Top Line: Martin St. Louis trade rumor; Stamkos not ready to play; more links
The Rangers could soon be trading captain Ryan Callahan (24) to the Lightning. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• Noted NHL rumormonger Boomer Esiason says he's hearing that the Rangers will trade Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis sometime in the next week. Believe it or not, the former NFL QB has actually been on the money with his hockey tips a couple of times in the past.
• Andrew Gross writes that letting Callahan get away is something that New York could live with, but that trading Dan Girardi would be a mistake.
• How close was Steven Stamkos to playing for Team Canada? Not very. Doctors still haven't cleared him, and it looks like it could be awhile yet before he makes his NHL return. That's a tough break for Stamkos, but at least he was able to share in a little post-Sochi joy yesterday.
• The Red Wings' road to the playoffs is riddled with sinkholes now that back surgery has sidelined Henrik Zetterberg for the rest of the regular season. Look for Detroit to put Hank on long-term IR to free up some cap space in hopes of making a deadline acquisition or two.
• Sportsnet has assembled a comprehensive trade deadline primer. Just click on your favorite team for their needs and the list of available free agents.
• TSN's Mike Johnson does what every other hockey-lovin' Canuck did yesterday: project a roster for Team Canada in 2018. Couple of iffy choices there, but four years ago, who would have believed that Marc-Edouard Vlasic would be an Olympian?
• It didn't take long for some Internet scamp to imagine Canada going postal on Sweden. Hope you're watching, Canada Post.
• Rory Boylen lists his top-10 performances from Sochi.
• Don't bother searching for a silver medal on eBay.
• Will the NHL enjoy a post-Olympic ratings bump?
• The next episode of NHL Revealed: A Season Like No Other will focus on what could be the defining moment of the Sochi Olympics: the John Tavares injury.
• A little-known 2012 study suggests that teams that sent several players to Sochi could see a decline in scoring down the stretch run.
• Would the Oilers be willing to move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Taylor Hallin a deal to acquire Shea Weber? The Team Canada defenseman would be worth the cost, writes Jim Matheson.
• The Canucks are facing a big hole at center if an MRI reveals that Ryan Kesler's hand is broken. He injured it in Sochi blocking an Ilya Kovalchuk shot during Team USA's victory over Russia.
• The five-game, continent-spanning road trip that the Hurricanes will embark on this week could determine their playoff fate, according to Luke DeCock.
• Zdeno Chara didn't earn a medal in Sochi, but he brought back something nearly as good.
• Some time away from hockey was exactly what Stars forward Alex Chiasson needed to be at his best for the stretch run. Those weight numbers are shocking.
• Dallas goalie coach Mike Valley has co-authored a book aimed at improving the mental approach of elite netminders.
Milan Hejduk
announcing his retirement on Monday.
Avalanche