Ah, summer camp. A time for fun, adventure, romance, sneaking off into the woods when the councilors are asleep and, of course, stoning Sidney Crosby on a point-blank shot while also shutting him down on a 2-on-0 breakaway.

This was from a summer hockey camp at the Toyota Sports Center last week. C’mon Scott Parse: That’s a perfect one-timer Crosby handed you there. OK, granted, you’re bouncing back from surgery on your labrum and missed all but nine gamed for the Los Angeles Kings. ‘Spose that gets you a pass on the pass …

(Meanwhile, we loved Sid popping one past the goalie after the whistle. He will not be denied!)

According to Mike Silverman, who hipped us to this video, the goalie is 17-year-old Tomas Sholl, who played for the Fresno Monsters of the NAHL last season and will suit up for Bowling Green (CCHA) for 2012-13. From Hermosa Beach, Calif., he previously played for the L.A. Jr. Kings 16 AAA midget team.

And, as you can see from Twitter, he thinks players from Crosby and Matt Duchene, who also attended the camp, are “scary good.”

Here’s a bit of Crosby, Duchene, George Parros and Ryan Miller doing some drills from the camp.

Yes, that’s George Parros of the Florida Panthers. No, we can’t quite wrap our brains around that yet either.

The NHL has a great history, and that history brings some great collectibles to fans across the hockey world. There are many places to find these collectibles, and there are many items that people collect.

The NHL is an amazing league, and its fans have a bond with the players they watch every time the team they love straps on their pads. NHL fans are borderline obsessive in a great way, and the things that can be found are simply amazing.

These are some of the craziest collectibles that I could find. Some are very interesting, and some tell a great moment from hockey history.

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Remember Michal Neuvirth? He was the Washington Capitals’ goalie of the future after Semyon Varlamov was their goalie of the future, and before Braden Holtby was their goalie of the future.

With Tomas Vokoun — signed last summer by the Capitals after Varlamov was traded — playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it appears Neuvirth and Holtby will compete for Washington’s goaltending honors for new coach Adam Oates.

And hey, don’t worry: Neuvirth’s got this. After all, as he tells iSportz.Cz (via Russian Machine Never Breaks’ translation), Holtby is the “weakest competition” he’s had:

“It’s true that until now, I have never been an official number one. But I have played just over a hundred games in NHL, that’s nothing. I’m starting the season sure that I want to play forty/fifty games and I am really sure that I have the weakest competition (Braden Holtby) I’ve ever had. I will try to be number one goalie this season. Finally!”

There’s some important context to consider here, however.

From iSportz:

Q. You mentioned that Holtby is the weakest competition, but he was awesome in playoffs, don’t you think?

He sure is a great goalie. But I can’t compare him to Voky or Varlamov, that’s what I meant. In comparison to those two, he played nothing in NHL and that’s why I take him as the weakest of them three. I’m definitely not saying that he is bad, not at all. I actually like the way he plays. But he is the worst of them three, that’s all.

I’m not afraid because of how he did in playoffs. I think that year ago I played in playoffs the same as he did now. They always say that the second season is the turning point, I’m curious how he will do…

There’s much more at Russian Machine, including insight into the goalies’ relationship (“We don’t do ‘dates.’) and how Neuvirth influenced Vokoun’s decision to join the Penguins.

There’s no question that Holtby matured significantly last season under Dale Hunter. There’s also no question that Dale Hunter Hockey helped him to a remarkable .935 save percentage in the playoffs; and that his early career numbers historically seem destined for a decline.

That said: Is anyone picking against the kid to get the majority of starts for the Caps next season?

s/t again to Russian Machine and their translator, Karolina Martinková of hockey-on.blogspot.cz.

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t possess a superstar such as Steven Stamkos or Evgeni Malkin, their top-six forwards have proven themselves capable of lighting the lamp with regularity.

Beyond sniper Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul experienced a resurgence last season much to the delight of Leafs’ brass.

Mikhail Grabovski anchors the second line and provides adequate secondary scoring.

The off-season addition of James van Riemsdyk provides the Leafs with another scoring option up front, as well as the big-bodied forward they’ve been lacking in recent years.

While the aforementioned players will be entrenched within the top six, the final two spots are up for grabs.

Tyler Bozak has found some success playing alongside Phil Kessel, but he isn’t the answer to Toronto’s No. 1 center question. Nikolai Kulemin had a disastrous 2011-12 campaign and will be expected to rebound.

Clarke MacArthur and Matt Frattin have both seen time on the top two lines, while prospect Nazem Kadri has the skill to contribute if given an expanded role.

For the purposes of this article, the top-six forward group will be comprised of Kessel, Lupul, Grabovski, van Riemsdyk, Bozak and Kulemin.

Of course, injuries, poor play and other unforeseen circumstances generally arise throughout the NHL season. This often means a team’s top-six forwards are generally in flux and players move in and out of the lineup, or up and down on the depth chart.

However, the statistical projections assume they play a majority of the season within the top-six and don’t experience a shortened season due to injury or a lockout.

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The San Jose Sharks sold out every game last season, but owner Kevin Compton told the San Jose Mercury News’ David Pollak that the team lost $15 million in 2011-12.

Last season happened to be a marathon full of twists and turns for the team.  It consisted of disappointing stretches and injuries, and ended with a disappointing first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.

As a result of another competitive season, Compton claims the team lost a good sum of money.

However, he said the team is not affected by the financial deficit.

“We’re OK with that because that’s a decision we’ve made to stay competitive,” said Compton, referring to the fact his team’s player payroll bumped up against the NHL salary cap.

Something does not add up here.

As mentioned, HP Pavilion consistently sells out with players like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture on the ice, and the team has yet to gain a profit?

“We’re a completely liquid organization and so far have continued to fund operations by choice,” Compton said. “This isn’t Phoenix.”

A quick shot on former Sharks owner Greg Jamison, who is currently trying to buy the Phoenix Coyotes.

However, co-owner Stratton Sclavos did clear some things up with his statement about the situation—sort of.

“It all comes back to mission No. 1 — win the Stanley Cup,” Sclavos said. “We have to give the hockey side the resources to put the best team on ice every season that we can.”

A fair point, but with a sold-out arena and a team consistently winning, this team cannot be struggling for cash by any means.

NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk’s Joe Yerdon might have hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the Sharks’ situation.

“Now you have to ask the question: Are the Sharks’ owners being open about losses because of the ongoing CBA negotiations where the NHL is trying to knock their costs down again with the players? It certainly makes for convenient timing for the owners to have a what’s believed to be a successful franchise claim they’re losing money.”

Whether or not Compton and the ownership are telling the truth here is up in the air at this point.  San Jose is a winning franchise with nothing but success since their expansion in 1991, and claiming they are losing money simply does not make sense.

Follow me on Twitter @ScottSemmler22

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

It’s never easy to create a list of all-time greats, and this one is no exception; we’re here to discuss and rank the 50 most skilled players of all time.

First, a few ground rules.

They had to perform in the NHL or WHA. There have been some great hockey players who spent the majority of their career in Europe, but since most of us didn’t get a chance to see them perform there on a regular basis, we aren’t going to consider that here.

Second, no goalies are on this list. Skilled includes shooting, skating, passing, stickhandling and the like. Goalies have some of these skills, but it’s all judged on a different level, so goalies are not eligible for this list.

Obviously, it’s tough comparing players from different eras, but I did try.

People are bound to have different opinions, so feel free to chime in and comment on who you feel I may have missed or ranked too high, too low, etc. Comments are always part of the fun.

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(This month, Puck Daddy asked bloggers for every NHL team to tell us The Essentials for their franchises — everything from the defining player and trade, to the indispensable fan traditions. Here is the crew from Dark Blue Jacket, giving us The Essentials for the Columbus Blue Jackets.)

By Dark Blue Jacket

The Dark Blue Jacket blog writing team of DBJ, Gallos and Alex respectfully submit the following “Essential” Columbus Blue Jackets items for the hockey world’s review and consideration. Having a team that has only made the playoffs once in its 11 seasons (and we’re still waiting for the first playoff win…), there’s a fascinating combination of simplicity, complexity and humor in compiling a list of that which is truly essential about Columbus Blue Jackets hockey.

Enjoy the ride, everyone.

Player

DBJ: Rick Nash. Came in when the team was still in its expansion phase, took them to the playoffs and bailed out rather than hang around for the rebuild once the team hit the cellar. (Like too many fans, sadly.)

Season

Alex: 2008-09, they made the playoffs, duh.

Game

Gallos: Game 4 in the playoffs against Detroit. I have been in the horseshoe, when Ohio State was playing Lou Holtz’s Notre Dame and Eddie George put the team on his back and started the run to the Heisman trophy. The atmosphere in the ‘Shoe was electric, but absolutely did not hold a candle to the atmosphere in Nationwide Arena that day. The loudest, most explosive, craziest sporting event I have ever been to, bar none. It was absolutely electric, and I long for more.

Goal

Alex: Nash’s playoff-clinching goal is probably the way to go, even though his insane highlight-reel goal against Phoenix is still my favorite. To me it’s essential CBJ because it was a great goal, but ultimately meant nothing.

Trade

DBJ: Jeff Carter to LA/Jakub Voracek and 1st rounder (Sean Couturier) to Philadelphia/Jack Johnson and LA’s 2013 1st rounder to Columbus. This actually was two trades, but Columbus fans look at them as one extended personnel move. (We’re used to drawn-out personnel actions. Rick Nash was trade bait forever, you know. Can you believe nobody wanted to give up a Stanley Cup-winning roster?)

Point being, Columbus fans are highly bullish on Jack Johnson. Don’t be surprised if he’s sporting the “C” in C-bus real soon.

Unsung Hero

Gallos: Ken Hitchcock. The dude wrested a team of nobodies and Nash onto a course that ultimately led to their first playoff appearance. He did this with sheer strength of will, hard work, and hockey acumen. Until the franchise villain did his thing (see next) Hitch had this group of nobodies chasing the playoffs. He deserved a Jack Adams for that year, though there was no way he was going to get it. It was an amazing coaching job. His ending in Columbus was ignominious, as he hung around under contract after the idiot GM fired him. He finally got his due in St. Louis this year, winning the long deserved coach of the year.

Franchise Villain

DBJ: Adam Foote. With all due respect to Jeff Carter (who didn’t sign here, never wanted to play here, etc.), Carter wasn’t the team captain that had a plane waiting at the airport after rolling his franchise over a barrel. Foote can keep his Stanley Cup rings – he’s persona non grata in Columbus.

Fight

Alex: Derick Brassard vs. James Neal on 12/18/2008. Ill-advised fight that ended his excellent rookie season prematurely with a separated shoulder. He has never been the same since.

Coach

DBJ: Ken Hitchcock. He figured out a way to get this franchise to the playoffs. Nobody else has come close. ‘Nuff said.

Broadcaster

DBJ: George Matthews. You have absolutely no idea what the CBJ radio play-by-play voice is saying, but you sure as heck have a good time listening to him. He gets downright apoplectic when the Blue Jackets score.

Arena Tradition

Gallos: The Cannon, baby. The freakin’ Cannon. Other teams hate it. ‘Nuff said.

Arena Food

Gallos: $9 Beer. Say no more.

Swag

DBJ: The new 3rd sweater. Put Boomer aside (as he unfortunately debuted at the same time) … the new jerseys (color scheme, cannon logo, etc.) have pretty much taken the fanbase by storm.

Previously On Puck Daddy

The Essentials: New York Islanders edition

The Essentials: Boston Bruins edition

The Essentials: Colorado Avalanche Edition

The Essentials: Dallas Stars Edition

The Essentials: Washington Capitals Edition

The Essentials: Anaheim Ducks Edition

The Essentials: Montreal Canadiens Edition

The Essentials: Detroit Red Wings Edition

The Essentials: Ottawa Senators Edition

The Essentials: New Jersey Devils Edition

The Essentials: Phoenix Coyotes Edition

The Essentials: Florida Panthers Edition

The Essentials: Los Angeles Kings Edition

The Essentials: Carolina Hurricanes

The Essentials: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Essentials: San Jose Sharks

The Essentials: New York Rangers

The Essentials: Edmonton Oilers Edition

The Essentials: Tampa Bay Lightning Edition

Most sports fans can agree that the NHL has the best and most interesting uniforms out of all the “Big Four” major professional sports leagues.

This week, ESPN’s UniWatch has been having fans rank uniforms in each of the “Big Four” leagues, and also having their experts rank them.

Because of this, I will write lists of the best NHL jerseys throughout this week, starting with the colored sweaters that teams wear on home ice.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is intent on sticking it to the players as he attempts to “negotiate” with NHLPA leader Don Fehr.

The main issue for Bettman is money—and how he can make more of it for NHL owners. One of the best ways to make money is to spend less, and that's just what Bettman wants to do. He wants to use less of the NHL's income on player salary.

While the way the money is divided in the NHL is the biggest issue in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, it is not the only issue.

One of the prime areas of concern is player safety. Rules limiting head shots have been initiated over the past few seasons and players have been hit with multi-game suspensions for breaking those rules.

One of the safety areas that should be addressed in the curent CBA talks is the icing rule. If it is not changed, the NHL is asking for a disaster.

Until the NHL changes the way icing is called, players are going to find that they have been put at risk without necessity.

When the defense clears the puck from its half of center ice and sends the puck across the end line, a race regularly ensues between a forward of the clearing team and an opposing defenseman. If the forward reaches the puck first with his stick, the play is allowed to continue. If the defenseman reaches it first, icing is called and a faceoff is held at the opposite end of the ice.

That’s the way the NHL has done it for years, but that’s not the way hockey is played at all levels.

In American college hockey, the no-touch icing rule is used (source: Times-Union.com). Instead of a race for the puck, the team that is called for icing is whistled when the linesman sees the puck has crossed the end line.

In other levels of the game, the hybrid icing rule is used. Instead of allowing the race for the puck to continue all the way to the end boards where a collision could result, the linesman blows the whistle if the defenseman is leading the race by the time he gets to the end zone face-off dots. However, if the offensive player is even or leading the race, the official does not blow his whistle.

The hybrid icing rule is a compromise for coaches and players who are concerned about taking the “speed” out of the game.

This would limit the number of needless collisions and has the potential to limit serious injuries.

Players such as Kurtis Foster have gotten hurt badly while racing to reach the puck first. During the 2009-10 season, Foster was playing for the Minnesota Wild against the San Jose Sharks. Foster was checked into the boards by San Jose’s Torrey Mitchell and suffered a broken leg as a result of the impact.

The hybrid icing rule will be used in the American Hockey League through Nov. 19 (source: Toronto Globe and Mail). At that point, the AHL’s board of governors will vote to see if they want to continue to use the rule through the end of the season.

It would be wise to bring this rule to the NHL if player safety is truly a concern for the league.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is intent on sticking it to the players as he attempts to “negotiate” with NHLPA leader Don Fehr.

The main issue for Bettman is money—and how he can make more of it for NHL owners. One of the best ways to make money is to spend less, and that's just what Bettman wants to do. He wants to use less of the NHL's income on player salary.

While the way the money is divided in the NHL is the biggest issue in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, it is not the only issue.

One of the prime areas of concern is player safety. Rules limiting head shots have been initiated over the past few seasons and players have been hit with multi-game suspensions for breaking those rules.

One of the safety areas that should be addressed in the curent CBA talks is the icing rule. If it is not changed, the NHL is asking for a disaster.

Until the NHL changes the way icing is called, players are going to find that they have been put at risk without necessity.

When the defense clears the puck from its half of center ice and sends the puck across the end line, a race regularly ensues between a forward of the clearing team and an opposing defenseman. If the forward reaches the puck first with his stick, the play is allowed to continue. If the defenseman reaches it first, icing is called and a faceoff is held at the opposite end of the ice.

That’s the way the NHL has done it for years, but that’s not the way hockey is played at all levels.

In American college hockey, the no-touch icing rule is used (source: Times-Union.com). Instead of a race for the puck, the team that is called for icing is whistled when the linesman sees the puck has crossed the end line.

In other levels of the game, the hybrid icing rule is used. Instead of allowing the race for the puck to continue all the way to the end boards where a collision could result, the linesman blows the whistle if the defenseman is leading the race by the time he gets to the end zone face-off dots. However, if the offensive player is even or leading the race, the official does not blow his whistle.

The hybrid icing rule is a compromise for coaches and players who are concerned about taking the “speed” out of the game.

This would limit the number of needless collisions and has the potential to limit serious injuries.

Players such as Kurtis Foster have gotten hurt badly while racing to reach the puck first. During the 2009-10 season, Foster was playing for the Minnesota Wild against the San Jose Sharks. Foster was checked into the boards by San Jose’s Torrey Mitchell and suffered a broken leg as a result of the impact.

The hybrid icing rule will be used in the American Hockey League through Nov. 19 (source: Toronto Globe and Mail). At that point, the AHL’s board of governors will vote to see if they want to continue to use the rule through the end of the season.

It would be wise to bring this rule to the NHL if player safety is truly a concern for the league.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

In signing Scott Hartnell to a 6-year, $28.5-million contract extension, I suppose there’s a bit of astonishment and/or ridicule expected for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Here’s Ed Snider, Big Voice on the owners’ side of collective bargaining, signing yet another player to a long-term deal that sneaks their salary in under the CBA wire. You know, because the system is so inadequate that it was imperative to get Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds locked into 6-year deals before it expires …

But that scorn shouldn’t be transferred to Hartnell, who has earned every bit of that $4.75 million he’ll earn annually beginning in 2013-14 and continuing through his 37th birthday.

Now, $4.75 million annually for a player that’s broken 30 goals twice (including last year’s 37) and 60 points the same number of times might be viewed as overpayment.

I don’t see it that way. He gets that and more as an unrestricted free-agent next summer, salary rollback be damned; hell, if P-A Parenteau is a $4 million a year player after being John Tavares’s wingman, what does Hartnell deserve for having meshed well with both Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux with the Flyers?

Part of the wager here with Hartnell is that he’s going to be a top-line player with Giroux for a good portion of that contract; which, conversely, is a wager that Jaromir Jagr wasn’t more of an engine for that line’s success than he’s often given credit.

Well, save for Hartnell himself, to Dave Isaac of the Courier Post:

Although he started out the year on the fourth line, he quickly found his way to the top unit with Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr, where they all flourished.

“I have a lot left in the tank,” said Hartnell, who will be 37 when the deal expires in 2019. “Last year was a good example. I give Jaromir Jagr a lot of credit for my success last year.

“I was more in-tune practicing with him than I was at any point in my career.”

But projecting Hartnell’s offensive numbers, which should wane anyway as he reaches his mid-30s, misses a more significant number when it comes to this contract: 147.

As in 147 PIMs on average over the last five seasons. That’s enforcement, agitation and tone-setting from a vital forward on some very successful Flyers teams. That’s the ability be as effective running his yap as he is running opponents:

From the Hartnell Down thing to the unbridled enthusiasm at the All-Star Game and the Winter Classic, who he is and what he does is infectious for the Flyers. (Granted, for some opponents it’s like Ebola …)

Lockouts are frustrating and boring for sports fans. Not being able to watch your favorite NHL players during the winter months is a nightmare for people who love hockey.

However, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for another possible lockout so you have stuff to keep you busy, and all the information needed to be aware of all the developments going on with the labor struggles.

Let’s look at five things fans can do to prepare for a lockout.

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Last week, a jury heard details about an alleged chair-throwing incident in May 2009 at Joe Louis Arena between Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray and Rachel Paris, then a stage manager for a rights-holding broadcaster in Detroit. It occurred after a Game 7 win by the Detroit Red Wings against the Ducks, with Paris claiming injuries from the incident cost her the job, as well as her house and car.

At the time, Murray acknowledged that an “accident” had occurred. That’s how the jury saw it, too. But according to the Detroit Free Press, Murray won’t have to ante up any monetary damages to Paris due to a technicality:

Jurors told the Free Press they wanted to award damages to Paris because they thought she was injured in the incident. But they said they couldn’t do that without first concluding that Murray had intentionally assaulted Paris. They said many of the jurors felt her injuries were the result of an accident, not an assault.

Paris’ lawyers, Mayer Morganroth and Daniel Harold of Birmingham, said they were handicapped by decisions made by Paris’ previous lawyer, who withdrew from the case late last year. They said he failed to include a negligence count in the lawsuit, which would have enabled the jury to award damages to Paris even if they disagreed about whether Murray assaulted her.

“What lawyer doesn’t put a negligence claim in a lawsuit like this?” Morganroth said.

Guess we know now.

For the record, Murray said his “accident” with Paris wasn’t a fit of rage but rather that “he merely pushed aside two heavy chairs in the narrow press box in his rush to get to the team dressing room to console his players about the loss to the Wings,” according to the Free Press.

And what GM wouldn’t abuse press box furniture in a mad dash to tell Corey Perry that everything will be alright a full two years after he won the Stanley Cup? Poor kid …

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Here is handsome actor Billy Zane from his short-lived CBS series “Davy Crockett: Vampire Hunter” in which … oh, wait, this is Mark Messier from the SI Vault. Oh. My. Fur. [@SI_Vault]

• John Shannon explains the rules summit that the NHL is undertaking this week in light of the much more interesting and insightful R&D Camp that Brendan Shanahan headed in the last two years. [Sportsnet]

• Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell puts it out there: “It was clear that the NHL was more likely to lose games, or a season with a lockout than the NFL.” [WaPo]

• If you’ve not read it, Tom Benjamin’s CBA piece cuts right to the bone: It’s about owners taking money from players, and not any sort of League-saving philosophical debate. Agree? Disagree? [Canucks Corner]

• The 25 alternatives to Gary Bettman, as presented in a Bleacher Report slideshow. Vince McMahon and David Hasselhoff make the list.[BR]

• “Hockey, booze threatened in looming labour unrest.” The bastards … [The Province]

• This news was originally reported in July by CSN Bay Area, but David Pollak just wrote a followup: The San Jose Sharks claim they lost $15 million last season. [Mercury News]

• Scott Hartnell signs a six-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, following Wayne Simmonds’ six-year contract with the Flyers, following James van Riemsdyk’s six-year contract with the Flyers and brand new locker with the Leafs. Said Hartnell: “I am very happy to be staying in Philly to continue my career playing in front of the best fans in the NHL.” [Flyers]

• Interesting bit about the Nashville Predators’ TV ratings and how they can improve. [On The Forecheck]

• Bourne on the Dallas Stars and their “semi-shady dealings” in finding a team physician. This probably could have been its own column, if it wasn’t already: “As a player, I couldn’t care less about the business-side of the team I play for as long as my paycheck keeps coming and there aren’t any other major needs.” [Backhand Shelf]

• And here’s a news release on those dealings. [Heika]

• Bummer: Mike Danton “had his visa application rejected last week, the Coventry Blaze announced Monday. The team, which plays in the Elite Ice Hockey League, said Danton plans to submit a secondary application to the UK Border Agency.” [CP]

• Yet another Hockeyy Insiderr interview. [Dave Davis]

• Where oh where does Bobby Butler fit with the New Jersey Devils? [In Lou We Trust]

• On the Canadian Hockey League’s players’ union: “Getting 60 per cent of CHL players to sign a union card within a short timeframe would be exceedingly difficult, especially when one factors in that most count on advice from agents and parents who likely have strong feelings about unions. Is a player who’s on the bubble to stick with his team, or an overager who’s out of the league next season, going to sign? And how would a CHLPA withhold services and risk losing valuable development time?” [Buzzing The Net]

• RIP Danny Briere’s mom, gone too soon at 60. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Finally, “Aeron Hockey from Vitalityweb” … a.k.a. the official chair of office hockey.

With the start of training camp scheduled to begin shortly—commissioner Gary Bettman may have something to say about that—there are a number of teams that believe they are in a position to improve over their 2011-12 finish.

Nearly every team that finished out of the playoffs wants to believe they have a chance to get better, and teams that fell short of winning the Stanley Cup would also like to think they are ready to climb the ladder and get closer to the promised land.

While every team wants to get better, including the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, it’s not usually about desire. It’s about making moves and taking concrete steps to improve the roster, the coaching staff and the front office so the on-ice product is better.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, the Anaheim Ducks, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres have made moves that could result in improvement; the six teams featured in this piece will certainly be much better in 2012-13.

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With the possibility of another lockout in just a few weeks time, we should look at some of the most overpaid players in the NHL.

Many of the league’s owners who think player salaries are too high have only themselves to blame.

Nearly all of these players were given insane contracts by teams who had no business handing them huge amounts of money for multiple seasons.

Let’s look at the 15 most overpaid players in the NHL.

Note: All salary information courtesy of Capgeek.com.This list is not in any particular order. Players no longer in the NHL (Sean Avery) or in the AHL (Wade Redden) were not considered for this list.

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