- Mark Stepneski of the ESPN Dallas: Brad Richards is being patient with his decision to hit the free agent market on July 1st.
“Right now there is no deadline in sight because July 1 is so far away,” Richards said. “It’s try to get my body back to normal, relax and think things over and give it a chance over there in Dallas to see what happens with ownership. It sounds like things are moving a little bit right now. We’ll see. Sometimes you hear things differently than what’s actually happening. At least there is some movement and talk.”
The Stars could have a new owner, Tom Gaglardi, by early June.
“When it’s closer to a deadline or a time where you have to make a decision, that might be a time to think about what’s going to happen in the future,” he said. “Right now, there are no worries in my mind to do anything because there is no rush.”
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Anaheim Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman had surgery to repair a torn labrum on his right shoulder. It’s expected to be a 5 month recovery, so he might not be ready for the start of the season. He had been playing with the injury for over 2 months.
- Eric Stephens of the OC Register: Ducks defenseman Andy Sutton,
“It was the worst year of my career,” he said. ”It was frustrating. Really, I think I just didn’t really recover after I had the hand surgery. I felt like I was constantly slipping down the mountain, couldn’t regain my footing and lost a lot of confidence. It sort of left me not playing like myself.”
It’s likely he’ll be back the with the Ducks next season, he’s owed $2.25 million. It would be tough finding a trade partner, and he’d be owed $750,000 for the next 2 seasons if they were to buy him out.
- Jesse Spector of the NY Daily News: NY Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto had surgery to repair a sports hernia. He should be ready by training camp.
- Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News: The Sabres new owner Terry Pegula seems to understands the importance of veteran defenseman, and maybe he’ll provide the funds to enable them to bring in someone. Potential UFA’s are James Wisniewski, Tomas Kaberle, Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff. The Canucks likely won’t be able to afford both Bieksa and Ehrhoff.
- Randy Phillips of the Montreal Gazette: Mathieu Darche is 1 of 9 UFA’s for the Montreal Canadiens,
“It’s been 10 years that I’ve ended a season with a question mark over my head,” the 34-year-old forward said. “Obviously, I want to be back, but at this point it’s not entirely in my control.
“I’ll see what they have to say and I’m sure we’ll talk soon,” he added. “That’s where it is right now. We’ll deal with it as it comes.”
- Pierre LeBrun via twitter: The San Jose Sharks switched up their lines at practice yesterday, though not sure if they will be the same for today’s game. Couture-Thornton-Setoguchi and Clowe-Marleau-Heatley.
- Frank Seravalli via twitter: Flyers Jeff Carter, Michael Leighton, Andreas Nodl and Chris Pronger are all listed as day-to-day.
- Elliotte Friedman via twitter: Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid is listed as day-to-day with a sprained neck according to Claude Julien.
- Darren Dreger via twitter: The City of Glendale has paid $25 million to cover a portion of the losses for the Coyotes.