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.

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. 

Quick take on the Rangers-Lightning game in the Czech Republic and the Penguins-Senators tilt in Sweden.

- The Blueshirts-Bolts matchup was kind of dull. That’s not likely to impress fans of either club but I honestly didn’t find it a very entertaining game.

Might’ve been the ice conditions, I’m not sure, but it just seemed to lack energy in long stretches, although the excitement level increased late in the game when the Rangers Brandon Dubinsky scored on a screen shot  to snap a one-all tie and ultimately proved to be the game winner.

The Czech fans seemed to sit on their hands throughout most of this, at least that's how it came across on television. That’s not to say they weren’t supportive but they certainly didn’t have the noise factor of the Swedish fans.

At least the Rangers didn’t scratch Czech winger Petr Prucha as rumored, perhaps over fear of a backlash?

Fellow Czech Michal Rozsival wasn’t much of a standout on the Rangers blueline except an early first period giveaway that resulted in a good scoring chance by the Lightning.

I can’t help but feel the fans would’ve been more into it had Czech stars Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka returned with the Rangers this season.

  Jagr is now playing for Avangard Omsk of the KHL after failing to reach a deal with the Rangers (and has 17 points in fourteen games thus far) while Straka was not signed as a UFA and is now playing in the Czech Extraliga.

Had Jagr been there I think the crowd would’ve been more involved.

Both teams headed into this game and this season with concerns over their respective defensive games and it was obvious after this match the Bolts have work to do in that regard, especially their discipline.

Still, despite being outshot 41-21 the Lightning did make a game of it, and a positive note was the performance of goalie Mike Smith, who looked sharp and couldn’t be blamed for his team’s loss

- The Pens-Sens game, won 4-3 by Pittsburgh in overtime,  was a more spirited affair as both clubs played with more energy, and the Swedish fans certainly got into it, cheering on the Senators and their team captain, Swedish star Daniel Alfredsson. 

Nice ovation given to Mats Sundin, the all-time leading scorer amongst Swedish NHL players, who dropped the puck in a ceremonial faceoff, prompting the Hockey Night in Canada commentators to wonder if this was the last time we’ll see Sundin on the ice this season.

Two significant points in this one: Martin Gerber’s goaltending could continue to be an area of concern for the Senators, and the Penguins sorely miss injured blueliners Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney.

Gerber allowed in two softies, both off the stick of Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy which opened and closed the game’s scoring, and at times seems rattled.

The absence of Gonchar and Whitney forced the Penguins  to press younger and lesser skilled blueliners into action  and their inexperience showed.

Still, one game does not an 82-game regular season make, so there’s plenty of time for all four teams to address their weaknesses.

The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

---

I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

The fallout from Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov’s decision to sign a three-year, $13 million contract with Ufa Salavat of Russia’s new Kontinental Hockey League has sparked a growing debate amongst bloggers (including myself) over the seriousness of the threat the KHL poses to the NHL.

Some like me aren’t taking the KHL too seriously but others are suggesting this could represent a potentially serious talent drain for the NHL, particularly of Russian talent, which has been on the decline in recent years in the NHL.

I’ve written previously about this and engaged in a discussion with the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle on his blog on this topic but allow me to further clarify my position.

If this "no-poaching" agreement brokered by the IIHF between the NHL and KHL stays in effect (which appears doubtful right now) then no one in the NHL will be following Radulov's lead, unless it's as free agents where they can sign wherever they please.

For NHLPA members as well as North American minor leaguers the KHL works to their benefit, giving them another option to earn big league dollars as well as a strong leverage tool in contract talks with their respective NHL teams.

Thus far Radulov is the only truly significant Russian player to sign with a KHL team. As James Mirtle recently noted, Radulov’s accomplishments at only 21 years of age are noteworthy, suggesting he’s a burgeoning superstar.

Compare him however to what Russian NHL stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk accomplished at 21. Losing one of those players would be a serious blow for the NHL. Losing a dozen players of Radulov’s caliber per year would represent a significant talent drain. Losing only one player like Radulov per year is not.

Considering the bigger fish the KHL tried and failed to land this summer (Malkin being the biggest), if the main concern for the NHL is losing the occasional promising player to the KHL then it is a minor irritant.

Even if Radulov’s contract with Ufa is allowed to stand it doesn’t mean he’s gone forever, as he suggested in a recent interview he could return to the NHL, citing the example of countryman Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals.

It’s not however a minor irritant to the Nashville Predators, as replacing his offensive production won’t be easy for this goal-starved team, and the timing – coming in mid-July – couldn’t be worse, taking away the opportunity for the Preds to attempt to sign a suitable replacement via the UFA market.

Radulov recently claimed he tried to forewarn the Predators management of offers from the KHL in hopes of signing a contract extension.

If so, GM David Poile either thought Radulov was bluffing, or most likely believed the  “anti-poaching” verbal agreement between the NHL and KHL would prevent a KHL team from signing Radulov.

Prior to the NHL's transfer agreement dispute with Russia the number of Russian prospects selected by NHL teams was already declining.

Granted, the lack of a transfer agreement, the inability under the current CBA for NHL teams to hold the rights of drafted European players indefinitely and the uncertainty of those players being allowed to join the NHL teams that drafted them were significant factors but so too has been the decline in player development in Russia.

Their hockey program has been in serious decline since the early 1990s. Stars like Ovechkin and Malkin were exceptions to the rule, as Russian hockey in recent years generally produced one-dimensional forwards, few top-caliber defensemen and weak goaltending.

That was clearly highlighted last summer when Canada's juniors humiliated Russia's best juniors  going unbeaten in an 8 game series "Super Series" that was anything but for the Russians.

Yes, Russia did win the World Championships this year against an NHL stocked Canadian team in a thrilling gold-medal overtime game, but it was the first time in 13 years they’d won that championship, a considerable drought for a country once considered the world’s preeminent hockey power.

The KHL maintains it wants to prevent NHL teams from poaching their best young talent, that it wants that talent to develop their game in their home country, and perhaps this will give Russian hockey the best opportunity to achieve this. Still, it seems odd that they're resorting more to spending their dollars on predominantly marginal NHL talent, most of whom aren't even Russian.

What if those big bucks aren’t enough to sway talented young Russians from playing in the NHL?

In recent years some Russian teams resorted to pressuring players and their families into signing contracts (Evgeni Malkin), took away their passports to prevent them leaving Russia voluntarily (Malkin again), suggesting players needed to complete "mandatory military service" (Nikolai Zherdev and Alexander Semin), or in the case of Columbus prospect Nikita Filatov claiming only the indemnity portion of his contract with CSKA Moscow has expired but the rest of the contract was still valid.

It remains to be seen if big money contracts will bring an end to those questionable tactics.

Tossing big money at young Russian players could also backfire on the KHL, as those youngsters could accept those expensive KHL contracts ( knowing the NHL has a strict entry level cap), bank their KHL millions and then say Dosvidaniya once their KHL contract is up to head to the NHL’s bigger stage.

Don’t overlook the pull that Russian NHL stars like Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk have on young Russian hockey players, who dream of following in their footsteps and garnering full international fame.

In my discussion with James Mirtle  one of his readers suggested the real issue here isn’t the KHL taking away top line talent from the NHL but rather signing away marginal talent which could deplete the on-ice talent pool resulting in a poor quality product for the NHL.

Somehow I doubt the NHL will suffer because the Chris Simons, Kyle Wanvigs, and Niko Kapanens of the hockey world head overseas.The North American and European talents pools are sufficiently deep to cover off those losses.

Besides, Europe has been a favorable destination for career minor leaguers and marginal NHLers for quite some time, long before the KHL came into being. Usually those players signed with German, Swiss and Swedish teams, partially for language reasons but also because they generally paid well. Few, particularly North American players, made Russia a destination of choice.

We’re hearing more about marginal talent signing with the KHL  this year because  that league (essentially a super-sized version of the old Russian Super League) just came into existence and they’re offering more money than other European teams. If anything, the KHL could be more of a threat to the talent pools in other European leagues than to the NHL’s.

Just because players sign with the KHL doesn’t mean they’re never coming back. In previous years many tended to sign one or two year contracts, often with “out clauses” should an NHL team come calling, and it wasn't  unusual for those players to return to the NHL.

Even if  new KHL contracts  lack  those  "out clauses"  those players could still return to the NHL once their contracts have expired.

The NHL isn’t blameless for the current standoff with the KHL. It bears the brunt of the blame for not fairly compensating European teams under their previous transfer agreement. KHL team owners have every right to be angry but their oil money alone will be enough to win a war of attrition with the NHL.

It cannot compete with the NHL in terms of venues, advertising, ticket sales, concessions, broadcasting and other revenue streams. Thus far it appears the only thing backing those big contracts is the ownerships' oil money.

Most might be willing to write off their teams losses for a while but that won’t go on forever. At some point the KHL will have to stand on its own instead of requiring its wealthiest teams to bail it out. This league has a long way to go to prove itself a viable, competitive alternative to the NHL instead of a plaything for Russian oil barons.

At some point, the NHL and KHL will have reach detente and work on a mutually beneficial agreement. Nothing can really be gained for either side, regardless of the perceived threat of one or the apparent advantage of the other, in allow the current situation to fester and deteriorate.

It was believed this “anti-poaching” deal was a start but the Radulov situation could kill that agreement and put NHL-KHL negotiations further into the deep freeze.

This new Cold War of the hockey world doesn’t show any signs of thawing soon.

One of the greatest careers in NHL history has come to an end.

Jaromir Jagr, former captain of the New York Rangers, has announced he’s decided to accept a two-year contract from Avangard Omsk of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

He’d hoped to re-sign with the Rangers but apparently no real contract talks took place between himself and Rangers management.

Jagr has at times been a considered a moody, petulant self-centered prima donna by his critics, but there is no denying he ranks among the greatest forwards in NHL history.

He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, the Art Ross as the leading point scorer five times, won the Pearson award three times, was a seven time first team all star, played on two Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 1998 Czech Republic Men’s hockey team.

Jagr also holds 12 NHL records, including most assists by a rookie in the Stanley Cup finals (5), most regular season assists (87) and points (149) by a right wing, and 8 Rangers team records, all set in 2005-06, including most regular season goals (54), points (123), power play goals (24), shots (368) and tied with Mark Messier and Don Murdoch for most game winning goals with 9.

He finishes his NHL career with 646 goals, 953 assists and 1599 points in the regular season, and 77 goal and 181 points in 169 playoff games.

His was a Hall of Fame career and he should be a first ballot selection.

Some might feel cheated that Jagr will finish his playing career in Russia rather than the NHL, but NHL fans got to see him at his very best for most of his 17 NHL seasons, and that’s what he should be remembered for.  

The Montreal Canadiens have signed an impact forward, albeit one who provides a different kind of impact, inking noted enforcer Georges Laraque to a three-year contract believed worth $1.5 million per season, a modest raise over the $1.3 million per season he earned last season.

Laraque, a native of Montreal, has spent most of his career with the Edmonton Oilers and after spending the last two season split between Phoenix and Pittsburgh was believed considering heading back to Edmonton.

Considering Laraque’s comments earlier in his career against playing in Montreal due to the intense pressure French-Canadiens face with the Habs it’s a little surprising that he’s changed his mind, although the length of the deal likely had something to do with it.

Laraque’s presence will be a welcome one for a Canadiens team deep in talent but thin on grit, and will take much of the load off shut-down defenseman Mike Komisarek who’s had to do more than his fair share of the Habs enforcement duties.  

It’s been a busy week for Penguins GM Ray Shero.

Having filled the gaps at wing via free agency and re-signed young superstar Evegni Malkin Shero today locked up young goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a seven-year, $35 million contract.

Fleury will now be making $5 million per season over that period, a considerable raise from the $1.6 million he earned last season.

His tremendous performance in the Penguins run to the Stanley Cup finals this spring was undoubtedly the contributing factor in his new contract, and if he continues to play as well over the next five years as he did in this spring’s playoffs this will be money well-spent for the Pens.

Shero’s will likely next turn his focus upon center Jordan Staal, who’ll be eligible for RFA status next July. It’s been speculated Staal could be a tougher nut to crack as it’s believed he’s not happy centering the third line and would prefer more offensive roles.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took action to fill the gaps on the wing left by the departures of Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa on Thursday, signing right winger Miroslav Satan and winger Ruslan Fedotenko to one year contracts.

Satan, who had 41 points in 80 games with the NY Islanders last season, will earn $3.5 million, while Fedotenko, another ex-Islander, had 33 points in 67 games and will make $2.5 million.

Neither will fully replace what Malone and Hossa contributed to the Penguins last season and will be seen as stopgap replacements, but at least GM Ray Shero has addressed the lack of depth on the wing in the wake of Hossa and Malone’s departures with a pair or decent free agents

This probably means we can scratch those speculations of Jaromir Jagr and Markus Naslund signing with the Penguins.

The Ottawa Senators continue to make affordable signings in this summer’s UFA market to bolster their roster, signing former Penguins agitator Jarkko Ruutu to a three-year, $3.9 million contract.

Ruutu’s new salary will be $1.3 million per season against the Senators cap, which is only a slight boost over the $1.15 million he earned with the Penguins last season.

His addition will provide addition grit to the Sens forward lines.

After watching notables like Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Jarkko Ruutu signing elsewhere this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins managed to retain a key unrestricted free agent.

The Penguins re-signed defenseman Brooks Orpik to a six year, $22.5 million contract, paying him an average of $3.75 million per season.

Orpik was often rumored on his way out of Pittsburgh amid speculation he and head coach Michel Therrien didn’t get along. He denied those rumors and this signing will bury them.

A physical defenseman, Orpik came into his own this season, particularly in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he played big minutes and proved himself a capable “shut-down” defenseman.

Had he hit the open market Orpik probably would’ve received offers around $5 million per season but he obviously wished to remain in Pittsburgh, accepting less than market value to do so.

As expected the Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Evgeni Malkin to a five-year contract extension, which will commence for the 2009-10 season following the completion of the final year of his current entry level contract.

No official word yet on the financial terms but it’s believed to be in the neighborhood of $8.5 million per season .

So much for the baseless speculation in recent weeks that Malkin didn’t want to play second fiddle to Sidney Crosby or wanted as much money as Alexander Ovechkin.

I realize some folks believe the Penguins should’ve focused on re-signing wingers Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone and shopped Malkin but let’s face it, when you’ve got two of the top young centers in the game and have the opportunity to re-sign them, you do it.

The Penguins are expected to open contract extension talks with another young center, Jordan Staal, later this month.

A lack of scoring wingers is still a problem for Penguins management but that’s something that can be potentially resolved in the coming days or weeks, albeit with more affordable acquisitions.

This move potentially ties up over $17 million in cap space for the Penguins starting in 2009-10, but given the ownership’s new willingness to keep pace with the cap and absorb losses over the next two seasons whilst awaiting the construction of their new arena, that might not be as problematic as it appears.  

After months of speculation over where Marian Hossa could end up, he finally made his choice today and it was a surprising one.

The fact Hossa signed with the Detroit Red Wings wasn’t surprising, it’s the deal he signed with them, spurning more lucrative offers from other teams to sign a one-year, $7.4 million contract.

Hossa was fielding multi-year offers worth over $9 million per season to opt for a one-year opportunity for less than market value to win a Stanley Cup.

Signing with a Cup contender was Hossa’s long-stated intent and with the defending Stanley Cup champions he stands a great chance of doing so.

Among the teams vying for Hossa’s services was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who reportedly offered him a multi-year contract believed to be between $7.5 -$8 million per season.

Draw your own conclusions.

It certainly says a lot about the respect Hossa has for the Red Wings organization that he’d agree to just a one-year deal for less money to play for them when he could’ve earned a king’s ransom elsewhere. When you’re the class of the league like the Red Wings, you can pretty much name your price and most players will jump for it.

This move also gives Hossa some flexibility for if he wins a championship next season with the Red Wings he can then jump into next summer’s UFA pool where he’ll again likely attract big money offers.

It may be an opportunistic move by Hossa but obviously he and the Red Wings have no problem with it.

The Ottawa Senators have found a replacement for the recently bought out Ray Emery, signing former Bruins goalie Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $1 million. $2 million. 

That ‘ll make him a more affordable cap hit to the Senators cap, and Auld will be hoping to stick with the Senators for a while and perhaps re-establish himself as a potential starter he was once envisioned to be with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the decade.

Adam Hall’s solid performance this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, especially during the playoffs, landed him a three –year contract extension worth $1.8 million.

Sorry about that, folks, the feed I received had Hall re-signed with the Penguins. He in fact signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. My apologies for the confusion.

The Pens also signed former Calgary Flames forward Eric Godard to a three year contract.

Thus far the Penguins have retained two of their UFA forwards but of course they were the most affordable to re-sign. It remains to be seen if they can retain Marian Hossa and defenseman Brooks Orpik.