Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa knows he’s far from a sure bet in British Columbia for the 2010-2011 season. ‘Nucks GM Mike Gillis has been receiving inquiries from a number of teams, including the Anaheim Ducks, the San Jose Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bieksa has a year left on his $3.5 million deal in Vancouver and it doesn’t look like there’s much room for going to the negotiating table with Gillis. It’s clear that the GM feels that Bieksa is a player of value and it looks like he wants to test the market with Bieksa to see what he can get in return.

He won’t be giving away the defenceman for a song, that’s for sure, but it probably wouldn’t take much for the Canucks to move Bieksa at this point and time.

With the Canucks over the cap currently, they’ve got some shuffling to do before camp. The addition of an unexpectedly hefty salary for Jannik Hansen, won through arbitration, doesn’t help matters and furthers the notion that Bieksa could be on the move sooner than later. Mason Raymond, too, has an arbitration hearing set for Monday and could also be awarded a pretty decent sum.

It probably isn’t likely that Bieksa will just turn out to be a salary dump for Gillis, but lightening the load in Vancouver is assuredly on the agenda. It’s more a matter of reason, as the deal has to make sense fiscally but it also has to produce results. Moving a player like Bieksa isn’t an easy decision, as he has a tremendous upside and a lot of potential.

According to the Orange County Register, the Ducks are the team really charging hard for Bieksa. They’ve got a pretty decent core group of defencemen, sure, but adding a player like him to the mix would be ideal. With Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank, Danny Syvret and Brett Festerling currently under contract in Anaheim, Bieksa could fit in well with a top pairing conceivably.

The Sharks are also still in the market for defencemen and Bieksa would be a nice fit for the team looking to replace Rob Blake. The Kings could use some backup for Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson and Bieksa would still fit well with a youth movement, so that’s also a possibility. The Habs seem like longshots to me.

In any event, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Bieksa suiting up for a California team in the near future. If that’s the case, Canucks fans will still see a fair deal of their former defender.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Evgeni Nabokov is the latest big name NHLer to head to Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. The KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg signed Nabby to a four year deal worth $24 million.

Nabokov is coming off of one of his best NHL seasons in his career. He went 44-16-10 on the Sharks, which admittedly was partly due to having such a superior squad skating in front of him. Nevertheless, Nabokov posted a 2.43 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Prior to signing in the KHL, Nabokov spent 10 seasons with the Sharks in the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the team in 1994 and won the Calder Trophy in the 2000-2001 season. Named an All-Star in 2007-2008, Nabokov suited up for Team Russia at the Vancouver Olympics earlier this year and posted a 4.16 GAA in the process.

When Nabokov arrives in SKA St. Petersburg, he’ll have the company of some other former NHLers. Sergei Zubov, Darius Kasparaitis, Alexei Yashin, and Sergei Brylin all play for the club.

In context, the deal works out well for both the KHL and the Sharks. San Jose has the opportunity to move on to a goaltender who can produce when it counts. Nabokov, for all of his statistical success, looked a little shaky at times in the post-season and didn’t step it up when the chips were down for the Sharks. Getting swept by the Blackhawks may well have been the nail in the coffin.

It is probable that Nabby’s salary demands just didn’t match his level of play in the NHL anymore. In light of this, he may have chosen to go where the money was like other players are starting to do. Regardless, Nabokov will probably enjoy some success in the KHL. If nothing else, he’ll enjoy a bigger paycheque.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Tuesday night saw the Glendale City Council unanimously vote to approve a memorandum of understanding from Ice Edge Holdings stating their intention to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of keeping the team in the NHL at the Jobing.com Arena.

This means that Ice Edge Holdings will have negotiation rights for a brand new arena lease that it will be able to pick through for the next 60 days. Should Ice Edge manage to land on a new lease, it’ll be a solid step in purchasing the Coyotes outright. The memorandum was then forwarded to league officials for their confirmation.

Ice Edge is currently the only potential buyer that we know of in the ring for the Coyotes. A group led by Jerry Reinsdorf recently withdrew its efforts to buy the team, so that means that Ice Edge is dealing with the Coyotes exclusively. The plan going forward is for Ice Edge to purchase the club with their own capital and with the help of some bank financing.

“Obviously, Ice Edge is happy to be back involved with the Coyotes, working with the city of Glendale,” Ice Edge chief executive officer Anthony LeBlanc said, “and to be doing so in an exclusive manner.”

First on the agenda is to finalize the lease, with different provisions for matters like parking and apparent special taxing district around the Jobing.com Arena.

Ice Edge will be working with the city and the NHL to hammer out these details and the summer months will probably expose the proceedings further as Ice Edge moves towards full purchase of the club.

When/if the new lease is set up effectively, the NHL will then have to approve Ice Edge Holdings as an organization permitted to purchase the Coyotes. Ice Edge will then be able to buy the club and the lease would come into play complete with all of the terms.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

NHL Commish Gary Bettman said that there will be two outdoor games in the upcoming 2010-2011 season.

The 2011 New Year’s Day Winter Classic game will take place at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field with a marquee matchup of the hometown Penguins facing off against Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals. The other outdoor game will be the Heritage Classic, taking place in Calgary at McMahon Stadium, home of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. The Heritage Classic goes February 20, 2011.

“The Winter Classic in the United States has worked extraordinarily well for us,” Bettman said. “We wanted to make sure that our fans in Canada knew we were paying attention to their interest and their desires as well.”

As for whether a Canadian outdoor game will be a yearly possibility, there’s no word on that yet. It is interesting to note that this year’s Heritage Classic takes its name from the last NHL outdoor game in Canada in November of 2003. It would be interesting to see how much support there would be for an annual Heritage Classic taking place in Canadian markets. The games could rotate through outdoor venues across the nation.

McMahon Stadium seats 35,650, but it can top out at over 46,000 with expanded seating.

The league also released a few more scheduling details about the upcoming NHL season. For starters, six teams will be playing in European games this year. According to the CBC, “The Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild will play a pair of games in Helsinki, Finland on Oct. 7 and 8, while the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks meet in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, and the Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes play in Prague on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.”

A Hockey Night in Canada double-header starts the North American regular season on October 7 with the Habs facing off against the Leafs and the Flames meeting the Oilers. Hockey Day in Canada takes place on February 12 with all Canadian teams in action in a triple-header.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Welcome once again to the world famous HockeyDraft.Ca playoff coverage! A lot has changed over the past year at this site and our profile has risen considerably, so we’re hoping for more response out of our playoff discussion. You never know, we may even have some hot prizes to give away.

Now, without further adieu, here are your matchups for the Eastern Conference:

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens: Obviously the Capitals are playing that up-tempo hockey that turns heads. They’ve been overpowering teams all season long with their relentless offensive attack and they bring the top sniper in the game to the table along with a mobile defence. Mike Knuble adds some Cup experience, too, but they run into trouble when it comes to goaltending. The Habs, meanwhile, are coming off of a rebuilding process in the off-season and seem surprised to be in the playoffs. They boast the better goalie, to be sure, but Jaroslav Halak will have to stand on his head to overcome the Capitals’ offensive assault.

My Prediction: Capitals in 5.

New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers were heavily favoured going into the regular season to dominate everyone in their wake, but things worked out a little differently. John Stevens lost his job and injuries took their toll on the team. Rumours of locker room difficulties also ran rampant. In the end, the Flyers enter the playoffs coming off of critical losses to easy teams and have a lot of work to do to prove themselves. The Devils, meanwhile, are the seasoned pros of the Eastern Conference. They’ve got boatloads of Cup rings already and scads of experience. And Brodeur. There’s him.

My Prediction: Devils in 4.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins: Ryan Miller. He might be the best goalie on the planet at the moment and the best part is that he’s on. There’s also Tyler Myers and his rookie magic to consider, plus Tomas Vanek can most assuredly put the puck in the net. The Bruins, conversely, were expected to roll through the competition but wound up limping into the post-season. They lost Marc Savard to a brutal Matt Cooke hit and didn’t show enough aggression in the aftermath, so they could be considered weak physically. With no Phil Kessel and a disappointing run from Tim Thomas, the Bruins aren’t quite the team they used to be. It’ll be an uphill climb.

My Prediction: Sabres in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators: For my money, this is THE matchup to watch in the East. The Penguins clearly have Cup experience and are favourites to emerge victorious. They’ve got the superstars and the role players to make it happen, too, and are probably the single most balanced team in the Conference. The Senators, meanwhile, are coming off of a season in which they’re probably lucky to have made the playoffs. Coach Cory Clouston deserves all the credit in the world to holding his team together and the team’s depth players are really nailing it with one of the best fourth lines in the biz. In terms of goaltending, the Penguins get the clear edge.

My Prediction: Penguins in 6.

Feel free to list your predictions in the comments section below.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

In a day that might be more remembered for Tiger Woods news, Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano stole the show in the eyes of this sports fan.

At the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Modano fought back tears and finally let them go with about five minutes left in the game. Better still, Modano showed his guts and determination in scoring the game’s tying goal with 1:47 to go in regulation and added a shootout goal later on.

Modano was a bright spot in what will amount to a lost season for Stars fans. While he hasn’t announced his retirement from the game formally, the tears streaming down his cheeks and the general attitude of the night certainly seemed to indicate that Mo might be done in Dallas. And there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe that he’ll appear in any other jersey, either.

Modano, who turns 40 in June, told reporters that it “certainly felt like the end.” While he added that his father doesn’t want him to hang up the skates just yet, most signs are pointing to this season being Modano’s last in the National Hockey League.

With 16 years spent in a Stars uniform (he lost a 17th due to the lockout), Modano has become THE sports figure in Dallas. No other Dallas franchise boasts a 16+ year figure and no other Dallas franchise boasts such a classy ambassador to the game. Mike Modano sold hockey like no other American player. Period.

There will be no successor to Modano in Dallas, at least not for a while. Stars fans will, as they wave goodbye to one of the game’s finest, have no choice but to wait to see what’s next.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The National Hockey League is sticking by its intention to keep the Phoenix Coyotes locked in Arizona for a good long while.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly was responding to a report in the Phoenix Business Journal that suggested that oronto billionaire David Thomson has an agreement in principle with the club with the intention to move the team to Winnipeg if a buyer can’t be found to keep the team in the desert.

Daly denounced the report and said that the league is making every effort to keep the team in Glendale.

Daly did admit, however, that the league is in talks with Thomson and his group “regarding their potential interest in owning an NHL franchise and potentially bringing an NHL franchise back to Winnipeg.” He added that the league would indeed consider the possibility in the right circumstances.

The right circumstances, though, do not involve the Phoenix Coyotes.

Ice Edge Holdings is reportedly still in the mix regarding the Coyotes and keeping the team in Phoenix. Anthony LeBlanc, the CEO of Ice Edge, has moved to Glendale but hasn’t said anything regarding the matter to the media and requests for comments have gone unanswered. Speculation regarding Ice Edge Holdings has the company lacking the fiscal backing to pursue the Coyotes at this point.

There’s also the possibility that the group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf could be in the running, but none of the reports suggesting this have been backed yet.

Daly’s statement regarding keeping the team in Phoenix didn’t bring up any names as to potential purchasers, although he was quick to point out the success the team is having in both winning hockey games and selling out the arena. They’re on their way to their first playoff appearance since 2002 under head coach Dave Tippett and boasts the third best record in the league.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson wants to meet with IOC head Jacques Rogge to talk to him about the state of women’s hockey. And she’s already met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to help solidify real competition in the sport.

Clarkson, who will be handing out the trophy named after her in the Stanley Cup-ish tourney in women’s hockey, said that she was “enraged” when she read Rogge’s comments regarding the future of women’s hockey as an Olympic sport. “We’ve been playing hockey since the late 19th century. Women were playing it with long skirts. Surely we don’t have to prove anymore that we can play hockey,” she said.

The problem with Rogge arose when the IOC boss effectively threatened the future of women’s hockey as an Olympic event by saying it had to become more competitive in order to remain part of the Games.

“That’s the way you do it by encouraging it. Not by saying, gee I think maybe some of you aren’t good enough and so we’ll close it off. People feel they can do that to women sometimes. And I think it’s kind of brute force being used against women which I kind of resent and I think most women too,” said Clarkson regarding the comments.

Clarkson’s visit with Bettman, which took place back in January, laid some important ground work to get women’s hockey some sponsorship and financial support. “In order to be successful you have to go to people that have made it work before and that’s why we went to the NHL and that’s why they were first choice and we really believe they’re the future of the game,” Clarkson said.

Along with players like Mississauga Chiefs goalie Sami Jo Small, Clarkson said that the key to growth in the sport is exposure. And there’s a great pool of supporters behind the scenes, too, including Bob Nicholson and others.

But to make it to the next level competitively, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League needs to have some money behind it. The plan, which was presented to Bettman, is to start paying coaches and general managers. There’s also a salary of $35,000 set aside for players. The CWHL is hoping to flesh out a league with six teams, all of which are within driving distance of one another.

By creating a professional league, women would finally have a place to compete that involves sponsorship and some big money. As we all know, money talks and a women’s league, with the right backing and right sponsors, could make some real waves in Canada and even in some key American markets. The possibility of seeing various Olympians suiting up for some CWHL teams is the icing on the cake.

Small is doing her part by pressuring the NHL. “Women’s hockey is not going to go away,” she says. “There’s enough support for female hockey in this country not only from females but from males alike, including someone like Bob Nicholson, that they wouldn’t allow that to happen.”

Whether Bettman will get off his duff to support women’s hockey remains to be seen, but there are a lot of potential partnership possibilities that could give the CWHL a good start in the right direction. Done properly, something of this magnitude could benefit both men’s and women’s hockey considerably.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

And so it is that NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell has the power to hand out “supplemental discipline” to players who commit hits on unsuspecting players where the “primary point of contact is the head.”

The power to do so was passed to Campbell Thursday as the executive board of the NHLPA announced its endorsement of the five-player competition committee. With little else to do, the rule passed and was put into practice immediately.

That means that hits like the one Matt Cooke laid on an unsuspecting Marc Savard won’t stand as legal anymore. Campbell has said that he didn’t suspend Cooke at the time because he felt that the architecture to such a suspension was lacking. While Cooke clearly exhibited an intent to injure on the play, Campbell now has the backing of a clearer rule to make such a call in the future.

“We believe this is the right thing to do for the game and for the safety of our players,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The elimination of these types of hits should significantly reduce the number of injuries, including concussions, without adversely affecting the level of physicality in the game.”

The NHL teams have all been sent a DVD that explains the rule and shows what kinds of hits are acceptable and what kinds of hits are not.

It isn’t expected for there to be much of a backlash from the players, either, as support for the fast-tracking of the rule is pretty much unanimous. A good number of players have consistently spoken out in favour of more punishment, too.

With just 10% of the schedule left to be played in this year’s regular season, the rule comes in too late for some. But it truly is a case of “better late than never” and Campbell also has the authority to lay out more punishment in the playoffs, so teams will certainly be keeping this in mind as they proceed into the post-season.

Perhaps symbolizing a brighter day, the passing of the rule also laid to rest a disagreement between the NHLPA and the league over how rules like this should be put in place. “We are encouraged by the league’s recent willingness to explore on-ice rule changes as a means of reducing player injuries and have no doubt that by working together, a safer working environment can be established for all NHLPA members,” the NHLPA said in a press release.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The National Hockey League’s general managers have agreed to a rule to address the situation of blindside hits. The rule essentially amounts to the calling of a “minor or major penalty for any hit where the primary point of contact is the head.”

The rule change will need to pass approval with the competition committee.

The proposed wording of the new rule is as follows: “A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or is the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.”

The rule change is certainly long overdue and it is about time that the league has come up with something, but many feel that the rule should be implemented immediately to address some of the more recent issues. It is compelling to note that league disciplinarian Colin Campbell elected to not issue any sort of punishment to Matt Cooke despite the opportunity arising on the same day as the GMs decided on the new head shot rule.

Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction and should represent a sea change in the mentality of the NHL. The NHL is at a crossroads currently and must address the issues raised by the modern game. Failure to do so could stifle competition and could threaten marquee players.

In any event, the efficacy of the rule largely depends on its consistent application. It helps that the majority of the players are on board with the rule change, save for maybe Joffrey Lupul who expressed his disappointment earlier on Twitter.

There will always be those old school players who, in the words of goalie-turned-analyst Kevin Weekes, will feel the need to merely soldier on as a hockey player. But the fact remains that one cannot really be expected to soldier on with a head injury. Protection is necessary in the NHL of today and the rule change addresses and issue that should have been addressed years ago.

Blindside hits are not tough and they do not represent tough hockey, either. They are, instead, cowardly acts and must be immediately eradicated. The NHL should not wait to implement this rule change and should address the Matt Cooke issue properly with the new rule in place. As a repeat-repeat-repeat offender, he is as good a player as any to use as an example of the NHL policy of zero tolerance.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.