In The Crease

Chances are good that the Canadiens' elite defenseman Vladimir Malakhov will be wearing another team's sweater next season. Malakhov, who can become an unrestricted free agent in July 2000, has already told Montreal management that negotiations for a contract extension will begin at $4.5 million per season. Malakhov compares himself to Red Wings defense-man Uwe Krupp, who earns $4.1 million per....

Because of the huge escalation in salaries this decade, many NHL teams are struggling financially, but these woes could have been prevented. Here are two things to remember: First, commissioner Gary Bettman waived the right to reopen the 1995 collective bargaining agreement, which runs through the 2003-04 season, so that the Players' Association would agree to participate in the Nagano Olympics; second, the owners also rejected the opportunity to reopen the agreement because they wanted to maintain labor harmony, thereby increasing the value of franchises in the short term and, thus, the fees paid by expansion franchises, of which there would be four added by the 2000-01 season....

The best fourth line in the NHL belongs to the Hurricanes, with center Kent Manderville and wings Kevin Dineen and Paul Ranheim. The line has speed (Ranheim), grit (Dineen) and skill (Manderville) and should be a useful weapon for Carolina in the playoffs, when most teams rely more on their first three lines than they do in the regular season....

The next time you see the Bruins, watch how many of their players have the ability to beat a defender one-on-one coming out of the corner in the offensive zone. This helps Boston draw penalties (the Bruins are ninth in the league in power-play success rate, at 16.7%), which could be a factor in the postseason....

The best-kept secret in the NHL is Blues forward Pavol Demitra. Through Sunday he had one fewer game-winning goal (10) than the Stars' Brett Hull, the man he replaced on St. Louis's top line this season. The 24-year-old Demitra was acquired from the Senators in November 1996 for defenseman Christer Olsson, who now plays in Europe.