9 great moves … and 4 1/2 bad ones: overwhelmed by all of the offseason changes and their potential effects on the new season? We've gleaned the best and the worst to get you up to speed

Sporting News, The, Oct 21, 2002 by Paul Grant

After an offseason as tumultuous as this past one, it's difficult to keep track of all the changes in the NHL. It doesn't help that the league landscape usually is obscured this time of year by the dirigibles of other sports. But to get you up to speed, we prepared a primer of the best and worst moves made by league and team executives this summer.

Best

1. Now they've done it. In the City of Brotherly Love, the players complained about the coaching. The owners listened and hired the best available option. Now it's up to the Flyers to deliver under new coach Ken Hitchcock, one of the best in the business. However, if the players think they can complain about their goaltending and land Bernie Parent, they've got another slap shot coming. Let's hope the players don't find out the Liberty Bell isn't all it's cracked up to be, or they'll want to change that, too.

2. League of its own. If the obstruction crackdown holds for the entire season, the NHL will enjoy a renaissance in quality and, quite possibly, in popularity. If the crackdown fizzles before the calendar flips to 2K3, the games that were contested in the free-flowing style will exist only as sad reminders to fans of how good the game could have been. Oh, and Mario Lemieux might retire again. Nonetheless, give the NHL credit for trying to give the game back to the skilled players.

The league made another great move in instituting the fast-faceoff rule. The selling point to non-hockey people is that it will cut minutes off games. The benefit for puckheads is that breaking for 18 seconds instead of 30 or 45 will go a long way toward maintaining the game's momentum.

3. Broadway brash. The Rangers signed dastardly defenseman Darius Kasparaitis and gritty center Bobby Holik for big bucks. Sure, they overpaid, but the added size and grit will help prolong the lives--and seasons--of fragile stars Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Brian Leetch and Mark Messier. Go ahead and laugh, but count the Rangers among one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference that actually improved their chances of making the playoffs.

4. Signature moves. By signing goalie Jose Theodore before the season, the Canadiens retained a key player without alienating him or devout fans in Montreal. The Flames did the same by bringing back right winger Jarome Iginla, but can they afford to keep the defending scoring champ? Word has it Iginla, who signed a two-year, $13 million deal, might be moved if the Flames are out of the playoff picture before the trading deadline. But if Iginla sticks around Cowtown, giving him good cash will prove to be a good move.

5. Finnishing the job. By re-signing Finnish winger Teemu Selanne and then holding the rest of his cards close to his vest, Sharks G.M. Dean Lombardi has a team that could make jokers out of its foes. The Sharks were the only team in the Western Conference that could afford to stand pat in the summer, and they did. While the high-profile/key new players in the conference are getting used to their new teams and their new teams to them, the Sharks will be coasting along with all familiar hands on board. Now if they only could sign holdout goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Rookie Miikka Kiprusoff played well in the preseason, assuaging some fears. Hey, you can't have everything.

6. Under the radar. Sure, the Stars dropped dinero on free-agent right wingers Bill Guerin and Scott Young and defenseman Philippe Boucher, but the deal most likely to pay off is the trade for veteran backup goaltender Ron Tugnutt. With the team largely unsure of how Marty Turco will perform as the starter, Tugnutt provides a capable fallback plan. And the players will like him, too.

7. Murray's in a hurry. After years of the Mighty Ducks saying they were rebuilding, new G.M. Bryan Murray gave his team a bit of a goose by signing free-agent center Adam Oates and trading for defenseman Petr Sykora. The Ducks won't make the playoffs, but their exciting style in the new NHL should be worth a gander by fans in Anaheim, if there are any left.

8. Smooth running. The Red Wings faced the difficult offseason task of filling two major roles. They came through with aplomb. Bringing Curtis Joseph in was a good move for both parties: Joseph escaped the political potboiler that is the Maple Leafs, and the Red Wings got the best available goalie to replace Dominik Hasek. And with Dave Lewis taking over behind the bench for Scotty Bowman, the players will have very few adjustments to make. Both holes were filled with capable replacements who, while not matching the standard of those who left, would be considered great additions to any club. When it comes to Stanley Cup favorites, the Red Wings still are old reliables.

9. A valiant attempt. Even though the Blue Jackets will be bad again, G.M. Doug MacLean deserves credit for trying to improve his club. By signing center Andrew Cassels and defensemen Scott Lachance and Luke Richardson, Columbus will be better. Without reliable goaltending, however, it will be a long time before it will be called the Puckeye State.