- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said via email on Tim Thomas trade rumors: “Not trading him. I have not talked to anyone and I don’t plan to.”
- Chip Alexander via twitter: Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford has a policy not to re-sign players during the season, but Tim Gleason was an exception yesterday. It was the first time he’s done that. Rutherford said he’s getting lost of calls for Tuomo Ruutu. Darren Dreger via twitter: Hurricanes trade focus now switches to Ruutu, Bryan Allen and Joni Pitkanen. Pitkanen’s injury may not interfere with a trade.
- Vicki Hall via twitter: Flames GM Jay Feaster on the radio yesterday: “our mandate is to win now.”
- Jonas Siegel of TSN: Leafs defenseman John-Michael Liles believes he doesn’t have a concussion, but his issues stem from a neck problem.
“Everybody wants to call it a concussion,” he exclaimed to TSN.ca. “Everybody says ‘Oh, if you have whiplash you have a concussion’ … I wasn’t sitting there going ‘Oh man I feel so foggy’ or anything like that, it just felt like I was just completely locked up and it was cutting off my focus and things like that.
“It all seemed like it was always neck-related and it almost felt like it was cutting off the flow to my brain sometimes just because it was so stiff.”
- Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press: Jets Evander Kane and Tim Stapleton are heading back to Winnipeg for further evaluation. Kane is out with a concussion and is not expected to play on their 4 game road trip. Dustin Byfuglien and Alex Burmistrov staked yesterday and are close to returning. They won’t play tonight, but could be in the lineup on Thursday.
- Dave Molinari via twitter: Sidney Crosby will skate today and will be off tomorrow.
- Tim Panaccio via twitter: The earliest Flyers forward Daniel Briere returns is this weekend. James van Riemsdyk is not expected to play tonight.
- Tony Marinario via twitter: The Canadiens said that Andrei Markov would be out 4 t0 6 weeks after his Dec. 5th operation. It’s been 8 weeks now.
- Ottawa Senators via twitter: Senators coach Paul MacLean said that forward Peter Regin will be out 4-6 months after left shoulder surgery.
- Rich Chere via twitter: Devils forward Travis Zajac hasn’t resumed skating yet. He’ll need to get clearance from his doctor in Winnipeg before he can start.
- Tom Gulitti via twitter: Devils lines: Parise-Zubrus-Kovalchuk; Sykora-Elias-Clarkson; Ponikarovsky-Josefson-Bernier; Boulton-Mills/Carter-Janssen.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Semyon Varlamov will start in net for the Avalanche tonight against the Oilers.