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MONTREAL -- A thrill-a-minute hockey game, fueled by early season mistakes and opening night jitters, had the folks at the Bell Centre on the edge of their seats.

The NHL’s most passionate theater to watch the sport had fans gasping for air, as the Original Six rival Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens exchanged chances like a game of shinny.

It was great stuff.

And then an unfortunate and scary scene absolutely sucked the life out of the building.

New Habs tough guy George Parros, in his second fight of the game with Leafs enforcer Colton Orr, fell awkwardly to the ice and smashed his face, immediately knocking himself out.

Out came the stretcher as fans held their breath, a riveting hockey game just not quite the same afterward, even with Montreal making things interesting with a late goal to make it 4-3 as Toronto still held on for the win.

The thoughts in both dressing rooms were channeled toward Parros, one of the game’s most likeable characters.

Toronto coach Randy Carlyle coached the tough guy in Anaheim for many years. "Great person, he was a great guy to coach," Carlyle said after his team’s season-opening victory. "Just real unfortunate."

But what you were not going to get from either Carlyle or his counterpart Michel Therrien of the Canadiens was an attempt to conjure up the fighting debate in this league. Both are old-school coaches who believe in the importance of fighting in the game, and Tuesday night’s incident certainly wasn’t going to change their views.

"Just bad luck in that situation," said Therrien, who was relieved to hear the concussed Parros was alert after he got to the dressing room. He later went to hospital. "You don’t see those situations a lot. He fell and hit his face on the ice."

The incident instantly spurred debate on social media, just as it always does.

I don’t need to sit on my soap box again on this night. I said my peace last season when Ottawa Senators forward Dave Dziurzynski was knocked out by Leafs tough guy Frazer McLaren.

Everyone who reads me understands that I believe the game could survive without fighting. My belief is simply based on my fear that one day a player will die in a fight on the ice. Pure and simple. I say that because Don Sanderson did die in a Senior A Ontario game fight in 2009.

Am I concerned how the game would look if the "rats" in our game weren’t policed? Yes, I am. And I don’t have a good answer for that other than I’d hope the refs would police it as well as they could.

And you cannot discount the emotional lift that some fights do provide in games. The Habs seemed buoyed by Parros’ first fight with Orr, as well as Travis Moen taking on Mark Fraser.

I totally understand that and do not argue that fights in games have an impact. No question, they do.

But I come back to my one and only concern, the only one I’ve ever held on the sensitive subject: I’m worried we’ll have a tragic incident one day, because today’s players are just stronger and bigger than ever.

When Parros does recover and speaks his first words with local Montreal media, I can guarantee he’ll say it’s part of the job and he understands the risks involved. He’s a thoughtful and intelligent person who long ago accepted what went along with his trade.

But the debate will rage on every time we see something like Tuesday night’s incident.

Other observations from Toronto’s opening night win over the Habs:

• The Leafs took two points despite a horrendous defensive effort.
  
  "We have to be better defensively for sure," Carlyle said.
  
  Lars Eller was left all alone in front of the net on the opening Montreal goal; Paul Ranger taking the wrong man, while Carl Gunnarsson's fall to the ice gave the Habs an easy 2-on-1, which produced Brendan Gallacher's 2-1 goal.
  
  Blame early season rust, perhaps, but the Leafs need to tighten up.
• On the flip side, James Reimer was there to clean up the mess, stopping 34-of-37 shots and justifying Carlyle’s decision to start him over Jonathan Bernier on this night.
  
  "Just a hunch, he’s played well in this building since I’ve been here," Carlyle said in explaining his decision to start Reimer.
  
  Bernier will start Wednesday night in Philadelphia, but the goalie questioning from Toronto media will go on all year long. It’s the story of the season for sure with both young men battling for the No. 1 job.
  
  "When I’m in during games, I’m not competing against my own teammate, I’m competing against the other team," Reimer said after a performance that netted him the game’s first star.
  
  This is going to be a fascinating tale. I’m a huge believer in Bernier and he’ll have his moments this season, which will show Leaf fans why he was brought on board.
• Lars Eller’s kid line between Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk was easily Montreal’s most effective unit, a thought that Therrien concurred with. Eller scored twice and the line in general was constantly a threat in the Leafs’ zone, moving their feet and giving Toronto’s defense fits with their speed. Eller led the Habs with six shots on goal as well.
  
  The performance of that line will be significant in Montreal’s chances to repeat its surprising team success of a year ago. Eller had a breakout performance last season, Gallagher was Calder Trophy runner-up and Galchenyuk was dazzling in his first year, too. The concern with any young player is the possibility of regressing the following season. Montreal can’t afford that from these three. If opening night is any indication, the Habs have nothing to worry about.
• Veteran Habs blueliner Andrei Markov really struggled on this night, producing four of the team’s 10 giveaways and watching Leafs winger Phil Kessel undress him during a first-period rush. Markov stayed healthy last season, which was terrific, but he also looked beaten down late in the season. It’s only one game and I suspect, given his track record, we’ll see some much better games from him. But I can’t remember him having too many nights like this.
• Carey Price gave up four goals, but he was terrific, stopping 34 shots. Pretty good opening night effort, I’d say.
  
  "He deserved better," Therrien said. "I thought he made some key saves. But the execution of our team wasn’t there."

MONTREAL -- Before the Maple Leafs were going to throw numbers out at his agents, GM Dave Nonis needed to first hear from Phil Kessel that he wanted to stay in Toronto for a long time.

Nonis wanted that commitment, face-to-face, before he was going to get serious in contract talks with Newport Sports. He got the answer he wanted from the Team USA Olympic winger in a meeting last week, which gave the Leafs' GM the trigger he needed to get the ball rolling with agent Wade Arnott.

"I said this before camp, we weren't about to throw any money at any player, Phil included, until we were sure, I was comfortable, that he wanted to stay in Toronto," Nonis said at a noon-hour news conference at the Bell Centre. "He brought up to me last week how important it was to stay. And that’s when we started negotiations."

"I want to finish my career here," Kessel said at the same news conference. "It would be a great city to win in, and we're going to do whatever we can to make that happen."

Don't underestimate Toronto’s ability to re-sign center Tyler Bozak on July 5 as a major factor in Kessel staying put. The two linemates are very close friends off the ice; heck, they live together. Had Bozak walked, and he did test free agency before circling back to the Leafs, it might have hampered Toronto’s ability to re-sign Kessel.

Having said that, talks didn’t get going with Kessel for real until last week after the Nonis-Kessel meeting.

With Kessel’s self-imposed deadline of opening night acting as the pressure point because the star player didn't want to discuss an extension during the season, both sides came together Tuesday morning on a $64 million, eight-year contract.

For one, the Leafs shared Kessel’s desire not to have this drag into the season. There was concern that it would affect his production on the ice as his contractual future hung over him.

So there was mutual interest in seeing this done.

Many will believe it's too much money for Kessel, but the numbers, at least, suggest otherwise:

• Only Kessel and Steven Stamkos were among the top 10 scorers in the NHL each of the past two seasons.

• Only Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin and Claude Giroux have more points than Kessel over the past two seasons.

• And only Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin and Corey Perry have more goals than Kessel over the past three years.

Kessel’s $8 million cap hit in the new deal is still less than Giroux's new deal ($8.275M), Perry's ($8.625M) and Ryan Getzlaf's ($8.25M), the three contracts brought up the most in negotiations by Kessel’s camp.

"He’s had several great years, that’s something some people overlook," Nonis said. "If you look at his goal totals and his point totals over the past few years, he’s up there with some pretty elite players."

But perhaps most importantly for the Leafs was Kessel’s playoff performance last season, when he proved he could step up in the clutch and was terrific against Boston in a seven-game first-round loss.

That erased any concern that the Leafs' front office might have had about building a team around Kessel.

"It certainly opened some eyes," Nonis said of that series.

So now the attention turns to Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, whose contract will expire after the season. But unlike Kessel, the star blueliner doesn't care if talks go into the season. As he pointed out to ESPN.com on Tuesday morning, the last contract he signed was done during the season with the Calgary Flames, so it’s not new territory.

Phaneuf said he'll leave it with his Newport Sports agents Don Meehan and Craig Oster, knowing they'll figure something out with Nonis.

"They’ll get together and talk, they’ll handle it," a totally relaxed Phaneuf said.

If anything, Phaneuf was more excited for his teammate's big signing. Which perhaps, in some ways, affects how he viewed his future with the Leafs.

"I really like what we’re doing here, what direction the team is headed in," Phaneuf said. "Phil is a huge signing for us. It’s great news. He’s one of the top forwards in the game, such an important guy for us. He’s really elevated his game the last few years. This is great."

Kessel’s deal includes $22.5 million in signing-bonus money that’s spread over the first four years of the deal and the last two years of the contract. Of interest, his last two years of his deal carry only a $1 million salary, and the rest is bonus money, protected against a possible lockout because bonus money gets paid out regardless, whereas salaries do not in the event of another lockout.

Crease conundrum
One of the hot topics all season for Toronto will be goaltending, with newly acquired Jonathan Bernier trying to unseat incumbent James Reimer as starter.

The two have stalls next to each other in the visitors dressing room at the Bell Centre, but only one of them was smiling Tuesday morning.
Reimer was thrilled to be getting the opening night nod in net, while Bernier -- while saying all the right things -- did admit he was a bit disappointed, citing that family and friends would be on hand in his hometown. He’ll very likely start Wednesday night in Philadelphia as the Leafs play back-to-back, but it’s obvious that Bernier would have loved to start in his native province on Tuesday night.

Maple Leafs at Canadiens, 7 ET
* Maple Leafs: 3-2-0 vs Canadiens last season, 2-0-0 at Montreal (1 goal allowed)
* Maple Leafs: won 5 of last 6 in Montreal
* 5th straight season teams opening against each other (Maple Leafs 3-0-1)
* Phil Kessel (TOR): ended last season on a 5-game point streak (4G, 5A)

Capitals at Blackhawks, 8 ET
* Teams last met in March 2012 (Blackhawks won at home)
* Blackhawks: 2-0-1 at home vs Capitals in the shootout era

Jets at Oilers, 10 ET
* Teams have met once since franchise relocated to Winnipeg (Oilers won in Winnipeg Feb. 2012)
* Oilers: 2-0-1 at home vs Jets in shootout era
* Last time Jets played in Edmonton was March 29, 1996

TOP THINGS TO KNOW
1. In addition to playing a full season after a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, the NHL has a new divisional alignment for 2013-14. There will now be two divisions in each conference instead of three and there are now 16 teams in the East and 14 in the West as the Detroit Red Wings & Columbus Blue Jackets move East while the Winnipeg Jets head West.

2. The 2013-14 season also features a new playoff format. The new format is primarily division-based, with the top three teams in each division automatically qualifying. The last two playoff spots in each conference will then be wild-card spots, going to the next two teams with the highest point totals regardless of division.

3. The NHL is increasing its outdoor presence in 2013-14. Six outdoor games are on the schedule this season --0 the traditional New Year’s Day Winter Classic (the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium) as well as two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium involving the Metro New York teams, and one outdoor game each in Los Angeles, Chicago and Vancouver.

4. There will be no All-Star Game for the second straight season as the NHL instead goes on hiatus from February 9-25 as its players will take part in the men's hockey competition at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

5. Notable rule changes for 2013-14 include that a player cannot remove his helmet to take part in a fight (though the preseason saw players remove each other’s helmets in fights on a number of occasions) and new rules to restrict and reduce the size of goaltenders’ leg pads.

ESPN's NHL crew is ready to get rolling on another NHL season. Join us Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m. ET to open the 2013-14 season.

Re-signing Cody Franson obviously makes the Toronto Maple Leafs a better team. But the moment the one-year, $2 million deal was agreed upon late Wednesday night, it also created a bit of salary-cap hell for the Blue and White.

According to capgeek.com, the Leafs sit at $64.816 million with 23 players, a bit above the $64.3 million cap. Mind you, it’s really tough to put a precise number on things until you see who gets demoted and who makes the team.

Either way, things are tight with Toronto's cap.

So what now? No question there will be trade talks, but it’s a tough time of year to move money with teams cutting down to opening-day rosters.

"Believe me, they’ll be getting lots of calls from teams now," a rival team executive told ESPN.com on Thursday, "but they won’t be getting any favors."

The Leafs have until Monday to get cap compliant before opening day.

Toronto could pull it off without necessarily having to trade anyone, but it would mean beginning the season with a thin roster, likely around 20 players. That’s because David Clarkson’s $5.25 million cap hit stays on the books for the duration of his 10-game, 24-day suspension.

The better route would be to pull off some cap-relieving trade with another team.

The guy the Leafs would love to move is veteran blueliner John-Michael Liles, but given that he has three years left at a $3.875 million cap hit, there may not be a market out there for him unless the Leafs eat part of his deal or move another asset with him to entice a trade.

It just so happens that the Calgary Flames are now run by former Leafs GM Brian Burke (now president of hockey operations in Calgary), who brought Liles to Toronto to begin with. And the Flames have oodles of cap space.

Thing is, why would a rebuilding Flames have any interest in a veteran player at this point? They likely wouldn't unless the Leafs were willing to throw in a young player in the mix, such as Joe Colborne. His name has been in the rumor mill of late, and he’s the kind of young center the Flames could use.

If the Leafs don’t see anything that makes sense trade-wise, they can pull off the math gymnastics by demoting a few players Sunday, like Korbinian Holzer and Mark Fraser.

In the previous collective bargaining agreement, the Leafs could have solved this with one stroke by sending Liles and his big salary down to the AHL and it wouldn’t count against the cap. But after what happened to Wade Redden in the previous CBA when the veteran blueliner was stuck in the AHL for a couple of years so the Rangers could hide his cap hit, the league and NHLPA changed the rule. Now, the only cap savings from sending a player like Liles down would be $925,000. But the Leafs may well do that anyway.

Either way, Sunday should prove to be an interesting day around the NHL, because the Leafs are hardly alone around the league in being up against the cap. A number of teams have some tough decisions to make, and it will involve putting players on waivers that they would much rather not lose with the hope they get to the AHL and aren’t claimed.

Other teams with cap room will no doubt sit back Sunday and see who’s available in that regard. So watching who gets claimed off Monday’s waiver report will be just as fascinating.

In the end, while the Franson signing gives Toronto cap fits for now, it’s a no-brainer decision. He was arguably their second-best defenseman last season, his 29 points tied for sixth among NHL defensemen.

Credit both sides for giving in to make the deal happen. The Leafs said they wanted no fewer than two years for term, and it was important for Franson to do a one-year deal so he can get a better deal next summer when the cap goes up. The Leafs gave in on term, but Franson took way less money than market value. He wanted around $3.5 million and settled for $2 million. The Leafs get a real bargain for one year.

Franson, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, just adds to Toronto’s offseason list of chores, as contracts for Dion Phaneuf (UFA), Phil Kessel (UFA), James Reimer (RFA), Dave Bolland (UFA) and emerging blueliner Jake Gardiner (RFA) are also expiring at the end of the season.

Right now, though, it’s all about figuring out the cap before Monday’s roster deadline.

Take out your calculators, folks.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson said Tuesday night that he would not appeal the 10-game suspension he was automatically assessed for leaving the bench to join a brawl with the Buffalo Sabres.

“I sometimes make decisions with my heart, not my head,” Clarkson told reporters after playing in a preseason again against the Ottawa Senators.

Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said, according to TSN, that Clarkson will play in the team’s final two preseason games, travel for the first two regular season games and practice with the team to stay “as game-ready as possible.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel was suspended for the team’s final three preseason games for slashing Buffalo Sabres forward John Scott during NHL preseason game No. 61 in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 22, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 10:01 of the third period. A match penalty for slashing (attempting to injure) was assessed on the play.

Buffalo Sabres head coach Ron Rolston has been fined for player selection and team conduct as a result of events that took place at 10:01 of the third period during NHL preseason game No. 61 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 22.

The events took place during the faceoff after Buffalo forward Corey Tropp fought Toronto forward Jamie Devane. Buffalo forward John Scott initiated an altercation with Toronto forward Phil Kessel, whom he was lined up against on the face-off, resulting in several fights. In total,
211 penalty minutes, including three game misconducts, were assessed due to the various altercations.

TORONTO -- Like a long list of free agents this summer, Mason Raymond didn’t have a job when August turned into September, so like some of those UFAs, the left winger accepted a camp tryout.

It’s a pride-swallowing moment to be sure.

But he also knew that Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis, who drafted Raymond in Vancouver, would give him a fair shake given their past relationship. By last weekend, the Leafs already had seen enough and before Sunday night’s preseason game, a one-year, $1 million deal was agreed upon and officially signed Monday.

"For sure it’s a relief," Raymond said Tuesday after the morning skate. "It was an odd summer, different for myself and my family. It’s something that you have to patient with. ... I’m glad everything worked out like it did."

With David Clarkson suspended for the opening 10 games of the regular season, there’s a chance Raymond might have to play some right wing, which isn’t totally foreign to him.

"I think I played about every position in Vancouver," Raymond said with a chuckle. "But yeah, I played some right. The majority on the left, I played center for a while as well."

Clarkson to play
Clarkson was suspended for 10 regular-season games but not for the preseason. So the Leafs intend on giving him more action before his ban begins next week.

"Yeah, we feel that it’s probably best that he plays as many games as possible, actually, with the extended period of time that he’ll be away from it," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said Tuesday morning, confirming that Clarkson would play in that night’s game versus Ottawa. "We think that it’s important for him to get some games in."

Clarkson didn't speak with the media again Tuesday morning because he was still considering his options regarding an appeal. Hence, as a player you wouldn't want to fall on your sword with the media before you decided whether you’re going to appeal the suspension. If he does decide to appeal, commissioner Gary Bettman would hear the appeal, and if Bettman upheld the 10 games, then Clarkson would have the right to have an independent arbitrator hear his case as well.

Meanwhile, Sunday night's brawl still had some buzz Tuesday morning, Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul taking a swipe at Sabres tough guy John Scott.

"You don’t expect one of the top-five toughest guys, biggest guys in the NHL, to do something like that," Lupul told assembled Leafs media. "I’ve never seen that in all the years I’ve played. It’s pretty embarrassing for him and I’m sure he doesn’t feel well about it now.

"The thing about a guy of that size, it’s not like Phil [Kessel] could possibly fight him and get out of it unhurt. The guy's outweighing him by close to a 100 pounds. It’s not possible. So what are you going to do? You're going to whack him with your stick. I think it’s a whack in the shin pads, a hard whack. But it could've been a lot higher and with a lot of players it might've been a lot higher. [For] a lot of guys in the league, if Scott drops their gloves and comes at them like that, he might be missing his front-row teeth. You can say it’s a hard whack and I know they’re upset about the whack but it’s in the shin pads."

Phil Kessel had a 4:45 p.m. ET disciplinary hearing Tuesday with the NHL for his slash to Scott.

Drouin goes back and forth
He played wing most of his junior career but the Lightning have tried out Jonathan Drouin at center during camp and preseason. Then Monday at practice the 2013 third overall draft pick was back at wing, alongside Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. He also was slated to play wing in a preseason game Tuesday night but he should get other looks at center as well over the next week.

"I believe he can play all three forward positions with his style of play," Tampa GM Steve Yzerman told ESPN.com last weekend.

What’s intriguing is that often 18-year-old centers are put on the wing early in their NHL careers in order to minimize their defensive responsibilities. But in this case, Tampa has tried the opposite, putting a winger at center.

"We just like him in the middle, he’ll have the puck more, with his vision and playmaking ability, he’s strong on the puck, we just like that he would have the puck more," Yzerman said. "He’s perfectly fine on the wing, but his style of play, I just think he’s more suited playing in the middle. Nothing is set in stone, it’s not like he won’t ever play on the wing. But he’s fine and comfortable with it."

Torres sidelined
The Sharks suffered a blow before the puck even dropped on the season, losing Raffi Torres to a right knee injury.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson told ESPN.com Tuesday morning that it wasn’t known yet whether Torres would just rehab the injury or need surgery. Obviously the latter would keep him out longer, as long as 3-4 months.

In any case, the veteran winger -- who was solid as a Shark after being acquired late last season -- is out for at least the opening month of the season and possibly longer. All of which opens up an even bigger opportunity for rookie forward Tomas Hertl, San Jose’s first-round pick, 17th overall, in 2012. By all accounts Hertl has looked very good so far in camp/preseason and he’s going to open the season in a top-six role, perhaps on a line with Joe Thornton.

Keep that in mind, fantasy players!

TORONTO -- Is this the kind of bad omen that sinks a season before the puck is even dropped?

I know that seems overly dramatic, but it’s the kind of thing that makes you think after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost prized free-agent signing David Clarkson to a 10-game suspension for the start of the regular season after the winger inexplicably jumped off the bench to join a preseason fracas Sunday night.

Seeing behemoth tough guy John Scott go after star winger Phil Kessel was just too hard to take for Clarkson, whose heart was in the right place, but his head was not screwed on right at the time, that’s for sure. (Kessel will have a hearing Tuesday afternoon for his retaliatory slashes to Scott.)

Had Clarkson thought of the implications for one second, he surely never would have jumped over the boards.

And it’s going to hurt in more ways than one.

Never mind that the Leafs will be devoid of Clarkson’s top-six presence. The CBA mandates that his salary will still count against the salary cap and he also takes up an active spot on the 23-man roster for those opening 24 days that he’s out, thus throwing a wrench into the team’s plans both on and off the ice.

Yeesh, what a way to start a season.

It makes you think back to two years ago when James Wisniewski was the big offseason signing in Columbus, but he got slapped with an eight-game suspension for a preseason incident. By the time he returned to play his first game as a Blue Jacket, the team had started 0-7-1 and the season was basically over.

Now, we’re not pretending this year’s Leafs team is comparable to that Jackets team from two years ago. This Toronto team is more advanced in its program. There’s more depth here to overcome this type of situation. But making the playoffs for the Leafs got tougher this season with Detroit sliding East into their division, a very good Ottawa team getting healthy and the Bruins being the perennial powerhouse they are. On paper, it sets up as a fourth-place fight with Montreal or Tampa.

So the wiggle room wasn’t terribly wide open to begin with for a Leafs team that had a solid offseason and shows promise that, in the long term, it is seemingly turning a corner.

For this season though, you just wonder what kind of effect these kinds of things can have on a team. Like that feeling that your season was cursed before it even began.

"It gives another guy an opportunity," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said Monday after an incredibly well-attended practice by local media.

That guy, I figure, could be forward Joe Colborne, whose $600,000 salary fits in nice and tightly with a cap situation now suddenly in peril.

Regardless what player now makes the roster with Clarkson out until Oct. 25, the cap will be the biggest factor in said player’s inclusion.

"The cap is always an issue, it’s a cloud hanging out there," Carlyle said. "Sometimes the sky clears and you can see the sun, and sometimes it clouds the issue. And where we’re at with the cap situation, we’re still not over the cap, it’s awfully tight and it's close, we know that. It just makes other situations more difficult to complete."

The Leafs still were able to sign camp invitee Mason Raymond to a one-year contract on Monday. The same can’t be said for unsigned RFA blueliner Cody Franson, who now likely has to wait until after Clarkson’s suspension is over in late October for the Leafs to have the cap room to re-sign him unless Toronto creates more cap room with an NHL trade. Leafs brass will obviously look at all their options.

It just isn’t the script the Leafs had in mind nearly two weeks ago when camp opened.

"You have to adjust on the fly," Carlyle said. "You have to have Plan A, B, C and D in the drawer. I guess we’re at Plan B and C right now."

What you wonder now, looking back, if you’re Toronto, is what could have been done to avoid all this in a meaningless preseason game? Should Carlyle have put 6-foot-5 Troy Bodie on the ice instead of his star winger in Kessel when the Sabres sent out Scott following a scary fight between Buffalo’s Corey Tropp and Toronto’s Jamie Devane, which resulted in Tropp’s helmetless head hitting the ice?

You know why Scott was sent on the ice for the ensuing faceoff.

But by putting Kessel on, Carlyle figured that would help calm things down, I mean, tough guys don’t jump star players, right?

"I never believed in my wildest dreams that the attack would come at that type of player from the opposition, but I was wrong," Carlyle said Monday.

And unfortunately for Carlyle, it also meant Clarkson snapping.

"I think he felt there was an advantage being taken by their player, it was poor judgment, and he did what he did," the Leafs coach said of Clarkson. "There’s no way to defend it. You just accept what went on and move forward."

Adversity arrives at different times of the season for all 30 teams. The Maple Leafs get their serving of it right off the hop.

You can bet the question that New Jersey Devils head coach Pete DeBoer will be asked the most often this season is whom he’s starting in net. Just how he divvies up starts between Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider will be one of the intriguing storylines to follow all season.

It’s a delicate balance, having to find enough starts for the game's all-time winningest netminder, who’s 41 now, while also integrating the 27-year-old Schneider, a goalie who is no longer a kid but entering his prime.

"I don’t see an issue," DeBoer told ESPN.com on Thursday. "We’ve got a league high of back-to-back games, I think 22 of them; which right off the bat lends itself to playing both guys. And I think with the condensed schedule, with the Olympics, I think it's going to be a real luxury to have two guys. And I think both guys get that."

Early media reports from camp indicate the Schneider-Brodeur relationship is off to a good start, which is no surprise to anyone who has crossed paths with either netminder. They both have great, team-first personalities.

From a hockey standpoint, it means the Devils will have a quality netminder in net for 82 games.

"I term the situation as a 1 and a 1(A)," DeBoer said. "I think that's where we're at. Cory is not a young goaltender anymore. He's got a great opportunity here to learn from but also compete against the best goalie of all time."

Putting you on hold
The contract stalemate between defenseman Cody Franson and the Toronto Maple Leafs was termed a "holding pattern" Thursday by one source close to the action.

The standoff is clear: the Leafs want Franson on a two-year deal; the defenseman wants to do a one-year deal.

The salary cap is going up next summer, so the Leafs would obviously rather gain a bit of term security with Franson under the current economic climate. Franson, as you might imagine, figures a one-year deal gets him to a landscape next summer that features an expanding salary cap with more money to go around.

Some folks were surprised when Franson -- coming off a terrific season -- chose not to file for salary arbitration this summer when he had the chance; some felt he lost his best piece of leverage. Perhaps that’s true but I think Franson feared the Leafs would have elected a two-year arbitration award and hence he’d be locked into one extra year that he doesn't want.

The problem for Franson right now is that the Leafs are deep on defense -- the likes of Paul Ranger and Morgan Rielly are pushing to make their way on -- so Toronto isn't desperate enough to fold its cards in this contract stalemate.

Furthermore, when Franson gave away his best leverage point in negotiations by not going to arbitration, the thinking in the Leafs' front office is, why give that leverage right back if you do a one-year deal, with Franson having arbitration rights again next summer as an RFA? The only way I see Toronto doing a one-year deal is if the salary is low enough.

I don’t see the Leafs backing down on this one.

Meanwhile, I’d bet on the Leafs making a contract offer before the end of camp to tryout invitee Mason Raymond. The Leafs view him as a potentially good fit on a third line with Dave Bolland and Nikolai Kulemin. The Leafs won't offer too much in a deal, I don't think, something around $1 million for one year. The hook for Raymond is that he could re-establish himself this season and hit the market next year when the cap goes up and get a better deal.

There's always the chance Raymond gets a better offer from another team at the end of camp; you can’t discount that, either. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if other teams called on Raymond. But I do think the Leafs would like him to be part of their squad this season.

All eyes on Halak
Whether or not the St. Louis Blues get over that playoff hump this season relies heavily on what happens in goal.

For starters, the organization has gotten a look at Brian Elliott in two straight playoffs and understands fully now that while he’s a terrific, solid backup -- one who can start for a stretch if need be and deliver the goods -- he's not going to be that elite difference-maker in net come playoff time.

No, the Blues believe Jaroslav Halak has to be their man. Gone in St. Louis is the politically correct spin that the Blues have two capable netminders and both will battle for starts. The Blues have made a collective, organizational decision that this season is Halak’s to win or lose. They’re handing him the keys, perhaps for the last time, being that Halak is a UFA after the season. Halak rededicated himself in the offseason, staying in St. Louis to focus on his workouts instead of going home overseas, and showing up to camp dropping his body fat from 14 percent to 8 percent.

Beset by injuries the past two years, Halak hasn't had the chance to duplicate the kind of playoff magic he delivered in Montreal in 2010. The sense in St. Louis is that if the Halak of 2010 can re-emerge, the club is in great shape to contend for a championship.

If Halak hasn't instilled that kind of confidence in the front office by March, my sense is that the Blues won't be scared to look to the trade market. Look for those Ryan Miller trade rumors to begin if Halak isn't rolling this season.

But the preference/the hope/the plan in St. Louis is for Halak to answer the bell.

Leblanc's early departure
Louis Leblanc's demotion earlier this week created quite a stir in Montreal. And not because he didn’t make the team -- he was hard-pressed to do so -- but that he was in the first wave of cuts.

That’s the part that surprised some fans, given that he’s a first-round pick from 2009 (18th overall).

But I believe this was the plan before camp started, the Habs' front office wanting to send a message, deliver a challenge to Leblanc, that it’s time for him to look in the mirror and understand that his development has not been up to par. He had a subpar season last year in the AHL. Word is Leblanc did work hard in the offseason to be ready for this camp. So credit to him for that. Now the Habs hope he responds to the first-wave cut by getting off to a great start in Hamilton and forcing Montreal into making him its first call-up.

The fact of the matter is, Leblanc is seen by most people around the league as a third-line player, albeit one who could be effective in that role in the NHL once he figures things out. But it also tells you the Habs were reaching a little when they took him 18th overall in 2009.

Defenseman Cody Franson remains unsigned as the Toronto Maple Leafs started training camp.

"I really like playing in Toronto,” Franson said in a statement to TSN.ca. “I think we have a great team and we have some unfinished business to take care of. I learned a lot from the coaches last year and felt like my game took a step forward. I understand the cap situation this team faces and have been ready to sign a one-year deal for some time. I hope this gets worked out soon so I can get back on the ice with my teammates."

According to the report, Franson is willing to take a one-year deal for $3 million, while the team wants to sign Franson for two years. Should that happen, Franson would be an unrestricted free agent after the 2014-15 season.

“I understand his position,” Leafs general manager Dave Nonis said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to TSN. “He doesn't feel that this is fair. We want him signed, I'd like to have Cody at camp, but he's not here and we just have to move forward with the group we have.”

Franson posted career numbers in the lockout-shortened season. He was among the top defensemen in points (29) and helped the Maple Leafs return to the postseason for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The salary cap drops from $70.2 million to $64.3 million this season, the second year of the current collective bargaining agreement.

It was an emotional couple of days in the New York City area for former New Jersey Devil David Clarkson.

Clarkson returned to the Prudential Center in Newark on Thursday for a series of photo shoots and interviews, sessions that included Clarkson wearing his new Toronto Maple Leafs jersey on the Prudential Center ice, having signed a seven-year deal with the Leafs that will pay him an average of $5.25 million annually.

On Thursday, though, Clarkson wanted to pay his respects to a man who was a father figure to him since he was signed by New Jersey as a free agent in 2005 -- Devils president and GM Lou Lamoriello.

So it was not without some trepidation that Clarkson visited Lamoriello in his office at the Prudential Center, the first face-to-face meeting between the two since Clarkson signed with the Leafs.

“It was tough. The amount of respect I have for Lou and how long I was there, I think he’s kind of helped me develop into the person and player that I am,” Clarkson told ESPN.com Friday.

“I was a bit nervous going up to his office, but I wanted to go up there and thank him in person. I only got a chance to speak to him on the phone when I decided to sign in Toronto.

“He knows what he’s done for me, but just to really tell him what he’d done and thank him on behalf of my family. He was phenomenal to my wife over the years. He’s someone that’s got a very big heart and he’s a very loyal person so he’s really been there for me and my family at a lot of times. So I just wanted to thank him and it went well.”

Clarkson, a Toronto native, was courted by a number of teams before deciding he would play for the hometown Leafs.

“My decision wasn’t made to go to the Maple Leafs. When the season ended, I wasn’t like, 'Oh I’m going to become a Maple Leaf,'” he explained.

“There were cities that I saw that really wowed me and that I thought were fantastic.”

But when it was time for a decision, he struggled.

“I would think of times here [in New Jersey] and I would think of, 'OK, what about this place and that place that we really liked?'” he said.

But ultimately the lure of playing for the team that he cheered for as a young boy was overwhelming.

“To be honest, I’m somebody that tries to live my life without any regret, and when I’m done playing the game, I think, you know what, I’m not going to have that regret. I got a chance to play for my hometown team,” Clarkson said.

“And now it’s up to me what I do with it. I wanted to be a part of something that as a kid I wore that jersey and cheered for so I feel very lucky to get the chance to be a part of that.”

We start off this week talking about the revamped, 16-team Eastern Conference.

Realignment is going to take a minute to get used to. There is still an Atlantic Division, but it is actually the former Northeast Division with the Wings, Bolts and Panthers added in. And the Metropolitan Division is the old Atlantic Division plus the Caps, Canes and Jackets.

Will these changes make any difference come playoff time?

The Red Wings exceeded all expectations in the postseason after fighting their way into a playoff spot. Less travel combined with more time for the veterans to jell with the young players could make Detroit a contender in the East. And Daniel Alfredsson certainly didn't change teams so he could help the city's economy.

The Boston Bruins aren't going to give up their standing as the conference champion too easily, but they could be sluggish to start the season after a short offseason. And the Pittsburgh Penguins do still have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

How will the old Southeast Division teams do without one free ticket into the playoffs? I wouldn't be surprised to see Alex Ovechkin and company start summer vacation early, especially since the Olympics could take a lot of focus and energy away from the NHL season.

Maybe more interesting than who finishes on top is where the wild cards will go. Looking at last season, you could foresee the Atlantic Division producing five playoff teams. But it is never that easy, and a shortened season may not be the best barometer of future success.

So it is time for you to make the call: Who will reign supreme in the Eastern Conference?