ESPN Pierre LeBrun Blog

Can the real Anaheim Ducks please present themselves to the nearest NHL arena?

Because so far this season I haven't seen the team that knocked off the San Jose Sharks last spring. This team is too talented to be sitting last in the Western Conference at the quarter-mark of the season.

The Ducks open up a seven-game homestand against Tampa Bay on Thursday night, a critical juncture in their season before they lose their grip on it.

"These next seven games at home will be very crucial and hopefully they will turn our season around," defenseman James Wisniewski told ESPN.com.

A 6-10-3 start has produced lots of meetings -- some with players only, some with the coaching staff. They are looking for answers … before it's too late.

"Right now, we're all kind of baffled at what has happened," said Wisniewski, one of the few bright spots on this team so far this season with 10 assists in 14 games. "But it is what it is. The good thing about hockey is that it's not like football where you have to wait a whole week to turn it around. You look at our schedule over the next three weeks, we play every other day mixed in with some back-to-backs. So there's no time to think right now. Best thing to do is to just play out of this slump."

I remember being at Joe Louis Arena seven months ago after the Detroit Red Wings, by a hair, edged the Ducks in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series. Then GM Bob Murray made what I thought were decent moves in bringing in Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul to finally give the Ducks a second line. There was serious optimism surrounding this team before the puck dropped in October.

"I couldn't agree with you more," said Wisniewski. "I remember how I felt going into the offseason and looking at the moves we made, beefing up our secondary scoring, and how we played in the playoffs and adding that to our résumé. We all thought coming into the season that we had a great feeling about our chances. Obviously, things haven't gone like we wanted to, but we still have that winning attitude here. Once we turn it around, hopefully the floodgates open for us."

Koivu and Lupul have been disappointments so far. But the team's defensive play hasn't been grand, either; the Ducks are 27th in the NHL in goals against per game. The losses of Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin are being felt.

"But as bad as we've played, we're still not too far from the playoff picture," said Wisniewski, whose team fell to nine points back in the playoff race after wins by Dallas, Phoenix and Edmonton on Wednesday night.

"We just have to turn it around the next seven games at home."

They better, because their GM won't sit idly by if his team continues to flounder.

Nikita Filatov will finally get to play -- without the pay cut.

And that's what you call a happy, temporary separation.

The 19-year-old forward, the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, will get to make a decent wage with CSKA Moscow after the Columbus Blue Jackets announced a loan agreement with the KHL club Tuesday. Had Filatov been assigned to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, his two-way NHL deal would have called for him to make $65,000 in the minors. Although nobody connected with the Russian club would say Tuesday, it is believed he'll at least match the $875,000 he would have earned in the NHL this season.

So, for now, everyone goes home happy. Filatov was a healthy scratch six times this season and played fourth-line minutes under head coach Ken Hitchcock, who clearly didn't trust the youngster. If you don't play 200 feet for Hitch, you're toast. But perhaps the biggest factor is that the 180-pound Filatov needs to beef up physically.

The lack of trust from the coach clearly had an effect on Filatov's confidence. He looked tentative near the end. This kid has oodles of talent, serious world-class skill. He just needs to press the reset button and get things going in the KHL.

"It was becoming more frustrating for him to try and gain the ice time," Jackets GM Scott Howson told ESPN.com. "He's got to play more and develop more. This way he'll go back and play there in his home and he'll play in the world juniors and hopefully have a good experience there.

"It's all about him playing more and getting stronger, too. He needs to get stronger."

It also tells you how far along the Blue Jackets organization has come under Howson and Hitchcock that it could even afford to send a prospect of this caliber to Russia. Two years ago, they'd be playing him out of necessity, no matter his foibles. Now they're a deeper team, on which roster spots are earned, not given away.

The hope is that Filatov returns a new man next fall.

"Our agreement [with CSKA Moscow] is for the rest of this year, and we expect he'll be back for the start of next training camp," Howson said. "Our agreement is pretty clear about what our rights are."

When he does come back, Filatov has two years left on his NHL entry-level deal. This season has already counted toward that first NHL year.

And finally, when the young man does return to Columbus, here's hoping he has matured a bit as well. He didn't do what it took to become an NHLer. Perhaps he'll figure it out after a season in Russia.

Oh boy, we've got some disgruntled puck heads out there again this week. I'll do my best to help you out, my friends. Here's 10 rants and my take on them:

Dru1624: What is up with the lack of respect the Detroit Red Wings get? Since they're lackluster start they have put together a 7-1-1 record in their past 9 games and still get no love. That record is without three important offensive weapons that were expected to net around 80 goals. Any other team losing, that type of production would not be able to duplicate the record the Red Wings have put up. I am also sick of hearing that the Red Wings top players are out of their prime (Zetterberg and Datsyuk). Datysuk has always started seasons slowly, and since then, they have turned it on for a combined 25 points in their past nine games. That's more points over the past nine games than the top three scorers on San Jose (Marleau, Heatley, Thornton), the current leader in the West. This is supposed to be a down year for Detroit, but is it time to start considering the Red Wings a legit cup contender?

LeBrun's take: Honestly, Dru1624, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Whenever I've talked about the Red Wings this season, I've talked about the fact they remain a dangerous team, albeit with a bit less bite than the past few years. As you pointed out, they lost some sizable production in Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Kopecky, but remain strong thanks to their excellent core. But believe me, even Ken Holland and Mike Babcock took a deep breath before this season. They knew it would be harder. I specifically remember a conversation I had with Holland at the Canadian Olympic camp in August. He was confident he still had a real good team, but knew there would be tougher days ahead, especially early on. But Holland also wants to protect the long-term view, so he's essentially trying to rebuild on the fly and give some young players like Darren Helm, Jimmy Howard and Justin Abdelkader some valuable experience this season. It's something the Wings of old would likely not have done to this degree, but the salary cap NHL doesn't allow for the Wings to beef up their lineup with expensive veterans at every single position (like the 2002 squad). The Wings' front office has adapted as well as anyone to the post-lockout NHL. So what you're seeing this season is a team that can still go deep in the playoffs, but it's come back a bit closer to the pack by necessity.

sniperaim: As a longtime Blues fan, the start to this season has been a huge disappointment. We're 1-7 since the return of captain Eric Brewer, and it's beginning to feel like everybody around the organization is pressing too much. I'm not suggesting there needs to be a change at the top, but it isn't exactly feasible to fire the entire team. Do you think Checketts' press conference was a warning to coach Andy Murray more so than the team? Or do you fully believe him when he says that there are no changes that need to be made? Also, do you have any potential candidates who are ready to coach in the NHL (not just the Blues).

LeBrun's take: I understand your frustration, sniperaim. Expectations were high this season for your team, based on last season's great second half. The thing about high expectations is that while it helps to sell tickets before the season, it puts pressure on the players to deliver. The frustration in the owner's message was clear last week. And from speaking with a member of the Blues' organization, the feeling is that Dave Checketts is especially put off by the team's play at the Scottrade Center, where the Blues have won only twice this season. Not a great way to sell tickets or treat your fans. I also wondered, like you, whether perhaps the coach was losing some of his players, whether his voice was no longer being heard, but I was assured by the same organizational source that that wasn't the case. I honestly feel this team is close to breaking through. They played a darn good game against San Jose on Saturday night and fell short. We'll see if I'm right.

Ihatedallas4: Is there any chance you can grant me with a little bit of Nicklas Backstrom (Caps) love? The kid is 21, was top two (I believe) in points last year, but doesn't get a ton of attention. I know it's probably easier for him to develop in Ovi's shadow, but I would love just a little bit of love and some analysis on his talent and potential in your blog. His 22 points are now tied or ahead of some of the leagues stars: Crosby, Getzlaf, Carter, Kane, Richards, Iginla and even Semin. So please, oh please, Pierre, just give him a little bit of respect on your blog.

LeBrun's take: Ihatedallas4, you are bang on when you point out that young Mr. Backstrom gets less coverage than the other stars on this team. I think some of it has to do with the fact he's a quiet guy who doesn't yearn for the spotlight. You realize that when you talk to him. He's more than OK leaving the spotlight to his superstar linemate. But for the record, sir, I have written about him a few times. Here's one from last January.

awpearlman: I am a Rangers Fan and have big problems with what's happened the past year with their team. First of all, Glen Sather has been here for long enough, that he no longer gets any passes in my book. There defense, particularly Girardi, Rosival and Redden are jokes. In all the years, he's been here we've had no stay at home, strike fear in to people defensemen. Del Zotto, Gilroy, and Stall look good, but they aren't stay at home defensemen. Until Del Zotto, they never had a puck moving defenseman/quarterback for the power play, either. Basically, their defense has been a complete joke, and Renney's conservative style, and the king's stellar goaltending, has made up for it. With Tort's aggressive style, they should have done much better getting defensemen. Also, the guys they got rid of, I don't understand why, or what they got in return. Gaborik is awesome. Dubinsky and Calahan are good, young players. They have the two most hated players in the game in Avery and Brashear, and Avery looks lost in this system. They have no center to play with Gaborik. Basically, this team is getting worse year to year, and I am sick of it.

LeBrun's take: My, my, haven't we become a little greedy in Manhattan? Have we already forgotten that this franchise rode a seven-year, non-playoff streak entering the lockout? Since then, four straight appearances in the postseason. Only five other NHL teams have also achieved that: Anaheim, Calgary, Detroit, New Jersey and San Jose. Only the Devils and Rangers in the East have made the playoffs all four seasons since the lockout. OK, they don't hand out pennants for that, but I'm just trying to give you some perspective. But I do agree, this team is not championship caliber at this point. The majority of Cup champions are built down the middle, and the fact is, the Rangers don't have a bonafide No. 1 center. Until that is addressed, try to settle for another playoff appearance.

Midwest Leaf: As a long time Leafs fan, I've had my share of venting sessions (and ulcers) over the years. I'm thinking that Burke should do something intelligent for a change and pick up Giggy from the Ducks if its a possibility. Gus will be fine as he's still a rookie and will grow. I used to have faith in Tosk, especially after seeing him work his butt off in San Jose, but he's been an inconsistent netminder at best in Toronto, and personally I don t think he s salvageable at this point. Getting a consistent netminder between the pipes will allow Gus to come up naturally without a rush.

LeBrun's take: Midwest Leaf, the Giguere-to-Toronto scenario is one that's been bandied about quite a bit over the past five months or so, mostly from media, of course, but I know both teams did touch on it at one point. The connection began when the Leafs hired away goalie coach Francois Allaire, a favorite of Giguere, from Anaheim. But when Toronto signed Jonas Gustavsson, I think that thought died down, at least from the Maple Leafs' point of view. Right now, the Leafs, I don't think, are comfortable swallowing the rest of Giguere's deal, which pays him $6 million this season and $7 million next year. But here's where it still makes sense to me on some level: Toronto doesn't want to finish near the bottom of the standings since it traded two first-round picks to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal. So if you think Giguere is an upgrade on Vesa Toskala, then perhaps the Giguere-Gustavsson duo is a better combination in goal. And, of course, you've got the fact Giguere would be reunited with Allaire and perhaps act as a mentor to young Gustavsson. The Ducks, to make this deal work, would have to take back some sizable salary from Toronto. It works in theory, but at this point, I don't have the sense the Leafs are interested in this deal. At this point.

dbizness: I believe there was a vent recently about travel for a team like Columbus and possible conference realignment. I'd like to take that idea one step further. The playoffs are amazing, but what makes a postseason even more exciting is a good rivalry. Instead of seeding teams from the entire conference 1-8, I would love to see a return to two divisions per conference and a division championship prior to the conference final. Despite being a Canucks fan who routinely saw his team get trounced by the Flames or Oilers back in the 80's, it was great knowing that those were the teams we would have to beat to do anything. When we finally did take down the Flames, it was monumental due to the years of struggling against them. We need to bring back the old divisions and see some of the same playoff battles played out year after year. Two divisions per conference. Top four in each division make the playoffs. Done.

LeBrun's take: Preaching to the choir, Mr. dbizness. I really miss the old divisional playoff setup. That's where real rivalries were fostered (well, Original Six era notwithstanding). Teams grew to hate each other by playing each other every year in the playoffs. Who can forget those Oilers-Flames playoff tilts in the old Smythe Division, Habs-Bruins or Habs-Nordiques in the Adams, Caps-Penguins in the Patrick Division, etc. Then you had the Norris Division, which also produced memorable playoff hockey in the '80s, but it also provides the basis of the argument for those who don't want to go back to divisional playoffs. At 25-48-7, the 1985-86 Toronto Maple Leafs actually made the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Norris with a measly 57 points. The Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs that same season after placing last in the Adams Division with 80 points. That was definitely the fly in the ointment with the divisional playoff setup -- the better teams didn't always get in. I would simply argue that things go in cycles and eventually divisions that struggle as a whole become much stronger and vice-versa. To me, it's a small price to pay for the intensity of the '80s playoff series and the memories we still cherish today from those playoff series. I would go back to that setup in a heartbeat.

deanjuice: It's evident of late Getz is getting back to form. Yappy is stronger then ever. BR has been getting his chances all year and will produce big numbers again this year. This line is one of the few reasons to cling to hope as a uks fan (missing D and C for obvious reasons).

We have two superb goaltenders that can win games but haven't. Why?

Uks D allows opponents to skate freely into the slot at will for Grade A chances several times each game. Why?

Little chemistry built throughout team this year and almost all of last year. Why?

Two powerful folks come to my mind.

Mr. Lebrun, can you give us your insight?

LeBrun's take: Deanjuice, I'm as perplexed about the Ducks as you are. I predicted big things for them this year and obviously that can still happen, but the first quarter of the season has been a major, major disappointment. You're talking about a team that was one goal away from eliminating the juggernaut Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the playoffs last spring. I covered part of that series, so perhaps that's why I came into this season intent on remembering the impression the Ducks had made on me. At this point you'd have to say the losses of Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin have been more felt than most of us had predicted. I mean, we all know Pronger is a stud, but you figured with Scott Niedermayer, James Wisniewski and Ryan Whitney as your top three you still weren't in too bad a shape. The flip side was the additions of Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu were supposed to give the Ducks the second line they never had last season. Lupul has but nine points through 19 games, and Koivu has eight points in 15 games. So your secondary scoring has yet to develop, your blue line isn't as good, and your goaltending hasn't been as consistent as last season. Not a good recipe. For the life of me, I can't believe this can continue all season long with the names on paper this roster is comprised of. But the question is, will they wait too long and dig too deep a hole before waking up? Last year, the Ducks looked lost in February but got hot during the stretch drive and upset top-ranked San Jose before scaring the bejesus out of Detroit. I believe they still can do it. But it better turn around soon.

harry2299: The Kings have the best team they have had in ages, and as a Kings fan, I couldn't be happier with the progress they've made this season. The only gripe I have is why is Jonathan Bernier still in the AHL. I understand wanting to give him more playing time, but Murray's expecting Quick to play 70 games is unrealistic, and Ersberg seems to have lost all his confidence. Ersberg isn't the answer as a backup, and giving Quick fewer starts to get Bernier some starts would be a plus for the Kings in the win column, as well as getting to see what Bernier can do at an NHL level.

LeBrun's take: Harry2299, interesting that you should ask. It just so happens that Kings GM Dean Lombardi told me he was spending most of this week scouting the Kings' AHL affiliate in Manchester. So he'll get a first-person look at how Mr. Bernier is doing these days. Judging from the numbers I see on his report card right now, the young goalie has been dynamite so far this season. I will tell you this: The Kings were privately a little concerned about Jonathan Quick's play for the past two weeks or so, but then the U.S. Olympic hopeful beat Tampa and Florida in back-to-back starts the past few days so perhaps he's back to his old self. I still think there's a chance you see Bernier up with the Kings this season. Maybe the Kings carry three goalies for a while?

jss32156: Pierre, I'm at my wits end on this. Last week, Colorado visits my beloved Blackhawks and it goes into OT. With 29 seconds left, Colorado takes a penalty in OT. Now my Blackhawks should get a full two-minute power play, not a useless 29-second penalty. This allows players to take liberty in the final stages of OT and commit a stupid penalty to stop a good scoring chance. Please knock someone upside the head and get them to make OT penalties for the full two minutes.

LeBrun's take: Jss32156, you apparently share a brain with Bob Gainey. The Montreal Canadiens' GM brought this up at a GMs meeting, I believe, two years ago. His specific beef was a little different than yours; he didn't think a player that still had time left on his penalty as the overtime period expired should be allowed to participate in the shootout. I agree with him. As for your specific gripe with penalties in overtime, I wonder if the solution wouldn't be to extend overtime until either a goal is scored on the power play or until the penalty is fully served.

elbarto179 No more standing up for teammates after a clean check. Take it like a man. If you get hit cleanly, find your own way to get in a clean hit. Dirty hits, yeah fight all you want. But a clean hit, that's just hockey. I am tired of these scrums after every hit.

LeBrun's take: Elbarto179, or should I say Ron Wilson. The head coach of the U.S. Olympic team and the Toronto Maple Leafs, brought up this exact point a few weeks ago when a few of us media guys were chatting with him after practice. He thinks it began to creep into the NHL about six-seven years ago. But it is annoying. A clean hit, no matter how devastating, shouldn't warrant retaliation. You defend a teammate if he's been felled by a dirty hit or a dirty play, that's fine, but it's absurd to see how many times a clean hit is followed by a scrum or an actual fight. All the league can do is continue to encourage on-ice officials to penalize those retaliating players and for the most part that's usually been the case.

The story of Kirill Kabanov is one of a young man who has already shown tremendous character in his 17 years on earth. But it's also the global hockey story of the continued struggle between Russia and the NHL and the chaos created by not having an orderly transfer environment.

And, as this story will tell you, more often than not, it's the Russian hockey establishment that is coming out on the losing end of not having a working agreement with the NHL, not the other way around.

Let's get to Kabanov's story. All he wants is to play in the NHL, whether the people who run hockey in his native country like it or not.

"The NHL is like heaven for young Russian hockey players," Kabanov told ESPN.com on Monday. "Like Alex Ovechkin, he's a big star. That's why I came over here. I'm excited. I just want to play in the NHL."

Kabanov is in New Brunswick with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Moncton Wildcats. He's there, he says, because of the Kontinental Hockey League in his native country.

"They wanted to keep me in Russia for like 10 years," said Kabanov. "They gave me no choice."

The Moscow native has been projected for months to be a top-five pick in next June NHL's entry draft. The 6-foot-3, 176-pound winger has oodles of talent, which made him a hockey prodigy in his early teens.

Moscow Spartak came calling when he was only 15 years old, in 2007 signing him to a five-year contract with a salary that escalated to almost $1 million in the final year. His father negotiated the deal. These were the days of the old Russian Super League.

This is where it begins to get interesting.

"Since Kabanov desired to play in the NHL as soon as he was ready to compete at that level, his father insured that his contract contained an 'NHL out clause' allowing him to unconditionally leave Spartak at any time to play in the NHL, even in the absence of a transfer agreement [with the NHL]," Kabanov's agent, Scott Greenspun, told ESPN.com.

At the end of the 2007-08 season, the Russian Super League was disbanded and the new KHL was formed. In order to play in the KHL, Kabanov had to sign a new KHL contract with Spartak.

"Spartak initially refused to give Kabanov a new contract with an NHL out clause," said Greenspun. "Kabanov refused to sign with Spartak and, instead, began to explore opportunities to play in Sweden and Germany, where there was considerable interest. Spartak, obviously concerned that Kabanov would not return to the club, induced Kabanov to sign a new four-year KHL agreement by ultimately agreeing to include the NHL out clause in that contract."

So everyone goes home happy … but not quite. Soon after the new contract is signed, the KHL judges the NHL out clause in Kabanov's contract invalid.

"And the KHL took upon itself to unilaterally remove that clause from the contract and deemed Kabanov unconditionally bound to play for Spartak for at least the next four seasons," said Greenspun.

After the 2008-09 season, Spartak sold Kabanov's rights to fellow KHL club Ufa for $500,000.

"Under KHL rules, Kabanov and Ufa had to sign a new contract as a result of the trade," said Greenspun. "Kabanov and his father therefore traveled to Ufa to discuss his contract status. A standoff occurred. Kabanov refused to sign a contract without assurances from Ufa that he could leave Russia at any time to play in the NHL, and Ufa refused to include such clause in Kabanov's contract because the KHL adopted a strict policy of restricting player's rights to leave Russia and play in the NHL."

Ufa offered a three-year deal with no NHL out clause, which would mean he couldn't cross over to the NHL until September 2012 at the earliest, and it's a deal that likely would have affected his NHL draft status for next season with teams likely hesitant to waste a high pick on him given his contractual status in the KHL.

Unable to figure out a new deal with Ufa that includes an NHL out clause, Kabanov returned home to Moscow and began the process of transferring his career to North America with the Wildcats, the Canadian junior team that selected him in the 2009 Canadian Hockey League import draft.

In the meantime, life at home in Moscow wasn't grand, with local media critical of Kabanov.

"Ufa gave him a final ultimatum," said Greenspun. "Report to Ufa immediately and sign a three-year contract without an NHL clause or Ufa would petition the KHL to disqualify him from playing in Russia for the next three years."

According to Greenspun, who also represents Alexei Kovalev among other NHLers, it was clear that the KHL was using Kabanov to send a signal to other young Russian players thinking of leaving Russia to play in North America.

Unfortunately for the KHL and its president, Alexander Medvedev, they misjudged Kabanov's fortitude.

On Monday morning, I contacted the KHL's North American-based spokesman to see if I could get Medvedev's take on all this but was told later in the day that the KHL president was out of pocket and unavailable for comment.

"Kabanov did not blink," said Greenspun.

At this point Kabanov formally applied to the International Ice Hockey Federation for permission to play Canadian junior hockey and immediately left Russia to start working out in Moncton while awaiting the IIHF's decision.

"The chess game continued," said Greenspun, "with the KHL holding its internal disciplinary hearing. While the KHL has not yet announced its decision, the result of the hearing is not in doubt."

In a New York Times blog in late August by hockey writer Jeff Klein, Medvedev indeed seemed to tip his hand.

"The disciplinary committee will consider the case," Medvedev said. "I do not want to anticipate their decision, but from the circumstances that are familiar to me, no choice remains beyond Kabanov being disqualified for an unprecedented violation of league rules."

So at this point, Kabanov really needed the IIHF to come through for him, because he's risking a three-year ban in Russian hockey. He needs somewhere to play.

"In its submissions to the IIHF, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and Ufa explicitly indicated that a decision allowing Kabanov to play for Moncton could affect KHL-NHL relations," said Greenspun.

The irony is not lost on anyone in the hockey world. The initial Cold War between the NHL and KHL began when star winger Alexander Radulov left a valid contract in Nashville two years ago to play in the new KHL. The KHL in total has poached four players with valid NHL contracts.

In the end, Kabanov got the decision he had hoped for from the IIHF on Oct. 9. He could play in Moncton.

"After a lengthy investigation by the IIHF's legal department, it was found that there was no evidence that [Kabanov] was under a valid and binding contract with any Russian club at the time when he applied for the International Transfer Card [ITC]," IIHF communications director Szymon Szemberg wrote to ESPN.com in an e-mail Monday.

"This means that he was a free agent, free to sign with anyone."

A further appeal from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation was also overruled by the IIHF.

When Kabanov was informed of the IIHF decision, he was over the moon.

"I was very excited, I called my mom, my girlfriend, my father, my grandparents -- they were excited, too," said Kabanov. "But I thought for sure that is how they would decide. I was right."

Kabanov didn't waste any time impressing folks in Canada, putting up 14 points (5-9) in 11 games with the Wildcats, further cementing his ranking as a top prospect for next June's NHL draft.

Then the bad news. As if this kid hasn't been through enough already, Kabanov has aggravated an old wrist injury. Pending further medical tests this week, he might need surgery which would knock him of action for several months.

"I'm waiting for the final decision from doctors, I don't know what will happen," said Kabanov.

Who knows what this will do to his draft ranking, but people who have watched him play in Moncton will tell you he's going to be a star in the NHL.

In the meantime, the KHL must wonder at this point whether its efforts to sign young Russian prospects and keep them away from the NHL is really working. There seems to be more Russian kids in Canadian junior hockey than ever before. Why? Because they don't want their road blocked to the NHL.

Last week Medvedev met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in Washington. Perhaps this will be the first step in finally developing a better working agreement between both leagues. I think it's a long shot at best.

In the meantime, the chaos will continue and young men like Kirill Kabanov will be forced to make life-altering decisions at 17 years old. Makes no sense to me.

Quite the week for the Anaheim Ducks, eh?

First, J.S. Giguere sparks controversy by saying he doesn't want to be a backup goalie. Listen, I'm a big fan of Giguere, he's a character guy and a clutch performer. And I don't blame him for not wanting to be a backup. But seriously, Giggy, if GM Bob Murray could find a team for you and the $11 million or so you have left on your deal over the next year and a half, he would have already approached you with a proposition. It's not that easy. I think Giguere knows that, but he's just frustrated right now.

Then, Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer raises eyebrows in The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., when asked if there was any chance at all he could return to New Jersey to play with his brother, Rob, if the Ducks were out of it come the March 3 trade deadline.

"I think it's a possibility," Niedermayer told veteran Devils beat writer Rich Chere.

Well, that certainly had the Internet world buzzing. Turns out, while Niedermayer does not deny having said that to the newspaper, he was simply stating a fact. Since he didn't have a no-trade clause, anything is possible. As one Ducks employee said Saturday, the running joke in Anaheim with Niedermayer is that he says that to almost anything. Like the moon could one day collide with the sun. It's a possibility.

To clear matters, Niedermayer sent ESPN.com this comment on Saturday prior to his game in Detroit: "I don't want to be traded. I love it in Anaheim, and the only thing I'm focused on right now is helping our team get back on track and make the playoffs. That's it."

Via text message to ESPN.com, Murray also reiterated that he has no intention of trading Niedermayer (UFA July 1), and wants to see the future Hall of Fame retire a Duck.

Murray's real problem is what to do in goal. Jonas Hiller's contract expires at the end of this season, and he's due for a big raise over the $1.3 million he's earning this season. But there's no way in hell the Ducks GM can risk signing Hiller to an extension while Giguere remains on the books. You can't commit more dollars to Hiller until Giguere is moved. Stay tuned.

Chelios to Coyotes?

Don Maloney made a few headlines Tuesday evening in Toronto after the first day of NHL GM meetings when he mentioned Chris Chelios as a possible signing for his injury-depleted blue line. The Coyotes GM, in fact, scouted the 47-year-old Chelios in San Antonio (AHL) on Friday night, but in the end, has decided not to go that route.

"Chris Chelios played well last night," Maloney told ESPN.com via text message Saturday. "However, we have positive reports on Ed Jovanovski and Kurt Sauer so we will not pursue this now."

Jovanovski is expected back next week and Sauer fairly soon, Maloney said.

Hawks talks

I don't think it was ever in doubt, but I'm hearing that talks between the Chicago Blackhawks and star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are going very well and that both sides are close to a deal. Both players are slated for restricted free agency July 1, and other GMs were salivating at the chance at plunking down offer sheets for them, but that's not going to happen. I would expect an announcement sometime in the next two weeks.

Humbled Hurricanes

The coach is apparently safe in Carolina, but the veteran players are not. Pretty soon it's going to be time to pull the chute on this season if you're the Hurricanes. Look for some veteran players to be put on waivers or re-entry waivers or, optimally, traded as Carolina looks to next season. The team has nine players with expiring contracts. Changes are coming in Carolina, folks.

Another outdoor game

As we get set for another Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Jan. 1, teams continue to line up to host future outdoor games. More than a dozen markets want to stage the exciting New Year's Day event. Toronto was the latest franchise to go public this past week.

I think there's a decent chance you'll see two outdoor games next season, one on Jan. 1, somewhere in the U.S., and one later in the season, somewhere in Canada. What you won't see is a doubleheader on Jan. 1. Among the many reasons against a doubleheader? The most important is that the NHL has only one ice plant/portable rink that it owns. No sense spending a ton of money on a second one. Instead, my guess is the second outdoor game would be played in February somewhere in Canada as part of CBC's Hockey Day In Canada festivities.

Dallas' big decision

For whatever reason, maybe because it's so dead on the NHL trade market, Fabian Brunnstrom got a lot of attention all over the Internet this week. Fact is, Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk is not shopping him. Teams are calling, yes, but the Stars aren't trying to dump him. Other teams are calling because they see a player who is playing fewer minutes than last season. Jamie Benn has basically bumped Brunnstrom out of the top six, so other GMs are looking for a discount on Brunnstrom. I'm not saying Nieuwendyk won't ever trade him, but he's not feeling any urgency to do so at all. Why trade an asset at its lowest value?

The other Niedermayer

Rob Niedermayer has been a good fit in New Jersey with his brother's old team. Interesting to note that when the Devils came calling for Rob late in preseason, I'm told the Montreal Canadiens were the other suitor pushing hard for his services. That's interesting, because the Habs have had trouble finding a fit on their third line all season long. Maxim Lapierre has struggled this year along with Guillaume Latendresse.

Feeling the Blues

Anyone read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday? If so, you would have seen St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts had some interesting things to say in a story by Jeremy Rutherford:

"I'm frustrated like everybody else," Checketts said. "And I think it's frankly time to declare the wait over. I think our fans have been patient, I think we've been patient.

"This is a team that the time has come … it's time to win. The waiting is over. We don't need to be patient anymore. We have a right to expect. We're spending enough and we have a terrific group of guys. It's time to win.

"There is no reason for the kind of effort we saw last night. This team has everything it needs and now is the time to win. All year long, we should compete for first or second in our division. This team is good enough and that's what we expect from them. I think everyone can expect that. And it's top to bottom … everybody in the organization has to be on that page. It's time to win. We have everything we need to win. There's no excuse."

Time to win some games, boys !

And what about Paul Kariya playing on the third line and not on the power play? Believe it or not, the Blues feel he's played his best hockey since the demotion.

Tense times in St. Louis.

I heard some faint rumblings this week that the Los Angeles Kings weren't terribly satisfied with Jonathan Quick's past few games, and when I saw Erik Ersberg get the start Wednesday night at Carolina, well, my spider senses tingled.

Turns out, my spider senses were wrong.

"No, there's no goalie thing going on," Kings head coach Terry Murray told ESPN.com. "Quick is my No. 1 goaltender. He had played 12 in a row and 16 of 17. I saw a couple of areas in his game in his last start in Chicago that just needed some practice time. I'm going to start him against Atlanta [on Friday]."

Quick's .898 save percentage entering Friday night's game had him down to 36th among NHL goalies. As Murray put it, given the West Coast travel and the schedule the Kings have, quality practice time is hard to come by. So he decided to sit Quick on Wednesday and give him a few days of specific practice time with goalie coach Bill Ranford.

"A lot of it is just getting a rest physically and mentally getting a break," Murray said. "Twelve starts in a row is pretty demanding for a young guy who doesn't have a lot of experience in the game at the NHL level. Maybe a bad habit creeps into your game when you get away from quality practice time. Bill Ranford does a real good job with him, staying very specific with some drills so that he's focused on one or two different parts of this game.

"That's what he needed to get back to," Murray said. "Quite honestly, he just needed that kind of attention, and he got it Wednesday and Thursday in practice. He's ready to get back in net."

The "reset" approach worked earlier this season with winger Alexander Frolov. Murray scratched the Russian winger for an Oct. 19 game, and was quite honest and public at the time about his reasons why. Frolov has responded with 10 points (3-7) in 10 games with a plus-2 rating since getting back in the lineup. I felt it was really noticeable Wednesday night in a 5-2 win at Carolina, a game in which Frolov picked up two assists.

"I agree," Murray said. "That was one of the best games he's played for us all year long. He was outstanding. He's a big, heavy guy and strong on the puck. He made some excellent plays in the offensive zone and was very responsible without the puck on the checking side of the game. I've loved his attitude since he's come back into it; everything that I would want from him as a player."

Murray understands the pressure that's on the 27-year-old Frolov. He's an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

"This is a big year for him, it's his contract year," Murray said. "It's huge for him. I want him to be a very successful player this year. But bringing skill alone in today's game is not good enough, and that's what he was bringing in the early part of the year -- just playing with his skill. With a player like Frolov, it's got to be more of an emotional part of the game, there has to be a bigger dig-in from that side of it. And hard work. That was the message I was talking to him about. And that it's all about the team. He's responded."

Speaking of responding, Murray can't say enough about Anze Kopitar. The No. 1 center leads the NHL in scoring with 30 points (14-16) in 19 games, an evolution that Murray believes began before this season.

"You know what, it goes back to last year for me -- the checking part of the game is what we talked about from the first day of training camp in order for this team to move forward," Murray said. "And that's: Play without the puck, know the system, know the structure, know your responsibility. And Kopi bought in 100 percent on that side of it, and I think he sacrificed some offense last year because of that. But now he knows how to play 200 feet without the puck. It's all coming together for him.

"Give some credit to Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams -- the line is clicking, it has good chemistry. And Kopi right now is on a bit of a roll."

Devils Win 7th Straight

Devils win 9th straight road game, defeating the Penguins, 4-1Tags: NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils

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Devils Win 7th Straight

Yeah, thought so.

The team lost Brian Gionta and John Madden, another offseason with key players departing, and finally, many believed, the Devils would take a tumble.

Ah, no.

Year after year, no matter what the names on the jerseys are, Lou Lamoriello's squad holds its natural position near the top of the Atlantic Division.

"We play as a team, it's always been like that, we've never had individuals," Devils center Travis Zajac explained to ESPN.com after Thursday night's 4-1 win in Pittsburgh. "And right now, we've got all four lines going and all six D. Everyone's contributing, and that's great."

Top defenseman Paul Martin goes out, and New Jersey doesn't even blink. I mean, look at how lost Montreal is playing without Andrei Markov, and Pittsburgh without Sergei Gonchar. The Devils? Ha. The Red Machine just keeps churning out victories, as in 10 in their past 11 games.

Do we have a Stanley Cup contender here?

"We just want to stay pretty level-headed here," Zajac told me. "Tonight, honestly, we know we were pretty fortunate to be down only 1-0 after the first period. After that, we smartened up and played sound hockey."

Typical Devils game in many ways. They didn't look all that dangerous for the opening 30 minutes Thursday, but then they pounced. Four unanswered goals and it's see ya later, defending Cup champions. Sure, the Penguins are injury-riddled, but let's be fair. The Devils were the ones playing back-to-back games. New Jersey is 9-0-0 on the road this season. What gives?

"So far, things are happening for us on the road," Zajac said. "We keep it simple on the road. For us, it's about playing solid hockey and not getting away from our game plan."

Zajac, in many ways, is perfectly suited to be a Devil. He's skilled, hardworking and -- most important in this organization -- a team-first player who puts up points without too many people around the league fussing over him.

Just the way Lou likes it.

Playing on a line with star winger Zach Parise and Swedish rookie Niclas Bergfors, Zajac picked up three assists Thursday night, giving him 16 points (6-10) and a plus-7 rating in 17 games this season.

That line has dominated the Penguins this season: The trio has combined for 14 points in just two games, including eight points in Thursday's game.

The line was dangerous, especially in the second half of the game.

"Zach is a goal scorer; he's an elite player in this league, so it's pretty easy to play with him," Zajac said. "He's always around the net. And Bergy? He's a young guy that's coming. He's great with the puck; he controls the puck and makes plays, and that's what we need from him."

I just don't think Zajac gets his due around the league. This is a player who had 62 points last season and a plus-33 rating, yet didn't get a sniff from Team Canada for Olympic camp in August.

"I definitely would love to be part of that program," Zajac said. "There's a lot of good players, though. Right now, I'm just worried about the Devils, but later on down the road if it happened, that would be great. I've always loved to play for my country. That's a goal of mine."

The news release Thursday from the Kontinental Hockey League read like a 1970s Cold War communiqué:

"KHL Statement on Meeting Between President Alexander Medvedev and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

On November 11, Alexander Medvedev, the President of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), met with National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in Washington, D.C., prior to the game between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders.

The parties exchanged their positions on issues of relations between KHL and NHL, including but not limited to, transfers of players with different status, National team level competitions, including Olympic Games and World Championships, club level competitions and the future of the European-based Champions Hockey League.

The two sides reached an understanding of the need, using political terminology, to reset and upgrade their relationship. As a result, moving forward, designated representatives of the KHL and NHL will work in a spirit of collaboration to thoroughly analyze all issues between the leagues and identify mutually acceptable and beneficial solutions.

The results of such work will be reviewed by the Leagues' leaders during their next meeting, scheduled during the Vancouver Olympic Games in February 2010."

In other words, are we about to see a détente in the hostile relationship between the NHL and KHL?

I'll believe it when I see it.

But for what's it's worth, Bettman, Daly and Medvedev did meet in a quiet room at Verizon Center in Washington before Wednesday night's Islanders-Capitals game, and they even watched the first period together.

"It was constructive," Bettman told ESPN.com on the phone from New York on Thursday. "It was good to see Alex again. Last time we had seen each other was in Rome a little over a year ago. We agreed that it would be good if we could find some areas of cooperation where we could work together, and we were going to see if we could begin that process by trying to find some common ground."

When I last spoke with Medvedev a few weeks ago for a piece I did on the KHL, the Russian hockey league president said he would meet Bettman anywhere at any time. Well, he got his wish Wednesday night.

From where I sit, there's a little more at stake in this for Medvedev. His battle with the NHL has backfired somewhat despite the modest success of his second-year league. Because of the lack of an international player-transfer agreement between Russia and the NHL, fewer Russian players are getting drafted, and those who are being drafted are generally going lower.

In the meantime, when a prized prospect like Kirill Kabanov (a projected top-five pick in the June 2010 draft) tells the KHL to stuff it and comes over to play Canadian junior hockey because he wants to chase his NHL dream, you know that Medvedev, whether he wants to admit it or not, perhaps realizes his showdown with the NHL isn't going as well as hoped at this point.

Still, an improved relationship would also benefit the NHL, which could at least count on the Russian league no longer poaching players who are under contract. Much of the ill will between both leagues was born out of star winger Alexander Radulov leaving behind a valid contract with the Nashville Predators and signing a deal in the KHL in the summer of 2008.

"My primary focus is the KHL's unwillingness to respect our contracts," Bettman told ESPN.com. "I've been pretty consistent on that certainly since the Radulov matter came to the fore."

Medvedev's primary focus has been the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and more precisely the inclusion of NHL players in those Games. Bettman has been noncommittal about NHL participation post-2010 Vancouver, and that's been enough to drive Medvedev bonkers. Indeed, Bettman confirmed that the 2014 Games were discussed in their meeting Wednesday night, but he would not elaborate further.

I'm sure Medvedev reminded Bettman that superstar Russian NHLers Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin have vouched to play in the 2014 Games, regardless of their NHL commitments. That's Medvedev's trump card, no question, on this issue.

But one thing that rarely gets raised is that I also believe Medvedev wants all the top countries to have their top stars in Sochi, not just mother Russia. If you're hosting the best tournament in the world, you want the best in the world to be there. On that front, Bettman, his owners, and the NHL Players' Association still hold the rest of the cards.

The reality is that there is nothing right now Bettman can tell Medvedev, with full certainty, that would make the KHL president happy. Olympic participation is a collectively bargained item between the NHLPA and NHL owners. The players' union absolutely wants to continue Olympic participation, while the owners aren't so keen on an event that hasn't made them much money since the first foray in 1998. Still, the owners would no doubt relent on this issue if the union threw them a bone in CBA talks. But this is all to be determined.

Because the current CBA runs for at least another year and a half, and perhaps another two and a half years if the NHLPA picks up the option year, Medvedev will have to wait a while before he gets his 2014 answer.

In the meantime, will we see a happier coexistence between the KHL and NHL? Count this hockey writer as skeptical.

Note: Speaking of the NHLPA, my "Hockey Night In Canada" colleague Elliotte Friedman has an excellent take on what's happened with the turmoil-filled union.

TORONTO -- Somewhere along the line, the mood in the room shifted.

It was gradual, it took a long time, but after years of discussing head shots at the NHL general managers meetings, the tone in Wednesday's discussion was different.

Screen grab from 'Hockey Night in Canada' broadcast

Here I am, displaying the "soft shell" of a helmet prototype that was presented at this week's GMs' meetings in Toronto.

"It was quite a bit different: Some of the guys who have taken a strong position that it may take hitting out of the game have adjusted their views a little bit," veteran GM Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes said after the two-day meeting wrapped up in a downtown Toronto hotel.

"If we continue down what was talked about today, then we will see a change."

Somehow, just eight months after head shots essentially were shelved at the March 2009 GM meetings in Naples, Fla., because the group couldn't come to a consensus on how to address the issue, a new direction was approved Wednesday.

Seven GMs will be appointed to a group that will study blindside hits and collect data on the subject for the next GMs meeting in March.

Although not every GM is on board, it's clear that for the first time there's a majority who are willing to consider banning blindside hits if that's what the group of seven recommends come March.

And that, my friends, is a giant leap from where this group had been in the past.

"I think that I agree with the consensus today that it's an agenda item that has continued to come back," Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey said. "We were given a time line of this discussion over the past few years. The fact that it continues to come back and we make adjustments that we hope will rectify and improve the safety and durability of the players, the fact that it's here again means that there's more that needs to be done. Exactly where it ends up, I'm not prepared to take a position on it."

The poster-child incident for the renewed interest in this subject was Mike Richards' hit on David Booth last month. Everyone agrees it was a legal shoulder-to-head bodycheck as defined by today's current rulebook. The question now is whether it's time for that legal hit to be made illegal because it was a blindside hit to the head -- Booth was an unsuspecting player who couldn't see Richards coming.

"The hitting in the game is great," Washington Capitals GM George McPhee said. "Every once in a while you have to sit back and say, 'That hit may be legal, but is there something wrong with it?'"

"The most important thing is we're concerned about guys getting blindsided or kind of caught unaware," Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray said.

But the group was also clear on another thing: They aren't looking at making every single hit to the head illegal. Chris Neil's thunderous but clean hit on Victor Hedman was a popular example. That was not a blindside hit. The GMs don't want to ban that kind of hit, because it was straight-on.

"That was a good hockey hit," Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero said.

"Chris Neil finished his check, didn't leave his feet, didn't elbow him," Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke said. "We want that hit in the game. We want to straddle the line. Our job is to make this game as safe as a contact game can be."

There are factors in the past few years that have forced GMs to rethink this issue. The crackdown on obstruction and hooking and holding after the 2004-05 lockout has sped up the game like never before. The players are bigger and faster and colliding with one another at record speed. That has had a big impact on players getting hurt, even on clean checks.

"It is faster, the guys are bigger, no question," Murray said. "We opened the game up, you can't hold people up so much now. There are more mid-ice hits than before because of the style of the game."

So what the group finally agreed upon Wednesday is that something needs to be done. And I say good on them.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to see exactly where the GMs end up going with this in March. It'll be one of the most significant decisions the GMs make since the package of rule changes adopted coming out of the lockout.

Will the GMs vote to ban blindside hits in March, and if so, how will they clearly define it?

"I heard today that we want to redraw the line, but there won't be consensus today on where that line should be drawn," Gainey said.

"And there may not be unanimity in the end. But I think we're moving in the right direction."

If blindside hits are made illegal, the players will adjust. They always do.

"It's no different than we learn at a young age now that if a player is facing the boards, you don't hit him from behind. It's instinct," Shero said. "Maybe this will be instinct, too."

Other notes from Wednesday as GMs wrapped up their two-day meeting:

• There has been no shortage of laughter at my expense for wearing that funky-looking helmet on "Hockey Night In Canada" on Saturday night. It's a prototype the NHL is looking at. On Wednesday, it was Kris King's turn to wear it for the 30 GMs.

King, from the NHL's hockey operations side, showed the GMs the helmet that was sent to him from a woman in Parry Sound, Ontario, a unique design that allows for easy removal of the outer plastic shell but leaves a soft shell on the player's head so that he still has protection in a fight. The league is sensitive to this subject ever since the tragic death of Don Sanderson last season during a senior league game in Ontario.

"The concept is neat; it's something we never thought of," King told reporters Wednesday. "A lady in Parry Sound was watching Sidney Crosby play on TV and taking his helmet off to fight once this year. She thought it would be terrible if he ever fell and hurt his head on the ice. So she came up with this idea. It's interesting. It's one that I don't know where it will go, but it's something that we deserve to look at a little further.

"Part of our job at hockey operations is to better protect our players," King said. "Sometimes our fans think of things that we don't. It's something from the indication of our group today [the GMs] that has some merit and we should look further at."

The helmet looks funny, but as one GM told me while walking out of the hotel Wednesday, "Sometimes you have to think outside the box."

Still, don't count Leafs GM Brian Burke among the fans of it.

"Next question," Burke said. "Not buying it."

But Burke was enamored with the new M11 helmet Mark Messier has put on the market. His helmet is supposedly the safest in terms of concussions. Messier made a presentation to GMs on Wednesday.

"I teased Mark afterwards," Burke said. "'It's amazing that you're in here talking about helmet safety.' When he played for me, I couldn't get him to do his chin strap up more than about 4 inches below his chin. It was useless.

"But I really like this helmet," Burke said. "I told Mark and [his sister] Mary-Kay that I'll be in touch with them. I want to get it on some of the [AHL Toronto] Marlies immediately. We have one [Maple Leafs] player wearing it -- Garnet Exelby wears it. I really like that helmet."

Canucks GM Mike Gillis also was impressed by Messier's helmet.

"I like the look of it and think it's an advancement in technology that any player should be open to," Gillis said.

• Following the NHL GMs meeting, Team USA GM Brian Burke assembled his Olympic management staff for a meeting. The group consists of Nashville Predators GM David Poile, Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero.

Team USA will announce its Olympic roster Jan. 1 at the Winter Classic in Boston. The organization has been producing scouting reports on American NHL players since the start of last season.

"We continue to refine the list, we're continuing the process," Burke said before heading off to the Team USA meeting. "We're going to have one more meeting in Pebble Beach [in mid-December], and then we're going to chase guys. We'll split up and look at a few players. Hopefully we're down to two or three decisions to make at that point. We'll probably do the last bit by conference call."

• As advertised, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly addressed the GMs Wednesday regarding the controversial long-term contracts, the so-called cheat deals that bring down the average salary of the deal -- and thus produce a smaller cap hit -- by tacking on low salaries at the end of the contract. The NHL is currently investigating the contracts signed by Marian Hossa, Roberto Luongo and Chris Pronger to see whether there's any proof the parties involved willingly conspired to circumvent the collective bargaining agreement.

"We just covered the issue," Daly said Wednesday. "We reiterated the concern that we had raised with the managers in March. I updated them on the status of the investigations. I think they kind of have an understanding of what we're concerned about."

This is an issue that won't really get resolved until the loophole is closed in the next CBA. But the NHL Players' Association will have a say in that.

• Caps GM George McPhee didn't have an update on the status of veteran center Michael Nylander, who cleared waivers this week and awaits to see where he'll end up. The Caps are trying to arrange a loan agreement with a team in the KHL in Russia. That would get Nylander's $4.875 million cap hit off the NHL books, although the Caps still would pay him some part of his salary in real life.

"We're still working on it," McPhee said. "Hopefully we'll have an answer in a day or so."

Baizley just happens to represent Peter Forsberg, among other high-profile clients. Canucks GM Mike Gillis and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli were among those who took the time to say hi to Baizley.

"I've had some discussions with Don Baizley on him and we had people scouting him last week," Chiarelli told ESPN.com, confirming his interest in Forsberg. "It's something that we certainly would look at exploring."

The Canucks have a very keen interest in Forsberg, while the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are also among several teams kicking the tires.

"I've made it known before that a healthy Peter Forsberg, who wouldn't be interested?" Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said after the meeting. "I don't know that he's healthy. I know he played in those games over there [in Helsinki last week]. We had a couple of guys watching him."

Forsberg, meanwhile, has not yet made a decision on his playing future.

"We spoke briefly today and we'll talk again in a day or two," Baizley said Tuesday. "It's a big decision for him. He's got to take his time."

Forsberg, 36, is a free agent. He played for Sweden in an international tournament in Helsinki last week, with NHL scouts in the stands watching his every move. The Swedish star has been felled by foot/ankle problems for the last few years.

Baizley was attending a sports management conference at the same Toronto hotel where the NHL's 30 GMs were also meeting.

• Is Chris Chelios on the verge of coming back to the NHL?

Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney dropped the name of the 47-year-old defenseman Tuesday after the GMs meeting, when addressing his injury-depleted blue line. Maloney said he planned to travel to San Antonio to scout Chelios on Friday night. The veteran is playing with the AHL's Chicago Wolves.

"He's there, he's saavy and he's in great shape," Maloney said. "[But] I don't know … the pace of the NHL game is so quick."

Chelios, when contacted via text message by ESPN.com, didn't know of the Coyotes' interest.

"We haven't spoken," said Maloney. "He's just another name, a right-handed shooting defenseman, [so we're] saying, 'OK, let's talk about it.' A week ago we were in pretty good shape health-wise, a week later you have two of your top six down."

The Coyotes were without injured blueliners Ed Jovanovski and Zbynek Michalek.

• The headline issue of these NHL GM meetings wasn't on the table Tuesday. Head shots will be the centerpiece discussion Wednesday.

One interesting topic brought up Tuesday was the trapezoid, the area in the corners of the ice where, since the lockout, netminders have not been allowed to play the puck. GM Doug Wilson of the San Jose Sharks put it up for discussion Tuesday, believing it might be a good idea to get rid of it. Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford was among the GMs who support getting rid it as well, but overall, it got a lukewarm response from the group.

"I don't think there's a great appetite to change it," Wilson said afterward. "And I don't mind that. When you change one thing, it might affect two or three things. We put it on the agenda just to really spur thought on it."

"I think generally the trapezoid has been good for the game," said Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier.

• Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell is scheduled to meet again with Ilya Kovalchuk's agent, Jay Grossman, on Thursday. Kovalchuk, who could be back in the Thrashers' lineup as early as Thursday, is slated for unrestricted free agency July 1, and the team has been pressing hard to try to get him to sign an extension. They don't want it to drag on all season.

"Certainly we've had very constructive conversations," Waddell told ESPN.com after Tuesday's GM meetings. "We've had some more intense discussions, I would say, in the last couple of weeks, which I think will lead to a resolution to the situation in the near future. When I say the near future, I would say in the next few weeks I would hope."

• The NHL is considering renegotiating the contentious lease agreement between the city of Glendale, Ariz., and the Phoenix Coyotes in the hopes that it might streamline the league's efforts to sell the financially troubled club.

The NHL recently officially bought the club out of bankruptcy and would like to find a new buyer as quickly as possible. Because the 30-year lease with the city will always be an issue for a prospective buyer, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said they are considering entering into negotiations with Glendale to rework the lease so that the team might be more attractive.

"It's one possibility of moving toward resolution, whereas now all of the potential purchasers have this big elephant in the room. What's the lease going to look like?" Daly said.

"It may be one way to move the process forward by going in and doing our own deal, understanding what's there and then we have something to sell. And either people want to buy it on those terms or they don't. It could make it easier. I'm not suggesting it's the only way to go about it."

Would the league ask for an out clause if they did rework the lease?

"It's a fair question, but since we haven't had that discussion yet with the city of Glendale, I don't want to presuppose what or what not we might need in that agreement. It really depends on the other elements of the agreement to a large extent," Daly said.

• One agenda item that will be brought up Wednesday, time permitting, is the issue of NHL fighters using UFC-style tactics. The Nashville Predators were upset last season when they felt San Jose Sharks winger Brad Staubitz used his forearms to punch Jordan Tootoo in a fight. Sharks GM Doug Wilson was upset the Predators complained to the league about it.

"We brought it up with the league that we thought he was hitting him with his forearm," Predators GM David Poile said Tuesday. "Doug doesn't see that, but that's what I saw on the film. I asked the league, is this something we should talk about? I haven't heard a thing about it until now."

• Lightning GM Brian Lawton was upset when prized rookie Victor Hedman was drilled by Chris Neil last week, causing the first-year blueliner to suffer a concussion.

"But I had raised some of the concerns of head shots long before Victor got hurt," Lawton said. "So it's timely. I'm interested in the long-term outlook of what we're going to do as a league. It costs money when all these guys are out."

• Also on the agenda for Wednesday will be a discussion with Daly concerning long-term contracts, or the so-called "cheat deals." The NHL is currently investigating the contracts signed by Roberto Luongo, Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa to see if there's any proof those parties conspired to circumvent the CBA by lowering the average cap hit on those deals by tacking on low-salaried seasons at the end of them (only the average salary of a contract counts against the cap).

"We will report on the status of the investigations that are ongoing and some of the issues we have that we're concerned about that raised red flags with us that caused the investigations," Daly said Tuesday.

You know, what I should really do is give you guys my home office phone number and let you rant on my voicemail. On second thought, this is fine. Again this week, I've let you puckheads rant, and I'll attempt to soothe you with some answers:

big_jim: I've got a gripe about the hard plastic caps on the shoulder pads and elbow pads of most players' equipment. I think that this contributes to how much a player gets injured when they get hit in the head. Modifying the equipment would help reduce the amount of injury each player would sustain upon impact. With this change, the clean hits wouldn't be such a big issue

LeBrun's take: Big Jim, Kris King of the NHL's Hockey Operations office in Toronto has actually been tackling this very issue for a number of years. I was in the NHL Toronto office just last Friday and saw several prototypes for softer shoulder and elbow pads. But the process is slow. I sent your rant to King today, and here's what he answered back in an e-mail:

"This process of modifying shoulder pads (caps and arm extensions) has been ongoing for a better part of five years. The idea is to cover all contact areas of the shoulder pads with [half-inch] padding similar to the way elbow pads were modified in 2003. The manufacturers have helped to build prototypes and currently some NHL players are actually using pads that have these characteristics. The implementation has been slowed by the process of having the NHLPA's approval to move forward. Hockey Ops feels that this project is worth the effort and plan on pursuing it further."

Sphinn: I seriously just want to see the Oilers full line up together again. That 6-2-1 start made me smile, and now it seems like a distant memory. I need them to rebound.

LeBrun's take: Injuries and the flu bug have absolutely hammered this team. They played Sunday's game in Denver without two-thirds of their top line and overall without four of their top nine forwards. Not to mention that their top blueliner, Sheldon Souray, remains out. In the meantime, the flu has ravaged the roster. Oilers GM Steve Tambellini told me over the weekend that he's never seen anything like it -- the way it zaps the energy from his players. All you can hope for is for the Oilers to get healthy, and in the meantime gut out some big wins like the one Sunday night over the Avs. Most teams in the league will go through injury and flu issues during the course of the season. It's how a team survives them (or not) that most often decides whether they make the playoffs.

Bengals1934: My gripe is about the shootout. I think this is the worst in-season overtime system in all of sports. This has absolutely nothing to do with the team game of hockey. Some teams have a couple players that have great breakaway moves, and that give them a great advantage, which is not fair. As much as I hate ties, I would much rather go back to the old version of overtime. If the NHL is worried about teams playing for the tie, instead of going for the win in overtime than make a win worth three points and a tie one point from now on. It may be a flawed system, but something has to happen; this is the worst way to end a hockey game possible. These players put everything they have on to that ice, and the deciding factor is a glorified penalty shot.

LeBrun's take: Bengal Boy, you think the shootout is a bad way to end regular-season games? What if I told you the Olympic gold medal game could be decided that way? Because that's the truth. What an ugly thought that is. But as for NHL regular-season games, I don't mind it, my friend. Walk into an NHL rink during a shootout and tell me how many people are actually sitting down. The majority of fans dig it, and that's why it is here to stay.

t_sil: These blindside headshots need to be punish much more severely. The league cannot continue to ignore or give a game or two. Someone will be very badly injured or worse one of these days. There is very little respect being shown among the players.

LeBrun's take: Your wish is the NHL's command. The league's 30 GMs are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday here in Toronto, and hits to the head and blindside hits are the agenda headliners. Check back in for our coverage of the GMs meeting to see what they decided to do, if anything, about it.

cikiri: My beef's with St. Louis Blues Head Coach Andy Murray.

First, I'm a Los Angeles Kings fan. While the Kings enjoyed their most recent success under Murray, I have to believe all the injuries the Kings suffered during his tenure had a lot to do with the way he runs his teams.

My beef isn't with his coaching techniques, his inspirational videos, his quizzes, his required reading, etc. No, my beef is with his use of my favorite player, Paul Kariya.

Watching Kariya on the Blues is beyond frustrating. Murray's got Kariya playing on the checking line with B.J. Crombeen and Jay McClement. And he's removed Kariya from the powerplay, instead deciding to play him on the penalty kill. Even during Kariya's prime, he was never a great defensive player. Granted, every Mighty Ducks coach from Ron Wilson to Craig Hartsburg threw Kariya out in every single situation because those teams were so terrible. But Kariya is not 25 anymore.

Get Kariya out of St. Louis now. Better yet, get Kariya in a Kings' sweater. He was offered a deal three years ago by Dean Lombardi before he signed in St. Louis. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. St. Louis isn't going anywhere fast with Andy Murray at the helm.

He'd be perfect on the Kings second line with Stoll and Brown. Kariya can still dish the puck with the best of them. Imagine Kariya playing below the goal line dishing a one-timer to Stoll along the sideboards with Brown screening the goalie. Magic. No need to thank me, Dean, just make it happen.

LeBrun's take: It is quite bizarre to see what Murray has done with Kariya. I mean, I know Paul is struggling, but if there's anywhere he's going to help you, it's on the power play, where he's made his living for 15 years. Here's what Murray told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch over the weekend when explaining why Kariya was taken off the power play:

"We were going to use [Kariya] a lot killing penalties. It was a matter of not overtaxing Paul. If you check his minutes, he played a ton. And when you're playing on that 'stopper' unit, you're playing a lot. I always come back with the 'stopper' unit after a power play, so I wanted Paul for that, too."

Sorry, not buying any of that, Andy; nice try! Listen, the coach is obviously frustrated with a 26th-ranked power play, and maybe this is a way of sending a message to everyone on the team. But you need Kariya back on the unit. Case closed.

honk_for_the_goose: See what happens when you don't tale my rants? Sabres drop two in a row, not only drop but killed by two toss-up teams. For the second year in a row, the hype of the fast start is blown out like a candle from the lazy play of the Sabres. I thought we had grown up and got past that. Can the Sabre faithful expect an early end to another season?

LeBrun's take: Honky Goose, sit down, take a deep breath and relax. I want you to visualize Brad May's 1993 overtime goal against the Bruins. There you go -- happy thoughts. OK, now that I've got your head in a good place, I can tell you this: The Sabres will be fine. Over the course of an 82-game season you're going to have your bad weeks. This club is not falling apart. Keep the faith, my friend, these guys are the Bills.

gdixon09: Dear Gary Bettman, put NHL back on ESPN! You will instantly increase the popularity of your sport by 100 percent. This seems like a no-brainer to me.

LeBrun's take: Amen.