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• Ranking the top 20 NHL goaltenders

  January 18, 2013

  1) Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: Last season he had the fourth-best goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.930), along with the third-most wins (39). His GAA has dropped each year, from 2.43, to 2.38, to 2.28, to 1.97. His save percentage has improved during that span from .916, to .921, to .923, to .930.
  
  2) Jonathan Quick, Kings: His GAA went from 2.54 to 2.24 to 1.95 during the past three seasons while his save percentage improved from .907 to .918 to .929.
  
  3) Pekke Rinne, Predators: He led the league with 43 victories, but his 2.39 GAA ranked just 14th. His .923 save percentage ranked seventh. Can Nashville still prosper without Ryan Suter?
  
  4) Jimmy Howard, Red Wings: He won 35 games in 57 games, posting excellent ratios (2.13 GAA, .920 save percentage) while earning six shutouts. Will this team suffer slippage without Nicklas Lidstrom?
  
  5) Tuukka Rask, Bruins: He was ready two years ago when he won 22 of 39 starts while posting a 1.97 GAA and .937 save percentage. Now he takes over for Tim Thomas, playing behind an elite team.
  
  6) Jaroslav Halak, Blues: He started horribly last season, losing six of his first seven starts. That allowed Brian Elliott to earn a time share in nets. But after the all-star break Halak was 12-4-2 1.86 and .935.
  
  7) Ryan Miller, Sabres: He went 15-4-3 over his last 22 games. His ratios in February (.938/1.85) and March (.930/2.17) were outstanding.
  
  8) Mike Smith, Coyotes: Is he a one-shot wonder or the real thing? After bouncing from Dallas to Tampa Bay to Arizona, he broke out with 38 victories in this great defensive system. His GAA dropped from 2.89 to 2.21 and his save percentage improved from .899 to .930.
  
  9) Cam Ward, Hurricanes: He was great in January (5-3-3, 1.79 and .944), February (4-0-2, 2.51 and .923) and March (6-5-3, 2.71 and .921). He seldom gets a game off.
  
  10) Cory Schneider, Canucks: For the moment he is stuck in a tag team with Roberto Luongo. But he earned the lead role by posting a 1.96 GAA and .937 save percentage in  33 regular-season games last season.
  
  11) Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins: He won 42 games and recorded a 2.35 GAA. But he struggled in playoffs with a 4.63 GAA in six games.
  
  12) Ilya Bryzgalov, Flyers: His high side is very high. As the NHL’s Player of the Month in March, for instance, he went 10-2-1 with a 1.43 GAA, .947 save percentage and four shutouts.
  
  13) Kari Lehtonen, Stars: He won 32 games and posted the best ratios in his injury-marred career (2.33 GAA and .922 percentage).
  
  14) Carey Price, Canadiens: He regressed across the board in victories (26), GAA (2.43) and save percentage (.916).
  
  15) Jonas Hiller, Ducks: He rallied impressively after a terrible start last season – he was 2-6-3 with a 3.54 GAA, .895 save percentage in November and just as bad in December (3-6-2, 3.31, .896).
  
  16) Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames: He turned back the clock last season while winning half of his 70 starts and posting a 2.35/.921 ratios split.
  
  17) Roberto Luongo, Canucks: Will Toronto or Florida trade for him? Last season he went 31-14-8 record with a 2.41 GAA and .919 save percentage in 55 games.
  
  18) Braden Holtby, Capitals: In 21 appearances during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, he went 14-4-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .929 save percentage.
  
  19) Antti Niemi, Sharks: He has been consistently OK in San Jose, winning 35 games with a 2.38 GAA and .920 save percentage two seasons ago and 34 games with a 2.42 GAA and .915 save percentage last season.
  
  20) Martin Brodeur, Devils: He posted excellent playoff ratios (2.12, .917) and posting just so-so rations (2.41,.908) during the regular season.

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• Ranking the top 20 NHL defensemen

  January 17, 2013

  
  1) Erik Karlsson, Senators -- His points-per-game average increased from .433, .600 and .963 points per game the last three seasons.
  
  2) Zdeno Chara, Bruins -- He recorded plus-33 in back-to-back seasons ratings in back-to-back seasons and scored a career-high 52 points last season.
  
  3) Alex Pietrangelo, D, Blues -- He  broke out with 51 points and a plus-16 rating last season. He could score at a greater rate with a better surrounding cast this season.

  4) Kris Letang, Penguins -- He produces when he plays. But . . . he played more than 74 games just once.

  5) Dustin Byfuglien, Jets -- He is a physical force who can also go to the net and score goals.
  
  6) Shea Weber, Predators --  His average over the last four years: 19 goals, 48 points, 55 penalty minutes, 20 power-play points and 239 shots on goal. He should be fine without Ryan Suter.
  
  7) Dan Boyle, Sharks -- He has scored 213 points during the last four seasons in San Jose.
  
  8) P.K. Subban, Canadiens -- Of his 74 points the last two seasons, 32 came on the power player. He is a physical player who earned 243 PIMs during that span.
  
  9) Alexander Edler, Canucks – He tailed off last season and scored just 15 points during thefinal 33 games.
  
  10) Dion Phaneuf, Maple Leafs – He played all 82 games last season and improved hihs production from  30 points to 44.
  
  11) Ryan Suter, Wild – His point total climbed his last three years in Nashville from 37 to 39 and 46. But he won't have Weber next to him this season.
  
  12) Duncan Keith, Blackhawks – He scored just 13 power-play points in 74 games last season after producing 22 in 82 games the season before.
  
  13) Drew Doughty, Kings ---He played much better after Darryl Sutter arrived, then he scored 16 points in 20 playoff games.
  
  14) Brian Campbell, Panthers – He made the most of his move from Chicago, jumping from 27 points in 65 games to 53 in 82. He earned 30 power-play assists but scored only one power play goal.
  
  15) Michael Del Zotto, Rangers – He scored 41 points with a plus-20 rating last season after going minus-25 first two seasons.
  
  16) Mark Streit, Islanders – He bounced back to score 47 points, but his minus-27 spoke to his defensive shortcomings.
  
  17) Kevin Bieksa, Canucks – He us a rugged defender with three seasons of 42 or more points to his credit.
  
  18) Kevin Shattenkirk, Blues: This emerging offensive defenseman scored 20 points in 33 games after the All-Star break.
  
  19) Tobias Enstrom, Jets -- He scored 12 points with a plus-5 in his last 17 games after scoring two points in 14 February games.
  
  20) Keith Yandle, Coyotes – His production fell from 59 points in 2010-11 to 43 last year. How will the power-play work without Ray Whitney?

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• Ranking the top 20 NHL forwards

  January 17, 2013

  1) Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning – He scored 60 goals for a team possessing the 25th-best power play. Tampa Bay has taken steps to improve with the man advantage.
  
  2) Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins – He elevated his game when Sidney Crosby missed much of last season.  Then he dominated the KHL during the lockout.
  
  3) Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins – He missed 101 games during the past two NHL campaigns. But when he plays, he piles up multi-point games.
  
  4) Daniel Sedin, W, Canucks -- He was rolling along last season with 64 points with a plus-19 rating in his first 63 games before getting knocked out. The lockout gave him extra time to heal.
  
  5) Claude Giroux, C/W, Flyers – Be blossomed into 93-point scorer last season while centering the top line. He piled up 38 power-play points.
  
  6) James Neal, W, Penguins – He failed to fit into the Pittsburgh lineup the year before, but he clicked with Malkin last season during his 40-goal, 41-assist season. He put 329 shots on goal.
  
  7) Alex Ovechkin, W, Capitals – Oddly, he scored just 70 goals the last two seasons combined. But new coach Adam Oates should get him going.
  
  8) John Taveras, C, Islanders – He looks more like worthy No. 1 pick all the time. After scoring54 points as a rookie, he scored 67 and 81 the next two seasons.
  
  9) Corey Perry, W, Ducks – Two years ago he scored 50 goals. Last year he scored 37 despite his team's epic first-half collapse.
  
  10) Marian Gaborik, W, Rangers – The lockout allowed him to recover from shoulder surgery. He delivered 22 multi-point games last season when healthy.
  
  11) Rick Nash, W, Rangers -- This seven-time 30-goal scorer finally gets a playmaking center.
  
  12) Henrik Sedin, C, Canucks – He has declined from 112 points to 94 to 81 points during the last three seasons. But he and Daniel can still play.
  
  13) Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks -- His 57 points in 59 games last season and should continue that point--per-game pace.
  
  14) Ilya Kovalchuk, W, Devils -- He has scored 35 or more goals eight times in his career. He should hit the ice flying after starring the KHL during the lockout.
  
  15) Jordan Eberle, W, Oilers – After his breakout 34-goal season, he starred in AHL during lockout.
  
  16) Anze Kopitar, C, Kings – Over the last three seasons he has averaged 28 goals, 77 points, a plus-14 rating, 27 power-play points and 241 shots on goal. His MCL sprain suffered in Europe during the lockout could cost him a few games.
  
  17) Martin St. Louis, W, Lightning – His production dipped to 74 last year after he averaged 92 points during his previous five season. An improved power play should help him, too.
  
  18) Jason Spezza, C, Senators – After scoring just 57 points during each of the previous two seasons, he scored 34 goals, added 50 assists and earned plus-11 rating last season.
  
  19) Brad Richards, C, Rangers – His point total declined from 91 to 77 and 66 the last three seasons. But he scored 22 points in last 17 games and now he has Nash to play with.
  
  20) Eric Staal, C, Hurricanes – He scored 13 goals and dished 21 assists during his last 31 games last season. Newcomers Alexander Semin and Jordan Staal will bolster the lineup.
  
  

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• NHL teams will scramble once lockout ends

  January 01, 2013

  The National Hockey League lockout should end soon. The owners and players are finally bargaining for real.
  
  The two sides finally quit posturing. Gary Bettman quit making take-it-or-leave-it offers. Owners are pressuring Bettman to salvage a partial season. Donald Fehr knows his rank and file members are getting more than a little restless.
  
  It could take a few days, but the two sides could hammer out a tentative agreement this week by committing to making a deal.
  
  Once this matter is resolved, teams will have precious little time to prepare for a 48- or 50-game season. Teams suffering slow starts risk falling out the abbreviated playoff race.
  
  The Edmonton Oilers placed four key players in the American Hockey League this season. That commitment -- combined with the work other Oilers did in Europe this season – should help them blast out of the gate.
  
  The St. Louis Blues should be reasonably prepared to start play. Several key players have stayed fresh by playing in Europe or down in the AHL.
  
  Here is a quick update on the Blues scenario and some other hockey notes:

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• At last! NHL giving labor peace a chance

  December 05, 2012

  As it turns out, not every NHL owner was eager to set fire to the industry to earn Total Victory over the players union.
  
  The league abandoned its scorched earth approach when Pittsburgh Penguins owner Ron Burkle was allowed into the negotiating process. He, current Penguins star Sidney Crosby and former Penguins star Mario Lemieux are pushing to end this standoff.
  
  Former Penguins center Jordan Staal told the Raleigh News & Observer that Burkle “really understands the business world and he truly does care about playing and getting back on the ice.”
  
  New negotiation faces Jeff Vinik (Lightning), Mark Chipman (Jets) and Larry Tannenbaum (Maple Leafs) also brought some sanity to the owners’ side of the table.
  
  Hard-line Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs was  in Tuesday’s face-to-face meeting with the players. But his lackey, commissioner Gary Bettman, was forced to hover on the perimeter.
  
  (To Bettman’s credit, he suggested the owners-players meeting concept, moving himself and NHLPA czar Donald Fehr to edge of the fray. At least Gary realized he was just getting in the way.)
  
  The two sides negotiated for real and found some common ground. That set the stage for a key meeting of the NHL Board of Governors and additional negotiations.
  
  Was their progress? Sure, but we’ve heard that before. At least the two sides demonstrated some urgency as time began running out to have any sort of 2012-13 season.
  
  Here is what the Twitterverse has to say about all this today.

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• Hard questions for NHL owners

  November 27, 2012

  Federal mediators ask a lot of questions while trying to resolve a labor dispute. They try to cut through all the posturing, assess the bottom line differences between the two sides and propose ways to bridge those gaps.
  
  Now that the NHL and the NHLPA have agreed to allow third-party assistance, I offer up some potential questions for the owners:
  
  Do you really believe that shutting down the league every few years is a sound business model? Did you steal this strategy from good folks at McDonald’s, who teases America by giving it the McRib and then taking it away over and over again?
  
  Do you realize that only a small percentage of Americans have even noticed that you aren’t staging games?
  
  Rather than demand all wholesale rollbacks on player contracting rights, why not weigh player contracts on a case-by-case basis and only pay players what they are really worth?
  
  Rather than demand a collective bargain agreement designed to protect yourselves against yourselves, why don’t you learn to say “no” to excessive salary demands?
  
  When the players hired Donald Fehr, what is it about “they won’t cave easily” that you didn’t understand? Did you not Google his name to see what he has done in his career?
  
  Do you realize that modern professional athletes are your partners, not your employees?
  
  If the league is in grave financial shape, why were you guys signing players to eight-digit contracts right up to the moment you locked them out?
  
  Why would one of you trumpet the signing of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to 13-year, $98 million contracts if there was no intention to actually honor those deals in full?
  
  Did agent Rich Winter hold somebody at gunpoint to get that nine-year, $51 million contract for client Ilya Bryzgalov?
  
  What sort of imbecile would give Jeff Carter an 11-year, $58 million contract? And how could two other teams later take on that contract via trades?

  Do none of your remember Jimmy Carson?
  
  How is that 15-year contract for Rick DiPietro working out?

  As for what I would ask the players, check out my story on STLToday.com.

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• Locked-out NHL players suffer serious injuries elsewhere

  November 25, 2012

  If and when the NHL unlocks its doors and welcomes back its players, some notable names will be sidelined by serious injuries suffered playing elsewhere.
  
  Here is a quick update:
  
  Valtteri Filppula, W/C, Red Wings: He suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee while playing for Jokerit in Finland’s top league. That injury could sideline him for up to two months.
  
  This versatile forward is a critical offensive piece in Detroit. Last season he scored 23 goals and added 43 assists. He scored 15 points in his first 16 games in Finland this season.
  
  Ryan Murray, D, Blue Jackets: Columbus counted on Murray, the second pick in the 2012 draft, to quickly emerge as a defensive cornerstone. But he could miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn shoulder labrum while playing for Everett of the Western Hockey League.
  
  Murray has 17 points in 23 games this season. He captained Team WHL squad in the Subway Super Series against Russia and figured to be a key performer for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships this winter.
  
  This was just more bad news for Columbus, which recently saw the 2013 NHL All-Star Game cancelled due to the lockout.
  
  Jared Cowen, D, Senators: Ottawa had big plays for this imposing D-man, but he suffered a torn hip labrum Oct. 19 while playing for Binghamton of the American Hockey League. The injury eventually resulted in season-ending surgical repairs.
  
  Cowen, 21, is a former ninth overall draft pick. He played all 82 games last season, scoring five goals and adding 12 assists. He was ticketed for a Top Four role this season.
  
  “We’re disappointed for Jared,” Senators general manger Bryan Murray told the Ottawa Sun. “This was a big year for him to get more playing time in Binghamton until we’re going to play in the NHL.
  
  In Cowen’s absence, prospects Andre Benoit, Mark Borowiecki, Patrick Wiercioch and Eric Gryba will get extra attention from Ottawa’s management team. The Senators may also look outside the organization for help.
  
  Blake Geoffrion, C, Canadiens: He suffered a depressed skull fracture while playing for Hamilton of the AHL. He was injured when J.P. Cote of Syracuse checked him and then apparently made contact with Geoffrion’s skull with his skate.
  
  Geoffrion, 24, had five goals and eight assists in 55 games last season for Nashville and Montreal. He is recovering from head surgery but faces an uncertain hockey future.

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• Video: Gary Bettman just hates this!

  March 21, 2012

  A line brawl to start a hockey game? The commissioner won't be pleased about this one bit.

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• Suddenly The Senators Can't Win Games

  February 03, 2012

  Have the Ottawa Senators finally returned to Earth? Has reality set in?
  
  The Eastern Conference’s most pleasant surprise is mired in its first four-game losing streak of the season. First-line center Jason Spezza scored zero points during that downturn.
  
  “Our whole line, the last four games we haven’t produced offensively and we’ve lost,” Spezza told the Ottawa Sun. “So it’s no coincidence. We have to be good as a line offensively, too.”
  
  Winger Milan Michalek’s goal-scoring slump has reached eight games. “The season is long, there’s always ups and downs,” he told the Sun. “Sometimes you’re low. But I’m trying to stay positive. I think it’s going to turn around soon. I have to work hard and hopefully it’s going to come back soon.”
  
  Ottawa needs to regain its scoring touch during the upcoming five-game homestand. The Sens have an opportunity reestablish themselves as a playoff threat.
  
  “As the season goes on, month by month, it gets harder, it gets harder, it gets harder,” captain Daniel Alfredsson told the Ottawa Citizen. “It’s tough to score goals, games are closer. And I think that’s good for us, we’ve got to learn to deal with that, a lot of different situations. It pushes everybody.”

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• Yeo! Unhappy Zidlicky Has Wild Dispute With Coach

  February 01, 2012

  Hey, NHL general managers, beat the rush and make your bid for Marek Zidlicky today.
  
  The highly skilled Minnesota Wild defenseman was a healthy scratch Tuesday night for Minnesota’s come-from-ahead loss to the Nashville Predators.
  
  This was the third game in a row that Wild coach Mike Yeo banished Zidlicky to the press box. So Zidlicky lashed back at his coach, both in person and through the media.

  You can see where this is headed.

  “I can't be quiet,” Zidlicky told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “If I would be a healthy scratch, if it helped the team, that's good. I will not cry. I will not tell him he's wrong. But if he doesn't want to play me again, again, I have to do something.”
  
  When informed of Zidlicky’s public complaint, Yeo was not amused.
  
  “One thing for sure, we're going to talk,” Yeo said. “This is not the right way to handle it.”
  
  Zidlicky, who turns 35 this week, came to North America with a well-defined offensive style honed during his successful European pro career. In 541 career NHL games, he has 60 goals and 235 assists.
  
  But he has no goals and just 11 assists in 34 games this season.
  
  “He doesn't like what I'm doing," Zidlicky told the newspaper. “If I'm an offensive player, I'm supposed to play with the top guys. He should show me, 'You are that guy, and you will be out there the last minute when we need to score.' There was a lot of times when I just laid on the bench and just wait for my chance. We had a couple meetings about that after 10, 15 games in the season, and I can't change my style.
  
  “He wants to play easy hockey. I tried everything what he wants, but apparently it doesn't work.”
  
  Yeo said Zidlicky has nobody to blame but himself.
  
  “You think he would be out of the lineup today if he was playing really well?” Yeo said. “His play dictates that, how he handles this dictates that. Greg Zanon decided how he was going to get back in the lineup. He had a great, great attitude . . . Players decide.”

  Zidlicky is prepared to waive his no-trade clause to escape the Wild. Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher ought to be able to fetch at least a draft pick for him, given his proven power-play skills.

  Stay tuned for updates.

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• Ovechkin Got Boudreau Fired, So Now What?

  November 29, 2011

  OK, Alex Ovechkin, it's your move.

  Your sluggish play got coach Bruce Boudreau fired. The mean coach with the profane vocabulary is gone.

  So now it is time to put up numbers and lead your team out of its morass.

  The Versus pundits noted this Monday night, noting that Boudreau’s recent struggles in D.C. boiled down his inability to spark Ovechkin.

  From his analysts chair, oft-fired NHL coach Mike Keenan noted that you can’t lose battles with their star players – and cited his struggle with Brett in St. Louis as an example.
  
  For the record, Ovechkin insists he had no issue with Boudreau. “I have good relationship with him,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post. “We have good relationship right away when they bring him in.”
  
  But he didn’t produce for Boudreau either. After scoring 50 or more goals in four of his first five NHL seasons, Ovechkin slipped to 32 last season and just eight in 22 games this season.
  
  During a span of four recent Washington losses, Ovechkin failed to register a point. His play has been lackluster all month, dating back to his Nov. 1 benching in the final minute of a game against Anaheim.

  His pouting appeared to be quite pronounced -- and very damaging to his team.

  For more on this and other NHL topics, check out this story on STLToday.com.

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• Wish Muller Well In Carolina -- He'll Need It

  November 28, 2011

  To nobody’s surprise, Paul Maurice got the short haircut again in Carolina. The Hurricanes became moribund this season on his watch, falling to 8-13-4 and 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
  
  So his second stint as the team’s head coach ended as the first one did, in disappointment. After pondering his options for several days, general manager Jim Rutherford finally offered Maurice’s job to Milwaukee Admirals coach Kirk Muller.
  
  Muller, an elite two-way center during his NHL playing career, will work with the holdover assistant coaches, Dave Lewis, Rod Brind ‘Amour and Tom Barrasso. They have a lot of work to do to bring a stale squad back to life.
  
  Here are some of Rutherford’s thoughts from the introductory news conference:
  
  “I've talked to Kirk for 7-10 days. After going through that process of all the possibilities, clearly Kirk was our No. 1 choice.”
  
  “We may win our first game or first three games, but what I'm really looking for are new ideas. What I also will look for is a consistent work ethic.”
  
  “We have to get that consistent work ethic. It will take some time to get (Muller's) ideas and system in place. Then, we can get the confidence back and hopefully then the wins will come.”
  
  Well, we’ll see.
  
  More changes are likely in Carolina. Rutherford told the Raleigh News and Observer that he remains in active pursuit of help at forward. Stay tuned.

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• Boudreau Out, Hunter In For Capitals

  November 28, 2011

  If the Capitals screw up now, perhaps their new coach will slash them, spear them or check them head first into the boards.

  Dale Hunter was a fiery competitor during his playing days for the Caps. He was a more vicious and less skilled version of Mark Messier.

  He became notorious for reprehensible acts committed on behalf of his teammates. Given his penchant for delivering cheap shots, it's hard to imagine Hunter playing in today's sanitized NHL.

  But as a coach he should be just fine. He replaces the embattled Bruce Boudreau as head coach in Washington.

  Hunter has been cutting his coaching teeth -- and perhaps sharpening his coaching stick blade -- with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

  His extensive work with juveniles should prepare him for dealing with temperamental Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who seemed to lose his goal-scoring zeal under Boudreau's thumb.

  Hunter is an interesting hire for Capitals GM George McPhee. Washington hockey fans love him, so he can expect a warm embrace when he coaches his first NHL game Tuesday night against the Blues.

  But how will Ovechkin respond? Will Alexander Semin come back to life or continue to drift?

  As for Boudreau, he did admirable work in Washington while posting a 201-88-40 record. Although he couldn't lead the the Caps to the Stanley Cup the franchise covets so, he did more than enough to merit further NHL employment.

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• Major Overhaul Ongoing For Flames

  November 26, 2011

  The Flames made one move over the weekend, adding winger Blake Comeau from the Islanders on waivers.
  
  Comeau started his new career phase on a line with Lee Stempniak and Roman Horak.
  
  “He got here an hour and a half before game time, so we kind of threw him to the wolves here,” Flames coach Brent Sutter told Calgary reporters. “I thought he responded well with it. I thought he gave us a pretty solid game.”
  
  But more changes are in order, as Calgary demonstrated while falling 2-0 at St. Louis. General manager Jay Feaster is on the prowl. He, Sutter and team president Ken King had a state-of-the team meeting before the Flames played the Blues.
  
  The state of the team is not good. Calgary is 8-12-1 and appears headed toward a major overhaul. Stalwarts like Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff could come into play at some point this season.
  
  “Most people define rebuilding by losing frequently for years in order to get high draft picks. You will then get them and you will live happily ever after,” King told the Calgary Sun. “You’re always rebuilding.
  
  “We’ve done transactions. Jay’s talked about Meritocracy — I think it’s pretty clear that’s there — he’s talked about giving young people a chance — I think it’s pretty clear that’s been done.
  
  “I think you will continue to see activity and transactions take place which in aggregate will be an improvement to the team. We’re not naive. We’re not saying we’re going to stand pat and see what happens. It is forever a work in progress — every team is.”
  
  Calgary could get involved in the Kyle Turris bidding, along with Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The Coyotes finally signed their restricted free agent, officially putting him in play.
  
  How are the Flames owners holding up?
  
  “These are very mature, seasoned, veteran business people, who understand the world, right?” King told the Calgary Herald. “They’re not sycophants who are trying to chase a dream for the sake of a dream. They’re pragmatists . . . and I think that’s a great benefit. I don’t think anybody can do much in an environment of fear or panic. But make no mistake, the sense of urgency that is necessary and appropriate is a fact of life, too.”

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• Turris Signs, But Does He Move On?

  November 25, 2011

  So where does Kyle Turris go now?
  
  The Coyotes finally re-signed their restricted free agent, giving that franchise an opportunity to move the young center to a new team.
  
  Let the talk talks heat up.
  
  Turris figures to need an AHL conditioning stint to get up to game speed. He has bulked up to 195 pounds with his off-ice work, but he needs to get competitive legs back.
  
  Since he doesn’t appear to be a great fit for Coyotes coach Dave Tippett or his system, starting out in Portland would be the best for everybody.
  
  Back in 2007, Turris, 22, was the third overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. He has flashed high-end offensive ability, but has failed to sustain that level of play.
  
  He missed training camp and nearly two months of the NHL season while haggling for his new deal. He settled for modest money: A two-year deal paying him $1.2 and $1.6 million.
  
  Turris still must build market value to get up into the $3 million-per-year range. Maybe that will happen in Phoenix some day . . . and maybe that will happen elsewhere.
  
  “Sometimes, you kiss and make up and you're family forever,” Coyotes GM Don Maloney told the Arizona Republic. “In some cases, it doesn't work and then you have to make a change. I'm hopeful it will work out.”
  
  Experts figure Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver could be trade fits for Turris. The Flames, in particular, are looking to overhaul their roster with general manager Jay Feaster running the show now.
  
  Could the Flames fetch Turris by offering Mikael Backlund and a draft pick? Perhaps, but Maloney would like to see Turris boost his value with strong performance first.

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