The 'Dead Zone'...the period between games where little is going on and all we can do is sit and wait for the whiny Sabres and gritty Hurricanes to do battle to defeat the Oilers in the finals.

A few notable things have taken place, however...

1. Bryan McCabe re-signs with the Maple Leaves for 5 years for a total of $30mil and it comes with a no-trade clause.

Now, McCabe is an excellent Power Play specialist and has racked up some astounding offensive numbers the past two seasons:

2005-06: 73GP 19-49-68PTS -1
2003-04: 75GP 16-37-53PTS +22

The -1 does stick out and only further points to McCabe's defensive deficiencies. What he does in the offensive end is negated somewhat by his defensive miscues, getting caught up ice, and going out of position to make the big hit. In the NEW NHL, McCabe's "Can Opener" move was negated and he lost his best weapon to make up for his other defensive positioning errors.

Now, I can fully understand the dollar amount. $5.5-6.0mil a season is what McCabe would have at least received on the open market, and you know Lidstrom will get around 7-8mil. I wouldn't have given McCabe that money, but some other team would have and the Leafs do have room to make this deal.

The big issue is the length of contract WITH a no-trade clause. Haven't teams learned from their past mistakes? McCabe will be getting a rather handsome sum as he ages and declines. Is a 35-year old McCabe worth $6mil a season? This contract, like many of these types that were signed in the OLD NHL, is a big risk to become an albatross. Only an exceptional player should ever be given more than a 3-year deal when they approach the 30 mark, and McCabe isn't one of them.

Chalk this up to another foolish use of resources by the Leafs. It may not hurt them a lot, or it could hurt them dearly. The chances are that the Leafs will regret this deal 2-3 years down the road.

2. Zigmund Palffy has been in the Slovak news as some have speculated that he wants to un-retire and return to playing.

My pal Daniel from Slovakia wrote:

There were plenty of interviews with Ziggy on TV or radio. He always said his shoulder is strongly damaged and that's why he stopped to play hockey. Last week he got again the same question if his retirement is definite. He replied he loves hockey but final decision wasn't done. In case his shoulder is better he could return on ice.

The big block in Ziggy's way is that he retired in mid-season while under a valid contract. Apparently, if any players backs out of such a contract, they have to wait THREE years before playing in the NHL.

So, if Palffy does return, it's very likely he'll play in Skalica or elsewhere in Europe, barring some kind of loophole or ruling he can use to return to the NHL.

3. In need of some good pre-game entertainment? How about a little music video to get you in the mood?