In The Crease

The latest strategy of Bob Goodenow, the head of the NHL Players' Association, is to make copies of all sound bites and newspaper clippings in which league executives talk about the strong financial state of the NHL. The players' association then distributes these to agents, who use them when negotiating deals. General managers, who have been telling agents that budgets are tight and that there isn't that much money available for player contracts, will be in for a long summer....

Some things you should know following the Senators' shocking sweep by the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs: First, Ottawa lacks leadership. The Senators didn't re-sign former captain Randy Cunneyworth after last season and gave the leadership role to star center Alexei Yashin, who didn't handle it well. Yashin not only failed to score a point against Buffalo but also took some foolish penalties. Second, look for Ottawa, which rotated competent goaltenders Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt this season, to seek a bona fide No. 1 netminder in the off-season. Third, with 12 Senators becoming free agents this summer, expect a big personnel shake-up....

One Ottawa player who did perform up to his potential was forward Shawn McEachern. He showed grit and speed throughout the series against the Sabres despite playing with a torn abdominal muscle. He will undergo surgery this week to repair the injury, which began plaguing him at midseason....

The NHL is losing a key behind-the-scenes administrator in Garry Lovegrove, the league's managing director of central registry, who's quitting after the entry draft in June. Lovegrove, who has been with the NHL for 33 years, knows the ins and outs of waivers and league bylaws better than anybody. With three expansion clubs entering the NHL in the next two years, it wouldn't be surprising to see him end up in a team front office.