September 1 Notebook
The Boston Globe reported a couple of weeks back that forward Patrice Bergeron has been back on the ice and is working hard towards a return in time for this months training camp . You'll recall Bergeron suffered a significant concussion against the Flyers in late October 2007 and missed the rest of the season and the symptoms were so bad that his NHL future was in question . Certainly good news that he's back on the ice ...Chicago still has 2 "starting priced" netminders on it's roster (Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet) and talk of a Khabibulin trade will continue throughout the month of September ...Mats Sundin is now making noise that he may not make a decision on where or if he'll come back until we are into the regular season . Good luck with that Mats as teams are just not going to have an extra 8-10 million under the cap to bring you in at your convenience ...Dynasty leaguers should note the signing of Maksim Mayorov to a 3 year entry level deal by the Columbus Blue Jackets . Mayorov was a 5th rder in the 2007 Entry Draft in part because teams were fearful that they could not bring him to North America due to lack of a transfer agreement with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation . He'll start his pro career in the AHL in all likelihood, but definitely has the kind of offensive upside the Jackets have been craving ...Certain Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan is still without a contract for 08/09 . Shanahan would like to return to the Rangers, but to this point Rangers GM Glen Sather has been reluctant to add him to the roster while the team waits for the Sundin decision ...According to the Vancouver Sun , Canucks defender Kevin Bieksa is back on the ice and expected to be at full strength when camp opens in a couple of weeks . Bieksa suffered a lacerated calf muscle on November 1 of last season and was never right after trying to return .With only 12 points on the season a lot of people drafting off last years stats will miss a chance on a guy who could put up 40-45 points if his health holds.