To get your Tuesday started off right, here's your news & notes from around the league, including several franchises being sold (or at risk of being sold in the case of Montreal), and the impact on head coaching & general manager jobs:

The Rink Episode 36 | The Rink Podcast

The Rink takes a look at the Bettman state of the game address, the new guys hired by the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, and yes, even the Stanley Cup

Firing Tippett would be a bad start for Nieuwendyk

Jim Reeves at the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram raves over the Dallas Stars' hiring of Joe Nieuwendyk as GM, and argues that sticking by head coach Dave Tippett is the way to go. While owner Tom Hicks needs to raise capital, it doesn't look like he'll sell the Stars to do it, and instead will focus on offering up the Texas Rangers instead.

Gainey's next job: fill the holes

Pat Hickey at the Montreal Gazette notes that as Jacques Martin takes over behind the Canadiens' bench as head coach, GM Bob Gainey has plenty of work to do patching holes in the roster.

SPAC closes in on purchase of Florida franchise - The Globe and Mail

Martin leaves the Florida Panthers as they are on the verge of being sold, pending approval from the NHL's Board of Governors. I'm guessing that discretion and a local commitment have made this process quicker than PR campaigns and bankruptcy schemes would.

Jim Balsillie files relocation application with NHL | The Tennessean
After complaining in court for weeks and launching a PR campaign over the fact that the NHL won't let him relocate the Phoenix Coyotes, Jim Balsillie finally gets around to requesting permission to do so. He reminds me of my kids when they pout and say, "I just know you're going to say no..." No matter what happens in this drama, getting rid of Wayne Gretzky's burdensome head coaching salary is one of the first steps to repairing the financial status of this team.

Moneyball Author Michael Lewis - MSNBC.com interview 

I think the thrust of the story is that what's going to happen in basketball has happened in baseball. A wand will be waved and a new system will be put in place on how to value players. - My question is, how much has statistical analysis worked its way into NHL front offices?

2009 NHL Draft Combine recap - Hockey's Future

The 2009 NHL Combine took place last week in Toronto. Start studying up, as SB Nation will ramp up the Draft Coverage, including a mock draft conducted across all the SB Nation hockey blogs after the Stanley Cup Final completes.