On the Prowl: Week of 6/9

It's almost over. After 8-plus months, an 82 game regular season, and the always-exciting NHL playoffs, we will see the Stanley Cup champions crowned within the next ten days, and possibly within the next three. The ending will be glorious for one team; brutal and disappointing for the other. Then, the bittersweet knowledge that the off-season, with all the roster juggling, player movement of draft day and free agency, will catch up to us and we will begin the long four month wait before the greatest league in the world starts play back up come fall of 2014.

PLAYOFFS

• Marian Gaborik has been the catalyst for the Los Angeles Kings this postseason, kick-starting their stagnant regular season offense and making it one of the best during the postseason. How much would winning the Cup mean to the skilled veteran?
• Speaking of Los Angeles, is it possible that they are unable to keep up their scoring pace in the rest of this year's Cup Final?
• Needless to say, Drew Doughty has become one of, if not the best, defenseman in the NHL.
• Not meaning to toot the horn of every player on the Kings roster, but they've been historical and dominant at stages of this year's playoffs. One player responsible for this, Anze Kopitar, seems to be finally getting the recognition he deserves throughout the league.

OFF-SEASON

• After firing Ray Shero a month ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins have fired head coach Dan Bylsma, a potential hiring for the vacant Florida Panthers head coach position.
• There were a lot of very talented teams "left wanting" after this year's hectic postseason. Which teams will be looking to make the biggest splash in the trade market come this off-season?
• With the conclusion of play for the vast majority of the this year's prospects, we look at those who saw their draft stock soar headed into the 2014 NHL Draft. /

LEAGUE NEWS

• Expansion to Seattle has been a hot topic this off-season, though the selling of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer has certainly put a wrinkle in that plan.
• The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final are just another reminder that playoff hockey is awesome. Should the NHL look into expanding overtime during the regular season?
• The Montreal Canadiens are just one team that have received criticism for allowing a concussed player return to play. The NHL, it seems, is still battling and finding ways to deal with the devastating head injuries.
• The 2013-2014 NHL season has been one of the best in recent history. Regardless of how the Cup Final pans out, who's been the real winner this year?
• Though the NHL allowed players to experience the thrill of playing for their countries at this year's Olympics, the amount of serious injuries (like ones to Panthers Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Kopecky) have led the league to look at other ways to get players into competition. The solution? Bringing back the World Cup of Hockey.

ADVANCED STATISTICS

• Tyler Dellow looks into the fallacies of "off the glass and out is the right way to go" for us.
• The long awaited official collection of NHL data may finally be arriving. /