Much-traveled forward Dean McAmmond joined his tenth NHL team on November 6, signing a one-year, two-way contract (believed worth the league minimum of $500k at the NHL level) with the New Jersey Devils. 

McAmmond, 36, had been playing for the Devils AHL affiliate on a minor league tryout contract. He's being added as a short-term replacement for checking line center Rob Niedermayer, who is currently on injured reserve with an "upper body injury". 

In his previous stops over his 16 year NHL career McAmmond played for the Chicago Blackhawks (twice), Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames (twice), Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators and NY Islanders. 

His best season came in 2001-02 with the Flames, scoring 21 goals and 51 points in 71 games

With a blueline corp ravaged by injury the Montreal Canadiens bolstered their depth today, plucking defenseman Jay Leach off re-entry waivers from the New Jersey Devils. 

The Devils placed Leach, 30, on recall waivers hoping to shore up their own defense corps, which has lost regulars Paul Martin (broken arm) and Johnny Oduya (lower body injury). They'll likely have to call up someone else with Leach now gone. 

Leach played 24 games with the Devils last season, notching one assist and 21 PIMs. At 6-4 and 220 lbs he'll provided some valuable size to a Canadiens blueline which has lost Andrei Markov, Hal Gill and Ryan O'Byrne to injury in recent weeks and has another regular in Jaroslav Spacek hobbled by an undisclosed injury.

As he was claimed off re-entry waivers his NHL salary

Fans of former NHL star Peter Forsberg are aware the former Hart and Art Ross trophy winner is currently playing for Sweden in the Karjala Cup, an annual international tournament - involving Sweden, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic - held in Finland. 

It's believed Forsberg, whose playing career has been waylaid due to pain in his surgically repaired right foot in recent years, may be using the tournament as a possible springboard for a return to the NHL. 

As a result it was believed those NHL teams potentially interested in signing Forsberg ran the risk of losing him to waivers, however, Paul Kukla and friends over at Kukla's Korner have determined this isn't the case, courtesy of an e-mail to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. 

I and others believed he had to clear

A month into the NHL’s 2009-10 campaign here’s a look at how last summer’s top unrestricted free agents are faring with their new teams:

Marian Gaborik, NY Rangers, $7.5 million per season: 14 GP, 11 G, 8 A, 19 Pts, +6

Mike Cammalleri, Montreal Canadiens, $6 million per season:  7 G, 7 A, 14 Pts, +6

Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks, $5.233 million per season: has not played owing to off-season surgery.

Brian Gionta, Montreal Canadiens, $5 million per season: 15 GP, 6 G, 4 A, 10 Pts, +2

Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild, $5 million per season: 12 GP, 1 G, 6A, 7 Pts, -9

Alex Kovalev, Ottawa Senators, $5 million per season: 12 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 5 Pts, -5

Mike Komisarek, Toronto Maple Leafs, $4.5 million per season: 13 GP, 0 Pts, -10, 31 PIMs

Nik Antropov, Atlanta Thrashers,

At the end of the first month of the NHL's 2009-10 campaign a quick perusal of the scoring leaders turns up the usual suspects (Ovechkin, Thornton, Nash, Heatley, Backstrom) and a few surprises (Anze Kopitar - whom I've previously written about- as well as Patrick Marleau and Vaclav Prospal).

The biggest surprise is seeing Edmonton Oilers winger Dustin Penner sitting in a three-way tie for fifth overall in total points (19), tied for fourth in total goals (9) and among the league leaders in total assists (10). Penner also leads the Oilers in total goals and points. 

This is the same Dustin Penner whose signing of a lucrative multi-year offer sheet - five years, .25 million per season - with the Edmonton Oilers whilst a restricted free agent in the summer of 2007 and the Anaheim

Five years ago the National Hockey League Players Association was locked in mortal combat with the league over a new collective bargaining agreement, specifically the league's desire to impose "cost certainty" upon player salaries. 

Since giving in to the league by agreeing in July 2005 to accept a salary cap the NHLPA has been in a seemingly constant state of upheaval with its leadership.

Bob Goodenow, the executive director who led the PA to two labor victories over the NHL in the 1990s', lost the support of the players during the season-killing 2004-05 lockout and re-signed in the summer of 2005 

His replacement was his former lieutenant Ted Saskin but he was fired by the association nearly two years later when it was revealed he'd been reading the players' private association

The Los Angeles Kings added veteran depth to the defense corps today, claiming blueliner Randy Jones off re-entry waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Jones' .75 million salary will be split between the Kings and Flyers. It's been suggested the Flyers did this move deliberately in order to get his salary off their books but according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren that wasn't the case, saying no one had asked him to put Jones on re-entry waivers.

Holmgren had hoped to add Jones to his roster now that forward Simon Gagne has gone on long-term injury reserve, thus freeing up the necessary cap space for Jones' salary. 

Until today Jones' entire NHL career had been spent with the Flyers. His best season was 2007-08, with 5 goals and 31 points in 71 games. He should prove a valuable

As per LA Kings Insider Rich Hammond's blog:

"It won’t be announced by the league until early December, but Kings officials have been told that Los Angeles will host the NHL Entry Draft next June. It’s still to be determined whether the event will be held at Staples Center or Nokia Center, but the dates will be June 25-26. By all accounts, it will be the same format, with the first round on Friday night and the rest on Saturday."

And yes, provided I can scrape up the cash, I hope to be there. It's been nearly ten years since I was last in Los Angeles so I'm overdue for another visit, even if it'll be business-related. 

For the majority of NHL fans, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar remains a mystery. 

Whether it's due to the coverage of eastern-based stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the Kings woeful performances in recent seasons or a combination of both, most hockey fans have little idea who Kopitar is. 

So it's come as a surprise for those fans to see his name perched atop the NHL scoring race and goal-scoring leaders and second in assists nearly a month into this season. 

The first-ever Slovenian player in the NHL, Kopitar was selected 11th over by the Kings in the 2005 entry draft and made his debut with the Kings in 2006-07. He had a strong rookie season with 20 goals and 61 points but was overshadowed by Malkin, who won the Calder trophy as NHL rookie of the year.