The new look Montreal Canadiens took to the ice at the Air Canada Center in downtown Toronto to take on the Maple leafs in their season opener, and what an opener it was.  The Canadiens came from behind in the third period to tie the game sending it to overtime where the Habs took control and scored the winning goal with just under 13 seconds showing on the clock.  The Canadiens looked impressive in their first game playing as a team.  So far the changes GM Bob Gainey made in the offseason are paying dividends, he just hopes they can continue to match tonight’s effort and intensity.

Mike Cammaelleri played a great game tonight that was just full of speed and energy collecting two assists.  He made an incredible pass on our first PP goal to forward Brian Gionta and finished with setting up the game winner. Gionta showed tonight how fast he is, how good his positioning is and my, oh my, just how good his hands are.  He managed to score only once, but his hands and offensive positioning gave him at least two other glorious chances.  He worked well with Scott Gomez as they always seemed to know where the other one was on the ice.  It was like the old days for the two players when they played together in New Jersey.  Defenseman Andrei Markov went down with what appeared to be a laceration (from Price’s skate) to the leg.

The real story may be though the solid play of goaltender Carey Price.  He stopped 43 shots en-route to the OT win.  Price has faced all kinds of criticism in this past off season due to his collapse after the all-star game and then especially for his performance in the playoffs losing to Boston in 4 straight games in the first round.  However last night Price flashed the talent and performance that management and the fans are looking for.  If Price continues this level of play ( and yes I know it’s only been one game ) then the Canadiens will be in the thick of the race for the Stanley Cup Trophy.

Check back later for late scores and updates.

Mats Sundin is no longer on the Canucks radar.  Vancouver has moved on and are now figuring out what to do with the forwards they have.  This just adds more fuel to the fire that Sundin is ready to retire from the NHL.  After recently getting married Sundin isn’t ready to make any final decisions on his career however we have all seen this ploy before from an aging NHL player.  We know what comes next.

With Max Talbot hurt, the Pittsburgh Penguins have to figure out who will play alongside Evgeni Malkin and Ruslan Fedotenko.  So Tyler Kennedy is getting the first shot.  Kennedy was on the third line with Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke last season.  If Kennedy fails, Pascal Dupuis will get the next shot to replace Talbot.  Nick Johnson is in the driver’s seat to replace Kennedy on the third line.

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year deal.  Seidenberg could have stayed in Carolina but Florida’s deal was to good to pass up.  Rumor has it that it was a one year deal for just under 3 million.

Petr Sykora will come to training camp on a tryout basis with the Minnesota Wild and he’ll likely sign, but what does that mean for other Wild players?  Well, for Coltan Gilles it means that he will probably be sent down to the AHL.  If that happens the Wild will save around $1 million on his contract.  It would also make Andy Hilbert and Craig Weller long shots to make the team.  GM Chuck Fletcher expects teams with salary cap problems to try to get rid of players, either through the waiver wire or via trade, so this may be his way of getting Sykora in the fold without committing money that he might want to spend later.

If Dany Heatley stays in Ottawa, he may be the elephant permanently in the room.  Right now, the buzz is that the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers are still interested and the Devils may get in on a three-way deal to help the Sharks get Heatley.  if Heatley does end up going to the Senators camp and doesn’t fully commit himself to the Sens, things could get awkward and a few fights could break out.  Senators GM Bryan Murray is going to impose a deadline on a trade, trying to avoid a long-term distractions.  Earlier this week, Murray pretty much said he’d take away the alternate captaincy from Heatley.  Meanwhile, the Senators don’t want Heatley in camp because he’ll be a distraction.  I for one am looking forward to the season beginning so this whole mess will have played out and we’ll know which new team Dany Heatley is a member of.

Detroit Red Wing Kirk Maltby doesn’t like it, but this could be his last season in the NHL.  His body isn’t what it used to be and it’s possible that age has caught up with him.  I feel that if he rehabs well from his latest round of injuries then he should still be an effective player for the next 2-3 years.  GM Ken Holland says he likes the old guys, so he will be more receptive than other GMs to having a 40-year-old on the squad next season.

Dennis Seidenberg wanted to stay in Carolina, but the Hurricanes have moved on without him so he’s still looking for a team. He’s received interest from a couple of teams, but would’ve stayed in Carolina for less.  Seidenberg is rumored to be asking for more than $3 million; he made $1.2 million last season.  But with training camp less than two weeks away, Seidenberg may be OK with a lesser deal.

The Hurricanes have hitched the franchise wagon to Eric Staal and he’s showing increased maturity in that role. Though he was effectively shut down in the Eastern Conference Final, Staal rose to the occasion in the playoffs, scoring nine goals in the first 11 postseason games.  Just as importantly, Staal put up the first plus season of his career, with a plus-15 rating in a season that saw him hit the 40-goal plateau for the second time in his career.  Staal’s late surge showed just how dangerous he can be with the right linemates.  After doing precious little for the Hurricanes in the regular season, Jussi Jokinen was a surprise playoff hero, scoring seven goals, including three game-winners and the crucial tying goal in Game Seven against New Jersey.  Erik Cole is another player the Canes will count on for offensive scoring punch, he is a fast skater who’s not afraid of contact and can put the puck in the net.

Coming off the best season of his career, during which he set career-bests in wins, goals against average, save percentage and shutouts, Ward has established himself as one of the top young goaltenders in the game.  The run to the conference finals was a preview of Ward coming into his prime.  The backup role isn’t of utmost importance, but Michael Leighton is serviceable for the dozen or so starts that are required of him.  A tad more consistency from Leighton would be nice, but it’s admittedly not easy when playing so sporadically.

The Canes have agreed to a three-year deal with right winger Tom Kostopoulos worth more than $2.7 million.  He will make $700,000 next season, $950,000 the following year and $1.1 million in the final year of the deal.  Kostopoulos will bring grit to the lineup and can help on the penalty kill.  With this signing Carolina addressed the need for a grind it out type player who will make his linemates better as well as some added toughness to a team that got pushed around a bit last year before going on a playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals. Kostopoulos had eight goals and 14 assists in 78 games with Montreal last year.

Bottom line is that if Goalie Cam Ward can have a repeat performance in 2009-2010 season and the offense comes together, then we’ll probably see a repeat of this year’s Eastern Conference finals.  However there could be a different outcome this time.

A problem for New Jersey is they let snipers Brian Gionta sign with the Montreal Canadiens and John Madden, 36, bid farewell and ended up signing with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Both players will have to be replaced by the same type of player otherwise the Devils offense will suffer.  The Devils are hoping that forward Tim Sestito who was just recently acquired from the Edmonton Oilers will be able to step up and fill Madden’s role.  They also addressed some goaltending needs by signing free-agent Yann Danis.  Danis spent last season with the New York Islanders organization and appeared in an NHL career-high 31 games, posting a 10-17-3 mark and leading the team with two shutouts. The 28-year-old had a .910 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average.

The Devils’ franchise player is now Zach Parise, the star forward who has improved in each of his four NHL seasons. Parise was a legitimate MVP candidate last season and now faces the challenge of duplicating or even exceeding his 94-point season.  At 32, Patrik Elias put up his best season since the lockout, notching a career-best 12 power play goals and tying his career mark of 31 power play points along the way.  The Devils also hope that captain Jamie Langenbrunner has a repeat performance as he put up career bests in goals (29), assists (40), points (69) and plus-minus (plus-25).  He has such good chemistry with Parise and Travis Zajac.  Zajac enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 62 points and finishing with a plus-33 rating.  As he matures, Zajac should become even more productive.

With the 20th pick in the draft New Jersey selected Swedish defenseman Jacob Josefson.  Josefson is a very good two-way player.  He shows good responsibility for his defensive duties.  He’s more of a playmaker, a guy who sees the ice really well and creates a lot of scoring chances with his smooth passing skills.  He’s also very good in traffic because he is an excellent stickhandler.  The Devils are hoping that he can contribute due to their defensive shortcomings.

Given that the Devils finished fifth in the league, with 106 points, there isn’t a need for a dramatic roster overhaul. Rather, some tweaking is really all that the Devils would need to get back among the best teams in the league and as long as Martin Brodeur is in goal, they can count on another playoff berth.  How far they go once they get there may depend on what kind of moves Lamoriello has up his sleeve this summer.

What this team lacks is a veteran presence.  While the Bruins have a true veteran and three-time Cup winner on the blue line in Aaron Ward, they could use another veteran forward to help mentor their younger players along with Mark Recchi.  The answer to that problem could be Columbus Blue Jackets un-restricted free agent Micheal Peca.  Peca, who has been an NHL captain with two different teams, would be a solid addition with his defensive skill and experience.  It could be the missing ingredients Boston requires to push it to a championship level next season.  He also is expected to ask for a reasonable salary, a key factor when GM Peter Chiarelli is trying to fit all his young stars under the salary cap.

Boston had the 25th pick in the draft and selected Jordan Caron, a big right winger from Rimouski of the QMJHL. Caron is a big body, skates well and possesses a big shot.  He is a very steady, dependable player.  He scored 36 goals this season, but some will say that’s an inflated number in a high-scoring league.  He should fit in nicely on Boston’s 2nd or 3rd line.

While Jason Chara leads Boston’s solid group of blueliners there’s room for improvement.  But obviously they’re really pressed by salary-cap limitations.  Look for them to try to add someone who can make a difference.  They may be able to get that player if they decide to trade Kessel.

One thing Boston doesn’t have to worry about is their goaltending.  Vezina trophy winner Tim Thomas has that position all taken care of and backup Manny Fernandez with 16-8 reord last year is more than the Bruins could have asked for.  With these two tending goal, it will be difficult for teams to beat the Bruins.

The city of Boston had high hopes for their team this past season, with the unexpected loss to Carolina in the second round of the playoffs it just puts even more pressure on the Bruins for next season.  Bruins management and their fans will be demanding nothing short of a Stanley Cup victory.

From what I’m hearing the Sedin Twins Daniel and Henrik, who have asked for matching 12 year $63 million contracts have been met with resistance from the Vancouver front office.  Talks may have stalled and the Sedins’ agent is exploring other options with teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings all showing interest in the twins.  However, earlier today the Canucks countered the twins demands with matching contracts for 5 years at $5.5 million a year.  We’ll have to wait this one out and see if the comfort and familiarity is enough to keep the brothers in the Pacific Northwest.  Personally, I think they’re going to hold out for more money, but are they worth it?  I’m not so sure because no GM in their right mind would give away two contracts to people who will be 40 when they expire.  Also no GM would be willing to pay $6M against the Cap to two different players when they are 37, 38, 39, or 40.

The Carolina Hurricanes made a big move yesterday by re-signing clutch scoring forward Jussi Jokinen.  He agreed to a new two year deal which will pay him $1.5 million this upcoming season and $1.9 million in the 2010-2011 season.  He could have become a free agent but chose to stay with a team that has a lot of promise.  If the Hurricanes can add the right player or two then they will be a serious threat to win the Stanley Cup next season.

Cam Ward made 21 saves but lost a playoff series for the first time in his NHL career. He had been 5-0 in elimination games for the Hurricanes, I guess both of those streaks came to an end.  You can’t place all the blame on Ward, he played solid in all four games.  He just didn’t have the help on defense that he needed to be spectacular.  For Carolina it’s now up to their General Manager to make a few moves in the off-season to shore up those holes that were exposed this year.  Don’t count them out, they’ll be back next year.

Carolina on the other hand is in all kinds of trouble.  The Canes stars have all but disappeared in this series.  Eric Staal has pretty much been a non-factor and Eric Cole is battling injuries.  Also where has Ray Whitney the Canes leading scorer in the regular season gone. He has been a complete non-factor. It’s no wonder Carolina is having trouble scoring and keeping up.  Cam Ward while he hasn’t been spectacular he also hasn’t really given up any soft goals.  He is fighting but he needs help from his defensemen and they are being overwhelmed.  Game four tonight in all likelihood will be the Hurricanes final game of the season.

Over in the Western Conference the situation isn’t really that different from the east.  The Chicago Blackhawks also have their backs up against the wall trailing the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in the best of seven series.  The Wings have proved to be too strong for the youthful Blackhawks to overcome.  They’re going to go to the finals (sorry, Hawks) without getting top-end production from many of their top guys.  That’s what is so impressive.  No Pavel Datsyuk, no Nicklas Lidstrom, no Tomas Kopecky, no problem in Game 4.  Throughout these playoffs Chicago has played with a lot of energy and passion, they just don’t have the experience to beat a team like Detroit.  It also doesn’t help when you lose your starting goalie to  an injury.  Nikolai Khabibulin at least kept things close and gave Chicago a chance to win but without him the Hawks virtually stand no chance at winning.  This years accomplishments will set the stage for the Hawks to have successful future runs at the Stanley Cup for the next few seasons.

Check out these highlights of the best plays of the week.