The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Robert Lang from the Chicago Blackhawks today in exchange for a second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The pick up of Robert Lang means that Mats Sundin will unlikely be wearing a Canadiens jersey this year. When asked if the Canadiens had moved on and that Sundin would not be a part of their future plans, General Manager Bob Gainey said yes.

The Rangers have also been rumored to have informed Sundin that he has until next Tuesday to make up his mind, otherwise they also will be moving on.

Back to Lang... in him, the Habs acquired a veteran forward who collected 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists) through 76 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last year. Lang should help bolster a young Canadiens team with both leadership as well as production.... and he's excited to join the Habs.

The Carolina Hurricanes signed their super star forward Eric Staal yesterday to a monster long-term deal worth $57.5 million. The new contract will pay him an average of $8.25 million a year over the next 7 years. Staal is in the final year of his deal and would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer. He recorded 38 goals and 44 assists last season.

Speaking of unrestricted free agents... next summer their will be a few on the market worth looking at... more so for Fantasy Hockey Managers. It's no fluke that players in the final year of their contracts tend to play just a little bit harder in order to cash in over the summer. Those performances allow we the Fantasy GM's to be the beneficiaries. So here's a few worth looking at:

Marian Gaborik. The Minnesota Wild are desperate to re-sign him, but I've heard rumors that he has no desire to play there anymore. Even though his production is solid, I think he feels stifled by Coach Jacques Lemaire's defense first system. Regardless of what style he plays, look for him to play lights out this year, and if he hasn't been extended by February, I wouldn't be surprised to see him traded at the deadline.

Marian Hossa. Hossa went to Detroit to win a Stanley Cup. He took a modest one year deal at $7.5 million (in contrast to the long term deals that were apparently floating around in the $10 million range) in order to come to Detroit and compete for a Cup. Hossa is banking on his skill, and club to not only land him a championship, but a ridiculous contract this summer. Don't be shocked if he is playing for his 4th club in two years by July, and it should be no surprise whatsoever that he is going to post huge numbers this year.

Henrik Zetterberg. I'm sure Detroit will re-sign him, and there's a chance he could be extended prior to the season opener, but what if they don't? What if he's imagining what he would be worth on the open market? Imagine if Zetterberg decides to test free agency come July? All that being said, imagine the season he's going to have. Regardless, signed or not, this guy is awesome.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh