This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
With the NHL trade deadline coming up Wednesday, the action has been quite slow; only four deals have been completed since the post-Olympic resumption of play, with the long-expected Ryan Miller deal the only truly big one among them.
Two names are dominating the trade chatter right now: Ryan Callahan and Ryan Kesler. The Canucks seem more committed to dealing Kesler than the Rangers are to dealing Callahan, but it's possible that neither of them goes anywhere; the Blueshirts are going to have a lot of trouble justifying trading their captain when they're trying to stay in a playoff race, and the Canucks want the world in return for Kesler.
The Rangers in particular are really in a rough spot with Callahan. I've discussed the issues with him in this space before, and at this point, it looks extremely unlikely that he'll be in New York City come next season. At the end of the day, Callahan is a 50-point scorer – when he can stay in the lineup. He plays the game with the heart and soul of a champion, but that means he puts his body in harm's way all the time, and that means he suffers injury after injury.
There's no doubt that Callahan is a tough player, a great guy in the room and a leader by example. Still, it boggles my mind to think that any NHL team would be willing give more than about $5 million to a grit guy who can't be counted on play 80 games and can't be counted on to score a ton of points. But supposedly, the Sabres are all lined up and ready to give Cally whatever he wants this offseason, and that puts the Rangers in a bad position. He's looked distracted on the ice lately and the team's play is suffering overall, so this has to be resolved one way or another, but giving in to Callahan's ridiculous contract demands is not that way.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid.
Panthers (Tim Thomas) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00
Red Wings (Jimmy Howard) at Devils (Martin Brodeur), 7:00
Stars (Dan Ellis) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 8:00
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Blues (Ryan Miller), 8:00
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 8:00
Islanders (Evgeni Nabokov) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 8:00
Canucks (Roberto Luongo) at Coyotes (Mike Smith), 9:00
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:30
Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin) at Sharks (Antti Niemi), 10:30
Injury News for Teams Playing Tuesday
Florida Panthers
Tomas Kopecky, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Aleksander Barkov, C (knee) – Won't need surgery, but still out indefinitely
Boston Bruins
Adam McQuaid, D (groin/hip) – Couldn't go Sunday
Dennis Seidenberg, D (nee) – Out for the year
Detroit Red Wings
Dan Cleary, RW (knee) – Will miss at least a week
Stephen Weiss, C (sports hernia) – Had a setback; more tests coming
Pavel Datsyuk, C (knee) – Sitting out Tuesday
Henrik Zetterberg, LW (back) – Had surgery Friday; optimism that he'll be back this year
Jakub Kindl, D (lower body) – Expects to go Tuesday
Mikael Samuelsson, RW (shoulder) – Got hurt in AHL; no timeline
Alexey Marchenko, D (ankle) – Out for the year with high-ankle sprain
New Jersey Devils
Damien Brunner, RW (lower body) – Didn't play Sunday
Bryce Salvador, D (bruised collarbone) – Didn't go Sunday
Dallas Stars
Stephane Robidas, D (leg) – Returning mid-month
Columbus Blue Jackets
Jared Boll, RW (ankle) – Practicing, but still a ways away
Ryan Murray, D (lower body) – Left Monday's game
Fedor Tyutin, D (ankle) – On IR; no definite timeline, but it's not long-term
Blake Comeau, LW (knee) – Supposedly recovered, but still not playing
Colorado Avalanche
Alex Tanguay, LW (knee/hip) – Season-ending hip surgery
David Van der Gulik, RW (undisclosed) – Still lingering on IR with no news
Chicago Blackhawks
Marian Hossa, RW (upper body) – Out next 2-3 weeks
Nikolai Khabibulin, G (shoulder) – Out for regular season following surgery
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos, C (leg) – Meeting with doctors Wednesday with hope of playing Thursday
Radko Gudas, D (lower body) – Expected to sit out Tuesday
Valtteri Filppula, C (ankle) – Ankle is "close," but still feels weak sometimes
St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Sobotka, C (knee) – Saw doctors Monday to see if he can resume skating
Jordan Leopold, D (ankle) – Still out Tuesday, but could get back soon
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tomas Vokoun, G (pelvis) – Skating with the team
Pascal Dupuis, RW (knee) – Out 6-8 months
Paul Martin, D (hand) – Had surgery last week; out 4-6 weeks
Kris Letang, D (illness) – Having tests in a couple weeks to see whether he can return this year
Chris Conner, RW (wrist) – Skating before practice; could be back soon
Brian Dumoulin, D (leg) – Week-to-week
Beau Bennett, RW (wrist) – Out another 2-3 weeks after setback
Zach Sill, RW (undisclosed) – Had undisclosed injury in AHL at end of January; still not playing
Nashville Predators
Nick Spaling, LW (lower body) – Practiced with no contact Friday
New York Islanders
Travis Hamonic, D (suspension) – Returning Tuesday after one-game ban
John Tavares, C (knee) – Won't need surgery on ACL/MCL injuries
Matt Martin, LW (lower body) – Expected to return Tuesday
Winnipeg Jets
James Wright, C (ankle) – Out indefinitely with sprain
Matt Halischuk, RW (forearm) – Has medical clearance, but still not back
Grant Clitsome, D (back) – Had season-ending surgery
Vancouver Canucks
Daniel Sedin, LW (hamstring) – Out next three weeks
Andrew Alberts, D (concussion) – Slow to recover; not expected to return anytime soon
Mike Santorelli, C (shoulder) – Had season-ending surgery on labrum
Phoenix Coyotes
Martin Hanzal, C (lower body) – Questionable for Tuesday
Edmonton Oilers
Anton Belov, D (oblique) – Out multiple weeks
Carolina Hurricanes
Justin Faulk, D (upper body) – Out next 10 days
San Jose Sharks
Tomas Hertl, C (knee) – Skating with the team; still maybe two weeks away
Brad Stuart, D (upper body) – On IR; due for reevaluation soon
Hot
Raffi Torres, LW, SJ – Despite skating less than 10 minutes in each of his first two games back after missing the first three quarters of the season due to ACL surgery, Torres has already ripped off three goals – two in his debut and another Sunday, with a healthy scratch in between to give him some recovery time. Torres has always had decent scoring touch for a bottom-six winger, and though he's not the most exciting, he could be a decent source of PIM with some points down the stretch.
Adam Henrique, C, NJ – Henrique's been rolling out of the break, with four goals and six points in three games – quite a departure from the mediocre 27 points he posted in 59 games prior to the Olympics. Of course, Henrique showed significant scoring prowess in his rookie season two years ago, putting up 51 points, and though things haven't been so great since then, the potential is certainly still there – especially with him skating significant power-play minutes right now.
Anze Kopitar, C, LA – Kopitar's another guy who's been flying out of the break, ripping off five points in four games since the Kings resumed play. Going back to before the Olympics, he's got a sparkling nine points in his last six contests. It's been a somewhat disappointing year for Kopitar, but if he keeps this up down the stretch, he'll end up at his usual near-point-per-game level.
Cold
David Clarkson, RW, TOR – If Clarkson's really feeling healthier than he has all year, as he said during the Olympic break, it's not showing. He has just two points in six games since returning from an elbow injury, and none of those points have come in the three games since the resumption of NHL play. In his last four contests, he's gone minus-3 and taken just two shots on goal, and he's getting no power-play time anymore. It's not looking good.
Chris Stewart, RW, BUF – Stewart went minus-2 in his Sabres debut Monday, not much of a departure from the way he he'd picked up just one point in his last nine games with the Blues before the trade. Stewart could once more be on the move to another destination soon, but right now, there's practically no landing spot outside of Sidney Crosby's right wing that seems like it'll really boost Stewart's fantasy value.
Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR – Fresh off his silver-medal-winning run with Sweden in the Olympics, Lundqvist's returned to the NHL with a pair of clunkers in his first two games back. The King was lit up by the Flyers for four goals and the Bruins for six, looking like the guy who struggled his way through the month of December. He'll probably get things back together soon, but for the second time this year, he doesn't look like the Lundqvist we all know and love.
Recommended Pickup
Tyler Myers, D, BUF – Myers has shown some offensive spark since the Olympic break, popping four points in as many games (although three of those came in one game). More importantly, Myers may be on the move out of Buffalo to a destination where his big body and scoring ability can produce more fantasy value. He's one of those classic change-of-scenery guys, and he's worth snatching up now before everyone else realizes it.
