An Off-Season of Change for Nordiques

Change was the key word for the Quebec Nordiques' off-season. The team was re-named from the Stars to the Nordiques, and moved from Dallas to Quebec. After a disappointing seventeenth-overall finish, the General Manager of the Nordiques and coaches of both Dallas and their farm affiliate, the Iowa Stars, were released. Hired on July 29th, new General Manager Alex Fletcher got to work instantly. New coaches Craig MacTavish (Nordiques) and Lindy Ruff (Stars) will bring experience, discipline and an offensive touch to their respective teams, and Fletcher is hoping it bodes well for the teams' young players.

In a series of six trades and six free agent signings, nine players and two draft picks were shipped out and replaced by 21 players and four draft picks, including two first-round selections. Out were the likes of experienced veterans Brenden Morrow, Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and Kimmo Timonen, and new to the Nordiques are young, budding stars and prospects such as Jakub Voracek, Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle, Jason Pominvile, Marc Staal and Mike Murphy. "Farm depth, prospect depth and a lack of draft picks were three areas that were major weaknesses in this organization, so we identified them and fixed the problem. Having players in the primes of their careers is nice, but only when you have the depth to be able to keep a competitive team going and going, and this team didn't have that depth," said Fletcher. Since his hiring, Fletcher has brought in five of who he deems the organization's top seven prospects, and two first-round draft picks - in years two and four - that the team sorely lacked.

With all his moves to increase the talent pool in the prospect and farm systems, Fletcher's Nordiques will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, and he knows it. "It's a competitive league, and there are a couple of real competitive teams in our division, in particular, that will be tough to play against," he said. "However," he added, "We are very pleased with this group's ability to excite and draw fans, and we are very confident that this team will be one that won't back down from challenges, and will be a top team in coming years. When you can make the kinds of moves we did to bring in quality young players, it's exciting for the fans to know they're going to have a competitive team to cheer on for years and years."

Milan Hejduk, a 33-year-old right-winger with the club, and one of few who remains from last year's squad, will wear the 'C' for Captain of the Nordiques, whilst 38-year-old defenseman Sergei Zubov and 29-year-old center Brad Richards, two others remaining from last year's squad, will get the 'A's.