The rookies have been in NHL camps for a few days now, but now the big boys take to the ice for the first time. In anticipation of the 2009-10 season, we look at the most important stories heading into day one of training camp.

10. What will Stephen Walkom’s departure do to the speed and skill of the game?

Referee-in-chief Stephen Walkom has resigned his position to return to the ice, a move that might be as important as any this summer. It was Walkom who almost single-handedly brought major change to the NHL immediately after the lockout, reigning in obstruction fouls and opening the game. Last year’s Cup finals, however, was anything but open. Did he resign because he was unhappy with the direction of the game? Will obstruction make its way back into the game? Stay tuned.

9. Can the Lightning get their act together?

The battle between owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules has become so bitter that they no longer speak to each other and one is going to have to buy out the other for the ownership to persist. Last year, despite having a great roster on paper, the team was abysmal. Will this year be any better? Will sanity prevail, or will the team be put up for sale to outside bidders? And, can coach Rick Tocchet prove himself worthy of the position?

8. Is Chicago ready to go deep?

The ‘Hawks have the makings of becoming the next Penguins. Tons of young talent, they made significant headway during the regular season and playoffs last year. Can they keep it going? Jonathan Toews is a great young captain, but how will Patrick Kane fare in light of his “20 cents” punch-up with a cabbie in Buffalo over the summer? Chicago might well be a Cup contender, and fans in Europe will see the team first at the Victoria Cup later this month.

7. Will l’affaire Heatley disrupt the Senators?

Dany Heatley shocked Senators fans by demanding a trade midsummer because his role was not significant enough. Would coach Cory Clouston be forced to give in? Would Heatley play poorly just to get traded? And how would fans greet him? How would they deal with Heatley’s presence in the lineup? After weeks of speculating, the saga ended on Saturday with his trade to the San Jose Sharks. Heatley is gone, but a bitter aftertaste could remain.

6. Will John Tortorella survive Broadway?

After being fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning, coach John Tortorella took some time off and was hired by the Rangers towards the end of last season. He had a run-in with player Sean Avery as well as fans in Washington in the playoffs, resulting in his suspension, so how will he do over a full season of the pressure cooker that is Madison Square Garden? His volatile nature will be tested daily, and although a great motivator, it seems questionable whether he can maintain that edge – without going overboard – over eight months and 100 games.

5. Can Tavares save the Isles?

The fun is over for 18-year-old John Tavares. He led Canada to gold at last year’s U20 and was selected first overall in the 2009 Entry Draft, but now he’s being counted on to save a team both on and off the ice, a la Sidney Crosby four years ago in Pittsburgh. The Islanders desperately needs bums in the seats and a new arena, but they also need to win games. All three are connected, and all are in the hands (and skates and stick) of Tavares. Is he the next Crosby – or the next Wickenheiser?

4. Are the Red Wings done?

All of a sudden Nicklas Lidström is 39 years old. Goalie Chris Osgood is right behind him, and Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson have left the team for other opportunities. The team is deep in talent, but is it re-tooling for another shot at the Cup, or is the decade-long success about the come undone? Coach Mike Babcock has half his brain in the Joe, and half at Team Canada’s camp, and in both cases his plate is full. The Red Wings are no cinch to make it back to the Cup finals for a third straight year.

3. Can Crosby do it again?

In his fourth year, Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain to win the Cup in the 116-year history of hockey’s most hallowed trophy. But now the question becomes, is this Penguins team really the present-day incarnation of the 1980s Edmonton Oilers, or a one-Cup blip on the screen? Can Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-André Fleury, and Marc Staal keep it going and turn the team into a dynasty? All the parts are there, but more than ever the team is playing with a target on its chest.

2. Where will the Coyotes play?

What a crazy summer for Jim Balsillie and the NHL. The billionaire owner of Blackberry wants to bring a team to Hamilton, Ontario – and the NHL is trying to do everything it can to prevent him from doing as much. If nothing else, Balsillie has made clear Hamilton is the best city in the world without an NHL team. But the NHL has made it clear a team will go there only when it wants. A bankruptcy court in Phoenix may give Balsillie his wish over all the NHL’s objections.

1. Who will rise and fall in Olympics roster quest?

Many of the big nations held mini-training camps this summer, but all general managers said the same thing. How a player plays in the first two months of the NHL season will determine his roster spot for Vancouver 2010. All eyes will be on the NHL’s top players, in part for NHL reasons, in part to see how they are playing themselves on or off an Olympic team. Rosters will be announced in December, but so much can happen between now and then.

ANDREW PODNIEKS