1. Luring Kovalchuk
Can Atlanta persuade Ilya Kovalchuk he’s better off in the NHL? The league was worried it would lose some players to European leagues that offered higher salaries than allowed under the new collective-bargaining agreement. Kovalchuk could be the first. It would be a huge blow to the NHL if he stays in Russia.
2. Crosby watch
Is Sidney Crosby the next Wayne Gretzky? Probably not this season, and Crosby will face more media attention than Gretzky did in his first season. Crosby doesn’t have to lead the league in scoring, but he does have to win rookie of the year to justify the hype.
3. New York plan
What’s with the Rangers? Is there a plan? If so, the league would like to know. It’s not good when a team in the largest market can’t make the playoffs for eight seasons in a row. Former Hawk Michael Nylander is the No. 1 center, which says it all.
4. Can he dominate?
Can Dominik Hasek be “the Dominator” again? Ottawa thinks it has found the missing piece in Hasek, who has played only 14 games since 2001-02.
5. Lightning spark
Can Tampa Bay repeat without Nikolai Khabibulin? John Grahame will be the replacement, and he never has played more than 30 games in a season. Veteran Sean Burke also was brought in. The high-scoring Lightning may need to score a lot.
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