SI.com's David Vecsey tackles three issues from around the league:

1	Who will finish with more goals: Brett Hull or Jaromir Jagr?

Brett Hull Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images/NHLI Jaromir Jagr hit the 500 mark the other night, and Brett Hull's next goal will be his 700th. So he certainly has a nice head start. Of course, Hull turns 39 this summer while Jagr will be 31 in two weeks. Time is on Jaro's side. This is not a discussion for stats and paces and ratios, however. Though there are some interesting ways to look at it: Hull averages .6 goals per game and averaged nearly 45 goals over his first 15 seasons. Jagr, who scores .5 goals per game, averaged 39 goals over his first 12 seasons. Hull has scored fewer than 30 only three times, and never fewer than 24. Jagr, though it seems like he has had off-years, has never checked in with less than 27. (And that was in his rookie season. He has topped 30 every year since.) Basically, what you have are two of the most consistent goal-scorers in NHL history. It doesn't really matter who finishes with more, but in this business we specialize in things that don't matter. Jagr already is mingling with the Hall of Famers at 500, but it's a long way from 500 to 600. Even longer from 600 to 700, and I don't know if he has that longevity in him. That's five seasons at 40 goals per just to be where Hull is right now. He's capable of that, physically. But given the sometimes joyless nature of Jagr's game, it's hard to see him pumping in 40 goals at age 36. Jagr is the Scottie Pippen of hockey. At first blush, it might have appeared that he was dimming his own star alongside Mario Lemieux. But after he gets out on his own, out of the shadow, you find that his impact is not in direct relationship with his stats. Still great, but still missing that certain je ne sais quois. Hull is the exact opposite. He's all je ne sais quois, a michievious imp flashing his dimples to the principal and promising to never, ever do it again. We should all enjoy our work the way Hull has embraced his for 15 years. Where Jagr has been the tortured artist in scoring 500, Hull has laughed his way to 700. Child's play. Hull could pass Mike Gartner (708) and Phil Esposito (717) this season to climb into fourth place on the all-time list. Next year, he could clip Marcel Dionne (731) for third. After that, it's only Howe (801) and Gretzky (894). Hull could set his sights on Howe if he wanted, because he has 100 goals left in him. But I'm thinking Hull puts in two more years and finishes somewhere between 750 and 775, happy enough to be third all-time. And Jagr? Give him four more years and checking out around 650.

2	Do we like the shootout?

Marty Turco AP We love the shootout! In the All-Star Game. Even in minor league games. But in actual NHL games? It's not going to happen. Fans and players alike seemed to enjoy the shootout that decided the All-Star Game on Sunday. But no players were ready to fully endorse it for everyday use. Shootouts are the worst part of soccer and they would be the worst part of hockey, even though scoring on a hockey penalty shot is much more exciting and challenging. Soccer players who don't score on their penalty shot should be shot. In some countries, they are. As I was struggling to articulate my feelings on the shootout, my far-more-articulate colleague Jamie MacDonald did it for me. And I quote: "I believe in every argument against them, but fans get out of their seats for them the same way they do for a fight," MacDonald said. "It's instant drama. It's selling out, and pandering to instant gratification, but it's worth discussing." For centuries, the entire civilized sports world has tried to rid itself of tie games. (Bud Selig notwithstanding.) We don't like ties. We don't like having to say, you played great ... and so did you. We like winners and we love losers. Contrary to our Declaration of Indepedence, no two teams should be created equal. Hockey's current system isn't without flaw. Overtime loss? Four-on-four? A point for the loser? Did a bunch of 12-year-olds in the back yard make this stuff up? Any time you change the basic rules of the game just to decide a winner, you're entering "it's getting dark and I'm late for dinner, so let's end this thing" territory. And the four-column standings have created nothing but confusion and given platform to sports editors who still think hockey is a second-tier sport. Shootouts would prove them right. I want a winner every night, too. But not as the result of a carnival game.

3	What does Sandis Ozolinsh do for the Mighty Ducks?

Sandis Ozolnish Scott Cunningham/Getty Images Anaheim got the jump on the trading deadline frenzy by quietly picking up defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh right before the All-Star Game. Perhaps nobody else suspected that a guy who was about to play in an All-Star Game on his home ice would be traded days before the game. Ozolinsh gives Anaheim a nice boost on the blue line, where he can play a lot of minutes and contribute offensively. He will be a big factor on a power play that already is seventh in the league at just under 20 percent. But the most important thing he gives the team is a message that they're still competing for the playoffs. With the team sitting in eighth place in the West and anticipating a pack finish to the wire, it was important for ownership to show its players that it was going to bring in help. This gives the Ducks another known quantity to play alongside Paul Kariya and Adam Oates, who is starting to contribute after a miserable first half. Anaheim has always been a one-line team, and it still is. But with the emergence of goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere and the addition of Ozolinsh, it's starting to add a few pieces.