Who doesn't like to read this?

This is from the San Franciso Chronicle (who knew they covered the NHL?). It has one particular line I can't read enough:

But most interesting of all is how the Detroit Red Wings fare in all of this. After another deep run that ought to result in another Stanley Cup (they are playing at home, after all), the Wings showed more age and thinning tread. They may end up being today's champs, but one has to wonder more seriously about their chances for 2010.

Their core players are still superb, but Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Valteri Filppula and Johan Franzen are all difficult players with which to cope. And as the league's oldest team, it may have to reinvent itself. The long list of injuries the Wings have endured makes their choices this summer even more complicated. The Wings aren't going anywhere, but it is fair to say that their arc has leveled off and may in fact begin to decline. That can't be anything but good for the Sharks.

There are, of course, the other moving parts here. Pittsburgh remains better than San Jose and in fact has widened the gap based on performance. Chicago has passed the Sharks by any reasonable analysis, St. Louis and Columbus suddenly are part of the mix, and Anaheim is still Anaheim.

Homer or not, I see no reason why Columbus won't be part of that mix. Howson just has to fine tune some areas (ahem... PPQB) and this team should take a pretty significant step up from last year.

Last year it was Rick Nash.. this year it's Alex Ovechkin on the cover of NHL2K... and what a sweet lookin cover it is:

Want more draft coverage? Here is a good link with some new player profiles of the top prospects.

Like anytime you play the Wings the Pens have to do one thing really well and that's STAY OUT OF THE BOX! They do that and they stand a good chance at squashing the squid.

Go PENS!

-LTL