- Renaud Lavoie via twitter: GM meetings today are all about head shots and concussions.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: LeBrun talked to Sidney Crosby’s father on Friday and there was no truth to Bob McCown’s reports that Crosby’s family was trying to get him to retire. Still no timetable on a possible return. “Not at all,” Troy Crosby, from his Halifax, Nova Scotia, home, told ESPN. “We’re just trying to get him healthy again. However long that takes, that’s how long it’s going to take.”
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: As the Red Wings get closer to another playoff run, coach Mike Babcock is fine-tuning his line combinations. At home when Babcock has better control of the line combinations, he have Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg together. On the road, he’ll have them on 2 lines. Friday at home they were together with Johan Franzen. Saturday in St. Louis Datsyuk was with Franzen and Holmstrom, Zetterberg centered Bertuzzi and Cleary.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Flyer forward Ian Laperriere’s playing days are likely over. He hasn’t played since last season after blocking a shot with his face. “I still have some nerve damage in my right eye and the light bothers it.” New Sabres owner Terry Pegula is worth $3 billion according to Forbes. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing more than Brian Boucher now, but that might change in the playoffs. Mike Green may return to the Capitals lineup late this month as he’s still suffering concussion symptoms. Tom Poti could return next week, he’s been battling groin issues for hte last 2 months. Since Mike Knuble will be coming off the books for the Capitals, and if he’d take a pay cut to around $2.5 million, Jason Arnott could be back with the Capitals next year. As the playoffs get closer, Tyler Seguin has become a healthy scratch more often. The Capitals are 17-0-0 when Alexander Semin scores. It’s likely that Capitals’ 1st round pick Evgeny Kuznetsov will be playing in North America next season.
- Randy Sportak of the Calgary Herald: The Flames have already begun to look at upcoming free agents, identifying players and their team needs. They have UFA’s Alex Tanguay, Curtis Glencross and Brendan Morrison, Anton Babchuk and Feaster noted “We’re not any further along,” about those negotiations.
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Antti Niemi is expected to get the start tonight against the Blackhawks. Antero Niittymaki could get the start on start on Tuesday, ending Niemi’s 25 consecutive game run.
- Terry Frei of the Denver Post: Avalanche Paul Stastny talked to Eric Johnson about the negative comments his dad made about the trade that brought Johnson to Colorado. Paul said, “I talked to (Johnson). I told him it had nothing to do with him or Jay. I think it was more about losing Stewie, a rare power forward. When I talked with my dad, he said he meant no disrespect at all and he loves both players.”
- Ian Walker of the Vancouver Sun: Canucks winger Tanner Glass suffered an upper body injury in practice last week and tried to play through it. “I tried to play; I was treating it like a playoff game so if there was any chance I could go I would have but there was no way,” said Glass, 6-1 and 210-pounds. “It’s gotten progressively worse since the San Jose game and it’s one of those things … It’s muscular and if I keep pushing it, it’s going to get worse so I have to give it a few days.”