There's hired help available as the NHL free agency season opens tomorrow, including some tempting top-end talent up front.
In fact, while defenceman Jay Bouwmeester, 25, may be the unrestricted free agent with the biggest long-term upside, it's the forward position that provides the intrigue.
The most interesting is Marian Hossa, who spurned a multi-year offer from Pittsburgh last summer to sign a one-year pact with Detroit - because he figured the Wings were his best chance to win a Stanley Cup. So close, Marian?so close.
Hossa, a dazzling skater and pure goalscorer who also hustles back and plays defence, is 0-for-2 in the past two cup finals; whoever signs him will receive a very motivated and talented player, if perhaps a somewhat tired one.
Speculation has Hossa re-signing with the Wings, but only if Detroit find a way to balance a superstar-laden roster (Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Johan Franzen) with the NHL's $56.8million (Dh208m) salary cap.
If Hossa re-signs with the Wings or gets snapped up early, fear not, there's another Marian-monikered Slovak sniper to be had. But tread carefully, because this one scares easily and usually ends up injuring himself in the ensuing confusion.
NHL general managers, meet Marian Gaborik. The Minnesota Wild's first-ever draft pick, third overall in 2000, might be the most natural goalscorer in the league - and yes, we've heard of Alex Ovechkin. Gaborik scored 13 goals in 17 games last season, 30 in 48 games in 2006-07 and 38 in 65 games in '05-06.
The problem with Gaborik, as you may have surmised, is his propensity for injury - his groin pops like a cheap balloon. When healthy, he's a 50-goal threat and one of the most electrifying skaters in the NHL. But only once in the past five seasons has he played more than 65 games in an 82-game schedule.
They don't come with a bigger warning label than the one stuck on Gaborik's back - but this is the NHL, and at least one overzealous general manager is going to throw caution to the wind, and offer a multi-year deal.
Another interesting option is the Sedin twins, the longtime Canucks doppelgangers and goal generators. Daniel, the shooter, and Henrik, the passer, would likely prefer to remain in Vancouver. They've reportedly offered to stay for the princely sum of $63m over 12 years - each, of course.
The problem with the Sedins is they're not quite first-liners, but they're too good to be on the second line. For a general manager, it's difficult to justify spending top-line money on two guys who've never been able to synch up with a third (non-twin) linemate.
And there's still more help up front. Martin Havlat, who had an impressive play-off with Chicago, is looking for a new contract.
Nik Antropov, persona non grata in Toronto for many seasons before finally realising his big-bodied potential, is a solid No 2 centre searching for a home. Mike Cammalleri can help any team's offence with his 30-goal, 80-point potential.
And if you want to add an ex-Montreal Canadien, they're selling them off in bulk: Alexei Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang all appear to be on the move. And, for a cut-rate price that might really pay off, try this hat-trick of forwards: Steve Sullivan, Erik Cole and Michael Samuelsson.
Sullivan returned midway through last season after missing the previous two years with injury, Cole recaptured some of his lost form last season after being traded back to Carolina and Samuelsson is an underrated Wings forward who could break out if he receives a more prominent role.
smcadam@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12