The "new" NHL isn't so new anymore, with a full season behind us that enabled teams to start adjusting to more offense-minded rules, shootouts to prevent ties and the salary cap.

Some clubs did a better job than others, as is always the case, with the Carolina Hurricanes skating off with the Stanley Cup, giving the much-maligned Southeast Division back-to-back league championships - or have you forgotten that the Tampa Bay Lightning did it the season before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman pulled the plug on the 2004-05 campaign?

In a sense, the NHL continues to enter a brave new world with bright young stars like Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf being asked to carry on following the retirements of future Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Luc Robitaille.

Ovechkin, 21, and Crosby, 20, finished 1-2 in voting for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year after combining for 91 goals and 117 assists.

Phaneuf, 21, also a rookie last season, is a physical 6-foot-3, 213-pounder with a powerful shot who scored 20 goals and was eighth in balloting for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league's best defenseman.

The Avalanche's Marek Svatos, the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Prucha, Boston's Brad Boyes, Buffalo's Ryan Miller, Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros and Dallas' Jussi Jokinen were among a group of first-year players that might have been the strongest in NHL history.

There is plenty more young talent on the way in 2006-07 with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the Avalanche's Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny, San Jose's Matt Carle and Boston's Hannu Toivonen leading another strong crop of rookies.

The impressive youth movement notwithstanding, the over-30 crowd isn't quite ready for rocking chairs and Social Security checks.

Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom, 36, is coming off a career year in which he totaled 80 points and won his fourth Norris Trophy; the Rangers' Jaromir Jagr, 34, was second in the league in scoring with 123 points; New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, 34, posted 43 wins despite rules that inhibit his extraordinary puck handling; Brendan Shanahan, 37, now with the Rangers, scored 40 goals for the Red Wings; and Joe Sakic, 37, led the Avalanche in scoring with 87 points.

Thanks to the salary cap - increased from last year's ceiling of $39 million to $44 million - free agency and trades, the battle for playoff spots should be as competitive as ever.

Among those switching uniforms this offseason: Jason Arnott (Dallas to Nashville), Ed Belfour (Toronto to Florida), Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver to Florida), Rob Blake (Avalanche to Los Angeles), Zdeno Chara (Ottawa to Boston), Pavol Demitra (Los Angeles to Minnesota), Marc Denis (Columbus to Tampa Bay), Bill Guerin (Dallas to St. Louis), Ed Jovanovski (Vancouver to Florida), Eric Lindros (Toronto to Dallas), Roberto Luongo (Florida to Vancouver), Chris Pronger (Edmonton to Anaheim), Shanahan (Detroit to the Rangers), Alex Tanguay (Avalanche to Calgary), and Doug Weight (Carolina to St. Louis).

The Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets believe they have what it takes to make their postseason debuts, a perennial patsy like the Chicago Blackhawks might be able to extend its season beyond the first week of April, the Nashville Predators could unseat the Red Wings as Central Division champs, and the Anaheim Ducks - no longer "Mighty" - and Buffalo Sabres are looking to build on their recent success.

Eight teams changed coaches and six brought in new general managers, including the Avalanche's Francois Giguere, one of three first-year GMs with strong business backgrounds, sort of a new breed.

Giguere was employed by an accounting firm for five years before joining the Quebec Nordiques as controller in 1990 before working in various capacities with the Avalanche and Dallas Stars, where he was an assistant GM. He has replaced Pierre Lacroix, who remains Avalanche president.

Ray Shero, a former player agent, has succeeded Craig Patrick in Pittsburgh.

Peter Chiarelli, a lawyer who played four years at Harvard, is the new man in Boston, taking over for Mike O'Connell.

Then there's Garth Snow, who took an even more unconventional route to his position as GM of the New York Islanders.

An NHL goalie for 12 seasons, Snow retired in July and wound up in the front office when Islanders owner Charles Wang fired Smith just 40 days after hiring him.

The league even has a new/old national television partner in Versus, which changed its name from OLN. Hopefully, hockey fans will have more access to the network than they did a year ago.