Jeff Carter is playing today.

Still trying to decide which game was better last night: Chicago/San Jose, or Brandon/Calgary? The Wheat Kings staged a huge comeback, led by Brayden Schenn and Matt Calvert. Martin Jones held Calgary in it through two periods but the Hitmen faded a bit in the third.

Jay Fehr scored the OT winner for Brandon. Jay is NOT the younger brother of Eric Fehr. The Calgary Herald said the two were related – just a huge coincidence! Both are from Manitoba too.

Jamie Benn scored both goals for the Texas Stars last night, including the OT winner. He now has 13 goals during the AHL playoffs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit 60 points next year. Benn is a big player and uses his size well to shield the puck (much like Getzlaf and Spezza). Dallas likes him at center, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will be able to move Mike Ribeiro this summer (which also hinges on their ability to agree on an extension with Brad Richards). I said this yesterday, but I find Benn to be undervalued because he lacks the hype of comparable rookies. Don’t expect it to continue much longer, though…

I hope Dobber is enjoying his final few days in Cancun! I checked the weather there yesterday – 30 degrees (Celsius, for you Americans) and sunny. Not too shabby…

The NHL and KHL have signed an agreement of 'understanding.' Not an official transfer agreement, but it is a step in the right direction. KHL President Medvedev stated that “today we took an important step towards establishing a constructive partnership and mutual cooperation between the two leagues. We expect that in the future all questions regarding interaction between the KHL and NHL will be concluded in a solely civilized manner within the framework of the agreement reached today.”

It remains to be seen if anything positive will come of this. Most of all, I think both sides want to limit the poaching of players under contract.

Still looking for suggestions/feedback with regards to my top 10 combo players (points/PIM) and special teams players (power play points and shorthanded points) lists. How should I value the categories? I want to try and eliminate the obvious players (we all know how valuable Crosby, Ovechkin, and Malkin are).

My opinion on Kovalchuk to the KHL (one I have shared a few times) – not going to happen.

I am 99.9% confident that Travis Hamonic will be patrolling the blue line for the Islanders in 2010-11. He is big, fast, nasty, and skilled. Reminds me of Seabrook – might even play with more of an edge. Seabrook had 24 goals and 95 points over his final two WHL seasons. Hamonic had 23 goals and 79 points in his final two. He ended up playing about 30 games less than Seabrook due to a shoulder injury he sustained back at the World Juniors this past winter.

Ian Lapperiere is probably playing tonight for the Flyers. His list of injuries this season is impressive, but his latest (and most serious) takes the cake – bruising of the brain from a shot block. He recently had a CAT scan and everything came back negative (which means positive, those in the medical industry need to get their act together). Toughness is hard to quantify, but Lappy has it in spades. The fact that he quoted Dumb and Dumber in a recent interview makes me like him even more!

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"For what I went through three weeks ago, it's like a miracle," Laperriere said. "It's like the movie Dumb and Dumber' one chance in a million."

Laperriere's other serious injury (seven teeth lost, 100 stitches in his face) led to some hilarity as he tried to film a commercial. Check it out here.

Edmonton prospect Teemu Hartikainen is making the move across the pond to North America this summer. Edmonton's new AHL affiliate (the Oklahoma City Barons) will be Hartikainen's home for at least the 2010-11 season. Hartikainen was Finland's most impressive forward (in my estimation at least) last winter at the 2010 World Juniors. He plays a strong two-way game and is pretty feisty to boot.

Breaking news: the Penguins in fact do NOT plan to trade Evgeni Malkin! Wow! I for one am shocked. A contending team isn't looking to trade one of the best players in the world? This is unprecedented.

My style of ramblings is a bit different than Dobber's, and I hope you have enjoyed reading over the past week! I have always been a bit more of a hunch/feel guy compared to Dobber, who leans a bit more on statistical support. I have also been posting more news and general interest stories with the lack of relevant fantasy hockey goings on. Things will start to pick up again fantasy wise with the Entry Draft and July 1^st.

It sounds like Ron Hextall is the frontrunner for the Tampa Bay GM position. I wonder if he'll want his starting goalie to play like this on a more regular basis?