Ryan Johansen signed a three-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets that so desperately needed him to start the season with the rash of injuries the team sustained during camp. Johansen broke out last year and should be able to continue his rise in the NHL.  Johansen will still be a RFA at the end of his contract but will have arbitration rights.  Should be interesting then but Jacket fans can breathe a sigh of relief as they head into the 20140-2015 season....The New York Rangers named Ryan McDonagh the team captain, becoming the 27th captain in their history. McDonagh will prove, if he hasn't already, that he is the right man for the job....Erik Karlsson was also named captain of the Ottawa Senators, taking over for the departed captain Jason Spezza....Jeff Skinner out with a concussion, Evgeni Malkin so-so to start in season opener, Kevin Bieksa so-so for opener in Calgary, Joey Crabb's a Ranger, Peter Budaj a Jet, and when you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way?.....A day of rest before the season begins. Rest up!  It's going to be a wild ride!

After being acquired from the Canadiens, the Jets placed Budaj on waivers, now that he has cleared he will be the starter in St. John's. He is an excellent insurance policy for Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson.

The Jets traded Eric Tangradi to the Canadiens for Budaj and minor-leaguer Patrick Holland on Sunday, but the Jets must be content with the duo of Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson to start the season. Winnipeg is hoping that Budaj will clear waivers so he can stay in their system. The 32-year-old netminder was 10-8-3 with a 2.51 GAA and .909 SV% as Carey Price's backup last season. He had fallen behind Dustin Tokarski on the Habs' depth chart, thus making him expendable.

If it wasn't for goalie Carey Price getting knocked out of the series, it could have been the Montreal Canadiens playing against the Los Angeles Kings for the right to hoist the Cup.  Apparently fully recovered from his knee injury, Price looks to lead the Habs back to the Promised Land.  Gone are Thomas Vanek, Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere. Vanek didn't pan out and was often pointed out as the scapegoat.  Gionta and Briere will be missed for their leadership and playoff experience.  PA Parenteau and Tom Gilbert were brought in for depth purposes. Will the Canadiens have what it takes to get back again this year? GOALIES At 27-years of age, Price is entering his prime and has adapted to the pressure of being Montreal's starting goaltender. At 34-20-5, he almost matched his career best in 2010-2011 when he had a 38-28-6 record and his metrics were almost identical.  Now that he is a bit more seasoned, expect more consistency from Price going forward.  Peter Budaj will serve as backup again but if he falters, I'm sure the Canadiens won't hesitate to bring up last year's playoff darling, Dustin Tokarski. DEFENSE There is no denying the fire in P.K. Subban's belly but if he can control that emotion and funnel it into the game, he will be extremely dangerous. Look for Subban to mature a bit this season.  Andrei Markov seems to have rid himself of the injury bug and now has played in 2 back-to-back seasons, although one was the shortened 48-game Lockout season. Markov will still get you around the mid-40 level in points.  FORWARDS They may not have the elite name like a Crosby, Stamkos or an Ovechkin, but the Habs can throw out a few solid lines at you. Max Pacioretty along with David Desharnais, form the top pairing and should lead the team in offense. One player to keep your eye on this year is Alex Galchenyuk. This kid packs a tremendous amount of talent that it is just a matter of time before he explodes.  He has shown flashes, but not the consistency.  Slated to play on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Parenteau, these veterans just may be able to bring out his best. Brendan Gallagher is an energetic player that packs a scoring touch. For deeper leagues, Lars Eller could have a breakout year as he has been steadily improving every year. PROSPECTS Two defensive prospects, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, are close to joining the club but far from making an impact. Other players are perhaps a season or two away from being any kind of factor. ...

Carey Price will not even make the trip for rest reasons, so Budaj gets the call vs. the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT THE TIME OF PRINT Peter Budaj will take on Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators while Carey Price will go up against Detroit tomorrow night. You never know which Anderson you are going to get this year while Budaj has given steady performances as the Montreal Canadiens backup.  The Habs are 8-2-0 in last 10 while the Sens are just 4-5-1. Go Habs.... The winner in tonight's showdown between the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals will improve their shot at possibly making the playoffs with just a handful of games remaining after tonight. Caps goalie Jaroslav Halak has lost 4 in a row and has not looked like the goalie he was while in St. Louis. Cory Schneider, on the other hand, looks to be regaining the form he had prior to the Olympic break where he was stellar in net but not receiving goal support. Schneider has gotten the Devils 5 points in his last 5 starts, losing in 2 shootouts and an overtime game to Minnesota.  Both teams playing spirited hockey, but I'll give the edge to Schneider.... Buddy, I mean Matthew Hackett will be in net for the Buffalo Sabres as they continue their road trip with a stop in Detroit.  The Red Wings have picked up their game lately winning 3 in a row and 6 of their last 10 to put themselves in good position to make the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive year. Jimmy Howard will protect the net once again for the Red Wings and should stretch the streak to 4.... Roberto Luongo returns to the net for the Florida Panthers as they take on very pesky Calgary Flames team. Joey MacDonald gets the call as the Flames are playing the back end of two in a row. Ramo has started 7 in a row and with back-to-back nights, MacDonald gets the draw. The Cats have lost 4 in a row and are just 2-7-1 in last ten games, showing signs that their minds are elsewhere.  Stay warm with the Flames..... Thomas Greiss of the Phoenix Coyotes will look to stop his personal, and the team's, 3-game losing streak tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.  The Coyotes have slipped from the eighth playoff position during this losing streak while the Dallas Stars have gone on a run, winning 5 of their last 7.  The Oilers may prove the right elixir as they have lost 6 of last 7.  Look for Ben Scrivens (LIKELY) to get the call for Edmonton..... Columbus has probably the toughest schedule of all the teams battling to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference but catch a break tonight as both the Blue ...

All 6 games in the NHL last night were decided by one goal, with half of them decided by a shootout and another won in overtime. Playoff season is arriving! Ryan McDonagh was nothing short of fabulous last night as the sleepy Rangers pulled out an important two points against the Phoenix Coyotes. All the emerging defenseman did was add two assists and scored the game-winner in overtime.  With those 3 points, McDonagh eclipsed the 40 point plateau and is obliterating his previous high of 32 a few years back.  At 24 years of age, McDonagh has room to grow still and can be comparable to Chicago's Duncan Keith. Mike Smith has been spectacular in net of late and so has Henrik Lundqvist.  The two elite net minders turned their seasons around after the Olympic break and last night was proof.  Unfortunately, Smith went down to a lower-body injury (LBI) and may be lost for some time.  Not good for the Yotes who are battling for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Thomas Greiss will man the net in the meantime and has decent metrics at 2.38 GAA and a .924 SP. Grab him if you need goaltender help. The Rangers celebrated Lundqvist's franchise record for victories (302) last night at the Garden and after a shaky start, kept the Rangers in the game long enough for the McDonagh theatrics.  It wasn't one of his best games in that he only faced 21 shots on goal, but it he was good when the team needed him.  Congrats Henrik on your record! Peter Budaj got the surprise start against the Boston Bruins last night instead of Carey Price. Budaj stopped 28 of 29 SOG and raised his record against Boston this season to 2-1-0.  Coach had his reasons and it paid off.  Don't worry Price owners.  Carey is still the Number 1 in Montreal! Erik Karlsson continues to show why he is the elite defenseman in the NHL. He helped the Ottawa Senators upset the Tampa bay Lightning last night with a goal and 2 assists.  What else is there to say? An important win in Big D last night as Kari Lehtonen backstopped the Dallas Stars to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets; especially with Phoenix losing in OT to the Rangers. Lehts stopped 32 of 33 SOG and earned his 27th win on the season. A few more games like that and the Stars will be shining come playoff time. If you throw out that 6-game losing streak in the middle of November, the "rebuilding" Calgary Flames just might be battling for that last playoff spot along with Phoenix and Dallas. Don't expect Calgary to be an easy stop of ...

All 6 games in the NHL last night were decided by one goal, with half of them decided by a shootout and another won in overtime. Playoff season is arriving! Ryan McDonagh was nothing short of fabulous last night as the sleepy Rangers pulled out an important two points against the Phoenix Coyotes. All the emerging defenseman did was add two assists and scored the game-winner in overtime.  With those 3 points, McDonagh eclipsed the 40 point plateau and is obliterating his previous high of 32 a few years back.  At 24 years of age, McDonagh has room to grow still and can be comparable to Chicago's Duncan Keith. Mike Smith has been spectacular in net of late and so has Henrik Lundqvist.  The two elite net minders turned their seasons around after the Olympic break and last night was proof.  Unfortunately, Smith went down to a lower-body injury (LBI) and may be lost for some time.  Not good for the Yotes who are battling for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Thomas Greiss will man the net in the meantime and has decent metrics at 2.38 GAA and a .924 SP. Grab him if you need goaltender help. The Rangers celebrated Lundqvist's franchise record for victories (302) last night at the Garden and after a shaky start, kept the Rangers in the game long enough for the McDonagh theatrics.  It wasn't one of his best games in that he only faced 21 shots on goal, but it he was good when the team needed him.  Congrats Henrik on your record! Peter Budaj got the surprise start against the Boston Bruins last night instead of Carey Price. Budaj stopped 28 of 29 SOG and raised his record against Boston this season to 2-1-0.  Coach had his reasons and it paid off.  Don't worry Price owners.  Carey is still the Number 1 in Montreal! Erik Karlsson continues to show why he is the elite defenseman in the NHL. He helped the Ottawa Senators upset the Tampa bay Lightning last night with a goal and 2 assists.  What else is there to say? An important win in Big D last night as Kari Lehtonen backstopped the Dallas Stars to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets; especially with Phoenix losing in OT to the Rangers. Lehts stopped 32 of 33 SOG and earned his 27th win on the season. A few more games like that and the Stars will be shining come playoff time. If you throw out that 6-game losing streak in the middle of November, the "rebuilding" Calgary Flames just might be battling for that last playoff spot along with Phoenix and Dallas. Don't expect Calgary to be an easy stop of ...

All 6 games in the NHL last night were decided by one goal, with half of them decided by a shootout and another won in overtime. Playoff season is arriving! Ryan McDonagh was nothing short of fabulous last night as the sleepy Rangers pulled out an important two points against the Phoenix Coyotes. All the emerging defenseman did was add two assists and scored the game-winner in overtime.  With those 3 points, McDonagh eclipsed the 40 point plateau and is obliterating his previous high of 32 a few years back.  At 24 years of age, McDonagh has room to grow still and can be comparable to Chicago's Duncan Keith. Mike Smith has been spectacular in net of late and so has Henrik Lundqvist.  The two elite net minders turned their seasons around after the Olympic break and last night was proof.  Unfortunately, Smith went down to a lower-body injury (LBI) and may be lost for some time.  Not good for the Yotes who are battling for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Thomas Greiss will man the net in the meantime and has decent metrics at 2.38 GAA and a .924 SP. Grab him if you need goaltender help. The Rangers celebrated Lundqvist's franchise record for victories (302) last night at the Garden and after a shaky start, kept the Rangers in the game long enough for the McDonagh theatrics.  It wasn't one of his best games in that he only faced 21 shots on goal, but it he was good when the team needed him.  Congrats Henrik on your record! Peter Budaj got the surprise start against the Boston Bruins last night instead of Carey Price. Budaj stopped 28 of 29 SOG and raised his record against Boston this season to 2-1-0.  Coach had his reasons and it paid off.  Don't worry Price owners.  Carey is still the Number 1 in Montreal! Erik Karlsson continues to show why he is the elite defenseman in the NHL. He helped the Ottawa Senators upset the Tampa bay Lightning last night with a goal and 2 assists.  What else is there to say? An important win in Big D last night as Kari Lehtonen backstopped the Dallas Stars to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets; especially with Phoenix losing in OT to the Rangers. Lehts stopped 32 of 33 SOG and earned his 27th win on the season. A few more games like that and the Stars will be shining come playoff time. If you throw out that 6-game losing streak in the middle of November, the "rebuilding" Calgary Flames just might be battling for that last playoff spot along with Phoenix and Dallas. Don't expect Calgary to be an easy stop of ...