Brad Richards

As training camp arrives, every NHL team is facing a pressing question. We've looked at the Central, Northeast, Atlantic, Southeast and Northwest. This time, let's lightly turn our thoughts to the Pacific.

Ask an old-timer to describe the prototypical Montreal Canadien and he'll quickly paint a visual picture of a player gifted with speed, fury and elegance ... topped off, of course, with the gift of a francophone surname.

The day the NHL should have recognized that not re-upping with ESPN was a mistake was Aug. 23, 2005.

The talk around Columbus, the site of the NHL Entry Draft, is that there will be a considerable amount of wheeling and dealing this weekend, and it won't just be anonymous picks swapping hands as teams try to move up...

Ducks in a Row