This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
When the Lightning didn't move Jonathan Drouin at the trade deadline, it left people around the league scratching their heads, but ultimately figuring that they simply didn't get the right offer and would wait until the 2016 draft to ship him off for draft picks.
But it seems that GM Steve Yzerman had a card up his sleeve – although he may not have known it until he took his shirt off – because Drouin gave him a call after the draft and expressed his interest in returning to game action for the Tampa organization. The ultimate result is that the Bolts lifted the 2013 No. 3 overall pick's indefinite suspension Monday and he reported to AHL Syracuse, where Drouin's issues with the organization ultimately came to a head in January when he simply didn't show up for a game. He'll now be eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs and could even return to the big team if he shows better than he did in his initial seven-game AHL stretch.
While it's tempting to look at this as a patching-up of the relationship between the 20-year-old phenom and the team that drafted him, Tampa fans shouldn't be in a rush to order their Drouin jerseys. After all, this was also a pragmatic move for both sides. It's in Drouin's best interest to avoid looking like a locker-room cancer who responds poorly to adversity (particularly after his agent spun some very poorly crafted lies in public), and it's in the Bolts' best interest to showcase the kid in order to raise his trade value after Yzerman's comments (as well as the well-reported awkwardness of the situation) lowered his stock prior to the deadline.
So don't take this news as a guarantee that Drouin's found a semi-permanent home with the only NHL organization he's known, but it can be considered nothing but positive for his fantasy value. Inaction was the worst-case scenario for the young winger and the Lightning alike; now they both have a chance to start over.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Rangers (Antti Raanta) at Sabres (Chad Johnson), 7:00 PM
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Hurricanes (Cam Ward), 7:00 PM
Red Wings (Jimmy Howard) at Blue Jackets (Joonas Korpisalo), 7:00 PM
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Canadiens (Mike Condon), 7:30 PM
Bruins (Jonas Gustavsson) at Lightning (Andrei Vasilevskiy), 7:30 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 8:00 PM
Sharks (James Reimer) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 9:00 PM
For updates on projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Tuesday
New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist, G (neck) – Won't go Tuesday, but expects to be back Saturday
Marc Staal, D (back) – Won't play Tuesday
Dylan McIlrath, D (leg) – Won't go Tuesday
Rick Nash, LW (knee) – Now day-to-day, with potential return Saturday
Buffalo Sabres
Cody Franson, D (neck) – Things trending in wrong direction
Tyler Ennis, LW (upper body) – Officially day-to-day, but it's been a lot of days already
Ryan O'Reilly, C (lower body) – Out another week or two
Pittsburgh Penguins
Eric Fehr, RW (lower body) – Practicing, but return date unclear
Kevin Porter, C (ankle) – Out three months
Ben Lovejoy, D (upper body) – Facing long-term absence
Oskar Sundqvist, C (undisclosed) – Out about another week
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) – Practicing, but return unclear
Carl Hagelin, LW (undisclosed) – Sat out Sunday; Tuesday status uncertain
New York Islanders
Calvin de Haan, D (lower body) – Sat out Sunday; Tuesday status unresolved
Mikhail Grabovski, C (upper body) – Not likely to return Tuesday
Ottawa Senators
Craig Anderson, G (lower body) – Traveling with team, so could play Tuesday
Mark Borowiecki, D (knee) – Season over thanks to MCL tear
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – Still waiting for medical clearance
Kyle Turris, C (high ankle) – Out indefinitely
Patrick Wiercioch, D (undisclosed) – Tuesday status uncertain
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrej Nestrasil, C (lower body) – Season over
Justin Faulk, D (leg) – Still waiting for return; not sure if it'll be Tuesday
Jay McClement, C (undisclosed) – Tuesday status unclear
James Wisniewski, D (knee) – Skating, but not back at practice yet
Detroit Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk, C (illness) – Seems likely to play Tuesday
Drew Miller, LW (lower body) – Out for the season
Columbus Blue Jackets
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) – Practicing fully, but return date remains unannounced
Brandon Saad, LW (upper body) – Unlikely to play Tuesday
Ryan Murray, D (illness) – Missed practice Monday, but likely to play Tuesday
Jack Johnson, D (upper body) – Out indefinitely
Dallas Stars
Patrick Sharp, LW (lower body) – Won't be back until Friday at best
Patrick Eaves, RW (illness) – Seems to be a bad bug; no clear return timeline
John Klingberg, D (lower body) – Didn't travel for Sunday's game; Tuesday doesn't look good
Jordie Benn, D (lower body) – Could return Friday based on original timeline
Montreal Canadiens
Brian Flynn, C (lower body) – Out another 2-to-4 weeks
Alex Galchenyuk, C (upper body) – Questionable for Tuesday
Carey Price, G (leg) – Intends to return this year
Jeff Petry, D (sports hernia) – Out for season
Tom Gilbert, D (knee) – Out for season
Lars Eller, C (lower body) – Questionable for Tuesday
David Desharnais, C (foot) – Practicing, but Tuesday status unclear
Brendan Gallagher, RW (groin) – Won't go Tuesday
Nathan Beaulieu, D (lower body) – Could be back within a week or two, per original timeline
Boston Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (leg) – Skating, but return date unclear
Zac Rinaldo, C (suspension) – Has both AHL and NHL bans of five games
Kevan Miller, D (upper body) – Didn't play Monday; seems unlikely for Tuesday
Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrej Sustr, D (undisclosed) – Didn't go Monday; Tuesday status not looking good
Braydon Coburn, D (lower body) – Didn't go Monday; unlikely for Tuesday
Nashville Predators
Eric Nystrom, LW (foot) – No recent updates
Paul Gaustad, C (upper body) – Not traveling on road trip
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) – Hasn't played since being recalled from conditioning stint
Winnipeg Jets
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW (eye) – Out indefinitely
Mark Stuart, D (upper body) – About 1-to-3 weeks off
Bryan Little, C (head) – Season over
Anthony Peluso, RW (upper body) – Out 3-to-4 weeks
San Jose Sharks
Tommy Wingels, RW (shoulder) – Improving; Tuesday status unclear
Matt Tennyson, D (head) – Status in limbo
Edmonton Oilers
Brandon Davidson, D (lower body) – May have serious injury
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C (hand) – Practicing, but not ready to return yet
Oscar Klefbom, D (infection) – Could return Tuesday
Benoit Pouliot, LW (shoulder) – Still seems set to miss rest of season
Eric Gryba, D (knee) – Out at least another couple weeks
Hot
Brent Burns, D, SJ – If you weren't already jealous of Burns' fantasy owners, four straight games with a goal at this key late-season juncture should about do the trick. Oh, just to round out the line, he also has four assists, a plus-8 rating and 11 PIM in that span. The 30-year-old converted blueliner-turned-forward-turned-blueliner has already set new career highs in goals (24) and shots (282), and he's just one shy of last year's career-high 60 points. Talk about doin' work.
Cam Talbot, G, EDM – Oilers goalies aren't exactly sexy in the fantasy realm, but Talbot's recent numbers should increase your inclination to stuff dollar bills into his goalie pads. He's given up a total of three goals en route to four consecutive wins; going back just a bit further to cover his last six outings, Talbot has a 1.15 GAA and .967 save percentage. That includes strong showings in losses to the Kings and Ducks, although the four victories didn't exactly come against imposing opposition. Tuesday's home tilt against the Sharks may be more favorable than it seems; the Oilers have been better in Edmonton than on the road and Talbot stopped 36 of 37 in a shootout loss against San Jose earlier this year.
Cold
Antti Niemi, G, DAL – Gifted a prime opportunity to occupy the net behind one of the league's most explosive offenses, Niemi's instead oft been a victim of the Stars' defensive lapses. Over his last five starts, he's 1-2-1 with a horrendous 4.68 GAA and .856 save percentage; as a result, Kari Lehtonen's started the last three for Dallas, giving up just four goals in the process. The two 32-year-old Finns have alternated starts much of the year, but it seems like it'll only take one end-of-season hot streak to tilt things in one direction on a semi-permanent basis. Right now, the tilt is decidedly toward Lehtonen.
Recommended Pickup
David Perron, LW, ANA – I thought this one was a given already, but then I found that Perron is available in fully half of Yahoo leagues and three out of every 10 ESPN leagues. That's ridiculous. Sure, all Perron recommendations come with caveats regarding his injury history and long-term viability, but there's no arguing with 19 points in 22 games as a Duck. He's done it with consistency -- over the last 13 games, Perron has missed the scoresheet only three times. As long as he continues skating on Ryan Getzlaf's left wing (and there's no reason to think that arrangement will change anytime soon), there's nothing to say he won't keep this up.
