Top Line: NHL trade deadline rumors; Sochi security concerns; more links

Author:
amuir29
Publish date:
Jan 17, 2014

Evgeni Malkin has assured Sidney Crosby that all will be well in Sochi despite the specter of terrorism. (AP)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• The NHL's trade deadline arrives just 10 days after the Olympic flame will be extinguished in Sochi, and TSN's panel has some thoughts on some of the prime targets contending teams could be pursuing.

• Evgeni Malkin has reassured Sidney Crosby that everything will be all right in Sochi. Security concerns aren't scaring athletes away from the Winter Games, but terrorism is more than a back-of-the-mind issue for many players, Malkin's confidence notwithstanding.

• Do you know which former Ducks benchwarmer is the all-time Olympic leader in goals-against average? Read all about that and nine other unlikely stats here.

• Vladimir Tarasenko of the Blues talks about following in his father's Olympic footsteps, as well as adapting to North America and his ultimate goal in this piece by Louie Korac.

• Here's why moving to the wing won't be a problem for Team Canada's John Tavares.

• Make that eight losses in nine games for the Canucks. Going 0-for-7 on the power play in a 1-0 loss is bad enough, but blowing a four-minute advantage to end the game? Brutal. How long until GM Mike Gillis does something, anything, to shake up his underachieving group of forwards?

• So that's what they call a "Martin Hanzal hat trick!"

• A dark horse candidate is emerging in the race for the Calder Trophy.

• Martin Brodeur could do this ... but he doesn't want to.

• Meanwhile, Patrick Roy says he couldn't do what Brodeur has done.

• Here is what Paul Maurice brings to the Jets ... and it's something they sorely need.

• Mike Heika offers an introductory course on the collected works of Kurt Vonnegut while breaking down the intricacies of yet another Stars loss.

• Former NHL referee Paul Stewart tells about the time he called two penalty shots in a game ... during the same play.

• The Flyers have demonstrated some amazing resiliency of late, coming back seven times from a third-period deficit to win during the past five weeks. But the fact that they find themselves always needing late heroics is a troubling trend.

• Adam Oates is looking to even out the highs and lows of the Capitals' season.

• This Carey Price kid might turn out to be all right.

• You will never grow tired of watching this stop by the Predators' Carter Hutton: