It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division.
It appears we are setting up for an offseason of significant change in the Northwest Division. Only the Vancouver Canucks will have the same coach as last year, and there could be some real upheaval in terms of personnel. Not only that, but two teams (Minnesota and Colorado) have changed general managers.
After stepping down as head coach of the New Jersey Devils two weeks ago, rumors instantly started to fly about Brent Sutter taking over behind the bench of the Calgary Flames. After all, Brent's brother, Darryl, is currently the general manager in Calgary, while the team recently had its head coaching spot become available after Mike Keenan was fired following the Flames' opening round loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to TSN, the Sutter family reunion is close to happening, as reports are indicating Brent is nearing an agreement to take over as the Flames' bench boss.
To the surprise of precisely no one, Brent Sutterstepped down after two years as head coach of the New Jersey Devils. Between his desire to be closer to family and the potential interest in joining brother Darryl in Calgary, Brent Sutter had every reason to leave.
As Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello searches for a replacement, an old friend seems to be emerging as a serious candidate. This, too, should come as a surprise to nobody.
While Sutter has been successful with the Devils, his roots are in western Canada. Not only that, but his brother, Darryl, is the general manager of the Flames.
With that in mind, there appears to be a connection between Brent Sutter's decision to resign as the coach in New Jersey, and the fact that Darryl Sutter has yet to name Keenan's successor.
The Hurricanes must not have been content with letting the Washington Capitals take the spotlight for the night. After the Capitals defeated the Rangers in a thrilling contest on a stellar shot from Sergei Fedorov, the 'Canes one-upped that ending with their own miracle finish, scoring two goals in the final 80 seconds to overcome a 3-2 deficit and eliminate the Devils. The 'Canes advance to play the Bruins in the second round.
But that's a discussion to have later, because Carolina deserves to revel for a night in its tenacity, busting through a Devils defense that stifled for 55 minutes, particularly in the second half of the game. The sequence that unfolded over the game's final minutes left the jaws of everyone watching agape, with the Devils and their fans staring at the floor wondering how their season went from dashing to deceased.
It had to be this way -- the most evenly-matched series in the league's opening round, two parallel teams who have been equals in the stat sheet through six games, naturally leads to a Game 7. That fate was sealed for the Hurricanes and Devils after the Hurricanes played near-perfect hockey in dispatching the Devils in front of a thoroughly pleased Carolina crowd that included elite Panthers wideout Steve Smith and Tyler Hansbrough of the national champion Tar Heels.
The 'Canes did their part in living up to the presence of those two, responding to a shutout loss in Game 5 with a forceful effort in which Brent Sutter summed up thusly, "The difference was that one team played like there was no tomorrow and the other didn't."
The New Jersey Devils have a chance to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Sunday night. They've won two of their last three without captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who has been out with a lower-body injury.
Heading into Game 6 against Carolina Sunday, the Devils expect to have their captain back in the lineup. It's a huge boost to a team that has been involved in close game after close game so far in this series.
As we continue to digest the incredible events of Tuesday night's Carolina-New Jersey game in Raleigh, it's obvious that at least one Devil is still quite bitter about what went down.
Goalie Martin Brodeur impressed nobody when he slammed his stick around as he skated off the ice after the last-second Hurricanes goal was reviewed and allowed to stand. After the game, his anger hadn't settled down very much, and he made sure everyone knew why he was upset.
In a set of first round playoff series that look, at least on paper, to be more competitive than usual, the most hard-fought battle might be the one between the Devils and the Hurricanes. The teams entered the postseason at opposite ends of the spectrum -- the Devils waded through March like they were wearing cement boots, while the Hurricanes, despite losing their last two of the season, finished remarkably hot.
Tom Gulitti is the Devils beat writer for the Bergen Record and, as the voice of Fire & Ice, one of the best beat bloggers in the league. He took some time out to speak with FanHouse about the Devils and their first-round matchup.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division. 
There have been a lot of shocking developments over the years in sports. Tuesday's announcement in Calgary was not one of them.
To the surprise of precisely no one, 
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The Hurricanes must not have been content with letting the Washington Capitals take the spotlight for the night. After the Capitals defeated the Rangers in a thrilling contest on a stellar shot from 
It had to be this way -- the most evenly-matched series in the league's opening round, two parallel teams who have been equals in the stat sheet through six games, naturally leads to a Game 7. That fate was sealed for the Hurricanes and Devils after the Hurricanes played near-perfect hockey in dispatching the Devils in front of a thoroughly pleased Carolina crowd that included elite Panthers wideout 
The New Jersey Devils have a chance to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Sunday night. They've won two of their last three without captain 
As we continue to digest the incredible events of Tuesday night's 
