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Top Line: Mantha gets bigger; Sedins want improvement; more links

An annotated guide to today's must-read hockey stories:

​• Reports out of Detroit have top prospect Anthony Manthaputting on 17 pounds of muscle over the summer. Maybe we should hold off on crowning Jonathan Drouin as the Rookie of the Year, eh? This kid's going to be a monster.

​• The Sedin twins know they're being counted on to put points on the board in Vancouver this season. And they know they'll have to get creative to do it.

​• It's early September but someone already has a fresh goalie controversy brewing in Vancouver.

​• The Plymouth Whalers broke a team rule to make Boston College defector/Columbus Blue Jackets first rounder Sonny Milano happy.

​• Troubled winger Ryan Malone is looking for a second chance in Pittsburgh, but are the Pens willing to take on another reclamation project?

​• Could there be a statue of Phil Kessel outside the ACC some day in the future? No, really.

​• Like many losing teams, the Ottawa Senators are striving for culture change this season. But the Sens aren't trying to shake up the room. They want something different from their fans.

​• With his 30th birthday approaching, former Chicago draft pick Petri Kontiola wondered if he had more to give the NHL than he showed in his one, short-lived bid. The Maple Leafs are giving him a chance to show what he's got.

​• Gary Lawless says the Winnipeg Jets won't get any better by leaving top prospects down on the farm.Jacob Trouba and Mark Schiefele were up to the challenge last season. If youngsters like Nic Petan and Adam Lowry look like they're even close to being ready, they deserve a real shot at the show.

​• Alex Ovechkin and Erik Karlsson top this NHL.com list of the league's 14 best players on the man advantage.

​• Ovi's teammates in Washington are prepping for training camp and getting antsy for the real games to start. That's a pain we all share, boys.

​• It won't be a financial windfall but relocation might be a better option for the league than expansion according to one scribe.

​• Boston GM Peter Chiarelli is happy to talk about David Krejci and his new contract. Unsigned RFAs Torey Krug and Reilly Smith? Not so much.

​• Mike Babcock would like to get a new deal done with the Red Wings this month, but if it doesn't happen before the start of the season he's cool with that, too.

​• File this under: Great Ideas Whose Time Has Come: there's talk of changing up the CHL's Memorial Cup format. One of the options under consideration? A single-elimination tournament similar to NCAA basketball's March Madness event. It's not such a crazy idea. With most of the hockey world locked in on the NHL playoffs, this type of format could spike interest in this equally terrific championship. And if the TV rightsholder is behind the concept, it's likely going to happen.