Colin Campbell and Andy VanHellemond addressed the state of officiating in the NHL on Monday, and they have issued what you might call a soft warning about diving.

"We're looking at it," said Campbell, the NHL's executive vice president of hockey operations. "It's a tough penalty to call, especially without a replay. It's ugly, and it's worse than it ever was."

According to Campbell, the directors of officiating figure they have watched about 140 dives this season. However, only 28 dives were called in the season's first quarter.

"There are certainly a number of known perpetrators," said Campbell, "and diving has been around forever. There were always guys like (Dino) Ciccarelli and (Bill) Barber, but now diving has really reared it's ugly head."

Part of the problem is that with the new crackdown on interference, players believe they have a better chance of drawing a penalty.

Campbell and VanHellemond, the NHL's director of officiating, want the crackdown against diving to be instituted this season. There is some consideration being given to using rules similar to those in place for instigator penalties, in which a certain number of dives would lead to a suspension or a fine. However, part of the problem is that they would need cooperation from many parties, perhaps even the NHLPA.

In the never-ending effort to get more consistency, VanHellemond said there could be some changes in assigning officials.

"We might put two younger and two older guys together," he said. "We hope the difference isn't that great. This process is new. We're trying to find the best way to do it."

The Lindros fallout for Flyers-Rangers
The Flyers and Rangers renew their feud this Thursday in Philadelphia on ESPN, and the game provides a natural landmark for where each team sits following the noteworthy trade in the summer of 2001.

	Eric Lindros Center New York Rangers Profile
	2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM G A PTS +/- PIM 26 5 8 13 -4 57

It was at that point that Lindros gave up the battle to get traded to Toronto and accepted the trade that sent him to the Rangers for Kim Johnsson, Jan Hlavac, Pavel Brendl and the Rangers' third-round choice in the (2003) next summer's entry draft.

Since that time, the Flyers have signed star free agent Jeremy Roenick (summer of 2001), fired yet another coach (Bill Barber), and bombed out of the first round of the playoffs last season against Ottawa. Meanwhile, the Rangers traded for star winger Pavel Bure last spring, signed star free agent Bobby Holik this past summer, did not qualify for the playoffs, fired coach Ron Low, and are again swimming against the tide in the bid for their first playoff date since the 1996-97 season.

The Rangers appeared to have the upper hand early last season when Lindros was playing like the dominating player of old. Then came another concussion, Lindros' game fell off upon his return, and this season No. 88 has been lost in a funk due in part by his own play, the aloof play of Bure, and a new type of officiating that has made Lindros a resident of the penalty box at the most inopportune times.

Since the deal, the Flyers have traded away Hlavac in a deal that brought Donald Brashear from Vancouver, and thought they had a star on the rise last season with Johnsson.

However, Johnsson lost a gear in his game after last year's Olympics when he was among the best defenseman with Sweden. He has been solid, but has not cranked his game up near enough to be considered a premier defenseman.

And although the Flyers management and coaching staff try at every opportunity to present Brendl in the most positive light, he remains a marginal NHL player with that huge upside looking less steep month by month.

If the Flyers thought they were making a huge addition by the "subtraction" of Lindros, they were only partly right. Even with Lindros gone, nobody in the locker room has stepped up to provide the drive the team needs to get over the playoff hump.

Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN.