Everybodys Workin For The Weekend
I'm headin away for the weekend for some fun and relaxation, so heres the next four teams in my NHL roundup...that'll cover me til monday. Have a good weekend everyone.

Colorado Avalanche
Gone are Forsberg, Foote, Kariya and Selanne those are some pretty big names missing from a roster that has become pretty used to seeing marquee names in the lineup. All hope is not lost in the Mile High City however, the top line appears set up to be Joe Sakic centering Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk, definitely a powerful punch. Adam Foote has been replaced with Patrice Brisebois from Montreal a fully capable defenceman coming of a great last season with the Canadians. David Aebischer appears set to take back his starting position in the net, and looks to improve on his first season as the starter. The other key signing to keep an eye on is Brad May coming over from Vancouver and if there are any awkward moments considering everything surrounding the Bertuzzi/Moore incident.
Last Season: 4th in West [100 points] Eliminated 2nd round
Highest Paid: Joe Sakic [$6.66 million]
Players Under Contract: 25

Columbus Blue Jackets
There is nowhere to go but up for this franchise. Adam Foote and Bryan Berard were brought in to help shore up the defense crew. Expect them to put on quite the performance if they are paired together. Rick Nash is back and will be looked upon to provide the majority of the offence. The addition Jan Hrdina and still having Geoff Sanderson under contract will provide Nash's support staff. I expect to see one of the goalies moved out of town, or at the very least a very heated competition to lock up both the starters job and the backup. With Marc Denis and Pascal Leclaire back as the former number 1 and 2 the Blue Jackets also signed former Senators backup Martin Prusek. This will be one of the battles that I'm gonna be keeping my thoughts on throughout training camps.
Last Season: 14th in West [62 points]
Highest Paid: Adam Foote [$4.6 million]
Players Under Contract: 20

Dallas Stars
He'll be back, hes gone, no wait he signed, now hes rejected the deal, hes definitely gone, and then Mike Modano resigned with the only club he has known in the NHL. I really hoped to see him in a new jersey this season. Even though he had a disappointing year last season he was still the only reason I had for watching a Dallas game, I figured with him going somewhere else I could cut them off completely. I don't expect much out of this team, I don't know why they didn't buyout Bill Guerin's contract, hes being paid way more than he is worth and its hurting the team. The only player other then Modano that I have any interest in seeing this year is rookie Shawn Belle. Oh and 'Big' John Erskine if he resigns (he did).
Last Season: 5th in West [97 points] Eliminated 1st round
Highest Paid: Bill Guerin [$6.74 million]
Players Under Contract: 23

Detroit Red Wings
The Wings have been pretty quiet on the free agent market, but one of their few signings was to bring Chris Osgood back to Motown to act as a mentor to young goalie Manny Legace, and maybe to challenge for the starters job. He backed up Mike Vernon in '97 when the Wings won the Cup and he was the starter in '98 when they repeated so there is definitely a wealth of knowledge to be passed on to the next generation. Steve Yzerman was unrestricted but there was never any doubt that he'd be back wearing the winged wheel. The only other new players set to come to Hockeytown this season are Andy Delmore from Buffalo and Kent McDonnell from Columbus. Normally I'd expect to say Kent Who? but hes a guy that Detroit drafted and moved (I think in the Ray Whitney deal) so bringing him back is cool, plus hes a former Guelph Storm captain so you know hes good in my books. Unfortunately also making a return this season is the ugliest player in the NHL: Chris Chelios. Details of his contract are still undisclosed so there is still hope that they're paying him in Little Cesar's Crazy Bread instead of actual money. Last time we saw him he was being victimized by the quicker Calgary Flames players...and that was almost 18 months ago, you think hes gotten faster or slower? And I'm still waiting to see what is going to happen with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg who were forecasted as the future cornerstones of the franchise. Both are restricted free agents that might stay overseas. It might be a long season for yours truly.
Last Sesason: 1st in West [109 points] President Trophy Winners
Highest Paid: Nicklas Lidstrom [$7.6 million]
Players Under Contract: 18
- posted by Mike @ 8:51 AM