The night before...

It was the night before the expansion draft, when all through the house 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a hockey player;

The skates were hung by the chimnet with care,

In hopes that the season soon would be there;

The players were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of Kings Cups danced in their heads;

But for eight Cougars players,  tomorrow night could be different and they might be sleeping in a bed in a different town with new dreams.  All of them are exposed in the incoming expansion draft, all for different reasons, all hoping for a different RHL future.

For Peter Forsberg, Joe DiPenta, and Randy Robitaille, they all three have already announced that they will be playing in Europe next season.  Forsberg after have a successful 2-season stint with the team.  Robitaille's performance was less impressive, but he carried the family name proudly.  As for DiPenta, he never found a regular roster spot with the team, more often than not getting relegated to 8th or 9th spot on the blue line depth chart.

Tomas Plilhal's future is also toward Europe, but he has decided to give the RHL one last season.  But as a UFA, this will all likely not occur in Newmarket.

Mike Grier and Adam Foote both came to the team near the trading deadline, knowing full well that their time with the team will be of the order of  a dozen games or so until they become unrestricted free-agent.  But both still have fuel in their tank, and should easily find employment somewhere in the league this season, via the expansino draft or via the free-agent auction.

Andrew Ference is a totally story:  signed 3 years ago, he has been a regular of the team for most of that period.  But trades done by the team in the 2nd half of RHL19 pushed him to 7th on the depth chart, a spot he is expected to continue to hold next season.  For him the expansion draft is his road to regular playing time in the league as a 5th or 6th defenseman.

And finally Stephen Valiquette, our favourite Freak (tm). For former best goalie of the league, and playoff MVP during RHL8, when he singled-handed gave GM Robitaille his one and only championship ring, his return to the RHL last season was disapointing :  3 games played, 2 losses.  More was expected from him in the 3rd goalie role for the Cougars.  RHL20 is going to see him back in that 3rd goalie role, looking for rare games behind Brodeur and Price, unless the draft allows him to escape town and become a backup with one of the new expansion franchises.

All these players are sleeping soundly tonight.  But the expansion draft could change the life of any of them.