Normally I would be about halfway through reading the second round of NHL team previews, mostly online, as we approached the start of the new season. The NHL lockout has pretty much dried that flow of information, and has kept all but the Hockey News Yearbook from reaching the newsstands.
But just try to find the the Hockey News pool forecaster magazine on a newsstand in Manhattan. I'm 0 for 37 in that regard.
To fill the void, previews of leagues in Europe and the junior leagues here in North America are coming in. Hockey's Future has posted its preview of the KHL.
These previews tend to focus on those players who may eventually make it to the NHL. Something to keep in mind as we move deeper into the lockout.
An Update: Any preview of the KHL with Nail Yakupov playing for Neftekhimik is not taking into account the IIHF's action of denying Yakupov a transfer card, which makes Yakupov, Edmonton's top pick in June, ineligible for KHL play.
If he wants to play, he can return to the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, which Hockey Canada appears to prefer, according to the Buzzing the Net blog. Or Yakupov can wait for this IIHF ruling to be debated further.
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