Craig Hartsburg was fired as coach of the Senators and the consensus seems to be it wasn’t an Xs and Os coaching issue so much as a psychological one. Hartsburg had a solid enough team, albeit one with one line and unspectacular goaltending. All he had to do was keep his top line going and [...]

Are Senators coach Craig Hartsburg and GM Bryan Murray both out in Ottawa? Maybe. Le Journal de Montreal reported they’ll be replaced by Hockey Canada’s Bob Nicholson (as new GM) and Pat Quinn (as coach). Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Senators, says no decision has been made. Quinn has got to be close to [...]

The Maple Leafs don’t have a ton going for them but one thing they do have is cap space. According to Damien Cox, a lot of NHL GMs are nervous about the global economy and about future caps, and that might make them open to dumping a huge contract and some picks for the peace [...]

Brian Burke stepped down as GM of the Ducks and Bob Murray is taking over. Burke is expected to take over the Leafs. Both GMs will have similar issues: capped-up teams with a lot of obvious holes and not a lot of salary maneuverability to fix them. Burke is a smart guy, though. He really [...]

Trade rumors are finally starting up again. The one thing I hate about the start of the NHL season is that there aren’t a lot of rumors as everyone pretty much stands pat to see what they’re dealing with: The Ducks, Canucks, and Rangers are all still interested in Mats Sundin. I don’t see how [...]

Wow. Jim Kelley really came out swinging against Ryan Hollweg, the Toronto forward recently suspended for a nasty, from-behind hit on St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo : Check the stats: In the first four years of his NHL career, Hollweg contributed a grand total of 12 points, a plus-minus figure of minus-26, and 326 penalty minutes. [...]

Actually, I wonder if Leafs coach Ron Wilson would want a second NHL team in Toronto. According to Damien Cox, Wilson is working hard to break the spirit of the Leafs, who are treated like rock stars, even as they consistently fail as a team. A second team could be a great de-motivation tool for [...]

So the NHL isn’t really considering a second team for Toronto. Gus Katsaros said Toronto didn’t deserve another team, if for no other reason than the team would just gouge fans on tickets. Even though the NHL denied looking into Toronto as an NHL city option, I find it hard to believe they’re not thinking [...]

Caps coach Bruce Boudreau is experimenting with using forward Sergei Fedorov as a defenseman. Fedorov was famously “demoted” to defenseman for a few days by Scotty Bowman in the 1990s. Fedorov seems OK with the experiment and it could be a huge advantage for the Caps. It lets them carry an extra defenseman and an [...]

Is there actually good news in Leaf nation? Coach Ron Wilson, in an inspired bit of retro-line building has combined new Leaf acquisition Ryan Hollweg with waiver prize Dominic Moore. Moore and Hollweg famously played together (with Jed Ortmeyer), on the New York Rangers 2005-06 HMO line, a high energy line that was part agitator [...]