With the superbowl mercilessly ending this past season last week, we can now turn our attention to free agency and the NFL draft in the next coming months. How in god's name can a team that was 6-2 facing joke teams like the Chiefs, Raiders, Browns, end up 6-7 and out of the playoffs?

This team is quietly treading into a slippery slope area and a big offseason is needed. The defense is aging and not getting major contributions from defensive players guys in the last 2 drafts.

The offense still can't run the ball and still can't protect the QB.

What will the Steelers try to do? What are the areas they need to improve on. Who should they keep? Who needs to go?

Let's take a look at the whole shebang, starting with the QBs. Nestled with in these ranting of a mad man, are all my final player grades for this season. Jump it.

So tonight is valentine's day and most are busy ravishing their significant other with riches and sexual technique. Well, I guess being a blogger that would involve me not having a significant and thus, here I am before I'm going to hit the bottle and forget about that small detail. Luckily, fate would interject.

I saw this during the Rags/Lightining game and was saddened. Let this be a lesson to you guys. It could always be worse. What the hell is this guy doing right now? Probably, hitting on anything with a pair of tits within the tri-state as well as chugging the worse well whiskey around. Poor guy. Remember fellow singles, it can always be worse.

With that I bid you adieu. Much like this guy should to this little wench.

Brandon Dubinsky is a douche. Sidney Crosby was probably reminding him what it's like to actually pull his weight around the team. No such luck for Brandon who Rag fans from all the land praised as the next great Rag legend in the making. Uh, wrong.

A perfect storm of events if you will.

 It's weird. Every team I wanted to avoid making it to the big game has indeed faltered in the second season. The Eagles and Bois left the dance before the conference title games and I rooted against both road dogs in the title games. However, I think this has left me, and possibly others in my position, with a profound sense of sports emptiness heading into the big game. I suppose I will root for Peyton because I like him and will root against Shockey because I can't stand that tatted up douchebag. But at the end of the day, I just don't have strong feelings for either team. Yea, I'm going to a Superbowl party at which I will be about four degrees of separation from the actual host of said party; but I just can't get into it. Still, a pick needs to be written so without further adieu......

                After days of rumors, Atlanta Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk along with Anssi Salmela were dealt to the Devils in exchange for defenseman Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier and the Devils 2010 first round pick.

The past two days were big for the NHL with three big trades, something that does not always happen at either the trade deadline or offseason. With the Olympic roster freeze approaching, three general managers decided their struggling teams could wait no longer and made a splash in hopes of jump-starting their respective teams.

      I'm sorry this will be very short. I will provide a more statistical anlaysis at a different time if I feel like it.

In the NHL few fans, managers, owners and even media like to say the dreaded “R” word: rebuilding. It is a sign that their team has struggled, the level of talent decreasing as the team slides further down the standings. The reason could be many; core players aging, a limited budget, poor development of young talent or even outright incompetence. Whatever the reason there comes a time where a team just needs to start fresh, revamp the roster and make another go of it.

Rebuilds are dreaded for a reason. They take time and patience, and in that process, there are many games lost. People hold on the hope the players will get better, relying on young talent to step up and make a difference. It can be painful, sometimes very painful to watch and endure. The good thing is that the teams can get a high pick and obtain a top end talent through the draft. The news is even better when you consider that in recent years many of the top five picks in the first round have been able to step into the NHL immediately and make an impact for their team. The talent is getting better and is more NHL ready.

Below are five NHL teams that, due to varying reasons, need to start their rebuilding processes.