Off-Season Questions

from Mike Brophy of Sportsnet, Here are some questions for hockey fans to ponder this summer:

Does the loss of Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart over a two-year period mean the Detroit Red Wings will take a drastic dip in the standings?

Losing Lidstrom will hurt; no question about it. Even though he is 42 and his offensive production tailed off considerably, he is still a great player and valuable influence on his young teammates. The good news is the Red Wings will have plenty of cap space to bid for a replacement. The popular choice, it would seem, is Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators who, though not in the class of Lidstrom, is a high-end performer. With Brendan Smith ready to take on a more significant role with the Red Wings, they should be as competitive as ever.

Will Zack Parise leave the New Jersey Devils?

Any time a player goes to unrestricted free agency, you have to think there is a very good chance they will leave for greener pastures. Parise is an interesting case, though. He is regarded as one of the best young players and leaders in the NHL and I am certain a number of teams will bid top bucks to get him. What sticks with me when I think about Parise is how confident Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is when he says Parise is going nowhere. I say Parise stays in Jersey.

more questions answered… 369 days