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The Wild Days of the NHL

It has been an interesting week for the NHL with the draft coming and going and trade rumors swirling. With the free agent frenzy set to begin on July 1, I offer you these thoughts about what could be a very interesting few weeks for a league on a sudden upturn.

1. Rumor has it, fannation rumors that is, that the Boston Bruins are interested in Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Marion Hossa. If the Bruins indeed land the superstar, it will officially allow me to name one Bruin when asked at dinner parties. I just don't understand why a team so committed to playing suffocating, boring defensive hockey would be hot of Hossa. I mean, they need the scoring, but Hossa's 40 goals will not allow them to make significant headway among the growing powers in the East. I just don't know why a scorer like Hossa would go to team putting so much concentration on defense. I just don't want an offensive playmaker to disappear on a defensive team. Speaking of this, what is this rumor about the New York Rangers being interested in San Jose Sharks' defenseman Brian Campbell? Did the just Rangers realize they have the ton offensive playmakers and a great goalie conducive to playing an open style? Just a thought.

2. I was excited for the NHL Draft this past weekend. I attempted to get familiar with some of the youngsters in the draft, but really I was interested in possible deals. Here in the Buffalo, the big rumblings have been about the future of Sabres' forward Maxim Afinogenov. With a $3 million plus price tag for this season, it seems Buffalo's brass is looking to unload the speedster to a new location in order to open some cap space for a free agent. As the draft came and went, it was somewhat suspiring to see Max still be a Sabre by Sunday night. I am very much on the fence about Max. Though a classic example of a player in need of a new coach and a fresh start, Max's incredible speed makes it very hard to give up on him.

3. The Tampa Bay Lightning made the right choice by hiring Barry Melrose as head coach. Melrose gives the 'ing a face, a personality. It makes them interesting. When it comes to hockey in Florida, interest can sometimes be very hard to ignite. Plus, Melrose is already the most interesting coach in all of hockey.

Never too early for football

Personally, I think it's too early to make official NFL picks. However, you piqued my interest enough to make some general predicitions on the upcoming season.

AFC East: Bill Belichick and the Patriots are only going to be angrier and more obsessive about trying to find any advantage they can find over an opponent. Plus, as long as Tom Brady is standing up right, they will be the favorites in this division. The Dolphins can go nowhere but up, while the Jets' busy offseason does little help in the win column. The Bills' recent distractions may have been unexpected, but if Marshawn Lynch's season goes sans suspensions, the team will finally get past that 7-9 glass ceiling.

100 Days ... Part 2

Here are my NFC predictions as of now:

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys -- I am not counting the Giants out of this spot by any means, but I need to see Eli Manning of the 2008 playoffs in the 2008-2009 regular season first. The Cowboys still have a great defense and could be very hard to throw on with new corner Pac-Man Jones paired with Roy Williams. The lack of receiver depth is a worry, but the running game should be able to carry the Cowboys to at least the east crown. They will get stiff competition from the league's deepest division, but they simply have too much talent to be out of the playoffs.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers -- Yes Farve is gone, but I have faith in Aaron Rodgers, even though no one else does. With three years of sitting under his belt, Rodgers should know this offense well enough to make the right throws. Really, how many games did the Packers win last season based solely on Favre's play? The OT Denver Game? The Pack also have one of the best defenses in football, and the unit is still young. Last time I check, and despite what John Madden might tell you, Favre did not double as an LB.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints -- I will be honest, I am taking a wild guess here. One of three teams could win this very weak division. If Deuce stays healthy, the Saints will be more than up to the task of winning it.

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks -- The rest of this division is not quite ready to take down the birds. I think Matt Hasselbeck and company will be able to send Mike Holmgren out with one last division championship, but a return to the Super Bowl seems unlikely simply due to age on both lines and a lack of WR depth.

Wild Cards:

New York Giants -- The G-Men will be back in the playoffs, and maybe even win the NFC East if Manning is as good as he was in the playoffs. They might also have one of the deepest RB units in all of football. Really, its the Giants depth at key positions, save QB, that make them a threat to again go deep into the playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings -- Call me crazy, but Pater King's Monday Morning Quarterback column from a week ago made be a believer in third-year QB Tarvaris Jackson, who seemed lost at times last year. King painted the picture of a QB dedicated to winning and learning the mental side of the QB trade. Jackson also has Chester and All Day in the backfield to help him out.

100 Days Until a New NFL Season

Okay, OTA???s might have just started, but a new NFL season is only 100 days away. There is still a lot of offseason to go, including possible injuries and releases, but it is never too early to look at what teams might finish where. Here are some early predictions for the playoff teams come this winter in the AFC with the NFC coming later this week:

AFC:

East: New England Patriots -- They are still better than any other team in this division, regardless of their losses at corner and the still unresolved issues surrounding spygate.

North: Cleveland Browns ??? The schedule is tough (AFC South and NFC East), but the Steelers have almost the same schedule, except plus the Patriots and Chargers. The Browns will win this division in the last few weeks of the season. The only way the Browns miss again: they can???t find a way to at least split with the Steelers.

South: Indianapolis Colts ??? The Jaguars will give the Colts the stiffest competition they have seen in years for this division, but Peyton will find a way to keep the Jags from claiming the division his Colts have ruled since its creation.

West: San Diego Chargers -- The Bolts still are not deep at WR, but will have enough to beat out the dysfunctional Broncos, the improving Raiders, and the very young Chiefs.

Wild Cards:

Jacksonville Jaguars -- Their offense is finally starting to gel, but the Colts will still have their number. This being said, the Jags could make a Super Bowl push if the passing game really takes flight and the defense stays healthy while incorporating young parts.

Buffalo Bills -- Now, call me a homer if you like, but the numbers stack-up for Buffalo. They should get fours wins in the division, and could sweep an NFC West in transition. The Bills could also take three of four from a weaker AFC West. The young Bills will have to gel quickly on offense and get red zone touchdowns out of rookie WR James Hardy.

Also up for the final Wild Card: Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Who needs excitement? Let's see some wins!

Ever since the report came out about Mike D'Antoni being the new Knicks coach, all I've heard is how exciting this team will be next year and it could generate interest in the franchise while Donnie Walsh works to clean the roster.

Excitement is all fine and dandy, but all I want from D'Antoni and Walsh's first season is progress. Under Isiah, other than a couple of decent draft picks (David Lee, Renaldo Balkman, etc), there was none. In fact, the Knicks have only gone further backwards to the point where Scott Layden seems like an upgrade!