Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says this upcoming season's Blue Jackets will be tougher under coach Ken Hitchcock. And now that they have Michael Peca? That's even tougher. Of course, I seem to recall similar talk when the Blue Jackets landed Todd Marchant, another great two-way player. And we all saw how that worked out. For Anaheim. Where Marchant eventually landed.
Hitchcock is a fine coach, but he's not a miracle worker. You can't win with two (and I think I'm being a bit kind here) decent lines.
Over in St. Louis, the Blues are trying to get fans back in the seats. So far, it's working. Lowered ticket price + Paul Kariya = more ticket sales. That's a fact.
Also, I'm not a huge Sports Guy fan, but his column in this month's ESPN THE MAGAZINE, about the rationale behind trades, is pretty funny, with the expected hits on the NHL:

Once upon a time, after about 600 cocktails, the owners of the Red Sox and the Yankees agreed on a Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio swap before thinking better of it. Nowadays, nobody drunk-deals except for fantasy owners — and possibly Matt Millen. It's a shame. Every league should schedule its trade deadline around a mandatory Vegas golf outing so GMs could be worn down by daiquiris and the desert sun before quickly being ushered into a large room with an open bar. Wouldn't this spur more trading? I nominate the NHL to be the biology frog for this idea. In fact, I nominate the NHL to be the biology frog for every idea. We have a professional league toiling in a vacuum (or in this case, Versus). Let's use it to our advantage.

Jean-Jacques Taylor had a great column on Brenden Morrow's transition into captain of the Dallas Stars (login info.).
One story that kind of got glossed over last season was Mike Modano being de-captained so Morrow could step up. It was the Stars getting ready for the post-Modano years while Modano was still on the roster. It could have torpedoed the team, but to the credit of Modano and Morrow (who according to Taylor, are actually kind of close), it became a non-issue. But, if you think about it, it's pretty crazy that a team would ask their franchise player to step down like that.
The column is a great read. And Morrow seems like he's a great captain.

I'm a big Don Rickles fan (and not just because of this fan site, but perhaps because we're both Queens, NY products). One of the thing about Rickles is that if he zings/berates you, it's a badge of honor. I kind of feel the same way about media columnist Phil Mushnick. Getting whacked by him is almost like winning a prize (obviously, I won't count his hot-botton issues of players not running to first, the WWE, and graphics that interfere with gameplay). Sunday, he went after the NHL:

The Buffalo Sabres this season will switch to variable ticket pricing based on the date and opponent, similar to what the Mets do with their gold, silver and bronze designations.

Thus, the same cheapest Sabres seat that costs $20 for some games will cost $68 for others; the better seats that cost $90 for certain games will cost $203 for others. Because it's impossible to predetermine the value of games, the plan is a cosmetically beautified exercise in price gouging.

Whatever became of the NHL's on-ice "Thank You, Fans" campaign? Must've melted away.

The NHL should really be honored.
Also, what's with Michael Peca? He's reportedly willing to take very little to play for the Rangers, presumably to win a Cup. But, if that doesn't come through, he'd actually play in Columbus? That place is the black hole of hockey. If you look closely at the uniform, it's got the Dharma Initiative crest on it.