Posts Tagged Florida Panthers

NHL terminating CBA … Canucks and Panthers notes … Shero wants big 3 … Top 5 FA targets for Sens … Semin’s agent audio

  • Jason Kay via twitter: The NHL has officially let the NHLPA know they are terminating the CBA on Sept. 15th. Talks are expected to start after the draft. Liz Mullen via twitter: A source said that one side must let the other side know if they want to make changes to a CBA 120 days before it expires.
  • Ben Kuzma via twitter: With a possible lockout looming, the fall prospects tournament for Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Jets in B.C. has been cancelled.
  • Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison will be a UFA on July 1st, and will be looking for a nice raise from the $675,000 he made this past season. He’d like to re-sign with the Panthers, and they are saying the right things, but their priorities list may lie with Kris Versteeg and bolstering their offense. Garrison is from BC, and may hope the Canucks are interested:

    “It’s always nice to be wanted and if that’s the case and you have a quality that they like, obviously it’s my hometown team and I grew up watching them play,” said Garrison, who played with Canucks winger Mason Raymond at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. “My friends and family are big Canuck fans and would love to see me play at home but you’ve got to be the right fit for a team. You want to be able to contribute.”

    Cap space for the Canucks would depend on a Roberto Luongo deal, and the re-signing of Cory Schneider. They need a top 6 forward, a 3rd line center and a top 4 defenseman. Sami Salo and Aaron Rome are UFAs, Marc-Andre Gragnani is a RFA.

  • Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel: The door is still open for Scott Clemmensen to return to the Panthers next season with Jose Theodore, and that GM Dale Tallon would like to Jacob Markstrom to spend a full year in the AHL. Fialkov doesn’t sense they will bring back Marco Sturm, John Madden or Wojtek Wolski. Mikael Samuelsson and Krys Barch are possibilities. Jonathan Huberdeau and Quinton Howden will be given every opportunity to make the Panthers next season. Alex Petrovic and Colby Robak will likely start next year in the AHL. Keaton Ellerby and possibly Shawn Matthias could be packaged to move up in the draft.
  • Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins GM Ray Shero isn’t about to give up on the 3-center model that helped them win the Cup in 2009. Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby have 1 year left on their deals, Evgeni Malkin has 2.

    “I’d like to do that, if possible,” he said. “We’re looking at hopefully getting extensions with [Crosby and Staal].”

  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Garrioch lists the top 5 free agent targets for the Senators. 1. Zach Parise 2. Chris Kelly 3. Bryan Allen 4. David Jones 5. Jiri Hudler.
  • Ansar Khan of MLive: Zach Parise will be the Red Wings top goal scoring priority, but if they can’t land him, Khan wonders if they should look at Alexander Semin? Would his motivation increase playing with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg?
  • David Pollak via twitter: New reports are saying that Todd McLellan is coming back as the Sharks coach, but likely with new assistants.

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Petrov, Mayorov sign in KHL … Preds still hope to re-sign Suter and Weber … Coaching notes for Sharks, Canadiens … 5 priorities for Sens

  • Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: The two 2011 Stanley Cup Finals goaltenders, Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas, could find themselves on the trading block this summer. Luongo has given the Canucks a short list of teams he’s accept a trade too: possibly the Panthers, Lightning, Blackhawks and Maple Leafs. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has heard the rumors on Thomas:

    “I’ve seen speculation about moving a goalie, but I’m certainly not inclined to do that,” Chiarelli said.

    “Tim didn’t have statistically the year he had the year before, but I thought he had a very good year. We have, if not the best, one of the top goaltending tandems in the league.”

    The Predators still believe they’ll be able to re-sign Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. Predators chairman Tom Cigarran:

    “We were going to keep the very best players to the extent we can, to the extent they want to play here,” Cigarran told the Tennessean. “To the extent they want to play here, we would step up and make sure we had the money available to pay them.”

  • David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Sharks GM Doug Wilson got a vote of confidence from ownership, but the coaching staff hasn’t received one yet. Wilson is still in the review process, which should be completed over the next couple weeks. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Coach Todd McLellan has 2 years left on his deal, and LeBrun thinks he’ll remain with the team. New Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin would definitely be interested in Alain Vigneault if the Canucks fired him. Marc Crawford could also be in the mix for the Canadiens job. Darren Dreger reported that Bob Hartley and Michel Therrien are in consideration. The sale of the St. Louis Blues to minority owner Tom Stillman is “very close.”
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators top 5 offseason priorities: 1. Bring back Daniel Alfredsson 2. Sign defenceman Erik Karlsson 3. Re-sign center Chris Kelly as a UFA 4. Trade defenceman Sergei Gonchar 5. Buy out winger Bobby Butler.
  • Andy Strickland via twitter: The Blues tried to upgrade their blueline at the trade deadline, but were unsuccessful. Kent Huskins will likely replace Ian Cole tonight. Matt D’Agostini could replace Alex Steen on the line with Andy McDonald and David Backes. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock wanted to rule Jaroslav Halak out of the series to eliminate any potential distraction.

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Habs to hire Bergevin, buyout Gomez? … Leafs-Wings to do HBO 24/7 … Oilers and their #1 pick … Jets Burmistrov … Panthers only tweaking

  • Greg Brady via twitter: The Canadiens will be buying out Scott Gomez according to Louis Jean on the Brady & Lang radio show.
  • Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune: The Montreal Canadiens have chosen Marc Bergevin to be their new GM. Bergevin was the Blachhawks assistant GM this past season.
  • Detroit Free Press: Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Maple Leafs and Red Wings will do “HBO 24/7: Road to the NHL Winter Classic”
  • Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Oilers have the 1st overall pick for the 3rd year in a row, and there is speculation that they may trade it, more from fans and blogs than for anyone within the organization. They would have likely taken a defenseman with the #2 pick, but now at #1 they’ll likely draft Nail Yakupov. Many fans think they should flip 1st rounders with Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Islanders or Maple Leafs and get a roster player like Jake Gardiner or P.K. Subban as well. A deal with the Penguins for Jordan Staal is the recent trade buzz. Staal will be a UFA after next season and likes it in Pittsburgh. They can’t talk about a new deal until after July 1st. The Oilers wouldn’t trade the 1st overall pick for Staal unless they knew he would sign an extension with them, and he may not want to do that when there will be many teams bidding for his services. Staal has never have more than 50 points (behind Crosby and Malkin), but how high is his offensive upside? If the Oilers were to do a 1st for Staal, they would have to get one of the Pens young blueliners as well, Joe Morrow or Simon Despres. There is no way Montreal would do the #3 and Subban for the #1. The Blue Jackets at #2 may not want to draft another Russian. The Islanders want a defenseman at #4. Jake Gardiner is likely untouchable in Toronto.
  • Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press: Ak Bars Kazan’s club director confirms they made an offer to Alex Burmistrov.

    “Shamil Khusnutdinov, the club’s director, is confirming that Kazan has also offered a contract to Alexander Burmistrov of the Winnipeg Jets,” wrote Adler. “Khusnutdinov would not reveal any more details other than the club’s representatives have already talked to Burmistrov who is now in training with Team Russia for the world championships.”

    Burmistrov was rushed to the NHL by the Thrashers, he doesn’t like being told by veterans or coaches his flaws.

    “He doesn’t like to be told what to do. He response is always, ‘No respect, no respect,’” said one Jets veteran, when asked this season about Burmistrov. “His English isn’t great and he gets his back up. He gets defensive. The only guy that can talk to him is Antro (Nik Antropov).”

    He might be best served to get some time in the AHL, but his salary would go from $1.5 million to $67,500.

  • George Richards of the Miami Herald: With the fairly successful season, the Florida Panthers will only be looking to tweak their roster. Panthers UFAs are: Scott Clemmensen, Jason Garrison, Krys Barch, John Madden, Mikael Samuelsson and Wojtek Wolski. Tallon said re-signing Garrison and Versteeg is a priority.

    “We want to keep the team together,” Tallon said. “We’re going to start talking to agents now and sign the guys we need to get signed. They want to be here and we want them here.”

    Florida isn’t expected to go after big name free agents like Zach Parise or Ryan Suter.

  • Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette: Canadiens P.K. Subban injured his knee in an exhibition game with Team Canada against Switzerland and will be out for the remainder of the World Championships.

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Grossman not cleared yet … 2 or 3 weeks for Habs GM? Alfie to take some time … Could Bruins trade Thomas? Seguin needs surgery

  • Dan Rosen via twitter: Flyers Nicklas Grossman said he hasn’t been cleared yet. Hopes to play on Sunday.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators Daniel Alfredsson will take some time deciding his future:

    “I will see how I feel physically and mentally after taking some time off.”

    “This year has been unbelievable. I’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been great to be part of a great group of guys. They kept me upbeat and happy when I’m a grumpy old man. They’ve made this year very enjoyable.”

  • Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: Tim Thomas’s no-movement clause will expire on July 1st. Thomas has 1 year left on his 4 year, $20 million contract. Tuukka Rask will be a RFA on July 1st as well. If the Bruins were to move Thomas, Anton Khudobin would backup Rask if/when they re-sign him. If they moved Thomas’s $5 million cap hit, they could use the money elsewhere. Zach Parise will be a UFA, has played for Julien before, but may be looking for $7 million plus. Toronto, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Florida, Edmonton, and Columbus may be looking for goaltending help this summer. The Bruins may not get much return for Thomas due to age and contract, but would give the B’s cap relief.

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Canucks need to lock up Schneider before dealing Luongo … More on Luongo … Theodore starts … Norris finalists

  • Craig Custance via twitter: One GM noted that the return the Canucks get for Roberto Luongo may be better than we think. Only takes 2 teams to drive up the price. Jim Matheson via twitter: Tampa Bay already has 1 long contract in Vinny Lecavalier, would they really want another in Luongo? Matheson thinks they’ll look younger with Jonathan Bernier. Darren Dreger via twitter: Dreger thinks the Canucks will have to take a contract back in a Luongo trade. He’s still an elite goalie, but may only have 4 good years left and lots of term. James Mirtle via twitter: Mirtle points out (through capgeek) that you just can’t buy Luongo out after 6 year under the currently CBA:
    SEASON SALARY CAP HIT BUYOUT SAVINGS BUYOUT CAP HIT
    2018-19 $3,382,000 $5,333,333 $583,333 $2,798,667 $2,534,667
    2019-20 $1,618,000 $5,333,333 $583,333 $1,034,667 $4,298,667
    2020-21 $1,000,000 $5,333,333 $583,333 $416,667 $4,916,667
    2021-22 $1,000,000 $5,333,333 $583,333 $416,667 $4,916,667
    2022-23 $0 $0 $583,333 -$583,333 $583,333
    2023-24 $0 $0 $583,333 -$583,333 $583,333
    2024-25 $0 $0 $583,333 -$583,333 $583,333
    2025-26 $0 $0 $583,333 -$583,333 $583,333

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Afternoon notes on Luongo, Schneider, Hodgson, Filppula, Kane, Jagr, Petrov, Vezina finalists, Konopka and Boyle

  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Despite having 10 years left on his deal, it doesn’t mean the Canucks won’t be able to trade Roberto Luongo. Jeff Carter had 11 years and was dealt. The biggest factors holding a deal back may be what the Canucks want for him or what other goalies are available. There could be between 5 and 9 teams that are interested. His top 2 landing spots would be Tampa Bay and Florida. He may not want to play in the spotlight of Toronto. Cory Schneider will not be blocked from an offer sheet from July 1st to July 5th because he made under $1.5 million. The Canucks would offer him arbitration but due to his salary, if Schneider and another team worked out a deal before July 5th, the Canucks would have the choice to match. The Canucks targeted 6 players they would have traded Cody Hodgson for at the deadline before they did the deal with the Sabres for Zack Kassian (Kassian obviously being one). Brandon Sutter of the Hurricanes was one, and John Carlson of the Capitals was another. The 4th was Erik Gudbrason of the Panthers and Kyle Clifford of the Kings was the 5th according to sources. The 6th is unknown. The Canadiens may be interested in Sharks GM Doug Wilson. Friedman wonders if the Red Wings will make Valtteri Filppula available this offseason.
  • Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune: Rosenbloom thinks the Blackhawks should at least see what they could get for Patrick Kane. He notes that Kane’s goal production doesn’t match the hype or salary.
  • Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov: “It’s my dream to play in the NHL. My contract expires on April 30. Then I will decide what to do.”

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Selke, Lady Byng finalists … Injury updates on Alfredsson, Kovalchuk, Garrison and Boyle … Canucks decisions … Parise blocks out future talk

  • Spector’s Hockey via twitter: The Canucks will have some tough decisions with Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. If they are not able to find a trade partner for Luongo, they may have to trade Schneider. They could hope there is an amnesty buyout in the next CBA agreement which they could use on Luongo if he’s untradeable, but this is a long shot.
  • Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: Zach Parise on his future if they lose on Tuesday:

    “It’s blocked out,” Parise said of what his hockey future might hold if the Devils are eliminated. “I don’t think about it and I really don’t want to talk about it.”

    Martin Brodeur on his future:

    “Career-wise, I don’t feel it will be the last (game),” Brodeur said. “But opportunity-wise, you never know. Who knows what position we’ll be in this time next year. I just want to keep this going regardless of what the future brings for me.”

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Afternoon notes on: Torres, Grossman, Martin, Neuvirth, Halak, Bryzgalov, Garrison, Silfverberg … Bruins and Rangers lines

  • Katie Carrera via twitter: The Capitals have assigned Dany Sabourin to the AHL, which likely means Michal Neuvirth will be the backup for Game 5.
  • Andrew Gross via twitter: Rangers lines: Anisimov-Stepan-Gaborik Dubinsky-Richards-Callahan Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust (Hagelin extra) Kreider-Mitchell-Rupp (Scott extra)
  • Fluto Shinzawa via twitter: Bruins lines: Lucic-Krejci-Rolston. Paille-Bergeron-Peverley. Caron/Pouliot-Kelly-Seguin. Marchand-Campbell-Thornton.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com: Panthers defensman Jason Garrison was a late scratch last night due to 2 lower-body injuries, and is listed as day-to-day.

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Luongo a tough move … JVR ready … Halak still in boot … Could it be Lidstrom’s final game … Roy knows Habs will call

  • Craig Custance of ESPN: One GM laughed when asked if Roberto Luongo’s contract is movable, and another responded:

    “No,” he answered. “Unless the trading team was allowed to subsidize the deal.”

    Options for the Canucks this summer: 1. Pray for an amnesty clause – if he was bought out at the end of the season without the amnesty, Luongo would come off the books in 2031-32.  2. Trade him – he has a no-trade clause and tough contract to move. “There’s a limited amount of teams,” an NHL source said. “A very limited amount of teams.” The Lightning are looking for a goalie this summer. Luongo has ties to the state of Florida. The Panthers have Jacob Markstrom on the way. The Leafs are looking for a goalie as well, but Burke doesn’t like long contract, plus “Why would he want to go from one fishbowl to another?” one source said. 3. Keep him – this would be a tough sell and Luongo likely wouldn’t be happy being a backup. With Schneider needing a new contract, a lot of money would be tied up in the position.

  • David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: Shoalts thinks the only teams that may need goaltending are the Lightning, Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets and Oilers. The Devils could be looking for a goalie due to Martin Brodeur’s age, but there financial situation would likely prevent bringing in Luongo.
  • Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News: Flyers James van Reimsdyk skated for the 4th straight day yesterday and appears ready to return to the lineup. Defenseman Nicklas Grossman is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Erik Gustafsson or Brandon Manning would take Grossman’s place if he’s not ready to go.
  • Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak’s return to the lineup doesn’t appear to be imminent. He is still wearing a walking boot on his left foot, and missed his 2nd straight game. Halak tested it out on the ice on Tuesday, but it didn’t go that well.
  • Rich Hammond via twitter: Kings coach Darryl Sutter on Simon Gagne: “I don’t even know if he’s in North America.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: If the Red Wings lose tonight, it’s possible that Nicklas Lidstrom has played his final NHL game. Lidstrom will be 42 in a week.

    “I’ve been hearing that same story for about five years now,” Babcock said Thursday. “I haven’t thought much about Nick. I’d be shocked if he retires, but I’ve been shocked before.”

    “It’s crossed my mind,” Jimmy Howard said, “but you try not to think about it. It’s been quite the honor to play with Nick, and I hope he comes back, but that’s up to him.”

    Lidstrom has said he’ll take some time to relax after the season, then him and his wife will make a decision on next year.

  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Patrick Roy’s Quebec Remparts are out of the playoffs, and he knows a call from the Canadiens will be coming.

    “Going there would definitely interest him. He thrives on challenges,” said the above friend. “Winning one or two Stanley Cups was not enough for him; he wanted more. And, when the Avalanche traded for Ray Bourque, it became his mission to win another one.”

    Serge Savard told the Montreal Gazette mid season that he thought the Roy would coach the Canadiens under “certain conditions.” Guy Lafleur thinks Roy would be a better GM than coach.

  • Martin Lunden via a Swedish site: (tweeted by Bruce McCurdy) Oilers 2011 1st round draft pick Oscar Klefbom is set to a sign a 3 year entry-level deal with the team.

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Afternoon notes: Luongo, van Reimsdyk, Alfredsson, Hanzal, Fleischmann, Panthers, Sharks, Clemmensen and re-entry waivers

  • Capgeek via twitter: Canucks Roberto Luongo has a full no-trade clause but it has some stipulations. After his last 2013-14 game, he can supply a 5-team trade list that is valid through July 15th, 2014.
  • Ian Mendes via twitter: “Nothing’s changed” according to Senators coach Paul MacLean regarding Daniel Alfredsson.

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Grossman DTD … Saad could be in … Schneider’s team now, may look to trade Luongo … Kiper likely staying … Allaire tired of blame

  • Bob McKenzie via twitter: Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was hit twice in the 1st period but played through to the middle of the 2nd. The injury more likely occurred on the 2nd hit by Tyler Kennedy.
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Friedman thinks that Torres will get hammered with a big suspension. Doctors prevented Daniel Alfredsson from playing in Game 3. One theory is that Alaine Vigneault put Cory Schneider in over Roberto Luongo for Game 3 was to put heat on his players. Luongo’s a “built-in excuse.” Glen Healy reported on the Hotstove that the Oilers will keep the 1st overall pick. The Oilers and Ryan Smyth maybe headed to another disagreement. They offered him a 2 year deal at the trade deadline, likely no higher than $5 million total, but that went nowhere. The Oilers may no longer think he’s a top-6 forward. Flames Miikka Kiprusoff’s no-movement clause ends July 1st and his salary drops the next 2 years. Eric Francis said the Flames won’t trade him, but they will get tempting offers. People are wondering who is calling the shots in Calgary, GM Jay Feaster or the ownership/president. Maple Leafs goalie coach Francois Allarie is telling people he’s tired of being made the scape in Toronto. He’s getting blamed from people outside the organization, Burke has defended him. No decisions have been made regarding the Canadiens coaches, and none will be made until a new GM is hired.
  • Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun: MacIntyre notes it’s Cary Schneider’s team now with Vigneault deciding not to go with Roberto Luongo for their elimination game. GM Mike Gillis will try to re-sign the RFA Schneider before July 1st. If they can’t get him re-signed by then, they’ll offer him arbitration so that no other team can make an offer for him. Luongo is owed $6.714 million over the next 6 seasons, then his salary drops. Luongo has a no-trade clause, so he could reject a deal. The Canucks may not get a good return, and may have to take a bad contract back.
  • Howard Berger of Berger Bytes: Berger notes that Roberto Luongo’s days in Vancouver could be over as it “appears indisputable” that Canucks will look to trade Luongo this offseason and make Schneider their No. 1 goalie. The 33-year old Luongo has 10 years left on his contract. His annual salary will be nearly $6.75 million, but carries a $5.33 million cap hit. His contract was front loaded. Berger asked some people around the Staples Center yesterday who suggested the Lightning, Panthers and Maple Leafs would likely be making inquiries. Luongo does hold a no-movement clause. If the Leafs were to make a move on Luongo, they’d would likely have to include a large contract going back. There are some who believe that the Mike Gillis wouldn’t deal with Brian Burke, but their verbal warfare has been largely overblown. Though Gillis isn’t in a strong negotiating position, he’ll be looking for a credible package for Luongo.
  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: The Blue Jackets are in talks with Michael Chaput and Austin Madaisky. Mathieu Corbeil, Petr Straka and Brandon Archibald are also un-signed, and a decision hasn’t been made if they’ll re-sign them. They have 3 unsigned players heading back to college who were drafted in 2008 and 2009.

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Afternoon notes on Alfredsson, Hanzal, Smith, Wolski, Gill, Backstrom, Asham, Moore, Leighton and Shaw’s 3 game suspension video

  • Ian Mendes via twitter: Senators Daniel Alfredsson had a setback yesterday afternoon. He’ll be evaluated tomorrow.
  • Chris Kuc via twitter: Coyotes Martin Hanzal and Mike Smith will be game time decisions. Lauri Korpikoski will be out.
  • Tom Gulitti via twitter: Devils lines: Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk; Sykora-Elias-Zubrus; Ponikarovsky-Henrique-Clarkson; Carter-Gionta-Bernier.
  • Bob McKenzie via twitter: Penguins Arron Asham waived his right to an in-person hearing and will be done by phone at 5:00. He can be suspended for 6 games or more.
  • Blackhawks Andrew Shaw was suspended for 3 games for his hit on Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.

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2011-12 NHL Attendence for each team: Final numbers

Here are the final home attendance numbers for the 2011-12 season. The Winter Classic attendance is included in Philadlephia’s numbers, hence the high “% Capacity” number.

15 teams had 100% capacity or more. 20 teams had over 96% capacity. The Phoenix Coyotes had only a 72.5% capacity this season, which is an increase for them compared to the last 2 seasons.


RK TEAM
2011-12
AVG
%
Capacity
2010-11
AVG
2009-10
AVG
2008-09
AVG
1 Chicago
21,533
105
21,423
21,356
22,247
2 Montreal
21,273
100
21,273
21,273
21,273
3 Philadelphia
20,433
107.4
21,273
19,535
19,545
4 Detroit
20,114
100.7
19,680
19,546
19,865
5 Toronto
19,506
103.7
19,354
19,289
19,312
6 Ottawa
19,356
101.1
19,289
19,260
18,949
7 Calgary
19,289
100
18,378
18,269
19,289
8 Vancouver
18,884
102.5
18,860
18,810
18,630
9 St. Louis
18,809
98.2
19,150
18,883
18,554
10 Pittsburgh
18,566
102.7
18,240
17,078
16,975
11 Buffalo
18,550
99.9
18,452
18,529
18,531
12 Washington
18,506
101.3
18,397
18,277
18,097
13 Tampa Bay
18,468
96.2
17,268
15,497
16,497
14 NY Rangers
18,191
100
18,108
18,076
18,949
15 Los Angeles
17,920
100
18,083
17,313
16,488
16 Minnesota
17,772
98.4
17,565
17,388
17,039
17 Boston
17,564
100
17,562
17,558
17,039
18 San Jose
17,562
100
18,012
18,415
17,488
19 Edmonton
16,839
100
16,839
16,839
16,839
20 Nashville
16,690
97.5
16,142
14,979
15,010
21 Florida
16,628
86.6
15,685
15,146
15,621
22 Carolina
16,042
85.9
14,820
13,947
16,572
23 Colorado
15,498
86.1
14,775
15,535
15,429
24 New Jersey
15,396
87.4
16,415
15,240
15,790
25 Winnipeg
15,004
100
13,469
13,607
14,626
26 Anaheim
14,760
86.4
14,738
15,168
16,990
27 Columbus
14,660
80.8
13,658
15,416
15,543
28 Dallas
14,226
76.8
11,059
12,735
17,680
29 NY Islanders
13,191
81.3
15,073
17,215
13,733
30 Phoenix
12,420
72.5
12,188
11,989
14,875
Prior years attendance for Winnipeg are AtlantaÕs attendance numbers.

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Afternoon notes on: Boychuk, Grossman, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Senators and bunch of starting goaltenders

  • Tim Panaccio via twitter: Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossman is wearing 2 knee braces and remains optimistic for the playoffs.
  • Paul Hendrick via twitter: The Maple Leafs have sent Joe Colborne back the Marlies. David Steckel will be back in the lineup. Mikhail Grabovski won’t play. Ben Scrivens will be starting in net. Jonas Siegel via twitter: Grabovski is not sure if he’ll be able to return on Saturday. He was cut around his knee by Brayden McNabb’s skate and required 20-30 stitches.
  • Ian Mendes via twitter: Senators Filip Kuba and Erik Karlsson will play tonight. Matt Gilroy is out. Ben Bishop will start in net.
  • Josh Cooper of the Tennessean: Pekka Rinne has been battling an illness this week. He was the first off the ice and Barry Trotz said he’s “probably” the starter tonight.

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Afternoon notes: Briere, Gonchar, Segal, Komarov, Leafs goalies, Flyers lines and starting goalies

  • Sam Carchidi via twitter: Flyers Daniel Briere hopes to be able to return for the start of the playoffs, but said there is no timetable.
  • Ian Mendes via twitter: Senators coach Paul MacLean said that Sergei Gonchar will be out tonight with a lower-body injury.
  • Damien Cox via twitter: The Maple Leafs are hopeful they can lure forward Leo Komarov (2006 6th round draft pick) over next year. He’s been playing for Moscow Dynamo (stats at bottom).
  • The Leafs Nation Audio: Justin Goldman (@TheGoalieGuild), Ian (@67Sound) and (@JPNikota) talk about the Leafs goaltending situation and Francois Allaire. (@TheGoalieGuild is an excellent twitter follow, really informative)
  • Adam Kimelman via twitter: Flyers lines: Hartnell-Giroux-Jagr, Schenn-Read-Simmonds, Talbot-Couturier-Voracek, Shelley-Wellwood-Rinaldo. Defensive pairings: Timonen-Coburn, Carle-Kubina, Lilja-Bourdon.

Leo Komarov

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Ehrhoff day-to-day … Vinny returns … Price for Nash for Leafs would be steep …Isles sign Grahame … Howard out Friday

  • John Vogl of the Buffalo News: Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff was re-evaluated yesterday.

    “He’ll miss some time,” said Ruff, who declined to elaborate whether it was day-to-day or week-to-week. “It’ll be a period of time.”

  • Howard Berger via twitter: Given what the Blue Jackets wanted for Rick Nash at the trade deadline, it would cost the Leafs Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri and their 1st round pick in June.
  • Steve Conroy of hte Boston Herald: Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is progressing well from his March 3rd, groin/abdomen strain.

    “I’m doing exercising, biking, all kinds of stuff. It’s looking really good. I’m just trying to get the strength back and be ready to go,” Rask said yesterday. “I think we’re shooting for (a return for the playoffs) and it’s looking good now.”

    “If everything goes well, I’ll go out there and maybe get some shots, not do much but just go by the feel,” Rask said. “You can’t rush these kind of injuries.”

  • Islanders Point Blank: The Islanders have signed John Grahame for the rest of the year to back up Al Montoya. Arthur Staple of Newsday: Evgeni Nabokov left Tuesday’s game and is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury, it looks like he may not play another game this season.
  • Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News: Red Wings Jimmy Howard won’t be in the lineup on Friday. Howard missed his 4th straight game on Wednesday with a groin issue.

    “It’s Babs’ call and he’s the coach, he makes the decisions,” Howard said. “That (playing Friday) was the plan all along, but Coach has decided to go in a different direction, and as a player I have to respect that.

    “I hope he changes his mind, but I don’t think it’ll happen.”

  • Jonas Siegel via twitter: Ben Scrivens was recalled yesterday on a temporary basis and will be returned today. Jussi Rynnas will likely take his place. The Maple Leafs may have given Scrivens a day of NHL pay. He’s a big part of the Marlies AHL playoff run and they don’t want to disrupt that.

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Hall out 5-6 months … No contact yet for Toews … Roster notes for Pens, Devils, Preds, Wings … Starting goalies

  • Edmonton Oilers via twitter: Oilers Taylor Hall will not return to this season as he’ll be having labral shoulder surgery. According to Steve Tambellini: “Recovery time will be between five and six months, so our hope is that Taylor will be ready for the start of next season.”
  • Mike Morreale via twitter: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said that Jonathan Toews still hasn’t been cleared for contact.
  • Pens Inside Scoop: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Ben Lovejoy had knee surgery and will be out 3-4 weeks.

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Fantasy Hockey notes: Duchene, Tyutin, Toews, Dubinsky, Anderson, Morrow, Nyquist, Ponikarovsky and starting goalies

  • Ian Mendes via twitter: Senators goalie Craig Anderson was on the ice before the Sens practice this morning. He was able to carry a goal stick.
  • Mike Heika via twitter: Stars lines: Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder. Ott-Benn-Burish. Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak. Garbutt-Wandell-Vincour. vs. Sharks.

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Koivu shutdown for 2 weeks … Versteeg out a week … Crosby travels with Pens … Rick Nash press conference video

  • Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune: Wild center Mikko Koivu has been shut down without contact for 2 weeks after he aggravated his left shoulder again. Koivu has missed their last 6 games, and was out 8 games before that. Koivu initially injured his shoulder on Jan 14th. GM Chuck Fletcher on if he’ll be shut down for good: “It’ll be up to the doctors. I don’t even know if I want to speculate.”
  • Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel: Panthers forward Kris Versteeg will be out this week with a lower-body injury. Versteeg’s been bothered by the injury for about a week, and wanted to play through it.
  • Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Sidney Crosby will travel with the team on this road trip, but his status is still unknown. “(Crosby) would blow away any other acquisition that any team made at the deadline,” Bylsma said. “We like our team. We like our players. Our team is on the floor.”
  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Rick Nash:“I was informed by management (in January) that there was a (planned) rebuild, a reshape, of the team, and I personally felt I could be a huge part of that, toward bringing assets in,” Nash said. “I think that was … in my view, what was the best thing for me, the organization and, personally, for my career.”
  • Rick Nash Press Conference

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Stars considered offers for Ott and Souray … Preds offer for Nash didn’t include Ellis … Grabovski’s agent in T.O. next week … starting goalies

  • Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk had some offers that they strongly considered for Steve Ott and Sheldon Souray.

    “I would say there were a couple of things on the table that took a lot of time to sort through,” Nieuwendyk said. “But at the end of the day, we had a responsibility to put the best team on the ice right now to challenge for the playoffs and we didn’t want to risk moving anything that would not help us as far as the return moving into the future.”

  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Nashville’s big pitch for Rick Nash did not include Ryan Ellis. One GM thought the Sharks could have had a deal for Nash if they still had Charlie Coyle. The Leafs and Flyers sniffed around Josh Harding. Some teams thought Steve Ott was destined for the Maple Leafs, but the Stars changed their minds.
  • Andy Strickland via twitter: Sources are saying that the Stars wanted a 2nd round pick, a high end prospect and a roster player for Steve Ott. They also wanted a 2nd round pick and high end prospects for Sheldon Souray. The Islanders continue to have talks with Evgeni Navokov. They have had no contract discussions with P.A. Parenteauf as of yesterday afternoon.
  • Mark Masters of TSN: Mikhail Grabovski’s agent said he plans on being in Toronto next week, and said ‘I believe that I will have some news for you’
  • Mark Stepneski via twitter: Stars lines: Ott-Benn-Burish; Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder; Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak; Garbutt-Wandell-Vincour.
  • Chuck Gormley via twitter: Capitals starting goalie will be a game time decision according to Dale Hunter. Gormley guesses Neuvirth.

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