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With one GM change already in Edmonton, Craig Custance looks around the league to identify 10 assistant GMs who are proving capable of running their own teams.

Blog | Conversation | April 17, 2013

Players and prospects weren't the only things savvy teams should have picked up from the 2013 trade deadline. Craig Custance points out several critical errors GMs should avoid when building their teams.

Blog | Conversation | April 10, 2013

As teams reshuffled their rosters at the trade deadline, some players -- like Marian Gaborik -- saw their situation improve. Others? Not so much. And there was some front-office impact as well.

Blog | Conversation | April 03, 2013

Craig Custance studies the blueprints of previous success stories built through the selection of top draft picks. It takes much more than just high picks to create a winner.

Blog | Conversation | March 18, 2013

Craig Custance evaluates the early returns from the summer's free-agent moves to rank his top five so far, noting that it's been the under-the-radar signings that have made the biggest impact.

Blog | Conversation | February 27, 2013

Craig Custance reports from Detroit, explaining how both the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers are suffering from injuries. Which team is more likely to make the playoffs?

Blog | Conversation | February 10, 2013

The win will have to wait, but the doubt as to whether or not Nikolai Khabibulin can be effective this season is gone, writes Craig Custance.

Craig Custance dives into his mailbag to examine a question on how teams can get the best value on their player contracts and whether the Montreal Canadiens may have erred in their deal with P.K. Subban.

Blog | Conversation | February 01, 2013

With a short season, is it time for the winless Capitals and Kings to panic? Craig Custance explores that topic as he dives into his weekly mailbag.

Blog | Conversation | January 25, 2013

The Edmonton Oilers boast some young talented legs and established chemistry during the lockout.

Blog | Conversation | January 09, 2013

Craig Custance checks in with the NHL scouts in Ufa, Russia to see which players have impressed them most in the World Junior Championships.

Blog | Conversation | January 02, 2013

With the NHL including an option for teams to buyout contracts to comply with a proposed drop in the salary cap, Craig Custance examines some likely candidates in the Western Conference.

Blog | Conversation | December 31, 2012

In ESPN The Magazine, Craig Custance writes about how Nail Yakupov is skating his way to stardom.

Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff has been deeply involved since the beginning in the NHLPA's negotiations with the NHL over a new CBA. He was in Toronto when the NHLPA presented the league with three offers in mid-October. He was in New York when the pla...

Eye-popping numbers in the KHL and displays of elite skill this season have many eagerly awaiting the NHL debut of 2012 No. 1 overall draft pick Nail Yakupov, but sources inside and out of the Oilers organization advise tempering great expectations.

Blog | Conversation | November 13, 2012

TROY, Mich. -- Veteran forward Shawn Horcoff was one of the few on the ice still wearing the logo of his NHL team during informal player workouts Monday morning in suburban Detroit. But the fact that he wasn't wearing a NHLPA jersey wasn't any sort o...