- Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly: Despite taking some regular shifts with Andreas Lilja, Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros’s return is still unknown. Meszaros had surgery on a herniated disk just over 6 weeks ago, recovery is 6 to 8 weeks.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: The Blues will make 2 roster changes for Game 4. Ryan Reaves will be in for B.J. Crombeen and Ian Cole will be in for Carlo Colaiacovo.
- Chris Boden of CSN Chicago: Boden wants to set the record straight. “It’s as simple as this: Roberto Luongo is not coming to the Blackhawks.” Reasons are: 1. If Luongo couldn’t preform in a town that cheers for him, how could he handle a team where the fans don’t like him. 2. The Blackhawks aren’t going to “help” the Canucks rid themselves of a problem. 3. The Blackhawks are not going to take on a $5.3 million cap hit through 2022. 4. There may not be a high regard for Luongo as a goalie in the locker room or with those who make player personnel decisions.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Rumors persist that Rick Dudley will be joining the Canadiens.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Red Wings and the Wild will be looking to add Zach Parise if he hits the open market on July 1st. Don’t be surprised if the Bruins take a run at him. Canadiens Carey Price could be looking for a deal similar to Pekka Rinne, 7 years and $49 million.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Oilers GM Kevin Lowe laughs off the suggestion that he brought possible draft pick Ryan Murray over for the World Championship as a test drive. Money is the key issue in the Ryan Smyth and Edmonton Oilers talks. Comparable for Smyth could be Jason Arnott’s 1 year deal worth $2.5 million. Milan Hejduk is another, 1 year at $2.6 million. Cristobal Huet made $5.625 million from the Blackhawks this past season, would gladly come back to the NHL as a backup for $750,000 according to some sources. The Kings might do well to look at Huet if they decide to trade Jonathan Bernier this summer. Huet had a 1.99 GAA in 39 games with Fribourg this past season.
- Vicki Hall via twitter: Olli Jokinen had successful surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle.
- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: Bruins president Cam Neely is happy with the having both Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask:
“We’re very happy with our goalies. We have two strong goalies in both Tim and Tuukka,” said Neely. “I think a lot of teams are probably envious of what we have here. It’s an area were we feel pretty comfortable.”
Thomas has some things going against him: the political distractions, his age (39), $5 million cap hit and a no-trade that expires on July 1st. If they look to upgrade their offense, they may look to move him.
- Will DePaoli of Inside Pittsburgh Sports: The Flyers and Jaromir Jagr have held talks on a 1 year deal, but Matt Carle is the Flyers top priority. Some think that the Maple Leafs and Lightning are the leading candidates for Roberto Luongo. The Devils are a sleeper team to watch.