This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Monday brought us an interesting piece of news, with Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski reporting that Ilya Kovalchuk – the man with the 15-year contract with the Devils that he only played three years of before "retiring" to the KHL – wants to come back to North American hockey for the 2016-17 season.
Unfortunately for Kovy, things aren't as simple as "break your NHL contract with 12 years left on it, go to the KHL, break your KHL contract with a year left on it, and sign a new NHL contract."
Because he retired, voiding that ridiculous contract, Kovalchuk will need to get approval from every team in the league just to return the year after next; if he can't get that (and it seems hard to believe that he will), we very well may not see the three-time All-Star back in the NHL 'til the 2018-19 season, when he'll be 35.
Personally, if I'm Gary Bettman or a team owner, I don't welcome Kovy back into the league with open arms, even if he's still a star who'll sell tickets and jerseys. Sure, he hasn't lost a step with St. Petersburg SKA – he picked up 55 points in 54 games during the regular season – but you've got to figure that they'd be inclined to reject his return. If you let a guy break a 15-year contract just three years in so he can flee to "greener" pastures in Russian hockey, only to let him jump back into the league when he feels like it, that sends a bad message to other international players: that the NHL is willing to get stepped on.
There's no doubt that Kovy is a great player, and he'd raise the level of competition around the league. But there's no reason to rush out to pick him up even in keeper formats unless the Devils and the NHL truly have no pride.
Now let's talk Tuesday turkey.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Kings (Martin Jones) at Rangers (Cam Talbot), 7:00 PM
Blues (Jake Allen) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury), 7:00 PM
Ducks (John Gibson) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Coyotes (Mike Smith) at Red Wings (Jimmy Howard), 7:30 PM
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Lightning (Andrei Vasilevskiy), 7:30 PM
Canadiens (Carey Price) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 8:00 PM
Jets (Ondrej Pavelec) at Canucks (Eddie Lack), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Tuesday
Minnesota Wild
Keith Ballard, D (concussion) – Unlikely to play again this year
Ryan Carter, C (shoulder) – Cleared to return
Nate Prosser, D (lower body) – Out about another three weeks
Jason Zucker, LW (shoulder) – Could be ready around the start of the playoffs
Matt Cooke, LW (sports hernia) – Last word was he wasn't close to returning to practice
New York Islanders
Lubomir Visnovsky, D (lower body) – Has sat out three straight; no word on Tuesday
Mikhail Grabovski, C (concussion) – Skating on his own, but not practicing yet
Los Angeles Kings
Jarret Stoll, C (upper body) – Has missed four straight; no return date identified
Slava Voynov, D (suspension) – Trial delayed until April
Tanner Pearson, LW (leg) – Skating with the team, but still out long-term
New York Rangers
Kevin Klein, D (upper body) – Out another week or two
Henrik Lundqvist, G (neck) – Could be back as soon as next week
Martin St. Louis, RW (lower body) – Out about another week
St. Louis Blues
Kevin Shattenkirk, D (abdominal surgery) – Close to returning to full practice
Carl Gunnarsson, D (upper body) – Game-time call Tuesday
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clot) – Won't return this season
Christian Ehrhoff, D (undisclosed) – Has some sort of "nagging ailment" that kept him out Saturday
Evgeni Malkin, C (lower body) – A bit less than 50/50 for Tuesday's game
Patric Hornqvist, RW (undisclosed) – Highly unlikely for Tuesday
Anaheim Ducks
Korbinian Holzer, D (concussion) – Lingering in the day-to-day category for a couple weeks now
Tim Jackman, RW (lower body) – Expected to start skating on his own soon
Columbus Blue Jackets
Brandon Dubinsky, C (upper body) – Won't play Tuesday
Jack Skille, RW (shoulder) – Had season-ending surgery
David Clarkson, RW (oblique) – Out another 1-3 weeks
Matt Calvert, LW (concussion) – No timetable following setback in recovery
Ryan Murray, D (lower body) – Won't go Tuesday
Alexander Wennberg, C (hand) – Rejoining team, but may not go Tuesday
Arizona Coyotes
Mikkel Boedker, LW (spleen) – Out for the year
Martin Hanzal, C (back) – Out for the season
Detroit Red Wings
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Skating, but still not back at practice
Jonas Gustavsson, G (concussion) – Skating a bit, but still symptomatic
Pavel Datsyuk, C (lower body) – Sounds unlikely for Tuesday
Florida Panthers
Nick Bjugstad, C (lower body) – Doubtful for Tuesday
Al Montoya, G (groin) – No timeline for return
Tampa Bay Lightning
Cedric Paquette, C (upper body) – Taking contact in practice now; back soon
Braydon Coburn, D (lower body) – At best, end-of-season return on tap
Montreal Canadiens
Tom Gilbert, D (face) – Not traveling for Tuesday's game
Torrey Mitchell, C (arm) – Cold play Tuesday
Brian Flynn, C (upper body) – Skating before practice
Nashville Predators
Colin Wilson, LW (lower body) – Practiced Monday; looks good for Tuesday
Eric Nystrom, LW (lower body) – Out into early April
James Neal, RW (upper body) – Didn't practice Monday; Tuesday in question
Winnipeg Jets
Dustin Byfuglien, D (upper body) – Not expected to play Tuesday
Mathieu Perreault, C (lower body) – Could be finished for the season
Paul Postma, D (undisclosed) – Out for "a number of weeks"
Bryan Little, C (upper body) – Didn't play Monday, not playing Tuesday
Ben Chiarot, D (hand) – Out another couple weeks yet
Vancouver Canucks
Brad Richardson, C (ankle) – Sat out over weekend; seems unlikely for Tuesday
Zack Kassian, RW (back) – Didn't play over weekend; could return Tuesday
Ryan Miller, G (knee) – Skating without gear
Hot
Kari Lehtonen, G, DAL – Inconsistent and unreliable all year long, Lehtonen hasn't exactly been exactly a safe proposition in goal. But he's won six of his last seven decisions now, and the Finn's given up just a single goal on 65 shots over the last two games. And hey, if he can keep it going, Lehtonen could nudge his save percentage into the mid-.910s (the .9-teens?), which would be more in line with his career norms. Unfortunately, he's not rounding into form soon enough, as it looks like the Stars will have a tough road to make the playoffs.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, ARI – On Sunday, OEL became the first defenseman this season to hit the 20-goal mark, and really only Erik Karlsson has more than an outside chance to join him in that club this year. The 23-year-old Swede has tallied thrice on 18 shots over the last three games, with a plus-2 rating and two PIM to boot. His team context still depresses his value – even with 20 goals, he's not the top defenseman by a long shot – but Ekman-Larsson's fantasy utility is undeniable in all formats.
Cold
Joffrey Lupul, LW, TOR – Maybe we should fit Lupul into the "Hot" column, because hey, he's got a one-game point streak going after picking up an assist Monday! Oh, but yeah, he was on a 17-game scoresheet drought before that, having failed to record a point since Feb. 3 'til the miraculous slump-busting helper. Oh, and he went minus-8 over the course of that stretch – not that being on an imploding Leafs team helps at all.
Patrick Marleau, LW, SJ – Like Lupul, Marleau ended a lengthy stretch of futility with an assist Monday evening, putting a stop to a seven-game scoreless slump. It's been a season of decline for Marleau in general, as he's about a million (okay, 18) goals short of last year's 33 and is rocking the worst shooting percentage of his entire career , not to mention his terrible minus-18 rating, just one tick off his low-water mark. It's been a long career, but it looks like there's less and less left in the tank as the days go by.
Recommended Pickup
Victor Rask, C, CAR – The 42nd overall pick in 2011, Rask has had a sub-mediocre year on its face – 28 points in 69 games – but that obscures what he's been doing of late. The 22-year-old Swede has racked up eight points in his last eight games (although only two of those have come in the last five), and he's seeing serious ice time as the Hurricanes' No. 1 center. There are definitely worse guys to have on your wing than Eric Staal and Elias Lindholm, and Rask's taking full advantage. You should too, as he's widely available.
