What do you think of the Chris Drury-Derek Morris trade? Do you think the Colorado Avalanche gave up too much from the forward position in order to marginally improve their defense? -- Lawrence Knutson, Denver

	Forsberg contributed nine goals and 18 assists in the playoffs last season.

Melrose: Obviously, Lawrence you don't know much about Derek Morris. By acquiring Morris, Colorado didn't "marginally" improve their defense -- this kid is awesome. At only 24, he's a tough, physical leader. He's got a big shot and he can play the power play. Add Morris alongside Rob Blake and Adam Foote and Colorado, once again, has the best defense in the NHL.

True, they gave up a young forward in Drury. But offense isn't Colorado's problem. With Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk, they're going to be able to score. Look for Alex Tanguay, who's coming off a terrible offensive year, to get better. The Avs also have a lot of young players who show some scoring talent. Overall, this was a great deal for the Avs. To win in the NHL, you've got to have great defensemen, and now Colorado's got three.

Will the New Jersey Devils' change in offensive philosophy this offseason immediately work on the ice? Or will it take some getting used to for the veteran players? -- Freedawg, Boston

Melrose: The Devils have made some additions on offense, but they haven't changed their offensive philosophy. Pat Burns is a predominantly defensive coach. That hasn't changed, so the philosophy won't be different. They have improved their offense with some great, talented forwards. But the Devils will continue to work on defense by stressing better checking and improving in their own end. They've added some defensive players who can skate and join the play. Defense and goaltending will always come first in New Jersey.

Now that my favorite goalie, Cujo, is playing behind my all-time favorite defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom, I am thrilled about the Detroit Red Wings' chances of repeating. They have more talented youth coming in and look poised to win the Stanley Cup again. What, if any, concerns do you have about their chances? -- Jay Croft, Southgate, Mich.

Melrose: One deterrence will be the Colorado Avalanche. I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings, Jay, but I think Dominik Hasek is a better goaltender than Cujo. Hasek can beat Patrick Roy; I don't think Cujo can. Don't get me wrong, I love Cujo and I think he's a great goaltender. But he's been on good teams before and he's yet to raise to the level necessary to win a Stanley Cup -- or even get to the finals. The bottom line is that Colorado is a better team than they were last year, while Detroit isn't as good as they were last year.

Who are your sleeper teams that fans need to be aware of? -- Danny Mendoza, Los Angeles

Melrose: There are a couple of teams out there that people take for granted. Out West, the San Jose Sharks are my sleeper. They're a great team who has raised their point total each season for five consecutive years. The Sharks stayed competitive through tough playoff series' against great clubs. They're close to becoming the best team out of the West.

In the East, look for the New York Rangers to emerge. With the additions of Bobby Holik, Darius Kasparaitis and the new coaching staff, I really believe in this team. With Pavel Bure and a healthy Eric Lindros, the Rangers are poised to come out of the East.

Earlier this week, ESPN Analyst Bill Clement did not list Jason Allison among his top five power forwards in the league. Would you group the big Los Angeles Kings center in that group? Mahalo -- Will Hutchison, Lahina, Hawaii

Melrose: In my opinion, Jason Allison would be amongst the top five power forwards in the league. People may not think of him right away because he's not a pretty player. He's not a great skater like Keith Tkachuk and he lacks Billy Guerin's big shot, but at the end of the year, he's in the top 10 in scoring. Allison is great in the power play. He's competitive and plays very physical.

What happened with your hair at the end of last season? Did you lose a bet or something? Please grow it back. -- Jeff, San Jose, Calif.

Melrose: It's coming back. My hair doesn't grow very fast and it seems like the older I get, the longer it takes to grow. But it's coming back and it will be nice and long by the playoffs.

	Modano

Mike Modano has always been a star in the NHL, but his numbers have never suggested Peter Forsberg, Eric Lindros, Jaromir Jagr type dominance. Since Dallas' style is shifting from defense to offense and with the additional support at wing from Billy Guerin and Scott Young, do you believe Modano has the ability to bring home the Art Ross trophy? -- Billybob Thompson, Phoenix

Melrose: I don't think Modano will ever win top scorer in the league. I believe he's talented enough, but similar to what Steve Yzerman did, Modano changed his playing philosophy to become a much better two-way player. And it's certainly paid off. Modano's focus is no longer just on offense like it was when he first came into the league. He's still a great skater, with a rocket for a shot and he still sees the ice very well. But winning scoring races is not his focus anymore. Modano wants another Stanley Cup. Dallas can put an unbelievable amount of firepower on the ice with Modano, Jason Arnott, Pierre Turgeon, Sergei Zubov, Darryl Sydor -- especially during a power play. They'll be a fun team to watch. They'll score more, but defense will still be Dallas' strong point.

In your opinion, who has the top line the NHL? Is there one line that has the whole package and has opponents shaking in their skates? I would have to choose, if they stay together this year, the Los Angeles Kings' line of Jason Allison, Adam Deadmarsh, and Ziggy Palffy. But I am a biased Kings' fan. -- Michael Gonzales, Albuquerque, N.M.

Melrose: Obviously, and that's going to be a great line in Los Angeles. You'll also see some other great lines this year. In Colorado, whoever plays with Sakic will be dominant. Pierre Turgeon and Scott Young are united again in Dallas. And if the Stars put Guerin on a line with those guys, watch out. St. Louis can put together a great line with Tkachuk. It will be interesting to see how things shake out and who ends up playing with whom. Creating and manipulating lines that you think will work was always a fun part of coaching hockey.

It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes won't be getting a lot of respect again this year, even after their amazing run through the playoffs last season. What are the chances the Canes' can build on last years experience and success and turn this team into a solid Eastern Conference powerhouse?

Melrose: The Hurricanes kept their nucleus together and they'll remain a very good team. Their young players have an additional year of experience, which will help. Everything seemed to work out for Carolina in the playoffs last year. Everyone contributed. Their goaltending really came together and they pulled in a lot of big goals. Carolina's defense is still very underrated. If they can keep goals per game down while scoring timely goals, they'll be back in the playoffs this year. But I've got to think that the Washington Capitals will also make the playoffs in the Southeast division. So Carolina needs to keep their point total up -- just finishing first in the Southeast won't be enough.

Barry Melrose, a former NHL defenseman and coach, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.