6 Offseason Stories to Follow

Now that the Los Angeles Kings have been crowned as Stanley Cup champions, its time to move on to stories that are going to be circulating this summer. Here are the 6 biggest offseason stories to follow:

1. CBA talks: The NHL and NHLPA will be expected to begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The current deal, made back in 2005, is expiring September 15. Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, has not made clear yet the league's objective to get a new CBA in place. However, they will most likely want to reduce the players' share of revenue down from 57%, which might not sit well with players and the PA. Because of the CBA, the NHL lost a season in the 2004 lockout. Since the NBA lost about 16+ games this season, it could be no surprise that the NHL suffers a similar fate.

2. Ryan Suter/Zach Parise
Based on what Kevin Allen of USA Today said, these two players are the most desirable free agents on the market. The Predators are still trying to persuade Suter to stay in Nashvile, and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello will do all he can to make sure Parise stays in Jersey. However, as with other players at this point, those who are unsigned this close to July 1 usually tend to explore free agency and other teams that might want them. The Red Wings and the Wild could go after both, while the New York Rangers and those Stanley Cup champion LA Kings might inquire about Parise. So don't expect that Parise and Suter could stay with their respective teams.

3. Rick Nash: Stay or Go?
This has been a hot topic since the trading deadline and it still hasn't died yet. The Blue Jackets will entertain offers for their star forward, who has the right to provide a list of teams that he deemed will suit him better than the Jackets. However, the Jackets will be seeking multiple players in return for Nash and maybe even a few draft picks. They can do with a top goalie prospect or maybe even a proven goalie. Because one way of another, the Jackets have no help in goalie and they need all the players they can get, because they struggled the last few years just trying to win games.

4. Roberto Luongo at the End?
With the up-and-coming of Cory Schneider in the Canucks goal, maybe the best situation for the Canucks is to give up Luongo. However, this won't be an easy trade to make. His market is a small one, and his contract runs some 10 more years. His .919 save percentage might be a good fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but as you might be aware, Leafs GM Brian Burke is never a fan of long-term contracts, so we'll see what happens with Luongo.

5. Ovechkin Needs a New Boss
Dale Hunter is out as the Washington Capitals head coach, deciding to return to hockey. So that means Alex Ovechkin will be searching for a new head coach. Hunter seemed to be the tough-love coach that Ovechkin needed. So can GM George McPhee find another candidate that has what Hunter had when he was hired? Maybe.

6. The Red Wings Revamping
Nicklas Lidstrom is finally retired from the NHL and Brad Stuart's rights have been traded to the San Jose Sharks. So this means that the Red Wings are embarking on a renovation project. GM Ken Holland will have to be aggressive this summer, addressing some defensive losses as well as address his team's scoring slumps. The reason they are going after Ryan Suter is that he plays a poised, smooth style that could help take over what Lidstrom left behind.

So here are your six biggest offseason stories to follow. Will we see Rick Nash get traded? Will the Red Wings get what they want to revamp their somewhat struggling team? And will Roberto Luongo get traded away from the Canucks? We'll have to see what happens as the NHL offseason officially begins on Reid's NHL and MLS Insight.

Hail those Kings

Looks like LA finally became the home of all sports champions.

This is thanks to a Game 6 win by the LA Kings over the New Jersey Devils. After 45 years of waiting and waiting for a championship, the Kings finally have one they can call their own.

Dustin Brown had a goal and two assists in this game, while Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis both gave two goals apiece.

This is what Kings president Luc Robitaille had to say, courtesy of USA Today. "I remember coming here in 1984, my first training camp as a player, and thinking that I wanted to be part of the special group that wins it here. I didn't think it would take this long, but the feeling is amazing.

"These guys can stay in the moment," said Kings coach Darryl Sutter. "They could get there, stay there, and be resilient."

Jonathan Quick, the goaltender for the Kings, won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP, posting a 1.40 goals-against average in the postseason. "I know the attention is going to get is going to be great," Quick said. "That's something we've been looking for in this market for a long time."

Dustin Brown is now the second U.S.-born captain of a Stanley Cup champion, joining Derian Hatcher, who won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars back in 1999. Also, the Kings are the first No. 8 seed to win the Stanley Cup, and they almost missed the playoffs. They were also ranked 29th out of 30 teams in goal scoring.

But nevertheless, they overcame adversity and won the Stanley Cup. Congratulations to the LA Kings for their Stanley Cup run and finally winning it. Meanwhile, the season is over and the offseason has begun. It'll be interesting to see what goes on this offseason, how the Kings will make changes to defend their title next season, and plenty others. Check back later for more on the offseason.

Monday Recaps: Rangers Take It Back, Bruins As Well

Big Monday hockey in the NHL, puck heads!! Pretty spectacular finishes to some games, while other teams just managed to get by and take 2-1 series leads. Why don't I just skip the intros and head straight to the recaps, shall we?

Here's Mondays recaps:
Rangers 1, Senators 0
Brian Boyle is certainly proving the difference-maker for the New York Rangers, and he's starting to become a thorn in the Senators' side. With a brilliant 1-0 win over the Senators they now take the home-ice advantage back and lead the series 2-1. Henrik Lundqvist made 39 saves for his fourth NHL playoff shutout.

Bruins 4, Capitals 3
I feel sorry for Capitals fans, as Niklas Backstrom is suspending pending a hearing about a cross-check to Rich Peverley's face, but if he didn't do that and give the Bruins a 4-3 win, the Capitals probably would've lead the series. Instead, they lose out on home-ice advantage and it looks like Dale Hunter could be steaming mad after seeing the play his Capitals made in this game. This has suddenly turned into a Flyers-Penguins series, don't you think?

Blues 4, Sharks 3
Sorry Sharks fans, but the Blues are just smacking people this year. Maybe it's because they're really hungry for the Cup, or they want to bring hope back to Midwest. Either way, the Blues scored on three man-advantage goals and capped off a 4-3 victory in Game 3 and allowed them to take a 2-1 series lead. Jason Arnott, Alexander Steen, Andy McDonald, and Patrik Berglund scored while the Sharks' Brent Burns, Colin White, and Logan Couture scored for San Jose.

That's the recap for Monday. Tuesday looks to be a wild fest of contests. Hope to see you all tomorrow when I recap tonight's game. In the meantime, enjoy your hockey, puck heads!

Saturday & Sunday Recaps: Kings Go Up 3-0, Wings' Struggles

Hey puck heads!

I hope you all had a marvelous and Stanley Cup-filled weekend. Did you enjoy the Kings going up 3-0? How about the Sharks blowing it against the Blues? Or maybe it's the Red Wings that has you worried. Well, I have it all right here, so let's swing on down these scores and see what is surprising so far. Why don't we go ahead and start with Saturday.

Saturday recaps:
Capitals 2, Bruins 1 (OT)
Overtime wasn't enough for these two powerhouse teams and it went to overtime, where the Capitals' Niklas Backstrom managed to seal the deal in overtime. The all-time series is now at 1-1, meaning the Capitals have home-field advantage. But can the Bruins overcome this and get back to work to Game 3? Find out in my recap tomorrow. Benoit Pouliot of the Bruins and Troy Brouwer of the Capitals each scored a goal apiece.

Senators 3, Rangers 2 (OT)
Chris Neil finally gave the Senators some breathing room and a chance to take advantage of home ice with a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Erik Karlsson and Nick Foligno scored for the Senators while Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman scored for the Rangers.

Blues 3, Sharks 0
The best goalie tandem during the regular season in goaltenders Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak were both factors in the Blues' 3-0 victory against the Sharks. They both combined for the shootout and Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic should probably be embarrassed after he tapped the puck into his own net. Then again, Dan Boyle did this two years ago against the Avalanche and still won the series. Can the Sharks do it again?

Blackhawks 4, Coyotes 3 (OT)
The Blackhawks managed to find a way to score in the closing seconds for the second game. This time, they pulled a win and are heading back to the Windy City with the home-ice advantage. Bryan Bickell scored the overtime goal for the Hawks and they beat the Coyotes 4-3 Saturday night at Jobing.com Arena.

Now that Saturday is in the books, let's look at Sunday's game and see who's in the hole and not:

Predators 3, Red Wings 2
I guess I shouldn't be happy with how the Wings played in this game. They lost to the Predators 3-2, which means Predators have the home-ice advantage back and the ability to bring terror down on the Red Wings. Kevin Klein, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Shea Weber scored for Nashville, while big men Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg scored for the Wings

Flyers 8, Penguins 4
Penguins are in a hole now. The defense is struggling and thanks to a 8-4 Flyers win, they are in a hole with no hopes of getting out. If they want to get themselves back up, defense will really need to come in and make a stand against this hot-flying Flyers defense.

Panthers 4, Devils 2
Congratulations to the Florida Panthers...for winning a game! Although they didn't get home-ice advantage back, they did get even in this series by taking a 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils. Now the series shifts to New Jersey, where we'll see if the mighty Panthers can take down the Brodeur-led Devils. Stephen Weiss scored two in this game by the way.

Kings 1, Canucks 0
I am now pissed after seeing this game. 3-0 Kings lead over the Canucks, thanks to a goal by Dustin Brown, which was all that was needed in a 1-0 Kings win over the Canucks. It looks like another 8 seed could beat a 1 seed and that's not a good sign for me, since I picked the Canucks to win the entire thing.

Those are your recaps for Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the rest of the hockey and I'll talk to you tomorrow about the three games that are happening tonight. Will the Bruins recover? Can the Senators take advantage at home? And will the Sharks overcome the mount of the Blues goaltenders? We'll see, puck heads!

Friday Recaps: Panthers Lose, Kings Surprise

Friday night is in the books, and the road trips certainly made their presence known in these playoffs, which either means the home teams are struggling to score, or the idea of home-ice advantage is irrelevant. We'll find out in these recaps just who made their presence known and who could be a threat down the stretch. And, by the way, did I happen to mention that one of these teams made their first playoff appearance since 2000? Let's take a look at those recaps:

Devils 3, Panthers 2
The Florida Panthers played in their first game in the playoffs since 2000. However, their first playoff game ended in a loss to the competitive New Jersey Devils and a hot Martin Brodeur, who earned his 100th postseason win Friday night. Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus, and Ryan Carter scored in this game for the Devils while Sean Bergenheim and Kris Versteeg scored for the Panthers.

Flyers 8, Penguins 5
Flyers are owning the Penguins now-a-days, and now that they have complete home-ice advantage for the rest of the series, it seems like the Flyers have this in the bag. The Penguins have allowed a leaky defense, breakaways, and goals by the bushel to put them in this hole. Now the Penguins have things to fix and must fix them fast before the Flyers win the series and put the Penguins in a first round exit again.

Red Wings 3, Predators 2
The Red Wings took something from the Nashville Predators last night: Home-ice advantage. After their 3-2 win last night, they have three games at home to try and get past the first round. Ian White, Cory Emmerton, Johan Franzen scored for the Red Wings. Shea Weber and Andrei Kostitsyn scored for the Predators, who blew their chance to keep home-ice advantage. Todd Bertuzzi dropped the gloves with Shea Weber, which proves this rivalry is getting fierce.

Kings 4, Canucks 2
This is the biggest surprise of the playoffs so far. Now that the Kings have taken two on the road in Vancouver, they'll have a chance to seal the deal with two games at home with a chance to knock out the number one seed in the playoffs. Plus, Dustin Brown is looking mighty hot after scoring a hat trick Friday night.

Hope you enjoy the Sunday games! Will the Capitals bounce back in Boston? Will the Sharks take over the Blues? Check out all the games Saturday on NBC, CNBC, and NBC Sports Network. See ya, puckheads!