The NHL has been throwing fits recently about how Alex Radulov, promising young forward for the Nashville Predators, was snatched up by the KHL (which is the acronym for the Russian "Kontinentalnaya Hokkeynaya Liga," which is quite a...well, quite an eyeful). For those who haven't followed this, Radulov, who would make $984,000 with the Predators next season (the last year of his entry-level contract), signed a whopping $13 million (tax free) deal with Yulaev Ufa of the KHL just days after a new transfer agreement had been reached between the NHL and the Russian Super League to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
Well, Radulov left, and signed his new contract, which the NHL wants the IIHF to void. Then, a few days ago, Jason Krog, a veteran of seven NHL seasons (and two others in Europe), who was apparently set to play in the KHL next season, signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks. They paid the KHL the $200,000 player transfer agreement fee, and that was thought to be the end of it.
Now the KHL is stating that it will happily pay this same $200,000 transfer fee to Nashville for Radulov, which is still not sufficient for the NHL. So of course, this brings light to the double standard posed by this agreement.
While I'm not familiar with the agreement, and had little luck finding a copy quickly, it stands to reason that the KHL's logic is correct. Now, if Evgeni Malkin had accepted the contract offered by said league, I might be more up in arm, however, Alex Radulov is a somewhat unknown name to me, and Nashville seems like a far away place. However, if consistency is to be maintained, this does seem to provide a double standard and an unfair deal for the KHL and other European teams and leagues.
I believe the KHL is probably in the right here, though Radulov probably could have had a great career in the NHL had he stayed. And of course, this is an ongoing situation. Radulov's KHL contract may be voided. He may return to the NHL so he can participate in the world championships. There are many ways this story can go, and it may be worth keeping an eye on, as it may have some heavy repercussions as pertains to the future of the NHL.

The Detroit Red Wings have made some heavy improvements this off-season, no one can argue that (except the occasional Penguins fan driven mad by the Hossa situation). They also managed to retain the majority of their Stanley Cup Champion team. Pretty much every pundit out there is picking Detroit to make it back to back league championships. However, I think it's really too early to say that no one can get in Detroit's way.
I won't disagree that Detroit has a phenomenal team. Another great team I remember is the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. Any Penguins or Islanders fan who followed hockey at that point in time remembers the game 7 upset of the Presidents Trophy (And league champion the past two years) Penguins by the Islanders in the second round. The Penguins were expected by almost everyone to three-peat, having absolutely dominated hockey for the past three seasons, and maintaining the majority of their team, but they were stopped by a team that made the playoffs for the first time in six years.
It's hard to say exactly what happened, but either way, a team considered easily the best in the NHL was upset and sent home sooner than anticipated. It likely wasn't coaching that led to this happening, as at the time, Pittsburgh was coached the Legendary Scotty Bowman.
And of course, don't forget that Detroit didn't exactly have smooth sailing to the finals. They were taken to six games in three of four rounds. Who's to say that some team won't emerge as a giant killer in the playoffs? Who's to say that a team no one sees coming (or even one that people do see coming) won't get a lucky bounce in game seven and send the Red Wings home sooner than planned.
Now I'm not saying that the Red Wings don't have the chance to repeat. Every team in the NHL has a chance at the cup until they are eliminated from playoff contention. And Detroit certainly has built a powerhouse that gives them a great chance of hoisting the chalice again after next season. However, don't give it to them yet just because they have a great team.

In case you've been dead to NHL news lately, Kevin Lowe, The current general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, finally decided to fire back some harsh words to fellow general manager (of the Anaheim Ducks) Brian Burke, who has, since Lowe signed Ducks RFA Dustin Penner to a huge offer sheet, taken numerous shots has his ability to manage a team. So how does the NHL respond to this? Gary Bettman scolds both of them for this public display of animosity through a conference call. Not only is this the equivalent of a slap on the wrist, but if it is a legitimate punishment, it is a weak one. I think the greater likelihood is that this is a thinly veiled attempt to garner even more attention to the situation, and correspondingly the NHL. Even if it was a legitimate attempt to stop this from continuing or happening more, why did the NHL wait till Lowe rebutted, rather than telling Burke to stop attacking his colleague for doing something well within the rules of the current collective bargaining agreement? This situation never gets anywhere near the level it has if the NHL steps in and prevents Burke after the first attack on Lowe. That is the reason I think this may be a situation manipulated for the publicity of the NHL. While the dislike between the two GMs is probably genuine, I feel that Bettman and his associates are probably playing it for the sports benefit. As much as I may not like Gary Bettman, it can't be denied that he is a hell of a shrewd businessman, and this would be a good move for the sport. While most other sports in America don't have major publicity in the off season (with the exception of the baseball steroids thing and NFL players getting arrested), if these small incidents continue through the summer, the league starts next season at the level of interest it has maintained all summer, possibly resulting in a higher level of interest through the season. Yeah, that's probably all just made up stuff. But still, it's an interesting thought, isn't it? As a hockey fan I would almost like to see that happen. Though the reputation of the NHL might get a little tarnished, the potential benefit to the popularity of the league is something I would certainly like to see.

Last season's Winter Classic showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres was generally regarded as a resounding success, and couldn't have played out much better for the popularity of the NHL, even if it had been scripted (Of course, if Hollywood's writers were doing it, it would probably have to be a sequel of some kind...). The poster child for the NHL scores the game winning goal in an exciting shootout and a light snow. I don't remember the exact numbers, but the game was well received and widely viewed.
The upcoming season is going to be capitalizing on the success of the last Winter Classic, by following up with a second outdoor game, between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, played at Wrigley Field in Chicago. This idea has potential to be as good as, or even surpass the popularity of the previous Winter Classic.
The team choices for the 2009 Winter Classic really couldn't be better. Two of the Original Six teams, as well as division opponents, the Red Wings and Blackhawks will be able to provide some real vintage jerseys and also (hopefully) some fierce division play. There is another thing that could make this game more exciting: the 2008 Stanley Cup Final. How does last season's SCF play into next season's game? Well, besides the fact that the winner will be playing in the game, I've noticed a number of similarities between the recent Blackhawks team and the Penguins team a few years ago, as they began to become a legitimate playoff team, and later a Cup contender. I feel the Blackhawks are ready to breakout in a big way this season, especially with their success in free agency (though I thoroughly believe they may have overpaid in some cases, perhaps including Brian Campbell). If my hunch is correct, then you may have a Winter Classic that will be comparable to last season's Stanley Cup.
Although somewhat irrelevant, it's also interesting to note that Ty Conklin, now a member of member of the Red wings, could potentially play in all three outdoor NHL games (The Heritage Classic as a member of Edmonton, The 2008 Winter Classic as a member of Pittsburgh, and The 2009 Winter Classic as a member of Detroit). It probably won't have much impact on the game, but Ty Conklin has become one of my favorite players recently, so I find that fact intriguing.

Ryan Malone is not a happy camper right now. It's ironic that his performance in the Stanley Cup Finals, easily one of his gutsiest showings in my memory, is the performance that sealed his leaving his hometown of Pittsburgh. Just before the playoffs, Malone and the Penguins were rumored to be apart only by a No-Trade clause the Malone wouldn't sign a contract without. This rumor claimed the contract offered was around 3-3.5 million over 4-5 years, if I remember correctly.
Now, however, Ryan Malone is in a position the make around $5 million on the open market, maybe even more, something that the Penguins can't afford to pay him if they hope to retain Hossa (among others) and resign Staal and Malkin (to avoid offer sheets from other teams). Not to mention $5 million is a lot more than a 30-goal, 50-point scorer is worth). So they are forced to let him go to the market. Although Malone was willing to take a hometown discount, it's still unlikely the Penguins could afford it.
The latest stories I've heard report that #12 is angry with the lack of effort that Penguins' Management has put towards resigning him. He was rumored to be on the verge of being traded for draft picks (conditional on if he signed with the team), but he has squashed these with his apparent intentions to test the waters of free agency. Malone supposedly wanted only to play in the West, so that he wouldn't have to play the Penguins as much (a classy move from a fan's perspective), but now claims he will play for the highest bidder (Incidentally, heartbreaking for this fan).

But I guess these are the problems of maintaining a championship team. I have liked Malone for a long time, and I've watched him emerge as a team leader in recent years.  While losing him will be a noticeable loss for both the organization and a number of fans, his actions (apparently as a reaction against team management) are making it a little easier to see one of my more favorite players leave.

I just hope he doesn't end up playing for Philly.