Game On!

• With Joe Sakic's laughable "hold-out" — what percentage of the civilized universe actually believed that he'd quit? — erased from the news, the focus now shifts to Brendan Shanahan, Bryan Smolinski, Glen Murray and Mr. "Waiting For Godot" himself, Fats (This Stinks) Sundin. Only when the serene Swede finally signs will we return his M. Till then, he’ll remain Fats — as in Fat Cat — to us. Our only wish is that the Swedish lottery would issue tickets with the million-dollar prize to anyone who picks the precise date of Baldy’s return to the NHL.

• It hasn't been confirmed yet, but don't be surprised to see Vinny Lecavalier with the "C" sewn to his jersey when the Lightning take to the ice against the Rangers in Prague on Oct. 4. This will be Lecavalier's second stint as Tampa Bay's captain, although this time he will have earned the title as the franchise's unquestioned leader, as opposed to being saddled with the role as a teenager.

• We're relieved to see Simon Gagne return to the Flyers lineup after missing most of last season. This summer Gagne underwent a new treatment known as prolotherapy to combat his concussion woes, writes Chuck Gormley of SportingNews.com: "Gagne had a series of anesthetic injections in his neck, head, shoulders, pelvis and back. Dr. Scott Greenberg said the injections are generally made up of two anesthetics and an inflammatory agent such as dextrose or cod liver extract. 'He's completely pain-free,' Greenberg said. 'He can now track the puck with no problems and his balance is perfect.'" Here’s hoping that Simon has the concussion problems beat.

• Kudos to The Hockey News' Adam Proteau breaking the story of Senators' holdout defenseman Andrej Meszaros being dealt to Tampa. With the trade the Lightning have sent their three longest tenured d-men packing this summer in Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich and now Filip Kuba.

• If you're looking for a journalistic ferret on the spore of a captivating story, nobody in the east beats the Bergen Record 's Tom Gulitti.  While nobody else was thinking about it, Tenacious Tom confronted Brent Sutter with a provocative question about whether Jamie Langenbrunner would be retained as Devils captain. While some might have considered it impertinent, the pertinence of Tom's point was the Devils' quick playoff exit might have inspired coach Brent to find another to wear the "C." However, the coach insisted that he’s standing by Langenbrunner, whose post-injury recovery may have braked his style somewhat last season.

• Teemu Selanne's return to the Ducks is a virtual certainty; before that happens, however, Brian Burke needs to do some housekeeping, according to Sportsnet.ca. "If the financial circumstances allow us to sign Teemu, we'd love to have him back," Burke said. "He's a great player and a very well-liked player on our team." Mathieu Schneider will likely be let go to free up cap space.

• Sixteen-year veteran Stu Barnes announced his retirement Thursday, and will now serve as an assistant coach to Dave Tippett. We think it's a good fit.

• Bryan McCabe's move to the Panthers has been predicted for some time. Before the deal's finalization on Tuesday, McCabe was already spotted settling into a new home in former teammate Wade Belak's neighborhood, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Star.

• What is Steve Stamkos doing? According to ET Canada, the 18-year-old Stamkos — who we might add has yet to play his first NHL game — is an official spokesman for Swiss watch company Tissot. At least now we know he'll never be late for the team bus!

• If we had to pick the next player to pursue a career in coaching, our money's on Kevyn Adams, who told Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News that he intends to stay in the game as long as possible. "For every guy in sports who gets to decide his future like Brett Favre, there are [the other] 99.9 percent who have their futures decided for them," Adams said. "Unless you're Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux or an ultra superstar, nobody will know who you are in a few years. Nobody remembers. And the game moves on."
  
  Last season while playing for Chicago, Adams served as an extra coach while injured. Hawks assistant g.m. Rick Dudley had this to say: "The truth is, if he decides he's not going to play anymore, there's a place in the game for Kevyn Adams — without question."

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