Joe Nieuwendyk News

There is no doubting his skill. There is no doubting his size. But Olli Jokinen has been an enigma in Calgary this season, and one has to wonder how much more the Sutter brother'sA can take before an inevitable trade.

Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen both went through a full practice Thursday and both looked good.

The numbers don't seem to mean much to Marc Crawford. But the experiences behind the numbers, Crawford said, have shaped his life.

Although the franchise's future in Phoenix is uncertain and Coach Wayne Gretzky is gone, the Coyotes opened by routing the Kings.

By MIKE HEIKA CEDAR PARK - Fabian Brunnstrom is at an interesting point in his career.Just 24 and in his second season in the NHL, Brunnstrom has top-level skill that could make him a lineup regular.

If Joe Nieuwendyk has one advantage over other general managers in the NHL, it's real-life knowledge of many of the players on the ice.

Florida Panthers general manager Jacques Martin said winger Rostislav Olesz needs surgery to repair a sports hernia that already has cost Olesz six weeks of his season.

By T.J. Colello Cape Breton Post PORT HAWKESBURY - Cory Stillman said the writing was on the wall at his first NHL training camp as a wide-eyed rookie with the Calgary Flames.

The Stars got some great value Wednesday in a trade with Ottawa. They picked up veteran netminder Alex Auld in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2010.

A day after losing their pursuit of free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson to Toronto, the Dallas Stars acquired Alex Auld from Ottawa for a sixth-round draft pick in 2010.Auld, 28, played for new Stars head coach Marc Crawford and Stars goalie consultant Andy Moog when the three were with the Vancouver Canucks in the early 2000s.

That pick was previously acquired from the San Jose Sharks . The 6-foot-4, 223-pound goalie has played in 183 NHL games in his career with Vancouver, Florida, Phoenix, Boston and Ottawa.

Karlis Skrastins led Florida with 171 blocked shots last season. The Dallas Stars inked free-agent defenceman Karlis Skrastins to a two-year, $2.75-million US contract on Thursday.

John Tavares poses for a portrait after being picked number one overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.

The only certainty in an uncertain first round of the NHL entry draft today in Montreal is that Brian Burke will try to steal the show, more than a few teams will be on the go to move up the selection ladder and there will be speculation until New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow steps to the microphone to announce his first overall pick.

Will the Edmonton Oilers make a play to sign Florida Panthers defenceman Jay Bouwmeester or trade for his negotiating rights just before the free-agent market opens on July 1? Sources say the Oilers would rather, for now, spend the $6 million US or so a year it would take to sign the 25-year-old unrestricted free agent on somebody to play with ...

The overwhelming consensus is that the first two picks of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft will be John Tavares and Victor Hedman.

" Let the wheeling and dealing begin. While there is no official moratorium on trades during the playoffs, teams will get busy working on next season now that the Stanley Cup champion has been decided ? and with the draft just two weeks away, followed by free agency July 1. One of the first players on the move before the June 26-27 draft could be ...

Let the wheeling and dealing begin. While there is no official moratorium on trades during the playoffs, teams will get busy working on next season now that the Stanley Cup champion has been decided -- and with the draft just two weeks away, followed by free agency July 1. One of the first players on the move before the June 26-27 draft could be ...

He replaces Dave Tippett who was just fired yesterday. From AP - For Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk, it became clear in less than two weeks on the job that a coaching change was necessary.

Ask Jim Lang : This week, Clubber looks back on a scary night in Boston, the night Maple Leaf Gardens shook and the many talents of Pamela Denise Anderson.