Chris Nichols

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

Need help deciding on keeper choices for '10-11? Wondering about someone's poolie potential after summer moves by the team? We'll have a fantasy Q&A coming up before too long, so drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com and it may be included.

The New York Post reports that the Rangers announced the signing of free agent winger Alexander Frolov today. The deal is for one year at $3M.

"Alex is a highly skilled player who we feel will play a key role in improving our offence and play in all situations," Rangers GM Glen Sather said. "He is strong competitor and has the ability to play either wing position."

That's a good signing by the Rangers, who were desperate for more offence, for a pretty fair amount of money in this cap world. He made $4M last year, although his cap hit was slightly under $3M. He'll be hungry to prove he can produce with what should be a larger role in New York than he saw last season with the Kings.

We should see Frolov on the first line on Broadway fairly regularly, whereas he was really an L2 or L3 option in Southern California. He posted 19-32-51 in 81 GP last year, which marked the third straight season of decline in his offensive production since tallying a career high 71 points in '06-7. He fell to 67, then 59 and then last season's 51.

His '09-10 campaign no doubt reduced his market value this summer and the cause of that fall was one of those chicken or the egg arguments: were his poor stats a result of a generally mediocre line assignment, or was his mediocre line assignment a result of his poor performance on the ice? A heavy dose of both can likely be attributed to his bottom line.

The Rangers still lack someone they can call a true number one centre, so the signing of Frolov likely means we'll see W/C Vinny Prospal reprise his role as the top line pivot alongside Marian Gaborik with what has the makings to become a pretty dynamic unit. Prospal actually deserves a lot of credit for doing a pretty solid job there when asked by head coach John Tortorella.

Brandon Dubinsky and Erik Christensen spent time in the L1 pivot slot last year with Prospal on the wing, while Artem Anisimov will be skating in his sophomore season this time around and will be looking to earn more ice time as well. Evgeny Grachev, who can play both the wing and centre now, could eventually be tried there. He only has one AHL season with no NHL action under his belt to date though, so let's not put the cart before the horse. Prospal, Dubinsky and Christensen are the three highly-likely options as things stand today, with Prospal being the heaviest favourite.

For now, the trio of Frolov-Prospal-Gaborik seems to be odds-on choice to start the season as the first line.

Two other scenarios seem likely to happen regardless though: 1) either Dubinsky or Christensen will be moved into the centre role on that line at times to add more grit. That'll either move Prospal to the wing and push Frolov to the next line down, or Prospal will move to L2 as a winger or centre. 2) Frolov will be slid down to the second unit with a sandpaper winger brought in for the first line. That could come in the form of Sean Avery. We've also seen both Dubinsky and Chris Drury used on the wing instead of centre, so there are a host of possibilities.

Bottom line? Adding Frolov to the team helps the Rangers' offence and provides that much extra goal support for King Henrik. Glen Sather has been responsible for a number of horrible contracts for that franchise, but this won't likely be one of them.

BACKLUND WANTS NHL
According to The Calgary Herald, Flames GM Darryl Sutter has said he wants to give Swedish centre Mikael Backlund a solid look with the top-six forwards in Calgary this season. But since anyone on an entry-level contract is still eligible for the prospect development camp, that's where the 21-year old will be situated this week.

"I think it's important to remember that Mikael just has one year under his belt," said Ron Sutter, player development coach for the Flames. "It's all about learning. I think it's important for Mikael to be here and not get too far ahead of the game.

"He's still learning. He's a kid that is still green and he's got a long way to go."

Backlund, Calgary's top prospect, whet the appetite of Flames fans last year with 23 GP. He posted 1-9-10 in that period and he also logged 54 GP in Abbottsford, tallying 15-17-32. He added another 1-8-9 in 13 playoff starts.

The 24th overall pick from 2007 also played for Sweden at the World Hockey Championships.

"I was really tired after the season," he admitted to The Herald. "It was a long season. A lot of games. A lot of different places. A lot of travelling.

"Especially in the first game at the world championships, I was really tired. I was so sick. The day I landed, I played right away."

He had a relaxing vacation in Greece after that though, which allowed him the chance to recharge his batteries both physically and mentally. Now it's all about the big league target.

"That's been my dream since I was a little kid -- playing in the NHL," Backlund said. "That's been my goal for a long time now. That's what I've been working on all summer.

"I'm thinking I want to make the roster. I want to make the team this year. I really hope I can make it, and I think I have a good chance to do it too."

It starts with this prospect gathering.

"It's up to me," he said. "I have to play really good and perform well at the camp. That's what I'm going to do."

It'll be interesting to see where Backlund slots in this year with Olli Jokinen back in the fold, since Jokinen and Matt Stajan should theoretically be the top two centres on this team in one form or another. Will the addition of the playmaking Alex Tanguay on the L1 wing make enough of a difference that the Jokinen/ Jarome Iginla chemistry will improve to the point that they can form a consistent line this time around? Or will Jokinen get bumped down to L2 or even L3, like we've seen in past stints?

Honestly, by season's end it's really not a stretch to say that Backlund might end up centring the top line in Calgary based on the inability of Jokinen or Stajan to dominate in that role. Neither, to this point at least, has proven to be an odd-on long-term answer to Calgary's top line pivot issue. Brent Sutter actually gave us a brief taste of that L1 Backlund treatment last season too.

To begin with though, the lingering neck health issues of Daymond Langkow should at least prove helpful for Backlund's chances of making the Flames in '10-11. The rest will be up to him.

EXTENDED QUOTABLE
25-year old centre Colin Fraser, formerly of the Chicago Blackhawks, spoke this week about his move to the Edmonton Oilers. Here are some quotes from The Journal.

On his gritty style of play: "That's what got me to the NHL and I'm not going to change the way I play at all," he said. "I work hard every night; try to bring a little character, a little grit and a little leadership all at the same time. I'm not the most skilled guy, but I get by with a little hard work."

On doing what it takes for his team, including dropping the gloves: "I certainly have (broken the 10-fight barrier) in my junior and my minor-pro days," he said. "I'll throw down if I have to. I don't want to be known as a goon or anything. I think (the Oilers have) a couple of guys that will fight -- Zack (Stortini), (Steve) MacIntyre, they're your tough guys.

"I think they wanted more grit and I'll bring that. If I need to fight, I'll fight and if I just need to be a pest, I'll be a pest, too."

On potentially playing a bigger role with the Oilers than he did with the Blackhawks: "Time will tell, obviously, but I can't say enough things about how excited I am to be closer to home and to rebuild a team. Things can only get better and I think everyone's looking forward to it," he said, while emphasizing what type of role he'll have is yet to be determined.

"I talked to (Oilers head coach Tom Renney), just a 'Welcome to the team,' kind of briefing. We'll talk more when camp starts. I think it's too early to tell. We need to sign some guys and stuff needs to be sorted out. It's still early yet."

On being excited about the future of the Oilers: "I was in the organization with Chicago when they weren't doing so good," Fraser said. "They drafted, obviously, some great players and I think Edmonton's taken kind of the same route.

"Things are looking a lot better. The young guys you have coming up -- (Jordan) Eberle and (Taylor) Hall and a countless number of guys, really -- it's really exciting to be a part of. When I was traded here, I was really excited to be closer to home and to be part of a rebuilding right from the beginning."

MOULSON ARBITRATION AVOIDED
The New York Post indicates the Islanders and Matt Moulson barely avoided arbitration today when they agreed on a one-year deal.

Moulson led the team with a career-high 30 goals last season -- his first with the Islanders.

"Matt is one of our young core of players and we're excited to have him return this upcoming season," Islanders GM Garth Snow said of the 26-year-old winger.

"He was an integral part of our line-up last season, playing in all 82 games and hitting the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career."

Moulson was one of the feel-good stories in fantasy last season too, becoming one of only 24 NHL players to hit the 30-goal mark last season. He spent a large portion of the year skating alongside rookie John Tavares in what was Moulson's first full NHL season as well. That role took Moulson from going undrafted in many pools to quickly becoming a hot addition when he scored five times in his first seven games with eight points in that stretch.

Whether or not he can replicate that success in '10-11 remains to be seen, but the chemistry he forged with Tavares should only increase his odds.

LOTS TO PROVE FOR MOREAU
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Blue Jackets left winger Ethan Moreau is planning to make his mark with his new team in '10-11. He was picked up on waivers on July 1st with the Edmonton Oilers looking to dump salary and clear roster space for the youth movement.

"The biggest motivation comes from what I want to accomplish here," Moreau said. "The problems that we had in Edmonton... it wasn't really my health. It was more just a situation where we had a bad team. It's hard for anybody to look good in that situation.

"I do use it as motivation, absolutely. I think anybody who trains with me or knows how hard I work, knows that when I come to training camp next month there won't be any questions about whether I can still play this game.

Moreau said he plans to set the tone early in training camp.

"When I come out, I'll be one of the faster guys and one of the most physical guys," he said. "We'll put all that (stuff) to rest right away."

The Dispatch notes the Blue Jackets made it clear upon claiming Moreau that they want him to make an impact on the ice and in the dressing room.

"I'm pretty vocal; I've always been that way," Moreau said. "There's a time and a place for everything. Most of the time leadership is supporting your teammates, being a good friend and being a good teammate. But there are other times when you have to be ... not confrontational, but on any good team I've played on, there's always some form of dissension in the room.

"You can't have 25 nice guys. It never works out. You have to have some sort of edge within your group."

One more quick note from The Dispatch: the team has requested a one-year contract ruling for tomorrow's Anton Stralman arbitration ruling. Had they opted for two years they'd have him locked up a bit longer, but then they wouldn't have the option of walking away from the award should they deem it too high of a number. The Jackets and Stralman's camp are apparently about $1M apart so far.

Stralman collected 6-28-34 with a -17 rating while making around $732K last season.

QUOTABLE
"I think it was handled very professionally by both sides," Matt Keator, Blake Wheeler's agent, told The Boston Globe of his client's arbitration hearing today. "Our interpretation of the marketplace is different from theirs, hence the disagreement. I think both sides handled it well, keeping it professionally. They pointed out Blake's shortcomings. We pointed out Blake's strengths. But Blake already knew his shortcomings. He knows what he needs to work on. There were no hurt feelings in what was said. It was not contentious at all."

BOOTH QUICKIE
The Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that we should have a health update on Florida Panthers winger David Booth (concussion) next week.

DOWNIE DEAL SOUGHT
The St. Petersburg Times writes that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said he has reached out to the agent for RFA right wing Steve Downie in order to get contract negotiations started.

"Rick Curran and I have had initial talks," Yzerman said of Downie's agent. "We're going to get the ball rolling and get into it in the very near future and I will make my offer to get Steve under contract."

Downie broke out for 22-24-46 last season, spending a fair bit of time with sophomore sensation Steven Stamkos and veteran star Martin St. Louis on what became a really effective line for the team. For standard league owners, Downie's 208 PIM combined with his regular point contributions to create a dream in-season pick-up.

The Times credits former Lightning coach Rick Tocchet, a clutch power forward in his day with the Philadelphia Flyers and then several other teams, with handing Downie successfully. Can new bench boss Guy Boucher do the same? We'll see. Downie certainly stands a good chance of being a top six forward again given last year's success, but he's not a lock and he'll need to earn his time again.

Should he manage to skate himself into that position again, he'll be attempting to do his part to add to the talents of Stamkos, St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Malone and the newly-acquired Simon Gagne on what has the makings of two really strong lines for a team that missed the playoffs for three straight campaigns.

RAYMOND LOOKING FOR GROWTH
We touched on Mason Raymond's two-year, $5.1M deal with the Vancouver Canucks yesterday, which avoided the arbitration process. The Sun notes that Raymond is determined to build upon his breakthrough season, something the Canucks clearly need him to do.

"He's a third-year player in the National Hockey League whose statistics have increased each year," assistant GM Laurence Gilman said. "He scored 25 goals and 53 points. We think he has the chance to build on his prior accomplishments and should exceed those levels."

So does the 24-year-old Raymond, who knows full well that his higher salary will also bring higher expectations.

"I always expect bigger things out of myself," said Raymond, who made $760,000 last season before bonuses. "Last year was a great stepping stone for me, but I still want to get to places where I still feel I can go. I have another year of experience. I went to the world championships at the end of the season and went through some situations that you get put into as you get older. I feel more confident with them all the time."

DANIS TO KHL
Fire & Ice writes that according to multiple reports, former Devils goaltender Yann Danis has signed to play with Amur of the KHL. He became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and lost his job in New Jersey when the Devils signed Johan Hedberg to a one-year contract.