The NHL's summer hot stove continues to boil. Yes, the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings -- those nasty old rivals -- already have made some blockbuster moves. But, there's still more wheeling and dealing to be done during the coming days, weeks and months leading up to opening night.

With that in mind, here are a couple important names to keep an eye on:

	With Dominik Hasek's return, Curtis Joseph is the odd man out in Detroit.

What about Cujo?
The return of Dominik Hasek, who made his public declaration on Tuesday, officially kicks Curtis Joseph to the curb. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland now must deal a $8-million-a-year player with a no-trade clause who is coming off an average season in a limited marketplace where he has little leverage. Good luck, Kenny.

In a perfect world, Holland would like to deal Joseph to an Eastern Conference team. The only viable trading partners in the East are the Rangers or the Bruins. Realizing his position, Holland knows he'll have to be reasonable (or, in his words, "creative") in making a deal. Odds are, he'll have to take someone else's problem in return.

The most likely scenario has Joseph going to the Rangers for Eric Lindros, who has one year left on his current contract. Lindros' base salary for the upcoming season is $3.3 million, but he has bonuses based on games played that could raise his total salary to more than $9 million. It would be a lot easier to stomach those types of bonuses if they were based on production, rather than just showing for work.

Lindros does have a key ally in Hockeytown: Wings captain Steve Yzerman. In the past, Yzerman has lobbied management about acquiring Lindros, who could be a good fit with a strong team in Detroit.

Any deal between the Rangers and Wings might become a three-way trade with the Bruins, who would inherit goalie Mike Dunham from New York.

It's worth noting that Holland and his Rangers counterpart, Glen Sather, have misconnected on at least one trade in the past. Two summers ago, Holland, in a similar goalie go-round, was set to deal Chris Osgood to the Rangers for forward Mike York (since dealt to Edmonton). But the deal fell through at the last minute when Sather tried to squeeze more out of Motown.

If the Rangers and Wings can't come to an agreement, Holland could try to deal directly with the Bruins, if they're interested in Joseph. The Bruins would love to send winger Martin Lapointe back to the Wings. The B's overpaid for Lapointe as an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2001. They owe him $5.5 million for the upcoming season and $4 million for 2004-05.

That kind of deal, however, doesn't fill the Wings need: a center to replace Sergei Fedorov, an unrestricted free agent who says he will not return to Detroit. But, we'll get to Fedorov in a minute.

If Holland finds no luck in the East, he could turn to St. Louis. Joseph would like to return to the Gateway City, where he started his career. There has been some speculation that the Blues might offer center Doug Weight, 32, who has a base salary of $8.5 for 2003-04. After that, he still has two years and $14.5 million remaining on his deal.

Of course, that deal would create a goaltending problem for the Blues, who jumped early to re-sign Osgood to a one-year, $3-million deal in June. The Blues could attempt to send Ozzy to the Bruins, who could sign a free agent stopper like Felix Potvin or Garth Snow without having to give up anyone from their current roster.

Also, a deal between division rivals like the Wings and Blues could be dangerous for both clubs. Weight, a Michigan native, would be a nice fit with the Wings, and Holland would be thrilled to get him. On the other hand, Cujo could really take a bite out of Hockeytown if the clubs were to meet in the playoffs. Holland and Blues GM Larry Pleau would both have to have a lot guts to pull the trigger on this deal.

Adios, Sergei

	Fedorov

Vacationing in Spain, Fedorov -- through his agent, Pat Brisson -- said he's done in Hockeytown. Maybe, but Fedorov was supposed to be leaving Detroit in 1998, too. After a nasty contract squabble, the Wings matched an offer sheet on Fedorov from the Hurricanes. The two sides quickly made nice and all was forgiven.

If Fedorov remains true to his word, he could land in Disneyland with the Mighty Ducks. Anaheim GM Bryan Murray held the same position in Detroit during Fedorov's early years, so there is a familiarity. The Ducks freed up $13.5 million on their payroll by not qualifying Paul Kariya or exercising their option on Adam Oates.

Fedorov, 33, wants a multiyear deal. It would make no, repeat no, sense for Fedorov to sign a one- or two-year deal at this point in his career. In fact, Brisson is confident his client will get a multiyear deal. If the Ducks are willing to write the check for Fedorov, the club would be better suited for another playoff run.

The Rangers also have an interest in Fedorov, but they'd have to move Lindros before they could reel him in. If Sather could make this happen, the Rangers' four centers would be (in order): Fedorov, Petr Nedved, Bobby Holik and Mark Messier. That's not too bad. Now, if they could only dump wobbly kneed Pavel Bure.

The Blues are among the dark horse candidates in the Fedorov sweepstakes. Pleau has spoken with Brisson about No. 91, but the Blues also would have to move some contracts to make such a signing a possibility.

Bottom line: Fedorov still fits like a glove in Detroit, and both Holland and Fedorov know it. If the Wings lose Fedorov, replacing him won't be easy.

Homeless Joe

	Nieuwendyk

The Devils would love to re-sign Joe Nieuwendyk, who will turn 37 before opening night. It appears that GM Lou Lamoriello is gauging Nieuwendyk's market value. He made $5 million last season.

The veteran center is interested in playing in Toronto, which is close to his hometown of Oshawa, Ontario. Also, Nieuwendyk could be reunited with close friend and former teammate Gary Roberts.

Nieuwendyk would fit well in Toronto, where he could be the club's No. 2 center behind Mats Sundin and help bring a degree of sanity and professionalism to the locker room. Unfortunately, the Leafs' front office is a mess. Lame duck GM Pat Quinn isn't hurrying to make any moves. While the club is somewhat hamstrung by Robert Svehla's retirement issue (Svehla has yet to sign his retirement papers), the team is running on autopilot. That's an embarrassment to the franchise, the league and the fans.

Nieuwendyk could be a fall back candidate for both the Red Wings and Ducks, who are more interested in Fedorov. In the end, the classy Nieuwendyk might be better staying right where he is.

Replacing a legend
David Aebischer and Philippe Sauve. Who and who? Introducing the goaltending tandem that will replace the legendary Patrick Roy in Colorado.

The Swiss-born Aebischer has been Roy's caddy for the past couple of seasons. Sauve, the son of former NHL stopper-turned-agent Bob Sauve (who happens to represent Roy), was picked by the Avalanche in the second round (38th overall) of the 1998 draft and just completed his third season with the their AHL affiliate in Hershey, Pa.

It's difficult to believe that either of these unproven goaltenders would be in net when the suddenly-more-powerful Avalanche begin the playoffs in April. But GM Pierre Lacroix seems determined to give the kids a couple of months to see if they can handle the job. Sometime in December, Lacroix will determine if he needs to do any holiday goalie shopping. If he does -- and I say he will -- expect him to make a pitch for Coyotes goalie Sean Burke or Lightning stopper Nikolai Khabibulin.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.