Sport-scan daily brief

Other 25-and-under forwards hoping to make it include Logan Couture, Matt Duchene, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Jordan Staal. On defense, the 25-and-under group looking to make the team for the first time includes Alex Pietrangelo, Karl Alzner, Travis Hamonic and P.K. Subban.

Only a few of them will make it, of course. And they know that.

"It's probably the hardest lineup in the world to crack," said Hall, a dynamic winger for the Edmonton Oilers. "For a young player like myself ... I can play any position. I'll do whatever they want.

"If I'm in Sochi, I'll be happy. I'm willing to do anything to be part of this team."

The kicker for these young men is that Sochi will be possibly the last Olympics with NHL participation. No decision has been made either way, but if you believe the rumblings, this could be it.

For these young guys, it may be their one and only chance at playing in an Olympics.

"You want to take advantage of this for sure," said Tavares. "It's something you don't want to slip through for sure."

Couture, 24, hasn't had a lot of international experience for Canada and that's working against him. But if anyone was paying attention this year in the playoffs, he's as clutch as they come, a 200-foot player with versatility in his ability to play center or wing. That versatility is his biggest asset right now in trying to make this team.

"I've played a lot of games on the wing with Jumbo [Joe Thornton] in San Jose," said Couture. "I feel comfortable playing center and wing."

The challenge for Couture and all these young players this week was to act like they belonged and not appear overwhelmed by this new experience.

"I was wide-eyed meeting Steve Yzerman, because he was one of my favorite players growing up," admitted Couture. "But otherwise, I just tried to meet as many players and coaches as I could, people I didn't know before."

Couture was on the left wing Monday beside Tavares at center and Stamkos on right wing.

Head coach Mike Babcock warned the media not to read anything into those lines, but it's hard not to imagine the possibilities with that line. And it's a line that has familiarity.

"We know each other really well," said Tavares. "Me and Steven actually played a little minor hockey together in the summertime growing up as kids. We know each other really well. I know Logan really well from junior and playing a little bit on summer teams and Team Canada camps."

The key for these young players is to convince Team Canada brass that they can be trusted at both ends of the ice. Nobody is making this team who's going to be a defensive liability.

"They want guys who are going to be reliable with the puck, just play a 200-foot game," said Eberle. "If I can go to Edmonton and show the offense that I'm capable of, while keeping the puck out of my own net and being responsible in my own end, it'll go a long way. Whether it's the 13th forward, or whatever position they want you to take on, I'm willing to do that."

They're willing to do anything, of course, because they desperately want a chance to live out what they watched from their couches four years ago.

They want their own golden goal.

"I think after you see how those guys were celebrating and what it seemed to mean to them, it was pretty special and knowing whether or not you could be part of something like that," said Tavares. "Whether you can score that game-winning goal, I mean, you dream about that since you were a kid. But you'd love to be there. You push yourself to work hard to get there. It's something you dream about."

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What if Henrik Lundqvist doesn’t return to New York?

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 3:55 PM EDT

There’s been no player who’s been more the face of the New York Rangers than Henrik Lundqvist.

For the past eight seasons he’s been a workhorse (four seasons of 70-plus games played), he’s been exceptional (2012 Vezina Trophy winner), and he’s been a role model (and supermodel) in the community. Basically, he’s the perfect guy to be playing in New York City.

What if he wasn’t there anymore though? There’s a possibility that could happen after this season.

Lundqvist is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and there’s no doubt he’d be able to command any salary he’d want on the open market. While he’d be 31 years old next summer, teams in need of a No. 1 goalie would fall all over themselves to get him.

He’s said he can’t see himself leaving the Rangers and he’s not even thinking about free agency. At some point he’s going to have to do that, however, and if he goes elsewhere GM Glen Sather is going to be in quite a bind.

If the Rangers tried to go to a goalie from within, the way they did with Lundqvist back in 2005, their crew of prospects isn’t exactly hot.

Free agency? There are possibilities there if other teams made like the Rangers and didn’t take care of their own.

Other possible 2014 free agent No. 1 goalies include: Jonas Hiller, Ryan Miller, Corey Crawford, Semyon Varlamov (RFA), Devan Dubnyk, Martin Brodeur, Evgeni Nabokov, Robin Lehner (RFA), Ray Emery, Steve Mason (RFA), Tomas Vokoun, Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott, Anders Lindback (RFA), and James Reimer (RFA).

You have to assume many teams will re-sign their own guys, so many of these names will be knocked off before next summer.

If Sather can’t get a deal worked out with Lundqvist there are some options to work with here, but for the Rangers that’s a worst-case scenario. The right move is to make sure King Henrik finishes his career as a Ranger at a price that won’t make him start thinking of other cities to play in.

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Benn wants to ‘kind of shove it in their face’ over Canada camp snub

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 3:15 PM EDT

One of the more surprising names left off of Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp list was Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn.

Stars fans may reap the benefits of him being left out of the camp in Calgary because he’s itching to prove they made a mistake as Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge reports.

“It gives you a little fire. I think I said that in the interview back home, I just want to kind of shove it in their face,” Benn said. “It is what it is. I definitely want to be there. I’ll just have to prove myself the first half of the year.”

Benn was the Stars’ leading scorer last season and was second to Loui Eriksson the year before that. At 24 years old his game is only improving and now with Tyler Seguin and Sergei Gonchar in Dallas, the point production should continue.

To make matters better for the Stars, Benn says he thinks he’s in better shape this year and that should help. Maybe Team Canada will need to take another look towards Dallas when it comes time to pick their roster.

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Brad Richards is the Rangers’ X-factor

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 2:15 PM EDT

To call last season a rough one for Brad Richards would be an understatement.

In just his second season into a nine-year contract with the New York Rangers, he was logging time on their third and fourth lines while going through a season-long slump. On top of that, he wound up being a healthy scratch in the playoffs.

The Rangers thought that reuniting him with his former head coach in Tampa Bay, John Tortorella, would give them the No. 1 center they’d been looking for since Mark Messier hung it up. Instead, Tortorella was fired after last season and Richards was nearly a compliance buyout.

Now, Richards heads into the new season with new lease on life after avoiding a buyout. Another former coach of his, Alain Vigneault who worked with him in Prince Edward Island (see Elliotte Friedman’s No. 3 thought here), joins the fold with the dream of sparking a Rangers offense that went dormant under Tortorella.

With that promise and those hopes, Richards becomes the team’s major X-factor.

If Richards can find his offensive game again, like he had in his first season in New York where he had 66 points, the 33-year-old may find the buyout talk to be just an ugly moment gone by. After all, playing alongside Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan has its benefits and Richards can still be productive.

Then again…

If last season’s disaster was the first sign of his skills heading down the mountain and the Rangers are staring right into a similar situation that they had with Chris Drury, GM Glen Sather will take his lumps like a tomato can in a prize fight.

Signing a high-priced free agent to play for and have chemistry with a coach you fired two years into his deal won’t look good on anyone, especially with a team that has more than a few big re-signings left to make.

If Richards can’t find his stride under Vigneault this season, he’s almost assuredly going to be a compliance buyout next summer. If he makes it and the Rangers push for a Stanley Cup, everyone wins. If not, it’s likely Richards who loses out.

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Kessel and Leafs haven’t talked contract, won’t negotiate in-season

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 12:45 PM EDT

Toronto fans hoping to see Phil Kessel and the Maple Leafs get a contract extension done before the season may want to have a seat.

At Team USA’s Olympic orientation camp, Kessel tells reporters he hasn’t spoken with the Leafs about a new deal and says he doesn’t want to negotiate during the season. The 25-year-old forward is entering the final year of the five-year, $27 million deal he signed with Toronto back in 2009.

The pessimistic way to look at this for Leafs faithful is that GM Dave Nonis spent too much time this summer making questionable, big-money signings (and re-signings) while seemingly ignoring the future of the team. That applies to restricted free agents Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson as well as potential 2014 UFAs Kessel and Dion Phaneuf.

If you want a silver lining, perhaps Nonis is waiting to see just how much the salary cap goes up next season to know just what he’ll have to offer once the Leafs season ends.

Of course, by that point Kessel could decide he wants to test the market which means his price only goes higher.

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NBCSports.com / Stepan on contract negotiations: ‘These things take time’

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 12:15 PM EDT

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of training camp and Rangers restricted free agent center Derek Stepan is still unsigned.

Stepan tells Tom Gulitti of Ranger Rants he’s not focused on negotiations and leaving that to his agent and the team.

“But these things take time,” he said. “These things are something that both sides have to agree on. You’ve seen it and I’ve seen it. That’s just how it goes. It’s part of the business and it’s part of the job and it’s part of being a professional hockey player.”

For the Rangers, they probably wouldn’t mind it too much if Stepan wanted to be frugal. According to CapGeek.com, the Rangers have just over $2 million in cap space this season. Stepan is the last RFA they have to sign and he’s arguably their most important.

With Brad Richards‘ future in New York in doubt, Stepan is their top center at the moment. Getting him locked in is key for the Rangers’ future.

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NBCSports.com / Surprise! Oilers bring back Omark on one-year deal

Joe Yerdon

Aug 27, 2013, 11:10 AM EDT

If you thought you’d seen the last of Linus Omark in Edmonton, guess again!

The team announced they’ve signed the highly-skilled forward to a one-year deal. Omark spent last season in Switzerland with Zug after getting tired of waiting for the Oilers to make an offer to him as a restricted free agent.

UPDATE (1:57 p.m. ET): Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports it’s a two-way deal worth $600,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL.

Earlier this month, Omark said he was eager to return to the NHL but wouldn’t say who he was speaking with. Now we know it just happened to be his old team. Back in May there was speculation he would return to Edmonton. Guess there was a little something to that.

In Zug last season, Omark led the Swiss National League in scoring with 69 points. Playing alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Damien Brunner likely had a little something to do with that.

Now someone will have to break the news to him gently that the NHL has eliminated the spin-o-rama in the shootout.

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NBCSports.com / Staal says no issues with eye, will be ready for Rangers camp

Mike Halford

Aug 27, 2013, 11:10 PM EDT

Some good news on Rangers day — defenseman Marc Staal reported that “all is well” with his injured right eye.

What’s more, Staal will be ready to go when the Blueshirts open training camp on Sept. 11 — this according to Stephen Whyno of the Canadian Press.

The news comes six months after Staal was struck in the eye with a puck during a game against Philadelphia. The injury cost him 27 regular season games and 11 of New York’s 12 playoff contests, as Staal attempted to return during the Boston series but quickly removed himself from the lineup, saying “on the ice it didn’t go particularly well.”

The 26-year-old blueliner has said his eye will never be the same but, in June, also said he didn’t expect it to be a problem in the future.

“My belief is that once everything settles down and I get comfortable with it, I’ll never have to be asked about it again,” Staal explained. “I don’t think it’ll be an issue.”

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NBCSports.com / Skipping camp won’t hurt Giroux’s Olympic chances, says Yzerman

Mike Halford

Aug 27, 2013, 10:20 PM EDT

Two days after reports suggested Hockey Canada was “extremely disappointed” with Claude Giroux skipping Olympic orientation camp, any potential controversy was put to rest.

Giroux’s decision to bail on the camp and focus on rehabbing his injured hand won’t affect his chances of representing Canada in Sochi, GM Steve Yzerman told the Canadian Press.

The news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise — Giroux is considered by many to be one of the 11 “locks” Hockey Canada CEO Bob Nicholson referred to — but will likely come as a relief to Giroux, who has faced scrutiny following his decision.

“It’s safe to say the entire Olympic brain trust from Hockey Canada, right down to the coaching staff, feel as though they’re extremely disappointed that [Giroux] is not here,” TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported from the Calgary-based camp. “Giroux figures on being an important player on this team, and one of maybe eight forwards who are perceived — if not outright locks — then certainly favorites [to make the team].

McKenzie went on to suggest Giroux stayed away from camp at the urging of the Flyers organization, so perhaps that’s why Hockey Canada isn’t holding the decision against him.

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NBCSports.com / Rangers captain Callahan says no setbacks after shoulder surgery

Mike Halford

Aug 27, 2013, 9:25 PM EDT

The good news for the New York Rangers is that Ryan Callahan‘s recovering well from shoulder surgery.

The bad news? He’s still slated to miss the start of next season.

That’s what the Rangers captain told reporters at Team USA’s Olympic orientation camp in Virgina, explaining his availability for New York’s season-opening game on Oct. 3 is in doubt.

“That’s definitely in question,” he said, as per NorthJersey.com. “Like I said, I can’t tell you exactly when I’m going to be ready, but as it comes closer, we’ll know more.”

As per Newsday, Callahan confirmed there’s been no setbacks from his surgery (in mid-May) to repair a torn labrum. The injury was quite severe — Rangers GM Glen Sather estimated Callahan separated the shoulder “eight or nine times” last season — so it’s not surprising to hear both Callahan and the club are taking a cautious approach to his comeback.

“I plan on starting training camp just the same as everybody else, obviously with no contact, though,” he explained. “I’ll be skating, shooting and things like that.

“But, in terms of contact, that’s still kind of unknown.”

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USA TODAY / Questions and answers about U.S. Olympic hockey team

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 2:47 p.m. EDT August 27, 2013

ARLINGTON, Va. - USA TODAY Sports hockey columnist Kevin Allen was at the 2014 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team's orientation camp. His take on some of the questions about Team USA:

1. What will be the strengths of the U.S. team?

The American team will be fast up front, with mobile defensemen and exceptionally strong goaltending. The top U.S. players have a swagger about them. American leaders like Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings), Zach Parise and Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild), Jack Johnson (Columbus Blue Jackets) and David Backes (St. Louis Blues) will show up in Sochi expecting to win a medal.

2. What is the USA's biggest concern?

On paper, it's the center position. When you compare the USA's centers (Derek Stepan, Joe Pavelski, Paul Stastny, Ryan Kesler David Backes) to Canada's (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron, etc), it seems as if the Americans are at a major disadvantage. The Americans don't have a high-profile center such as Russia's Evgeni Malkin or Pavel Datsyuk or Sweden's Henrik Sedin. But the Americans had the same center group in Vancouver (minus Stepan) and won the silver medal. They beat the Canadians during the preliminary round and lost the gold medal game in overtime. The American center group might not be as skilled as others, but U.S. centers are dependable, hard-nosed, two-way players who are accustomed to matching up against the league's top players.

MORE: U.S. expects to win

3. Who will be the USA's three goalies?

Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings) is likely to be the No. 1, simply based on how well he has played over the past two seasons. But nothing is settled. It will all come down to how well they play in the first three months of the NHL season The USA selection committee won't make its goalie decisions until late December. Quick, Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres), Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings), Craig Anderson (Ottawa Senators), Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils) and Anaheim Ducks prospect John Gibson . Miller perhaps comes in with extra credit earned with his strong play at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. But Miller is still is in a major battle to make the team. Both Anderson and Howard have played at a higher level than Miller over the past two seasons. Schneider's chances could be influenced by how much he plays this season with New Jersey. It would be easy to dismiss Gibson's chances because he is projected to play in the American Hockey League. But he is considered the next great American goalie. He played a major role in helping the USA won the bronze medal at the world championships last spring.

4. Does rookie defenseman Seth Jones (Nashville Predators) really have a chance to make the roster?

Possible, but not likely. Since Team USA's general manager David Poile is also Nashville's GM, he has joked that Jones, 18, now has a better chance of making the team. Jones is a unique talent, mature for his age. If he turns out to be as polished as rookie Jonas Brodin was for the Wild last season, his chances would improve. But it still seems unlikely because the Americans are deep on defense.

MORE: Cahow overcomes concussion

5. Since NHL players started going to the Olympics, the Americans have won a medal in the two tournaments held in North America (Salt Lake City and Vancouver) and played poorly in the two tournaments abroad (Nagano, Japan and Torino, Italy.) Coincidence or a problem?

Poile doesn't believe it is a coincidence. He has made those facts a point of emphasis. He is stressing that the team has to prepare differently for Sochi than it did for Vancouver. He wants to pick a team with a skill set better suited for the wider European ice (15 feet wider than an NHL rink). Poile said the team's player selections will place a emphasis on skating and speed. He wants to make sure the team's playing system is designed for the wider ice. He wants to look at what can be done to adjust to the time difference.

6. Who picks the final team?

Poile is ultimately responsible, but he has a selection committee that includes general manager Stan Bowman (Chicago Blackhawks), Dale Tallon (Florida Panthers), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia Flyers), Jim Johannson (USA Hockey assistant executive director) and Don Waddell (Pittsburgh Penguins scout). Ray Shero (Pittsburgh Penguins) is Poile's associate GM. Brian Burke (Anaheim Ducks consultant) is the team's director of player personnel. Johannson, Waddell and Burke will travel about watching players, and the other members of the committee will file scouting reports based on Americans who come into their cities. Every player will be debated in meetings during the summer. Coach Dan Bylsma (Penguins), his associate coach Peter Laviolette (Flyers) and assistant Todd Richards (Blue Jackets) and Tony Granato (Penguins) also have input.

MORE: Canada prepares for wider ice

7. Is there a sleeper pick to make the U.S. team?

Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal Canadiens) is 19, but he could make this team if he plays well in October, November and December. He's a very skilled player who helped the USA win the bronze medal in the spring with back-to-back shootout goals. He played wing last season, but he's expected to play some center in Montreal. You look for a reason to take a player like him.

8. What the Americans will be watching carefully?

Vancouver center Ryan Kesler's health. He's had trouble staying healthy, and he's an important part of the USA's team concept. Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler's defenseman. He's an exceptional skater, and can help his cause with a strong start. St. Louis forward T.J. Oshie. He could be a strong role player for the Americans.

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YAHOO SPORTS / 2014 Olympics: Canada’s goalie will be the guy who gets hot at the right time

Nicholas J. Cotsonika

15 hours ago

CALGARY – It was a statement of faith, not a statement of fact. It was a challenge.

“One of these goalies will be hot going in,” said coach Mike Babcock. “Everyone will know who’s playing goal for Canada.”

No one knows now. Almost six months before the Sochi Olympics, the goaltending situation is unsettled for the Canadian men’s hockey team.

At forward and on defense, the Canadians have so many great players that they don’t know what do with them all. In goal, they have good players, some who can be great, but it’s more like they don’t know what to do.

There is no dominant man among Canada’s goaltenders, let alone a dominant Canadian among the world’s goaltenders – no Ken Dryden, no Grant Fuhr, no Patrick Roy. Martin Brodeur is 41. He isn’t at orientation camp this week. He wasn’t invited.

Babcock wants someone, anyone, to make his statement come true. Babcock wants someone, anyone, to play so well the first half of the NHL season that the choice becomes obvious and a relative weakness turns into a strength. Could be one of the five invited to Calgary: Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, Roberto Luongo, Carey Price and Mike Smith. Could be someone else. Three roster spots. One starting spot. It’s up to them.

“I think it’s not anybody’s job to win or lose,” Luongo said. “I think it’s an open competition, and whoever plays best deserves to be the starter.”

There is reason to be concerned. All those superstar skaters are wonderful, but this will be a conservative style of game on a larger ice sheet against elite teams in a single-elimination tournament. If your goaltender coughs up a soft goal or two at the wrong time, you can be done, just like that, and the crisis won’t be about one position anymore. It will be about the team, the program, the country.

[Team USA unveils Olympic hockey jerseys]

But there is no reason to panic. Not yet. The Canadians don’t need a dominant goaltender. They can get by with … well, a Roberto Luongo. They did it in Vancouver in 2010, when Luongo took over for Brodeur and was in net when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal against the United States. They don’t need their goaltender to win gold for them; they need their goaltender not to lose it.

We like to say things like, if you have five (or more) goaltenders, you have none. There can be truth to that. But if you have five (or more) goaltenders, the odds are better that someone, anyone, will emerge – or, at least, that the pool will be deep enough that whoever ends up in net will be good enough.

Babcock, executive director Steve Yzerman and the rest of the braintrust don’t need to examine the development of goaltenders in the country, the way Hockey Canada and hockey media have. That’s the big picture. They need to worry about one specific tournament this February. They need to find one guy who can do this job and only this job, and this tryout should be pretty clear cut.

For skaters, playing well in the NHL and trying to make the Olympic team can conflict. What is lumbering Milan Lucic going to do? Slim down? Try a speedy, skilled style to prove he can hang on the big ice? The Boston Bruins might not like that. Is a centerman on the bubble going to ask to move to the wing to show what he can do? No.

But for goaltenders, playing well in the NHL and trying to make the Olympic team run parallel. Other than some angle adjustments because of the bigger ice, all they have to worry about is stopping the puck. All they have to worry about is getting hot at the right time.

“They’re going to pick the best guy they feel gives them an opportunity to win hockey games,” Price said. “Whoever is playing the best hockey at that particular time will be the one starting in goal.”

Goaltending was supposed to be the weakness of a stacked team in Chicago. (Sound familiar?) But while Patrick Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player after the Blackhawks won the 2013 Stanley Cup, Crawford easily could have. He has been through this before.

“That’s just one thing that went along with all the experience I’ve gotten, not to listen to anyone and just worry about what I’m doing and what’s going on in the room,” Crawford said.

Holtby has played well in pressure situations. He has recorded a .931 save percentage in 21 playoff games for the Washington Capitals the past two seasons.

Luongo has a gold medal. He has come within a win of the Cup. He has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender three times. He has every motivation to reclaim his status as a top goaltender after losing his starting job in Vancouver, and now he has the opportunity to do it because the Canucks traded Cory Schneider.

Smith did not play his best for the Phoenix Coyotes last season. Price faltered down the stretch for the Montreal Canadiens. But both have played at a Vezina level at their best, and the lockout-shortened season was not the best evaluation period.

[Ryan Miller wants his mettle tested in Sochi]

“You look around the league at the top-notch goalies, and it was just a different year,” Smith said. “The practice time we missed … It’s one thing to come to camp and kind of feel your way into the season, but to kind of get thrown to the wolves right off the bat there in January and kind of playing shinny for four months doesn’t really help your fundamental abilities.”

There is no lockout now. Everyone had the summer to train. Everyone will have a fair chance, from these five to Cam Ward and Marc-Andre Fleury and so many others.

If no one seizes the No. 1 job, Babcock can always let a couple of goalies start the round-robin games and let that determine who starts in the medal round. But first, let’s see if he looks smart. Let’s see if someone makes him look smart.

“Let’s watch the first three months of the season,” he said.

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