Some weeks are busier than others, but at this point of the hockey season, they're all busy.

  This one has been something of a whirlwind twirl through the Northeast, and as a usually happens, there are plenty of hockey tidbits attached to my shoe.


  Scraping them off, randomly, and one by one....


  BOSTON -- Shawn McEachern was an unhappy camper in Providence, where he had spent the past four months after being demoted by Boston.

  McEachern suited up for just 10 games with the P-Bruins, netted only two goals, and for the most part, the 35 year old seemed unable or unwilling to cope with his first ever stint in the minors (his $1 million paycheck notwithstanding).

  His get out of jail card came this week, days after the firing of Bruins' GM Mike O'Connell, who signed him to an ill-advised two year deal, then sent him out of town.

  O'Connell's replacement, interim GM Jeff Gorton, made the rehabilitation of McEachern one of his first orders of business, calling him back up to Boston to help the Bruins play out a miserable string.

  It seems to be a smart move by Gorton, who is fighting to get the "interim" tag removed from his title. There is certainly little to lose. Anything McEachern might do in the final two weeks is purely gravy.

  McEachern is a good guy -- he has, after all been a captain in both Ottawa and Atlanta -- and will get a chance to end his time in his native Boston, if not his career, on something of a high note.

  At the same time, the questions about McEachern that dogged the P-Bruins since December can finally be put to rest.


  MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The newest Canadian national holiday, a.k.a. "NHL Trade Deadline Day", has always found a way to affect the AHL landscape.

  In the case of the Manchester Monarchs, it amounted to the severest form of strip mining.

  When the dust settled following the flurry of deals consummated by NHL clubs at the Mar. 9 deadline, the Monarchs lineup had been all but ravaged by the dealings of its parent club, the LA Kings.

  In one fell swoop, the Monarchs lost their top prospect, winger Jeff Tambellini, highly regarded defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, top scorer Brad Smyth, and handy man Brendan Bernakevich.

  What they got in return was former Monarch blueliner Joe Rullier back from Hartford, the enigmatic Alexandre Daigle from Houston, and a tepid three weeks of hockey.

  "It's a transitional period," said Manchester coach Jim Hughes. "It's been a interesting experience for a lot of young kids on our team."

  The loss of talent aside, Hughes said that the change in team chemistry was immediately noticeable.

  "I think the room changed drastically," he said. "We had a weekend with empty stalls. The room looked different. The room felt different. Then you bring in a guy like Joe, and a guy like Alex, and the room feels different. But they bring in good stuff because they're good people. We just need some patience."

  For their part, the boys in the room were saying the right things.

  "It was definitely a (change)," said Manchester captain Richard Seeley, "but we've stressed from the beginning of the year that we play the same style no matter who's in the lineup. Whether guys have been called up or traded. But the new guys knew how we played. Obviously it would take some time to adjust. But hopefully the guys who have been here all year can help feed off the new guys, and make the transition a little easier."

  Seeley felt that Smyth's loss in the swap with Atlantic Division rival Hartford for Rullier was the toughest to absorb.

 "He (Smyth) was a major part of our team," said Seeley. "He puts the puck in the net. But not only that, he works hard, day in and day out, and that's valuable for the young forwards to see. A veteran who comes in every day and works his butt off. But we felt we needed another element to our team, and had to give up (Smyth) to get that."

  For his part, Rullier, said the welcome mat was waiting for him when he stepped back into the remade locker room.

  "There was a bit of an adjustment because it's a different system," Rullier said. "But they're a great bunch of guys who keep working and working and they made it easy for me to fit in again."

 
  ALBANY, N.Y. -- There should be plenty of movement on the affiliation front before next season rolls around. San Jose has already bolted Cleveland for Worcester (the best press room food in the AHL by a wide margin), and New Jersey has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Lowell Lock Monsters, ending their often unceremonious 13 year run in Albany.

  That leaves Albany vacant, but it won't be for long.

  Several NHL clubs have been mentioned as possible parents for the Pepsi squad, with Florida having been one strong candidate.

  But apparently it won't be the Panthers, after all, according to  highly placed sources within both Albany and the league that I met up with.

  "I don't think it will be Florida," said the AHLer "It's going to be somebody else."

  That someone appears to be Carolina, which will hand over the keys to New Jersey on its way out of Lowell. In effect, what you will have is a straight switch of affiliates.

  The changes won't end there, not with Edmonton, Colorado, and possibly even Columbus all looking for new landing spots for its youngsters.
 
 
  BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- This is the time of year, as college and junior teams fall by the wayside, that some prime newcomers hit the professional player pool.

  Some of them, who had gone undrafted, will sign ATOs (amateur tryout) deals with clubs in the AHL, ECHL, and UHL.

  Others, who may be big time NHL prospects, will sign ATOs with their rights holder with the idea of getting their feet wet in the AHL.

  One of those who has already made a big splash is center Ryan O'Marra, the top pick of the Islanders last summer, who just joined the Isles' farm club in Bridgeport.

  O'Marra netted four goals in his first three pro starts, which Bridgeport coach Dave Baseggio thinks is a harbinger of things to come.

  "He's a heck of a player," said Baseggio. "I'm putting him in a tough situation. I'm probably overplaying him right now, because we're down so many bodies. But he's done well. I think that bodes well as we come down the stretch. Then we'll be able to give him more quality ice time than quantity. He's going to be a good player for a long time."