Crashing The Crease – September 3, 2013

Here is a daily look at some of the news and notes from around the NHL, for a pretty slow holiday Monday.  This is the calm before the storm, as rookie tournaments will be kicking off this week, followed by training camps.

May 22, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins centre Brandon Sutter (16) and Ottawa Senators right wing Mark Stone (16) fight for the puck in the second period in game four of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

• The big news Monday was the signing of Corey Crawford’s contract extension with the Blackhawks.  Stanley Cup Winning goalies don’t grow on trees, I am fully aware, but both the term and the money in the 6 year, $36M deal seem a bit inflated.  I had my say yesterday on the deal, and I am not the only one who thinks that way, as Harrison Mooney of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy pretty much echoed my sentiments.
• The folks over at Blackhawk Up did a preview of the Ottawa Senators, and is one of the few places I have seen outside of the Senators base that has Ottawa firmly in the top 3 of the Atlantic Divsion
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star examines how the Salary Cap is affecting veteran players, as teams go for younger and cheaper talent.  All the more reason, like I stated a couple of weeks ago, that the league could indeed (and should) expand further with two more teams.
• The Ottawa Citizen looks at Mark Stone and his chances for cracking the roster full time, and the affect trading Jacob Silfverberg had on those chances (hint:  they are better now).

Check back tomorrow for another tour around the league.