- Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun: The future of Mathieu Schneider is still up in the air after he left the team last week for ‘personal reasons’. Schneider has been the Canucks 6th-7th Dman this year and last Friday he was “Removed from the lineup to make way for Aaron Rome, Schneider bolted from the dressing room without talking to reporters, had an animated discussion with Canucks’ player development guru Dave Gagner, the defenceman’s contemporary, and left. He hasn’t been seen since.” I’m guessing he’s pondering retirement or if he’d like the Canucks to move him somewhere else.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Both Pascal Leclaire and Chris Neil will return to the Senators lineup tonight against the Penguins.
- Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star: Victor Stalberg, fresh off of his AHL recall, scoring 2 goals in 3 games, is on the shelf with a shoulder injury. Richard Wallin will be in the lineup tonight in his place. Wallin has 2 assists in 26 games, mostly on the 4th. Stalberg’s scored the 2 goals while playing on the 4th line.
- Brandon Hall of the Boston Globe: Milan Lucic is still eying Jan. 1st Winter Classic as his return date.
- Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun: Ryan Poultny has been promoted to the Oilers #1 line with Dustin Penner and Gilbert Brule … and why are they in last place in the Western Conference? And here I thought the Maple Leafs top line looked bad.