Hello Everyone,

Just thought I'd share some thoughts on the upcoming off-season, as well as the upcoming NHL Draft.

The off-season looks like it will be an exciting one. The two biggest questions, at least in my mind is, where will Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell go?

Hossa has been offered a seven-year $50 million dollar deal by Pittsburgh, now the question is will he sign with the Penguins? It could be both good or bad for the Penguins if they sign the veteran goal scorer. Here's Why:

For one, the Penguins can and will rely on Hossa, if he indeed signs. However, here is the bad. Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik could be gone, and Evgeni Malkin needs a contract extension immediately. If Hossa signs, I think Malone and Orpik are gone and Malkin will be a free agent at the end of next year. Rumors are that the Bruins, Canadiens, Rangers, and even the Senators are interested in Hossa. The team that lands him this off-season will indeed be a winner this off-season.

Another great storyline is the Brian Campbell saga. Many teams seemed to be interested in this skilled defenseman. San Jose will try everything to keep him, but in the end, I don't see him in a Shark uniform for next year. The best case scenario for Campbell would be Philadelphia, where he would be a perfect fit.

I will be blogging more about the off-season in the coming weeks, but let's talk about the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, coming up this Friday.

Steven Stamkos will be the number one pick and he will go to Tampa Bay no doubt. Who else is there other than Stamkos? Well, this is the deepest draft in years and one person who seems to be gaining a lot of interest is Boston University forward Colin Wilson.

i appologize for not having the links in full tact, but take a look at my two part interview with the top college prospect on Inside Hockey.

http://www.insidehockey.com/columns/1774
http://www.insidehockey.com/columns/1660

Other big names to watch out for in this draft include Zach Bogosian, Drew Doughty and Nikita Filatov.

And as always, expect a lot of wheeling and dealing in this deep draft. Vancouver could trade out as well as Toronto, but maybe we could see the Bruins trade out in this deep draft.

I will be back here and on Inside Hockey after the draft with a few thoughts and what to expect in the 2008 off-season.

Thanks for reading,

Rosie