After the great succes of the first issue, CHLNEWS try once again to entertain and to give some information that will interesting you.  As every issue, Siman Zsolt the CHL commish will say his "Commish Word".  In that editorial you will see ranking of GM and team power ranking!  After that Larry Gross the Old CHL paper editor come back with a pretty nice article on the all stars game.  Larry made a great effort to give sense to the stats table! 

After that Eugene Kogan offer us an amazing review of all teams in the CHL.  This review is ... WOW!  You could see every aspect of each team review, analyse and Eugene give us his vision of what every team must do to increase get better.

Kurt Laschuk present is prediction for the next Western play off.  In his article he present a marvelous analyse of each team.  This article will convince you!

Eric Brunelle do it again with is stats review.  This time he's looking the best offensive and defensive team in the league.  Some suprising !!

First event.  The Montreal Updated.  CHLNEWS from now give to any gm the opportunies to write a little report of his team and to publish it in the CHLNEWS.  It will be the right place to talk about rumours, special event could be hide by the high quantities of information, player of the month, comment on last trade, ...  As we told you CHLNEWS is a democratic paper for all gms.

On that word i'm pretty proud to present you de second issue and i hope you will enjoy it as i did. 

Have a nice month!

Eric Brunelle
CHLNEWS manager
Anaheim GM

I have to begin it with little apologies. It is about the all-star nominated players. When i made up those lists i looked over only the players` season stats, not their skills. That`s why some real good players, i mean superstars, like Lidstrom, Selanne, were missing. So blame me on this matter, next year i will change it.

Now it is clear the western conference is equally powerful then the eastern. It is good because the western teams can compete against the eastern teams in the regular season making the league and the standings more balanced then ever.

The 3 all-star games was a big surprise for me, all ended in a tie. The cEachern-Sundin duo operated well in the 1st 2 games, like in their team, in Anaheim. But all the other
players played in their prime form scoring important tying goals, making great checks and saves. The shootout is an other story. It was almost impossible to score goals
to Hasek and Joseph in one-in-one situations. It is just like the lottery, west was the fortunate team to win this all-star competion.

But don`t worry, eastern teams and GMs, next season you will have the chance to strike back and maybe this season an eastern team will get the Stanley Cup after 3 unsuccesfull chances.

Else:
Current GM rankings as of 29th, January, 2000
 

  1.Philadelphia
  2.Atlanta
  3.Colorado
  4.Nashville
  5.Los Angeles
  6.Anaheim
  7.Carolina
  8.Vancouver
  9.Montreal
10.Washington
11.Pittsburgh
12.NY Islanders
13.Calgary
14.Florida
15.Dallas
16.New Jersey
17.Toronto
18.Edmonton
19.Buffalo
20.San Jose
21.Ottawa
22.Detroit
23.NY Rangers
24.Chicago
25.St. Louis
26.Phoenix
27.Tampa Bay

Else: Team Power Rankings as of 29th, January, 2000
 

  1.New Jersey
  2.Edmonton
  3.NY Islanders
  4.Ottawa
  5.St. Louis
  6.Anaheim
  7.Calgary
  8.Buffalo
  9.Boston
10.Carolina
11.Los Angeles
12.Montreal
13.San Jose
14.Nashville
15.Colorado
16.Dallas
17.NY Rangers
18.Phoenix
19.Pittsburgh
20.Vancouver
21.Atlanta
22.Florida
23.Washington
24.Tampa Bay
25.Philadelphia
26.Detroit
27.Chicago
28.Toronto

Siman Zsolt
The Commish
Boston GM

After three season's for heart breaking pride the West finally defeats the East at the CHL All StarGames.

Game one was a real battle but in the end, (shoot-out) the East win by a 
count of 2-1. Head Coach for the West Eric Brunelle wasn't shocked or dismayed at the lose. Eric had this to say "Mats tied it up for us in the shoot-out but we couldn't hold on, that darn Pavel Bure nailed a very impressive shot."

Game two was a more of a surprise then the first. In the first period not one goal was scored. Then in the second the East nailed two quick ones starting with Eric Lindros
bullet from the point. Boris Mironov only a few minute later got one when the West's goalie was being screened. McEachern and Sundin finally got the West on the board only 40 seconds after the Mironov goal. 

Third period had Keith Tkachuk pick the puck off one of the West's dmen
and had a open break away on the West's goalie and scored. Making it a 3-1 game for the East. Mats Sundin got inspired by Tkachuk's goal and did one himself by taking the puck away from a East defense man. Alexei Yashin and Mats Sundin tied the game on a power play goal. Shawn McEachern one minute later gave the West a lead finally, but Theoren Fleury had something to say about that and a little over a minute later scored the tying goal of the game. In OT it solved nothing so it went to another Shoot-out. The only guy to get one by was Peter Bondra for the West. The Series was tied.
 

The third and final game.

This one was for all the marbles, if someone screwed up it could be the series. The first 5 minutes of the game was fast and intense. Paul Kariya got one at the 2 minute mark. The Edmonton connection tied it up with Brett Hull scoring and Sergei Zubov and 
Alexei Yashin helping out. Al MacInnis scored the West's lead with the help of Mats Sundin, the little pest Theoren Fleury scored the final 1st period goal to tie it up.

2nd Period, had the East jump ahead with old vet Ray Bourque and the
Russian rocket adding the assists. Paul Kariya added another for the East to make it a 4-2 game. Stevie Y got the final goal of the 2nd to get the West back into the game.

3rd Period had Yashin and Sergei Zubov teaming up to tie the game. But
the thorn Jaromir Jagr onea power play scored a goal to push the East back into the front. John LeClair and Peter Forsberg helped on the goal.Stevie Y got the West back into the game, but Peter the Great gave the lead back to the East a few minutes later.

In the final seconds of the 3rd Sundin feed Al MacInnis the puck and Al lazier one by Hasek.

OT solved nothing so for the third time in three games the teams lined up for a old fashion shot out. 

Big Bobby Holik roofed one over the Dominator to give the West there
first ever All Star victory.

It was a very enjoyable All Star Break and the Western teams would like to thank the Eastern teams for a very hard fought battle. But the better men won in the end.

LOLROF..
Just kidding East :c)

Oh by the way I have to take my hat off to Eric Brunelle and Eugene Kogan for giving us a very pleasant and enjoyable games.

Larry :c)
Los Angeles GM
Special Reporter

We are over halfway into the season, and I have completed my own team reviews for the 28 teams of the CHL.  They go by team name (in alphabetical order), and the first paragraph deals with my thoughts on how good the team is, the next paragraph is my views on what the team should do next, and the last thing I write is their grade in each of these categories: Offensive Talent, Offensive Depth, Defensive Talent, Defensive Depth, Goaltending, Chemistry, Financial, Future, and Overall.  There's alot of grades, and this is the system.  I use letter grades A, B, C, D, and F.  Don't let a C fool you.  In school a C might be bad, but these are what they mean.  A=Excellent, B=Good, C=Average, D=Bad, F=Terrible.  A + or - might be attached to the grade.  + means "a little better than," while - means "a little worse than."

This is the criteria for each grading category.  In offensive talent, I gauge the firepower and pure skill of the best forwards the team has.  Good first liners and second liners are the key.  Offensive depth measures how deep this team is at forwards.  Do you have talent left on your last two lines or do you depend on 50's and low 60's guys to fill your last spots?  With Defensive talent I look at the top guys you have, and the overall skills of your guys.  And with depth, I look at how good are your 4th, 5th, and 6th guys, and your combinations.  In goaltending, I mainly look at the starting goalie, the goalie's upside and downside, and partially how good the backup or backups are, although the third stringer counts VERY little.  Chemistry is hard to grade since it's a simulator.  What I mean is, I look at the types of players you have.  Do you have a sniper, a playmaker, a hitter, a puck-moving defenseman, and look at possible combinations and how they could compliment each other.  I also look to see if the depth of each position is more or less equal. 

***
Please note that these reports are accuarate for the rosters as of somewhere in
the vicinity of 1 to 2 weeks ago, since I have been working on them for a while.
*** So let's get started...

------------
ANAHEIM
------------
Review:  Anaheim is definitely one of the best teams in the league.  They are an
offensive powerhouse team with guys like Valery Kamensky, Ray Whitney, Mats
Sundin, Jeremy Roenick, Ziggy Palffy, and Daniel Alfredsson.  And still enough
room for alot of depth in guys like Mikael Renberg, Andrew Cassels, Jeff
O'Neill, Keith Jones, and such.  With Ozolinsh, Woolley, and Sydor at the
blueline, it's going to be hard to score goals on them.  They have few
drawbacks.  One is their financial situation.  They are very tight under the
cap.  And their goaltending is solid, but not good enough to compare with the
rest of the team.

What should they do?:  Anaheim must have some expendable forwards.  Use a
McEachern, or a Renberg, and package them with Damian Rhodes to get a big name
goalie, and get some money too.

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=A+, Defensive Talent=A+, Defensive Depth=A-,
Goaltending=B, Chemistry=A+, Financial=C-, Future=A, Overall=A

------------
ATLANTA
------------
Review:  It's hard to be an expansion team.  But Atlanta did pretty good.  This
team's major strength is their future.  They are a VERY young team, with great
prospects like Scott Gomez, Alex Tanguay, Jiri Fischer, Chris Phillips, and
more.  Milan Hejduk is becoming a star, and other guys are becoming better.
Their goaltending is solid with Jeff Hackett at the helm.  Financially, they got
some guys that are making WAY too much money.  But they have some distance from
the cap.  The defense is a weakness.  With alot of inexperienced guys, it should
definitely be bolstered.  Also, chemistry is a little low.  They are missing a
playmaker.

What should they do?:  Start making 2 for 1 trades to improve the talent.  Use
the prospect depth to fetch you some guys that will make an immediate impact.
Defense must be improved.

Offensive Talent=C+, Offensive Depth=B-, Defensive Talent=D+, Defensive Depth=C,
Goaltending=B+, Chemistry=B-, Financial=C+, Future=A-, Overall=C

-----------
BOSTON
-----------
Review:  Boston will impress you with their offensive and defensive talent,
which includes Forsberg, Tkachuk, Allison, Guerin, and Bourque, but their depth
is somewhat bleak.  Their best forward after that is maybe Ray Sheppard (who is
highly overrated), or Robert Kron.  Financial situation is bad, but on the
upside, the talent he has is very valuable.  Goaltending isn't splendid with
Thibault between the pipes, but two good prospects are promising back-ups,
including Buffalo's heir to the throne of Dominik Hasek, Martin Biron.
Chemistry is also very nice, with the playmaker Allison or Forsberg feeding the
sniper Tkachuk.

What should they do?:  Boston might not want to give up some of those big
namers, but they gotta give up some good players to obtain depth.  Also
defensive age is a concern, with Bourque, Sweeney, Diduck, and Quintal well into
their careers.

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=C+, Defensive Talent=A-, Defensive Depth=B+,
Goaltending=A, Chemistry=B+, Financial=C-, Future=B-, Overall=B+

------------
BUFFALO
------------
Review:  Buffalo, after Jonsson, just have a VERY bad defense, and that must be
fixed.  As for offense, he's got King, Dvorak, Naslund, and Kovalenko, but the
team is very shallow.  On the upside, he's got some good prospects in Tim
Connolly, and a few other young guys.  But the team is lacking.  Goaltending
however, is another story.  You look at their goaltending, and you say Brodeur.
And he's great, the second best goalie in the league, rated 99, awesome guy to
have.  That's the main part.  But they have arguably the best NHL prospect in
the world right now, goaltender Roberto Luongo, the highest goalie ever drafted
(4th overall).  He could be the next Patrick Roy.

What should they do?:  Buffalo's been picking up too many mediocre players
lately.  It's time to go after the big name kind of guys.  Start stacking.
Trade guys like Kovalenko and Dvorak in 1 for 2's for solid players, and trade
them for uppers.  And hold on to Luongo!

Offensive Talent=C-, Offensive Depth=D+, Defensive Talent=C, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=A+, Chemistry=D, Financial=B-, Future=B, Overall=D+

------------
CALGARY
------------
Review:  Saku Koviu, Adam Deadmarsh, and German Titov, are a pretty solid
combo.  But after that, it's not good news for Calgary.  They have lots of 70's
type guys which are good for the depth, but there's no talent there.  After
Kevin Hatcher, the defense is a disaster.  Goaltending is attrocious.  Garth Snow
will not cut it for a number 1 goalie, nor will Fitzpatrick.  Jean "Sea-bass"
Aubin is good for the future, but his potential upside is pretty limited.  And
they have enough overpaid guys to put their financial situation in a bad state
too.

What should they do?:  Time to rebuild.  Trade the little talent you have for
picks, prospects, and cash.  Keep an eye on sleepers, and find guys doing good
in the NHL and get them while they are cheap.  If you get enough money, get
active in free agency.

Offensive Talent=D, Offensive Depth=C, Defensive Talent=D, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=B, Chemistry=C, Financial=D, Future=D+, Overall=D

--------------
CAROLINA
--------------
Review:  Stu Barnes and Magnus Arvedson are nice complimentary players to have,
but both are second line players, and what's worse is that the rest of the
offense is just non-existent.  When Terry Yake is your third best player, it's a
wake-up call.  Goaltending is simply wrong.  Not that it's bad.  It's great.
It's the best goaltending starter and the best back-up in the league at the same
time.  An easy A+.  Dominik Hasek is the best in the business.  But it's wrong,
because he already had Irbe, and simply did not need a guy who's going to retire
next year.  He gave up alot as I can see (and already had Osgood, but traded him
in the Hasek deal).  As for defense I like Adam Foote, but after him and
Svoboda, the rest of the defense is horrendous.  Another bad financial team as
well.

What should they do?:  What goes around comes around.  Get rid of Dominik
Hasek.  He will get you ALOT, and Irbe is more than capable of being the
starter.  You need the offense and the defense.  Get two good players, one
offense and one defense.

Offensive Talent=C-, Offensive Depth=D+, Defensive Talent=C+, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=A+, Chemistry=C, Financial=D+, Future=D-, Overall=D+

------------
CHICAGO
------------
Review:  The Hawks have a couple of very good centers in Jozef Stumpel and
Robert Reichel.  But Reichel ain't in the NHL right now, and he might be the
next Petr Nedved.  Maltby and Ferraro are a couple of good guys to have, but the
depth is awful.  Plus, with the two of their top forwards being centers, and no
good goal scorers, the chemistry is bad.  The best defense they have (which is
mediocre in Duchesne and Norton) is aging, and the quality is no good.  There's
no prospects, no money, and their starting goalie is a Grant Fuhr in their last
season.  And soon, Jani Hurme and Tom Askey will not be the right guys to have
in the net.  Things are not too good in Chicago these days.

What should they do?:  Rebuilding time.  Get rid of those veterans, get picks,
cash, prospects, and acquire lots of players, and make 2 for 1's.

Offensive Talent=D+, Offensive Depth=D-, Defensive Talent=D-, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=F, Chemistry=D-, Financial=C, Future=D, Overall=D-

---------------
COLORADO
---------------
Review:  Steve Heinze, Igor Larionov, Andrei Nikolishin, and Peter Bondra are
the lone producers on this team, with Larionov 39 now too.  The depth on this
team is terrible is well on the offense.  Defense is no better with Calle
Johansson being the lone guy on this team.  It's not good to have to rely on
60's defensemen to fillin your roster.  At least the talent is divided up well
among the three forward positions.  That will be solid chemistry.  As for the
goalies, Guy Hebert is a bright spot, with two capable back-ups.  So the team
isn't too bad, but their financial situation won't let them get much better.

What should they do?:  Start getting some fresh legs, and try to make 2 for 1's
to obtain some quality defense.  Also dangle Chris Terreri and Jose Theodore to
fetch some prospects or cash.

Offensive Talent=C, Offensive Depth=D+, Defensive Talent=C+, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=B+, Chemistry=C, Financial=D+, Future=D-, Overall=C-

----------
DALLAS
----------
Review:  Fortunately for Dallas, age isn't taken into consideration for the
offensive talent portion, so yes, Mark Messier is a good #1 center.  Jarome
Iginla is actually pretty underrated in NHL 2000.  He is a solid guy.  And Jason
Arnott is also capable of #1 center duties.  But their next best forward, Steve
Konowalchuk or Brian Savage are depth guys.  Depth though is mediocre.  Future
looks cool with Lecavalier, Brendl, and Hlavac all potential studs.  And
defensive talent is excellent with Chris Pronger, Larry Murphy, and Chris
Chellios making an excellent core.  However, Murphy and Chellios are both old,
and being in one year contracts, will be super hard to get back for a team
that's $80,000 under the cap.  Chemistry is not good, because right wings are
overloaded.  After Savage, left wings are a mess.  Goaltending will soon be
bright.  Two 81-rated guys are solid, with Turek already a starter in the NHL
(Once his rating goes up to the high-80's, he will be a big steal making about
$500,000).  And Jamie Storr is close to being an NHL starter too.

What should they do?:  Spread the wealth.  Find rich teams and trade to them
Chellios and/or Murphy for offensive talent and some money.

Offensive Talent=C+, Offensive Depth=C, Defensive Talent=A+, Defensive Depth=C-,
Goaltending=B, Chemistry=C-, Financial=F, Future=B, Overall=C+

-----------
DETROIT
-----------
Review:  Detroit was a big spender with a big wallet this offseason, and ended
up overspending for high priced guys with one year contracts making their trade
value low.  This makes his future and financial grades pretty low.  At the same
time however, he got some good talent in return.  Steve Yzerman is the
cornerstone, and a great player.  However, Joe Nieuwendyk will not be so good
soon, he's having a bad year in the NHL.  Left wings on the team are
non-existent.  Only two of them and they both stink it up.  He's got some solid
right wings and centers, so the depth is there.  Al MacInnis is a star and leads
a talented but shallow defense.  Matthias Norstrom is underrated but the rest is
nothing special.  Vernon is a good goalie, but won't be for long, and the
backups are less than spectacular.

What should they do?:  Get younger.  The age on this team is showing.  Acquire
some depth defensemen, and get some draft picks for stale players.

Offensive Talent=C+, Offensive Depth=C+, Defensive Talent=B-, Defensive
Depth=C-, Goaltending=C+, Chemistry=D+, Financial=D+, Future=D, Overall=C

---------------
EDMONTON
---------------
Review:  The defending Stanley Cup champions looked like they had one year left
when Hasek decided to retire.  But after some swift moves, the Edmonton GM dealt
Hasek and got amazing value for him.  Yashin, Zhamnov, Hull, Niedermayer, and
Langenbrunner lead a talented young (besides Hull in age) offense.  Guys like
Mellanby, Corbet, and Prospal give this team good depth as well.  Then defense
is excellent as well.  Zubov, Gonchar, Kasparaitis and McCabe make up a talented
top four with Slaney and Carkner making up a serviceable third pairing.  The
always impressive Osgood is a great goalie, and Kirk McLean is capable back-up
on any team.

What should they do?:  Too many good centers.  It might do them good to trade
one or package one of them to get a stud on one of the wings.  Not too many
weaknesses on the team anyway.

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=B+, Defensive Talent=A-, Defensive Depth=B-,
Goaltending=A, Chemistry=B-, Financial=C, Future=B, Overall=A-

-----------
FLORIDA
-----------
Review:  This team is in deep, deep trouble.  So many payers are HIGHLY
overpaid, including Elias and Morrison, who are getting so much money on a
five-year contract.  Lots of these guys are untradable.  Incidentally, Elias and
Morrison, along with Marian Hossa are the only good players on this team.  There
is ONE right wing on this team, and he is pretty bad.  The defense has no talent
(better than you'd expect but still bad depth), and the goaltending is
attrocious.  This team has problems and I don't even know where to begin.

What should they do?:  Got me.  Better start rebuilding I guess.  Trade as much
of those as you can for draft picks and cash.  Get the young, cheap guys.

Offensive Talent=D-, Offensive Depth=F, Defensive Talent=F, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=D+, Chemistry=D-, Financial=F, Future=F, Overall=F

------------------
LOS ANGELES
------------------
Review:  The offense has some solid stars with good now-ability, but some of
them have bad futures.  Add to that, they are overpaid.  So that depletes the
fuutre rating.  But the offensive talent, nonetheless, is still there in Steve
Thomas, Bobby Holik, Dixon Ward, Jeff Friesen, and Jan Hrdina, who himself has a
very bright future.  The depth in offense is mediocre at best.  But the defense
is not too shabby, with Glen Wesley and Chris Therien leading the ranks.  Shawn
Chambers, Lance Pitlick, and Bobby Dollas are solid players to play, and
goaltender Stephane Fiset will be serviceable.  I like the Holik, Thomas,
Friesen combination alot, and the team is pretty evenly distributed so thumbs up
for the chemistry as well.

What should they do?:  Get a little younger, and try to improve your current
money situation.

Offensive Talent=B, Offensive Depth=C-, Defensive Talent=C, Defensive Depth=C+,
Goaltending=B-, Chemistry=B, Financial=D+, Future=C-, Overall=C+
 

---------------
MONTREAL
---------------
Review:  This is my team but I will do this unbiased, because I believe my team
is very good.  It's loaded with offensive talent from Pavel Bure, Pierre
Turgeon, Theo Fleury, Luc Robitaille, Cory Stillman, and Valeri Bure.  With guys
like Holzinger, McInnis, Perreault, and Brunet manning the depth, the depth here
is very good.  My team, with all of it's players, is a large sum of money under
the cap, and with players having awesome NHL Seasons (Both Bure's, Turgeon,
Robitaille, etc), the future and financial are good.  I made my team with lots
of role players and the team is deep everywhere for good chemistry.  I have one
of the deepest defenses with only one true stud defenseman in Desjardins, but
with Daryll Shannon as my sixth, I'm in good shape there.  Khabibulin is one of
the best goalies around.

What should they do?:  That's for me to know and for you to gradually find out
:)

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=A+, Defensive Talent=B+, Defensive Depth=A+,
Goaltending=A, Chemistry=A, Financial=A+, Future=A, Overall=A
 

---------------
NASHVILLE
---------------
Review:  The Preds are a solid team with Mike Peca leading the ranks on offense,
and also offensive defense.  Although after Peca, the star power is week,
there's alot of second line supporters on this team, cool players like Glen
Murray, Joe Juneau, Bill Muckalt, Igor Korolev, Kevin Stevens, Robert Lang, and
Michael Nylander.  The depth is pretty solid here as well, with good offensive
players.  On defense, Yushkevich, Hedian, and Marchment are a nice top three.
Coffey and Daiglenauly are aging, but useful.  Pushor is a nice #6.  Richter is
an excellent goalie with Essensa a competent backup.  Financially, they are down
by about 3 million, and it could use some help.  The team has some aging
players, but there's a few young guys, so the future is reasonable.

What should they do?:  Too many second liners.  Trade some of those guys I
mentioned in package deals for some impact players.

Offensive Talent=C, Offensive Depth=B, Defensive Talent=B-, Defensive Depth=C,
Goaltending=B+, Chemistry=B, Financial=C-, Future=C+, Overall=C+

----------------
NEW JERSEY
----------------
Review:  Well what can I say?  Although the grades will show them alot closer to
a few teams, this is really by far the best team in the CHL.  The firepower of
this team is frightening.  Jagr, Lindros, LeClair, Shanahan, Modano, and
Lehtinen fill the devastating top two lines.  Graves and Nolan are amazingly on
the third line, but here's where the team is lacking:  The last four offensive
roster spots belong to guys that aren't really good enough to be played (with
the possible slight exception of Murray Craven).  But when you have eight
superstars on your offense, you should almost not care.  Defense is also
brutally good.  Hatcher, Mironov, and Niedermayer are a great two-way defense,
with Slegr, Tinordi, and Andrusak being a very nice depth defense.  Eddie
Belfour is one of the best goalies in the business.  The chemistry is a dream.
Financially, the team is under by 11 million dollars.  But a frightening thing
for GM Marco is that his team has nowhere to go but down :)  Look out, I'm
coming to get you.

What should they do?:  It would really hurt to take away some of those players,
and really the team is in position to win it all, so it might just be good to
stick with your guns.  But with the slightest tinkering, it might do him good to
get one more good defenseman instead of Andrusak, and maybe another couple of
serviceable forwards.

Offensive Talent=A+, Offensive Depth=A-, Defensive Talent=A+, Defensive
Depth=A+, Goaltending=A, Chemistry=A+, Financial=A+, Future=A+, Overall=A+

----------------
NEW YORK I.
----------------
Review:  The Isles have some excellent firepower on offense in Paul Kariya, Joe
Sakic, Pavol Demitra, Kieth Primeau, Sergei Berezin, Sami Kapanen, Sergei
Krivokrasov.  One of the later three would actually be on the third line.  And
the depth is truly amazing too.  In addition to one of those, one of my favorite
up-and-comers Patrick Marleau, Anson Carter, and Andreas Dackell make up a great
third line.  Berard, Morris, and Redden are an awesome trio of top d-men
(although a true superstar is missing), while Ragnarsson, Odelein, and Eriksson
are also great for depth.  I love some of these combinations like Sakic and
Kariya, so the chemistry is REALLY cool.  However, Vanbiesbrouck is getting old,
and although Marc Denis will soon be a good goalie, their goaltending could use
help.  The team is also in a big financial hole.

What should they do?:  With the addition of a really good goalie, and perhaps a
trade-up for some kind of a REAL star defenseman, then this team could be a
serious contender.  Even without those though, they are still an excellent team.

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=A+, Defensive Talent=B, Defensive Depth=A,
Goaltending=B+, Chemistry=A+, Financial=D-, Future=A, Overall=A-
 

-----------------
NEW YORK R.
-----------------
Review:  Not much going on in Broadway.  Joe Thornton is the one bright spot on
offense, and one day the 1997 1st overall draft choice will be a star.  Vladimir
Tsyplakov is buried in a talented roster in Los Angeles in the NHL, and his
value is decreasing.  Mats Lindgren and Todd Harvey are middle of the road
players and poor first liners.  Pavel Kubina and Dave Ellet are the lone "OK"
defensemen on this team, and the rest is awful.  Sean Burke is not good enough
to be a starter (overrated at 82), and goaltending is lacking.  Few prospects on
this team as well as Thornton so future is solid, and fourteen million extra
dollars ensure a good cashflow.

What should they do?:  Spend a few dollars in the free agency this year, hold on
to the prospects, and try to get some impact players, especially on defense.

Offensive Talent=D, Offensive Depth=D+, Defensive Talent=D, Defensive Depth=D-,
Goaltending=C, Chemistry=D, Financial=A-, Future=C+, Overall=D

------------
OTTAWA
------------
Review:  Teemu Selanne is one of only about three or four 100-rated players in
the CHL, so right away he catches your eye.  In addition to him, Martin Straka,
Miroslav Satan, Alexander Mogilny, and Niklas Sundstrom make for a bolstering
top two lines.  The talent is there but the depth is lacking after an underrated
Mariusz Czerkawski (only 74, should be close to 80).  The defensive talent is
also excellent, with Teppo Numminen, Fredrik Olausson, Vladimir Malakhov and
Mathieu Schneider making up a great, and offensively dangerous top three.  This
team has one of the best cores on the top four defenseman.  These four guys make
for a staggering offensive attack.  Very, very nice.  The last two defenseman
need to be worked on though.  I really love some of the combinations this team
has, with a great offensive attack from the blueline and the powerplay, and the
very cool combo of Straka and Selanne.  Very european team.  And goaltender
Patrick Roy is one of the best out there.  Very few things are holding this team
back from being a serious cup contender.  Financially, they suck though, only
$20,000 under the cap.

What should they do?:  They are close to being the real deal.  But the depth is
missing.  The last two defensemen and the last two lines don't compare with the
rest.  Try trading some guys to acquire some depth, in some mid to high 70's
guys for the third line.  Also, maybe trade one of the aforementioned awesome
defenseman for a real "defensive" type defenseman.

Offensive Talent=A, Offensive Depth=C, Defensive Talent=A+, Defensive Depth=B-,
Goaltending=A, Chemistry=A+, Financial=D-, Future=A-, Overall=A

----------------------
PHILADELPHIA
----------------------
Review:  Jamie Langenbrunner, Eric Daze, Brian Rolston, Michal Grosek, Darren
McCarty, and maybe Rob Dimaio make up the top two lines on this team, and it's
got a few young guys, but no true studs.  Since the second line is stocked with
80-type players though, the talent is marginal, but decent.  Hamrlik is a stud,
and McCabe will soon be, so props for the defensive talent.  Brisebois is solid
as a third guy at the blue line, but then the rest of the defense needs some
fine tuning.  Tommy Salo and Trevor Kidd are two cool goalies which give good
trade value, but you don't need both.  Since there's no real playmakers on this
team, just gritty guys and finishers, chemistry is not too great.  But future is
cool since there's some growing kids like Langenbrunner, Daze, and McCabe, while
Simon Gagne is a sure top notch player someday, believe me, I watch him all the
time.

What should they do?:  Immediately trade one of those good goalies.  They are
just taking away eachother's playing time, and one of them packaged with a good
player can get you a real good offensive stud, which this team could use.

Offensive Talent=B-, Offensive Depth=C, Defensive Talent=B, Defensive Depth=D+,
Goaltending=B+, Chemistry=C-, Financial=C-, Future=B, Overall=C+

--------------
PHOENIX
--------------
Review:  Mark Recchi will be rated super good next year, since he's having an
outstanding NHL season.  Cliff Ronning is also there, for a likeable chemistry
combination.  Adam Oates is the real playmaker, so good chemistry here.  But
Oates is going to retire any minute, so he bugs down the future rating.  Plus
there's no real good prospects.  Offensive depth and the entire defense is a
disaster.  And goaltending is terrible.  Craig Billington is not your ideal
starting goalie by any stretch of the imagination.

What should they do?:  Hold on to Recchi and Ronning, but quickly trade Adam
Oates to a contender who could use his presence now.  Try to get a good goalie.
Your this close to rebuilding time, but don't just try to patch it up every now
and then.  Start piling up prospects.

Offensive Talent=B-, Offensive Depth=D, Defensive Talent=D-, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=F, Chemistry=C-, Financial=B-, Future=D, Overall=D

-------------------
PITTSBURGH
-------------------
Review:  Goaltending is the concern here.  The number one goalie, Bill Ranford
has played eleven games in the NHL.  He won't be around for much longer, and the
huge overrating of 81 is soon to dissapear, and you won't want to rely on
backups.  On offense, Rod Brind'Amour and Petr Nedved lead the pack, with Young
being good, as well as Savard who didn't get shabby rating of 80 himself.  Not
ground breaking, but usable.  Chemistry is a problem, since three of those guys
are centers, and after Young, their is really not much left on the wings.  Plus,
there's no good hands on this team.  No sniper or playmaker.  Just a
collection.  Wrong set of guys in a way.  Depth isn't too bad, with Svejkovsky,
Johansson, Warriner (little underrated), Johnson, and a few others.  Nicklas
Lidstrom is the defensive backbone, and one of, if not, the best defenseman in
the NHL.  After him, it doesn't slow down.  Phil Housely continues to play at a
high level despite his tender age.  Ed Jovanovski is still growing, and will
someday be a force to reckon with.  Uwe Krupp is solid, so the defensive talent
is very good.  The last two spots are solid, so depth is OK.  Clearly, this is a
defense first team.

What should they do?:  Need a good impact sniper on the wing.  You've got a few
defensemen, that are expendable.  Even more of a concern is getting that
starting goalie.

Offensive Talent=B-, Offensive Depth=C+, Defensive Talent=A, Defensive Depth=B-,
Goaltending=C-, Chemistry=D+, Financial=B+, Future=C-, Overall=B-

--------------
SAN JOSE
--------------
Review:  Wendel Clark and Petr Sykora lead the offense but Clark is not a safe
investment at all.  Verbeek, Zednik, and Sanderson are all not very good future
players (except Zednik maybe) but are solid right now.  The rest of the offense
is pretty awful.  Aki Berg, Luke Richardson, and Joe Reekie make up a very
uncool top three on defense, while you know your not in good shape when your
relying on Clark, Stuart, and Persson to fill in the rest of your defense.  No
good role players, more than enough over-the-hill guys, lots of overpaid guys
make future, financial, and chemistry a trio of problems.  Petr Buzek was an
all-star this year in the NHL, so he'll be good later.  But that's the ONE good
thing future-wise for this team.  The one good thing about this team now is
goaltending.  Although he's overpaid, you don't need to trade Byron Dafoe
anyway.   Wregget and Shtalenkov are very good back-ups.

What should they do?:  You have two good backups.  Trade both of them for some
talent.  If it's even possible, do your best to try to get an impact player on
defense OR offense.  Or just start rebuilding.

Offensive Talent=D+, Offensive Depth=D-, Defensive Talent=D-, Defensive Depth=F,
Goaltending=A+, Chemistry=D-, Financial=D, Future=D-, Overall=D

--------------
ST. LOUIS
--------------
Review:  Doug Weight, Tony Amonte, and Donald Audette make up some cool talent,
and all three of them are very nice and safe investmets.  Shayne Corson, Curtis
Brown, and Geoff Courtnall with those three make up a very cool top two lines,
with even talent distribution in all three positions, and the very cool
combination of all-americans Tony Amonte and Doug Weight.  The talent is there.
And the depth is solid too, with Josef Beranek, Joe Murphy, Jeff Shantz, and
Mark Parrish.  Good offense.  On defense, Mattias Ohlund, Gary Suter, and
hard-hitter Richard Matvichuk make up a talented top three.  Bodger, Spacek,
Haller, and Kaberle are four guys all worthy of the last three spots, with
Kaberle being the up and comer, and he's going to be a star soon.  Not to be
outdone, the goaltending shines as well, led by one of the best in the game,
Curtis Joseph, and a good up and coming back-up Robbie Tallas.  A few future
investments look good, while six million under the cap is not too shabby.

What should they do?:  Start trading more.  You are one close team to being
elite if not already there.  But to get better, try to acquire one more
superstar at the price of some depth, and you will be a top-notch team.
Otherwise already in top 6 or 7 teams in CHL.

Offensive Talent=B+, Offensive Depth=B+, Defensive Talent=B+, Defensive
Depth=B-, Goaltending=A, Chemistry=A, Financial=B-, Future=B+, Overall=B+

------------------
TAMPA BAY
------------------
Review:  Wow.  This team is in big trouble.  Nelson Emerson is the best player,
and Russ Courtnall who's retiring soon is the second best.  Plante and Lind are
OK.  For talent, it's awful, but the depth is even worse.  The defense is better
in comparison to the offense, since they have Gill, Simpson, Weinrich,
Bannister, Richter, and Witt.  They are a 70's defense, moderately deep, but not
talented.  They have a good goaltender in Olaf Kolzig and a serviceable backup
Glenn Healy.  And they are also twenty million under the cap, with bad future
and chemistry ratings.  Since they have alot of money and already solid goalies,
rebuilding is the best option for them.

What should they do?:  Rebuild.  Use that money in the free agent market,
collect draft picks, and trade veterans.  It's too early to get the impact
player.  Just build up on young, cool guys that are solid trading commodities.

Offensive Talent=D-, Offensive Depth=F, Defensive Talent=D+, Defensive Depth=C-,
Goaltending=B, Chemistry=D-, Financial=A+, Future=D, Overall=D
 

-----------------
TORONTO
-----------------
Review:  Vincent Damphousse leads an offense that's short on talent (besides
him).  Morozov, MacLean, Roberts, and McKay are solid but won't make your
offensive talent too good.  Depth isn't too good either, so offense after
Damphousse needs some fine tuning.  Rob Blake is one of the best in the game in
defense, and Stevens, York, Houlder, and Aucoin top a very solid defense.  Lots
of role players missing, so the chemistry takes a hit, despite a solid
Damphousse-Morozov combination which I find appealing.  Another financial mess.
Goaltending is really good with Barasso and Tugnutt, and up-and comer Dan
Cloutier.

What should they do?:  Don't need so many good goalies.  Dangle either Barasso
or Tugnut to get a stud on offense or defense somewhere.

Offensive Talent=C-, Offensive Depth=D+, Defensive Talent=B+, Defensive
Depth=B-, Goaltending=A, Chemistry=C, Financial=D-, Future=C, Overall=C

-------------------
VANCOUVER
-------------------
Review:  Francis, Gilmour and Tochett are solid free-agent pickups.  But
problems.  They are on one year contracts, and when your best players are like
that, and money is short, you're in trouble.  The offense is fairly talented and
deep, but the future, despite Steve Kariya who may turn out to become just like
his older brother, looks bleak to say the least.  Defense has Brian Leetch,
Jyrki Lumme, and Robert Svehla so the defensive talent is definitely there.
Samuelsson, Kaberle, and Schmelik are solid for the depth as well.  So the
defense is good, and the offense is solid, but future (as well as chemistry) are
not there.  Not a good impact scoring winger on the team.  Goaltending will be
good, as both Steve Shields and Fred Brathwaite are coming into their own in the
NHL.  Not very effective now, but hold on to those guys (Vokoun is solid too).

What should they do?:  Get rid of those high priced old guys, and quick.  Get
some youth.  Your team has a few young guys, and way too many old guys.  Youth
and money, sort of a half-way to rebuilding type opperation is needed.

Offensive Talent=C+, Offensive Depth=C-, Defensive Talent=B+, Defensive
Depth=B+, Goaltending=B-, Chemistry=C-, Financial=D+, Future=C-, Overall=C

--------------------
WASHINGTON
--------------------
Review:  Serious Russian attack here.  And the cool combos of Russian partners
creates a cool chemistry.  The talent of the offense is led by Sergei Fedorov,
Dmitri Khristich, Alexei Kovolev, Alexei Zhamnov, and Sergei Samsonov.  Lots of
young guys make up a very nice future, while the offensive depth is also
present, with Korolyuk, Selivanov, and Sharifjanov filling the holes.  Defense
is excellent.  Led by Sergei Zubov, Alexei Zhitnik, Oleg Tveredovsky, the depth
is still there with Alexander Karpovtsev, Daniil Markov, Igor Kravchuk, and
Andrei Zyuzin, for a top notch silver seven Russian defensemen.  The only
un-Russian part of this team is the only one that could use fine-tuning (in
comparison to the rest of the team).  We know Potvin to be a good goalie, but
his stats blow since he hasn't been on a good team since Toronto.  Dunham is a
solid backup.  So the goaltending is serviceable, but not elite.

What should they do?:  By all means, continue with the Russian attack.  The
chemistry is super, super cool.  Maybe add a little more depth to the offense,
and another impact player will surely put you in the elite class.  Don't drive
yourself crazy trying to find a Russian goalie, since you're not getting
Khabibulin :)  and goalies don't count to chemistry.

Offensive Talent=A-, Offensive Depth=B+, Defensive Talent=A, Defensive Depth=A,
Goaltending=B-, Chemistry=A+, Financial=C-, Future=A, Overall=A-

---------------------------------
OVERALL GRADE CHART
---------------------------------
The following charts are the ranks of every team in the overall category.  A
grade tie goes to my personal favorite to be better.  Here it is.

------------------------------------
OVERALL
------------------------------------
1. New Jersey=A+
2. Montreal=A
3. Anaheim=A
4. New York I.=A
5. Ottawa=A-
6. Edmonton=A-
7. Washington=A-
8. Boston=B+
9. St. Louis=B+
10. Pittsburgh=B-
11. Dallas=C+
12. Los Angeles=C+
13. Nashville=C+
14. Philadelphia=C+
15. Vancouver=C
16. Toronto=C
17. Detroit=C
18. Atlanta=C
19. Colorado=C-
20. Buffalo=D+
21. Carolina=D+
22. Phoenix=D
23. New York R.=D
24. Calgary=D
25. San Jose=D
26. Tampa Bay=D
27. Chicago=D-
28. Florida=F

-----------------------------
FINAL THOUGHTS
-----------------------------
It seems like the talent is not well divided in this league.  The most common
grade should be B, yet there are so many D's and so many A's.  The fact is, a
winner can be built from any team in this league, but what it takes is trading.
The best team in this league is not even debateable; It's New Jersey.  The only
A+ and deservingly so.  The other top notch teams in the league:  Montreal, New
York, Ottawa, Anaheim, Washington, Edmonton, Boston and such.  There's a key to
success.  It's TRADING.  It's planning ahead.  I've been in this league for a
year now, and in my first season I made probably close to thirty total
transactions, mostly trades.  Guys like the top teams I mentioned have a goal, a
plan, a vision of their team.  You don't just swap talent.  You invest in
talent.  You scout talent.  You get rid of a guy for a high price, and buy
another for a low price.  That's the way you become a good team.  All of my
'What should they do's' for every team are accurate.  Although some guys don't
need it, and they know what their doing, alot of you I urge to listen to it, and
use it as a stepping stone.  Think ahead, and you can build a winner.

Eugene Kogan
Habs GM
CHLNEWS reporter

Will the Edmonton Oilers be able to drink from Lord Stanley's Cup again this year?  Will the last place Detroit Red Wings make a successful run for the playoffs?  The Western Conference is so close this year that it will be hard to predict what could happen come playoff time. 

     With all their firepower, the Oilers should end up in top spot. New GM Roman Beljakov has been very busy lately trying to secure the number one position in the West.  I had a chance to talk to Roman earlier on in the week this is what he had to say...

1)  What were some of the things that you wanted to improve on your
hockey team?

<Beljakov> Since I took over the Oilers there wasn't really much
I could improve on it.......but I wanted to get rid of
Hasek and Yashin. And also add some tough guys to the
team such as Domi, Kasparaitis and Manson.

2)  You must admit that you were handed a well stacked hockey club, has
this made your transition into the CHL easier?

<Bejakov> Definetly......but I also must admit that it's all
down hill from here..cuz there's no where to go but
down in the West for me.

3)  You have been quite active, as of late, in trading for new players. 
What will be the trade that makes the Oilers not only get into the
playoffs, but win the Stanley Cup? 

<Beljakov> To tell you the truth I have no clue.......there was 
too many good trades.

4)  Could you give me some background behind the Yashin for Roenick
deal?  You hate to lose an all-star like Yashin, but what does Roenick
give your hockey club that Yashin did not?

<Beljakov> A lasting Center...lol
Considering that Yashin probably won't be back in the
NHL for a long time.
And also I always liked Roenick but I did think about
trying to get some one else like Bure but I doubt he
would get traded.

5)  Finally, are you happy with the way your hockey team is now?  And
why?  Are you still searching for another goal scoring left-winger?

No, I am not happy yet. My team definitely needs
another left winger and maybe a different back up
goalie. And I am not pleased when I lose to teams that
are under 500....thats why I need to make a few more
trades.

     St. Louis may be one of the few teams that will threaten the Oilers for home ice advantage during the playoffs.  At the time of this article, the Blues were only two points out of first place.  I tried to reach the Blues' GM David Jans, but he was unavailable for comment. 

     The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, led by GM Eric Brunelle, have been a 
force to contend with all season.  Their offense is second only to the
Oilers.  So far in the season, Anaheim has scored only four less goals
than the offensively talented Oilers.  I caught up with the Anaheim GM
after the blockbuster Yashin for Roenick deal and had a chance to ask 
him a few questions.

1)  Evaluate your latest deal for us.  Do you think that Yashin will
fill the role left by Roenick?  Are you worried that Yashin will not be
available next year, given his situation in the NHL?

<Brunelle> Well Yashin is younger and better than Roenick.  Of course Roenick have a great season in the NHL and his rated will increase next season but Yashin have a better one in the CHL and he could help me in the playoff.  The only risk is if he's not in the league next season.  .  Manson wasn't in my future plan.  he's the kind of player with too much penalty time.  Prospal will probably increase his rate next season.  He's young and have lots of talent.
 

2)  What did it feel like being chosen to coach the CHL Western
All-stars?  Do you really believe that the power has shifted in the
Western Conference's favor this year?

<Brunelle> I was surprised to get this honor.  I was really proud to represent the
Western conference.  The West didn't win all stars games since the league 
begun.  I wanted to let us win the games.  Finally the West won!
 

3)  It looks like your team is rich at the center position.  Do you see
any deals that may involve the veteran Cassels or the Jeff O'Neil? What
do you feel about Ray Whitney, who could be a first line center on some
clubs, being forced to play on the third line behind Sundin and Yashin?
What does your team need to improve to make a push for the top spot in
the West?
 

<Brunelle> From the first season in the CHL Sundin is the Anaheim Captain.  He's our leader and he's untradable.  Actually is 3rd in the point leader in the league and his line with Palfy and McEachern going pretty well! 

Yashin will be in the Anaheim 2nd line with Alfredsson and Whitney. Before to be a center he was a LW and this position his naturally for him. I really like to get a 1st line LW as Shannahan, Leclair, Kariya or Tkatckuk but these player aren't available for Whitney and something else.  So i'll keep all  my team.  To be at the top of our division we try to get Yashin. 

Actually that decision wasn't good but in few weeks we hope that will be better.

     The news out of San Jose is that they are shopping for a first line right winger. It is rumored that GM David Barbosa is willing to part with one of their three goalies in return for someone to provide some offense to the team.  It is not clear, however, 
if Barbosa would be willing to trade Byron Dafoe, who is ranked tenth in the CHL in
goals against.  Although Dafoe has a hefty price tag, he would definitely be an asset
to any team.  Colorado has shown some interest in getting a world class goalie, going
as far as to say they would consider trading all-star Peter Bondra.  Bondra in a Sharks
uniform?  It just might happen...

     Although their leading scorer is still out indefinitely, Calgary still finds a way to win without their superstar defense man Paul Mara.  It is still not known how long he may be out for.  At least center Saku Koivu has returned from injury and has made an impact on the team.  Calgary may need some offense to make a push for the top four 
playoff spots.  Steve Sullivan is their top goal scorer with only 11 tallies.  Two things
need to happen in Calgary in order for them to move up in the standings... Paul Mara 
needs to come back and pick up where he left off, and the offense needs to find a few
consistent scorers.  With Sullivan on pace to score only 16 goals, it will be interesting
to see if Calgary tries to shake up their roster before the playoffs.

     The Nashville Predators have been hot as of late.  They recently came off a six
game winning streak before losing to the Eastern leading New Jersey Devils.  They have only lost twice in their last 12 games going 9-2-1.  Goalie Mike Richter has been a work horse for the Predators and is a huge reason they find themselves in fifth place.
Rookie Lubos Bartecko still leads the team in offense, but for the next 2-3 weeks, he 
will have to watch his team from the press box while nursing an injury. 

Nashville GM, Kurt Laschuk, has said that with Bartecko, Lang, and Dubinsky out, his
team will have to start relying on players who haven't performed so well in the past. 
"We can't always rely on Richter to keep the games close for us," Laschuk said,
"we need tohave players like Korolev, Gardiner and especially Juneau step up their
game to help the rest of the team."

     There's no question that the Los Angeles Kings are rich in left wingers.  All 
three of their top scorers play on the left wing.  Bobby Holik, Jeff Friesen, and
Steve Thomas lead the Kings in points.  Even with the play of these three players,
however, the Kings have a hard time finding the net when they have a man advantage. 
Besides the Holik, Friesen, and Thomas, only two other Kings have scored on the
power play.  GM Larry Gross needs to find a way for his team to score on the power play in order to secure a playoff spot.  They may even find some success playing Holik, Thomas and Friesen on the same power play line.

     The Colorado Avalanche are desperately seeking a starting goaltender to take
the place of Guy Hebert, who is having a mediocre year.  Chris Terreri is having a
good year as the number two goalie, but GM Billy Young may not believe that he can
carry this team to a playoff position.  Young has even been reported as saying, "Peter
Bondra would be available for a good enough goalie."  As teams push forplayoff
positions, an all-star player like Peter Bondra could definitely help any team down
the stretch.  The only question is, how well will Colorado be able to adjust without
their number one scorer.

     With the second most potent power play in the Western Conference, the Dallas 
Stars are looking to edge out Colorado and Vancouver for the final playoff spot.
The power play is led be Jerome Iginla with 4 power play goals and defense man Chris
Pronger who has 5.  Pronger may indeed be the best two way defense man in the 
Western Conference, and with numbers like 20 points and a plus/minus of +9, who
could argue?  Left winger Jan Hlavac is having a breakout year leading the Stars
in scoring with 47 points.  With their offense on track, Dallas needs their defense and goaltending to step up for the playoff run.  Pronger will need help from fellow defensemen Larry Murphy, Robyn Regehr, and especially veteran Chris 
Chelios, who is not having a typical Chris Chelios year.

     The situation in Vancouver is one of goaltending.  They have three goalies who have played in more than ten games.  Vancouver Canucks GM Dan Babic has not had a goalie step up to retain the number one goaltender position. Although Fred Braithwaite, Steve Shields, and youngster Tomas Vokoun all have winning records, not one of them have been consistent enough to earn the number one position in every game.  Vancouver may have two of the brightest future stars, however, in Steve Kariya and Frantisek Kaberle, both of whom are having outstanding years for such young players.  Kariya is 6th on the team with 29 points and second on the team in shots.  Defenseman Kaberle has amassed 20 points and a +20 rating, quite an accomplishment for the youngster.  With only five power play goals, the lowest in the conference, the Canucks will be hard pressed to make the playoffs unless they can improve on the man advantage. 

     Offense, offense and more offense.  This is what the Phoenix Coyotes need if 
they are to even have a shot at the playoffs.  With only 110 goals in 55 games, the
Coyotes are only averaging two goals a game.  Amidst all the Coyotes' offensive woes, veterans Adam Oates and Mark Recchi are surprisingly having good years. Oates has 40 points and Recchi has 35.  Goalie Craig Billington is having a decent year and would surely have more than 16 wins if his teammates in front of him could put
the puck in the oppositions net.  Look for Phoenix to make a move to improve
their offense, because if they do not find some scoring, they may end up without a
playoff spot.

     In Chicago, scoring is not as much of a problem as being scored on.  The 
Blackhawks have been scored on more than any team in the Western Conference.  In
this situation it is hard to place blame on the goaltenders Grant Fuhr and Jani 
Hurme.  Some Chicago fans, however, have been wondering why young goaltender
Hurme has been playing so much despite a dismal 4-12-0 record and a goals against
average of 3.70.  Fuhr has actually managed to amass decent numbers for the 
Blackhawks this year going 14-11-5, with a 2.54 GAA and 2 shutouts, not bad numbers on a team that hasn't been able to keep the puck out of their own net. 
If the Hawks could acquire a decent second string goaltender, they may be able to
move up fromsecond last place.  Center Robert Reichel leads the Hawks with 13 goals
and 33 points.  He is also the only player on the Chicago roster that has scored a power play goal this year.

     Despite the heroic efforts of center Joe Niewendyk, who is averaging a point
a game, the Detroit Red Wings find themselves holding on to the last place in the 
conference.  Niewendyk has 24 goals and 55 points in 55 games.  He is the tied for
fifth in points in the league.  This is quite the accomplishment considering he plays
for a team that averages only 2.04 goals a game.  This means that Niewendyk has been
in on half the goals that Detroit has scored this year.  The Detroit Management should
really consider giving this man an award when the season is done, or at least a big
pat on the back.  Niewendyk has earned his hefty salary this year.  The Wings have 
another glimmer of success in goal.  His name is Frederic Chabot. Chabot leads all
goaltenders in goals against with a GAA of 1.89.  Although Chabot only has 5 wins, he
has managed to keep the Wings in the games that he has played.  He has even managed to get one shutout in his 13 starts.  Not bad for playing on a team that
finds itself 15 points out of a playoff spot with 27 games left.  If the Red Wings are
to have any kind of success they will need to start playing desperate hockey.

Western Conference Playoff Predictions:

1)  Edmonton Oilers
2)  Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
3)  St. Louis Blues
4)  Nashville Predators
5)  San Jose Sharks
6)  Calgary Flames
7)  Los Angeles Kings
8)  Dallas Stars
----------------------------
9)  Colorado Avalanche
10) Vancouver Canucks
11) Phoenix Coyotes
12) Chicago Blackhawks
13) Detroit Redwings
 

Kurt Lasckuk
Nasville GM
CHL Newspaper Reporter

A little race between Anaheim and Edmonton for the best offensive team in the league could be observe yet.  Anaheim is leading by Mats Sundin and Alexi Yashin.  Yashin was in Oilers but in a big transaction sending him to Ducks he start to score an average of 2 points per games.  If he continue on that way he could one of the five best scorer in the league.  Sundin actually running to get head of the point leader list.  Anaheim could also count on lots of great offensive def players as Ozolinsh and Hatcher.  these two defencemen are actually running to get lead for best offensive defencemen.  Plus with the great return of Palfy it could be hard for others teams

About Edmonton, Brett Hull Still one of the best in Power Play but without Yashin his production reduce a little bit.  Jeremy Roenick the key player Oilers get in return of Yashin still a good offensive players but in Power Play is not as Yashin was with Hull.  Viktor Kozlov could helpEdmonton to running fair for the leading position

New Jersey is close of these team.  With his suprising offensive roster it's not impossible they will get closer and win the race.  With two of the best five scorer in the CHL, Jaromir Jagr and Eric Lindros, everything is possible.  Plus Leclair, Modano, Lethinen, Shanahan, etc.  This team could aspire to reach the top!

About Islanders and Bruins.  Definitly these team have a great offensive roster.  With Tkatchuk, Bourque, Allison and specially Peter Forsber for Bruins, and Primeau, Sakic, Kapanen and Demitra for Islanders nothing is impossible.  But with only few games remaining and the more than 20 points ahead for Anaheim get the top will be hard for them.

Links:  The all ranking of team offensive

Eric Brunelle
CHLNEWS editor
Anaheim GM
 

The running for the best defensive team in the CHL is leading by 10 points by the Carolina.  Once again, Dominik Hasek made the difference for the Suprising Hurricains.  Arthur Irbe give lots too! He's actually leading for goalie average in the CHL with 30 games played.

To reach in the 2nd position the race is pretty close.  Lots of team could expect to finish the season at this place.  Actually St-Louis and New Jersey are tied to this place.  With Goalies as Curtis Joseph and Eddie Belfour it's normal to see them at this place.  Plus these team have a pretty good in the defensive ways.

Definitely, this season the Goalie make the difference for the best defensive team in the League.  As we could expect in the Play off one great goalie could lead any team to the cup.  What could make Carolina and Anaheim even if they lead one aspect of the game when two almost perfect team as New Jersey or Edmonton are present in both race.  Probably We will see again these two team in the Cup Final ???

Link:  The all ranking of team defensive

Eric Brunelle
CHLNEWS editor
Anaheim GM

The trade deadline is dwindling upon us, and the Montreal Canadiens figure to
make it to the playoffs.  How far they go, will remain a question, since the NHL
9x series is a pretty random game, and the most desirable results have not been
achieved.  Yet the GM of the Habs, Eugene Kogan feels confident his team is
ready to unload everything for a long playoff run.

TOP PERFORMERS:  The Habs have had several guys really step up this season.
Although he's not putting up the miraculous numbers of last season, Pavel Bure
leads the team with 20 goals, 45 points, and an excellent +31.  Seven players on
the Flyers are in double digits in goals, and Theo Fluery, Luc Robitaille, and
Pierre Turgeon have provided the help for Pavel Bure.  Stillman, Kozlov, and
Valeri Bure have been terrific for the team, and top notch goalie Nikolai
Khabibulin has played like the world-class goalie he is.  Desjardins has led a
quietly steady defense to help out the Habs dominating offense.

STANDINGS:  The Habs currently are fourth in the conference, 2 points behind the
Bruins, 3 behind the Canes, and a whopping 11 behind the Devils who are running
away with the lead.

Let's see how it all comes down to be in the final stretch of the regular
season.  Let's Go Habs!  -

Eugene, GM Habs