In The Crease

One reason the Flames traded hard-nosed defenseman Todd Simpson to the Panthers last week for feisty forward Bill Lindsay is that Calgary management felt Simpson had not played with his usual aggressiveness since suffering a concussion in March....

The league crackdown on the size of goaltenders' gloves (reduced from up to 50 inches in circumference with no restriction on length, to 48 inches in circumference and 19 inches in length) may have an undesired effect. Netminders are concerned that the shorter gloves will not protect them from wrist injuries as well as the larger ones did....

Expect 19-year-old Red Wings rookie Jiri Fischer to be an impact player in a couple of years. The 6'5", 210-pound defenseman has impressed coach Scotty Bowman with his crisp outlet passes and a booming shot from the point that's usually on target. Bowman has the luxury of bringing Fischer along slowly because the Wings are so deep on the back line since the tandem of Mathieu Dandenault and Aaron Ward has meshed so well....

The wisest goaltending pickup during the off-season may have been the Senators' trade for Patrick Lalime, whom the Mighty Ducks gave up with defenseman Anti-Jussi Niemi, for forward Ted Donate With the knee injury to Ottawa's No. 1 netminder, Ron Tugnutt, Lalime will have to carry the Senators. In their season opener last Saturday he stopped 17 shots and shut out the Flyers....

Second-year player Brendan Morrison, a Devils restricted free-agent holdout, made a poor decision by missing training camp and now has no leverage with Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey's no-nonsense general manager....

Don't be surprised if Blues' wing Scott Young has an outstanding year. He is finally pain-free after playing with an injured wrist last season.