A couple of quick notes before I head off to the rink for a few hours….

Blues Gm Doug Armstrong said today that there is no debate, Eric Brewer is the Captain of the St. Louis Blues. This is a smart move by Armstrong that will earn him some points inside the dressing room. Brewer is a quality pro who doesn't deserve the embarrassment of being stripped of the "C". Management was in full support of Andy Murray giving Brewer the "C" three years ago and it would make little sense to take it away now. I hope Brewer makes a little more of an effort to open up to the media and fans this season as he's a very interesting person once he lets his guard down.

The Blues will formally introduce Jaroslav Halak to the fans and media during a press conference Thursday morning.

I’ll have more on the Blues later.

The Phoenix Coyotes are interested in signing Center Kyle Wellwood. Look for Wellwood to begin skating with Coyotes players in Phoenix in the next couple of days. Word is Wellwood would entertain going to Coyotes camp on a PTO. (Professional tryout)

Anyone who paid attention to this summer is well aware there’s been a very small market for centermen.

Veteran forward Darcy Tucker remains without a contract to play NHL hockey this season. I’m told he has no interest in attending a training camp with on a tryout and will not go to a camp without a contract. He remains hopeful to play.

When looking at the New Jersey Devils cap situation people must realize the team must move over four million dollars as they still need to sign players to fill out the roster. I keep hearing $3 milllion as the number which is incorrect. Plus New Jersey will still want to leave around $1-2 million of cap room for injuries so the actual amount of money GM Lou Lamoriello may need to move could be closer to $5-6 million when it’s all said and done.

The entire Ilya Kovalchuk saga seems so out of characteristic for Lamoriello that it’s pretty obvious the signing was driven by Devils Ownership. I just can’t see Lou going through all this hassle for one player, it’s not his style.

The NY Rangers have shown some interest in Ruslan Fedotenko and could invite the veteran player to camp on a tryout.

More to come,

Andy Strickland

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