As the start of the NHL's 2009-10 season fast approaches several teams have made some late pre-season additions. 

-The most significant is the Atlanta Thrashers signing former Buffalo Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov to a one-year, $800K contract. 

Afinogenov, 30, made the Thrashers after receiving a tryout offer from the club earlier in September. 

Not a bad move by the Thrashers to take a chance on Afinogenov, who was former 73 point performer in 2005-06 with the Buffalo Sabres and had 61 points in 56 games in 2006-07. 

Afinogenov however was hampered by injuries and was never really the same following a season-shortening wrist injury in 2007. His point production fell dramatically over the past two seasons with the Sabres as did his ice time. 

If Afinogenov

With Wayne Gretzky stepping down as head coach of the troubled Phoenix Coyotes it’s only natural to wonder what’s next for hockey’s biggest name and if he still has a future in some capacity in the NHL.

Sure, he’ll always be linked to the league and to hockey. The NHL owes Gretzky a huge debt of gratitude as it was both his play and his name recognition which spurred the sport’s popularity surge in the late 1980s and early 1990s which in turn resulted in the NHL’s expansion into the American south in the last decade.

Returning as a player is out of the question for the game’s greatest player, now 48 years old and more than 10 years removed from his last professional game.

His coaching record with the Coyotes (143-161-24) isn’t likely

The battle between the NHL and Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie over the ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes has garnered considerable headlines over the past several months and is expected to be resolved by a bankruptcy court judge within the next two weeks.

If the judge rules in favor of Balsillie, who last week increased his bid to an eye-popping $242.5 million – far more than the franchise is worth –it could set in motion a legal challenge by the NHL to prevent him from moving the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario either this season or next.

If however the ruling goes in favor of the NHL, the league might be stuck with a money-losing franchise it might be unable to find a new owner for which it might have to eventually consider relocating anyway.

All of this is because the

A little over a year after forward Radim Vrbata left the Phoenix Coyotes to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an unrestricted free agent he's heading back to the "Desert Dawgs". 

The Lightning today dealt Vrbata, 28, to the Coyotes for tough guy winger Todd Fedoruk and defenseman David Hale. 

Vrbata had his best NHL season with the Coyotes in 2007-08, scoring a career-best 27 goals and 56 points in 76 games. Following that impressive performance he and the Coyotes tried to negotiate a new contract but ultimately he jumped to the Lightning to the tune of three years and $9 million. 

Unfortunately for Vrbata and the Lightning things didn't work out. He managed only 6 points in 18 games last season and opted to play the rest of the season in his native Czech Republic. 

Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney won't let the uncertainty over the ownership of his team and its uncertain future in the Phoenix area preventy him from making moves to improve his club. 

Maloney today dealt right wing Enver Lisin to the New York Rangers in exchange for left wing Lauri Korpikoski. 

Both are restricted free agents who'd been qualified by their respective clubs prior to the trade but had yet to sign new contracts. 

Lisin had been touted as one of the Coyotes promising prospects. In his rookie performance last season he had 13 goals and 21 assists in 48 games. 

Maloney already had plenty of depth on right wing (Shane Doan, Peter Mueller, Mikkel Boedker, Victor Tikhonov and Scottie Upshall) and needed depth on the left side.

The Rangers were