Who do you think got the better end of the Kyle McLaren deal? I'd say the Bruins because they helped solve the problem in net, and got a very good young player. Do you agree? -- Rocky, Blacksburg, Va.

Melrose: This is an excellent deal for Boston. The Bruins got players to fill two big needs and gave up nothing from the active roster. Jeff Hackett is a very good goaltender who will play well for Boston. The only negative is that he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and the Bruins might lose him. Even if he walks, the Bruins still got a good young defenseman in Jeff Jillson in return. What Boston is hoping is that Hackett comes in and plays well, falls in love with the city and wants to sign over the summer.

Montreal was in a tough situation with Hackett, because a lot of teams don't want a player who is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. But the Canadiens helped themselves by losing part of his salary and getting Niklas Sundstrom along with a draft pick. They made out as well as they could have hoped.

San Jose, of course, gets a tough, veteran defenseman in return for Jillson. And the Sharks don't lose anyone from their roster, either, because Jillson had struggled early in the year and was playing in the minors. McLaren can be a top-four defenseman for San Jose.

In the end, this is a deal that might work out well for all three teams.

	Alexei Kovalev could be awarded between $7 million and $8 million in arbitration next summer.

In your opinion, which teams are most likely to land Alexei Kovalev now that he is on the market? -- Dan Phillips, Washington, N.J.

Melrose: There will be a number teams after Kovalev, but it may cost the team that gets him some money because he is going to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. And I have to think that whoever trades for him will try to have him signed before the deal is done. No team is going to trade good, young players on the chance that they will lose Alexei at the end of the year.

Colorado would certainly be one of those teams after the Sakic injury, and the Islanders have also been mentioned. I don't know if Dallas is still active, but there are a number of other teams in the East, like the Rangers, who might take a run at him. Whichever team it is will have to have plenty of money and some young players with low salaries that it is willing to part with.

Any team that gets him is immediately going to be better offensively. He one of the top five players in the world on the offensive end and will make any power play more dangerous.

Since Bob Hartley arrived the Thrashers have lost just once and seems to be playing with a lot more jump on offense and confidence on defense. Can he take this team to the playoffs next year? -- Chris, Atlanta

Melrose: Yes. Atlanta is a talented team with Ilya Kovalchuk, Dany Heatley, Slava Kozlov and others. The Thrashers are also starting to compete defensively, and they picked a good, young goalie in the draft last year in Kari Lehtonen. The biggest problem for them was defense, and Hartley has the goals-against average coming down they are starting to win some games.

Do you see Mike Milbury making a desperation deal now that the Islanders' backline is so depleted? With Adrian Aucoin, Eric Cairns and Chris Osgood on the shelf, I think Milbury's hand might be forced. -- Brad, New York

Melrose: Milbury might be forced to try and make a trade, but the Islanders can't give up too much to get another defenseman. They will bring Rick DePietro up and give him a shot at replacing Osgood and he deserves the chance. They would certainly love to trade for a veteran defenseman, but they will not trade one of their young forwards or defensemen to try and help themselves this season.

Do you think Gary Roberts can return to lead the Leafs on a strong playoff run? -- Jesse, Toronto

Melrose: Without a doubt. Ed Belfour is the MVP of the NHL right now with the way he is playing, and he is the reason they are playing so well. Plus, Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogilny are having great years and the Leafs are playing well on defense. When you add Roberts to that mix, Toronto is definitely a team that could have a great playoff run.

But goaltending is the key to the postseason. Belfour has proven he can win in the playoffs and has won a Stanley Cup, so the Maple Leafs are a team to fear in the East.

Which do you think is the fastest team in the NHL at the moment? -- Adam, New Zealand

Melrose: I would say Ottawa is the best-skating team from player 1-20 right now. Everyone can move and everyone can check, and the size the Senators have make them the best skaters in the league.< /b>

If you had to pick the hottest line in the NHL right now, which one would it be? Bobby Holik centering Eric Lindros and Matthew Barnaby get my vote. They are a pleasure to watch, and they are keeping the Blueshirts in the playoff hunt. -- Jordan, New York

Melrose: That line is playing well, but I don't think you can compare those guys to Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison in Vancouver or the Ottawa line of Marian Hossa, Peter Schaefer and Shaun Van Allen. But the best line going right now might be Glen Murray, Joe Thornton and Mike Knuble in Boston. They have size, strength and scoring ability and combined for three goals Thursday night.

During the Flyers-Rangers game you called last Sunday, Jeremy Roenick got two minutes for boarding on what looked like to both you and me to be a clean hit. I've been noticing these calls a lot this season. Is the league trying too hard to protect the players at the expense of the excitement of the game? -- Dave Forbis, Austin, Texas

Melrose: Yes, it is. I thought that should not have been a penalty and said so on the air. It was a good hit and J.R. finished his check the way he is supposed to. He has received major penalties and suspensions this season for hits that I did not think warranted any penalty.

Hockey is a physical, aggressive sport and the league should not be trying to take good hits out of the game. Injuries cannot be legislated out of sports. People are going to get hurt and that's just the way it is. The NHL is definitely going too far where that is concerned.

Barry, I know you don't hate fighting as much as some in the league. Who is the reigning heavyweight champ in the NHL? -- Joboo, Springfield, Mass.

Melrose: Peter Worrell in Florida, Georges Laraque in Edmonton, Jody Shelley in Columbus, Matt Johnson in Minnesota and Scott Parker in Colorado are some of the best heavyweights in the NHL, and any one of them could be on top of the list. Those guys are all monsters with their size and toughness.

Fighting is part of the game and I think the league is making a mistake trying to eliminate it. It is an effective tool teams can use to police the ice and is part of the history of hockey. It sometimes got out of hand in the '70s, but it is under control in today's game. It's also exciting, and no one is leaving the building during a fight. The NHL is missing the boat on this one.

Barry Melrose, a former NHL defenseman and coach, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.