Summer break

Just when you think I've forgotten about Hound Central 2.0, I'm here to tell you that I haven't. Besides doing some work on my summer projects, I've also been getting my butt kicked by a case of diabetes gone wild.

I'll spare you the gory details, but now that I've apparently got my blood sugar under control, I'll have more time and energy to keep up with all the news that's happened over the past few weeks.

Rather than rehash old news, such as new logos and looks for a handful of NHL teams, I'll return with these observations:

~ The Philadelphia Flyers are going to be a scary team this upcoming season. Given their personnel moves since the 2006-07 trading deadline, the Flyers, at least in my humble opinion, should be a serious contender for Lord Stanley's Cup. Adding the likes of Daniel Briere, Jason Smith and Martin Biron, among others, will let this team erase last season's nightmares.

~ My beloved Buffalo Sabres have truly taken it on the chin over the past couple of days. To lose Briere and Chris Drury (to the Rangers), the heart and souls of last year's overachieving squad, will be hard to overcome. Granted, the Sabres free up some salary, but there's little left among the free agents to make up for two devastating losses.

~ What in God's name was Anaheim thinking when it signed Todd Bertuzzi? Let's see, the Ducks are his fourth team in little over a year. He played, what, 15 games last season, showing just how brittle the former prototypical power forward has become. It's my guess that this will be his last season in the NHL.