It might not have seemed like it, but things were pretty busy around the NHL this past summer. Here's a look back at some of the most important events that took place.
1. The Lowe road: Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe probably didn't make any new friends among his colleagues this summer by putting out over-the-top offers to restricted free agents Tomas Vanek and Dustin Penner. Lowe was successful in Penner's case, but he violated what was an unwritten code against poaching these types of players. Still he shook up the hockey world and likely changed the approach teams will take to their business in the future.
2. Protecting their young: It might have been a response to Lowe's actions or to players potentially becoming unrestricted free agents earlier in their careers, but several teams decided to lock up budding talents with lucrative long-term contracts. Whether those deals look good a few years from now remains to be seen.
In the meantime, there were a number of beneficiaries. Among them were Florida's Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss, San Jose's Milan Michalek, Buffalo's Derek Roy, Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell, Pittsburgh's Ryan Whitney who all got six-year deals, while Calgary's Robyn Regehr got five years and New Jersey's Zach Parise got four.
3. Money still talks: The salary cap is supposed to level the playing surface for everyone, but deep-pocketed teams still seem to have an advantage. It looked like the old days when the free-agent market opened July 1 as former big spenders like the Rangers, Flyers and Avalanche secured the biggest names available, in many cases by using their spending power to entice their targets with heavily front-loaded contracts.
4. Union dues: The NHL players association has been in a state of flux since former boss Ted Saskin was booted out during the season and now it seems like the union is getting ready to regain some of the militant edge it had before the lockout.
A long-awaited independent report into Saskin's transgressions was released to team reps last week, and it has sparked calls for a new leader who will at least remind players of former leader Bob Goodenow without damaging the new partnership forged between them and the league.
5. Seeing the value: Despite the criticism the NHL gets for its lack of exposure and inability to make inroads in many American markets, there is obviously something about owning a franchise that appeals to people with money. How else do you explain the significant premiums paid this summer for the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning? Both organizations have been burning cash for the past decade, but the sale prices they fetched suggest that NHL teams are much better investments than they appear to be on the surface.
6. If he talks like a Duck: Then maybe Scott Niedermayer still intends to be a member of the team. The signals given out by Anaheim's captain after the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in June made it seem as if he was going to retire, particularly since GM Brian Burke wasted little time jumping into the market to sign an expensive replacement in Mathieu Schneider.
After taking the summer to unwind, Niedermayer has been hinting that he might want to come back, which is a scary notion to anyone who thought the Ducks were already loaded last season.
7. Captain Kid: Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history when the Pittsburgh Penguins gave him the "C" this summer and no one has the slightest doubt it was the right thing to do. He is already the best player in the game and a true leader at the tender age of 20, while his best is yet to come.
Signing him to a five-year extension wasn't a bad idea either for Pittsburgh, which has the kind of young talent in place to become a real dynasty in the near future.
8. Forsberg follies: He is arguably the most talented available free agent this summer, yet Peter Forsberg still doesn't have a job. Of course he might not want one, which is why many NHL teams have been treading carefully in exploring him as an option.
Money is an issue in some cases because anyone who wants to sign him will have to find about $5 million in cap space, but the bigger consideration is whether Forsberg still wants to play. He has had a lot of health problems in the past few seasons and has dropped more than a few hints that he would retire, or at least finish out his career in Sweden. If he wants to come back to North America, there are several organizations that would welcome him.
9. Hossa's holdup: The holding company that owns the Thrashers is called Atlanta Spirit, and the internal feud between some of the principals has found its way into the courts. That hasn't affected the day-to-day operations of the hockey team, but until the matter is resolved, the ability of GM Don Waddell to make long-term moves is restricted.
So superstar Marian Hossa, who can become a free agent next summer, goes without a contract extension. That's a dangerous situation for a team, as the Buffalo Sabres learned this summer after failing to lock up Daniel Briere or Chris Drury ahead of time.
10. Betting on Vegas: Not that they need any more entertainment in Las Vegas, but you have to believe that Harrah's and the AEG group aren't building a $500 million, 20,000-seat arena just to fill space in town.
Pro sports leagues have long been infatuated with the idea of putting a franchise there and many believe the NHL is the best suited to take the plunge. Especially since major Hollywood mover and shaker and hockey buff Jerry Bruckheimer has made no secret of his desire to own a team there.
There has been enough buzz about expanding the league by two teams, and with a vacant new building in Kansas City and another venue here, don't lay odds against getting some skaters in the desert.
