacco Road. The pint-sized winger signed a two-way deal for 1 year and up to $550K. He's guaranteed at least $250K regardless of where he plays. Gerbe had 10 points in 42 games while buried in the Sabres' depth chart. Hopefully he gets some solid playing time for the Hurricanes.

Just For Fun - NHL 13 Fantasy Draft And Season Sim

Since I'm bored and love NHL 13, I decided to fire it up and sim a season. Of course, it's more fun to me if the teams are fantasy drafted, so I went ahead and had the game pick the 30 rosters for some added randomness. I guess you could call this a proper sendoff of the game before NHL 14 comes out on September 10th. Here was the draft order:

1. Calgary
2. Chicago
3. Winnipeg
4. Philadelphia
5. Ottawa
6. NY Rangers
7. San Jose
8. Buffalo
9. NY Islanders
10. Los Angeles
11. Dallas
12. Anaheim
13. Phoenix
14. Vancouver
15. Minnesota
16. Florida
17. Toronto
18. Colorado
19. Detroit
20. Nashville
21. Carolina
22. St. Louis
23. Edmonton
24. Montreal
25. Tampa Bay
26. New Jersey
27. Washington
28. Boston
29. Columbus
30. Pittsburgh

And now, the starting rosters:

Thomas Vanek - Jason Spezza - Jordan Eberle
Guillaume Latendresse - Cory Conacher - Wayne Simmonds
Lauri Korpikoski - Andrew Cogliano - Dan Paille
Mikael Granlund - Daniel Winnik - Jakob Silfverberg
Nikita Filatov, Tom Wandell

Brent Burns - Kris Letang
Christian Ehrhoff - Stephane Robidas
Andrew MacDonald - Grant Clitsome
Ian Cole

Craig Anderson
Cristobal Huet

Loui Eriksson - Ryan Kesler - Kyle Okposo
Dustin Penner - Patrik Berglund - Michael Frolik
Gabriel Bourque - Adam Henrique - Brandon Saad
Brandon Yip - Kyle Wellwood - Linus Omark
Mark Mancari, Cory Emmerton

Niklas Kronwall - Luca Sbisa
Sergei Gonchar - Kevin Shattenkirk
Brent Sopel - Travis Hamonic
Mike Weaver

Mike Smith
Sergei Bobrovsky

Milan Michalek - Steven Stamkos - Radim Vrbata
Andrew Ladd - Mikael Backlund - Chris Kunitz
Steve Sullivan - Maxime Talbot - Travis Moen
Patrick Maroon - Brandon McMillan - John Mitchell
Nigel Dawes, Chris Mueller

Paul Martin - Dan Boyle
Roman Hamrlik - Ladislav Smid
Mark Eaton - Matt Gilroy
Ryan Wilson

Jaroslav Halak
Devan Dubnyk

Ales Hemsky - Pavel Datsyuk - Phil Kessel
Clarke MacArthur - Tomas Plekanec - Dustin Brown
Jamie McGinn - Jay McClement - Erik Condra
Teemu Hartikainen - Derick Brassard - Darrol Powe
Joakim Andersson, Andrew Ebbett

Michael Roszival - Ian White
Carlo Colaiacovo - Tobias Enstrom
Brendan Smith - Mike Weber
Jeff Woywitka

Evgeni Nabokov
Dan Ellis

Nail Yakupov - Mike Richards - Martin Havlat
Pascal Dupuis - Rich Peverley - Tyler Kennedy
Benoit Pouliot - Colin Wilson - Jordan Caron
Eric Nystrom - Mark Letestu - Steve Bernier
Alexandre Bolduc, Marcus Kruger

Dion Phaneuf - Chris Phillips
Trevor Daley - Eric Brewer
Kris Russell - Adrian Aucoin
Sheldon Souray

Tuukka Rask
Viktor Fasth









James Neal - Sidney Crosby - Patrick Kane
Alex Steen - Patrice Bergeron - Alexandre Burrows
T.J. Galiardi - Alex Galchenyuk - Chuck Kobasew
Tommy Wingels - David Desharnais - Jeff Taffe
Zac Dalpe, Devante Smith-Pelly

Brooks Orpik - Filip Kuba
Cam Barker - Jan Hejda
Ryan O'Byrne - Steve Eminger
Dylan Reese

Steve Mason
Ray Emery

Andy McDonald - Antoine Vermette - Nathan Horton
Scottie Upshall - Stephen Weiss - Patrik Hornqvist
Andreas Nodl - Matthew Lombardi - Jonathan Cheechoo
Dustin Jeffrey - David Steckel - Jack Skille
Jochen Hecht - Brandon Pirri

Ryan Whitney - Tyler Myers
Ron Hainsey - Chris Tanev
Kevin Klein - Jason Demers
Jeff Petry

Pekka Rinne
Henrik Karlsson

Gabriel Landeskog - Joe Thornton - Jarome Iginla
Chris Higgins - Joe Pavelski - Mike Knuble
Taylor Pyatt - Jiri Hudler - Zack Kassian
Nick Bonino - Boyd Gordon - Maxime Lapierre
Tim Wallace, Jason Zucker

Brad Stuart - Robin Regehr
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Johnny Oduya
Dave Engelland - Anton Babchuk
Jakub Kindl

Cam Ward
Curtis McElhinney

Teemu Selanne - Derek Roy - Daniel Alfredsson
Curtis Glencross - Damien Brunner - Martin Erat
Brandon Prust - Torrey Mitchell - Cal Clutterbuck
Chris Bourque - Josh Bailey - Radek Dvorak
Trevor Lewis, Mark Schiefele

Kevin Bieksa - Alex Pietrangelo
Michael Del Zotto - Keith Ballard
Jake Gardiner - Dmitry Orlov
Ben Lovejoy

Jonathan Quick
J-S Giguere

Max Pacioretty - Eric Staal - Chris Stewart
Ryan Jones - Nik Antropov - Chad LaRose
Mikkel Boedker - Shawn Horcoff - Carl Hagelin
Scott Parse - Marcus Johansson - Joey Crabb
Ben Maxwell, James Sheppard

Jay Bouwmeester - Tim Gleason
Dennis Seidenberg - Dmitry Kulikov
Chris Butler - David Rundblad
Jack Hillen

Roberto Luongo
Nikolai Khabibulin

Henrik Zetterberg - Brad Richards - Ryan Callahan
Jannik Hansen - Brandon Dubinsky - Brendan Gallagher
Bobby Butler - Jarrett Stoll - Nick Palmieri
Kyle Clifford - Sean Couturier - Adam Burish
Jon Matsumoto

Erik Johnson - Dan Girardi
Andrew Ference - Tomas Kaberle
Tom Poti - Alexei Emelin
Justin Faulk, Cameron Gaunce

Corey Crawford
Brian Elliott

Johan Franzen - Jordan Staal - T.J. Oshie
Jussi Jokinen - Tim Connolly - Nick Foligno
Aaron Palushaj - Kyle Brodziak - Tomas Kopecky
Ryan Johansen - Shawn Matthias - Jared Smithson
Drew Shore, Toby Petersen

Victor Hedman - Drew Doughty
Jordan Leopold - Adam McQuaid
Theo Peckham - Slava Voynov
Brayden McNabb

Carey Price
Jhonas Enroth

Danny Briere - Nick Backstrom - Martin St. Louis
Devin Setoguchi - Jonathan Huberdeau - Justin Williams
Justin Abdelkader - Chris Kelly - Ryan Reaves
Anders Lee - Manny Malhotra - Gregory Campbell
Brock Nelson, Victor Oreskovich

Josh Gorges - Shea Weaber
Mattias Ohlund - Johnny Boychuk
Justin Braun - Kurtis Foster
Brian Lee

Antti Niemi
Jonathan Bernier

R.J. Umberger - Paul Stastny - Jakub Voracek
Ryane Clowe - Derek Stepan - Vinny Prospal
Ryan Smyth - Eric Belanger - Matt Cooke
Luke Adam - Trevor Smith - Tim Brent
Sven Baertschi, Petteri Nokelainen

Duncan Keith - Chris Pronger
Jason Garrison - Luke Schenn
Paul Mara - Simon Despres
Kent Huskins

Tomas Vokoun
Jacob Markstrom

Dany Heatley - Ryan Getzlaf - Mason Raymond
Dainius Zubrus - Mike Ribeiro - Viktor Stalberg
Jason Blake - Valtteri Filppula - Michal Handzus
Niclas Bergfors - Roman Cervenka - Matt Bradley
Jordan Schroeder, Rostislav Olesz

Dan Hamhuis - P.K. Subban
Francois Beauchemin - Anton Volchenkov
Marc Methot - Mark Fayne
Erik Gudbranson

Corey Schneider
Scott Clemmensen

Evander Kane - Jonathan Toews - Alex Semin
Sergei Kostitsyn - Marc Savard - Mikael Samuelsson
Matt Beleskey - Frans Nielsen - Joel Ward
Shawn Thornton - Kyle Turris - Ben Ferriero
Bracken Kearns, Brad Richardson

Ryan McDonagh - Mark Giordano
Brian Campbell - John-Michael Liles
Bryce Salvador - Alec Martinez
Jonas Brodin

Niklas Backstrom
Mathieu Garon

Brad Boyes - David Krejci - Marian Hossa
David Clarkson - Bryan Little - Lee Stempniak
Bryan Bickell - Matt Stajan - Jamie Langenbrunner
Kevin Porter - Mike Rupp - Jerome Samson
Vernon Fiddler, Mattias Tedenby

Ryan Suter - Andrej Meszaros
Kimmo Timonen - Mark Streit
Colin White - Mike Komisarek
Derek Smith

Jimmy Howard
Alex Auld

Daniel Sedin - Brooks Laich - Ville Leino
David Booth - Artem Anisimov - Milan Hejduk
Craig Adams - Cody Hodgson - Jordin Tootoo
Cal O'Reilly - Derek Mackenzie - Cody Eakin
Evgeny Grachev, Travis Morin

Keith Yandle - Zbynek Michalek
Barrett Jackman - Sami Salo
Rob Scuderi - Hal Gill
Keaton Ellerby

Ilya Bryzgalov
James Reimer

Brad Marchand - Evgeni Malkin - Rene Bourque
Milan Lucic - Jamie Benn - Michael Grabner
Brenden Morrow - Saku Koivu - Matt D'Agostini
Alex Burmistrov - Philippe Dupuis - Keith Aucoin
T.J. Hensick, Aaron Voros

Andrei Markov - Matt Greene
Mark Stuart - Cody Franson
Greg Zanon - Jonathan Ericsson

Michal Neuvirth
Al Montoya

David Perron - Mikko Koivu - Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson - Tyler Seguin - Magnus Paajarvi
Ruslan Fedotenko - Craig Smith - Kyle Palmieri
Jim Slater - Ryan White - Matt Halischuk
Ryan Carter, Mathieu Perreault

Henrik Tallinder - Erik Karlsson
Andrej Sekera - Scott Hannan
Willie Mitchell - Joe Corvo
Clayton Stoner

Henrik Lundqvist
Jose Theodore

Simon Gagne - Vincent Lecavalier - Jaromir Jagr
Drew Stafford - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Blake Wheeler
James Van Riemsdyk - Marcel Goc - Nick Spaling
Jeff Halpern - Brayden Schenn - Casey Wellman
Stephane Da Costa, Byron Bitz

Alex Goligoski - Adam Larsson
Brett Clark - Jonathon Blum
Cam Fowler - Brett Lebda
Alexandre Picard

Ryan Miller
Michael Leighton

Erik Cole - Henrik Sedin - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Scott Hartnell - David Backes - Todd Bertuzzi
Vladimir Sobotka - Peter Mueller - David Jones
Ben Eager - Zack Smith - Zach Boychuk
Scott Glennie, Carson McMillan

Jeff Schultz - Dustin Byfuglien
Carl Gunnarson - Bryan Allen
Dougie Hamilton - Jamie McBain
Brendan Mikkelson

Jonas Hiller
Anders Lindback

Michael Ryder - John Tavares - Jason Pominville
Antti Miettinen - Olli Jokinen - Steve Downie
Sean Bergenheim - Brandon Sutter - Anthony Stewart
Peter Regin - Martin Hanzal - Tom Pyatt
Jacob Josefson, Tom Kostopoulos

Alex Edler - Karl Alzner
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Matt Niskanen
Thomas Hickey - Steve Montador
Mike Mottau

Miikka Kiprusoff
Martin Biron

Zach Parise - Tuomo Ruutu - P-A Parenteau
Ray Whitney - Sam Gagner - Wojtek Wolski
Raffi Torres - Ryan O'Reilly - Mats Zuccarello
Dan Sexton - Paul Gaustad - Derek Dorsett
Alex Killorn, Michael Blunden

Marc Staal - Mike Green
Rostislav Klesla - John Carlson
Nick Leddy - Cory Sarich
David Schlemko

Marc-Andre Fleury
Jason LaBarbera

Jeff Skinner - Dave Bolland - Bobby Ryan
Nikolai Kulemin - Scott Gomez - Shane Doan
Chris Neil - Gilbert Brule - Troy Brouwer
Eric Tangradi - Kyle Chipchura - Christian Hanson
Petr Prucha, Louis Leblanc

Zdeno Chara - James Wisniewski
Kyle Quincey - Toni Lydman
Shane O'Brien - Jared Cowen
Corey Potter

Kari Lehtonen
Josh Harding

Patrick Sharp - Mike Cammalleri - Marian Gaborik
Blake Comeau - David Legwand - Teddy Purcell
David Tyrell - Darren Helm - David Moss
Patrice Cormier - Steve Ott - Jared Boll
Jimmy Hayes, Tyler Ennis

Braydon Coburn - Nick Schultz
Niklas Grossmann - Dennis Wideman
Ed Jovanovski - Danny Syvret
Marco Scandella

Ondrej Pavelec
Robin Lehner

Rick Nash - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk
Alex Tanguay - Mike Fisher - Dan Cleary
Jason Chimera - Matt Cullen - Drew Miller
Dan Carcillo - Colin Fraser - Mike Santorelli
Tomas Tatar, Blair Betts

Joni Pitkanen - Brent Seabrook
Douglas Murray - Mark Fistric
Alexander Sulzer - Jared Spurgeon
T.J. Brodie

Rick DiPietro
Peter Budaj

Taylor Hall - Claude Giroux - Kris Versteeg
Ryan Malone - Lars Eller - Matt Read
Gustav Nyquist - Tyler Bozak - Eric Fehr
Joe Colborne - Brian Boyle - Andrew Gordon
Marcus Foligno, Matt Frattin

Matt Carle - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Lubomir Visnovsky - Tom Gilbert
Roman Josi - Marek Zidlicky

Tim Thomas
Justin Peters

Patrick Marleau - Matt Duchene - Corey Perry
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Logan Couture - Nathan Gerbe
Colin Greening - Mikhail Grabovski - Colby Armstrong
Daymond Langkow - Nazem Kadri - Trent Hunter
Jiri Tlusty, Dale Weise

Jack Johnson - Zack Bogosian
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Andy Greene
Randy Jones - Roman Polak

Martin Brodeur
Mark Dekanich








Alex Ovechkin - Anze Kopitar - Tomas Fleischmann
Joffrey Lupul - Jeff Carter - Patrik Elias
Patrick Eaves - Dominic Moore - Vladimir Tarasenko
Andrei Loktionov - Jason Arnott - Carter Ashton
Mika Zibanejad, Nate Thompson

Fedor Tyutin - Derek Morris
Paul Ranger - Justin Schultz
Mike Commodore - Raphael Diaz
Matt Hunwick

Semyon Varlamov
Ben Bishop

Final Standings:

Atlantic Division
1- Flyers (44-28-10, 98 points)
2- Penguins (44-29-9, 97 points)
3- Islanders (40-34-8, 88 points)
4- Devils (38-41-3, 79 points)
5- Rangers (35-40-7, 77 points)

Northeast Division
1- Bruins (48-26-8, 104 points)
2- Sabres (47-29-6, 100 points)
3- Canadiens (46-29-7, 99 points)
4- Senators (42-35-5, 89 points)
5- Maple Leafs (34-37-11, 79 points)

Southeast Division
1- Jets (45-29-8, 98 points)
2- Panthers (43-31-8, 94 points)
3- Capitals (42-36-4, 88 points)
4- Lightning (40-38-4, 84 points)
5- Hurricanes (27-46-9, 63 points)

Central Division
1- Predators (51-26-5, 107 points)
2- Blackhawks (45-29-8, 98 points)
3- Blue Jackets (45-30-7, 97 points)
4- Blues (37-32-13, 87 points)
5- Red Wings (38-34-10, 86 points)

Northwest Division
1- Avalanche (45-27-10, 100 points)
2- Canucks (40-33-9, 89 points)
3- Flames (40-34-8, 88 points)
4- Wild (39-37-6, 84 points)
5- Oilers (37-38-7, 81 points)

Pacific Division
1- Ducks (45-29-8, 98 points)
2- Sharks (42-32-8, 92 points)
3- Stars (37-37-8, 82 points)
4- Kings (37-39-6, 80 points)
5- Coyotes (37-40-5, 79 points)

Playoffs:
(8) Flames over (1) Predators in 5
(7) Canucks over (2) Avalanche in 4
(6) Sharks over (3) Ducks in 6
(4) Blackhawks over (5) Blue Jackets in 6

(8) Senators over (1) Bruins in 5
(7) Panthers over (2) Jets in 4
(3) Flyers over (6) Penguins in 6
(4) Sabres over (5) Canadiens in 6

(4) Blackhawks over (8) Flames in 6
(6) Sharks over (7) Canucks in 7

(3) Flyers over (8) Senators in 7
(4) Sabres over (7) Panthers in 7

(4) Blackhawks over (6) Sharks in 7

(3) Flyers over (4) Sabres in 6

(3) Flyers over (4) Blackhawks in 5

Trophy Winners:
Stanley Cup - Philadelphia
Presidents' Trophy - Nashville
Campbell Bowl - Chicago
Wales Trophy - Philadelphia
Art Ross - Jonathan Toews (NSH)
Hart - Jonathan Toews (NSH)
Norris - Brian Campbell (NSH)
Lady Byng - Joe Thornton (CBJ)
Calder - Nail Yakupov (CAR)
Conn Smythe - Ryan Miller (PHI)
Vezina - Ryan Miller (PHI)
Jennings - Niklas Backstrom (NSH)
Masterton - Nick Schultz (TB)
Selke - Ryan Kesler (BOS)
Ted Lindsay - Ryan Miller (PHI)
Rocket Richard - Alex Ovechkin (WPG)

Leaders:

Points
Jonathan Toews (NSH) 32-62-94
Alex Ovechkin (WPG) 50-42-92
Sidney Crosby (CHI) 46-45-91
Joe Thornton (CBJ) 34-53-87
Henrik Sedin (PHX) 28-56-84
Evgeni Malkin (NYR) 31-51-82
Daniel Sedin (NYI) 39-43-82
Marian Gaborik (TB) 35-43-78
Jason Pominville (PIT) 32-45-77
Patrick Marleau (WSH) 36-40-76

PIMs
Adam McQuaid (FLA) 247
Barrett Jackman (NYI) 163
Jordin Tootoo (NYI) 143
Johnny Boychuk (LA) 140
Trevor Daley (CAR) 139
Zdeno Chara (SJ) 139
Chris Neil (SJ) 139
Braydon Coburn (TB) 135
Kevin Bieksa (DAL) 134
Marc Staal (STL) 133

Plus/Minus
Jordan Staal (FLA) +33
Jonathan Toews (NSH) +33
Brian Campbell (NSH) +30
Cam Barker (CHI) +27
Joe Thornton (CBJ) +25
Vincent Lecavalier (PHI) +24
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (CBJ) +24
Jarome Iginla (CBJ) +23
Henrik Zetterberg (EDM) +23
Brad Richards (EDM) +23

Hits
Chris Pronger (MIN) 309
Shea Weber (LA) 281
Zbynek Michalek (NYI) 261
Dennis Seidenberg (DET) 245
Ladislav Smid (BUF) 244
Zdeno Chara (SJ) 238
Brad Stuart (CBJ) 236
Vincent Lecavalier (PHI) 235
Marc Staal (STL) 232
Dan Girardi (EDM) 231

Goals Against Average
Ryan Miller (PHI) 1.88
Niklas Backstrom (NSH) 1.94
Pekka Rinne (COL) 1.98
Corey Schneider (MTL) 2.15
Mike Smith (BOS) 2.17
Tim Thomas (VAN) 2.18
Josh Harding (SJ) 2.19
Carey Price (FLA) 2.19
Miikka Kiprusoff (PIT) 2.20
Marc-Andre Fleury (STL) 2.23

Save Percentage
Ryan Miller (PHI) .936
Niklas Backstrom (NSH) .9326
Corey Schneider (MTL) .9325
Pekka Rinne (COL) .9322
Josh Harding (SJ) .9322
Carey Price (FLA) .930
Marc-Andre Fleury (STL) .930
Mike Smith (BOS) .927
Jimmy Howard (NJ) .9258
Miikka Kiprusoff (PIT) .9256

Shutouts
Ryan Miller (PHI) 12
Semyon Varlamov (WPG) 10
Niklas Backstrom (NSH) 10
Jonathan Quick (DAL) 8
Kari Lehtonen (SJ) 8
Pekka Rinne (COL) 8
Mike Smith (BOS) 8
Evgeni Nabokov (CGY) 8
Marc-Andre Fleury (STL) 8
Carey Price (FLA) 8

Newest Free Agent Signings and Rumors

Here is a list of the most recent free agent signings and rumors:

Colby Armstrong signs with Vaxjo of the SHL. Rumors were that he only received two-way offers from teams and so he's heading to Sweden to try and revitalize his career.

Mikhail Grabovski has narrowed his possibilities to three teams, but no decision will be made for at least another week, if not more. We don't know which teams are among the three, except that Winnipeg is not among them, according to Aaron Ward.

Teams are contacting the Toronto Maple Leafs about the availability of Dion Phaneuf. The calls are being made because Phaneuf has only one year left on his deal and other GMs are wondering if the Leafs can re-sign him.

Continuing the Toronto-related rumors, Cody Franson is likely to be shopped before camps open. The Leafs are having difficulty coming to an agreement with Franson on a new deal, so they may look elsewhere in a trade.

Damien Brunner is supposedly close to signing with the Devils. He's been holding out all this time because he wants to land with a team that will give him top six minutes and significant time on the power play, but nobody has stepped up because the vibe around the league is that one lockout-shortened, streaky season does not make a proven scorer.

Phoenix might trade one or more of its defensemen before the season starts. They currently have nine players signed to one-way contracts on their back end. Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson would have to be considered untouchable, so the likely trade candidates would be guys like David Schlemko, Rostislav Klesla, and Chris Summers. There were also rumors that Coyotes GM Don Maloney turned down two offers for Yandle: A package of Matt Read and Sean Couturier from the Flyers, and a package of Magnus Pajaarvi and Sam Gagner from the Oilers.

Olympic Roster Speculation - USA

In the 2010 Olympics, the United States surprised the hockey world by making it to the Gold Medal Game. Four years ago, team USA was a young team with very little Olympic experience. They will have a deep group of forwards that will be returning again built around Zach Parise and Patrick Kane as well as great goaltending from Jonathan Quick. USA's defensive group will have some new faces this year but they will be built around Ryan Suter, Jack Johnson, and Brooks Orpik. This year’s Olympics will be very different in that they will be one of the favorites to compete for a medal.

Forwards

Line 1: Zach Parise, Derek Stepan, Patrick Kane

Line 2: Bobby Ryan, David Backes, Dustin Brown

Line 3: Phil Kessel, James Van Riemsdyk, Ryan Callahan

Line 4: Max Pacioretty, Ryan Kesler, Joe Pavelski

Extra Forwards: Blake Wheeler, T.J. Oshie

Defensemen

Pair 1: Ryan Suter, Ryan McDonagh

Pair 2: Jack Johnson, Kevin Shattenkirk

Pair 3: Keith Yandle, Brooks Orpik

Extra Defensemen: John Carlson, Seth Jones

Goaltenders

Starter: Jonathan Quick

Backup: Jimmy Howard

Extra Goalie: Ryan Miller

Olympic Roster Speculation - Latvia

Coming into the 2014 Olympics, Latvia will be one of the weakest teams. Most the Olympic roster for Latvia will come from the Kontinental Hockey League team stationed in Latvia, Dinamo Riga. If 2012 1^st round selection, Zemgus Girgensons can reach his full potential, Latvia will have a player to build a solid team around in future Olympic Games. However, Latvia will not contend for an Olympic Medal with being in the same group as the Czech Republic and Sweden.

Forwards

Line 1: Roberts Bukarts, Martins Karsums, Kaspars Daugavins

Line 2: Mikelis Redlihs, Zemgus Girgensons, Miks Indrasis

Line 3: Vitalijs Pavlovs, Elvijs Biezais, Aleksandrs Nizivijs

Line 4: Gunars Skvorcovs, Maris Bicevskis, Andris Dzerins

Extra Forwards: Armands Berzins, Gints Meija

Defensemen

Pair 1: Arturs Kulda, Oscar Bartulis

Pair 2: Guntis Galvins, Kristaps Sotnieks

Pair 3: Arvids Rekis, Rodrigo Lavins

Extra Defensemen: Georgijs Pujacs, Krisjanis Redlihs

Goaltenders

Starter: Edgars Masalskis

Backup: Maris Jucers

Extra Goalie: Ervins Mustukovs

Olympic Roster Speculation - Czech Republic

Czech Republic has been a power house in past Olympic Games but since the retiring of Dominik Hasek, they have not. That being said, the Czech Republic will still create a solid team with a combination of veterans and underrated players. The defensive core won’t be that strong but they do have a solid group that has the ability to play at the International Level. The Czechs forwards are highly underrated but the main concern with the Czechs is their starting goalies. The major question with the Czech Republic is that do they have enough to beat teams like USA, Canada, Sweden and Russia. I feel with the roster they have, the Czech Republic Olympic Team has the ability to surprises a few of those teams. 

Forwards

Line 1: Jakub Voracek, David Krejci, Jaromir Jagr

Line2: Milan Michalek, Tomas Plekanec, Radim Vrbata

Line 3: Martin Erat, Patrik Elias, Tomas Fleischmann

Line 4: Ales Hemsky, Martin Hanzal, Jiri Hudler

Extra Forwards: Jiri Tlusty, Roman Cervenka

Defensemen

Pair 1: Marek Zidlicky, Zbynek Michalek

Pair 2: Roman Polak, Tomas Kaberle

Pair 3: Ladislav Smid, Jakub Kindl

Extra Defensemen: Filip Kuba, Radko Gudas

Goaltenders

Starter: Ondrej Pavelec

Backup: Tomas Vokoun

Extra Goalie: Michal Neuvirth

Jaromir Jagr Isn't The Answer In New Jersey

There's little doubt in the minds of hockey fans that Jaromir Jagr has had a brilliant career. He currently ranks eighth on the all-time scoring list, with 1,688 points. He is one of only twelve players to top the 1,000 assist mark, and he is tenth in goals with 681. The man is no doubt a first-ballot Hall of Famer. After a rather cryptic and confusing video was posted on Jagr's Facebook page, one in which he said that his future in the NHL was "black", he has decided to continue his career after signing a 1-year, $2 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.

As for the contract itself, the deal is really worth $4 million, but Jagr only gets that figure if he plays in 45 games next season. It's a number he should reach easily, barring a catastrophic injury. Since performance bonuses count against the cap (teams are allowed to go over the cap by 7.5%, or $4,822,500 for next season, in performance bonuses), it allows the Devils some leeway on their bottom line should Jagr get hurt and miss substantial time.

That much is fine with what the Devils did. They got a serviceable player for a good price in a free agency year where teams, including the Devils themselves, are wildly overspending for marginal players. I still don't like the signing, and I don't think it does the Devils any favors this season. Here are my reasons:

1. Jagr doesn't fill their biggest positional need. Jagr plays the right side, which is a position that the Devils aren't exactly stacked at, but they did sign Michael Ryder to be a goal-scoring RW. Look over to the other wing. Want to know who their best left wing is right now? Ryane Clowe. Yes, that Ryane Clowe, who posted three goals and three concussions in time split between the Sharks and Rangers last season. Now, Jagr could play alongside Clowe and Travis Zajac and have a nice season... or he could have those same linemates and not produce. He could also be slotted in the second line with fellow countryman Patrik Elias and what at this point looks like a revolving door on the left side (could be Rostislav Olesz; I think they'd be better served with giving Stefan Matteau a shot). Again, feast or famine. It simply isn't a good fit for either party from this aspect.
2. He isn't the same player anymore. Let's be real, folks - this isn't 1996. Jagr's nearing the end of his career, and the Devils should have spent that money on younger free agents, because this is a team in rebuilding mode. Jagr's no longer a 100-point guy. Hell, he isn't even a point per game guy. I think he can give the Devils about 50 points, which isn't bad, but it's nothing to call home about. Furthermore, it certainly doesn't replace Ilya Kovalchuk's production, and I'm not sure it even replaces David Clarkson. Now, if Jagr and Clowe were one player with their combined talents, that would be sufficient to replace Clarkson. As it stands, they're getting a player who needs to have short shifts, can't play much defense, and hogs the puck at times. The Jagr of old was a complete player.
3. This isn't exactly a team on the cusp of a Cup. At this point in his career, Jagr is best utilized playing for a team that he can put over the top. Had the Devils made a deal for Jagr at the 2012 trade deadline, we might be talking about how they were the champions that year and not the Kings. Right now, after Zach Parise, Kovalchuk, and Clarkson all bolted in about a year's time? I don't think it makes sense. Keep in mind that they lost the latter two guys from a team that finished last in the Atlantic. At the time of this post, I'm not sure I consider the Devils to be better than any team in the newly-formed Metropolitan Division. What does this mean for Jagr? It means that he's likely going to be dealt at the deadline, once again being a rent-a-player for a contender, just as he was for Boston last season. 

Now, you could argue that there are positives in this. It could be said that Jagr might help mentor the young talent and make them better. It's possible, but the Devils already have a core of older guys (plus Zajac) to do that. Of course, Jagr does provide scoring on a team that sorely lacks it. I feel that they still sorely lack it, as Ryder might be their only bonafide sniper, but it can't hurt them offensively. Lastly, neither side has much to lose; the Devils only have to pay half the contract if Jagr gets hurt, can always trade him, and Jagr would be welcomed on almost any team regardless of his level of play because he's so experienced. 

What all this adds up to is that the Devils are getting a hockey legend who is now a shell of his former self, which is still a slightly above average top six forward. He'll help them, but not enough to make a substantial jump in the standings (read: playoffs) and he's already my top pick to get dealt at next season's trade deadline. I sure hope Lou Lamoriello thinks it was worth it after next season.

Olympic Roster Speculation - Slovenia

Slovenia is a team that has come a long way since its first appearance in international play back in 1993. They have made seven appearances at the top level of the World Championships, avoiding relegation twice. Their best finish is 13th, coming in both 2002 and 2005. There's little doubt that this team will go as far as star player Anze Kopitar takes them, but this slowly improving group is still not to be taken lightly.

Forwards

Line 1: Ziga Jeglic, Anze Kopitar, Jan Mursak
Line 2: Tomaz Razingar, David Rodman, Marcel Rodman
Line 3: Luca Basic, Gasper Kopitar, Jan Urbas
Line 4: Rok Ticar, Ales Mujic, Bostjan Golicic
Extra Forwards: Robert Sabolic, Ziga Pance

Defensemen

Pair 1: Blaz Gregorc, Ales Kranjc
Pair 2: Mitja Robar, Ziga Pavlin
Pair 3: Klemen Pretnar, Andrej Tavzelj
Extra Defensemen: Sabahudin Kovacevic, Luka Tosic

Goaltenders

Starter: Robert Kristan
Backup: Luka Gracnar
Extra Goalie: Andrej Hocevar

Olympic Roster Speculation - Austria

Team Austria, currently ranked 15th in the world, definitely has their work cut out for them in Sochi. Having just been relegated to Division I at the recent World Championships, the Austrians are looking to bounce back in a big way at the Olympics. They feature one solid scoring line, some decent defensemen, and a serviceable starting goaltender. How that will hold up against the heavy hitters in Group B remains to be seen, but I expect this team to at least be competitive next winter.

Forwards

Line 1: Thomas Vanek, Markus Peintner, Michael Grabner
Line 2: Andreas Nodl, Thomas Hundertpfund, David Schuller
Line 3: Daniel Oberkofler, Manuel Latusa, Daniel Welser
Line 4: Gerhard Unterluggauer, Gregor Baumgartner, Michael Raffl
Extra Forwards: Andreas Kristler, Matthias Iberer

Defensemen

Pair 1: Thomas Pock, Mario Altmann
Pair 2: Florian Iberer, Robert Lukas
Pair 3: Andre Lakos, Johannes Reichel
Extra Defensemen: Sven Klimbacher, Martin Schumig

Goaltenders

Starter: Bernhard Starkbaum
Backup: Rene Swette
Extra Goalie: Mathias Lange

Olympic Roster Speculation - Norway

The Norwegians are a team that heads into the Olympics at a bit of a crossroads. While they did finish a respectable fifth in their group at the World Championships, they failed to qualify for the playoff round and posted a -14 goal differential. This suggests that they are not as good as their 3-4 record from the Worlds, and that -14 includes a 7-1 loss to Canada, who they must face at the Olympics in Group B. They also lost 5-1 against Sweden and 7-0 against the Czech Republic. This is a team that needs help all over the ice, most notably in goal, but this group could scratch out a win against Austria in group play. If they can steal a point from someone else, then they may be able to reach the quarters by way of getting a more favorable draw.

Forwards

Line 1: Mats Zuccarello, Patrick Thoresen, Per-Age Skroder
Line 2: Anders Bastiansen, Mathis Olimb, Mads Hansen
Line 3: Marius Holtet, Lars Erik Spets, Martin Roymark
Line 4: Tore Vikingstad, Jonas Solberg Andersen, Martin Laumann Ylven
Extra Forwards: Sondre Olden, Mats Froshaug

Defensemen

Pair 1: Jonas Holos, Alexander Bonsaksen
Pair 2: Mats Trygg, Henrik Solberg
Pair 3: Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Lars Lokken Ostli
Extra Defensemen: Juha Kaunsimaki, Tommy Jakobsen

Goaltenders

Starter: Lars Volden
Backup: Pal Grotnes
Extra Goalie: Lars Haugen

Olympic Roster Speculation- Switzerland

The Swiss Olympic team isn't much of a threat compared to U.S.A, Canada, Sweden and Russia but they will still be able to create a very good team surrounded by their defensive group. They will have decent goaltending with Jonas Hiller in net but their weakest part of their team will be their offensive group. With two former 1st round picks, Nino Niederreiter (2009) and Sven Baertschi (2011), the offensive group for Switzerland is still young. If Hiller can keep the puck out of the net and they can chip in the odd goal, they might have a chance to surprise some teams.

Forwards

Line 1: Damien Brunner, Thomas Demurs, Thibaut Monnet
Line 2: Nino Niederreiter, Julien Sprunger, Sven Baertschi
Line 3: Anders Ambuhl, Roman Wick, Martin Pluss
Line 4: Raffaele Sannitz, Hnat Domenichelli, Romano Lemm
Extra Forwards: Thierry Paterlini, Sandy Jeannin

Defensemen

Pair 1: Mark Streit, Luca Sbisa
Pair 2: Roman Jusi, Yannick Weber
Pair 3: Raphael Diaz, Mathias Seger
Extra Defensemen: Phillipe Furrer, Patrick Von Gunten

Goaltenders

Starter: Jonas Hiller
Backup: Martin Gerber
Extra Goalie: Tobais Stephan

Olympic Roster Speculation- Slovakia

Slovakia is a very "top heavy" team when it comes to superstar talent. The "Big Three" for Slovakia are Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, and Zdeno Chara. After those three, the talent level of Slovakia drops but they can still create a scare like they did against Team Canada in the semi-finals of the 2010 Olympics. If Slovakia can get hot goaltending from Jaroslav Halak, this team can be a dark horse team, pull an upset and compete for a medal again. Here is my projected roster for Team Slovakia in the 2014 Olympics.

Forwards

Line 1: Marian Hossa, Miroslav Satan, Marian Gaborik
Line 2: Marcel Hossa, Michal Handzus, Tomas Kopecky
Line 3: Richard Panik, Tomas Tatar, Stefan Ruzicka
Line 4: Branko Radivojevic, Martin Cibak, Tomas Surovy.
Extra Forwards: Juraj Mikus, Roman Kubumberg

Defensemen

Pair 1: Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky
Pair 2: Andrej Meszaros, Andrej Sekera
Pair 3: Milan Jurcina, Martin Stajnoch
Extra Defensemen: Ivan Baranka, Jaroslav Obsut

Goaltenders

Starter: Jaroslav Halak
Backup: Peter Budaj
Extra Goalie: Rastislav Stana

Olympic Roster Speculation - Russia

As the tournament hosts for next year's Olympics, the Russians will have the advantage of playing in front of their fans. Said home ice worked out well for Canada in 2010, as they were able to go the distance and win gold. The biggest questions for the hosts are in net, where there isn't a standout goalie among their choices. Was Sergei Bobrovsky's Vezina win last season a flash in the pan, or can he step up at this level and take his team to the gold?

Forwards

Line 1: Alex Semin, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin
Line 2: Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Nail Yakupov
Line 3: Vladimir Tarasenko, Artem Anisimov, Nikolai Kulemin
Line 4: Alex Radulov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Viktor Tikhonov
Extra Forwards: Denis Kokarev, Michael Varnakov

Defensemen

Pair 1: Andrei Markov, Sergei Gonchar
Pair 2: Nikita Nikitin, Anton Volchenkov
Pair 3: Fedor Tyutin, Slava Voynov
Extra Defensemen: Denis Denisov, Alexei Emelin

Goaltenders

Starter: Sergei Bobrovsky
Backup: Evgeni Nabokov
Extra Goalie: Semyon Varlamov

Olympic Roster Speculation - Finland

Finland will be bringing a strong squad to Sochi this winter, to be sure. This is a team that doesn't particularly excel at any single facet of the game (except goaltending, where they're by far the deepest team in the field), but they have no glaring weaknesses, either. This is a group that plays solid all-around hockey. I'm excited to see how far they go in the Olympics, as I believe they're a true darkhorse pick to win it all. They have only Canada to worry about in their group, so a berth in the quarterfinals is all but assured; the path there will not be rigorous. However, rest assured that this group will go only as far as their netminders can carry them. Here's a quick look at their projected roster:

Forwards

Line 1: Jussi Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, Teemu Selanne

Line 2: Tuomo Ruutu, Olli Jokinen, Valtteri Filppula

Line 3: Mikael Granlund, Saku Koivu, Lauri Korpikoski

Line 4: Sean Bergenheim, Ville Leino, Antti Miettinen

Extra Forwards: Niklas Hagman, Jarkko Immonen

Defensemen

Pair 1: Kimmo Timonen, Sami Salo

Pair 2: Toni Lydman, Joni Pitkanen

Pair 3: Sami Lepisto, Sami Vatanen

Extra Defensemen: Janni Niskala, Lasse Kukkonen

Goaltenders

Starter: Pekka Rinne

Backup: Tuukka Rask

Extra Goalie: Antti Niemi

Olympic Roster Speculation - Sweden

Sweden is one of the favorites in this years Olympics. They won Gold in 2006 but was unable to grab a medal in 2010. Sweden always has a large selection of talented players to pick from and they will build a solid team around arguably the best goalie in the World, Henrik Lundqvist. With the invitations for the camp roster already out, the most surprising player missing is Daniel Alfredsson. The major competition within the roster will be on defense. All of Sweden’s defensemen invited to Sweden’s ’14 Olympic camp roster are considered “top 4” on their respective NHL teams. That being said, here is what I think the Swedish Olympic roster will look come February.

Forwards

Line 1: Loui Eriksson, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin
Line 2: Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Backstrom, Johan Franzen
Line 3: Patric Hornqvist, Patrik Berglund, Gabriel Landeskog
Line 4: Carl Hagelin, Alexander Steen, Oscar Lindberg
Extra Forwards: Marcus Johansson, Joel Lundqvist

Defensemen

Pair 1: Erik Karlsson, Niklas Kronwall
Pair 2: Alexander Edler, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Pair 3: Victor Hedman, Niklas Hjalmarsson
Extra Defensemen: Johnny Oduya, Jonas Brodin

Goaltenders

Starter: Henrik Lundqvist
Backup: Viktor Fasth
Extra Goalie: Robin Lehner

Olympic Roster Speculation - Canada

Canada enters the Olympic Tournament as the favorites, as usual. Also standard to Team Canada is the gigantic pool of players from which to choose from. The hottest competition for roster spots will be in net, where five goalies have been invited to camp: Roberto Luongo, Mike Smith, Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, and Carey Price. As usual, they have a rather large advantage over other countries when it comes to scoring depth. Here's what I think the roster will look like when all is said and done:

Forwards

Line 1 - Rick Nash, Sidney Crosby, Corey Perry
Line 2 - Jonathan Toews, Claude Giroux, Steven Stamkos
Line 3 - Jordan Staal, Eric Staal, Tyler Seguin
Line 4 - James Neal, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic
Extra Forwards - John Tavares, Shane Doan

Defensemen

Pair 1 - Duncan Keith, Shea Weber
Pair 2 - Dion Phaneuf, Drew Doughty
Pair 3 - P.K. Subban, Kris Letang
Extra Defensemen - Francois Beauchemin, Alex Pietrangelo

Goaltenders

Starter - Mike Smith
Backup - Roberto Luongo
Extra Goalie - Carey Price

NHL Schedule Released, Divisions Named

The NHL released its schedule today, after reaching an agreement with the IIHF on its players' participation in the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia. With the release of the schedule came the long-awaited names of the four new divisions. They are:

• Atlantic Division: Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
• Metropolitan Division: Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
• Central Division: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
• Pacific Division: Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver

Personally, I think now would've been a perfect time to go back to the old names, being Patrick, Adams, Norris, and Smythe. Also, they probably could've picked a better name than Metropolitan, but I'll let that slide for now. Here's the scheduling matrix, from NHL.com:

Western Conference (7-Team Divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 29 games

* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 5 =25 games

* 1 X 4 = 4 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 7 = 21 games

Non-Conference: 32 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 16 = 32 games

(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)

Eastern Conference (8-Team Divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 30 games

* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 2 =10 games

* 4 X 5 = 20 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 8 = 24 games

Non-Conference: 28 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 14 = 28 games

You can view the complete schedule here.

Same Faces, New Name

One of Europe's oldest hockey leagues is getting a rebrand - complete with a new name. Last month, officials of Sweden's top league, Elitserien, decided to change the name of their league to SHL; the Swedish Hockey League. Citing the need to make the brand more recognizable, the acronym SHL is about as straightforward as it gets; it's Swedish, it's hockey, and it's a league. The name and brand change will take effect this coming season, which begins on September 14th.

Two new teams will be joining the SHL this season. Leksands IF and Örebro HK were both promoted to the SHL through a tournament called Kvalserien, which serves to promote and relegate teams to either SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan, which is Sweden's second-tier league. Each season, the bottom two teams from the SHL compete in a double round-robin against the top three teams from HockeyAllsvenskan, plus the winner of a double round-robin between teams placed 4th-7th in HockeyAllsvenskan. The top two teams in Kvalserien are promoted to the SHL, while the rest play in HockeyAllsvenskan the following season.

Off-Season Update

Here is a list of recent Offseason signings and some thoughts on each of them.

-  Dustin Penner has returned to the Anahiem Ducks with a 1 year deal worth 2 Million. I feel that this was a good signing for the Ducks as they added a top 6 forward with good size at 6'4" and 240 lbs. In the shorten season, he had 14 points in 33 games but he was mostly on the 3rd line and the 2nd Power Play unit for the Kings. I feel that with the Ducks, he could be on the 1st or 2nd line and we could see about 45-60 points this upcoming season. He was with the Ducks when they won the cup in 06-07 and he will fit in nicely on either the top line line Getzlaf and Perry or the second line with Selanne (still an UFA).

-  Detroit has resigned Brendan Smith to a 2 year deal worth 2.525 million per year. Brendan Smith was the 1st round pick of the Red Wings in 2007 and is a top 4 defenceman for the Wings. I feel that the Wings gave a little bit too much money for the young Dman but at 24 and only 2 years of NHL experience, he still has a lot of potential to be solid on the blue-line.

-  Islanders resign Josh Bailey to a 5 year deal worth 16.5 million. I feel that this is a great signing for the Islanders. Bailey, 9th overall in the 2008 draft, is only 23 and has become a solid 2nd line center for the Islanders.  He plays on both the PK and the PP and was an important piece in the Islanders reaching the playoffs. In the shorten season, he was able to accumulate 19 points in 38 games and I can see him getting around 40-50 points in a full season.

- Alec Martinez has been resigned by the Los Angeles Kings to a 2 year deal. Terms have not been released yet. Since the terms of the deal has not been released, it's a bit difficult to put a full review on this signing. That being said, I feel the Kings have resigned an important part of their team. Martinez is a 3rd line defenceman on a team that is build around Drew Doughty. Based on his first deal, I feel that the terms of the deal will be about 1.3 million or so. If it is, I feel that the Kings were able to re-sign a key part of their defensive unit.

- Jacob Markstrom signs a 2 year deal with Panthers. Terms have yet to be released. Markstrom is the future goalie of the Florida Panthers but its taking a bit longer than thought. He plays for a rebuilding Panthers team that will be better with the addition of 2nd overall Aleksander Barkov. I feel that Markstrom will be a solid starting goalie but he is only 23 and the Panthers will still be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for a few more years.

Blake Geoffrion To Retire, Takes Scouting Job With Columbus

It's always a sad day when someone's career ends, and doubly so when the cause is a severe injury. Such is the case for Blake Geoffrion, who retired yesterday at the age of 25 after battling the effects of sustaining a concussion and a depressed skull fracture while playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

The hit took place on November 9, 2012 in a game between Geoffrion's Bulldogs and the Syracuse Crunch, which is Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate. Geoffrion took a hard hip check from J-P Cote and appears to hit his head on the boards while airborne. Below is the video clip of the hit.

It's not really discernable from the footage, but Cote's skate blade actually cut Geoffrion deep enough to cause the skull fracture. This occurred when Geoffrion landed. What makes the play (and end result) even more unfortunate is that the hit is perfectly clean. It's simply a solid, hard hockey play that went terribly wrong.

Geoffrion wasn't out of work for long, however. Today it was announced that he has been hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets as a pro scout.

Geoffrion had eight goals and five assists in 55 career NHL games, split between Nashville and Montreal.

Predicting Where The Top Remaining UFAs Will Land

Here are the top 25 remaining UFAs, according to NHL.com, and where this writer thinks they'll land:

Forwards:

Jaromir Jagr - Vancouver
He's going to want to play for a contender, but not many can say that they have the chops to contend and the cap space to sign a guy like Jagr, who made $4.5 million last season. The only team I can think of that fits both categories is the Canucks.

*UPDATE 7/16* Jagr posted a cryptic video on his Facebook page. It seems to imply that he won't be playing in the NHL next season, but it's been confirmed that he will be explaining this turn of events tomorrow.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - Columbus
Ponikarovsky shouldn't be an expensive pickup for a prospective buyer, and given the Blue Jackets' relative lack of size up front and need for another checking winger, this could be a good fit. He could also help on the power play, cleaning up rebounds.

Mikhail Grabovski - Buffalo
I would have said Arizona, had they not signed Mike Ribeiro earlier. Grabovski would be able to step right in and be the #1 pivot for the Sabres, which is the type of role that he needs to be in to succeed. Buffalo has ample cap space to get him even though he won't come cheap, and the thought of centering a line with Thomas Vanek has to be appealing to him. Granted, the Sabres have pretty much nothing else around Vanek and Ryan Miller, but I have to believe that Grabovski would take the chance to torch his former team five or six times a season if he could.

Damien Brunner - New Jersey
Since Ilya Kovalchuk quit on them, the Devils have some money to play with now. This means that they're certainly in play for a least a couple of names on this list, but Brunner is one they should target. He was on a roughly 50-point pace last season, and he also tallied 9 points in 14 playoff games for Detroit. He won't score like Kovalchuk did, but he can provide some scoring punch, something that the Devils are sorely lacking.

Dustin Penner - St. Louis
I don't really have any logical backing for picking the Blues as the destination for Penner, but after trading David Perron to Edmonton for Magnus Paajarvi and a second round pick in next year's draft (I'm still scratching my head over that move, Perron's yet to hit his peak), maybe they look to add even more size, with the added benefit of veteran leadership, by signing Penner.

Brenden Morrow - Anaheim
Can't fault the guy for chasing a cup, but he certainly isn't going back to Pittsburgh, that's for sure. The Ducks, who have a bunch of free agents but only two (Selanne and Lydman) worth trying to re-sign, could be a landing spot for Morrow. They could use another veteran up front, and Morrow proved to be a solid checking forward after coming over to Pittsburgh.

Daniel Cleary - Detroit
The Wings have made it clear that they want to bring Cleary back, so I don't have much else to say here.

Milan Hejduk - Minnesota
As crazy as it sounds, I think this is where Hejduk ends up. He wants to play for a team that will slot him in the top six, and I'm assuming he also wants that team to be pretty good. Minnesota's the best balance of that out there, with just enough cap room to sign him, if desired. He could conceivably play alongside Jason Pominville and Kyle Brodziak, which wouldn't be a bad #2 line for the Wild.

Peter Mueller - Florida
He's still eligible for arbitration, so I think that one way or another, Mueller remains in Sunrise. Whether he can return to the form he displayed in his rookie season, scoring 22 goals for the Coyotes, remains to be seen.

Brad Boyes - Washington
I have to be honest, I'm surprised that Boyes is still on the market. Even more surprised that the Islanders aren't bringing him back, after he put up 35 points in 48 games for them. He was a bit of an adventure at times on both ends, but he proved he could still produce at the NHL level. I think he winds up in Washington. The Caps need scoring, no matter the source or position, and Boyes can provide that if he's paired up with the right linemates.

Kyle Wellwood - Calgary
Wellwood is a guy who needs to be in the top six in order to reach his potential. Looking at the Flames depth chart, he could probably step right into a top six spot for the Flames. I think he's underrated, but then again he's 30 years old and his career high is 47 points. Maybe he goes to Calgary and helps bring some of their young talent along.

Scott Gomez - New Jersey
Why not? Gomez won't be back in San Jose and I'm not sure there's much of a market for him around the league. He might have to go back to the place where he made a name for himself.

Nik Antropov - Winnipeg
The Jets have a little under $20 million in cap space to work with (highest in the league), though they do have a total of 12 free agents to decide on. One would think they'll hang on to Wheeler, Little, and Bogosian at the very least, and I believe they'll keep Burmistrov and Postma as well. Whether that means they'll have enough left to keep Antropov remains to be seen, but I think that when all is said and done, he'll stay in Manitoba.

Mason Raymond - Edmonton
I could see the Oilers making a big play for Raymond, as they seem to be trying to get even faster than they already were. Playing on the league's fastest ice will benefit someone like Raymond, who once scored 53 points (25 goals) for Vancouver. It might also help him to not be buried on a depth chart.

Simon Gagne - Toronto
Wherever he lands, it'll likely be a one-year deal due to his injury history. However, he can still produce offensively and the Leafs could use the help... especially after buying out Grabovski.

Teemu Selanne - Anaheim
He either goes back to the Ducks or retires. Simple as that.

Defensemen:

Douglas Murray - Colorado
The Avalanche need a guy like Murray. He's big, strong, throws huge hits, and is a smart player in his own end. Given that they allowed 150 goals last season (3.12 per game), which was 4th-worst in the NHL, they could use the help in front of Semyon Varlamov. He's a good fit for them, the real question is whether they're a good fit for him.

Ron Hainsey - Nashville
Hainsey's been steady for the Jets, but I don't think he'll be back in Winnipeg next season. Enter Nashville, who has already spent a boatload of money on second-tier and lower forwards this offseason, but hasn't addressed their defensive depth yet. They could use a guy like Hainsey to replace Jonathon Blum.

Ryan Whitney - Calgary
Whitney's probably going to wind up with a two-way contract for a bad team, and the Flames could use the depth. He hasn't been the same since suffering an ankle injury three years ago, but he could still find himself playing on a bottom pairing.

Wade Redden - Chicago
To be perfectly honest, your guess is as good as mine. Somehow I see Redden taking a minimum contract to play for the Blackhawks. There isn't and shouldn't be a market for him at this time.

Ian White - NY Islanders
A scratch in the playoffs for Detroit, he's out to prove that he can still play in the NHL. Since they're used to doing things of this nature, it wouldn't shock me to see the Isles take a flier on White. At worst, he's a second-pair defenseman on that roster, and we all know that they can use all the help they can get on defense.

Goaltenders:

Tim Thomas - Ottawa
It actually makes perfect sense for the Senators to bring Tim Thomas in. Their current backup, Robin Lehner, is on a two-way deal for one more season. After getting Bobby Ryan in a trade with the Ducks, the Senators have made it apparent that they're trying to win now. I think they should bring Thomas in, see if he can still play, and if not they can just keep Lehner as their backup.

Ilya Bryzgalov - KHL
At this point, I would bet money on Bryzgalov being done in the NHL. It became obvious during his time in Philadelphia that the only reason he was productive in Glendale was Dave Tippett's system. Could he succeed on some teams in the NHL? I suppose. However, those teams are already set in goal. I'm talking about teams like Columbus, Los Angeles, Montreal, and any other team that plays solid defense. He's going back to Russia.

Jose Theodore - Vancouver
He certainly won't make Canuck fans forget about Corey Schneider, but Theodore won't be back in Florida and will be the backup somewhere. The Canucks haven't really replaced Schneider yet, so they're as good a place as any for Theodore to end up.

Johan Hedberg - Retirement/Elitserien
I'm sorry, but The Moose is done in the NHL. He didn't play well in the backup/spot starter role a season ago, and at 40 years old, he probably won't have a market for his services. He could go back to Sweden and play there, but I'm thinking he retires.