All-Star Scraps and Swedes
A few thoughts as All-Star weekend wraps up here in Atlanta ...
1) They're trying. Give them that, at least. This All-Star notion runs counter to hockey's team-first culture, as we've all noted this weekend. But the league -- and at least some of the younger stars -- are making a conscious effort to break out of that mold a little bit. Good for them: It's about time.
2) The SuperSkills contest was better this year, I thought. Still needs lots of tinkering, but the YoungStars switch actually produced a pretty entertaining game of shinny Saturday night, and the revamped shootout competition was a step in the right direction. Next year, you'll see a lot better attempts, too, now that the players have seen what itxt takes. Ovechkin & Co. will have many more tricks up their collective sleeve coming in.
3) They should have Sid the Kid back next year, too. And it'll be in Montreal, which will make for a great atmosphere.
4) Talked to Wings GM Ken Holland earlier today and he denied the report suggesting they've got Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom locked up. That said, the talk here in Atlanta is that Brunnstrom's short list of five teams is down to 2 or 3 finalists, and I think the Wings are the frontrunner. There won't be any difference in money, most likely -- all the teams will max out on the bonuses they offer with that 2-year entry-level contract -- so the big question for the young Swede may be whether he thinks there's room for him in the Wings' '08-09 lineup or not, compared to the situation in Toronto or Vancouver.
5) The Forsberg-to-Philly talk was the prevailing opinion here in Atlanta. No surprise there. I've had at least one member of the Wings' management team tell me in the last week that Forsberg feels he has "unfinished business" with the Flyers, not to mention a good friendship with Simon Gagne and the fact his girlfriend still has a nice place in downtown Philly. Forsberg's supposed to meet with a foot specialist this week and he hopes to play in a tournament in Stockholm Feb. 7-10. There's even speculation he'll be signed by the Flyers as early as Valentine's Day. Sounds like he's looking for a reasonably-priced deal for the rest of this season and next year, too.
