Both the NHL and the NBA (presuming it can sort out it’s labour dispute) are looking at pretty uninspiring free agent classes this season. When Joe Thornton re-upped with the Sharks, Dallas centre Brad Richards was left as the lone marquee target in the league – and he’s probably approaching the tail end of his prime.
Teams aren’t letting their young talent hit the unrestricted market, and the CBA makes acquiring restricted free agents an overly expensive proposition. (Yes, Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty are “available,” but their teams aren’t letting them go, and there aren’t many GMs who hate draft picks enough to after them.
That leaves most of the talent available in the off-season of the grizzled veteran variety. Still, there are a few young pieces available, but most of them carry pretty sizable risks. Brooks Laich was set to be the best young forward available, but the Capitals opted to keep him as part of their talented, young core.

The Defencemen

1. Christian Ehrhoff, Vancouver Canucks (negotiating rights traded to NY Islanders, then to Buffalo) – The 28-year-old German has established himself as a top-pairing NHL defenceman, and frequently looked like the best player the Canucks had on their back line. He scores plenty for a solid two-way defenceman. Buffalo is the third team to try to sign him – he’s obviously expecting a serious pay day.
2. James Wisniewski, Montreal Canadiens (negotiating rights traded to Columbus) – The 27-year-old Wisniewski has a huge shot for a relatively small defenceman, and frequently anchored the Canadiens power play. Maybe not a top-pairing type, but a solid contributor who deserves a payday just for his “obscene gesture” at Sean Avery.

The Forwards (Buyer Beware)

3. Ville Leino (27) – Philadelphia Flyers – Leino wasn’t particularly well-liked by the Red Wings, who typically have an eye for spotting talent, but became a sparkplug for the Flyers in their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. He’s got decent talent and size, though he’s been quite inconsistent and he often seems disinterested in battling in the corners.
4. Tim Connolly (30), Buffalo Sabres – Connolly has the play-making abilities to be a terrific first- or second-line anchor, and has looked like a star at times over the past few seasons. Sadly, he spends as much time working with team doctors as he does with hockey players. Concussions have held back his career, and with all the concern over post-concussion syndrome, you have to wonder how much longer he’ll be a professional hockey player.
5. Tomas Fleischmann (27), Colorado Avalanche – The only person taking a bigger risk than the GM who signs Fleischmann is the talented winger himself. He appeared to be on his way to becoming a 60-plus point guy before doctors discovered he had a serious blood disorder that’s caused him to miss significant chunks of two seasons. If his career weren’t in jeopardy, he might have been the first player on this list.

Ray Emery

6. Ray Emery (28), Anaheim Ducks – The soap opera that is Razor Ray’s career took another interesting turn last season when he emerged as arguably the best of the Ducks revolving-door in net at mid-season. He seems to be on the straight and narrow right now, still possesses all the talent in the world, and is only 28. It’s hard to say if, or when, he’s going to do something stupid or fall apart on the ice, but he’s certainly an intriguing high-risk, high-reward option.

While Belmont Stakes odds have been getting a lot of attention, you’re missing out if you haven’t been paying attention to the Stanley Cup finals, which is now a best of three after Boston and Vancouver both held serve at home. Vancouver is still favored to win it all ahead of Game 5 on Friday night at Rogers Arena, but Boston is catching up in terms of odds.

The Canucks are -175 favorites, and they are trying to bounce back from a beatdown in Boston, in which the Bruins outscored them 12-1 in Games 3 and 4. The Bruins beat the Canucks on the scoresheet, physically and mentally, and they’ve seized control of the series heading back to Vancouver, where they lost Games 1 and 2 by a goal each, and Game 2 went to overtime, so they should be confident about their chances. The series changed when Vancouver’s Aaron Rome knocked Boston’s Nathan Horton out with a devastating head shot, and the Bruins definitely played like a team who wanted to win for their fallen teammate. Combined with Vancouver’s Alex Burrows’ bite on Patrice Bergeron in the series opener, this matchup has taken on a nasty tone.

The referees are slowly losing control of the series, and they have to be more consistent. There is such a thing as letting players play, but both teams are taking liberties and the officials have to step in. Look for the way Game 5 is called to affect the sports betting odds going forward.

While the Canucks and Bruins battle for the biggest trophy in the NHL, the league is also approaching its 2011 awards ceremony, to be held in Las Vegas on June 22. Unsurprisingly, after finishing atop the NHL standings, Vancouver has finalists in the running for several of the awards, so the Canucks could find themselves with quite the pile of hardware by the end of the month.

Here are one man’s predictions of how the awards will shake out on June 22.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Most sportsmanlike player)

Finalists: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings; Martin St. Louis, Lightning; Loui Eriksson, Stars

Pick: St. Louis. St. Louis is not only a class act, but still one of the best players in the NHL and the beating heart of a good lightning team. Being sportsmanlike doesn’t mean being soft, and St. Louis competes as hard as anyone.

Calder Memorial Trophy (Most Outstanding Rookie Player)

Finalists: Logan Couture, Sharks; Michael Grabner, Islanders; Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes

Pick: Skinner. If voting was held after the playoffs, Couture would probably grab the award on account of his excellent two-way play and overall importance to the Sharks throughout the post-season. But because this is a regular season award, it goes to the 18-year-old Skinner, the only nominee without any previous NHL experience. He led all rookies in scoring and finished 2nd on the ‘Canes in goals and points.

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward)

Finalists: Logan Couture, Sharks; Michael Grabner, Islanders; Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes

Pick: Kesler. Datsyuk won the last three Selke’s for a reason – there’s simply no better defensive forward in hockey. But the Russian veteran only played 56 games this season, so it’s hard to imagine him taking the trophy. Kesler has emerged as one of hockey’s most dominant two-way players over the last year or so, and the fact that he scores more than both of the other finalists will certainly help.

Norris Memorial Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman)

Finalists: Zdeno Chara, Bruins; Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings; Shea Weber, Predators

Pick: Weber. Weber certainly isn’t as high-profile a player as Chara, nor does he have a comparable legacy to Lidstrom, but he’s been a rock for the Predators – the closest thing to a star on a team that pushed the powerhouse Canucks to six games in the second round of the playoffs. This is a bit of an optimistic prediction, as the voters will likely sway towards the more established stars, but Weber deserves the recognition.

Vezina Trophy (Most Outstanding Goaltender)

Finalists: Tim Thomas, Bruins; Roberto Luongo, Canucks; Pekka Rinne, Predators

Pick: Thomas. It’s hard to argue with any of the finalists. Luongo had arguably his best season yet and led the Canucks to a President’s Trophy, but he also had the best team in hockey in front of him. Rinne was invaluable for the tough, defensive Predators and should be in the Vezina conversation for years to come. The 37-year-old Thomas, though, should be a Hart candidate for his incredible, acrobatic play for Boston. His .938 save percentage set a single-season record and a 2.00 GAA is nothing to sneeze at either.

Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player)

Finalists: Corey Perry, Ducks; Martin St. Louis, Lightning; Daniel Sedin, Canucks

Pick: Perry. All three finalists had terrific seasons in 2010-2011 but if value is measured by imagining how a player’s team would be without him, Perry is the clear winner. A betonline scam? Definitely not. If the Sedin twins were nominated together as one unit, they would certainly be the winner, but as it stands, there’s two of them and the Canucks have plenty of weapons. St. Louis is the heart and soul of his team, but he plays on a team with two former No. 1 picks who do a lot of the heavy lifting for him. Perry carried his squad on an incredible run in the final third of the season, and stepped up his game even further in the absence of Ryan Kesler. No player was worth more to his team this year than Corey Perry.

It may lack the big-event stature of the NFL’s, or the unintentional comedy of the NBA’s, but the NHL’s Draft is just as important for building a winning team as any other. The Pittsburgh Penguins built a championship around three top draft picks, and while there may not be a Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in this year’s group of prospects, there’s quite a few star-quality skaters available who could help form the foundation of a championship squad.

The Edmonton Oilers will pick first, looking for a player to complement Taylor Hall, last year’s first overall pick.

Here’s a quick look at some of the best prospects available when the 2011 NHL Entry Draft kicks off at the Xcel Energy Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Red Deer Rebels

Generally considered the front-runner for the first overall pick, Nugent-Hopkins is a skinny centre with great vision and puck-handling abilities. Some scouts have suggested he sees the ice as well as any player since Wayne Gretzky. If he’s the pick at number one, the Oilers strategy is clear: Taylor Hall scores, Nugent-Hopkins sets him up.

Adam Larsson, D, Sweden

Larsson was viewed by most as a consensus top pick entering the 2010-2011 season, but wasn’t quite as dominant as some hoped. Still, he’s an 18-year-old kid playing amongst men in Sweden’s top league. He’s a big, well-rounded defenseman who can really skate and lay a big hit on occasion. He would fill a much more pressing need for Edmonton than Nugent-Hopkins would.

Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Kitchener Rangers

The Swedish-born Landeskog is a big, physical two-way forward adept at playing both with power and skill. He doesn’t project as an elite goal-scorer, but plays extremely hard and should contribute immediately and earn the respect of his veteran teammates. Many scouts think he could become a captain early in his career.

Jonathan Huberdeau, C, Saint John Sea Dogs

Huberdeau has been rapidly climbing draft boards over the second half of the QMJHL season, and only further impressed scouts by leading the Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup, the first time a Maritime team has brought home the CHL’s top prize. He’s a crafty two-way player with great hands and the ability to both set up and score goals on his own.

Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville Voltigeurs

Couturier might not have the skills to develop into a first-line centre, but has drawn raves for his two-way play and could be a great second-line anchor.

Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener Rangers

Murphy has named Capitals defenceman Mike Green as his favourite player, and it’s easy to see why. Murphy is one of the most offensively dangerous defenders in junior hockey, able to explode into the rush and slip past opposing defences. He complements that great skating with a big shot and good passing ability, as well.