NHL fans and in particular those in Chicago and Toronto should keep an eye on the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs as there could be some changes coming to their respective rosters albeit for vastly different reasons. 

The Blackhawks are believed poised to announce the re-signings of forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews along with defenseman Duncan Keith but owing to a rule in the NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA) they might have to dump some salary first. 

Kane, Toews and Keith are eligible for restricted free agent status (RFA) in July so in order to prevent rival teams from trying to sign them away via offer sheets the Blackhawks have reportedly negotiated new long-term contracts for the three, which would take effect in 2010-11. 

The problem however is that the

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Nikita Filatov is returning home to Russia. 

It was reported Tuesday Filatov, 19, has signed a contract with CSKA Moscow of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, with the blessing of the Blue Jackets. 

The deal allows the young winger, who struggled to adjust to head coach Ken Hitch**** demanding two-way style, to play the season in Russia, with the understanding he can return to the Jackets next season. 

Filatov's handling by Hitchcock has according to the Columbus Dispatch been an area of contention between the coach and GM Scott Howson, who selected Filatov sixth overall in the 2008 entry draft.

Expectations were high for Filatov to crack the Blue Jackets lineup this season and he was even touted as a potential rookie of the year candidate

One of the top power forwards in NHL history has called it a career as Brendan Shanahan today officially announced his retirement. 

This announcement has been expected for several weeks in the wake of the New Jersey Devils reaching an agreement with Shanahan releasing him from his contract with the club during pre-season. 

Shanahan retires with an impressive resume of statistics which will one day see him enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

As per the NHL press release:

Shanahan finishes his career in 11th place on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list with 656 goals. He stands 11th in games played with 1,524, 22nd in penalty minutes with 2,489, 23rd in points with 1,354 and 49th in assists with 698. He is the only player in NHL history to amass more than 2,000

Weeks of seemingly endless speculation over the playing status and future plans of former NHL star Peter Forsberg came to an end today with the report he would play the remainder of the 2009-10 season with MoDo of the Swedish Elite League. 

The Forsberg NHL rumor mill cranked up when it was announced he would be playing for Sweden in the Karjala Cup tournament, resulting in several NHL teams, including the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, NY Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, either expressing interest in him or sending scouts to the tournament to follow his progress. 

Those who scouted Forsberg said he didn't play up to his own high standard as he's been plagued by pain  in his right foot for which he'd undergone surgery several years ago. While Forsberg said his foot didn't

"Kano" recently e-mailed me to say they liked my recent analysis of the Montreal Canadiens draft record this decade and asked if I would also look at those of the other Canadian teams. I think it's a good idea which I'll do over the next couple of weeks or so as news permits. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be leading all NHL teams in value (according to Forbes magazine) but their on-ice performance post-lockout has left much to be desired, as the last time they made the playoffs was 2004.

This season the Leafs are so far jockeying for position with the Carolina Hurricanes as the worst team in the NHL, and part of the reason can be traced to their poor draft record over the course of this decade. 

2000: Forward Brad Boyes and goalie Mikael Tellqvist were the most notable picks

For most of this decade Montreal Canadiens fans have believed the salvation of their faded franchise rested upon rebuilding with the young players drafted and developed by the team. 

Habs fans for the past several years have trotted out the high rankings their organization received from websites and publications tracking prospect development for the club's supposed depth in promising talent. 

A quick look however at the fate of most of the players considered top prospects within the Canadiens system from 2000 to 2007 suggests those rankings may have been inflated. 

2000: The top three picks were Ron Hainsey, Marcel Hossa and Jozef Balej. Of the three only Hainsey is still playing in the NHL but in Atlanta, not Montreal, where he faces being relegated to second line defense

- It appears the NHL career of forward Tyler Arnason has come to an end. 

After he cleared waivers yesterday the NY Rangers released him from his one-year, two-way contract with the club, allowing him to sign with the KHL's Dinamo Riga. 

Arnason, 30, had been playing this season with the Rangers' AHL affiliate after failing to make their roster during pre-season play. 

His play had been in steady decline since a career-best 22-goal, 55-point performance in 2003-04 with the Chicago Blackhawks. He'd spent the last three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. 

- Forward Drew Miller is on the move again via waivers. 

Having been acquired from the Anaheim Ducks by the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer in a trade Miller was claimed by the Detroit Red Wings on waivers. 

NHL enforcer Steve MacIntyre is returning to the team which signed him to his current contract. 

The Florida Panthers claimed MacIntyre off waivers yesterday from the Edmonton Oilers, who claimed him off waivers from the Panthers last September when they attempted to send him to the minors. 

MacIntyre, 29, played in only 22 games for the Oilers last season as a broken orbital bone sidelined him for a significant period, but in that short span his aggressive physical style and willingness to drop the gloves made him popular with Oilers fans, who nicknamed him "SmackIntyre". 

Under new head coach Pat Quinn however MacIntyre was unable to earn a regular roster spot, appearing in only four games. 

His spot with the Panthers, who signed him to a two-year contract back

Things went from bad to worse for the struggling Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend, losing starting goaltender Cam Ward for at least 3-4 weeks after he suffered a laceration to his upper left leg during a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. 

With little confidence in backup Michael Leighton to carry the load and few options in their farm system the Hurricanes delved into the unrestricted free agent market today, signing former St. Louis Blues netminder Manny Legace to a one-year, two-way contract worth $500K at the NHL level. 

Legace, 36, was playing in the AHL for the Chicago Wolves. TSN reports his record was 2-2 with a 3.21 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage. 

Those aren't numbers likely to inspire Hurricanes fans, who've witnessed their