Posts Tagged San Jose Sharks

Oils want a Dman … Bruins want depth … MacArthur “Rumors suck” … CSKA wants Radulov … Koivu close … Filatov demoted … Starting goalies

  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: Don’t be surprised if Predators GM David Poile announces that he won’t trade Ryan Suter. The Preds were one team who sent a private jet to pick up there All-Stars: Suter, Shea Weber and Craig Smith. The Oilers are letting teams know they want a defenseman if/when they trade some of their assets. Bruins coach Claude Julien would like to see them add an experienced depth defenseman and a depth forward.
  • Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: The Maple Leafs and Mikhail Grabovski are not involved in serious contract talks. Grabovski shrugs off trade rumors that involve him as part of a package. Clarke MacArthur’s name is also coming up in rumors.

    “There is always something every day,” MacArthur said. “Usually if I don’t hear it, I get a text message from someone saying they heard a rumour. It’s tiring, it’s hard on you, but it is a part of the job.

    “(Rumours) suck, but what are you going to do? If you look close, I have a few grey hairs.”

    The Leafs have been linked to Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Ales Hemsky, Tuomo Ruutu and Ryane Clowe recently.

  • Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province: The Canucks need to add a top 4 defenseman as insurance and some grit up front. Mason Raymond will hear is name is rumors often. The Canucks could use someone like Travis Moen.
  • Slava Malamud via twitter: CSKA is making a pitch for Alexander Radulov with intent of signing him to a long-term contract. CSKA has lots of oil money. Radulov has a “gentleman’s agreement” with Salavat that he can leave for the NHL (Preds) this summer despite his contract. CSKA is trying to buy his rights.
  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: Wild Guillaume Latendresse and Mikko Koivu were practicing yesterday, but neither’s return is imminent. Josh Harding will start tonight.

    “They’re going to need some time getting acclimated to the group again and getting involved in practices and doing things at game speed and executing at that level before they can jump into the lineup,” said Yeo, adding that he believes Koivu is “much closer” to playing than Latendresse.

  • Paul Hendrick via twitter: Leafs coach Ron Wilson doesn’t expect John-Michael Liles, Colby Armstrong and Darryl Boyce to play tonight. Wednesday is a possibility.
  • Erik Erlendsson via twitter: Lightning’s Ryan Malone and Marc-Andre Bergeron won’t play tonight. Mathieu Garon will start in net.
  • Chris Kuc via twitter: Cory Schneider will start in net for the Canucks tonight against the Blackhawks.
  • David Alter via twitter: Jonas Gustavsson will start in net tonight against the Penguins. Wednesday’s starter is not determined yet.

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Morning rumors involving: Ruutu, Clowe, Moen, Carter, Thomas, Canadiens, Hurricanes, Flyers, Maple Leafs, Crosby, Duchene, Blackhawks and Blue Jackets

  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: The Hurricanes have taken lots of calls on Tuomo Ruutu and he could be moved this week.  Sharks GM Doug Wilson said there was no chance Ryane Clowe is going anywhere. The Canucks and Red Wings are just a couple of the teams that would be interested in Moen. One source is saying Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier is telling teams he’s not ready to start trading yet. The Blue Jackets will be looking to move their pending UFAs and possibly Jeff Carter. Carter doesn’t really want to be in Columbus, but can Howson find someone interested in his contract? He has 10 years left at a $5.27 million salary cap hit.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Garrioch doesn’t think the Bruins will move Tim Thomas when his no-movement clause expires on July 1st. The Canadiens haven’t decided if they will be buyers or sellers. GM Gauthier is looking for a big center. There was talk that they could be interested in Sabres center Derek Roy, but he’s 5’8″. Since it doesn’t look like Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will be available at the trade deadline, the Flyers will look at Hurricanes Tim Gleason, Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek. A Jeff Carter trade would more likely happen in the summer. The Maple Leafs would like to add a center, and he’d like to get something done in the next 48 hours (starting yesterday). Tuomo Ruutu is a possibility, but the Hurricanes are asking a lot for him.
  • Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Yesterday marked the 4 week anniversary of Avalanche forward Matt Duchene’s knee injury that was to sideline him for at least a month. Though there is no official word on when he’ll return, Dater guesses it will be at least another couple weeks.
  • Tim Sassone via twitter: The trade deadline is a month away, and Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is not done. Sassone thinks they’ll a defenseman, maybe 2, or possibly another forward.
  • Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun: Don’t look for the Jets to be looking for a rental player by the trade deadline. They could be sellers if they remain out the playoffs.
  • Aaron Portzline via twitter: Expect a roster move today by the Blue Jackets as they have 12 healthy forwards and 6 defenseman. Jeff Carter could be close.

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Late morning rumors involving: Karlsson, Parise, Moore, Grabovski, MacArthur, Gleason, Mason, Subban, Thomas and Morrow

  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Senators will start serious talks with defenseman Erik Karlsson’s agent next week.

    “We do have to talk,” Murray said Saturday. “In the next week or so, we either have to make a phone call or they have to make a phone call to at least initiate some discussion.” Murray said

    Don’t expect the Devils to trade Zach Parise. He’s a UFA on July 1st and there haven’t been any talks. The Kings and Wild will be interested in Parise on July 1st. Lightning Dominic Moore is getting interest, and the Sens may make a pitch. The Maple Leafs have been tossing Mikhael Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur’s names in trade talks.

  • Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: The Blackhawks could have interest in Hurricanes Tim Gleason, as would half a dozen other teams. The Blue Jackets are trying to move Steve Mason but are not finding takers with his $3.2 million salary. They may have to put him on re-entry to see if someone would take him at half price. Don’t expect the Canadiens to move P.K. Subban. Tim Thomas’s no trade clause expires July 1st. Thomas would be in the last year of his deal, and will have a $3 million salary with a $5 million cap hit. Matheson thinks that Brenden Morrow could be a good fit with the Sharks, Canucks or Red Wings.

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Could the Leafs be looking at Clowe? Rutherford wants a ton … No serious talks with Karlson … Peckham, Sutton getting interest … A Miller for Hiller swap?

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

  • Only a few GM’s are in Ottawa, Brian Burke is one of them, and everyone is waiting for him to make a move.

    “He’s trying. He’s trying hard. He definitely wants to get bigger,” a league executive said Thursday.

    The Leafs would love to bring in a hard-nosed forward. A guy they could look at is Sharks winger Ryane Clowe. Clowe has 1 year left at a $3.625 million cap hit. There is word that he might be someone the Sharks could look at moving. It might take more than the Leafs want to offer San Jose to get him though. The Leafs would likely have interest in Tuomo Ruutu. The Hurricanes have talked to Ruutu about a contract extension but it’s believed he’s asking for too much on a long-term deal, so he’ll likely be traded.

  • League sources are saying that Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford is asking a ton for his UFA defenseman. A league source said that Hurricanes are asking for 2 1st round picks or a 1st round pick and an ‘A’ prospect for one of Tim Gleason, Bryan Allen or Jaroslav Spacek. The asking price will come down.
  • The Blue Jackets would move center Antoine Vermette. He’s been available all season.
  • The Senators and defenseman Erik Karlsson’s camp haven’t had any serious contract talks. It will likely wait until after the season.
  • The Oilers are getting interest in defenseman Theo Peckham and Andy Sutton. Sutton will be a UFA at the end of the year. Peckham will be an RFA, and there are plenty of teams looking for help on the blueline.
  • The Ducks, Blackhawks and Lightning could be looking for goaltending help, so keep an eye on Ryan Miller. The Sabres aren’t shopping him, but they’ll have to decide soon if they are in the playoff hunt or not. A Miller for Jonas Hiller trade could be possible.

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No one has heard that Subban is availabe … Friendman’s 30 Thoughts rumors … Nothing imminent for Leafs … Coyotes update … Hedman hopes for next week

  • Pierre LeBrun via twitter: LeBrun clarifies his comments on RDS. LeBrun talked with several teams yesterday and NONE have heard Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban’s name being available. What LeBrun said on RDS was that a team suggested it could be a possibility, though they hadn’t talked to the Canadiens. Louis Jean via twitter: All the Subban trade talk is “completely ludicrous.”
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: If the Canadiens end up looking for a new GM at some point, don’t count out former Avalanche GM Francois Giguere. After the Blues signed Brian Elliott to a 2 year deal, AHL goalie Ben Bishop’s name hit the rumor mill. GMs have now said that Elliott’s trade value has now gone up with his affordable deal. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is “pulling back” in his quest for a goalie and defenseman.

    “He’s made it clear that he’d rather wait than rush through a trade,” said another executive. Yzerman, via email, said, “We aren’t in a position to trade draft picks or young players for rentals.”

    Blue Jackets forwards Derick Brassard is off the market. R.J. Umberger might get some interest. A couple teams have heard that Ryan Suter is off the market. The Predators are not interested in a Ryan Ellis or Jon Blum/1st round pick for Ales Hemsky. Sabres Paul Gaustad could be a nice fit in San Jose. One GM thought Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky would fit well in San Jose. One of the reasons the Maple Leafs could be looking to move an NHL defenseman is to create room for Korbinian Holzer. Friedman has heard the Maple Leafs could consider moving Mikhail Grabovski, they are listening to offers. He’s a pending UFA and the Leafs could see the dollar amount an issue. They are also listening on Nikolai Kulemin.

  • David Alter via twitter: Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke said last night that nothing is imminent on the trade front, lots of listening. Burke added that he doesn’t have a problem keeping pending UFA Mikhail Grabovski past the trade deadline without a new contract.
  • Lisa Halverstadt of the Arizona Republic: Glendale City Council met yesterday for an update on the Coyotes situation. The mayor wonders if the NHL is asking price will force the Glendale to pay more. The NHL is trying to get $170 million for the Coyotes, Forbes says they are worth about $36 million less.

    “I think it has kept other potential buyers out of the process of trying to purchase the team and I think it is definitely impacting the financial burden that’s being asked of the city of Glendale,” she said.

    Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly:

    “We bought this franchise out of bankruptcy when no one else would, and we and our owners have jointly supported its operation for more than two years now,” Daly said. “We and the city of Glendale have a joint problem and we are jointly trying to fix it.”

  • Erik Erendsson of the Tampa Tribune: Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, who has been out since Dec. 27th with a concussion, practiced yesterday in a no-contact jersey. He’s hoping to return next Tuesday against the Capitals.
  • John Vogl via twitter: Sabres forward Jochen Hecht has a concussion. He skated yesterday but felt awful after and headed to the doctors.
  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Oilers GM Steve Tambellini will likely get a 1 or 2 year contract extension. McKenzie said during last night’s Oilers telecast:

    “I think he’ll probably get one (a new deal). I think the way the team finishes from now to the end of the season might not make it completely ironclad.”

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Some quick afternoon hits involving: Crosby, Blues sale, Cooke, waivers, McDonald, Bishop, Devils lines and starting goalies

  • Darren Dreger via twitter: “Sounds like Sid is doing well in Atlanta. Daily treatments. Skating everyday. Making progress.”
  • Andy Strickland via twitter: Sources are saying Blues minority owner Tom Sillman has signed a purchase agreement to buy the St. Louis Blues.
  • Bob McKenzie via twitter: The Jets have put Derek Meech on waivers. The Sharks have put Frazer McLaren on waivers. The Flames Brett Carson and the Panthers Michal Repik clear waivers.
  • Andy Strickland of True Hockey: Blues forward Andy McDonald has been out since Oct. 13th, but is getting close to removing his no-contact practice jersey.
  • Andy Strickland of True Hockey: It’s looking like the Blues will be trading AHL goalie Ben Bishop before the trade deadline. He’ll be a group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the year if he doesn’t play in 15 more games. If he does play in 15 games, he’ll be a group II free agent a the team would retain his rights.
  • Rich Chere via twitter: Devils lines: Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk; Sykora-Elias-Zubrus; Zalewski-Josefson-Clarkson; Boulton-Mills-Carter.

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Morning NHL rumors and injury notes involving: the Blackhawks, Stars, Tallinder, Bogosian, Ramo, Kolanos, Tanguay, Jagr, Martinek, Niittymaki

  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times: The Blackhawks are letting everyone know what they would like to trade for. A defenseman for their 2nd pairing, and a veteran forward, preferably a 2nd line center. The Hawks haven’t talked  to the Ducks who floated their big 3 and Francois Beauchemin earlier this month. In the Western Conference, only the Ducks, Oilers and Blue Jackets could be sellers so far. It would take a significant piece for Oilers Sam Gagner. In the Eastern Conference, the Sabres, Canadiens, NY Islanders, Lightning, Hurricanes and maybe the Jets could be sellers. The Sabres have Derek Roy, Drew Stafford and Brad Boyes but their price could be high. They should at least call about Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu of the Hurricanes. Untouchable prospects could be Dylan Olsen, Kevin Hayes and Brandon Saad. Brandon Pirri, Jeremy Morin, Shawn Lalonde and Brian Connelly could interest some teams.
  • Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News: (mailbag) If the Stars don’t sign Nicklas Grossman to a contract extension, they could trade him by the deadline. As for anyone else, that would depend on whether their buyers or sellers. If they are sellers, there should be some interest in Brenden Morrow, Sheldon Souray, Mark Fistric and Grossman. If they are in a playoff at the deadlines, would have to think they are buyers.
  • Tom Gulitti of the Bergon Record: Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder will be out 6 to 8 weeks with a blood clot in his lower left leg. He’s been bothered by a sore leg and an MRI yesterday revealed.
  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian could be ready to return tomorrow night. He’s missed 5 consecutive games with a lower-body injury.
  • Vicki Hall via twitter: Flames GM Jay Feaster confirms that recently acquired goalie Karri Ramo has 1 year left on his KHL contract.
  • Roger Millions via twitter: Flames forward Curtis Glencross was put on the IR and out at least 7 days. MRI results are not in yet.
  • Adam Kimelman via twitter: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren on a Jaromir Jagr deal: “We’ve had some talks. I don’t really want to comment any further on that right now. We’ve talked about it.”
  • Shawn Mitchell via twitter: Blue Jackets defenseman Radek Martinek will miss the rest of the season with a concussion. They’ve signed Brett Lebda to a 1 year deal.
  • Craig Custance via twitter: Sharks goalie Antero Niittymaki will play for Worchester of AHL on Friday and Saturday. Interested teams will get a chance to scout him.

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The Wild aren’t the only ones wanting to improve Top 6 … Jets could deal UFAs … Possible Habs GM candidates … Letang could return … Glencross week-to-week

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: The Wild have dropped out of the top 8 in the West after losing 14 of 16.

    “We’ll keep looking to upgrade the talent. We’ll move whatever we have to move if it makes sense. Not everybody’s untouchable. And certainly we have a lot of prospects we’re not going to move, but there’s assets we have that we can move to make our team better if we can find the right fit.”

    They’ve been hit with injuries to their top 6. They would like to improve their top 6, but they aren’t the only ones. The Ducks have dangled Bobby Ryan. The Sabres have Drew Stafford, Derek Roy and Brad Boyes. The Rangers have Wojtek Wolski and Erik Christensen. The Blue Jackets have Vaclav Prospal. The Oilers have Ales Hemsky. The Hurricanes have Tuomo Ruutu.

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: The Jets could be looking to move some of their future UFAs, which includes: Chris Mason, Jim Slater, Tanner Glass, Kyle Wellwood, Johnny Oduya, Randy Jones, Mark Flood and Derek Meech. Though some of their UFAs could receive contract extensions or possibly brought back in the summer.
  • Darren Dreger via twitter: A list of possible candidates for the Canadiens GM position if they decide to replace Pierre Gauthier: “J.Martin (owed $3mil), J.Brisebois, Risebrough, Ferguson, Loiselle, McGuire, Bergevin.”
  • Jerry DiPaola of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang could return to the lineup for the 1st time in 2 months tonight. “It’s coach’s decision,” Letang said of his return. “I know I am ready to go. I have been resting. I have been doing some treatment. I am comfortable. Otherwise I wouldn’t be on the ice.”
  • Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune: Wild center Mikko Koivu still hopes he’ll be able to participate in the All-Star game, and the NHL has agreed to hold off on naming a replacement.
  • David Pollak via twitter: Sharks forward Ryane Clowe has facial fractures, but is not feeling any concussion-like symptoms.
  • Katie Carrera of the Washington Post: There isn’t much optimism from Capitals when it comes to defenseman Tom Poti being able to return to the NHL. “Tom’s been working at it and improving but I don’t know if he’ll ever get to the point where he can play again,” McPhee told reporters Tuesday. “As I said in the summer, we weren’t counting on it.”

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Afternoon NHL rumors involving the Maple Leafs and Ducks (Bobby Ryan), Flames, Clowe, Oilers, Sabres, Rangers, Blackhawks

  • Anthony SanFilippo via twitter: There is no deal for the Maple Leafs today but there could be something in the works between them and the Ducks involving Bobby Ryan. Darren Dreger via twitter: In general, Dreger has been told that trade discussions with the Maple Leafs are currently very quiet.
  • Brian Burke via twitter: “Speak with all 30 clubs as often as daily. Our top guy Dave Nonis shares this load. In quiet times, once every 10 days.”
  • Dan Rosen via twitter: “Ownership’s intention is this player will finish his career with the Flames,” Feaster said. “There is no appetite to trade Jarome Iginla.”
  • David Pollak via twitter: Trade rumors involving Sharks forward Ryane Clowe are bogus. Makes less sense with Martin Havlat injured.
  • Mark Spector via twitter: Agent Pat Morris is meeting with Oilers GM Tambellini in Columbus regarding UFAs Ryan Smyth and Andy Sutton.  Both are expected to be re-signed.
  • Craig Custance of ESPN: Time may be running out for the struggling Sabres. “There’s a growing notion that the continuity in Buffalo has made things a bit stale. The same GM. The same coach. The same core group of players.”
  • Elliotte Friedman of CBC: The Rangers don’t want to place Sean Avery back on re-entry waivers as they don’t want to have the $2 million cap hit if he gets claimed. Have to think the Rangers might do something with Wojtek Wolski and his $3.8 million cap hit. Teams ready to make a move now are: Maple Leafs, Sharks and the Blackhawks are hovering. The Ducks are one of the teams watching Leafs farmhand Korbinian Holzer closely. The Blackhawks have shown some interest in Blue Jackets Derick Brassard. The Coyotes say they won’t trade Shane Doan.
  • Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Cox thinks that if Ryan Malone and his $4.25 million cap hit (3 more years after this year) becomes available, the Leafs may be interested.
  • What is Bobby Ryan Trade Value? Teams who could be interested are: Maple Leafs, Sabres, Kings, Flyers, Canadiens, Predators, Sharks and Capitals.


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Sunday morning rumors and injuries: the Lightning, Canadiens, Weber, van Riemsdyk, Koivu, Skinner, DiPietro and NHL Sources Say Video

  • Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune: Lightning goalies Dwayne Roloson and Mathieu Garon have a combined GAA of 3.37. Some want the Lightning to trade for Evgeni Nabokov or Antero Niittymaki, or any other goalie who’ll be a UFA at the end of the year. Minor league goalie Dustin Tokarski is playing well in the AHL, but he’s not the answer right now. Trading for guys like Cory Schneider or Jonathan Bernier usually don’t happen during the season, and would cost a significant player/prospect and a high draft pick. In the offseason they could also look at free agent goalies like Brian Elliott and Josh Harding.
  • Toronto Sun: The Canadiens may not be done dealing. Defenseman Hal Gill has seen his ice time decrease as of late and may interest a cup contender who is looking for a big stay at home Dman. Forwards Travis Moen and Andrei Kostitsyn will be UFAs at the end of the season. Defenseman Yannick Weber may get some interest someone who is looking to boost their PP.
  • Randy Miller via twitter: Miller thinks it may cost the Flyers James van Riemsdyk, Sean Couturier and a top pick for Predators defenseman Shea Weber. The Preds would be aiming for that.
  • Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly: Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk is out with a concussion. “James was hit in the head in each of our last two games,” Holmgren said in a statement.  “He reported yesterday  not feeling like himself.  He will be out indefinitely with a concussion.”
  • Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune: Wild center Mikko Koivu left last night’s game in the 1st period after taking a hit from Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka. Koivu appears to have a left shoulder injury. He left the arena with a sling on.
  • Brian Compton via twitter: Islanders Rick DiPietro is expected to miss 10 weeks after his sports hernia surgery. His knee also has swelling.
  • NHL Sources Say: Talk on next year’s Winter Classic, All-Star game captains and fantasy draft, Blues ownership situation, the Oilers rink situation, and Zach Parise.

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NHL Rumors involving the Bruins, Devils, Wild, Flyers, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Canucks, Panthers, Sharks, Penguins and Sabres

  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:
    * Bruins are moving cautiously towards the trade deadline as GM Chiarelli doesn’t want to mess with their chemistry.

    “Obviously we have a lot of cap room, so there’s a lot of flexibility,” Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN.com Thursday. “I would like to add depth-wise on the forward front and depth-wise on the defenseman front. But I don’t want to subtract anything.”

    LeBrun thinks that Hurricanes forward Tuomo Ruutu and/or defenseman Tim Gleason could be options.

    * There is a growing feeling around the league that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello won’t trade Zach Parise at the deadline if he’s not signed by then. His rights could be moved before the free agency starts if a deal can’t be reached.

    “He can’t trade away his captain, the face of the franchise, with the team sitting in a playoff spot,” one source told ESPN.com Thursday.

    * The Minnesota Wild have been looking to upgrade their offense for months but their aren’t going to deplete their prospects to do so. LeBrun thinks they may move a B-level prospect, a pick or a player off their roster to get a top 6. Possibly for a guy like Vinny Prospal in Columbus.

    * LeBrun confirms that the Flyers and Maple Leafs have talked over the last week. The Leafs like James van Riemsdyk and the Flyers are looking for a Dman. Ryan Suter is at the top of the Flyers wish list and have shown interest in Hurricanes Tim Gleason.

    * The Rangers are looking for a top 6 forward and/or a power play defenseman. They are keeping an eye on the Ryan Suter-Shea Weber-Nashville Predators situation.

    * The Red Wings will be working the phones over the next 6-7 weeks. They have some interest in Ales Hemsky, and may be looking for a backup goalie upgrade.

    * The Canucks are looking for size upfront, likely for the bottom 6. Cory Schneider is more likely to be dealt in the offseason than at the deadline.

    * The Panthers want to get healthy before they decide what they want to do heading towards the trade deadline.

    “We don’t know yet, hopefully we’ll have everybody back in the lineup in the next couple of week and then we’ll see what we have,” Panthers GM Dale Tallon told ESPN.com Thursday. “And then we’ll see where we’re at as well. There’s no rush here.”

    * The Sharks could use a 3rd line forward and have been shopping Antero Niittymaki.

  • Will DePaoli of Inside Pittsburgh Sports: Despite the recent Penguins struggles, they don’t have anything cooking on the trade front. GM Ryan Shero has a tendency to let the market develop before moving on a deal. They are currently out of the playoffs, but they are not panicking. They don’t have a big deal in the works and any move is weeks away.
  • Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins GM Shero shot down the notion about shelving Sidney Crosby and possibly Kris Letang for the season, and use the cap relief on a big trade or 2.

    “I have to have it in my mind about what we might have coming back,” Shero said. “Those guys are worth waiting for.”

    There is still no timetable on Crosby and Letang’s return.

    “We never even once discussed that,” Shero said of putting Crosby on long-term injured reserve to let him continue to heal for several months and finding a replacement or two through trades.

  • Bob Mitchell of the Toronto Star: Trade speculation out of Philadelphia has them interested in Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn.

    “It doesn’t really mean much,” Schenn, 21, said. “They’re just rumours and I’m happy being here in Toronto. In the 3½ years that I’ve been here there has been a few rumours about trades that were going to happen. They come up every year somehow.”

    It’s no secret the Leafs GM Brian Burke likes James van Riemsdyk. JVR signed a 6 year extension with a $4.25 million cap hit in the offseason. Schenn signed a 5 year deal with a $3.5 million cap hit just before the season started.

  • Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News: Sabres owner Terry Pegula points out the injuries that have hit the team:

    “What everybody is missing is that I’ve been carrying around 167 man games,” he said by telephone Thursday evening. “Forget about the season. I’m talking about the last 25 games. We’ve had 18 players go down. It’s like a merry-go-round every night. You look on the ice and what are your defensive pairs tonight? Hell, who knows? Who’s healthy?

    “I think what’s important is the number of guys. You can have 167 man games with four, five, six guys out for a long period. Eighteen? Cut me a break. I told Darcy Regier one time, ‘If I was you, I would be afraid to get on the plane.’ “

    The Sabres sit 11th in the East with a 18-19-5 record heading into tonight. Many players have struggled. Robyn Regher is -12. Brad Boyes has been injured and hasn’t produced when healthy. Ryan Miller is having the worst season of his career. Derek Roy is 115th in scoring. The Sabres could keep everyone together, make some trade to upgrade the roster which may not be easy, or trade players who they don’t see there long term.

    “My attitude now is, ‘Let’s put Humpty [Dumpty] back together again,’ ” Pegula said. “I want our players to know that I thought we had a pretty good hockey team until all this happened. Let’s paste it back together and start a new season.”

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Ryan more likely than Getzlaf to be traded … Ruutu will draw interest … Carter separates shoulder … Penguins lose Staal, Neal and Adams

  • Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson doesn’t see the Ducks trading Ryan Getzlaf. A league executive said that Bobby Ryan is the most likely to be moved. Philadelphia seems like a logical bet for Ryan. Matheson can see James van Riemsdyk in a package. The Ducks might ask for Brayden Schenn and may ask for a defenseman like Braydon Coburn. Sean Couturier is off-limits. The Maple Leafs would love Getzlaf but Burke may not have the pieces to get him. What would he offer: Lupul, Gardiner or Kadri? The Oilers would be interested. Nugent-Hopkins, Hall and Eberle are untouchable which would leave players like: Sam Gagner, Ladislav Smid, Tom Gilbert, Magnus Paajarvi, Oscar Klefbom, Tyler Pitlick, Teemu Hartikainen, Jeff Petry. The Blackhawks are looking for another defenseman with Hurricanes Tim Gleason or Bryan Allen making sense. They’d like Lubomir Visnovsky, but he under contract for next year with a $3 million salary but a $5.6 million cap hit. The Capitals, Penguins and Sharks could be interested in Hurricanes winger Tuomo Ruutu as a rental.
  • Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun: The Oilers are actively looking for a defenseman and there is an outside chance they shut Ryan Whitney down for the season. Winger Ales Hemsky’s time in Edmonton could be coming to an end.
  • Bob McKenzie via twitter: Bruins Brad Marchand will have his hearing today at noon with Brendan Shanahan. Ducks J.F. Jacques will likely have a hearing at some point for his hit on R.J. Umberger.
  • Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to Dynamo Moscow, which likely means he’ll be joining the St. Louis Blues over the summer.
  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets forward  Jeff Carter suffered a separated shoulder last night. “We’ll see where he’s at and we’ll get more detail tomorrow,” coach Scott Arniel said. He suffered the injury on a blindsided hit by Francois Beauchemin. Winger Cody Bass won’t have shoulder surgery, he’ll rehab it and hopes to play again this season. Forward Mark Letestu will have surgery today on a broken pinky finger metacarpal and will be out 6 weeks.
  • Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Penguins have lost Jordan Staal for 4 to 6 weeks with a knee injury. He has damage to his MCL and it won’t require surgery. Winger James Neal broke his foot on Saturday. “In the next few days we’ll see what that timetable looks like, but it’s weeks, not days,” Bylsma said. Craig Adams injured his knee during practice after a collision in yesterday’s practice.
  • Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller pulled himself in the 1st period of last night’s game. Iiro Tarkki filled in for Hiller. The Ducks usual backup Dan Ellis re-injured his groin on Saturday and will be out for 4 weeks. Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Francois Jacques were recalled. Andrew Gorden was assigned to the AHL and George Parros was put on the IR.
  • Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune: Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp suffered an upper-body injury in the 1st and didn’t return. “We’re going to have some tests with him (and we’ll) know more (Monday),” Quenneville said.
  • Katie Carrera of the OC Register: Capitals Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green didn’t practice yesterday. Though no update was given other than being day-to-day, it seems they are bracing for not having either in the lineup against the Kings, and possibly longer. Lines at practice: Semin-Johansson-Knuble, Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer, Chimera-Halpern-Ward, Hendricks-Perreault-Beagle. Defensive pairings: Alzner-Carlson, Hamrlik-Wideman, Erskine-Orlov, Schultz.

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