- Bob McKenzie via twitter: Bruins forward Milan Lucic has a 1 pm hearing today with Brendan Shanahan regarding his hit on Ryan Miller. McKenzie reminds everyone that hearings don’t always mean there will be a suspension. McKenize also notes that when teams have a break in the schedule like the Bruins do, it’s not unusual for Shanahan to investigate further.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Senators captain Daniel Aldredsson will turn 39 next month and hasn’t committed to next season despite having 1 year left on his deal. His salary will drop from $4.5 million to $1 million next year.
“It’s more about how I feel and how I play this year.” …. “You want to feel like you can contribute and it’s still fun to play. If I do, if I’m still healthy, I have every intention to play another year. But if my body says it’s too much, I’ll have to consider it . Right now, I’m very open.”
Teams will likely be calling the Senators at the trade deadline about Alfredsson’s availability. When asked if he’d consider accepting a trade to make a run at the Cup:
“It’s a totally justifiable question,” Alfredsson said. “My stance, now anyway, is that I’m with Ottawa and I’m here to stay. Would I like to win a Cup? Of course. I’ve had my chances in Ottawa. I don’t know if it feels that it’s justified to try and go to another team and try to win it. … We built something in Ottawa. I’ve been part of so many things, through many ups and downs, and I want to be part of this, too. That’s where I am right now.”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson wonders if Rick Nash really wants to stay in Columbus much longer. He has a no-trade clause. What could the Blue Jackets get for Nash? 3 nice pieces? Matheson suggests any 3 of “Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, James VanRiemsdyk, Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and a first-round draft pick” from the Flyers. Pick 3 from the Kings: “Jack Johnson or Dustin Brown, Jonathan Bernier, 2010 first-round defender Derek Forbot, Slova Voynov and recently graduated junior forward Tyler Toffoli.”
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe: There are rumors that the Blue Jackets could be interested in Bruins backup Tuukka Rask or Islanders Evgeni Nabokov.
- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello doesn’t have an out clause in his contract that allows him to return to Europe if he remains in the AHL by a certain date. Zuccarello’s agents are likely to want to meet with the Rangers management if he’s to remain in Hartford, but GM Glen Sather doesn’t seem to have much interest in obliging” “Why would we agree to anything like that?” Sather said in an email. “There’s no such agreement.”
- Andy Strickland via twitter: Brian Elliott will start in net for the Blues against the Red Wings on Tuesday.