Well, I had a feeling that this was going to be the case, it's just my 2012 projections for the Bruins isn't going to be posted until later tonight, but you'll see, I had the feeling that Marc Savard wouldn't likely play this season and that his career would be in doubt, as it was reported today on Puck Daddy. Savard, dealing with major concussions and their subsequent syndromes, was only limited to 25 games last season and with six years still remaining on his deal, they could be the last regular season games he'll be able to play.
With this news, be sure to strike him from your lists and if you need a reminder, swing by tomorrow to see the Bruins' projections... I'll tell it to you again there too.
Back-to-back days of 6-year extensions in the NHL, that has to be considered somewhat notable, right? On Wednesday morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Fedor Tyutin, 28, signed a brand new extension with the team, which will earn him $27 million. This will work out to be a $4.5 million cap hit per season for Tyutin and the Jackets, which seems a tad pricey for a blueliner that has topped out at 34 points, three seasons ago.
The Flames, in this deal, were able to cut $2.6 million in cap space, handing it straight over to the Coyotes. Calgary now stands at an annual projection of $59 million in cap space for 21 players, a buyout and a capoverage penalty, while Phoenix is now holding onto a projected annual cap hit of $48 million for 20 players and two buyouts. 
To me, this looks like a bit of a lateral move, as I don't think either side has really improved a great deal on the ice, of course, against the cap, the Coyotes needed to take on some space, while the Flames would do well to rid themselves of some. Langkow won't have as much talent to play with, while Stempniak is somewhat overused as a second line winger, when his gritty play is better suited as a third liner. I would say that this deal is a bit of a wash today.
On Friday morning, it was announced that former Rangers captain Chris Drury has announced his retirement after a 12-year career in the NHL. Drury spent time between Colorado, Calgary, Buffalo and in New York, 
The Hockey News' love affair with the Pittsburgh Penguins continues in the new edition of the poolie guide, as Sidney Crosby has returned to the top of the heap, projected to pick up 117 points in 75 games, including 55 goals. That will be one hell of a feat for the Penguins' captain, one a lot of people may also think could happen. Crosby is also the only forward slated to reach the 100-point mark, but since there was only one 100-point player in 2011, you could reason with that to a point.
The Nashville Predators have decided against keeping defenseman Brett Lebda around, after acquiring him from Toronto in the deal that sent Cody Franson and Matthew Lombardi to the Maple Leafs earlier in the off-season. Lebda had one year remaining on his current contract, valued at $1.45 million, but only scoring 4 points in 41 games last season and not having a good all-around year was likely to blame for the buyout.
Early on Wednesday morning, news broke of Rob Schremp signing with Modo in the Swedish Elite League for the 2012 season. Schremp, one of the biggest underachieving forwards, will have a chance to regain some confidence overseas, likely to try an NHL return again in the near future.
The Penguins' Sidney Crosby and the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin have ran hand in hand over the past few seasons, working as the poster children for fantasy hockey drafts everywhere, the superstars of the league, the prized possessions of many. Now, with Crosby's concussion problems and Ovechkin's offensive cool down in Washington, I think this opens the door wide open for consideration to a number of players. Sure, you won't look uneducated taking either Crosby or Ovechkin for your team, but you may look like a bigger gambler.
The questions that hang over top of the Russian superstar belong more to the team and how they are going to play. The Capitals were turned from an offensive juggernaut into a grinding playoff team with a focus on defense first. Well, that shift really took the sting out of the Caps' offense and the power play fell off, dropping down to 17.7% effectiveness, which was in the middle of the pack in the league. Ovechkin's numbers also tailed, but nevertheless, he's still Alex Ovechkin and he'll continue to be in the conversation at this time of year.
If you don't trust either one of the perennial favourites, how does one of the last two Art Ross Trophy winners suit you? Yes, the Canucks have one of the most formidable pairings in the league, led by the 2011 Art Ross winner, Daniel Sedin, who was the only player in pool scoring to finish over 100 points (picking up 104). With the 2010 Art Ross winner, Henrik Sedin, helping to put the puck in the net on a nightly basis, choosing one of the two twins cannot be a bad idea going into the 2012 season. The team around them hasn't changed a great deal, which should keep their options open, but which one will you take? Daniel the goal scorer or Henrik the playmaker?
Maybe you're not after the West Coast scoring touch, where you would rather head down to the sun belt and invest in another scoring tandem, this time from Tampa Bay. The sexy pick from the Lightning will be Steven Stamkos, who had an amazing 2011 season, which had potential to be off the charts. Stamkos finished with 91 points in all 82 games for the Bolts, but the smart money could be on Martin St. Louis, who finished right behind Sedin for the scoring race, picking up 99 points in all 82 games. Stamkos, the up and coming star on the NHL or St. Louis, the diminutive & crafty veteran. 
I think we should also be looking to include the Hart Trophy winner from last season, Corey Perry. Perry finished 3rd in the pool scoring rankings, finishing up as the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL and he also finished with 98 points with the Anaheim Ducks. Yes, Perry lifted his team up and his stock went along for the ride, as he could be an outside shot at being a guy taken 1st overall in your hockey pool draft. I think you would have to be a pretty big fan to jump on the Perry bandwagon that high, you might get a few oohs and ahhs from your opponents, but you could look at that pick as being a shrewd one.
Maybe you're going to shock your other poolies and drum up a name that no one is expecting, yet might not drum up too many jeers when you call the name. Evgeni Malkin, Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Getzlaf, Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Brad Richards or Jaromir Jagr, possibly? Okay, well, you're probably going to get a lot of jeers if you were to call out Jagr's name, but the others have their fair share of potential and all could be considered 1st round picks down the line. You may think of these guys more as good runner-up prizes for not getting the first pick in the draft, but not 1st overall picks... unless you really feel like gambling.
The last time a goaltender finished 1st in overall pool scoring was 2007, when Martin Brodeur topped everyone with 48 wins and 7 shutouts, so we could be due for a goalie to jump back up into the forefront and take the title as the pool's best player. Last year's overall top goalie was Henrik Lundqvist, who finished with 98 points (36 wins, 11 shutouts and 4 assists), followed by Carey Price (94 points), Tim Thomas (91 points), Roberto Luongo (87 points), Miikka Kiprusoff (87 points) and Ilya Bryzgalov (86 points). There are plenty of good options on some pretty good teams, which would definitely make for a good 1st pick overall.