Offseason issues aplenty

With the significant free-agent signings in the rearview mirror and the opening of training camp not too far over the horizon, it's a good time to ponder some of the developments this offseason.

The rekindled Brian Burke-Kevin Lowe feud was just starting to heat up before the commissioner ordered an end to everyone's fun.

And while there was much movement starting on July 1 with free agency, in a lot of cases teams simply replaced what was lost. In some cases the rich got richer (like the Detroit Red Wings), but overall the shifting of bodies still is going to yield the same new NHL, a league of parity and teams battling to the very end for playoff spots and positioning.

Still, there are number of topics that remain unresolved, unexplained or just unbelievable. Let's delve into a few of those here.

Experienced coaches shut out: The New York Islanders may hire one of them, but right now the likes of John Tortorella, Paul Maurice, Joel Quenneville, Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley and even Pat Burns remain out of work.

That there was a lot of movement isn't surprising; NHL coaches never seem long for their jobs. But that general managers are going away from the automatic retread hire (except for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ron Wilson) is bucking the trend.

All but Tortorella have coached more than one NHL team, and while each may have his various foibles, there's no doubt these men know what they're doing. Yet they all were not the choice of San Jose, Los Angeles, Florida, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Ottawa or Atlanta.

With the exception of Barry Melrose in Tampa and Wilson in Toronto, teams opted for younger blood (Tony Granato doesn't count as a retread in Colorado even if he was the head man once before). There's a reason for this. Coaching in the NHL is an extremely demanding job. Being an assistant might be even more demanding.

It's not a stretch to suggest NHL coaches and assistants have no time from training camp through the playoffs for themselves other than to eat, sleep and work. That's it. And for the men not hired – save for Burns, who may have lingering health concerns – the simple truth is they could use a break and they probably will be better for it.

Yankee Stadium vs. Wrigley Field: I'm sure the next Winter Classic in Chicago will be a success, even if it will have a different feel from Buffalo or Edmonton. And that's one of the keys to this suddenly-staple event of the NHL – making the gimmick just a little different in every location.

And the real silver lining here is that the league and the city of New York couldn't make the Yankee Stadium idea work. Obviously they had only one shot at this one. If it truly is difficult to keep the facility "in shape" after the baseball season, it would have been better if nothing was leaked for so long in anticipation of an outdoors game in the Bronx.

The truth is, for a baseball purist, it doesn't feel right that the last event in Yankee Stadium is a hockey game. That won't be the popular view here, but tough. Start lobbying to have a future game in the new Yankee Stadium. I'm sure they'll be much better equipped for such an event.

The Mats Sundin saga: OK, the first thing to realize here is that the Canadian media is beating the drum on the future of the 37-year-old Swede, who has spent a 17-year career in two Canadian cities – Quebec City and Toronto.

A veteran of more than 1,300 NHL games, Sundin is taking most of the summer to decide if he wants to continue playing, but that doesn't seem to appease an impatient press corps.

My guess is he will decide to return, and it will be back in Toronto. Sundin proved he still can be a productive player as he averaged better than a point per game last season (78 points in 74 games), including his 32 goals (his most in five seasons). Sundin will be rejuvenated by the coaching change and Toronto's move to youth. He can help mentor younger Leafs while bowing out gracefully over the next year or two.

Sure, the Vancouver Canucks have come calling and there are other suitors. But it's not easy to assimilate a high-profile veteran into a new line and new environment, and making that kind of change at this point of Sundin's career could prove disastrous. Regardless of how long it takes, look for Sundin to make the right decision.

Shady ownership: Are you starting to wonder exactly how much the league's board of governors looks at prospective owners before rubber-stamping those decisions?

A year ago Henry Samueli was the toast of Anaheim, hoisting California's first Stanley Cup before the honeymoon of his new ownership had worn off. This summer he has admitted to lying to federal securities investigators.

William "Boots" Del Biaggio III was hailed a hero for helping to swoop down in time to keep the Predators in Nashville. Now reports are surfacing that he had plans to do just the opposite, be in position to move the team out of Music City. That doesn't even get into a bankruptcy case in which Del Biaggio's investors are wondering where their money went.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are under new ownership after a few missteps from the group headed by Hollywood movie producer Oren Koules. Does anyone feel like we've heard the last of their problems?

With the salary cap in place and owning an NHL franchise seemingly a more viable option for investors with that kind of dough, don't you think it would be easier to find less controversial and more solvent candidates to own a franchise? Just a thought.

Expansion: The very thought of adding more teams when the better idea would be to subtract teams has raised its ugly head on more than one occasion recently. It was a question last fall in Pebble Beach, it came up at the All-Star game, it was raised during the Stanley Cup playoffs and there was NHL players' association boss Paul Kelly discussing the possibilities on a Vancouver radio station Thursday.

First off, Kelly may or may not personally favor expansion, but he's the boss of a union. No union leader is going to publicly pass on an opportunity to campaign for more jobs.

He certainly isn't going to acknowledge the advantages for less. Speed the game up? Improve the skill level? Decrease, if not eliminate fighting (not my choice, but you'd be surprised how many want it gone)?

Trim about six to eight teams and watch the result.

We all know that's not going to happen. Some teams may fail financially, but they'll just move on to potentially greener pastures. They aren't going to go away.

No, this is about adding teams, and putting them in places that make sense. Who here wants to see what a pro franchise would do in Las Vegas? Don't we need more teams in Canada? Is there anything wrong with giving Winnipeg and Quebec another chance? It never will happen, but Toronto easily could support a second team.

Of course, there always are Houston, Seattle and who can forget Kansas City, with a new building just waiting for a full-time professional tenant? There will come a time again, too, when ownership will look at the kind of money franchise fees can bring, and don't be surprised if that overrides their better judgment, for better or worse.