Obviously the biggest of these announcements is Scott Niedermayer's decision to play or retire. It seems like GM Bob Murray is expecting a decision on Monday, June 21st, but I wouldn't be surprised if it took a few days after to actually announce it.

That decision, of course, probably has a huge effect on Teemu Selanne's decision to retire or continue on. If Niedermayer returns, Selanne will almost certainly return.

If Selanne returns, I'd bet that Saku Koivu will also return. Koivu became the leader of the Ducks, the one who's voice resonated in the locker room and who's on-ice play mirrored his off-ice leadership. Koivu has had a taste of Southern California, and I'm sure he'll take that into consideration as well, particularly since he knows the pressure of a tough hockey market like Montreal.

It almost seems like dominoes, the way decisions depend on others. But..

If Niedermayer does end up retiring, then all bets are off. The Ducks would likely go through quite a dramatic change in the off-season, leaving only the top line and goaltender position intact. There are a few options the Ducks can look at in free agency, but I'll wait until after the draft to speculate on any possibilities.

Other issues that haven't been addressed yet are a few important RFA's: Bobby Ryan and James Wisniewski. Both seem to be having a difficult time negotiating with Bob Murray, which is actually great to see as a Ducks fan. We know Murray is managing the cap to the best of his ability, particularly after some of the comments from Ryan recently.

The Orange County Register quoted Ryan as saying he understands that Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are going to be the highest paid players, and he hasn't asked for more or equal pay compared to them. He actually said he isn't asking for anything close to those numbers, which leads me to believe he's requesting around $4.5 million per year or less.

The sticking point, it seems, is the term. It seems like Ryan is requesting a four year contract, meaning he would be an unrestricted free agent at contract end, and it seems Murray wants to do a three year deal to maintain ownership of Ryan's rights.

Either way, Ducks fans can be sure that Ryan won't be going anywhere, unless something absolutely ridiculous happens (i.e. someone offers him $8 million/season). It would be ridiculous because the Ducks would be owed four first-round draft picks. That possibility always exists, however, so don't be too confident yet. Remember - Paul Kariya walked away when no one thought he would.

Wisniewski will be a bit more difficult to get signed. It seems he's asking for a three-to-five-year contract, and at a much higher amount than he was paid last season. Murray is clearly hesitant because of injury and suspension issues. A trade is very possible at this point, as is arbitration.

Speaking of trades, there were a few of them in the NHL recently. Don't be surprised if the Ducks are one of the teams that tries to scoop up a pending unrestricted free agent to have exclusive negotiating rights before free agency hits July 1st. If the Ducks do choose this route, they will most likely target a defenseman.

This week will definitely be an exciting one for hockey fans!

Brian Burke knows that Kaberle is the only desirable player on the Leafs (except maybe Mikhail Grabovski or Luke Schenn), and that he doesn't have any first round picks. Ducks GM Bob Murray is likewise smart enough to know the same, and that Toronto can't even submit a decent offer sheet with the lack of draft picks. Case closed.

Speaking of draft picks, I figure it's worth noting what the Ducks would receive in compensation should Ryan accept an RFA contract and the Ducks decide to not match. The final numbers will not be determined until next year's salary cap is put in place (which should happen this week), but it should be similar to this year's, so we'll use those numbers. The compensation schedule is below, taken straight from NHL.com.

Let's be reasonable here - the Ducks will almost certainly match any contract up to the $6.02 million. Beyond that amount, it really doesn't matter what the Ducks do. If they match a $6 million + salary, they  keep  Bobby Ryan. If they let him go, they get at least four draft picks, two of which are in the first round. It's not quite win-win, but hey, it's better than nothing.

And let's not kid ourselves by thinking someone will offer over $7.5 million. Ryan isn't that good, and no NHL GM is would mortgage that much of the future for Ryan. As good as Ryan is, he's not a franchise player a la Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Drew Doughty, or Martin Brodeur.

I couldn't call myself a hockey fan if I didn't mention the Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory. They are the epitome of a team that was bad for a long time but rebuilt the right way. They're in for a world of hurt with salary cap issues next season, but hey...it was all worth it for Chicago fans. Congratulations, and please trade some of your talented players (Kris Versteeg, anyone?) to Anaheim as you fix your cap problems this summer.

Speaking of the Stanley Cup...

You've got to hand it to Chris Pronger. The guy knows how to talk trash. For those unaware of the situation, here's a recap: After Chicago won the Stanley Cup, Adam Burish was asked about Chris Pronger and said "I think Chris Pronger's the biggest idiot in the league. I can't stand the guy one bit. I hope I never have to see him again, and if I see him out there I might punch him."

 

Hockey and TBI

 

Hockey is arguably one of the most physical professional sports. Hockey players are constantly getting body checked, slammed into boards, falling to the ice, slapped by a stick, hit by a dense, speeding puck or getting punched during a fight. If that isn’t bad enough, hockey players take part in one of the longest regular seasons of any sport, effectively taking on harsher pain for a longer amount of time throughout the year.   Risk of injury couldn't be clearer as you all too commonly see hockey players missing their front two teeth. With all of the injuries that can occur, one of the most dangerous is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is a silent injury that can cause harm to the mind and body of an individual. An injury to the head or brain can alter someone’s life and can even require long-term rehabilitation and care from a  skilled nursing facility (http://www.caremeridian.com/patient-services). These injuries are often far too common in the sport of hockey and if not properly treated can permanently leave a hockey player's life challenging than the game they play.

 

TBI is an injury that Philadelphia Flyers player Ian Laperriere knows all too well (http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/top_sports/20100428_Flyers__Laperriere_likely_done_for_season_with_brain_contusion.html). In game 5 of an NHL playoff game with the New Jersey Devils, Laperriere took a slapshot to the face that immediately caused him to bleed excessively from the wound above his eye and lose sight. Laperriere was diagnosed with a brain contusion after having a MRI a few days later. While Laperriere may have originally thought that losing sight in one of his eyes was the worst of the two injuries, in reality the bigger concern could wind up being the long-term effects of the brain injury.

 

Concussions have been dismissed as minor injuries because the physical nature of most sports causes them to occur regularly, but, frequently occurring or not, they are still head injuries where the brain is forced to move violently within the skull and the way it functions could change permanently. When the brain moves in such a manner, it can bruise, bleed, and even tear, which can cause irreversible damage to the victim. For a sport like hockey, this type of injury is very common and unfortunately at times ignored. Many hockey players don't take into account the possible effects of the injury and because it might not seem like a serious problem exists at first, they keep on skating as if nothing occurred. Their unawareness of the injury makes the it so much more dangerous because a mild brain injury can turn into a life threatening injury in a very short period of time without seeking immediate medical treatment.

 

Studies by the National Academy of Neuropsychology's Sports Concussion Symposium in New York have shown that since 1997, 759 NHL players have been diagnosed with a concussion (http://www.livescience.com/culture/081110-sports-hockey-concussions.html). Broken down, that averages out to 76 players per season and 31 concussions per 1,000 games of hockey. That is far too frequent of an occurrence for such a serious injury. It's a frightening statistic that should send up a red flag to hockey officials that actions need to be taken to further prevent this type of injury from occurring.

 

The best, and sometimes only, treatment for TBI is prevention. For the National Hockey League  new rules are being considered that preserve the game but also help protect the players (http://www.oregoninjurylawyerblog.com/2010/03/traumatic_brain_injury_risk_le_1.html). Rule changes concerning blindside hits, rink size (which effects players space from each other and their proximity to walls), and stronger helmet requirements all have been considered to help curb TBI and its effects. This demonstrates that the NHL is aware of the seriousness of the injury and is taking proactive steps to help prevent it from happening.

 

Hockey is one of the most popular sports in North America and has millions of people participating in it every year. Unfortunately, the sport comes with the risk of a TBI.  With the right awareness of the injury and the necessary precautions in place, the game should be able to continue with players excited to lace up their skates and enjoy it.

Granted it's probably not the easiest deal to get done. Ryan is coming off back-to-back 30 goal seasons and has proven to be a great power play player. He was selected to team USA for the Vancouver Olympics and did pretty well there as well, considering who his line-mates were.

But how much is Ryan actually worth? Let's try to walk through this logically, using the only established way of determining a player's value: comparable players.

We really only need to look as far as current Ducks players. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry signed deals at an identical total number: Five years at $5.325 million per. The reason Bobby Ryan isn't up to this standard is for one main reason: these two players had already won a Stanley Cup for the Ducks before they signed these matching contracts. That experience is enough to push a player's contract numbers just a little higher than it might be otherwise (i.e. Rob Scuderi and his $3.4 million salary and Brad Richard's and his $7.8 million salary).

There are other comparable players that might change this equation, however. Look at a guy like Thomas Vanek. He's getting paid an average of over $7.1 million per season as a result of a restricted FA offer sheet presented to him by Edmonton and matched by Buffalo. To be fair, Vanek has tried very hard to make the contract worth it, scoring 40 goals on two occasions and playing a very defensively responsible game.

Then there's the player that is almost identical in every way to Ryan: Phil Kessel. The young, American player was drafted early in the first round and played only parts of his first two seasons with the Bruins, the rest of which were played in the minors. In the final year of his entry-level contract, Kessel scored 36 goals in 70 games. Unable to sign a contract with the Bruins, Kessel was traded to the Maple Leafs, where he promptly signed a five year deal with a cap hit of $5.4 million per year.

Because Kessel is the same as Ryan in so many ways, it's fitting that Ryan would receive a similar contract as him. With that being said, the Ducks have already set a bit of a precedent with the contracts Getzlaf and Perry received.

For that reason, I bring Ryan's number down to $5 million per year for five years.

There are other forces working against that lower number, though. One of them is Ryan's RFA status. I mentioned Vanek because Ryan is in a similar situation to Vanek's a few years ago. Vanek was a promising young player, but not worth nearly the $7 million he got - not yet, anyway. But that's the risk the Ducks are taking if Ryan remains unsigned on July 1st.

Also working against the Ducks is the fact that salaries increase as seasons pass. The problem is the salary cap isn't budging much, and this will present another issue. Should the Ducks have $16 million tied up in three forwards? My opinion is yes, because that's a lot cheaper than other teams' top three players.

And let's not forget about the ongoing saga of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne. Will they return or won't they? How much money will that leave? What about Saku Koivu? Well, all three of these guys are older, so sign Ryan first.

While Ryan should only get paid $5 million per season, I'd be willing to pay him up to $5.75 million, just to avoid the uncertainty associated with July 1st.

Anyone who follows the NHL is aware that the President's Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, the team with the best regular season record, lost in seven games to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Every Capitals fan was disappointed, and one can only imagine how the Caps' players felt after that game.

But even after this heart-breaking loss, Brooks Laich had it in him to be as selfless as one can be. On his way home from the game, Laich noticed two people, each wearing a Cap's jersey, stranded with a flat tire on the side of the road. He proceeded to pull over and ask if he could be of assistance, eventually pulling out the spare tire and changing the flat for them...while wearing what had to be an expensive suit.

Now tell me - what NBA, NFL, or MLB player have you heard of doing something like this? Granted we've all heard the "NBA Cares" marketing campaign, but we hear more often of those athletes bringing guns to the arena or being involved in questionable activities with underage women than we do of generous acts.

Plain and simple, the NHL has a much lower rate of criminal acts than the other three combined (no hard evidence to support this, just common sense). And it's not a stretch to assume the NHL has more good, character people than the other three leagues combined.

Ducks fans need only look to the most popular player, Teemu Selanne, as evidence of this point - a man who will stay and autograph every fans' items before leaving.

Would Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' most popular player, do the same? Not a chance.