This question has been asked a thousand times. But, if you had to choose, who would you choose, Jarome Iginla, your "heart and soul" captain, or Miikka Kiprusoff, your all-star, award winning goaltender?

When the new CBA was completed, ending the lockout, many detractors were quick to point out that this type of question would be asked too often. While the CBA was orginally determined to force big market teams to make decisions such as these, few people realized that small market teams would also be put in a similar situation. The trade of Ryan Smyth had NOTHING to do with the fact that he played in Edmonton, but more to do with the Oilers' management, and their decisions up to this point. While Edmonton had the money to sign Smyth, eventually opting to trade him instead, it was put in a precarious position during the last offseason, when Oilers management opted to re-sign several other "key" players (i.e. Pisani, Roloson, etc.) and make a few other additions to the roster (i.e. Sykora). No one in Edmonton complained at the time, but I'm sure if they knew the direction the franchise was eventually going to take, they would've disagreed.

Nonetheless, this same situation figures to present itself many times in the coming years. The debate over Iginla and Kiprusoff in Calgary is not unique. Even in Buffalo this offseason, the Sabres will be forced to pursue either Briere or Drury, NOT both, because of salary cap concerns (if they pursue either at all). Both mismanagement of the cap and the evolution of teams (i.e. player growth and development), not to mention the ever increasing player salaries, will play essential roles in determing the success of teams. No longer can teams "throw" money at a problem in hopes of fixing it. Teams must have the foresight to predict the future, unlike in past years, and for that I do give to Oilers GM Kevin Lowe. Scouting and development as are important as ever, and that certainly bodes well for the future of the league, no matter how many different teams those future stars play for.

Star players will be leaving both small and large markets for the duration of this CBA, with the institution of the salary cap. Teams can no longer add, year after year, key veterans to their team in hopes of picking up that one player, that puts above the rest of the competition in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the notion that long gone are the days of identifying a certain player(s) with one team or organization. The league can wave goodbye to the era of players like Yzerman in Detroit, Sakic in Colorado/Quebec, Modano with Dallas/Minnesota, or Lemieux with Pittsburgh. When you think of those players (and obviously more), you think of those organizations, the commitment and dedication that player gave to that team and those fans, and the successes and struggles that player has competed through, at all costs. Nonetheless, those days are gone and if the plan was to level the playing field, the league has certainly done so.

In the coming days (or most likely weeks), I plan to take on the unenviable task of ranking the top ten active goaltenders, top ten active defensemen, and the top twenty-five forwards in the NHL. Now, the last thing the world needs is another top ten list, I know, but I wanted to look at it from a different point of view; that is, I wanted to rank active NHL players to determine which of those players, currently in the league will be the greatest fifteen-twenty years from now. In other words, when these players retire, who will be remembered as the greatest? A player's legacy is not simply based on their statistical performance but it is a combination of many things, including statistics, both in the regular and postseasons, regular and postseason success, awards and honors, and just general star quality. Some players are simply remembered for their statistics (Marcel Dionne), others for success (the Richard brothers) and some for both (Gretzky and Messier).

This debate is purely subjective and I know people will disagree with my list and I'd love to hear any suggestions, players I've left off, and/or players that do not belong on this list. Remember, this list is based on performance thus far, and projected success in the future. These projections have no foundation whatsoever, other than pure instinct.
Let the debate begin....

#10
Marc-Andre Fleury - This generation's Grant Fuhr, Fleury will most likely give a ton of goals on the high-flying Penguins, but he stands to win a LOT of games behind the three-headed monster that is Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. The first overall pick in 2003 has begun to show major promise in his second full NHL season (despite his recent struggles) and with a record of 31-14-7 for the young, and still improving, Penguins, Fleury is showing that he can be the franchise goalie he was expected to be.

#9
Kari Lehtonen - The 2nd overall pick in 2002, Lehtonen was expected to be the missing link, the player that would, once and for all, put the Thrashers over the top and into the playoffs. Lehtonen has done nothing but exceed expectations. Now in his second full season, Lehtonen has amassed an impressive 52-34-8 record, on a team that has never made the playoffs. However, stuck in a non-traditional market on team that plays poor defense, Lehtonen will face his fair share of struggles, despite star teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, and that, more than anything else may define his career. Through sheer talent alone, Lehtonen will win a lot of games, but it all may be for naught in a market like Atlanta.

#8
J.S. Giguere - Giguere, known most prominently for his role in the restoration of the Mighty Ducks franchise, has proven himself to be a stellar goaltender. In 2003, he brought Anaheim, almost single-handedly to the 7th game of the Stanley Cup Finals, deservedly winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts. Since being drafted 12th overall in 1995 by Hartford, Giguere has amassed over 150 career wins, and figures to win many more in the future, despite most likely sharing time with backup Ilya Bryzgalov. Perhaps his legacy was sealed in almost bringing down the mighty Devils in 2003, but J.S. Giguere will continue to stifle opposing offenses for years to come. 

#7
Curtis Joseph - Curtis "CuJo" Joseph has, more or less, been defined by his great regular season success. Unfortunately, his success in the regular season has failed to translate into the postseason. Approaching 450 career wins, Joseph has failed to make any major impact in the playoffs, with a current record of 62-66 in the postseason. Nonetheless, Joseph is a three-time All-Star and Olympic Gold medallist in 2002 with Canada.

#6
Ed Belfour - A six-time All-Star, the 1991 Calder Trophy winner, 4-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy, 2-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, 2002 Olympic Goal Medallist with Canada, and starting goaltender for the 1999 Stanley Cup winning Dallas Stars, Ed Belfour has done plenty to place himself among some of the greatest names in the history of the position. With almost 450 career wins, Belfour is one of the winningest goalies in history, in addition to his 76 career shutouts, and 88 career playoff wins. Belfour's resume speaks for itself, but in terms of greatness, few will remember him among the likes of Dryden, Roy, and Hasek. 

#5
Roberto Luongo - Luongo has long been considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, but consistently lacked a good enough team in front of him to adequately illustrate his excellence. Since being traded from Florida to Vancouver, Luongo has proven himself to be one of the best goalies the league has seen in years. Already in contention for the Hart and Vezina trophies, he figures to thrive in the hockey-rich market in Western Canada and continue his stellar play. The only criticism of Luongo's game is that he not only lacks any playoff success, he lacks any playoff experience at all, having not played in a postseason tournament since the 2000 AHL playoffs. How Luongo plays in coming years for the Canucks in the playoffs, will greatly determine how he is remembered. (Note: I always love to point out that the NY Islanders passed on Luongo and Olli Jokinen, trading both of them to the Florida Panthers in 2000 for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha; I just thought that was worth mentioning.)

#4
Miikka Kiprusoff - A lowly 5th round pick in 1995, Kiprusoff has emerged as perennial Vezina contender, after being given the chance to start in Calgary. An All-Star in 2007, Kiprusoff, now only in his second full-season of starting, has already won the Vezina trophy and the Jennings trophy, while compiling over 100 career wins, not including 19 in only two years of playoff experience. Kiprusoff, in his first year of starting led the Calgary Flames to within one game of winning the Stanley Cup and figures to continue such dominance (1.92 GAA, .927 SV%) in the playoffs in the future. Kiprusoff is seen as only the beginning of future Finnish dominance of the goaltending position, and if that is the case, the future is certainly bright for the NHL. 

#3
Ryan Miller - I'll admit, I might be slightly biased here, but I predict that Ryan Miller will not be remembered as a great goaltender because of his statistics (which are good in their own right, but, historically, not particularly noteworthy) but because Miller stands to win an incredible amount of games with the Sabres. Buffalo has emerged in front of the former Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winner as an elite team in the new NHL and will most likely continue to thrive into the foreseeable future. In only his second full season of starting, Miller is nearing 70 career wins (and figures to gain more playing time following the trade of backup Martin Biron) and in his only playoff year, acquired 11 wins, coming one game short of the Stanley Cup Finals. Often the greatest goaltenders are not remembered for their statistics, but because they won, regardless of how good the team around them was; as much as the goalie's success is a result of how the team around him plays, the team's success is also a result of good the goaltender plays, as well.

#2
Martin Brodeur - A first round pick in 1990, Martin Brodeur has emerged as one of the, if not, arguably, the greatest goaltender of all-time. Playing behind future Hall of Famers like Niedermayer and Stevens, and behind underrated defensemen like Daneyko and Rafalski, Brodeur and the Devils have been the epitome of success in the past 10-12 years. Approaching 500 career wins, Brodeur has led 11 consecutive seasons of 37 or more wins, including 92 shutouts, both of which are records the future Hall of Famer is expected to break. Regardless of his regular season success, Brodeur has performed essentially perfect in his playoff career, winning 3 Stanley Cups, and also coming close twice more, losing to Ray Bourque's Avalanche in Game 7 of the 2001 Finals, and losing to Messier's Rangers in 1994, in only his rookie year. He was the starting goaltender for Canada in the 2002 Olympics, going undefeated and winning the Gold Medal. He is the 1994 Calder Trophy Winner, a 9-time NHL All-Star, a 4-time winner of the Jennings Trophy, and twice won the illustrious Vezina trophy as the league's best goaltender. Brodeur is also, arguably, the greatest puck-handling goaltender of all-time, in addition to being one of few goalies to have ever scored a goal. There is little doubt that Brodeur will retire as the most accomplished goaltender in history, but will he be known as the best ever?

#1
Dominik Hasek - Among all active goaltenders, Dominik Hasek should be regarded as the best ever. A two-time Jennings Trophy winner, a two-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award, a six-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league's best goaltender, and twice a winner of the Hart Trophy, the league's Most Valuable Player, Dominik Hasek has clearly established that, when healthy, he is the game's best goalie. Hasek has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, which also started much later than expected, when he had little desire to leave Czechoslovakia, but still, Hasek has managed to win over 300 games, single-handedly carry the Buffalo Sabres to the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, and eventually win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Hasek essentially revolutionized the goaltender position, and with his once "unorthodox" style became the quite possibly the greatest and most dominant goaltender of all-time.

Honorable Mention: Rick DiPietro (his 15-year contract will taint his legacy regardless of how he performs)

(Note: All necessary information and/or statistics are from TSN.ca)
 

In response to Hollman's article that begins with the shootout, I would have to say I completely agree. There is no doubt that the shootout was a step in the right direction for the league, and the fact that every game has a winner is obviously a major improvement on past seasons. However, it must be noted that this overtime system could be vastly improved. From what I've heard the league has been investigating various methods of change in regards overtime, but the proposal I like the most has to be the 10 minute overtime.

There is little doubt among hockey fans that the continuous overtime of the playoffs is one of the most amazing things in all of professional sports. The mere potential to go 2 and 3 overtime periods before determining a winner creates riveting television, with so much riding on the next goal. While the regular season can never replicate that playoff atmosphere, the current overtime does have its own distinct level of excitement. The very small change from a 5 minute overtime to a 10 minute overtime would exend that excitement and leave more opportunities for teams to win the game with an actual goal. I love the shootout like anyone else, but truthfully I would much rather see the game end on a goal, rather than watch 3 or more individual players try to win the game on shootout attempts.

The new 10 minute overtime would take no effort to implement, and I'm sure the fans have no problem watching an extra five minutes of hockey, if indeed the game would go to a shootout. The problem with hockey is that while there really aren't any glaring problems, the game could still be much improved, but the league either refuses to make changes or does not recognize where such changes would enhance the game.

The Buffalo Sabres continue to be one the major models for success in the new NHL. I completely agree with those detractors that are quick to point out that this success was heavily based on luck. GM Darcy Regier had built a relatively decent team heading into the lockout but, following the rules changes (and the development of top players like Vanek and Miller), the Sabres emerged as one of the new NHL's frontrunners. Darcy Regier had done somewhat in drafts, trades, and the like, but the fact remains, Buffalo was never going to contend, at least consistently. The system was full of players not cut out for the old NHL (Connolly, Briere, etc), and salary escalation meant that the Sabres could not afford to improve via FA or through the acquisition of any major veteran talent.

With the introduction of the new NHL, however, it quickly became clear that the Sabres, and their quick, skilled roster was perfect for the NHL. It combined skill and agility (Afinogenov, Briere) with toughness and leadership (Drury) to make the perfect up-tempo team. However, their success wasn't solely based on the rules changes. The Sabres had great organizational depth, and what's more is that that depth was beautifully integrated into all levels of the organization. During the lockout, for example, head coach Lindy Ruff worked the Rochester Americans, the Sabres' AHL affiliate, to ensure that the future of the organzation knew what to expect at the NHL level. Players like Vanek and Miller emerged as future all-stars from Rochester, and the Americans continue to develop NHL-ready talent in forwards like Drew Stafford, Clarke MacArthur, and Michael Ryan. The draft has been key to the Sabres' success, as much of the organization's depth is a result of the middle and later rounds of the draft, not based on the success of their first round picks. In fact, the Sabres have only picked in the early portion of the first round once in the last decade or so, selection Thomas Vanek.

All things considered, it shouldn't be surprising that even with 8 regulars out of the starting lineup, the Buffalo Sabres continue to win, and continue their hold of 1st place in the Eastern Conference and their battle (with Nashville) for 1st place in the NHL overall. If and when the Sabres lose both Drury and Briere, the sound goaltending of Ryan Miller, the bend-but-don't-break, offense-first defense, and the solid two-way play from their forwards will leave this team in contention for years to come. Believe it or not, Lindy Ruff, Darcy Regier, and the rest of the management team, are and will continue to beresponsible for this success now and in the future.

As the dust continues to settle in the post-lockout NHL, it is becoming more and more clear that the league, while it can survive in its current state, would be much better suited following either contraction or relocation. It is VERY unlikely that we will see contraction any time soon in the NHL, but the possibly of relocation is intriguing. Teams like the Florida Panthers and the Nashville Predators will seemingly never draw major crowds. It may appear that Gary Bettman deserves credit for saving for the NHL and I believe he does; the only problem is, is that Gary Bettman is the reason the NHL needed saving in the first place. The overexpansion of the 90's is what put the NHL into pre-lockout mess that it was in. Markets that never should've been considered for NHL teams, were not only considered but granted organizations. I understand that cities like Phoenix and Nashville have strong fanbases, but they are not hockey markets and those fanbases are barely, if at all, enough to fully support an NHL team.

The NHL took teams out of hockey markets in Winnipeg, Minnesota, Hartford and Quebec, not because these cities couldn't support teams, but because these cities couldn't support teams that couldn't win. In the new era of the salary cap, all of these cities, with the right amenities, could support NHL teams. The argument that the NHL can never be a top professional league is fundamentally flawed. The belief is that, if the league can't contend with the NFL, NBA, and MLB in America, it simply is a failure. Well, simply put, the league can survive without the U.S. In Canada, the league is as strong as ever, with support to put even an another team in Ontario. In hockey areas, like MInnesota, and the Northeast, the NHL is also as strong as ever. Unfortunately, the success of the NHL is based on the success of teams in markets like Florida, Nashville, Phoenix, Carolina, and other markets that most likely never should have been given teams  in the first place. There's still plenty of to correct these mistakes, but it's up to a current regime, in Gary Bettman and friends, that aren't very likely to admit they made an enormous mistake in overexpansion.

If it were up to me, I would most likely combine the Coyotes and Panthers, and move them back to Winnipeg. I would move the Nashville Predators into Quebec, finally I would return the Carolina Hurricanes back to Hartford. I would leave it at that for the time being, then re-evaluate the success of the league. I understand that not all teams are going to be successful on the ice every year (and that does reflect in off the ice success), but the league can at least give every organization a fair shot at off ice success.