Hockey Hearsay

Hockey Hearsay runs weekdays, 12 months a year; mixing NHL stories, quotes and fantasy takes.

The Vancouver Province points out that his teammates didn’t skate Sunday, but Ryan Kesler did. Hard and fast for an hour.

It was another significant step following late July surgery on his left hip but the Vancouver Canucks centre was also guarded in projecting a return to the lineup — even though he’s entering the 10-12 week recovery window with the procedure.

However, this is where it gets tricky.

The Selke Trophy winner plays through people and not around them. He willingly blocks shots, sets picks and screens and has the war wounds to show for unselfishness that produced a career 41 goals last season. And as much as Kesler wants to return as soon as possible knowing the spotty 2-2-1 Canucks could use his two-way presence, caution is the calling card.

“Obviously, I’m a competitive guy and I don’t like to see the team lose,” said Kesler. “You think about coming back sooner, but it wouldn’t be smart for me. I have to keep reminding myself to be patient and let my hip and body tell me when I’m ready and not my mind and my heart.

“It’s smart for me to take my time now and let everything heal. I’m not a guy who plays on the perimeter, I want to get in there and battle. I’m getting closer but obviously I still feel it [hip] at times out there — just certain movements I don’t feel comfortable doing yet. I’m not going to come back until I feel comfortable or I’m 100 per cent.”

It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Kesler would prefer to get a couple of home games under his belt — Oct. 26 against St. Louis and Oct. 28 against Washington — before a six-game road trip. Then again, with Kesler you never know. He will practise Monday and didn’t sound like somebody who would push his recovery to face the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

“If there’s a miracle I might,” said Kesler. “I’d like to play in front of the home fans before that [November] road trip, but who’s to say if I will. It’s day by day right now. Some days I feel good, other days I don’t feel that good. Lately, I’ve been stringing some practices together. It’s a good test to get some reps in with a couple guys I’ll be playing with in the future.”

The Province believes that when Kesler does return Canucks coach Alain Vigneault will have options and he could move the playmaking Hodgson to wing on the second line. Vigneault also knows that in Kesler he’ll have a dominant centre who leads by example, keeps a dressing room loose and hates to lose. The Canucks need the guy who figured in 11 of 14 second-round playoff goals against Nashville and the driven demon who scored the tying goal despite being injured in the deciding game of the Western Conference. All that can’t come soon enough.

“It’s tough, especially at the stage I’m at now,” added Kesler. “I need to get my wind back. I’m a perfectionist out there and I’ve got to be patient with my game the first little bit and not get frustrated. I’ve got to stay the course and I know it’s going to come around. I expect big things when I come back.”

The Edmonton Journal writes that there was no basking in the spotlight for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Instead, the man-child of the hour was back at Rexall Place Sunday morning for an off-ice workout with the rest of the Edmonton Oilers.

He was determined to try to put his three-goal night behind him so he could focus on Monday’s meeting with the Nashville Predators.

All Nugent-Hopkins has been guaranteed is a nine-game window to show he’s ready to stick in the National Hockey League rather than return to the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.

“There’s a lot of other little things that I need to do to get a definite spot on the team,” Nugent-Hopkins said less than 24 hours after he notched his first NHL hat trick in his third NHL game, a contest the Vancouver Canucks won 4-3.

“This morning I woke up and tried to forget about last night, so I could get focused and play my best (against the Predators).”

Winning more faceoffs is a facet of his game that is on his to-do list and he definitely would like to do it in the NHL rather than the WHL.

A junior-aged player can play up to nine NHL games before his contract kicks in.

“I just try and play a game at a time, but at the same time I can use it as motivation and try to play even harder,” said Nugent-Hopkins.

“Right now, I’m just focusing on Monday night.”

The Toronto Sun recalls that when the Maple Leafs broke fast from the gate last year, notching four straight wins, there were visions of 90-plus points and a rekindled love affair with the city.

But the only thing that stayed inflated after mid-October was their collective ego, before a loud and prolonged ‘pffft’ saw their balloon sink to near the Eastern Conference basement by Christmas.

“We surprised a lot of people at the start and that’s the part that went to our head,” admitted defenceman Luke Schenn. “Last year, we got off to a good start and maybe got a little too full ourselves.”

The 2010-11 team and coach Ron Wilson became the first in franchise history to miss the playoffs when winning that many to start the schedule, which is why the chance of duplicating the four-win start Monday against the Colorado Avalanche was a much more subdued topic in the dressing room on Sunday afternoon at the MasterCard Centre.

“The main thing we learned was the old saying, that it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” said Schenn, one of the Leafs who tried snapping the club out of its funk by calling out some unproductive teammates at mid-season.

“The majority of the guys in here went through it last year, the good start, the tough time and then picking it up at the end of the season. So the good thing is, we have a lot of guys who learned a lot. You lose a couple after (4-0) and everyone kind of comes down on you. You can’t go on the big losing streaks, early, middle or end of the season.

“It’s nice to have some points in the bank early on again, but we have to find a way to be consistent throughout the whole thing. Last year, it felt a lot different. This year, we are pretty humble about it, based on our experience.”

The Chicago Tribune observes that so far, Hawks forward Patrick Kane is excelling in general manager Stan Bowman's experiment to move the 22-year-old from right wing to the middle.

Through the first four games of the season, Kane has been arguably the Hawks' best center. The sample size isn't all that large, but Kane is leading his team in scoring with two goals and four assists for six points and is tied for tops on the Hawks with a plus-3, a good indicator that he's holding up his end defensively.

It doesn't end there as Kane has won 56.7 percent of his faceoffs, better than teammate Jonathan Toews (54.4 percent), who took the second-most draws in the league last season.

Bowman reached out to him during this offseason.

"It was at the beginning of the summer and … I was back in Buffalo," Kane recalled of Bowman's phone call. "Of course, I was all for it at the time. At that time I didn't really know I needed the wrist surgery. When I was coming back I thought I was probably going to be slotted back on the right wing because of just getting back to normal and 100 percent. I was a little bit surprised at first when I came to camp. So far I guess it's worked OK."

Apparently completely healed from the surgery to repair a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist , Kane is determined to make the position change work

"This time around I guess I tried to give it a fair shake and really put my all into it and try to have a good attitude about it and … try to prove that I can do it," he said. "It's a new challenge for me and it's a new year and hopefully it's something I can prove to my teammates, the organization, other teams (and) players around the league … that I can do it."

Thus far, his team is giving Kane a passing grade.

"From the outset it just seems like when he's on the ice … (and) he has the puck so much more materializes," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's getting more comfortable down low knowing the stronger positions that can lead to turnovers. How to kill plays and how to play for the puck area down low is something he'll get better and better at because he's a smart player."

Added linemate Marian Hossa: "When he has the puck it doesn't matter if he plays center or wing because he can do anything with the puck. Everybody was asking how he was going to do defensively, but I think so far he's answering the question — he's doing a great job."

Ales Hemsky is listening to his body, according to The Edmonton Sun.

After two separate shoulder surgeries in the last two years, the Edmonton Oilers winger had an alarm bell go off last week in Minnesota.

Hemsky wasn’t hit or didn’t fall awkwardly, he simply started feeling soreness in his right shoulder and decided it was best to shut it down for a while.

“I’m feeling pretty good actually, I got an MRI (Saturday) and they didn’t show anything from the surgery, the labrum is fine, I’m just a little weak and I have to get the strength back and healed up a little bit,” Hemsky said. “It’s a little sore, I just have to get the pain out of my shoulder, get more strength in it and I’ll be OK.

“Nothing really happened, I just got a little weaker and I couldn’t play with that weakness. If I played with it, I risked getting hurt again, so I just have to get the strength back and I’ll be fine.”

It’s expected he’ll be out of the Oilers lineup for at least the next two weeks.

“I get a little pain and I have to get rid of it,” Hemsky said. “I was a little weaker than I was before. That’s the main concern, I just have to get a little stronger and get rid of the pain and I should be back to normal.

“My shoulder is solid, I don’t have problems with that, and I just have to get rid of the pain, that’s my main concern.”

Regardless, Hemsky does not want his shoulder to become a persistent problem this season, especially being in the last year of his contract.

“It’s just something I have to be conscious of,” Hemsky said. “I don’t want to get hurt again. That’s the decision we made, I just want to get back and be at 100%.

“It could take five to seven days to get rid of the pain and then I have to work on getting stronger. It could take another five or seven days. It’s nothing really major. I just want to be at 100%, I don’t want to get hurt again and miss another six months. That’s my main concern.”

The Orange County Register recalls that thanks to a vertigo-style malady that still isn't fully understood, Ducks goalie Hiller only played three games after the All-Star break last season.

Hiller's mysterious imbalance is like a three-month nightmare that went back into the crevasse. He has played every game for the Ducks this year, and in their three victories he has given up three goals. He has a .934 save percentage. Last season's was .924.

"We were playing our best hockey right before the All-Star break last year," Hiller said. "I think we've all worked hard to get back to that.

"You kinda get a different feel for your body. You don't take it for granted anymore that you're going to feel that good. Plus I'm having a little more fun out there now. In the past it used to be a lot more like work. I'm listening to my body better and if I need to cut back, I will."

That is up to Coach Randy Carlyle, of course. Hiller has played all four Ducks games. Tonight's game at San Jose, followed by three days off, might be an ideal chance to get Dan Ellis in there, but Carlyle guards such secrets.

As the pitchers like to say, Hiller is working less stressful innings. During last season's 0-3 start, also known as Goals Across America, the Ducks gave up 43, 49 and 53 shots on goal, and Hiller was beginning to feel like the Alamo. This year the Ducks have dealt with just 106 opposing SOGs, an average of 26.5.

Anaheim was 10th in goals-against in the 15-team Western Conference last season. So Carlyle went back to Defense 101 when training camp started.

"We worked a lot on defensive zone coverage this year," he said. "We didn't want to give up those late scoring chances from the same areas that we gave them up last year. In past years we would scrimmage more than we would practice. This year we practiced, and players generally hate to practice.

"The penalty kill is part of it. The faceoffs are part of it. It's something we're going to have to do all season long. We haven't been perfect so far. We didn't have a very good second period tonight. But they are working at it."

Phil Kessel (5-3-8), John Tavares (5-3-8), David Legwand (2-6-8), Anze Kopitar (3-4-7), Shane Doan (3-4-7), Thomas Vanek (3-4-7), Daniel Sedin (2-5-7), Henrik Sedin (2-5-7), P.A. Parenteau (1-6-7)

The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that center Brayden Schenn, acquired as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mike Richards to Los Angeles last summer, is playing like he wants to be promoted to the Flyers.

Schenn, 20, has four goals and seven points and is plus-three in four games with the AHL Adirondack Phantoms.

"I just want to make a good impression," Schenn said the other day. "You don't want to be down here for long."

The Flyers, however, have a roster logjam and are in no hurry to promote Schenn. He is refining his game by playing in all situations for the Phantoms.

That said, the Flyers have placed Blair Betts ($700,000) on the long-term injured reserve list, giving them nearly enough cap space to recall Schenn when the need arises.

"When it's the right time, he'll be here," general manager Paul Holmgren said on Sunday. "He'll continue to play for the Phantoms for a little bit, anyway. I'm not sure, lineup-wise, where he'd fit in with the Flyers right now."

The Flyers have $1,166,667 in cap room. But after enforcer Jody Shelley finishes his five-game suspension following Tuesday's contest in Ottawa, they could send Zac Rinaldo ($544,444 cap hit) to the Phantoms.

That would give them $1,711,111 in cap room, just enough to recall Schenn ($1.69 million cap hit), if they felt inclined.

The article notes the Flyers would want Schenn to play on one of the top three lines so he would get enough minutes. If they decided to recall him, one of the options would be to place him or talented rookie center Sean Couturier at wing on the third line and move winger Matt Read, another impressive rookie, to the fourth line.

Read has a goal and an assist and has been used on special teams during the Flyers' 3-0-1 start.

In that scenario, fourth-line winger Andreas Nodl or Shelley would be the extra forward.

"Sometime down the road, I expect Brayden to get a look," Holmgren said. "Right now, it's important for him to continue to develop and play on a full-time basis" with the Phantoms.

The Inquirer says that as for Couturier, based on the way he has played, he appears he will stick with the Flyers. If he plays in a 10th game, this season will count as one of the three on his entry-level deal, so he has five more games on his "tryout." Couturier counts toward the 50-player contract limit if he plays in his 11th game.

"He's starting to show more confidence with the puck and [is] making more plays," Holmgren said, "and we like the job he's doing on the penalty kill."

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays that the Penguins signed Steve Sullivan, coach Dan Bylsma said, because his savvy, shiftiness, speed and soft hands were viewed as must-haves for a power play that, aside from the first four months after Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien almost three years ago, often had appeared powerless.

The Penguins, who had Sunday off after Bylsma cancelled practice, began the day 10th in the NHL with a power play clicking at 22.2 percent (6 for 27). They ranked 25th last season at 15.8 percent (49 for 311) and 19th the previous year at 17.2 percent (56-for-326).

Sullivan has assisted on just one of the Penguins' power-play markers this season, but that statistic doesn't demonstrate his full impact.

"He takes what a team gives him. That's his best quality," defenseman Kris Letang said. "(Past power-play struggles) have been because we were playing too much in our own end, and we're not doing that much now."

Credit Sullivan's expert carrying of the puck through the neutral zone with the Penguins' ability to set up quicker with the man-advantage, Bylsma said.

Once in the offensive zone, Sullivan has appeared masterful at creating space for himself with a quick spin near the boards or a short and smooth lateral feed to generate puck movement.

Injured center Sidney Crosby knows those tricks. He offered this observation about Sullivan's impact on a power play that has yet to feature Crosby (concussion) with center Evgeni Malkin, who has missed three games with a sore right knee:

"He's just really smart and makes the right play. Whoever seems to be open, he gets them the puck, and that's what you need," Crosby said. "Any successful power play has to have guys that see certain things, too, and he's got that hockey sense."

Sullivan also has more to contribute than just on-point passes or power-play pacing. Bylsma said a few more shots than the nine he has registered wouldn't hurt.

"In terms of five-on-five, his board play has exceeded expectation. He's made plays for us and added speed," Bylsma said. "If there's one thing, he's constantly trying to set up players instead of shooting more ... and he's still finding his way a little bit in terms of supporting his teammates with the way we want to play."

There's no question rookie wing Brett Connolly has impressed the Lightning in his first week in the NHL, according to The St. Petersburg Times.

Connolly, the sixth overall pick in 2010, showed his guts while battling in Boston, and the 19-year-old earned a spot on the top line the past two games with Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis.

"He's surprised us," coach Guy Boucher said. "Opened eyes."

St. Louis said: "He's doing as good a job as a 19-year-old can do right now."

"He's getting his opportunity," Stamkos said. "And he's taking it."

Many Lightning fans will get their first look at Connolly during tonight's home opener against the Panthers. But the question is whether this three-game homestand will be the last they'll see of him this season, as he has a nine-game window before he either must go down to juniors or the clock starts on his three-year, $2.7 million contract.

The answer, Boucher says, is not clear-cut.

"Right now, we're just trying to make him adapt, and it's working, and hopefully the next games he makes it real hard for us," Boucher said. "Sometimes you feel you gain because you have a new toy and, yippee, everybody's happy. But I've seen it in some players in Montreal over the years, it wasn't the best thing to keep those guys. …

"If we're going to keep somebody, it's because he's ready, his contributions are solid and we're not going to take anything away from his game, and we're going to play him. … We're going to make sure we make the right decision for him and the organization."

The article notes Connolly, at 6 feet 2, 181 pounds, boasts an intriguing blend of size, speed and skill. He can skate with speedy stars such as St. Louis and Stamkos, while also being able to crash the net and make smart plays, which is why Boucher likes him on that line. But the debate is whether he can remain consistent and hold up physically over a full season, having only played 75 combined games over the past two years due to injuries.

It's a balancing act for Boucher, who sat Connolly the second half of the third period Saturday against Florida, not because he wasn't playing well, but because the coach didn't want to "expose him" in a tight game, choosing to put in more experienced, strong defensive players.

For now, Connolly is enjoying the ride, and he is plus-2 through five games. Stamkos said he can see him getting "more and more comfortable and confident each game," and "he's willing to learn."

Boucher acknowledged putting Connolly with Stamkos and St. Louis is a tough task, "intimidating" even for an older player, as "you want to play their game and don't want to make a mistake and make sure you fit."

Whether Connolly remains a fit remains to be seen.

"He will eventually be an NHL player," Boucher said. "Now is he going to be an NHL player this year for a long time? It's up to him and up to circumstances, too, for us to see if he can manage, because we don't want to hurt the kid. It's about respecting the process and being patient and smart, because I've seen so many guys that are good that lose it because they stick too early. We want to make sure we don't make that mistake."

The Raleigh News & Observer believes that Bryan Allen of the Carolina Hurricanes looks the part of a hockey player, and certainly a defenseman.

Allen is missing a few teeth, giving him the jack-o'-lantern look when he smiles. He has scar tissue in various parts of his face, having long since lost track of how many stitches he has taken. He's also a big guy at 6-5 and 226 pounds.

"You could take a picture of him and put him in any decade and you'd say, 'He plays defenseman,' " Canes coach Paul Maurice said.

Allen and Tim Gleason have emerged as the Canes' shutdown tandem, and they've also done some of the dirty work shorthanded as Carolina killed off all 11 penalties in beating the Bruins and then the Buffalo Sabres.

"Just big and solid and physical," Maurice said of Allen's play. "He's played well with whoever we've played him with, but he and Timmy (Gleason) have a fit because they play in some ways a similar game.

"They really feed off each other. They're very effective.

"(Allen) is a very smart player. He's not caught out of position. He knows his area of the ice and that makes it easier for Timmy."

The article notes that Allen's ice time has increased in each game and he has a plus-4 rating for the season. Gleason, who said he lost 12 pounds in the off-season, is plus-7 and tied for the NHL lead through Saturday's games.

"I take pride in getting the chance to play against top lines, playing against the best players," Allen said. "It starts there. The next part is making the good first pass out of my end. That makes me feel I'm doing my job."

He had a badly swollen little toe on his right foot last week. That came when he went down to the ice to block a blazing one-timer by Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Allen taking the shot off his skate.

Such things are quickly noticed and appreciated by his teammates and coaches.

"Those are the things, what he's saying to the rest of the team is, 'I'm never taking a night off, I'm going to give you what I have every single night, every single shift,' " Maurice said. "And there's nothing that's more respected in the locker room than that."

The Denver Post notices Peter Mueller did not look like a particularly happy camper when he trudged into the dressing room after Avalanche practice Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. A brief interview with the left winger only served to confirm his disappointment.

While Mueller took part in a full practice, it appears likely he will miss his third consecutive game tonight when the Avs play Toronto.

All signs point to Mueller having had a return of concussion symptoms, although the Avs and Mueller are declining to give specifics about why he's missing games. He missed all of last season with a concussion.

The Avs, however, have consulted recently with Dr. Robert Cantu, a prominent concussion specialist based in Boston who has helped treat many NHL players, including Mueller.

Whether Mueller had a brief bout with symptoms and is on the mend, or might miss a lot of time, is unclear. But it would be against current NHL protocol to purposefully have a player skate who said he was suffering from concussion symptoms.

Asked about his condition, Mueller said: "I'm just trying to get in some practices and get some good days behind me. That's about it. Just trying to get good days."

Mueller appeared a step behind the play at times in the three regular-season games he played, and also in the preseason. Asked if he is not playing in order to work on conditioning, Mueller said: "Conditioning is always going to be there for me. I mean, it's pretty obvious."

Mueller did not skate with usual linemates Matt Duchene and Milan Hejduk at practice Sunday, instead skating with fourth-liners and recent scratches. Joakim Lindstrom skated at left wing with Duchene and Hejduk.

The Miami Herald notes that Jacob Markstrom’s parents are in town from Sweden. They will get a taste of Florida on Monday morning as they pack up the car and drive across the state to watch the Panthers play Tampa Bay on Monday night.

Will they get to see their son get his first NHL start?

Markstrom, 21, is expected to be in net for one of the Panthers’ next two games, either Monday in Tampa or Tuesday in Washington. Coach Kevin Dineen wouldn’t tip his hand Sunday afternoon, saying he likes to ride a hot goalie — meaning starter Jose Theodore (2-1-0). But he left the door open for Markstrom by saying it might be nice for Theodore to start against his former teammates on Tuesday.

With the quick turnaround of back-to-back games — and four games this week — there is little doubt that Theodore is going to get a night off soon. One thing Dineen made clear: He has plenty of confidence in Markstrom.

“I was confident in him literally since his last exhibition game,” Dineen said. “He played very well for us.”

Markstrom made his NHL debut with the Panthers last season, replacing Scott Clemmensen in the second period of a loss at New Jersey. Those two periods represent Markstrom’s entire NHL résumé.

With Clemmensen injured in training camp, Markstrom was promoted to a backup role with the Panthers. It’s a position he is not used to but seems to be making the most of. Markstrom seems to understand the beneficial nature of being able to learn on the job, and isn’t taking it for granted. When Clemmensen comes back off the injured list, Markstrom will likely be headed back to the minors.

**Update: It'll be Theodore vs. Roloson tonight.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune believes the good news is the season is five games old and the Wild has picked up points in four without the much-ballyhooed first line exploding offensively.

The bad news is the season's five games old and the Wild's much-ballyhooed first line hasn't exploded offensively.

"If you get frustrated, if you start to force things, if you lose your focus on the things you're supposed to do without the puck, then you just spiral into a deeper mess," coach Mike Yeo said after Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit.

"Those guys, they are battling hard. They're getting a few looks, but they're not getting as many looks because they want to help the team. They know that their job to help the team is to score goals. Right now they're more focused on the result of scoring the goal. Because of that, you force things, because of that you lose focus on other areas, and you lose opportunities to get to that part of your game."

Since opening night, when Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi both scored in a victory over Columbus, the line - which includes center Mikko Koivu - has combined for one goal and two assists -- a Setoguchi power-play goal in Ottawa.

Yeo said the Wild must do a better job at helping the first line execute. If the Wild's continually chipping the puck out in order to make desperate line changes, the top line's routinely coming over the boards and already on its heels.

He's hoping Setoguchi and Heatley, who each had moments during Sunday's practice where they snapped their sticks in half, don't get frustrated.

"The only thing you worry about with guys like that is they put so much pressure on themselves to score goals and quite often things will get worse," Yeo said. "That's why guys can be so streaky. You think you have to score goals or you have to get two goals tonight to get on the pace you want to get on.

"Meanwhile, you're forgetting all the things you have to do to score goals. Like the team, you can't go into a game blind saying you want to win without taking the necessary steps to win that hockey game. Same thing for whether it's Heater or Seto or any player. If you want to score goals, you have to concentrate on what needs to be done to get those end results."

The San Jose Mercury News says goaltending has not been an issue as the Sharks dropped two of their first three games, but look for Antti Niemi -- not Thomas Greiss -- to lead the Sharks out of the locker room Monday night for San Jose's rematch with the Anaheim Ducks.

"There's a real good chance that Nemo gets his first game tomorrow, as long as everything goes as planned," coach Todd McLellan said Sunday.

McLellan had indicated Friday that Niemi, who missed all of training camp and the preseason after having a cyst near his knee removed, would get a start before the team leaves Wednesday for a six-game trip through the East Coast and Midwest.

But the coach decided to use Niemi as a backup the past two games to help him prepare mentally as well as get in a little extra practice time.

On game-day practices, McLellan said, the starting goalie "gets what he needs, and then he's gone. The other guy stays and gets a pretty good workout in. He's had a number of extra practices over these last few game days."

Niemi said he was looking forward to starting but also agreed it helped to serve as backup the past two games.

"I think it was good to see how my body reacts," he said. "It's a different thing having a morning practice and a game that evening, getting used to it."

Greiss, who has a respectable 2.36 goals against average and .901 save percentage in his three starts, will serve as Niemi's backup.

The Detroit Free Press indicates that defenseman Ian White left the Red Wings' last game with a cut on his chin and a smile on his face. Four games into his career, he has two goals, one assist, and, most important to him, a four-game winning streak.

His teammates insist they figured something like this would happen.

"We knew," Johan Franzen said after scoring in overtime Saturday to settle a 3-2 game against the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. "We knew he was a really skilled player. When he played with San Jose, he was really, really good, especially on the power play. We knew he had that skill."

The Wings signed White, 27, on July 2, for two years and $5.75 million, or $2.875 million a season. They were looking for someone to do the job last held by Brian Rafalski, a skilled passer who retired in May. White is a decade younger and has a much thicker body, but otherwise bears similarities to his predecessor.

"He reminds me so much of Rafi, but with a little bit more edge," Niklas Kronwall said. "He's heads-up all the time, good hands, doesn't get stressed or panicked. Great positionally.

"I knew a little bit about him from before -- my brother played with him in Toronto for a bit. I think he's going to have a big impact on our team."

It hasn't hurt White's transition that he's playing with Nicklas Lidstrom, but White is a good and developing, player. His presence has had the added benefit of enabling the Wings to reunite Kronwall with Brad Stuart, who had to be used with Lidstrom last season.

"We kind of knew Whitey pretty good," coach Mike Babcock said Saturday. "He's playing with a real good player in Nick, and he's just got to keep plugging away. I thought he was competitive tonight and had a good game."

White leads the team's defense with three points and is tied for second overall in team scoring. Not a shabby way to make an introduction.

"Didn't have any goals like that," he said, smiling. "It feels good, anytime you can score and help out, but being 4-0 is more important."

ken in Kennebunk: "Hi Chris, Nice to see the 3 kids on your Oil top line clicking...

Haven't touched my roster since the draft but there have been a few drops in our 7-team standard roto league so thought I would show you who I have (first four were my 4 keepers, others in order of draft) and the noteable FAs to see if any are worth a look.

We score G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SOG, W, SV%, GAA & SO and play 2C/2LW/2RW/4D/2G with 4 keepers: Malkin(C), StL(RW), Perry(RW), Parise(LW/RW);

Kovalchuk(LW), Getzlaf(C), Boyle(D), Lidstrom(D), Niemi(G), Goligoski(D), Hiller(G), Duchene(C), Selanne(RW), MAF(G), Pietrangelo(D), JVR(LW) FAs: Tavares(C), Seguin(C), J.Williams(LA-RW), Nabokov(G) & your 3 frontline Oil kids (Hall, Eberle, RNH) Realize I have a handful of vets (albeit future HOFs) and a pretty solid team but with those youngsters sitting out there was interested in your thoughts on any possible swap-outs. Tavares in particular is pretty tempting. Thanks as always for the sage advice."

Chris: Thanks Ken and yes, even though it's way early it's incredibly exciting to see what the kids on the Oilers are doing. Bright future, regardless of how this season turns out.

In a seven-team league - especially with a shallow roster - you're bound to see some really good players on the FA list.

Goaltending-wise, I think you're fine. I don't see Nabokov as an upgrade on your current guys, especially since the picture on the Island is unclear with Montoya doing so well and DiPietro eventually coming back before he gets hurt again. But then he'll be back. Then he'll get hurt. Then he'll come back though.

Tavares is quite tempting over Duchene at C, regardless of how they've started this season. The back-to-back four-pointers don't hurt his case, clearly. Tavares has more long-term fantasy upside, IMO, and is at the point where he may break out to that next level. RNH looked really good, but realistically he's not yet at the point where he'd be a good fit for you.

I'm also quite intrigued by Hall over JVR on the left side, if only because of the keeper potential in addition to this year's pointage. Hall is going to be a legit superstar and while it might not come this season, he should challenge JVR's points this year and Hall has, IMO, even more upside than the talented JVR. Keep in mind with my comments I realize you only keep four guys per year. But with St. Louis getting up there, I think there is a very real chance that you'll want Tavares or Hall going into next year instead of St. Louis. Not that the two youngsters will necessarily get more points in '12-13, but it's the changing of the guard mentality. Plus, you'll have great trade bait to upgrade another keeper. Maybe keep Hall and Tavares and deal St. Louis/ Parise for Ovechkin or something like that.

Kenny P, Toronto, Ont: "Hi Chris Hope you had a good weekend !

In a head to Head pool, new week with the following stats: Points (P), (+/-), (PIM), (PPP), (SHP), (GWG), (SOG), Faceoffs Won, Hits, Goaltenders Stat Categories: (W), (GAA), (SV%), (SHO)

I'm pretty good in faceoffs so far and a few other categories, but need some more P, PP, +/-, and Hits help. I have some players I'm not too confident in and was wondering if there is a player or players I should grab or upgrade with

Here are some players on my team on the bubble: Stastny , P.Berglund, R.Whitney (IR), Shattenkirk, Prospal, Simmonds ( I was going to grab Hemsky, but then he got injured)

Some available free agents are: Defencemen: Zidlicky, M.Bergeron, Quincy, White, Wisnekski, Markov (IR), S. Sala, Gleason Forwards: R.Whitney, Pacioretty, Alffredsson, Filpulla, Peverly, S.Gagne, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, Michalek, Weiss, Landeskog, David Jones , Craig Smith, Setoguchi, Bozak

What would be your top 2-3 picks to go with? Much appreciated! Thank you."

Chris: RNH is certainly intriguing here, at least as a short-term option to see how he fares. I'd also keep in mind putting Markov on IR once Whitney comes back for you. Wisniewski over Shattenkirk is tempting once Wisniewski is back, but Shattenkirk is producing and Wisniewski still has time left to serve.

Prospal and Berglund have done well so far, so no need to sub them out yet. Stastny has just come alive the past few games, so let's be patient with him for awhile. Simmonds offers some of the grit your line-up needs, but I'd be kind of tempted to give RNH a flier over him for now if positions don't matter to potentially rack up a few more points. Just in case.

Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

Submit your brief fantasy hockey question for a Hockey Hearsay blog via email. One per person, please and include your first name and hometown to represent!

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.