Its’s official – 11 years and $58 (sorry for the typo earlier) million for Jeff Carter. Not sure what to think of this contract…

Goldie: If you didn’t think Hiller was elite before today, he’s proved it in the last week. Bryzgalov continued to show signs of energy drain vs CGY last night. Fleury FINALLY heeded my advice and displayed an intense/desperate effort from the drop of the puck. He could suddenly surge, so be aware. Holtby gets start #2 tonight. Rinne scouting report here.

Milan Hejduk has 16 points in his past 10. He has lost a few steps (and I thought he was washed up last season), but he is a smart player and still can shoot the puck.

Keith Ballard is a healthy scratch again tonight. I really like Alain Vigneault as a coach but I am dumbfounded as to what he is doing here.

In the long run this little stretch won’t matter, but Ballard needs to play to get back into game shape. Aaron Rome is a solid defenseman but the long-term success of this club depends considerably more on Ballard.

Sami Salo is way ahead of schedule and could make a return in mid-December. That would surely mean a Kevin Bieksa trade, as the Canucks would need to clear $3.5 million off the books to make room for Salo’s contract coming off the LTIR.

Cam Fowler had two helpers and played over 24 minutes last night. He has played over 20 minutes per game in five of Anaheim’s six consecutive wins.

His improvement from the beginning of the season (only a month or so ago) has been remarkable.

Jay Bouwmeester had three goals and 29 points last season. He is currently on pace for six goals and 29 points this season. Hey, at least he’s consistent!

Don’t look now (or you can, the choice is yours), but the Ducks have won six straight games.

Brent Burns was given five and a game for butt-ending Steve Bernier at the end of the Wild/Panthers game last night. He tried to get his hands up but the stick to the face looked unintentional to me.

Minnesota has quickly found out what Chicago learned long ago – Cam Barker is a brutal defenseman. He needs a ton of PP time with stud linemates to produce (his even strength production at the NHL level has always been below average).

The fact that Chicago got Nick Leddy AND a pick for him still amazes me. I am a huge supporter of the proven over unproven theory, but all that Barker has proven is that he is a one-dimensional defenseman.

Dennis Wideman is on pace for 55 points, and he has points in eight of Florida's last 10 games. The trade is working out very well for both teams.

Rick Nash missed last night's game with a lower-body injury.

Kyle Wilson took Nash's spot on the top line – he had a rough game, going pointless and finishing with a minus-3 rating.

David Jones scored twice last night – he has missed the past few games with a minor hand injury. He's got 25 goal upside but can never seem to stay healthy.

The first time I have written this in a while – Marc-Andre Fleury had a good game last night. He faced only 16 shots, but he stopped 15 of them. Baby steps…

The Pens score five, and Malkin is pointless with over five minutes of PP time. What gives?

Kris Letang is showing no signs of slowing down. He has five points in his past four contests.

After going pointless in four games, Alex Goligoski has four in his past five games. He won't produce at a consistent rate, but he should still finish close to the 50-point mark.

Matt Taormina saw no PP time last night – the duties were shared between Andy Greene and Henrik Tallinder.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored the OT winner for the Devils – very fitting after his embarrassing shootout blunder a few nights ago.

David Clarkson has points in consecutive games – huge news considering he has four points all season.

Both Mattias Tedenby (who impressed the heck out of me last night) and Alexander Vasyunov both scored their first career NHL goals for the Devils.

Tedenby reminds me of Parise a bit (even smaller). Hard on the puck, and it seems to follow him around the ice.

ESPN stat – Edmonton is 4-26-3 on the road since December 2009.

The Comish takes an extensive look (here and here) at the 2007 World Junior Tournament. A must-read for all poolies!

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been sent to the AHL. His minutes have decreased a bit lately and the team wants him playing more. I am not that surprised – Dave Tippett favors veteran players as much as any coach in the league.

If any friends or family of Mike Smith are reading the ramblings today, I apologize. He is an awful, awful goaltender.

TSN's headline today – Nazem Kadri gets the call. Toronto's offense is miserable – I know I am pouring gasoline on a hot fire here… but what did the team expect with the forward group they have? Simply not enough talent to score goals on a consistent basis.

The Blues have signed David Backes to a five-year contract extension worth $4.5 million per season.

Ottawa prospect Bobby Butler has 12 goals in 14 AHL games – good enough to lead the league as a rookie. Get him on your radar now! The Senators would be best off keeping him in the AHL all season, but if they struggle to score goals all season it would be awfully hard to ignore his potential.

Some AHL updates:

Michal Repik is second in the league in scoring with 21 points in 16 games. He only has four goals, but isn't far off from being a regular with the Panthers.

Zach Boychuk is off to a great start for the Charlotte Checkers. He wasn't very consistent last season in either the AHL or NHL – he was passed over by a number of players on the depth chart in Carolina at training camp. A good start is a great sign for poolies who own him in keeper leagues.

Luke Adam isn't far behind Butler – he has 11 goals as a rookie. Look for him to challenge for a roster spot in Buffalo as early as 2011-12 – probably a year before most people had him pegged to break through.

Mark Dekanich is off to a terrific start – he was obviously miffed at losing the backup spot to Anders Lindback in camp. Through 11 games, Dekanich has eight wins, a 1.48 GAA, and a .945 save %.

Dobber and I have decided to open up the forums to both praba/GMGates and duballstar014. The quality of both submissions was top notch, and I feel that they will provide very different (but both excellent) scopes of fantasy hockey information to one another.

Tedenby’s first:

Vasyunov’s first: