Season Preview: Southeast Division

Nicklas Backstrom tries to score on Cam Ward. (Getty Images)

The Southeast Division has gone from being the punching bag of the NHL to one of the most dynamic divisions in a matter of seasons. In just the 2007-08 NHL season, the Capitals were the only team in the Southeast to make the playoffs, and they only managed to make it by 2 points. Thought they had the 3rd seed (due to being first in the division) they were tied with the Bruins and Senators for the fewest points for playoff-bound teams in the East. The Hurricanes finished 9th in the conference, the Panthers 11th, and the Thrashers & Bolts finished 14th & 15th respectively. Even as recently as the 2009-10 season, the Caps were the only team in the “SouthLeast” to make the playoffs, while every other division had at least 2 teams play in the post season.

However, last season as well as this off season has seen a resurgence in the Southeast division teams. The Capitals, once again, dominated the regular season, though not nearly as convincingly as 2009-10 - mainly due to a system change that will hopefully pay dividends this coming season and in the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning, under the guidance of new head coach Guy Boucher and with the roster built by new GM, hockey legend Steve Yzerman, not only made the playoff for the first time since the 2006-07 season, but made it past the first round for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in the 2003-04 season, the last before the lockout. The Bolts were arguably one of the NHL’s biggest surprises last season, as they actually lead the Southeast division standings for much of the year before faltering late. The Hurricanes missed the playoffs in their last game of the season, coming oh-so-close yet again. The Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) finished out of the playoffs again, though they had promising runs during the season, their catastrophic January and February (6 wins in 22 games) effectively ended their playoff hopes. Meanwhile, the Panthers were never aiming for the playoffs in the first place (due to their ongoing rebuild), so they had a successful season in that regard.

This off season has completely changed the outlook of the Southeast. Every team has gotten better, or at least hasn’t gotten terribly worse. The Lightning and Jets are perhaps the least improved, though they both had fairly strong (more so in the Bolts’ case) rosters to begin with. The Panthers spent like crazy during free agency, resulting in a decent but very well payed roster. The Hurricanes remained relatively the same, keeping most of their impact UFAs. The Capitals improved more than anybody this off season, making them scary good. Here’s a rundown of the changes, in order of division standings from last season...

Washington Capitals, 1st in the East, 48-23-11 record, 107 points
IN: Jeff Halpern (C), Joel Ward (RW), Roman Hamrlik (D), Ryan Potulny (C), Chris Bourque (LW), Tomas Vokoun (G), Danny Richmond (D), Troy Brouwer (LW)
OUT: Boyd Gordon (C), Marco Sturm (LW), Steve Pinizzotto (RW), Jason Arnott (C), Brian Willsie (RW), Semyon Varlamov (G), Scott Hannan (D)
OUTLOOK: Overall, the Capitals have gotten better at pretty much every position. Their depth down the middle is a bit better due to the swap of Boyd Gordon for Jeff Halper, who is a better scorer than Gordon and less injury prone. Marcus Johansson will also have another year of experience to work on. On the wings, the Caps have gotten tougher with the additions of Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward. On defense, the veteran Roman Hamrlik looks to slot in with Mike Green and provide a calming presence, allowing Green to do his thing in the offensive zone. In net, George McPhee made perhaps the biggest improvement yet, snagging elite goalie Tomas Vokoun with an inexpensive 1-year contract. Vokoun is top-10 in the NHL, and can steal games or even playoff series for the Caps.
SEASON PREDICTION: For the regular season, the Caps are the clear favorites to be Southeast Division champions for the 5th time in a row, as well as likely the favorites to be top in the East for the 3rd year in a row. This season, however, the challenge will be playoff success - the expectation is a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. This roster is likely the best shot the Capitals have had at that goal for a long time, if not the best in franchise history.

Tampa Bay Lightning, 5th in the East, 46-25-11 record, 103 points
IN: Mathieu Garon (G), Matt Gilroy (D), Tom Pyatt (C), Bruno Gervais (D)
OUT: Mike Smith (G), Sean Bergenheim (LW), Simon Gagné (LW), Randy Jones (D)
OUTLOOK: The Tampa Bay Lightning have in no way gotten noticeably better this off season. There goaltending, which was an issue for much of last season, has not improved - they now rest their chances in net in the old hands of Dwayne Roloson, who turns 42 this October. Roloson was a revelation in net for them during the playoffs, but can he have a repeat performance?
SEASON PREDICTION: The Bolts contended for the division title last season, and will likely do so again. However, their goaltending could become a serious issue, and they have lost some depth especially at the forward position. Also, Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell, two key offensive cogs, still need to be re-signed. The Bolts will almost certainly make the playoffs but, with less depth, questionable goaltending, and teams having another season to figure out Guy Boucher’s system, having as good a season as they did last year will be challenging.

Carolina Hurricanes, 9th in the East, 40-31-11 record, 91 points
IN: Tim Brent (C), Brian Boucher (G), Tomas Kaberle (D), Anthony Stewart (RW), Alexei Ponikarovski (LW)
OUT: Erik Cole (LW), Joe Corvo (D)
OUTLOOK: Little has changed in Carolina Hurricanes land. The goaltending has been given an upgrade with veteran Brian Boucher backing up Cam Ward, and the defense has been given, if anything, a slight upgrade. Erik Cole’s 20+ goals will likely be missed. The pressure will also be on Jeff Skinner to repeat his Calder winning performance on offense again.
SEASON PREDICTION: The Hurricanes will probably fight for a playoff spot again this season, but with the Eastern Conference seemingly getting more competitive, will the finally be able to make the cut after missing out the last two seasons? Carolina will probably once again finish 3rd in their division, unless Atlanta improves enough to overtake them or the new Florida Panthers free agent signings play as well as they are paid.

Winnipeg Jets, 12th in the East, 44-36-12 record, 80 points
IN: Winnipeg (City), Derek Meech (D), Tanner Glass (LW), Randy Jones (D), Rick Rypien (C)
OUT: Atlanta (City), Radek Dvorak (RW)
OUTLOOK: The Thrashers Jets are mostly the same from last season, save for a rather dramatic change in scenery. Captain Andrew Ladd was re-signed to a 5-year deal. The All-Star defense pairing of Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom, along with Zach Bogosian, anchor the blueline. Ondrej Pavelec was a revelation in net last year, and will likely be just a good this year. Alexander Burmistrov will have another year of experience under his belt, hoping he improves on his 6 goals from last season to become more of an offensive threat.
SEASON PREDICTION: The Thrashers will likely fight for a playoff spot yet again, though how close they come will largely depend on how much the team can improve from last year (with the same players but a new coach) and their ability to avoid large cold streaks, like the one from January to February this year that ultimately killed their playoff hopes.

Florida Panthers, 15th in the East, 30-40-12 record, 72 points
IN: Jose Theodore (G), Scottie Upshall (RW), Ed Jovanovski (D), Marcel Goc (C), Tomas Fleischmann (LW), Sean Bergenheim (LW), Brian Campbell (D), Tomas Kopecky (RW), Kris Versteeg (RW), Matt Bradley (RW)
OUT: Marty Reasoner (C), Darcy Hordichuk (LW), Tomas Vokoun (G), Niclas Bergfors (RW)
OUTLOOK: Dale Tallon had a challenge this off season, and that was to spend to the salary cap floor. Well, mission accomplished Dale, mission accomplish. Tallon signed numerous free agents to, in some cases, very lucrative deals. Tomas Fleischmann for $4.5 million a season? Yeah, that’s lucrative. Tallon has completely redone the roster, but has likely spent too much money doing it - it probably won’t matter, as the minute this roster becomes an unmanageable mess, Tallon will probably get the boot.
SEASON PREDICTION: I honestly have no idea. This is such a large group of new people playing in a totally new environment, that I have no clue as to how well they will work together. Maybe this team makes the playoffs, but most likely they spend most of the season building chemistry will languishing around the bottom of the standings for another season. One thing is for sure - the Panthers won’t be the pushovers they were a few seasons ago, and will likely challenge every team that they play next season, elite or not.

Flyers considering giving Stamkos an offer sheet?

What would Stamkos look like wearing Flyers orange? (Getty Images)

So, looks like the Philadelphia Flyers may decide to offer sheet Steven Stamkos. I congratulate them on a very good move. Steven Stamkos, the 1st overall pick in the 2008 draft, will likely be making $115 million over the next 12 seasons, but whether it is with the Philadelphia Flyers or the Tampa Bay Lightning will remain to be seen.

By my basic understanding of NHL offer sheets, there are now two things that can happen; either Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning organization decide to match the Flyers' offer sheet (and locking up Steven Stamkos to a $9,583,333 cap hit until he is 33 years old, or the Bolts decide that Stamkos isn't worth that much (I think he is) and allow him to sign with the Flyers, receiving the Flyers' next four first round picks as compensation. No way Tampa Bay gives up Stamkos for four (probably late) first round picks. In the off chance that, somehow, the Bolts give up Stamkos, the Flyers will have completed perhaps the fastest "rebuild" ever, even though it's really only of their goaltending and forward lines. While I think Stamkos' performance might be slightly negatively impacted due to not having Martin St. Louis to play with, it shouldn't be too bad.

Assuming that the offer sheet is given tomorrow, I think Tampa Bay has a week or so to respond. However, no indication has been given that the Flyers are doing anything but just considering giving an offer sheet. I really hope they choose to do it.

Regardless, now it's time for someone to make a move on to Drew Doughty… because offer sheets are entertaining!

One Timers, June 29th - Pavel Bure gets the cold shoulder

Pavel Bure got snubbed, yet again, by the Hockey Hall of Fame Election Committee. (PicasaWeb)

⊳ Congratulations to Ed Belfour, Mark Howe, Joe Niewendyk, and Doug Gilmour for all being selected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Snubbed yet again were most notably Pavel Bure, the Russian scoring machine, and Eric Lindros. Oh, and Mr. 16th all time in regular season points, Adam Oates. 

⊳ Christian Ehrhoff must have not been all too pleased when he received the news that he had his free agent rights traded to the New York Islanders for a 4th round pick. The Islanders might be able to offer Ehrhoff as much as he wants due to their high cap space. But, mere weeks after coming a win away from winning the Stanley Cup, does Ehrhoff want to sign with a rebuilding team? I'd think he doesn't. Detroit has to fill the hole left by Brian Rafalski... does Ehrhoff fit the bill?

⊳ Brooks Laich has signed a new 6-year deal with the Capitals, finally cashing after making about $2 million last season. Laich will now make an average of $4.5 million a season for the next 6 years, including a (somewhat ridiculous, in my mind) $6.5 million salary next season. Laich expressed that he never wanted to leave, though he didn't say until after he signed. Smart man.

⊳ The Carolina Hurricanes managed to keep on of their top free agents, big minute Finnish offensive defenseman Joni Pitkanen, keeping him for 3 seasons at a cap hit of $4.5 million a season.

⊳ Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty both were not taken to team arbitration to protect their rights like fellow star RFAs Shea Weber and Zach Parise. The question now is, who will offer either one (especially Stamkos) a league-maximum 10+ year deal? To me, it is a win win situation for whatever team does it (assuming it isn't the Capitals); either Tampa Bay screws their salary cap situation with a long, league-max deal, or some other team does the same to themselves instead. Either way, nobody except fans of other teams are going to be happy. And I love that.
⊳ On the subject of crazy offer sheets, the Flyers have reportedly offered $115 million over 12 years to Stamkos. Not quite league max but still the highest cap hit in the league. (More of that later).

⊳ Chris Drury is getting bought out by the Rangers, even though he is technically injured. Apparently, Drury chose to waive the injury exemption that prevents him from being bought out. Classy move by a classy guy. Hopefully some team signs him.

⊳ Reports are that Semyon Varlamov has indeed chosen the KHL... but that the KHL team that drafted him won't trade his KHL rights... and he's coming to train in DC?!

⊳ Dwayne Roloson is coming back to Tampa Bay. Is age going to catch up with him? Also... Olie Kolzig is 6 months younger than Roloson. Capitals fans weep. 


Check back later for articles on Stamkos and Varlamov. That's it for now!

Realignment, Part II - New Developments

My proposed time zone based division alignment for 2012-13.

Craig Custance of Sporting News reports that serious NHL division realignments are being planned, specifically 4 divisions, 2 with seven teams and 2 with eight. So, I've decided to come up with my own divisions based on that idea (the names are there just because I wanted to call them something, for convenience' sake). Here they are:

⊳ The Lemieux Division - named after Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux
⊳ Teams: Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning   

⊳ The Orr Division - named after Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr
⊳ Teams: Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens

⊳ The Hull Division - named after Chicago Blackhawks & Winnipeg Jets left wing Bobby Hull
⊳ Teams: Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche

⊳ The Gretzky Division - named after Edmonton Oilers & Los Angeles Kings center Wayne Gretzky
⊳ Teams: Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames

Overall I think these are fantastic. The Lemieux and Gretzky divisions will be absolute powerhouses (Red Wings, Caps, Pens, Flyers, Bolts? Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Canucks, and the Oilers with their slew of high draft picks?). Along with a balanced schedule and a new method for playoff qualification (because it would appear the conferences are going away), this could really make the NHL even better than it is today.

The Flyers Dump Their Core

Former Flyers captain Mike Richards. (Getty Images)

Well, um.... wow. Wow. Wow. The Philadelphia Flyers have pretty much just gone and shocked most of the hockey world by jettisoning two of their core players, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Jeff Carter was shipped off to the Columbus Blue Jackets less than 2 weeks before his 11 year contract that he signed last season kicks in. In return the Flyers recieved Jakub Voracek, as well as the Blue Jackets' 1st round pick this season (8th overall) and their 3rd round pick. Meanwhile, captain Mike Richards was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in return for top prospect Brayden Schenn, RFA Wayne Simmonds, and the Kings' 2nd round pick this season. In other news, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has been signed to a 9-year, $51 million contract worth an average of about $5,666,667 a season. I really have no idea what the Flyers are thinking, but it definitely is, at least, amusing to watch.

2011 NHL Awards Preview

Nicklas Lidstrom: 6 time Norris winner and 11 time nominee. (Getty Images)

The NHL awards are tomorrow, so here's my preview of who will be going home with what awards...

The Hart Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the most valuable player to his team)
⊳ Nominees: Daniel Sedin (LW, Vancouver Canucks), Corey Perry (RW, Anaheim Ducks), Martin St. Louis (RW, Tampa Bay Lightning)
⊳ Last year Daniel's twin brother Henrik went home with the Hart, and this season, I think Daniel will do the same. While I think that Martin St. Louis may have been the absolutely most valuable player to his team out of these three, all the NHL awards are voted on by the media and I think that Daniel will receive the most votes, especially since he also won the Art Ross (most points) and was one of the top goal scorers this season.
⊳ Prediction: Daniel Sedin
⊳ 2010 Winner: Henrik Sedin

The James Norris Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the NHL's best defenseman)
⊳ Nominees: Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
⊳ I think this year's Norris is going to Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom has already won six, and especially considering that the voted was finished before Lidstrom announced he would play next season, this award will be his for a combination of reasons: the fact that Lidstrom is still a top defenseman at age 40, the fact that Lidstrom was unsure whether he would retire or not (so the award would be a career achievement one as well), and because Lidstrom has already won six so he is the easy pick. Lidstrom will go home with his seventh Norris, tying him with Doug Harvey for second most overall, only behind Bruins great Bobby Orr (who has eight).
⊳ Prediction: Nicklas Lidstrom
⊳ 2010 Winner: Duncan Keith

The Vezina Trophy (Awarded to the NHL's best goaltender)
⊳ Nominees: Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins), Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators), Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)
⊳ Tim Thomas is winning the Vezina, completing the trifecta of Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and Vezina in the same season, which few have achieved (Bernie Parent did it in 1974 and 1975, and Billy Smith did it in 1983). Thomas deserves this, especially for his record setting save percentage as well as his stunning 2.00 goals against average.
⊳ Prediction: Tim Thomas
⊳ 2010 Winner: Ryan Miller

The Calder Memorial Trophy (Awarded to the NHL's best rookie player)
⊳ Nominees: Logan Couture (C, San Jose Sharks), Michael Grabner (RW, New York Islanders), Jeff Skinner (C, Carolina Hurricanes)
⊳ I think Jeff Skinner is going home with the Calder this season. While his goal scoring numbers (31, compared to Grabner's 34 and Couture's 32) were slightly lower than the other two (yet still tied for 21st in the NHL), Skinner's total points were higher (63, compared to Grabner's 52 and Couture's 56). In addition to his slight statistical superiority, Skinner has one attribute which I think will push him over the top in voting; his age. Jeff Skinner played all of last season as an 18 year old, only turning 19 in the middle of May. Grabner turned 23 in October, and Couture turned 22 in March. The fact that a player could come in and do so well at such a young age is worthy of the Calder trophy in my mind.
⊳ Prediction: Jeff Skinner
⊳ 2010 Winner: Tyler Myers

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct)
⊳ Nominees: Nicklas Lidstrom (D, Detroit Red Wings), Martin St. Louis (RW, Tampa Bay Lightning), Loui Eriksson (LW, Dallas Stars)
⊳ Honestly, I really have no idea who I'm picking for this award. I think it'll end up going to either St. Louis or Lidstrom, but which one is unclear. St. Louis had fewer PIMs (12) than Lidstrom (20). St. Louis also was the winner last season. But, seeing as no defenseman has won the award in over 50 years, I'll go with Lidstrom. 
⊳ Prediction: Nicklas Lidstrom
⊳ 2010 Winner: Martin St. Louis


The Frank J. Selke Trophy (Awarded to the best defensive forward)
⊳ Nominees: Pavel Datsyuk (C, Detroit Red Wings), Ryan Kesler (C, Vancouver Canucks), Jonathan Toews (C, Chicago Blackhawks)
⊳ Pavel Datsyuk has won the last three Selke awards. While Ryan Kesler's Canucks did allow the fewest goals this season, I don't recall Datsyuk really changing anything in his game too drastically. If he was worthy of it the last few seasons, why not this season?
⊳ Prediction: Pavel Datsyuk
⊳ 2010 Winner: Pavel Datsyuk


The Jack Adams Award (Awarded to the NHL's best coach)
⊳ Nominees: Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh Penguins), Barry Trotz (Nashville Predators), Alain Vigneault (Vancouver Canucks)
⊳ One of these years, Barry Trotz is going to win the Jack Adams for consistently doing more with less in Nashville. However, this season Dan Bylsma will be going home with it, mainly for managing to scrape away shootout wins without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, even though he had a good defense and a great goalie. I'm not a Penguins fan, nor do I think Bylsma deserves this, but I think the fact he won without a couple of star players will allow him to win. 
⊳ Prediction: Dan Bylsma
⊳ 2010 Winner: Dave Tippett

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Awarded for dedication to hockey)

⊳ Nominees: Ray Emery (G, Anaheim Ducks), Daymond Langkow (C, Calgary Flames), Ian Laperriere (RW, Philadelphia Flyers)

⊳ Daymond Langkow received a slapshot to the neck and missed over a year before returning from a spinal cord injury. Ian Laperriere was unable to play last season because of post-concussion syndrome and instead works with the Flyers on more managerial stuff. Ray Emery had a disease that only two athletes had ever come back from, underwent successful surgery, and managed to return to the NHL and help lead the Anaheim Ducks into the playoffs as the 4th seed. Emery had the biggest impact while also overcoming quite a lot, so he's going to win the Masterton. 

⊳ Prediction: Ray Emery

⊳ 2010 Winner: Jose Theodore

The Ted Lindsay Award (Awarded for the best player as voted by the players)

⊳ Nominees: Corey Perry (RW, Anaheim Ducks), Daniel Sedin (LW, Vancouver Canucks), Steven Stamkos (C, Tampa Bay Lightning)

⊳ I think Stamkos was very impressive last season, and was more of the leader on the Bolts' offense than Daniel Sedin or Corey Perry was on their respective teams. Sedin winning wouldn't surprise me, but I'm going with Stamkos here. One note: Henrik Sedin didn't win last season, even though he was the Hart winner.

⊳ Prediction: Steven Stamkos 

⊳ 2010 Winner: Alexander Ovechkin

The Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award (Awarded by Mark Messier to the best leader)

⊳ Nominees: Zdeno Chara (D, Boston Bruins), Shane Doan (RW, Phoenix Coyotes), Nicklas Lidstrom (D, Detroit Red Wings)

⊳ I'll take Lidstrom for this one. Just feel like he's the better leader than either Doan or Chara, though I could see either one of them winning as well. Fun fact: Chara and Lidstrom are the only European captains to lead their team to a Stanley Cup championship.

⊳ Prediction: Nicklas Lidstrom

⊳ 2010 Winner: Sidney Crosby

The NHL Foundation Award (Awarded to the player who applies core hockey values to help his community)

⊳ Nominees: Dustin Brown (RW, Los Angeles Kings), Mike Green (D, Washington Capitals), Daniel & Henrik Sedin (LW & C, Vancouver Canucks)

⊳ Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I'm a Caps fan, so I'll take my boy Mike Green.

⊳ Prediction: Mike Green

⊳ 2010 Winner: Ryan Miller

The GM of the Year Award (Awarded to the best NHL general manager)

⊳ Nominees: Mike Gillis (Vancouver Canucks), David Poile (Nashville Predators), Steve Yzerman (Tampa Bay Lightning)

⊳ The Tampa Bay Lightning surprised everyone last season. Yzerman also made many shrewd moves during the season (Roloson, Brewer, etc.), so I'm giving this to Mr. Stevie Y. 

⊳ Prediction: Steve Yzerman

⊳ 2010 Winner: Don Maloney

Finally, the awards that have already been decided:

⊳ The Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins

⊳ The Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference playoff champions): Boston Bruins

⊳ The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Western Conference playoff champions): Vancouver Canucks

⊳ The Presidents' Trophy (Team with most points in the regular season): Vancouver Canucks

⊳ The Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP): Tim Thomas

⊳ The Art Ross Trophy (Most points in the regular season): Daniel Sedin

⊳ The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Most goals in the regular season): Corey Perry

⊳ The Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award (Highest regular season save percentage): Tim Thomas

⊳ The William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) on the team with the fewest goals allowed in the regular season): Roberto Luongo & Cory Schneider

⊳ The NHL Plus-Minus Award (Highest +/- in the regular season): Zdeno Chara

Report: The Salary Cap Is Rising Quite a Bit

Signing Brooks Laich just became much easier for the Capitals. (Getty Images)

TSN is reporting that the salary cap is going to be rising again this off season, as it has for every season since the lockout when the salary cap was first instituted. This time, it is going up be a lot, should the reports be believed. This season's cap ceiling was $59.4 million, while next season is apparently going to be $64 million, a full $4.6 million increase. $4.6 million is, in short, a huge increase and is, dare I say, a game changer. Many teams have free agents who they want to keep or want to sign (Vancouver with their defensemen like Sami Salo, Kevin Bieksa, and Christian Ehrhoff; Philadelphia with their recently acquired goalie Ilya Bryzgalov; Washington with forward Brooks Laich and defenseman Scott Hannan; these are only a couple of teams). This should make next year's presumed Stanley Cup contenders (Washington, Vancouver, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, San Jose, and Los Angeles) all better through free agency, and should be great news for people hoping their team keeps that one player everybody likes. Should be interesting how this increase affects the off season.