the 4th star

This past summer has been all about the money. There was the unrestricted free agent *frenzy.* That was around the same time the Phoenix Coyotes financial problems came into the spotlight, when BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie threw his two cents into the fray and the league kept talking out of both sides of its mouth. You know, the place they seem reluctant to put their money in.

Screwed up contracts — both legitimate Chicago fuck-ups and the over-spending variety — became commonplace, and some players decided to gamble on the bigger payday in Russia. Terms like “escrow” and “cap numbers” came to be a part of the conversation, too. Then there was even more change — and even less sense — from Patrick Kane, who allegedly tag-teamed a Buffalo cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.

It seems talk of climbing out of this recession has put money on the mind and our mind on the money, so in the spirit of cash, let’s take a look at all 21 teams 30 teams as training camps get set to fire up this month. Like most financial ventures, some teams will offer a greater return than others.

Buffalo Sabres

Northeast Division
2008-09 record: 41-32-9, third in the division, 10th in the conference
Cap space: $8.426 million

Tip sheet:
Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff have been with the Sabres since Dave Snuggerud. OK, maybe not that long, but they have put in their time over there…TV annoyance Harry Neale lives in Buffalo and he should stay there…Ryan Miller, when healthy, is a pretty good goaltender. Notice the ‘when healthy’ condition…Does anyone have one of these?

Fun fact:
Play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret has called every Sabres season except one. The first season (1970-71) was told to hockey fans by some guy named Dave Hodge. Yes, that Dave Hodge.

You should really invest in this club because…
They are always the underdog.

The bottom will fall out because…
They are always the underdog.

Key acquisition:
As expected, they were awfully quiet with the free agent dollars this summer, but they did bring back Mike Grier to hammer bodies on the fourth line.

Bottom line:
As mentioned, it’s hard to root against these guys. If everything falls right and they avoid injuries in net and on the blue-line, the Sabres could find a playoff spot. With no real game-breaker (Thomas Vanek is good but he’s no game-breaker), the Sabres require a different hero every night.

This past summer has been all about the money. There was the unrestricted free agent *frenzy.* That was around the same time the Phoenix Coyotes financial problems came into the spotlight, when BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie threw his two cents into the fray and the league kept talking out of both sides of its mouth. You know, the place they seem reluctant to put their money in.

Screwed up contracts — both legitimate Chicago fuck-ups and the over-spending variety — became commonplace, and some players decided to gamble on the bigger payday in Russia. Terms like “escrow” and “cap numbers” came to be a part of the conversation, too. Then there was even more change — and even less sense — from Patrick Kane, who allegedly tag-teamed a Buffalo cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.

It seems talk of climbing out of this recession has put money on the mind and our mind on the money, so in the spirit of cash, let’s take a look at all 21 teams 30 teams as training camps get set to fire up this month. Like most financial ventures, some teams will offer a greater return than others.

Boston Bruins

Northeast Division
2008-09 record: 53-19-10, first in the division, first in the conference
Cap space: $1.764 million

Tip sheet:
Centre Marc Savard is is poised to be a UFA after this season…Outside of Zdeno Chara, I can’t name another Bruins defenceman…Can anyone name the Bruins GM before Peter Chiarelli? If you said Jeff Gorton, go get yourself a beer…Cam Neely wasn’t good enough to play with the Vancouver Canucks.

Fun fact:
Bobby Orr, the Bruins greatest player of all time, is an agent. His group currently represents Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Marc Staal, Rick DiPietro, Nathan Horton, Jeff Carter, Steve Downie, Tomáš Kaberle, and Colton Orr (no relation).

You should really invest in this club because…
Depth up front. No one blows you away, but the B’s roll four lines at teams and wear them down by the third period. Milan Lucic is all hype so far, but he’s poised to be the next great thing in Bruins hockey. This could be the year (don’t hold your breath).

The bottom will fall out because…
Tim Thomas. Not sold on this guy. The thing about goaltenders who flop around like Thomas is that the laws of averages eventually catches up with them. If you recall correctly, Mike Palmateer had a couple good seasons, too.

Key acquisition:
Defenceman Derek Morris was their only real grab this summer and at $3.3 million it was a reach of monumental proportions. Monument. Statue. See where this is going?

Bottom line:
Should challenge for the President’s Trophy again. Not enough on the back end to get it done, though. Coach Claude Jullien doesn’t get enough credit for what Boston did last year.

Long weekend. Party hardy. After the week we’ve all had, we could sure use the extra day. So, if you’re a football coach who doesn’t do well talking to people or a football player who doesn’t do well in life, consider this break yours. Perhaps you’re a football team that just lost sight of what’s important. Or maybe you’re a goaltender about to have a change of address or a couple of girls who have already dropped out of school and had to borrow 10 bucks from their old man? If so, then the extra day should help get things back on track.

Friday Wrap Jam. It ain’t no big thing.

Big Bomber game Sunday in Saskatchewan. Something to set that up will be coming later today or tomorrow, as will a couple more NHL team previews. For those stations along the network, I won’t get back from the lake until Monday night, so hold tight. Alright.