After taking a year away from the game, Jamal Nightingale's offseason training regimen largely consisted of conditioning. "You have to be in the right kind of shape to compete at the highest level," he explains. "It's a tough sport, and taking a year out will put you far behind your peers, so there needs to be a serious effort on reconditioning." In addition, he worked on defense specific drills, to make sure his balance -- for making hits -- and stick checking were still up to snuff. "Coach had me viewing a lot of tape," he says. "I already had a pretty good read on things but there are a lot of mental shortcuts you make, that kind of wither away when you don't use them. So by watching a lot of tape I can re-immerse myself in situations, and rebuild those shortcuts, or strengthen them, like any muscle."

Nightingale's arrival in Baltimore comes as a surprise, even to him. "I thought my career was done, to be honest," he says. "But I got a call, and they asked me to come in and work out, and I thought 'hey maybe my story has more to come', so I've been working on every aspect of my game. Not just defensive stuff, through watching tape I can get open better, and I revisited my puck handling drills Uncle Mo gave me years ago. I still have a lot to offer."