No NHL? What is a guy to do

Winter has finally reared it's ugly head in Ontario and on top of dealing with sleet, slush and window scraping I now have to deal with a week without hockey!

What the heck am I supposed to do this week? I can't make roster changes, I can't research matchups, what is a hockey freak to do?

The All-Star break is a great time to evaluate your roster needs and more importantly identify the roster needs of your fellow GM's. With the extra free time you have this week focus on determining which teams in your league have weaknesses in areas that you are strong. Have two strong wingers that can't crack your lineup and languish on your bench? Find a team that is weak at the wing and see if you can pry an improvement for one of your other areas from them.

The All-Star break is also the point in the season where trade rumours begin to fly all over the place. Joni Pitkanen has had a terrible year in comparison to last year. Is this his fault? Or is it just the fact that he plays for the lowly Philadelphia Flyers?

Why is this of interest? Rumours have surfaced that the Flyers are looking to move Pitkanen before the trade deadline and this can only improve Pitkanen's fantasy value. These rumours make Pitkanen a good FA pickup or make him a more valuable piece in a trade for other higher performing players. A good example from last year is Roberto Luongo, all the rumours had him going to the Vancouver Canucks before the deadline. I was fielding all sorts of offers for his services last year but with an 80 point lead at the All-Star break I wasn't willing to shake my roster up that much.

The All-Star break will surely give rise to other enticing rumours, can you imagine what the inklings of a Havlat to Ottawa trade would do for his fantasy value?

Have a good All-Star break and spend your newly acquired free time identifying possible ways to improve your team.