- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Rangers management has all but settled on trading defenseman Michael Del Zotto. GM Glen Sather has been looking for a top-four defenseman in return, preferably a right handed defenseman, but that may be too much given his recent struggles. The Maple Leafs, Senators and Avalanche are believed to be interested. The Leafs may be willing to part with Jake Gardiner. When Marc Staal returns to the lineup, it might relegate Del Zotto back to the press box.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Mailbag: Q – With moving centers Ryan O’Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon to the wing, does re-signing Paul Stastny become more of a priority or will MacKinnon be moved back to center? A – The Avs are not giving much indication as to which way they are leaning at the moment. If Stastny leaves, MacKinnon obviously goes back to center. Dater doesn’t see MacKinnon as a winger long-term. If/when Alex Tanguay returns to the lineup, MacKinnon could go back to their 3rd line center.
- William DePaoli: Have been told that Penguins officials feel that Derrick Pouliot could be an NHL regular next season if he’s paired with a defensive minded defenseman and could run the top power play unit.
- Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail: When Kings Jonathan Quick returns, the Kings may keep three goalies for awhile. They could test the market for Ben Scrivens at some point. It’s not easy to move goalies mid-season, as the Predators have found out.
Teams will ask – fairly – are all the L.A. goalies just a product of the Kings’ system? The answer is no, not entirely. Scrivens and Jones have actually been better, on balance, than Quick, who was having just an okay season (10-5, 2.35 GAA, .905 save percentage) before he got hurt. The Kings have lost just twice in regulation since Quick’s injury Nov. 12, a monumental achievement and a testament to their relentlessly solid defensive play.
