It seems fashionable among hockey bloggers to take shots at Eklund these days, and I don’t want to pass up an opportunity like this.

Prior to free agency opening on Canada Day, Eklund provided a list of predictions over at Hockey Buzz. Let’s dissect what Ek saw as he was looking into his crystal ball a few short days ago.

* There will be less than 15 signings on the first day due to cap restrictions, but there will be several trade rumors and at least 3 trades that make signings happen…

According to TSN, 49 players signed contracts on July 1, and 33 of those are players changing teams. Eight of the players signed July 1 will earn an average of in excess of $5 million per season over the course of their contract (and that doesn’t count Bouwmeester, who signed on June 30). Cap restrictions be damned.

* Beauchemin to either Montreal or Tampa

He hasn’t signed yet, so Ek could still be right on this one.

* Ohlund to LA, NJ, or Anaheim (or maybe a real surprise)

Ohlund was the first free agent to move, and using “maybe a real surprise” to say “or any of the other 27 teams in the NHL” is cheating. Ohlund signed in Tampa.

* Saku Koivu to Anaheim

Nothing to report here. I’d be surprised if he ends up there.

* Knuble will re-sign with Philly

Signed with Washington.

* Hossa will be a domino after Heatley decides if he wants to go to Edmonton or NY

No waiting on Heatley. Hossa signs long-term in Chicago.

* Martin Biron will sign with Avalanche or Oilers

Nothing yet. Likely to be with the Avs, though.

* Cammalleri will sign with Buffalo, Nashville or Toronto

No, no, and no. The sniper goes to Montreal.

* The Sedins will sign in Montreal

The twins decide not to test free agency and opt to stay in Vancouver.

* Komisarek will sign in NJ or the New York Islanders, but don’t rule out a return to the Habs.

Toronto’s first big move was acquiring Komisarek.

* The Hawks will attempt to move Huet and bring back Bulin

Edmonton loses Roloson and doesn’t give Chicago a chance at Khabibulin.

* Havlat will not be signed today, but will likely end up back in Chicago

He was, and he didn’t. Headed to Minnesota on the first day of free agency.

* The Rangers will attempt to spend their money. Although I dont see it happening, expect Vinny rumors if Heatley goes to Edmonton.

They did spend a big chunk of cash on Gaborik.

* The Thrashers will make a few really solid signings, that no one will expect.

I’m not sure if I consider Antropov to be a “solid” signing, but we’ll give Ek the benefit of the doubt here.

* The Wild will get in on Hossa and make another play for Heatley (and possibly Vinny)

Not sure if they took a run at Heatley, but they did get Hossa.

* The Islanders will make a play for a major player as well. if not Komisarek, maybe Ohlund

No, Roloson doesn’t count as “a major player”.

* Kaberle to Boston for Kessel will be revisited.

I’ve got nothing to confirm or refute this.

So, out of 17 predictions, Eklund scores correctly on 3 (the Rangers attempting to spend their money, the Thrashers making a big signing, and the Wild getting Hossa). Four are still up in the air, and the remaining 10 are flat-out wrong.

I don’t want to be too critical; making predictions is tough business, and in the end, all it really does is fuel smart asses like myself in writing posts like this. But that’s the business Eklund is in, so of course I’m going to keep the scorecard on it. Maybe next year I’ll make some picks too, and we’ll see how “insider information” does against my random guesses and SportCenter education.

This off season was a busy one for the Calgary Flames. Gone, are some of the finesse players like Tanguay and Huselius and in, are several new gritty players like Bertuzzi, Cammalleri, Glencross, and Bourque. This season could prove to be very interesting. What are my thoughts on some of the key moves?

Alex Tanguay
First, I give full props to Alex - this guy is a complete class act and is one of the most talented left wingers in the NHL. I’m sure he knew for a while that he would probably end up being traded, but never once did he complain and he always played with full intensity. He will be sorely missed on the power play as his puck moving, passing, and puck handling skills were fantastic. My only complaint of Tanguay was his lack of ability to finish plays. How many times last season did we see Tanguay in on a 2-1 break and almost EVERY time he opted to pass to his partner. He became too predictable for the opposing defense.

Kristian Huselius
There were times last season that this guy was a magician with the puck. His control and accuracy were unparalleled. The only problem… the rest of the time he was invisible. He could score in streaks but he could also disappear for weeks at a time. I must admit, Huselius grew to be one of my all time favourite Flames and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his creativity. I think the Flames will will miss him greatly this year and realize how important of a player he actually was.

Mike Cammalleri
Any feelings of despair that I had seeing Tanguay leave were quickly replaced with excitement when I heard the news of Cammalleri becoming a Flame. This guy is young, quick, and great with the puck and should fit well into the Flames longterm plans. His obvious downfall is his proneness to injury - if he can stay healthy, this will be a fantastic pickup for the Flames and will easily replace Tanguay in the Flames lineup.

Todd Bertuzzi
Hmmmmm. Based on Bertuzzi’s past, I think this particular signing will go down in Flames history as one of the most controversial signings ever. I know for a fact there were a LOT of unhappy Flames fans as a result. I still am not sure what to think. I am trying to find the silver lining in the situation but sometimes it seems difficult. I cannot say that I like him as as a person, I can only hope that he can contribute to the team as a player and have a successful year. His play alone could make or break the Calgary Flames this year. The Flames are looking for him to put up some big numbers and make some big plays. In order to do this, he will need to overcome and ignore the large amount of media attention that he will receive now that he’s back in a true “hockey city”.

One thing for sure, he will add a huge physical presence and be a constant threat in front of the opposing net. This should increase the Flames power play efficiency as we now have our own “Holmstom”.

Rene Bourque
I don’t think anyone is expecting Rene to come into town and be a superstar. He will, however, come in and play consistantly on the 3rd or 4th line, and add some secondary scoring and depth to the Flames forward lines. I suspect a successful season for him would see him rack up 35-40 points.

Curtis Glencross
Regardless of how well Curtis plays this year, I like this guy simply based on the fact that he was smart enough to leave the Oilers and come play for the Flames. It’s always nice to scoop a player from our provincial rivals. Curtis is will be a solid player that will fit in well on the 3rd for 4th line.

Those are my thoughts, let’s hear yours!