In The Crease

The Red Wings, who released Bill Ranford and lost Norm Maracle
to the Thrashers in the expansion draft, now need a backup for
goalie Chris Osgood. Don't be surprised if they make a trade for
Flames veteran Ken Wregget....

NHL trainers, who gathered last week in Kansas City for their
annual meeting, conducted a study on groin pulls and made
recommendations to help cut down on those injuries. For
instance, the trainers advise players to skate a minimum of 18
times during August. The study showed that players under age 27
are three times more likely to pull a groin muscle in training
camp if they don't adhere to that schedule; players who are
older than 27 increase their risk of a groin pull six times if
they fail to follow the August skating regimen....

With a four-on-four overtime format taking effect next season,
one opponent no team wants to face is the Mighty Ducks. Not only
do they have snipers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, but they
also acquired swift-skating offensive defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky
from the Coyotes last week. Those three players on the ice at
the same time could be dynamic....

Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Swedish twins who were drafted
second and third overall, respectively, by the Canucks, got a
taste of the grueling travel they'll experience in the NHL.
While they were flying home to Sweden from Dallas during the
Stanley Cup finals, during which they were introduced to the
media, their plane was diverted from Chicago to Des Moines,
where they spent more than four hours on the ground playing
cards....

Trading up to draft explosive wing Pavel Brendl at the No. 4
spot and abrasive center Jamie Lundmark at No. 9 was a coup for
the Rangers. Expect them to be one of the busiest teams this
summer, because general manager Neil Smith has been given the
green light to sign a number of unrestricted free agents. His
top targets? High-scoring Avalanche forwards Theo Fleury and
Valeri Kamensky, steady Colorado defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre and
rugged Canadiens backliner Stephane Quintal....

Dave Tippett, who was the coach of the International Hockey
League's Houston Aeros, is in the running for one of the Oilers'
assistant coaching jobs....

Commissioner Gary Bettman should consider hiring former Montreal
president Ronald Corey, who resigned after the season, as an
intermediary between the Canadian franchises and the league
office. Corey is widely respected throughout the NHL, and hiring
him would signal Bettman's commitment to the six remaining teams
in Canada.