hockey

The 24-year-old Swedish goaltender was widely regarded as the best puckstopper outside the NHL before Brian Burke and the Leafs nabbed him for a one-year deal.

Gordon is looking forward to Tavares helping kick-start an offence which was 29th overall a year ago. Only the Colorado Avalanche - at 199 - scored fewer goals than the Isles' 201.

After saying all the right things about "coming to a pretty good team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup," the newest Ottawa Senator did his best to defend himself against claims that he has been an inconsistent performer and troublesome for coaches throughout his 16-year NHL career.

The Hawks look like they may be a bigger favorite than the Red Wings, even. The blueline is absurd - Duncan Keith, Cam Barker, Brent Seabrook? Awesome. Brian Campbell was supposed to be the centerpiece, but now it's clear Chicago doesn't even need him.

From an Ottawa perspective, the most exciting prospect is that Kovalev should be properly motivated to prove to his ex-team that they made an error, in changing their team so vastly through free agency. Motivation is always the operative word when assessing Kovalev.

It was in Canada where the real noise was made, if with plenty of moves pending. Some of them are bound to become albatrosses; some of them will be lauded for years. No matter how it ends, however, a Canadian team hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1993.

In a financial landscape that is uncertain at best, NHL general managers may be willing to spend large if not commit long-term when unrestricted free agency opens at noon tomorrow.

I figure that with the shape the United States is in right now, it's only a matter of time before we lose one of the four major North American sports leagues. I’m not saying this will happen tomorrow, or even at all, but it's a risk.

Instead of rewarding mediocrity, why not make the draft lottery a far less biased lottery? In my draft, teams that spend to the limit, develop their young players and make great managerial decisions (Builders) will be rewarded for a job well done, not slighted.