Since the NHL emerged from its lockout of the players over three years ago with a salary cap there hasn't been much in real trade activity during the first two months of each season since 2005-06.

That season saw fourteen trades, 2006-07 saw ten and in 2007-08 only five.

This season saw fourteen trades occur between October 1st and November 30th, matching that of 2005-06 and a significant increase over the past two seasons.

What's also notable since 2005 is that the number of trades involving big name players aren't a frequent occurance during the first two months of a season, a trend that has carried over into this season.

Except for November 2005, when Sergei Fedorov and Joe Thornton were traded in multi-player deals no other stars - be they fading ones as Fedorov was or those entering their prime like Thornton - have been moved in early season deals.

In 2006 the most notable player involved in an early season NHL trade was goaltender Mikael Tellqvist, dealt from Toronto to Phoenix. In 2007, forward Brian Sutherby was dealt by Washington to Anaheim in that year's most notable early move.

This season, Shane O'Brien, Lukas Krajicek, Andrew Alberts, Matt Carle, Steve Eminger, Darryl Sydor, Phillipe Boucher, Wade Belak, Lee Stempniak, Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo were traded.

Granted, none are "names" on the same level as Fedorov or Thornton but all are NHL players of varying talent.

For the first time since 2005 there were three early season multi-player trades made, tying the number made early in 2005-06. Only one such deal occurred in 2006  and none in 2007.

Why the sudden increase this season in early season trade activity compared to the previous three seasons? One reason is general managers are growing more accustomed to working within the constraints of a salary cap.

Almost every trade made in October and November of this season were almost dollar-for-dollar, usually with the difference in the salaries being swapped amounting to little more than $500K.

Another is this season's salary cap to $56.7 million has given some GMs  a little more room to manouevre compared to previous years when the cap ceilings were considerably lower.

Should the cap remain at the same level or as some suggest increase again for 2009-10 there could be as much or possibly more early season trade activity.

Don't however expect any early season blockbusters. Those have seemingly gone the way of the dodo in the NHL.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States usually isn't a time of much trade activity in the National Hockey League but this season the Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers opted to use that day to shake things up a little.

The Predators dealt checking forward Nick Tarnasky to the Panthers in exchange for winger/enforcer Wade Belak.

It's the second time this season Tarnasky's been deal, having been shipped to the Predators by the Tampa Bay Lightning in late September for a draft pick.

Panthers management claims the acquisition of Tarnasky was to bolster their depth at center but it also appears to be the first warning shot to a roster that has been struggling this season.

GM Jacques Martin warned several weeks ago that changes could be in the near future if his club didn't turn things around so this move was obviously done as a "wake-up" call.

It remains to be seen however if the Panthers will answer that call. This was likely the only real move Martin could make at this time given the cap constraints.

Some hockey fans see this as a precursor to a bigger trade, possibly involving defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, but that move - if it comes at all this season - isn't likely until probably mid-January at the earliest.

As for Belak, he'll be looked toward to provide additional toughness to the Predators, and his positive attitude should make him a good fit in the Preds' dressing room and a fan favorite in Nashville.

A week ago a stir was created amongst NHL followers when a report in the Chicago Sun-Times suggested the possibility of an imminent trade between the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals.

Rumored heading to Washington was Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Sopel for center Michael Nylander, who'd fallen down the Capitals depth chart in recent weeks.

Turned out there was nothing to the story, or at least according to Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon, who insisted Byfuglien wasn't part of any trade discussion with any team, although Tallon didn't deny having talks with the Capitals or that Sopel might've been part of any trade talks.

As for Nylander he recently told the Washington Post he hadn't been approached by Capitals GM George McPhee, but he didn't outright dismiss the possibility of waiving his movement clause if the right deal came along.

TSN's respected reporter Bob McKenzie claimed early last week that the Blackhawks and Capitals essentially had a deal in place that would send Nylander to Chicago but it was on hold whilst Tallon tries to free up cap space to absorb Nylander's $4.85 million per season salary.

McKenzie isn't the type to report baseless speculation, but if Tallon is trying to free up space it may not be an easy task.

As for the Caps they might be in need of a boost. Several players have been sidelined and there's concern over the quality of their goaltending, particularly the play of supposed starter Jose Theodore.  Nylander could fetch some help for them on the trade market provided he's willing to move.

It remains to be seen if Nylander will be moving on this season and if Chicago will be the destination but the speculation isn't likely to go away anytime soon.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher might be on his way out of his current role but he's made one final deal before heading out the door.

In the midst of the media focus on the Leafs attempts to sign former Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke to a contract Fletcher on Monday traded defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo and forward Alex Steen to the St. Louis Blues for forward Lee Stempniak.

It wasn't surprising that Colaiacovo was moved. Since the Leafs picked him 17th overall in the 2001 entry draft injuries, particularly concussions, have hampered his development and performance.

This season under first year Leafs coach Ron Wilson he'd seen his ice time reduced and this past week his conditioning questioned.

Steen, son of former NHL'er Thomas Steen, was another former high draft pick of the Leafs (24th overall) who in recent years was considered a disappointment. Following a strong rookie debut in 2005-06 (18 goals, 45 points) Steen was unable to exceed those numers in the following seasons.

This year after twenty games he has only four points and appeared to be struggling to adjust to Wilson's system.

Blues president John Davidson claimed his club acquired those two because Colaiacovo was a "solid two-way defenseman" and Steen could play either center or wing and score at the NHL level.

Steen will provide the Blues with some flexibility at forward but he could be at best a 40-45 point per season forward.

At least he can contribute and still has some upside. The same cannot be said for Colaiacovo due to his injury history. If he can stay healthy he might indeed become a solid two-way blueliner but that remains to be seen.

It was surprising to see the Blues part with Stempniak, two seasons removed from a career-best 27 goal, 52 point performance and in 14 games this season has 13 points.  Given their rash of injuries this season however it appears the need was there for affordable depth.

If Stempniak can continue his nearly point-per-game performance this season he could become a welcome addition to the Leafs offensive attack, and his salary (just over $1.8 million per season) is easily absorbable for next season.

One also has to wonder if possibly incoming GM Burke had any input into this move or if he were informed of the deal before it went down. Either way, in the short term it could work out well for the Maple Leafs.

Elliotte Friedman of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada recently suggested changing the names of some of the NHL's individual trophies.

He cites the NHL's naming its newest award, for individual goal-scoring in a season, the Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy, as a "welcome embrace of history" for a league which did away with the Norris, Adams, Smythe and Patrick Divisions in favor of the Northeast, Atlantic, Central and Pacific Divisions.

Friedman suggests changing all the names of the individual trophies to reflect those of the game's greatest players. His suggestions:

Hart to Howe, Norris to Orr, Art Ross to Gretzky, Vezina to Plante, Byng to Beliveau, Selke to Gainey, Jennings to Bower/Sawchuk, Smythe to Roy, Adams to Bowman, and the Clancy Award to the Koivu award in honor of Saku Koivu once he retires.

Reading Friedman's blog it's difficult to tell if he's serious, just musing out loud or being tongue in cheek with this post, but to me his suggestion destroys the very history he claims he wants the league to embrace.

The Hart, Norris, Ross, Smythe and Jennings trophies were all named in honor of the men who played significant roles in the building of the National Hockey League. Without them, there would be no NHL hockey.  To rename their trophies would be to ignore the roles they played in the game's history and development.

The Vezina was named for the first great NHL goaltender, Montreal's Georges Vezina, and was created to honor his memory after he died tragically of tuberculosis in 1925. It is one of the league's oldest and respected trophies. Re-naming his trophy would be spitting on his memory.

Jack Adams was a legendary coach and general manager with the Detroit Red Wings, who built that club into a powerhouse during the 1950s.  Franke Selke was one of the NHL's greatest general managers, responsible for building the Leafs and Canadiens dynasties of the late 1940s and 1950s.

Frank "King" Clancy was one of hockey's true characters, playing 16 seasons in the NHL as one of the greatest defensemen in the league's early history and was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He later went on to become a referee and then a coach and team executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clancy was known for his charity work and this trophy was created in his memory to be given each season to the league's most charitable player.

I find it odd that Friedman bemoaned the league not embracing its history and then turns around and recommends doing the opposite by calling for the renaming of individual awards.

Do we turn around in, say, another fifty or one hundred years and call for the trophies to be renamed again if future greats end up eclipsing the records of the players Friedman believes the individual awards should be changed to?

Those trophies were created to commemorate men who played important roles in building up the National Hockey League. To rename them isn't embracing history, it's forgetting the league's roots.

In the wake of the LA Kings last month  re-signing young star center Anze Kopitar some pundits expressed concern that the Colorado Avalanche had not done the same with Paul Stastny.

Turns out those concerns were unfounded as the Avalanche yesterday re-signed Stastny to a lucrative five-year contract extension which begins in the 2009-10 season.

Stastny's new contract is worth $33 million, which will average $6.6 million per season against the Avalanche's cap from the '09-'10 season until the 2013-14 season.  That deal is two years shorter and $200K per season cheaper than Kopitar's deal.

No surprise that Stastny's deal would be pretty much the same as Kopitar as they're comparable players, although Stastny does currently have a slight edge in career points (164 to 151). There was no way the Avs were going to get cheap with their future franchise player and current leading scorer.

With Joe Sakic now on the decline the Avalanche need a star to build around and Statsny is more than ready to inherit the torch from Sakic when he finally retires either at the end of this season or next.

This signing will take a big chunk out of the Avs' payroll for next season, pushing it toward $43 million for next season committed to 12 players. If Sakic re-ups again next season for the same $6.5 million he's being paid this season the Avs will be pushing $50 million, leaving them little room to re-sign other key players or bid competitively for top free agent talent.

Still, as noted earlier the Avs had little choice. It was either re-sign Stastny to their own terms or risk a rival team dictating them next summer by sending him an expensive offer sheet.

This move could signal that they are ready to move on next season and build around their future, which clearly rests on Stastny's shoulders.
 

The Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins sought to address their respective blueline needs late Saturday night by swapping veteran defensemen.

Heading to Pittsburgh is Philippe Boucher while Darryl Sydor returns to Dallas, where he spent his best seasons from 1996-97 to 2002-03.

Sydor was long rumored to be on his way out of Pittsburgh. He was a healthy scratch several times last season, including most of the playoffs, and wasn't expected to finish the season as a Penguin.

It's unlikely the 36-year-old Sydor will recapture the form that made him such a mainstay during his previous tenure with the Stars but Dallas management is obviously counting on his defensive experience and he could provide another voice of leadership in the dressing room.

Boucher also spent his best season in Dallas, most notably the 2006-07 season where his 51-point performance earned him a spot in the 2007 All-Star game. Injuries limited him to only 38 games last season and this season after 16 games with the Stars he has only 3 points.

The Penguins have been lacking a skillful puck-moving defenseman since losing Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney to injury and GM Ray Shero may be betting that a change of atmosphere could help the 35-year-old return to form.

Early season trades are rare occurances in today's NHL salary cap world but what made this deal work was the dollars. Both blueliners earn $2.5 million each this season and are eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Neither team had to take on extra salary and if both don't fit into their new teams' future plans they'll be allowed to walk without it costing either team a long term asset.  A good move for both teams. 

When the Tampa Bay Lightning were bought by Oren Koules and Len Barrie earlier this year the two promised the club would rebound from their woeful finish to the 2007-08 season, which saw the Bolts miss the playoffs only four years after winning the Stanley Cup in 2004.

Koules and Barrie displayed a flair for bold moves, replacing Jay Feaster as general manager with player agent Brian Lawton and John Tortorella as head coach with ESPN analyst and former LA Kings head coach Barry Melrose.

The new front office crew significantly overhauled the roster, acquiring forwards Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal, Mark Recchi, Adam Hall and Gary Roberts, defenseman Marek Malik and goaltender Olaf Kolzig primarily through free agency, and dealt away veteran blueliners Dan Boyle and Filip Kuba for promising young defensemen Matt Carle and Andrej Meszaros respectively.

Toss in their winning the draft lottery and selecting center Steven Stamkos first overall, and dealing away defenseman Shane O’Brien to Vancouver for Lukas Krajicek, and  the Bolts headed into this season with nearly a dozen new faces in the lineup.  

Expectations were high but the criticism was plentiful from more than a few fans and pundits. Koules and company were making too many changes too quickly, and the one most questioned was hiring Melrose, who hadn’t been behind an NHL bench in 13 years and was whispered as having gotten his job due to his friendship with the ownership.

Koule, Barrie and Lawton were gambling that their radical moves would provide the spark the moribund Bolts lacked last season.

Only 16 games into this season, the Lightning were a woeful 5-7-4, sitting fourth in the Southeast Division and 13th overall in the Conference.

Things had gotten so bad this past week that Melrose took a “personal day” away from the team, but it did little good as the Lightning lost to the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings.

That was enough for the front office, who handed Melrose his walking papers on November 14th, replacing him with assistant coach Rick Tocchet.

It’s easy to lay blame for the Lightning’s slow start on Melrose, and he deserves his fair share. The team's top scorers weren't scoring enough and it's been suggested by more than a few critics that he wasn't giving young Stamkos enough quality ice time.

But the bulk of the blame rests with the men who hired Melrose.

Koules and Barrie professed their faith in him as the coach their team needed to return to playoff contention.  He gave it his best shot, and while it’s clear he was struggling to adapt to today’s NHL, he was also working with an overhauled roster still adjusting to each other.

Optimists will look at their current record and say there’s still plenty of time for this team to gel and rebound, pointing out they’re not that far out of playoff contention and there’s plenty of time to get back into the chase.  They’ll likely point to a coaching change as just what this team needs to turn things around.

Perhaps, but this is also a team that was put together in slap-dash fashion, and strong coaching might not be enough to turn them into a contender this season.

The goaltending is in good shape thanks to Mike Smith, who was acquired by Feaster at last year’s trade deadline and has provided the Bolts with the caliber of goaltending not seen since Nikolai Khabibulin backstopped them to the Cup in 2004.  

Without Smith’s stellar play the Lightning wouldn’t have as many victories as they currently do. He was usually one of the stars in each of the four games he’s won thus far and faced well over 30 shots in most of them.

Lecavalier, Prospal, Recchi and Martin St. Louis are the Lightning’s leading scorers, although Lecavalier still appears to be feeling the effects from off-season shoulder surgery. As Lecavalier goes so goes the Lightning’s offense, as they’re not getting the secondary scoring the Bolts need to take the pressure off his line.  

Defensively the Lightning lack skilled experience, particularly on their blueline, where only Malik, Krajicek and recently acquired Steve Eminger have more than five NHL seasons under their belts. They’re lacking the kind of skilled veteran leadership young defensemen look up to for encouragement and advice if they’re to properly develop their skills.  

Other acquisitions – Malone, Vrbata, Roberts and Hall – have been major disappointments so far. Stamkos, who was expected to be a rookie of the year contender, has only four points in 16 games and while he may not have received the ice time some feel he should get he was still struggling at times to adjust to the NHL game.

Lawton’s most questionable move so far this season was trading Carle, who was considered the centerpiece of the return from the San Jose Sharks in the Boyle trade.

 Granted, Carle struggled during his short tenure with the Lightning, and Lawton claimed trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers was done to create cap space, but had the front office spent more wisely during the off-season there wouldn’t have been any need to give up so quickly on Carle.

Even if the Lightning were justified in moving Carle based on his play and salary it casts doubt on the logic for acquiring him in the first place.

The constant changes in recent moves have garnered the Lightning plenty of attention but not the right kind, making their front office decisions appear to be knee-jerk reactions rather than well-thought-out moves.

They now appear a club in turmoil and unless things turn around soon it’s only going to get worse.   

This year's Hockey Hall of Fame inductions have now passed, with two noteworthy players in Glenn Anderson and Igor Larionov being inducted in the player category.

That raises the question of which players will be enshrined in the HHOF Class of 2009.

Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Brian Leetch will be entering their first year of eligibility next season and it'll be shocking if any one of them are overlooked.

Luc Robitaille is also eligible next season and I think he too should join those three but I have a feeling (and I hope I'm wrong) that "Lucky Luc" will be passed over in his first year. I'm not saying he won't be inducted at some point but after seeing how long Anderson waited for induction and how long other notable greats are still waiting it wouldn't surprise me if he isn't inducted in his first year of eligibility.

Other noteworthy players are still awaiting their turn. As per Chris Johnston of Canadian Press (via the Ottawa Sun), Doug Gilmour, Adam Oates, Dino Ciccarelli, Pavel Bure, Steve Larmer, Mike Vernon, Dave Andreychuk  and Eric Lindros all merit consideration.

Of this group, Gilmour, Oates, Ciccalleri, Bure and Larmer are overdue but most have had the misfortune of falling into eligibility when so many greats of the 1980s and 1990s have also been eligible and sadly they've fallen down the pecking order.

At some point they'll get their turn but it's doubtful they'll make the cut next season.

Vernon, Lindros and Andreychuk could find themselves in the same boat as Anderson was and Ciccarelli currenty is, waiting years for their shot at induction.

After over a year of speculation over the future plan of general manager Brian Burke, the Anaheim Ducks have called a press conference for 3:30 pm ET Wednesday to announce he'll be stepping down from his management duties with the team and will be replaced by Ducks senior VP of hockey operations Bob Murray.

TSN reports sources saying Burke will remain with the club in a senior advisory role but Murray will make the final decisions on the club's hockey operations. Burke will also be free to explore employment opportunities with rival NHL teams.

In other words, fire up the the "Burke to Toronto" rumors again, for as TSN suggests the path is now clear for him to be hired as the new president and general manager of the Maple Leafs, a team he's been linked to since last season.

He had earlier this season suggested he'd make a decision on his future in December, as his current contract with the Ducks expires at the end of this season but family matters have apparently hastened his decision.

Burke leaves the Ducks after only three and a half seasons as their general manager, during which time he helped to build the club into one of the top teams in the Western Conference and a Stanley Cup champion in 2007.

His most notable moves include signing all-star defenseman Scott Niedermayer and scoring star Teemu Selanne as unrestricted free agents in 2005 and acquiring another all-star blueliner in Chris Pronger from the Edmonton Oilers in 2006.

Under his management the Ducks also became one of the most physical clubs in the league, twice leading the league in penalties.

Burke is also credited with re-signing young stars like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to lucrative long-term contracts, but also attracted criticism for what was perceived as a lack of decisiveness with Niedermayer and Selanne last season when they foot-dragged on possible retirement plans.

Burke first replaced them with expensive signings of veterans Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi, but would then have to engage in some tricky salary cap juggling to fit Niedermayer and Selanne back in his roster.

While he would later buy out Bertuzzi and trade Schneider he's been unable to free up cap space to bring up promising forward Bobby Ryan.

Perhaps his biggest mistake was failing to anticipate the possibility of a rival club signing former Ducks winger Dustin Penner to a lucrative offer sheet in the summer of 2007. Burke was caught by surprise when the  Oilers signed away Penner, who was a restricted free agent, sparking a year-long war of words with former Oilers GM Kevin Lowe, his one-time friend.

Despite the occasional mis-step, Burke is still considered one of the best hockey minds around and his efforts at turning the Ducks into a champion along with his previous rebuilding of the Vancouver Canucks means he'll have no trouble attracting job offers from other NHL clubs.

One of those will likely be the Maple Leafs. 

Recently several readers have e-mailed me to inquire why I haven't commented on head shots resulting in concussion injuries to several NHL players early this season.

Over a month into the current NHL season we've seen Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn, Carolina's Brandon Sutter and Toronto's Mike Van Ryn sidelined by concussions.

In those cases the players responsible for injuring those three (Phoenix's Kurt Sauer, NY Islanders' Doug Weight and Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos) didn't deliberately intended to do so but rather were trying to follow through with their checks, although in the latter case Kostopoulos did hit Van Ryn from behind.

Still, these instances highlight the fact that concussion injuries are showing no sign thus far of declining.

What these recent instances demonstrate is the difficulty that can be faced by the league in addressing injuries where there appeared to be no deliberate attempt to injure or no apparent breaking of the rules.

It's easy to call for discplinary action against an obvious head-hunter, but another to do so against a player who inadvertently injures an opponent.

It also highlighted how divided the NHL community appears to be on this issue of head shots.

Some believe that any head shot - intentional or not - should be called as a penalty, perhaps as at least an automatic game suspension with follow-up action depnding on the severity of the injury.

Others however suggest it would take hitting out of the game or at the very least hamper checking efforts.

Yes, hockey's a rough game and no one wants to be the physical side of the game diluted, but at the same time the increase in concussion injuries over the past fifteen years is troubling, which if left unchecked could have serious consequences for the NHL.

What is clear is that the longer this issue continues to go unaddressed the greater the likelihood of someone being crippled for life...or worse. It'll be far too late to address the problem then.

In a suprising move on Friday night the Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Matt Carle from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Steve Eminger and forward Steve Downie.

The two clubs also swapped draft picks, with the Lightning sending the San Jose Sharks third round pick in 2009 (acquired in the deal that sent Carle to Tampa Bay this summer) to the Flyers in return for their own fourth round pick in 2009, which they'd dealt to the Flyers last February.

Speculation has it that this move would not only provide some depth to a Flyers blueline that has been ravaged by injury this season but might also clear the way to sign UFA winger Brendan Shanahan.

Both Carle and Eminger are on the move for the second time this year. Carle had been acquired by the Lightning this summer in the trade that sent Dan Boyle to the San Jose Sharks, and at the time of the deal the Bolts management were quite keen on Carle, touting him as a future star on their defense corps.

To date Carle had a goal and an assist in 12 games and was plus-1.

He's struggled since his splashy rookie debute in 2006-07 when he had 42 points and a plus-minus of +9. In 66 games last season with the Sharks he had only 15 points and a -8 plus-minus.

Eminger was acquired last summer from the Washington Capitals and thus far had only two assists in 12 games.

Downie was a first round pick of the Flyers in 2005 and had earned a reputation for questionable play, earning a 20-game suspension last season as a result of a pre-season head shot to Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond.

This season Downie has played in only 6 games with only 1 assist.

The knock on Carle, according to the St. Petersburg Times, is that he was poor defensively despite displaying real skill at times.  Eminger meanwhile has a right-handed shot which the Bolts apparently need on their blueline and his $1.2 million contract is cheaper than Carle's $2.95 million per season.

As Lightning management was believed keen to pare down some payroll this move appears to have achieved that need, as Eminger's and Downie's salaries combined are still cheaper than Carle's salary.

Still, it's surprising that they would give up on Carle so soon. Defensemen tend to take time to develop and at 24 Carle still has plenty of time to improve. Given his talent, patience may simply be needed for him to regain his confidence and his consistency.

He'll get his chance with the Flyers, and if he should blossom there this deal could come back to haunt the Lightning for years to come.

The return for Dan Boyle for the Lighning is now Eminger, Downie and prospect Ty Wishart, which is now less impressive than the initial return.

A recent report from a Russian sports newspaper claimed Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell was approached by the respective general managers of the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs expressing interest in acquiring superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk.

This report came hard on the heels of internet speculation of the Pittsburgh Penguins going to the well again hoping to land another Thrashers star for peanuts as they did last February with Marian Hossa.

Waddell quickly shot down those rumors, as did Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher while Habs GM Bob Gainey declined to waste breath denying such silly talk.

The Thrashers aren't stumbling from the gate as badly as they did last season when an 0-6 start put the club in a funk and cost head coach Bob Hartley his job, but they have struggled to a 4-7-2 record in their first 13 games, hence the reason for the Kovalchuk trade chatter.

In a recent interview Waddell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he had no plans at this time to shake up his roster, which should dispel the Kovalchuk rumors once and for all...for this season.

Kovalchuk still has another season after this one remaining on his current contract, and it would be ridiculous for Waddell to start shopping him this season, let alone so early into this season.

Unless the flashy Russian sniper demands to be traded at some point this season Waddell won't be shopping him.

Next season, however, is another matter.

Kovalchuk has been saying all the right things this season about believing the Thrashers can be a playoff club again, and far be it from me, or anyone else for that matter, to doubt his sincerety.

But if the Thrashers should finish out of the post-season race again, it'll mark the sixth time in Kovalchuk's seven NHL seasons that he hasn't appeared in the playoffs.

If the Thrashers haven't made any significant improvement heading into next season, the final one of his contract, that could be the straw that breaks the camel's back as far as Kovalchuk's tenure in Atlanta is concerned.

Which would mean another trade watch on the Thrashers for the second time in three seasons, one that like Hossa's last season could drag on up to the 2010 trade deadline.

Rumor-mongers shouldn't waste time this season speculating on a Kovalchuk trade this season and instead should save it for the very real possibility of such a trade in 2009-10.

I've already written about New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur's biceps injury sidelining him for up to three months, its potential consequences for the club and the options for GM Lou Lamoriello.

As I expected Lamoriello won't panic - really, he's not the type - and plans to be patient with backup Kevin Weekes in hopes he can carry the load.

If Lamoriello should decide in the coming weeks that Weekes isn't up to the task his trade options for an experienced starter appear limited to Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson and Boston's Manny Fernandez.

But for the sake of speculation, what if Lamoriello opts to go in a different direction?

As I noted in my article, for years the much-vaunted Devils scouting and player development systems have failed to find a potential successor for Brodeur, which was a potential time bomb waiting to go off once Brodeur either got injured or age finally caught up to him.

What if Lamoriello decides this injury to Brodeur is a good reason to start shopping for a potential successor for his franchise goaltender?

He could have several options to choose from:

Atlanta Thrashers - Ondrej Pavelec.
Boston Bruins - Tuukka Rask.
Minnesota Wild - Josh Harding.
Montreal Canadiens - Jaroslav Halak.
Nashville Predators - Pekka Rinne.
Vancouver Canucks - Cory Schneider.

Bear in mind I'm not saying this is what Lamoriello will do, or that these players are even available, merely speculating on the possibility.

Thoughts?


 

In a surprising move on Monday the Dallas Stars signed former Minnesota Wild winger Mark Parrish to a contract.

Parrish had been playing with the New York Islanders AHL affiliate but ended that contract to sign a two-way, pro-rated deal worth $500K if he stays with the Stars and $100K if demoted to the minors.

Given the Stars' recent struggles, culiminating in a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins, it appears Stars management may be planning to shake things up a little.

Parrish is a former six-time 20+ goal-scorer who struggled to adjust to the Wild's tight defensive system and was bought out of the remainder of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Unfortunately Parrish was unable to find any takers in this summer's market, forcing him to accept an AHL contract with the Islanders.

If he can regain that former twenty-goal ability he could be a welcome addition to the Stars but it remains to be seen how well he'll adapt to their game. Given the lack of movement in the NHL trade market at this time of the season it's an affordable risk for the Stars.