Here are the most important players who have switched teams this offseason, based on how often they are on ice when the game is in a clutch situation (two minutes left in a one-goal or tied game).

KEY PLAYERS % CLUTCH TIME ON THE MOVE
1) Marian Gaborik 65.90% MIN ø NYR
2) Jay Boumeester 63.10% FLA ø CGY
3) Chris Pronger 57.10% ANA ø PHI
4) Ryan Smyth 51.80% COL ø LA
5) Rob Scuderi 45.70% PIT ø LA
6) Pavel Kubina 43.10% TOR ø ATL
7) Mattias Ohlund 42.30% VAN ø TB
8) Jaroslav Spacek 41.40% BUF ø MTL
9) Scott Gomez 41.20% NYR ø MTL
10) Mike Knuble 40.70% PHI ø WAS

Question: Can you go through the day, and talk about anything you might have been close to getting done?

LOMBARDI: "Obviously we went into this for wingers. Like I've said, it's one of the positives of being in our situation now, as opposed to three years ago, when we were looking for everything and signing seven guys. The No. 1 guy we targeted was Hossa. I got permission to talk to Hossa at the draft. There were three teams, us and two others. Detroit gave me permission, and we started the dialogue at that time. Detroit, if he got signed, they would get compensation. We met with his agent there, at that time, and he was interested in L.A. He said he thinks we could be the next Chicago. But he said, 'That's down the road,' and that's fair, that's realistic. He said it was important to go to a 100-point team. I said, 'I don't know if we can guarantee that, but you're the type of player we're prepared to commit to.' He was the one player we thought was a top player. I don't know that he's a 'mail carrier' type guy, but he's still a top player.

"That dialogue continued until July 1. He was throwing (contract) numbers out there, but it was very vague in terms of numbers. We talked again last night and I got the sense that this was probably going in a different direction. I said, `What would it take?' but we never really got an answer. I think he had his eye on something else already. We thought it was Boston. He told us this morning that it was probably unlikely that he would come here. It wasn't really the 12-year term that got us out of it. It never got to that point. Part of this is that you're frustrated, but the other part is that you want guys like that. I've always said you want guys who want to win first. And you look at Chicago, where they've come in the last seven drafts and where they're at. Chicago, it took six years; we're three years in. That's the process they went through, and then they broke through. We're hoping that if we break through like they did, we can compete (for players) at that level. We were prepared to talk about the cash and the 12 years."

Question: How about Gaborik and Havlat?

LOMBARDI: ``We were prepared to look at Gaborik, but we were not prepared for a Hossa-type deal. We were talking first about a one(-year contract), then a two or three for Gaborik. Then they got the Rangers' thing. You're looking at a guy who played 17 games last year, and has a series of those. Forty-eight games, 65 games, 65 games. There's some gray there. I didn't have gray areas on Hossa. It might work out, but do we need to take that risk and jeopardize things right now? I don't think so. I'll take that risk on Hossa-type players. Will he be healthy? Maybe. We had the one(-year deal) out there and we talked about two or three, then he gave us the Rangers' number and we said, `We're done.' It's more about rolling the dice, and I don't think we should roll the dice and jeopardize what we're trying to do here. Same thing goes, to a degree, with Havlat. I'm not interested in rolling the dice.

``So that's the market. If you're looking for top wingers, who else is there that fits? You've got 30 teams out there and we couldn't offer the part that some other teams could. Chicago is a contender. Washington is a contender.''

TFP has confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks fired general manager Dale Tallon late Monday and an official announcement will be made on Tuesday.
TFP Columnist and Comcast Chicago anchor Josh Mora has also confirmed that Stan Bowman, the club's assistant GM, will be taking over as GM.

Tallon was named the eighth GM in team history on June 21, 2005. Prior to becoming GM, he served as assistant GM, and was the club's director of player personnel from 1998-2002.

Tallon's job had reportedly been on the fence since the Hawks season had ended.

Sources close to the situation tell TFP "the embarrassment over the negative publicity of the contract situation (regarding the club's restricted free agents) was the clinching blow."

The Blackhawks were believed to be late in notifying the agents of their main RFAs that they had received qualifying offers. As a result, the Hawks had signed those players, including Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg, to new contracts.

More details to come as the story develops.

Dear Jack,

When you were first dealt to the Kings, we were as excited as seeing a lost Spartan at a Wolverine frat house. You were hope for the future. We dubbed you JMFJ and had T-Shirts made. I was one of a handful of nerd-bombers who saw you step on Staples center ice for the very first time. I'm sorry if the pom-pom's distracted you.

We saw you fight. We saw you score. We saw you wear Palffy's old number. And Fukufuji's. And McSorley's. And Vopat's!

You were on your way to becoming a hero in Los Angeles. We were already stitching your number into the rafters at Staples. (then we had to change it when you switched your number)

Then last year sucked. Like a Steven Segal movie. You got hurt and then, for some unknown reason, word went around that you didn’t want to play in L.A., you wanted to play for a winner, you were moody in the locker room, you refused an assignment to Manchester, your dad wanted you to play in the KHL, you preferred Lindsay Lohan over Megan Fox, you were asking for 5 million dollars…

What the hell?

You have to understand, Jack. Kings fans are like a very sensitive woman. Like the one from "Fatal Attraction". We hurt when we even THINK we’re being rejected. That comes with 40+ years without a cup. 6 years without a sniff of the playoffs. Modry in the lineup. Twice. So when you even HEAR rumors of a player not being happy here, Kings fans turn into that guy who ran his car into the toxic waste container in "Robocop".

Jack, you were still playing with G.I.Joe’s when things were great here. When Gretzky was here and Tom Hanks, Kurt and Goldie, and Carrot Top were in the stands every night.

We’re getting back to that.

We believe in you. You just have to believe in us.

Hollywood is THE place to be when you’re winning. Just ask Magic, or Kobe. Or Hugh Grant. Just ask Luc what it’s like when the Kings are winning... then ask him why he had to go to Detroit to win a cup... then ask him why he speaks with that funny accent... then ask him why he likes Chalupas over Flautas...

It’s magical, Jack.

You’re going to be a part of that magic.

I know you’ve read my articles and what’s been said. I cop to my (stuff).

I took shots at your old man (lets be real now… he did set himself up, and yes, he does dance worse than I do), and I suggested that maybe certain players don’t fit with certain teams (May 19), but a few weeks later I did say, “I'd say Jack Johnson proves everyone wrong and becomes the player everyone expected”.

Then there was the whole “Jack Johnson traded for Pronger” fiasco, which turned out to be about as accurate as Sarah Palin's presidential predictions. But, being that I am on a RUMOR site, its my job to report that rumor… so I did. It turned out to be a joke gone horribly wrong and you’ll have to ask your boss what happened. I can’t repeat the story here! They will shoot me with an M9 bazooka.

That SAME DAY, I said this, “I have a feeling Jack Johnson will be wearing a Kings sweater come October but that's certainly not going to stop the rumor mill.”

When I interviewed Dean Lombardi on June 23rd, he defended you tooth and nail and quickly squashed the ridiculous rumors and accusations that were thrown your way. (However, he did say you prefer boxers over briefs)

Please understand, Kings fans, like other fans, just want to win. We’re tired of being Jennifer Aniston and maybe they felt you were about to break our hearts.

Now we know, you’re not.

Yes, it would be nice to play with Sid the Kid, but in reality, in a few years they're only going to be able to afford 'Nilla Wafers. Yes, it would be nice to play for the Red Wings, but if you thought working with Marc Crawford was like being Rosie O'Donnells assistant, have you ever played for that German guy from the first "Raiders of the Lost Ark" movie?... I mean, Mike Babcock?

You have the beach, the BEAUTIFUL women, the Hollywood Stars, a great arena, passionate fans and Perez Hilton.

We’re glad your back and you’ll laugh at these miserable days. You’ll meet your future ex-wife here. You’ll win awards here. You’ll win the Stanley Cup here.

And we’ll love you.

Until Catherine Zeta Jones shows up at the games... then we'll love you second.

Jack Johnson re-signed with the Kings today, a two-year contract with a salary-cap hit of $1.425 million per season

BRAINTREE - Yet again, Chris Nilan went out fighting. Seventeen years after he ended his multimillion-dollar hockey career, the former NHL enforcer engaged in a bloody brawl with two security workers Wednesday as he allegedly tried to walk away from the South Shore Plaza wearing a purloined Tommy Bahama swimsuit under his shorts.

The former fan favorite got as far as the sidewalk outside Lord & Taylor before two loss prevention agents tried to detain him, according to a Braintree police report. By the time police restored order, “Knuckles’’ Nilan, his friend, James P. McGettrick Jr., and the two store workers were bleeding from their faces.

“Wow, that was really Chris Nilan,’’ said Steven LoRusso, a Quincy maintenance worker who witnessed the altercation. “It was like I remembered watching him fight when I was a kid.’’

This time, however, Nilan landed in Cell No. 2 at the Braintree police station instead of the penalty box. And though Nilan’s shoplifting charge was dismissed Thursday in Quincy District Court on the condition that he pay $100 in court fees, the incident is the latest involving athletes who once were handsomely paid and now are down on their luck (see also, Antoine Walker and Lenny Dykstra).

Nilan allegedly acknowledged that what he did “was stupid’’ and admitted stealing the swimsuit because “I just wanted to save a few bucks,’’ according to Braintree police.

Nilan declined to comment. His parents, Henry and Leslie Nilan, expressed deep frustration over the incident, which they described as the latest in a series of unfortunate episodes involving their unemployed son.

A witness said the Lord & Taylor security workers overreacted and threw the first punches at Nilan and McGettrick. He said the security workers knocked Nilan to the ground and repeatedly punched him. Things changed when Nilan stood up, “That’s when Chris Nilan went into hockey mode,he tagged both those guys pretty good and they started backing up. That’s when the police showed up.’’

A police officer who booked Nilan reported discovering the former hockey player wearing the Tommy Bahama swimsuit - light blue with a dark blue stripe - under his shorts. Nilan, who is divorced and lives in a Milton apartment, also was carrying $601 and a credit card, according to police.

Nilan won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986. One of the most penalized players in NHL history - 3,043 minutes in 688 games - he holds the league record for most penalties in a game (10), which he set in 1991 with the Bruins against the Hartford Whalers.

After he retired in 1992, Nilan worked in community relations for John Hancock for three years and opened an insurance agency. He returned to hockey as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils in the 1995-96 season, and later coached in the minor leagues. He listed his occupation on the police custody report as unemployed hockey player.

The judge ordered him to stay out of Lord & Taylor.