This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The trade deadline's sneaking right up on us – it's next week already. And while things have been pretty quiet on the transactional front of late, there are a lot of rumors swirling over potential moves that could have big fantasy ramifications.
It's the cellar-dwelling teams to whom we turn as we plunder unneeded talent from places where it's going to waste. And so it wouldn't be surprising to see a lot of moves involving Carolina, Toronto, Edmonton and Arizona prior to the deadline.
The Hurricanes are a hard-working team that doesn't play very good defense, doesn't score very much and doesn't have very good goaltending. But hey, they try hard for all that. Is this the year that they finally give up on the Staal Bros. experiment? Eric Staal's contract has only one more season on it, and he's having the worst year of his career, but could see a resurgence if he gets traded from the only team he's ever known to a contender. Jordan Staal, meanwhile, is under contract for most of the next two presidential terms, so he's not likely to go anywhere. Jiri Tlusty's on a one-year deal and could be shown the door – he'd be a good fit on someone's second or third line instead of Carolina's first. Alexander Semin… okay, no one wants him.
The big target on the Leafs is Phil Kessel, but in my view, the team would be foolish to trade him. Still, if there's a blockbuster to be had at this deadline, it could very well involve Phil the Thrill, who's also under contract for many years to come. Anywhere he goes, offense will follow. David Clarkson and Joffrey Lupul are unmovable, but it'd be interesting to see whether the Leafs would consider trading Tyler Bozak or James van Riemsdyk, who are both locked in on reasonable deals. Jonathan Bernier is also in the final year of his deal, and he may not have convinced Toronto management that he's the long-term solution in net.
The Oilers are a funny story, unless you live in Edmonton. They sound disinclined to trade Derek Roy, and they've long held off on breaking up their corps of top picks (Tyler Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov). Yakupov in particular could probably benefit from finding a new home, and maybe blueliner Justin Schultz could too. No one's coming to help the Oil with Benoit Pouliot's terrible contract, though. Teddy Purcell and Andrew Ference could also boost some contenders on the back end.
For the Coyotes' part, Keith Yandle should already have one foot out the door. He's got just one year left on his deal, and he could return the kind of riches that'll help Arizona (I still want to say Phoenix) gear up for the future. Top-line center and pending free agent Antoine Vermette is also likely ticketed out of town (and out of top-line ice). It seems unlikely that Shane Doan will go anywhere despite his age, but fellow veteran Zbykek Michalek could help a contender on the blue line. Too bad about Martin Hanzal's back injury; they could have gotten a nice return for him.
Tuesday time.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Coyotes (Mike Smith) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Flames (Karri Ramo) at Rangers (Cam Talbot), 7:00 PM
Flyers (Rob Zepp) at Hurricanes (Cam Ward), 7:00 PM
Sabres (Michal Neuvirth) at Blue Jackets (Curtis McElhinney), 7:00 PM
Canadiens (Carey Price) at Blues (Jake Allen), 8:00 PM
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 8:00 PM
Oilers (Ben Scrivens) at Wild (Devan Dubnyk), 8:00 PM
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Jets (Michael Hutchinson), 8:00 PM
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Blackhawks (Scott Darling), 8:30 PM
Red Wings (Jonas Gustavsson) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Tuesday
Vancouver Canucks
Brad Richardson, C (ankle) – No updates since he was put in a walking boot
Kevin Bieksa, D (hand) – Out into mid-March
Alex Burrows, RW (lower body) – Didn't go Sunday; uncertain for Tuesday
Alexander Edler, D (upper body) – Hit IR on Thursday
Nick Bonino, C (foot) – Expected to return on current road trip
Chris Tanev, D (undisclosed) – Placed on IR over weekend
Frank Corrado, D (upper body) – Out about another week or two
Ryan Miller, G (leg) – Placed on IR
Boston Bruins
David Krejci, C (knee) – Out 4-6 weeks with partial MCL tear
Kevan Miller, D (shoulder) – Having season-ending surgery
Arizona Coyotes
Zbynek Michalek, D (upper body) – Could join team on road trip later this week
Martin Hanzal, C (back) – Season over following surgery last week
Mikkel Boedker, LW (spleen) – No timetable, but hopes to return this year
New York Islanders
Casey Cizikas, C (lower body) – Won't play Tuesday
Frans Nielsen, C (leg) – Had reevaluation Monday; look for word Tuesday
Kyle Okposo, RW (eye) – Not nearing a return
Mikhail Grabovski, C (upper body) – Hit IR on Friday
Eric Boulton, LW (lower body) – Lingering on IR indefinitely
Calgary Flames
Matt Stajan, C (personal) – Will miss Tuesday due to child being born
Joni Ortio, G (lower body) – Out 6-8 weeks
Ryan Culkin, D (wrist) – Out a while after surgery
Ladislav Smid, D (upper body) – Started skating again late last week
Paul Byron, C (lower body) – Hit IR on Monday
New York Rangers
Jesper Fast, RW (knee) – Skated without contact Sunday
Henrik Lundqvist, G (neck) – Also skated Sunday
Philadelphia Flyers
Kimmo Timonen, D (leg) – Traveling with team, but not guaranteed for Tuesday or Thursday
Ray Emery, G (lower body) – Not traveling for Tuesday's game
Steve Mason, G (knee) – Could serve as backup Tuesday
Shayne Gostisbehere, D (knee) – On track for return in next week or so
Carolina Hurricanes
Ryan Murphy, D (leg) – Doing some on-ice work, but not practicing with team
Buffalo Sabres
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) – Likely done for season
Mikhail Grigorenko, C (lower body) – Skating, but not practicing
Josh Gorges, D (lower body) – Hit IR over weekend; done for season
Mike Weber, D (upper body) – Out at least two weeks
Patrick Kaleta, RW (lower body) – Hit IR over weekend
Tyson Strachan, D (illness) – Missed Sunday; not sure for Tuesday
Evander Kane, LW (shoulder) – Hag surgery early in February
Nikita Zadorov, D (suspension) – May be scratched Tuesday
Columbus Blue Jackets
Jeremy Morin, LW (upper body) – Remains out indefinitely since hospitalization
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) – Expected back this week
Boone Jenner, LW (back) – Skating lightly
Dalton Prout, D (upper body) – Still no return date offered
Ryan Murray, D (ankle) – Out another 2-4 weeks
Nathan Horton, RW (back) – Still not giving up on playing again
Montreal Canadiens
Sergei Gonchar, D (upper body) – Cleared to play, but won't Tuesday
Alexei Emelin, D (shoulder) – Hit IR over weekend
Alex Galchenyuk, LW (illness) – Practiced Monday; could go Tuesday
P.A. Parenteau, RW (concussion) – Traveling with team this week; could play Tuesday
St. Louis Blues
Kevin Shattenkirk, D (abdomen) – Has started skating again
Marcel Goc, C (mouth) – Hurt mouth Saturday, but that likely won't hold him out
Colorado Avalanche
Patrick Bordeleau, LW (knee) – Has been skating, but no updated return ETA
Borna Rendulic, RW (leg) – Could be out into March
Erik Johnson, D (knee) – Looking like early-March return is most likely
Jamie McGinn, LW (back) – Out for the year
Jan Hejda, D (knee) – Day-to-day
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – Could be done for the season
Ryan Wilson, D (shoulder) – Out for the year
Nashville Predators
Ryan Ellis, D (lower body) – Expected back soon
Anton Volchenkov, D (lower body) – Skating on his own
Edmonton Oilers
Nikita Nikitin, D (shoulder) – Skated with team Monday
Viktor Fasth, G (knee) – Out indefinitely
Nail Yakupov, RW (undisclosed) – Had to leave Monday's practice early
Jeff Petry, D (ribs) – Could be back Tuesday
Anton Lander, C (shoulder) – Hit IR at end of last week
Taylor Hall, LW (lower leg) – Out another four weeks
Tyler Pitlick, RW (spleen) – Skated with the team Monday
Minnesota Wild
Jason Zucker, LW (clavicle) – Out three months with surgery on broken collarbone
Ryan Carter, C (shoulder) – Out well into March
Matt Cooke, LW (sports hernia) – Out another 3-4 weeks
Keith Ballard, D (concussion) – Skating with the team, but no timeline offered
Jared Spurgeon, D (face) – Hit IR on Monday
Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin, C (knee) – Could be out as much as seven more weeks
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (hip) – Another 3-5 weeks from game action
Patrick Eaves, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Travis Moen, LW (upper body) – Hit IR last week; could be facing extended absence
Rich Peverley, C (chest) – No timetable still
Winnipeg Jets
Mathieu Perreault, C (lower body) – Out indefinitely – maybe for the year
Matt Halischuk, RW (lower body) – Expected back in early March
Grant Clitsome, D (upper body) – Remains out indefinitely following surgery
Blake Wheeler, RW (undisclosed) – Missed Monday's practice
Jay Harrison, D (upper body) – Has missed 12 straight; no word on lineup return
Ben Chiarot, D (hand) – Expected out six weeks
Florida Panthers
Brandon Pirri, C (upper body) – Nearing the end of two-week timeline given Feb. 12
Willie Mitchell, D (upper body) – Didn't go Sunday; Tuesday status uncertain
Dave Bolland, C (upper body) – Day-to-day
Chicago Blackhawks
Johnny Oduya, D (upper body) – Out a couple weeks
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D (knee) – Close to taking contact
Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg, LW (upper body) – Doubtful for Tuesday
Kyle Quincey, D (lower body) – Didn't go Monday; Tuesday status unknown
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – No timetable
Joakim Andersson, C (illness) – Didn't go Monday; Tuesday status unsure
Los Angeles Kings
Alec Martinez, D (concussion) – Didn't travel for Saturday's game
Slava Voynov, D (suspension) – Awaiting trial
Tanner Pearson, LW (leg) – May not be available in time for playoffs
Hot
Erik Karlsson, D, OTT – Karlsson went through a cold stretch from December into January, going more than a month without scoring a goal, but he course corrected in the latter half of last month. Then he went three straight scoreless games to start February, and it looked like inconsistency was going to be the order of the day again. Not so. Karlsson has absolutely lit aflame over the last six games, rattling off two goals, eight assists and a plus-eight rating. Perhaps not coincidentally, five of those games have come at home, where Karlsson now sports a spectacular 30 points and a plus-7 rating in 29 games. Unfortunately, when he's taken his show on the road, he's looked rather average – just 15 points and a minus-5 rating in 28 games away from the Canadian Tire Centre.
Henrik Sedin, C & Daniel Sedin, LW, VAN – The twins have had their struggles at times this year, but all in all, they've been pretty Sedin-like. That's been especially true over the last four games, in which Daniel has six points (all assists) and Henrik has eight (three goals and five assists). Yes, Henrik is uncharacteristically close to his brother in goals this year, as the centerman has 12 to Daniel's 13 despite having taken less than half as many shots. Other than that, they're doing their normal thing, which is all fantasy owners can ask for.
Cold
Carl Soderberg, C, BOS – A semi-consistent presence on the scoresheet for much of the early stages of this year, Soderberg's been mired in a miserable slump for some time now. His last goal came back on Jan. 17 – more than five weeks ago – and he's failed to register a point in any of the Bruins' last seven games, going an un-Bruins-like minus-5 in that span. This despite very strong ice time -- over the course of these seven games, Soderberg's low mark in TOI is 14:59, and he's regularly skated good minutes on the power play. That ice time could start falling off, though, if he doesn't increase his production soon.
Alex Goligoski, D, DAL – Goli has hit a simply brutal stretch of play lately. If you just look at his last three games, things are bad enough – he's gone minus-7 without a point despite generally getting his usual complement of ice time. But his slump goes back further than that, as Goligoski hasn't found the scoresheet in any of the Stars' last six games and has just three points to show for his last 15 contests. The funny thing is that he'd been on a solid pace before that, with 23 points in his first 45 games this season -- right around the pace he's put up for the last two years. So things will probably pick up for him in time. I'm just not willing to place bets on when that time will come.
Recommended Pickup
Vincent Trocheck, C, FLA – Freshly recalled from the AHL for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, Trocheck registered an assist – his 14th point in 29 games with the Panthers this year despite spotty ice time. After his 109-point final campaign in juniors, the 2011 third-rounder has shown his offensive abilities at the AHL level, with 59 points over 76 games spanning this season and last. His stay may be short with Dave Bolland just day-to-day, but if the Panthers find a way for Trocheck to stick around, he could carve out significant value for deeper fantasy formats.
