- Renaud Lavoie: Rangers Michael Del Zotto will be a healthy scratch tonight and Lavoie is hearing that a trade is a possibility.
- Patrick Kearns: “What is Michael Del Zotto’s value even at this point? Still young, former first round pick, still getting super sheltered minutes. Very low defensive zone starts, doesn’t push the play. Other than a few nice looking rushes through neutral zone, he doesn’t excel anywhere. Hasn’t been the answer on the PP, does he have much value at all anymore?”
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: When Oilers GM Craig MacTavish said he would love to add a “stud defenseman,” it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was thinking of Predators Shea Weber. It would take a lot to get him. It would take the Oilers 1st round pick. The Predators would go after Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz, and wouldn’t mind Sam Gagner. They would likely have interest in Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom.
- Jim Diamond: Don’t see it the Weber deal happening. “Surely we’ve beaten to death how dumb trading Weber after giving him so much of the up front bonus money is, right? And that is aside from him probably being the best defenseman in the league too.”
- Bruce Arthur: “At this point, it’s possible the Oilers will be used as an argument against bottoming out for high picks for a generation.”
- Ryan Rishaug: The Oilers send Mark Arcobello to the AHL and recall Oscar Klafbom. Eakins told Arcobello to find a place to live in Edmonton yesterday, so he’s just caught in a roster shuffle and will be back.
- George Richards of the Miami Herald: More moves are likely coming for the Panthers.
“I’m not happy with the situation our team is in as far as wins and losses,” Tallon opened. “The effort has been better lately. We’re going to continue to be aggressive and make changes that are important for our franchise moving forward keeping our focus on the future.
“We’re excited about where we’re headed, the foundation being built. We added two young pieces to an already deep foundation of players and prospects. This is a step in the right direction for the Florida Panthers.”
“In this day and age it’s tough – especially midway through or early in a season – to make moves,” Tallon said. “You have to be aggressive, have to be creative. Now with the new CBA we can take money back. That will help future moves.”
Versteeg indicated that defenseman Brian Campbell may like to join him in heading back to Chicago, but Campbell said he never said anything to Versteeg about wanting to go back Chicago.
- The Fourth Period: Injuries have hit the Kings. Jonathan Quick will be out four to six weeks, Jeff Carter out another three weeks, Kyle Clifford has a concussion and Matt Green is on the IR. GM Dean Lombardi has had some talks with other teams about possible deals, but nothing appears imminent according to a source. Lombardi had been shopping Clifford and Alec Martinez, but those talks have cooled.
- Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: At last years trade deadline, the Canucks were after Ryane Clowe and reportedly offered their 2013 1st round pick for him. The Canucks ended up using the pick on Hunter Shinkaruk. Clowe had a no-trade clause and chose the Rangers for family reasons and because the Rangers were more likely to offer money closer to what he was looking for as a UFA. The Sharks ended up getting the Rangers 2013 2nd round pick, the Panthers 3rd round pick and 5th round pick.
- Sam Carchidi: The Sabres haven’t contacted Flyers Ron Hextall about their GM position.