July 8, 2009.

Toronto – It has been less that a year since Brian Burke took the reigns as the Toronto Maple Leafs President and General Manager but already the team has a new look and some much needed optimism in a city that was starved for it. Having to clean up the mess left behind by the previous GMs John Ferguson Jr. and Cliff Fletcher Burke still has some work ahead him but the wheels are already in motion.

Stating all along that he wanted this team to be more “truculent and tougher” Burkes first move when taking over was to bring in an old friend in winger Brad May from Anaheim. More for his locker room presence than anything May was very long in the tooth and ended up costing Toronto nothing in terms of any type of return; May was instrumental in helping rookie Luke Schenn in his development even moving in with the young star during the season. Not expected to return this season May was a great pickup for nothing.

At the end of the regular season Burke worked his magic and signed a couple of overage college players in Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak. While Hanson isn’t expected to be more than a third line player Bozak has the potential to be a top six forward and will get every opportunity to ply his trade with a ton of ice time this season.

The trade deadline brought high expectations with names such as Nik Antropov, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Vesa Toskala, Dominic Moore and Jason Blake being thrown around Antropov and Moore ended up being the only roster players moved for some valuable second round draft picks. Burke showed his genius with an inventive deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning literally buying a fourth round draft pick in exchange for some garbage contracts causing a stir among fellow GMs around the league Burke showed off his Harvard law degree with this move.

Vowing to try to trade up in the entry draft to land coveted prospect John Tavares or even within the top five draft choices to get a shot at Luke’s brother Brayden Schenn Burke could not find a dance partner and wound up where they started selecting with their own pick in the number seven spot taking Nazem Kadri. The Kadri pick combined with all the trade talk that seemed to fall through Leaf fans, not exactly known for their patience, were starting to vent expecting Swedish stud Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson or defenseman Jared Cowen to be selected. Topping off the day in Leaf nation was the talk of a potential blockbuster deal that would send longtime Maple Leaf blueliner Tomas Kaberle to the rival Bruins in exchange for potential 40-goal sniper Phil Kessel and a draft pick. Miscommunication between the two clubs nixed the trade that many NHL experts expected to be a “sure thing.” Toronto fans were not pleased with many jumping off the bandwagon.

If draft day was a letdown the off season was anything but; free agent signings Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin and the gem of the UFA season, netminder Jonas Gustavsson, “the best goalie outside the NHL” as has been said numerous times were all signed. Pavel Kubina was dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers for another heavy hitting defenseman Grant Exelby and potential third line agitator Colin Stuart. With the logjam of Leaf blueliners now at ten something has to give. Rumors are swirling of Kaberle being traded to either St. Louis, who are in dire need of a veteran puck moving defenseman, or to the Bruins for Kessel in a reworked draft day deal that went sour. Kessel would fill the Leafs biggest need right now, a slick top line goal scorer.

Burke may not be finished signing free agents; Anthony Stewart and Travis Moen have both been linked to Toronto and both seem to fit Burke statements of getting bigger and tougher up front.

Retooling rather than rebuilding Burke fully expects this team to make the playoffs from now on under his watchful eye. Judging by his first year on the job the Leafs bandwagon might not have enough room to seat everybody with each move he makes more and more people are buying into what Burke is selling. For the first time in a long time there is optimism in Leaf nation.

Brian Burke – The worst kept secret in hockey, might officially come to an end soon. Brian Burke has left his post as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, for personal reasons, which will clear his path to Toronto. Burke led the Ducks to a cup in a couple years back and has long been rumored for the vacant Maple Leaf job. The reason Burke wanted out of Anaheim is simple he has family on the east coast and the travel has just become to much for him and his family. Brian didn’t just quit on the Ducks, he informed them he wouldn’t sign an extension past this season and they decided to go in another direction. The rebuilding Maple Leafs have been linked to Burke ever since they fired John Ferguson Jr as there GM last season. It will take a week or two for all the papers to be signed and for Burke to be able to negotiate with another team. That team will be Toronto and I don’t see any way he doesn’t become the next GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is going to be fun, the outspoken Burke and the media in Toronto should be entertaining to say the least. Whether you think Burke is the right man for the Maple Leaf job or not, you have to hope that if he takes the job, they will give him the power to build the team as he chooses. Toronto needs some stability and direction and Burke will give them that. Hire him Toronto, give him what he wants and the time to get this franchise heading in the right direction.

Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended for two games for an elbow the other night against the Canadiens.

Brendan Shanahan - Well, a future Hall of Famer looks to be returning to the NHL soon. His destination is yet to be determined and the rumors are swirling. Brendan would like to stay close to New York where his family is, but it won’t be with the Rangers. That would make it seem like he will either sign in New Jersey or Philadelphia. I don’t know if these are the best places for Shanny to play, Philadelphia is already very deep up front and New Jersey plays a defense first system. Brendan has done a lot of things in this league and I think he still has the ability to put the puck in the net. He can help a power play and give some veteran leadership in a locker room. I would like to see Shanahan go to a younger team and help them get to the next level, Chicago would be perfect. If Brendan wants to win a cup this year, how about adding some depth to the forward lines in Pittsburgh or provide some leadership in Buffalo. Where ever he goes I am glad he is going to come back, he is one of my favorite players and the league is better with him. For my money I think he will sign somewhere close to New York, but if he keeps his options open, most teams in the league would love to have a guy like Shanny on there team.

Columbus Blue Jackets activated Pascal Leclaire off the injured reserve and is expected between the pipes soon. Pascal got off to a bad start this year, but he is one of the best young goalies in the league, who has shown the ability to get shutouts and lead the Jackets to wins.

Alexander Semin still leads the league in three major categories, goals (13), points (27) and plus /  minus ( +17). Everyone already new Semin has the ability to be a top notch player in this league, he is now just starting to perform on a nightly basis. He keeps this pace up he will be the MVP at seasons end.

Tampa Bay Lightning – There are some major problems with this team, and not the ones everyone expected they would have pre season. I for one never thought this team would have no trouble scoring goals with guys like Lecavalier, St Louis, Malone, Prospal and Stamkos. This team has managed just 31 goals in 15 games so far, just over two a game, by far the worst production in the league. There is way to much talent here to be this bad, the big question is why? Well, I don’t really know, but they have done a lot of line juggling and made a lot of changes before the year. Basically this is an entirely new dressing room and it is possible the team just hasn’t gelled. I for one thought the Lightning would play a lot of high scoring games this season, and defense would be there problem ultimately. Fixing this problem will not be easy, the last thing you want to do is disrupt that room again and move more players in and out. The coach is also new this season, and the owners and the general manager. The best thing I could suggest here is be patient, and wait and see if this group of guys can work it out, but I doubt they will be.

The NHL is in full swing, and there are great games every night. It is that time of year when gossip gets around and people search for things to talk about. If you like to keep up with the rumors that’s fine, just take it with a “grain of salt” and wait and see what happens. Gossip and rumors are all for entertainment purposes, enjoy the product on the ice.

Phoenix Coyotes – The Coyotes have been struggling for years, but they went out and improved there young team in the off season. They finally picked up a first line center in all star Olli Jokinen to play along side Shane Doan. That’s not enough in the West they will need contributions from young guys like Kyle Turris and Peter Mueller. They have an excellent goalie with Ilya Bryzgalov and a solid defense led by Ed Jovanovski. This team isn’t very deep yet, but have the talent to make the playoffs. They will play tough hockey and if they avoid the injury bug will battle for one of the final spots in the Western Conference.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Coming off a finals appearance last year, expectations are high on the Pens. They still have two of the best centers in the world with Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby, but the cast around them has changed. They lost some key forwards in the off season and hope guys like Satan, Fedotenko and Cooke can have good years. The injury bug already hit this team losing top defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, they will be out for extended periods of time. The Penguins are still very good, but not as good as they were at the end of last season. With the injuries on defense it looks like that will be there weakness and will put a lot of pressure on Fleury in net. Pittsburgh is a playoff team, but I don’t think they will have a run at the Cup like they did last year.

San Jose Sharks – Perennial favorites in the West, they look like a good team again. They have a new coach and a new system that they hope will take them from contenders to champions. They have great goaltending in Nabokov and talented forwards like Thornton and Marleau. They got the puck moving defenseman they needed in Dan Boyle and they rest of the D looks pretty good. We will have to wait and see with the Sharks, definitely a playoff team, but there year will be evaluated after the playoffs. I think if they don’t at least make the conference finals, there season will be a failure.

St Louis Blues – Looks like the Blues are going to struggle yet again and try to build towards future years. They have some solid vets with Kariya, Tkachuk, Brewer and goalie Legace. This year will be about bringing along there young talented players like T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo if he makes the team. The Blues are moving in the right direction and with a couple more good drafts they should be set up well for the future. For the fans out there be patient with this team, they probably aren’t going to be very good this year.

Tampa Bay Lightning - This is not the last place Lightning, they have completely retooled there line up. It started when they drafted Steven Stamkos and then signed free agents Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal and Gary Roberts. That gives them a solid four lines up front, the question marks will come from defense and goalie. The defense is unproven and the goalie tandem of Smith and Kolzig isn’t great. This team is going to score goals, the question will be whether or not they can stop them. Look for a lot of high scoring games when you watch the Lightning this year. In the East I think they are good enough, there division isn’t very good and I think they will fight it out for the division title.

Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs have some of the most die hard fans in all of sports, and this year will test there patience. The Leafs are not good, but at least they some changes. The big problem is goal scoring, they have no true goal scorers or top line players on the team. They still have Toskala in net and he should get them some wins. The defense isn’t to bad with Kaberle and Kubina, but they will have to be excellent for them to make the playoffs. The Leafs aren’t a playoff team and they might not say it, but they hope to get the 1st overall pick in next years draft and grab Tavares.

Vancouver Canucks - They had a great pre season and will look to continue that trend. Luongo there goalie has been named team captain and will lead this team all year. They have a great defense, but are a little thin in the goal scoring department. To make the playoffs they need great years from the Sedin Twins and Pavel Demitra. Luongo is great and will  keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot, but they will have to fight it out with a few teams for the final couple spots.

Washington Capitols – Alex Ovechkin is the best goal scorer in the NHL and will lead this team. The Caps will be looking to build on last years success with a good mix of veterans and young guys. The problem might be in net with Jose Theodore, if he is good the Caps will be good. I like this team and I think they will make the playoffs, but there not quite ready for a big run at the Stanley Cup.

Stockholm Sweden - The Pittsburgh Penguins and. Ottawa Senators, will play two regular season games in Sweden. The NHL has sent there poster boy Sydney Crosby across the pond to grow the game in new markets. The league has shown that they will use Crosby in special events and he will participate in high profile games for the second straight year, last year he played in the Winter Classic. Last years Winter Classic was a success for the league and they hope that this years European schedule will be much of the same. The Penguins are going to use this trip as a team building experience, they hope this trip will bring the team closer together. There are big expectations on Pittsburgh this season after they made the Cup final a year ago. The team has some new faces in the locker room this year and there hope is when they come back to North America the team will be one and ready to have a great year. Yes Crosby is in Sweden, but he probably isn’t going to be the fan favorite, Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson is a home town hero. Alfredsson will be met with great fan fair and the expectations of putting on a good show in his home country. Daniel will skate on the top line with Spezza and Heatley, and they will look to put on a show. Ottawa will be looking for a bounce back year and will need to get off to a good start in Europe. These teams will play two games one on Saturday night and the other on Sunday night and should be fun to watch.

Prague Czech Republic - In Prague the New York Rangers will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in two regular season games. Both these teams made big changes in the off season and are looking forward to having big seasons. The Rangers have two Czech players in Petr Prucha and Michal Rozisal, that will no doubt be the fan favorites. The Lightning have some of the NHL’s biggest stars in Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St Louis and 1st overall selection Steven Stamkos. Stamkos will play in his much anticipated NHL debut and will draw attention from both sides of the pond. Tampa Bay has a lot of new players and will be looking to build some chemistry and build towards what they hope is a much improved season.  The Rangers are a big market team and the NHL will be looking to draw a lot of fans out to the games. Both these teams will be looking to get off to good starts, to prove that they are favorite teams in the Eastern Conference. The games will be Saturday and Sunday, the crowds should be rocking and hopefully the NHL gives them a good product.

Traveling to Europe has ups and downfalls for these four teams.  The travel and time change can take a lot of the players and put a damper on early season expectations. On the other hand, you can use these trips as team building experiences and bring the teams closer together. The teams are going to end up being in Europe for almost two weeks this season, I would expect when they get home it will take a while to get readjusted. Last year Anaheim and Los Angeles played in London and both teams got off to rough starts when they got home. Hopefully all four of these teams will adapt well and there will only be positive impacts on there seasons.

The future in Europe for the NHL is yet to be determined, but it makes sense for the league to expand its European fan base. The NHL more then any other North American professional sports league has a lot of European talent. Stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa and Henrik Lundqvist all are European, and could go along way to the NHL being a success in Europe. In my opinion I like that four teams are going to these countries to start the year, but that is enough. You don’t need to send anymore then that, go over to Europe for a couple weeks and show off the great product the league has. This is not a vacation for these teams, the games matter and it will be important for them to get off to good starts.

It has been said that maybe there will NHL franchises in Europe within the next 10 years. I’m not sure I agree with that, the travel would be tough on everyone and the time changes would make it hard on the schedule makers. In my opinion if there is a good European league I could see an opportunity for the NHL’s Stanley Cup Champions to play the European Champion in a series at the seasons end. I’m not sure that will ever happen, but it might be interesting.  Whatever the NHL does, they need to capture the hockey market in Europe. Hockey is big in Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic and the league has a lot of great stars from those countries. Who knows what the future holds, I hope the fans in Europe enjoy the NHL games this weekend and continue there love for hockey.