Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips – January 26, 2012

FLYERS Headlines

1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Giroux will feel right at home in All-Star Game 2. Philadelphia Daily News- Read's travels are taking him to All-Star skills event 3. CSNPhilly.com- Ranking the NHL's GM/coach combos 4. CSNPhilly.com- Checking in with the Flyers at All-Star break 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers loan three forwards to Phantoms 6. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' season only gets harder from here 7. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' fathers prove to be good luck charms 8. Delaware County Times - Shootout losses show practice would be perfect for Flyers 9. Bucks County Courier Times - Break comes at good time for ailing Philadelphia Phantoms Headlines

1. Glens Falls Post-Star - Leighton named Eastern Conference starter 2. Glens Falls Post-Star - Phantoms get all-star weekend bounty from Flyers 3. Glen Falls Post-Star - Phantoms flop in loss to Manchester

NHL Headlines

1. ESPN.com - Leafs' John-Michael Liles signs deal 2. ESPN.com - James Neal replaces Alex Ovechkin 3. ESPN.com - Stars activate Jamie Benn from IR 4. NHL.com - All-Star collection of talent set for selection in 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft 5. NHL.com - Hagelin, Diaz in for Devils' duo Henrique, Larsson 6. NHL.com - Pominville excited to spend time among All-Stars 7. NHL.com - Roenick: All-Star Game will be great, but needs Ovi 8. TSN.ca - Sharks place goaltender Niittymaki on waivers 9. TSN.ca - Cullen: Comparing power play ice time to last season 10. TSN.ca - Babcock: Lidstrom has earned right to skip All-Star game 11. TSN.ca - Plenty of new faces on display during NHL All-Star weekend 12. TSN.ca - NHL on TSN quiz: Is Ovechkin skipping the All-Star game okay? FLYERS Articles

1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Giroux will feel right at home in All-Star Game

Sam Carchidi

When Raymond Giroux thinks about where his son Claude has put himself - second in the NHL scoring race with 55 points, and headed to his second consecutive All-Star Game - he shakes his head in wonderment. When Claude Giroux was in his early teens, long before the Flyers selected him with the 22d overall pick in the 2006 draft, scouts already had him pegged.

"We never expected him to be in the NHL at first," Raymond Giroux, an electrician, said from the team's Voorhees training facility the other day, before leaving for Florida as part of the Flyers' fathers-sons trip. "According to lots of people, he was too small to be in the NHL. They put that in your head . . . and you have to forget about that and focus on one thing." The scouts, of course, changed their opinion of the 5-foot-11, 172-pound Giroux, whose relentless style, creativity, and all-around talent have helped him become one of the league's most respected players. Raymond Giroux said his son, now 24, was never obsessed with being a high draft pick. "He wasn't thinking really about going higher and higher," he said. "He just loved the sport and continued to play and to work hard. It was fun for him to do." The All-Star Game will be extra special for the entire Giroux family. It will be in Ottawa, near where Claude and his family moved when the future star was 14. His family still lives about 20 miles from Scotiabank Place. Hence, Giroux will have a slew of supporters at Sunday's 4 p.m. game. "I went to high school there, so I have a lot of friends there, and I think it's going to be a pretty cool weekend," said Giroux, who says he developed a lot of his moves playing street hockey with his buddies in Hearst, Ontario. The Flyers' Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell also will play in the All-Star Game, and the teams will be chosen in a draft Thursday night. (Flyers rookies Sean Couturier and Matt Read will take part in the skills competition.) In last year's All-Star Game, Giroux had a goal and an assist while Flyers teammate Danny Briere, who was then his housemate, had a pair of goals. They played on different sides. "We had a little competition going," said Giroux, who played on Team Staal, an 11-10 loser to Team Lidstrom. "It was all for fun, but at the end of the day, I kind of wanted more points than him, and he wanted more than me. Everybody's competitive out there." Giroux said that he would be "a little more comfortable" than last year and that being around the game's best players gives you a chance to see "how they act around the rink and their attitudes. Hopefully, I can learn from that." As for the game itself, Giroux said it won't matter who is on his line, and joked he would rather play against his usual linemate, Hartnell, and get some hits on him. He acknowledged that Detroit's veteran center, Pavel Datsyuk, "would be pretty good to play with. I grew up watching him a little bit. . . . I like the way he plays the game and I try to play my game a little bit like him."

This is the second year the captains, with some help from their assistants, will draft the team. This year's captains are Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson, assisted by the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, and Boston's Zdeno Chara, assisted by Toronto's Joffrey Lupul, a former Flyer. "I think the fans liked it last year. I kind of liked it," said Giroux, who figures to be the first Flyer drafted. "I don't know if there were any guys that didn't like it except for Phil Kessel." Kessel was drafted last, and was given a car for the "feat." Giroux is expected to be selected much higher than last year, when he was drafted in the 13th of the 18 rounds - the 25th player out of 36. He doesn't care where he is drafted Thursday, but doesn't want to go last. "I'll leave the car for Hartnell," he deadpanned. Note. The Flyers loaned forwards Tom Sestito, Harry Zolnierczyk, and Ben Holmstrom to the Phantoms of the AHL. Getting Better? All-star center Claude Giroux recently snapped out of a slump by totaling five assists over two games and moving to No. 2 in the NHL scoring race with 55 points. Here are his statistics before and after he suffered a concussion that caused him to miss four games from Dec. 13 to 19: Pre-concussion Games: 28 Goals: 16 Assists: 23 Points: 39 Plus/minus: plus-7 Post-concussion Games: 16

Goals: 2 Assists: 14 Points: 16 Plus/minus: minus-7 2. Philadelphia Daily News- Read's travels are taking him to All-Star skills event

Frank Seravalli

ON TUESDAY, Flyers forward Matt Read finally got a chance to catch up by phone with his college hockey coach, Bemidji State University's Tom Serratore. It was the first time they had spoken in "a while." Sitting in his hotel room in South Florida, Read was reminded by Serratore where he's been and where he is going this weekend. Eight months ago, Read was playing for Serratore in Bemidji, Minn. He was an ice hockey candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. This weekend, Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara will be debating about which drills to use him in for Saturday's All-Star SuperSkills Competition, as one of 12 rookies selected to represent their teams in Ottawa. Teammate Sean Couturier will join him in the festivities. "It goes through my mind quite a bit, actually," Read said. "Like, 'God, you're playing in the NHL.' I was just playing my senior season and I had no idea what would happen." Even today, it's all a little hard to believe. Read, 25, was pursued heavily by the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets following his junior season. The Wild wasn't thrilled with his age, since few would still consider him a prospect. He decided to return for a senior season. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, the hockey equivalent of the Heisman. The Flyers - with one of the league's toughest lineups to crack - lured him away with a 3-year, $2.7 million deal that would pay him the same no matter what level he played. Now, as if making the Flyers out of training camp wasn't a small enough miracle, Read leads all rookies in goals (15) and is third in points (31). He has more points than Danny Briere, James van Riemsdyk and Jakub Voracek at the NHL's unofficial midway point. Yet, Read still doesn't feel as if he belongs in even Saturday night's competition.

"It's the best guys in the NHL," Read said. "I feel like I would have no chance. I think my best thing would maybe be accurate shot, but I really have no clue." For Read, that's been the story of most of his life. Read moved from town to town as a child, since his father, Lorne, is in the Canadian military. Officially, Read lists Ilderton, Ontario, a suburb of London, as his hometown. It's a small town nestled 2 hours northeast of Detroit and 2 hours southwest of Toronto. But Ilderton pops up only because that's where he went to high school. Read was born in Calgary and lived there until he was 4. He spent the next 6 years in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia - which is on Vancouver Island due west of Seattle - and got hooked on hockey there. He lived in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the next 4 years, during middle school until eighth grade. And that's when he finally landed in Ilderton, just until he went to play junior hockey on his own in Des Moines, Iowa, before attending Bemidji State. Read's parents, Lorne and Nancy, have since moved to frigid Whitehorse, Yukon, which is 700 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska. It took Read a few seconds to think about all of his stops along the way. "I think moving around gave me some character," Read said. "It's a personality trait. Every year, you'd have a new team and a new bunch of guys. I think it always helped me, going to a new spot, to make a team and start from scratch. That's kind of like me, this summer, I started from scratch and I got to try out [with the Flyers]. You've got to make the best of those opportunities." Read said family and friends will join him in Ottawa, though he had not yet begun to stress about performing at ScotiaBank Place with the entire hockey world - and all those former teammates and coaches - watching live on television. Maybe, Read said, he would make new friends among his fellow All-Stars. "Hopefully, I'll get to meet some of the guys and get to know them outside of hockey," Read said. "It will be interesting to get to pick their brains a little bit and see how they see hockey differently. I guess I'm a quiet guy, because I never had the same friends growing up. But I like being a listener, I guess, trying to learn as much as I can about people. Hopefully, I can make the best out of everything." Slap shots So much for a break: Harry Zolnierczyk, Ben Holmstrom and Tom Sestito were all reassigned to AHL Adirondack yesterday. All three skated against Manchester last night for the Phantoms. They also are available for both games this weekend against Albany and Bridgeport . . . For the rest of the Flyers' players, practice resumes at 4 p.m. Monday .

. . Willie O'Ree, the first player to break hockey's color barrier in 1958, spoke at Camden's Davis Elementary School yesterday afternoon before visiting the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation at the Flyers' Skate Zone in Pennsauken. 3. CSNPhilly.com- Ranking the NHL's GM/coach combos

John Boruk

The two most important off-ice positions of any NHL franchise are the general manager and the head coach. GM’s will be busy right up to the trade deadline and coaches will be feeling the pressure as the postseason draws closer. Which pair would you want leading your franchise? I rank the 30 NHL GM/coach combinations in the league: 1. Detroit Red Wings (Ken Holland/Mike Babcock) – The Gold Standard. The Wings haven’t missed the playoffs since Holland took over in 1997. Three Stanley Cups. Holland continues to find hidden gems in the draft. Babcock has made three trips to the Finals since 2003, winning his first and only Cup in 2008. Biggest question mark moving forward: Finding a captain and a No. 1 defenseman once Niklas Lidstrom retires. 2. Boston Bruins (Peter Chiarelli/Claude Julien) – Nothing flashy about either guy, but they have simply produced results. They have built their franchise around the NHL’s best defenseman, Zdeno Chara, and stuck with an unconventional Tim Thomas, who has won the Vezina Trophy in two of the past three seasons. They received good return in the Phil Kessel trade. Julien has done a fantastic job of tailoring a system around his personnel and the B’s have averaged 100 points over Julien’s first four seasons in Boston. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will they have enough gas in the tank to win back-to-back Stanley Cups? 3. Pittsburgh Penguins (Ray Shero/Dan Bylsma) – Inheriting Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin can make any GM look good, but Shero has done a solid job of adding complimentary pieces. he turning point came on Feb. 15, 2009 when Shero fired Michel Terrien with the team five points out of the playoff chase and replaced him with Bylsma, who led the Pens to the Stanley Cup four months later. Last season, Bylsma earned the Jack Adams award as coach of the year. After losing Crosby with a concussion the Penguins tied for the second most points in the Eastern Conference. Biggest question mark moving forward: The health of Sidney Crosby and his contract that expires next season.

4. Philadelphia Flyers (Paul Holmgren/Peter Laviolette) – Holmgren may be the most aggressive and active GM in the league, and it continued with the makeover in 2011 after trading Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Impressively, there hasn’t been a drop-off in production. Holmgren has set up the franchise down the future with Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn and 23-year-old Hart Trophy candidate Claude Giroux. Laviolette has improved every team he has coached, including winning a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can the Flyers live with the nine-year, $51-million contract they gave Ilya Bryzgalov? 5. Vancouver Canucks (Mike Gillis/Alain Vigneault) – Gillis took over in 2008 and immediately changed the direction by parting ways with long-time captain Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison. He was named GM of the year in 2011 following the Canucks' President Trophy-winning season. He re-signed the Sedins just hours prior to free agency in 2009. Vigneault has been a finalist for the Jack Adams award three times, winning the award in 2007. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will last year’s Cup loss to the Bruins have a psychological impact on goalie Roberto Luongo, who is signed through 2022? 6. San Jose Sharks (Doug Wilson/Todd McLellan) – Since 2003-04, Wilson’s Sharks have been the best regular season team in the NHL. The playoffs are another story. San Jose just can’t make it past the Conference Finals. Wilson has done an outstanding job of drafting good, young forwards. He made a major move in dealing away Dany Heatley. Todd McLellan is an extension of the Babcock coaching tree and has won roughly 70 percent of his games since taking over in 2008. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can Joe Thornton lead this team to a Stanley Cup Championship as the face of the franchise? 7. Nashville Predators (David Poile/Barry Trotz) – Every year it seems that one of these two guys is a finalist for a postseason award. They’ve been together since the franchise’s inception back in 1998. The Preds have made the playoffs in six of the previous seven seasons on a shoestring budget. Poile has had a knack of finding discarded talent and late-round draft gems, like Patric Hornqvist. Trotz has done a superb job of maximizing the potential from his players over the years. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will they be able to afford defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter? 8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Brian Burke/Ron Wilson) – Burke, like Holmgren, is very aggressive. He drafted the Sedins and Ryan Kesler in Vancouver, traded for Chris Pronger in Anaheim and won the Cup. He has an impressive track record, but a Toronto Maple Leafs resurrection may be his most challenging. He paid handsomely for Phil Kessel, who is finally putting up superstar numbers. His blue-line moves have been

questionable. Wilson could never get the Sharks over the hump and in his first three seasons in Toronto, he has yet to make the Leafs into an Eastern Conference contender. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can the Leafs land a No. 1 center they’ve desperately needed since the departure of Mats Sundin? 9. Chicago Blackhawks (Stan Bowman/Joel Quenneville) – While Bowman wasn’t the architect of the Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, he has dug the organization out of salary cap purgatory following the team’s championship by dealing away guys like Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien, while solidifying the team’s long-term outlook as the core of the team is all locked up through 2016. Quenneville may be one of the league’s more underrated coaches. Quenneville and Ron Wilson are the only two active coaches with 600 wins. Biggest question mark moving forward: The Hawks won a Stanley Cup with an unknown in Antii Niemi. Can they do it again with Corey Crawford? 10. Washington Capitals (George McPhee/Dale Hunter) – Surprisingly, McPhee is the second-longest tenured GM behind New Jersey’s Lou Lamoriello. He has constructed the team around an explosive offense led by Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and offensive-minded defenseman Mike Green. The Caps have finished with the best record in the East the past two seasons, but have flopped in the playoffs, failing to advance past the Conference Semifinals. Hunter started slowly, but his biggest challenge will be reinvigorating Ovechkin, who has seen his production go south after three straight 50-goal seasons. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will the addition of Tomas Vokoun and an improved blue line be enough to go deep into the playoffs? 11. New Jersey Devils (Lou Lamoriello/Pete DeBoer) – If I had to compose this list two years ago, the Devils unquestionably would be top-10, perhaps top-five. Until last season, the Devils had made the postseason every year since 1995, a remarkable run of success. Then again, Martin Brodeur can make any GM look brilliant. Still, you can’t overlook how Hall-of-Famer Lamoriello has constructed his teams over the years. However, you can dispute the 15-year contract the franchise gave Ilya Kovalchuk and the salary cap stranglehold that saw the Devils dress just three lines for one game this season. The organization needs stability behind the bench. We’ll see if DeBoer can provide it. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will Lamoriello lock up winger Zach Parise long term? 12. New York Rangers (Glen Sather/John Tortorella) – Finally, after 10 years, Sather has this Rangers team looking like a serious contender in the Eastern conference. His drafts have gradually gotten better. He’s made horrendous free-agent decisions in the past. Signing Wade Redden to a six-year contract comes to mind. Now, the Blueshirts have a solid defensive corps with Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Michael Del Zotto. I wasn’t sure

about the Marian Gaborik signing (five years, $37.5 million), but he has stepped up and Brad Richards is the No. 1 center the Rangers have needed. Tortorella has turned around the team’s approach and work ethic. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can the Rangers maintain their current pace over an 82-game season and into the playoffs? 13. St. Louis Blues (Doug Armstrong/Ken Hitchcock) – Armstrong is one of the more respected GMs in the league after spending the majority of his career in Dallas. He came to St. Louis and his first move was solidifying the net with the acquisition of Jaroslav Halak. He’s also added former captains Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott to give the Blues some much-needed veteran presence. The hiring of Hitchcock was a shot in the arm the team desperately needed. The Former Flyers coach has propelled the Blues into one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but will it last? Biggest question mark moving forward: Can their youth take the necessary leap to contend with the other top teams in the West? 14. Phoenix Coyotes (Dave Maloney/Dave Tippett) – Somehow through bankruptcy, NHL ownership takeover and constant relocation rumors, the product on the ice has seen its value rise. Give credit to Maloney, who continues to find bargains and league-wide castoffs, including goalie Mike Smith this season. He also hired Tippett, who has implemented a defensive-minded system, propelling Phoenix to back-to-back playoff seasons and was the Jack Adams winner in 2010. The organization has a great captain in Shane Doan. Biggest question mark moving forward: Quite simply, the future of the franchise. Will they have steady ownership willing to spend money and will it include a move to Canada? 15. Florida Panthers (Dale Tallon/Kevin Dineen) – Considering their inability to reach the postseason, you may think this ranking is considerably high, but Tallon was responsible for assembling the current Chicago Blackhawks and he made a statement when he signed 10 players during the first two days of free agency. Versteeg has been a nice fit. Tallon has also stockpiled youth with 23 picks in his first two drafts. A 19-year NHL vet, Dineen has earned the respect of his players at the AHL level and in his first season in Florida, where he’s created a more easy-going atmosphere. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can they finally break a 10-year playoff drought, the longest for any NHL team in one city? 16. Buffalo Sabres (Darcy Reiger/Lindy Ruff) – The longest-tenured GM/coach combo in the league. The two have been together since 1997. In their second year, the Sabres advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Dallas Stars in six games. Remarkably, Buffalo compiled a 105-46-13 record from 2005-07, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years. Despite losing Danny Briere, Brian Campbell and Chris

Drury to free agency, the organization has remained competitive. However, they overpaid dearly for former Flyer Ville Leino (six years, $27 million). Biggest question mark moving forward: If the Sabres continue their losing ways, will Reiger or Ruff survive despite their long-term stability? 17. Dallas Stars (Joe Nieuwendyk/Glen Gulutzan) – I like the direction Joe Nieuwendyk has the Stars' franchise headed now that the ownership situation has been settled. Under Nieuwendyk, Dallas has transitioned from the Mike Modano-Marty Turco era to a gritty, scrappy team under first-year coach Gulutzan. They just re-signed defenseman Alex Goligoski, acquired in the trade for James Neal, to a four-year extension. Can Kari Lehtonen be the answer in net after an injury-plagued career in Atlanta? Not so sure. Biggest question mark moving forward: Now with new ownership in place and cap space, will management be allowed to make aggressive moves going forward? 18. Tampa Bay Lightning (Steve Yzerman/Guy Boucher) – Coming off a year when the Bolts advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, much was expected in Year Two of the Yzerman regime and the Lightning have taken a major step back. I believe the decision to reward Dwayne Roloson with one more year instead of pursuing a free-agent goaltender crippled Tampa this season. They rank last in defense and surprisingly with all of their front-line firepower, the Lightning’s power play ranks in the bottom five. Don’t be surprised if a coaching change takes place prior to next season. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can Yzerman shed salary prior to next season, where they have just 14 players already locked up at $45 million? 19. Los Angeles Kings (Dean Lombardi/Darryl Sutter) – The Kings were a preseason favorite to win the West after acquiring Richards from Philadelphia and signing free agent Simon Gagne. You look at it on paper and wonder how can this team not win? Depth at the forward position, a solid group on defense and one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. Yet, for some reason they can’t score, ranking dead last in offense. Lombardi replaced a laid-back Terry Murray with an intense, feisty Darryl Sutter in mid-season and the Kings have responded. Biggest question mark moving forward: Can the young core of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Richards develop the chemistry needed to win at least one playoff round? 20. Ottawa Senators (Bryan Murray/Paul MacLean) – This is Murray’s fourth different team where he has served as general manager, taking over the team after Ottawa’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007. Since then, the Sens have either lost in the first round or have failed to make the playoffs altogether. Sergei Gonchar hasn’t been much of a difference maker since signing in 2010. Murray has had a quick trigger when it comes to coaching changes and MacLean is the fourth different coach under Murray. MacLean, an assistant under Babcock in Detroit, has helped revive Jason Spezza’s career.

Biggest question mark moving: Will they make a move to secure a No. 1 goaltender and will it include trading captain Daniel Alfredsson? 21. Colorado Avalanche (Greg Sherman/Joe Sacco) – Like the Oilers, there’s a lot to like about this Colorado franchise with some very good and very young talent: 19-year-old Gabriel Landeskog, 20-year-old Ryan O’Reilly and 21-year-old Matt Duchene. In his first year at the helm, the Scranton-born Sherman saw the Avs enjoy the second-best turnaround in the league, only to take two steps back the following season. Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been fantastic in net. Head coach Sacco was a Jack Adams finalist in his first year, but a change could be made if Colorado misses the playoffs again. Biggest question mark moving forward: Is it time for a total youth movement, which would include dealing Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk at the deadline? 22. Calgary Flames (Jay Feaster/Brent Sutter) – Feaster served as GM of a Lightning team that defeated the Flames to win the Stanley Cup in 2004. Now, he resides in Calgary to improve a team that has finished in the mid-90 point range over the past five years, missing the playoffs the past two seasons. Their long-term contracts are locked up in guys who haven’t been difference makers, most notably Alex Tanguay and Jay Bouwmeester. Sutter very easily could be on the hot seat if Calgary misses the postseason once again. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will Feaster trade the greatest player in franchise history, Jarome Iginla, looking ahead to 2013 and beyond? 23. Anaheim Ducks (Bob Murray/Bruce Boudreau) – Murray took over in November of 2008 after Brian Burke parted for Toronto. He traded Pronger to the Flyers the following summer and received the equivalent of four first-round draft picks. He’s been trying to restock his defense since that trade and the retirement of Scott Niedermayer. After a horrible start, Murray fired Randy Carlysle and replaced him with Boudreau, who’s finally making an impact. If they can’t keep their red-hot pace, Anaheim will fail to reach the playoffs for the second time in past three seasons, unacceptable for this talented team. Biggest question mark moving forward: Talented Ryan Getzlaf has been highly criticized for his leadership this season. Should he keep the “C” after this season? 24. Carolina Hurricanes (Jim Rutherford/Kirk Muller) – Since winning the Stanley Cup in the year coming out of the lockout, the Hurricanes have failed to make the postseason in four of the previous five seasons. Rutherford has drafted some good, young talent and has a franchise goaltender in Cam Ward, but their defense is wretched and the GM has done little to solidify that area of weakness. Until they strengthen that area, Ward will continue to see a ton of shots every season. Muller is struggling in his first season as head coach after he was praised as an assistant during his time in Montreal.

Biggest question mark moving forward: How many of his impending UFA defensemen will Rutherford trade before the deadline and what can he get in return? 25. Minnesota Wild (Chuck Fletcher/Mike Yeo) – If the Wild can’t maintain their current hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, then they will miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. They have wilted since Dec. 10 when they surprisingly held the best record in the league. Fletcher has done very little to turn around a stagnant franchise, despite playing in a passionate fan base. He pulled the trigger on a big trade, landing Dany Heatley, but he doesn’t provide the leadership this team desperately needs. Yeo coached the Wild’s AHL affiliate and given some more firepower he could succeed. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will ownership stick with Fletcher if the Wild fail to reach the playoffs for a fourth straight season? 26. Winnipeg Jets (Kevin Cheveldayoff/Claude Noel) – Considering Cheveldayoff has been on the job since June of 2011, there’s not much of a track record here. Right now, the former Atlanta Thrashers are still in the honeymoon phase in Winnipeg. Evander Kane, the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft, is a star on the rise. The Jets have a good captain in former Hurricane Andrew Ladd, but the sample size is too small to make a true evaluation on either guy. Fifty games into the 2011-12 season, they’re still a .500 team, where they roughly finished in their final year in Atlanta. Biggest question mark moving forward: The Jets are desperately hurting for manpower down the middle. How will they beef up the center position? 27. Edmonton Oilers (Steve Tambellini/Tom Renney) – After back-to-back 62-point nightmarish seasons, it appeared this could have been the turnaround year for the Oilers after a 9-3-2 start, but they have been in a tailspin since. Still, they have stockpiled a lot of good, young talent behind 18-year-old Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 20-year-old Taylor Hall and 21-year-old Jordan Eberle. Despite the presence of Ryan Smyth, the Oilers simply don’t have the right mix of youth and veteran leadership. I don’t believe Tom Renney is the coach to energize and provide emotion for one of the youngest teams in the league. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will the team be able to part with Shawn Horcoff and infuse some veteran presence they’ve been missing since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals? 28. New York Islanders (Garth Snow/Jack Capuano) – Snow’s tenure on the Island will always be defined for giving Rick DiPietro, who has endured a myriad of injuries, that inexplicable 15-year contract (signed through 2022). He has compiled some talent through the draft. Their top line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner can strike at any time. I like the work ethic Capuano has instilled in his players. If Evgeni Nabokov can stay healthy, the Islanders should finish in the top-10 of the Eastern Conference and perhaps challenge for the final playoff spot.

Biggest question mark moving forward: How will they rebuild their defense with five UFA defensemen and two UFA goalies? 29. Montreal Canadiens (Pierre Gauthier/Randy Cunneyworth) – Gauthier has done very little to turn around a once-proud franchise. He traded defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to Carolina for Tomas Kaberle, taking on more money and years for an aging blueliner. He apologized to fans for hiring coach Randy Cunneyworth, who has been criticized heavily for not speaking French in the French-speaking Quebec province. Outside of goaltender Carey Price and perhaps P.K. Subban, there are very few building blocks within the Canadiens' organization. Biggest question mark moving forward: How will they rid themselves of big contracts, especially Scott Gomez and his $7 million cap hit? 30. Columbus Blue Jackets (Scott Howson/Todd Richards) – Simply put, the Blue Jackets have the worst points percentage of any active NHL team over their first nine seasons in the league, and Howson has done little to change that. He acquired Carter in a blockbuster deal with the Flyers, but already Carter has expressed dissension playing in Columbus. The Jackets have made the playoffs only once in their 11-year history. They rewarded R.J. Umberger with a surprising five-year, $23 million extension and overpaid for defenseman James Wisniewski. Head coach Richards replaced Scott Arniel in early January. Biggest question mark moving forward: Will they trade Rick Nash, the franchise cornerstone, for future assets? 4. CSNPhilly.com- Checking in with the Flyers at All-Star break

Tim Panaccio

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Peter Laviolette was actually smiling. You can DVR it if you don’t believe it. The Flyers had actually won a shootout against the Florida Panthers to head into the All-Star break just three points behind the No. 1-seeded New York Rangers with a lineup that included eight rookies and was minus Chris Pronger, Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr, James van Riemsdyk and Zac Rinaldo. That’s not too shabby given where this team was projected to be at season’s start with a completely revised roster and so many questions about team chemistry. “I’ve said it from the start, I think we have had a good start,” Laviolette said. “We’ve gotten a lot of contributions from a lot of young players, players who have been here on pace for career years.

“There’s always things you can be better in. There’s been a lot of positives. I hope we continue to work and get better and put on a good second-half push and take the All-Star break a different direction than we did last year. “I felt last year, we got by and got through. I’d really like to see us get better in this last half.” The Flyers have 63 points after 48 games. Last year, they had 67 but fell apart down the stretch, losing (regulation and overtime) 13 of their final 20 games. Still, they finished as the second seed in the East with 106 points. Right now, they could finish with 107 and still not be the top seed given how fiercely competitive things are between themselves, the Rangers, Bruins, Penguins, Senators and, surprisingly, Panthers. “It’s been great,” Scott Hartnell said. “There’s a lot of excitement in this dressing room with the young guys. The veteran guys are stepping up. It’s a good combination. “We’re getting points, we’re finding ways to win, we’re right at the top of our standings three or four points behind the Rangers. It’s a good spot to be in.” The competitive balance in the East is more level this season than last. Winning the top seed is going to be very difficult. “I would say on a scale of one to 10, I would give us nine points,” said Kimmo Timonen, the veteran defensive voice of the club in Pronger’s absence (Pronger is battling post-concussion syndrome). “Coming into the season, we had a lot of big changes. A lot of new faces and young players. I thought it would take a little more time for everyone to get used to each other. The new system, get everybody on the same page. “It surprises me, too, how well we’ve been in adjusting to everybody and changes. These young guys coming in have played pretty well.” Where would this team be without these rookies? Think about this. Marc-Andre Bourdon has been very good, learning on the job as Pronger’s replacement, playing alongside Matt Carle. General manager Paul Holmgren admits the organization had all but given up on Bourdon as a serious NHL prospect until they recalled him and were bowled over at how easily he fit. No one knew if Sean Couturier would be NHL-ready at age 18 when he arrived. Or that 25-year-old rookie Matt Read would be a legit Calder Trophy candidate.

Both players are among the rookie leaders in a long list of categories, including goal scoring, overall scoring and plus/minus. The past two games have seen eight rookies in the lineup while the Flyers came away with three of four points against good clubs. “Look at how many rookies in the lineup, especially now with missing guys,” Timonen said. “I know how hard it is to play 82 games. And expect to play well every night. As a rookie, sometimes you get so many things going on and so many games … but these young guys have matured. They’re not like rookies. That’s been a surprise to me in a nice way.” That’s not to diminish the importance of the veterans, either. Claude Giroux, the heir-apparent to Mike Richard’s title as the Crown Jewel here, has acted very much like a captain without wearing the “C.” He is a viable candidate for both the Hart Trophy (MVP) and the Art Ross (scoring title). Hartnell? A career year so far for the winger with 25 goals and 44 points. He’s a different, happy guy playing with Giroux and Jagr, who remains sidelined with a groin pull. Jagr helped pull the best out of both his linemates and was a gamble worth taking in free agency. Whereas scoring droughts have plagued the Flyers at various points in prior years, this is one season where scoring may end up bailing them out, given the unsteadiness in goal, and the fact the defense is not as strong without Pronger back there. The Flyers’ 162 goals scored ties them with Chicago for second in the NHL behind Boston’s 171. Alas, their 142 goals against is awful. No other playoff team in the East (seeds one through eight) has given up that many. Ilya Bryzgalov needs this All-Star break to refocus. Figure out what happened between the start of the season and now. He needs to find a rhythm amid Laviolette’s goalie carousel with Sergei Bobrovsky, even if that’s difficult to do. Right now, Bryzgalov would start the playoffs by virtue of having the No. 1 tag but … there is no guarantee he would finish a series, let alone a playoff run. Do you think the Rangers or Bruins or Red Wings have that same question facing them? They don’t.

Better goaltending, better defense in front of the goalies, has to be the Flyers’ primary goal for the second half that begins next week. “I don’t feel any different than I have the last number of years,” Holmgren said of his goaltending while avoiding a direct answer. “If you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. That is what we’re focused on now – just trying to get into the playoffs.” The good ... The Flyers’ power play under beleaguered Joey Mullen has risen from the dead this season and is fourth overall at 20.4 percent. The Flyers are the No. 1 road warriors in the NHL with an 18-7-2 record (38 points). The Flyers are well-represented in the league stats across the board with both rookies and veterans, a sign of team balance. When was the last time the Flyers had such a dynamic, one-two rookie punch like Read-Couturier that impacted them five-on-five and special teams? The bad ... The Flyers’ penalty kill has been a disappointment, even without Pronger in there. It is ranked 15th at 82.43 percent. It should be a top-10 unit. The ugly ... The Flyers are 1-3 in the shootout. ‘Nuff said. The Flyers’ home record is 11-7-3. That’s 27th-worst overall in the NHL – inexcusable for a Stanley Cup contender. Home losses could cost the Flyers dearly in playoff seeding. The uncomfortable truth ... Statistically speaking, Bobrovsky has been the better goalie with a 2.42 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. Many fans want to see him in net full-time. Bryzgalov hates the goalie rotation, but needs to accept that’s the way it will be under Laviolette and move on. Laviolette won’t hesitate to pull him in the postseason. Remember, he replaced Martin Gerber with Cam Ward and won a Cup. Bryzgalov needs to go into games thinking he has to “steal” points like he did in Phoenix. That will refocus him on playing better and perhaps making a difference. 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers loan three forwards to Phantoms

Tim Panaccio

Whether it has something to do with the long, four-day All-Star break or whether it could mean that one Flyer forward may be returning to the lineup after the break, the Flyers made a couple of roster moves today. Tommy Sestito, Ben Holmstrom and Harry Zolnierczyk were sent back to the Phantoms. "All three can benefit playing bigger minutes," general manager Paul Holmgren told CSNPhilly.com. It's possible Zac Rinaldo and one other player, could rejoin the Flyers next week. Jaromir Jagr has a groin pull and James van Riemsdyk, along with Danny Briere, both have concussions. Zolnierczyk has been here most of the season. Among the three sent down, he is most likely to return next week. "Too soon to say on any of our injured guys," Holmgren said. 6. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' season only gets harder from here

Jay Greenberg

Forty-one games is the halfway point only on paper. In the players’ minds halfway is the All-Star break. So considering how the last day before vacation usually is the longest day of the year for you, me and millionaire athletes alike, give the Flyers credit for a workmanlike 3-2 win Tuesday night in Florida that sent them into the break with reason to enjoy it. The Flyers have not had Chris Pronger for 35 games, Brayden Schenn for 18, James van Riemsdyk for 11, Jaromir Jagr for eight, Danny Briere for five, Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier for four and Matt Read for three. And Philadelphia still is three points from the conference lead and just four out of the overall lead. Peter Laviolette must be practicing something, if not the shootout. Without Pronger, who figured to remain their most essential player, the Flyers are right there with the big boys, and despite currently playing eight rookies, might even be the biggest boys in the league if they had more reliable goaltending. It gets harder from here, of course. Rookies hit the wall, the injury rate rarely improves, and we’ll see if that 1-4-1 record the Flyers have against the Rangers and Boston combined continues to leave them on a plateau below the teams they will chase for the top seed. But Paul Holmgren has a depth of skilled and fast forwards; assets to trade for a defenseman, and a viable postseason alternative in goal in Sergei Bobrovsky should Bryzgalov continue to struggle.

Considering the Flyers’ extensive remodeling of their top two lines, Bryzgalov’s not unsurprising fidgets during his first year under the hot lights, van Riemsdyk’s failure to bud as the star the Flyers had reason to expect a second-overall pick to be, plus the loss of the top two centers and a best defensemen with concussions, 29-14-5 is a record for which only a fool wouldn’t signed in October. The Flyers are good and have a chance to get better, practically all you can ask of a team in any late January. 7. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' fathers prove to be good luck charms

CSNPhilly.com Staff

The Flyers had a bit of luck on their side with some of the players' fathers having joined them on the team's annual father-son trip. The Flyers won two of the three games with their fathers in tow. Though the team lost in the 6-5 shootout upset in Sunday's game against Boston at home, the fathers saw one of the most exciting games of the season. Starting and finishing with wins, the trip began in New Jersey and concluded in Florida. For Scott Hartnell, the presence of his father has been extra special. Hartnell scored five goals in the last three games (including a natural hat trick), and was given a nod to the All-Star Game in Ottawa ... all with his father, Bill, by his side. Maybe the Flyers want to look into signing Bill Hartnell to a multi-year good-luck-charm contract. The Flyers' fathers traveled with the team down to South Florida to watch the Flyers face the Panthers in last night's 3-2 shootout victory. Sergei Bobrovsky's father, who traveled all the way from Russia, was able to proudly watch his son hoist the Flyers to a win and even show off his moves on the dance floor ... or dance ice.

8. Delaware County Times - Shootout losses show practice would be perfect for

Flyers Ryan Lawrence VOORHEES, N.J. — Detractors of the NHL’s overtime shootout rule liken it to a football game finishing with a field goal contest, the fate of a baseball game hinging on a home run derby or a basketball game ending on a 3-point contest.

That an otherwise well-played game can be decided by a ritual may be a feast to the fans’ collective eyes, but doesn’t accurately award the better team on that particular day. Monday, in the wake of their latest shootout loss, the Flyers spoke frankly about what was the end of a 6-5 defeat to the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins Sunday. Starting goalie and resident philosopher Ilya Bryzgalov probably summed up the team’s feelings best regarding the shootout, which only takes place during regular season games. The seven-year-old rule rid the NHL of games ending in a tie. “When you win, you prefer shootouts,” Bryzgalov said. “When you lose, you prefer ties.” Simple enough. Bryzgalov, the $51-million goalie who has struggled in his first season with the Flyers, hasn’t stopped a puck in two shootouts this season. Five shots, five goals. In the last two seasons, the Flyers have not fared a heck of a lot better. Since last season, the Flyers are 3-10 in shootouts, including 0-3 this season. The Flyers are one of two teams without a shootout win this season; the other, Carolina, the Eastern Conference’s worst team. “Sometimes things don’t add up,” general manager Paul Holmgren said following practice at SkateZone. “It’s not like we can’t score, it’s not like our goalies are terrible. For some reason, it doesn’t work out in the shootouts for us. It’s like everything else — you hope you get better at it.” The Flyers did not practice shootouts Monday. But that’s not all that notable since it isn’t a part of their daily routine. Given their lack of success in shootouts, however, it’s worth wondering if it should be incorporated more often into their work. “We practiced it last week,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “There hasn’t been — just based on where we’re at the schedule — there hasn’t been a lot of good, quality practices, just with the road and the travel and the amount of games that we’ve played. “In a perfect world, like in football, they get a chance to cover everything from Sunday to Sunday. They can go through a list, it’s regimented. And that’s great. We just don’t have that luxury. You have to pick and choose where you devote your time. I think we’ve been very strong in practicing the power play as much as we can. So you pick and choose where you need to go with it, because I’m sure you’re going to get power plays through the course of the game. You can’t say for sure whether you’re going to get a shootout.” Laviolette said the better preparation comes in games. But since the Flyers have taken part in just three shootouts this season, tied with Washington for fewest in the NHL, they

haven’t been afforded that opportunity often in the first four months of the season. As they took the ice at SkateZone for the final time, the team will part ways for the All-Star break following tonight’s game in Florida, the Flyers were more concerned with getting their regular lineup in order in the next week. Jaromir Jagr (groin strain), Zac Rinaldo (upper-body injury), Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk (both with concussions) were all held out of practice, a day after they missed Sunday’s game. Holmgren said none would play tonight; Briere was the only one who traveled with the team to Florida. Additionally, All-Star defensemen Kimmo Timonen didn’t skate with the team in practice. Later in the day, Holmgren said, “Kimmo is fine.” Following tonight’s game, everyone but Timonen, Claude Giroux (All-Star Game), Matt Read and Sean Couturier (All-Star activities for rookies) will have until next Monday to heal up, rest or relax for the NHL’s All-Star break. The Flyers’ next game after tonight is a week away, Jan. 31 at home against Winnipeg. “I definitely think when it comes to healing up and you’ve got some space in the schedule and you can take advantage if it, that’s a good thing,” Laviolette said. “We’re beat up now a little bit. So I see that being a positive.” “Certainly some of our guys — both Zac and Jaromir will benefit by this break,” Holmgren said. “But the guys with concussion issues, who knows?” Briere and van Riemsdyk are two of six Flyers who have been sidelined with concussions. Captain Chris Pronger has been out for the last two months and is expected to miss the rest of the season. With a the break ahead and a chance to reflect on the season’s first half — the Flyers are three points behind the Rangers and Bruins in the Eastern Conference standings — Holmgren was content with his team’s progress. “I think we’ve shown a real resiliency here to bounce back and hang through a lot of tough situations that the team has dealt with,” Holmgren said. “Moving forward, we know we need to get better in a lot of areas. But overall, we’re certainly OK with where we’re at.” 9. Bucks County Courier Times - Break comes at good time for ailing Philadelphia Wayne Fish Nothing like a five-day break to heal some bumps and bruises. Or worse. For the Flyers, the NHL All-Star Game and its getaway for most players couldn't come at

a better time. The team has been forced to play as many as eight rookies at one time due to injuries. No doubt, players such as Jaromir Jagr (groin) and Zac Rinado (upper body) will benefit from the time off. Somehow, the Flyers managed to secure five of a possible six points in the last three games leading up to the mid-season classic. While it's doubtful either Daniel Briere or James van Riemsdyk will return from concussions by next Tuesday in time for Winnipeg, at least they won't be missing any game action. General manager Paul Holmgren gives the impression he's satisfied with the team's 29-14-5 mark through 48 games. "Well, I think we've shown a real resiliency here to bounce back and hang through a lot of tough situations that the team has dealt with,'' Holmgren said. "Moving forward, we know we need to get better in a lot of areas. But overall, we're certainly OK with where we're at.'' The Flyers finally secured a shootout win (now 1-3) in Florida on Tuesday night. Coach Peter Laviolette has done an excellent job so far, given all the new faces this season in the lineup. Even though the Flyers have played well of late, this probably isn't a bad time for a breather, given the injuries. "I definitely think when it comes to healing up and you've got some space in the schedule and you can take advantage of it, that's a good thing,'' Laviolette said. "We're beat up now a little bit. So I see that being a positive.'' Ilya Bryzgalov showed some signs of consistency in the games leading up to the break. The goaltender does like what he sees in front of him. "I think, to be honest, our team did a tremendous job,'' Bryzgalov said. "We have lots of injuries, back and forth. And we never play with whole lineup. Somebody is always out ... and the guys have done tremendous job. "Of course we can't be outstanding every night because it's human nature, but overall, with all the injuries, we got three points out of four (against New Jersey and Boston) against that kind of rivals and good teams. It's amazing, and I want to give all the credit to whole team for what they've done so far." Roster moves The Flyers assigned rookies Harry Zolnierczyk, Ben Holmstrom and Tom Sestito to the AHL Adirondack Phantoms on Wednesday so that they can get in some playing time during the All-Star break. Zolnierczyk is likely to return to the Flyers next Monday, regardless of where things stand with Jagr and Rinaldo.

Phantoms Articles

1. Glens Falls Post-Star - Leighton named Eastern Conference starter

Tim McManus

Phantoms goaltender Michael Leighton has been named the starter for the Eastern Conference in the AHL All-Star Classic. The game will be played Monday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Leighton, the Phantoms' lone all-star, was voted the starter in a fan ballot. This is his third trip to the all-star game. Leighton is 14-14 for the Phantoms this season, with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. 2. Glens Falls Post-Star - Phantoms get all-star weekend bounty from Flyers

Tim McManus

With the NHL All-Star break going on this weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers sent three key players to the Phantoms on Wednesday, including one surprise. The Flyers loaned forwards Harry Zolnierczyk, Tom Sestito and captain Ben Holmstrom to the Phantoms. Both Sestito and Holmstrom arrived in Manchester and will be in the lineup Wednesday night. Zolnierczyk will play if he arrives in time. All will be available this weekend for games against Bridgeport and Albany. Zolnierczyk last played with the Phantoms on Oct. 29. He had five goals and nine points in 10 games. He has three goals in 34 games with Philadelphia this season

3. Glen Falls Post-Star - Phantoms flop in loss to Manchester

Tim McManus

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The Adirondack Phantoms discovered just how long every painful second of 2 minutes, 22 seconds is on Wednesday night. Manchester scored three goals in that span during the second period to run away with a 5-1 win over the Phantoms at Verizon Wireless Arena.

If Adirondack had won, it would have tied Connecticut for first place in the Northeast Division. That prize will have to wait for another day, because Wednesday belonged to the Monarchs. Jordan Nolan scored on a breakaway after being released from the penalty box at 11:31 of the second to make it a 2-0 Manchester lead. J.D. Watt made it 3-0 just 1:09 later, and Brandon Kozun scored the first of his two goals 1:13 later on a power play to help make the third period a formality. Starting goalie Michael Leighton - who earlier Wednesday was named the starter for the Eastern Conference in the AHL All-Star Classic - was then lifted in favor of Jason Bacashihua with 6:07 left in the second. It was the third time in the last seven games the Phantoms have switched goalies midstream. Following Kozun's tally two minutes into the third, Adirondack finally got on the scoreboard when Mike Testwuide scored for the second straight game, notching his eighth of the season at 6:26. The Philadelphia Flyers loaned forwards Harry Zolnierczyk, Tom Sestito and captain Ben Holmstrom to the Phantoms for use during the NHL all-star break. All were in the lineup and will be available this weekend. Zolnierczyk last played with the Phantoms on Oct. 29. He had five goals and nine points in 10 games. He has three goals in 34 games with Philadelphia this season. LOOSE PUCKS: The Phantoms have the league's second-best home record of 14-7-0-1, but have lost five straight on the road to fall to 7-12-1-0 away from the Civic Center. ... The AHL All-Star Classic will be Monday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. ... Manchester has now won three in a row after losing seven in a row. ... Former Phantom Stefan Legein assisted the Monarchs' first goal. Adirondack (21-19-1-1) 0 0 1 - 1 Manchester (24-19-0-2) 1 3 1 - 5 First period - 1, Manchester, Cliche 13 (Azevedo, Legein), 6:50 (pp). Penalties - Bartulis, Adk (holding), :22; Jancevski, Adk (delay of game), 6:19; Campbell, Mch (holding), 7:24; Manning, Adk (fighting), 12:11; Watt, Mch (fighting), 12:11; Clune, Mch (roughing), 19:23. Second period - 2, Manchester, Nolan 9 (Campbell), 11:31; 3, Manchester, Watt 2 (Cliche), 12:40; 4, Manchester, Kozun 11 (Deslauriers, Vey), 13:53 (pp). Penalties - Nolan, Mch (roughing), 9:25; Kessel, Adk (holding the stick), 13:02; Muzzin, Mch (hooking), 14:24; Marshall, Adk (slashing), 17;27. Third period - 5, Manchester, Kozun 12 (Vey, Mullen), 2:00; 6, Adirondack, Testwuide 8 (Holmstrom, Kessel), 6:26. Penalties - None.

Goalies-saves - Adirondack, Leighton 14-15-0 (15 shots-11 saves), Bacashihua (13 shots-12 saves); Manchester, Zatkoff 12-8-1 (29 shots-28 saves). Referees - McIsaac, Hebert. Att - 3,505. NHL Articles

1. ESPN.com - Leafs' John-Michael Liles signs deal

Craig Custance

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they have signed defenseman John-Michael Liles to a four-year contract extension. The deal is worth a total of $15.5 million, a source told ESPN.com, with an average cap hit of $3.875 million per season. His cap hit this season on his expiring contract is $4.2 million. Liles has been recovering from concussion-like symptoms and is expected to return to the Toronto lineup immediately after the All-Star break. Liles was acquired in June by Toronto general manager Brian Burke in a deal that sent a 2012 second-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. In 34 games with the Maple Leafs, Liles has 21 points, including four goals. The signing leaves the Maple Leafs with a few other decisions before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. Goalie Jonas Gustavsson is slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the Maple Leafs are expected to have contract negotiations with Gustavsson's camp, although that hasn't happened yet. The front office also is weighing whether to trade Mikhail Grabovski, another potential unrestricted free agent. He played his best game of the season Tuesday in Toronto's win over the Islanders, but had a rough first half. It's been a tough season for his entire line, with Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur, one that was Toronto's strongest last year. "I will say to be fair to them, not for one second was it due to a lack of effort," Burke told ESPN The Magazine. "They've worked hard from the first days of camp." Burke would like to get bigger up front before the deadline, but understands it won't be easy.

"Guys with size who can play don't grow on trees," Burke said. "Teams that have them tend to keep them. These assets are not in play."

2. ESPN.com - James Neal replaces Alex Ovechkin

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal will replace Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin in Sunday's NHL All-Star Game. Ovechkin backed out of the game Tuesday after he was issued a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek Sunday. Neal leads the Penguins with 27 goals and is second on the team with 47 points. Neal leads the NHL with 210 shots and is tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals. The Penguins have won nine consecutive games and are 17-3-2 overall when Neal scores a goal. The All-Star fantasy draft will be held Thursday in Ottawa. It will divide the All-Stars into two teams: Team Alfredsson, led by Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, and Team Chara, featuring Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. Neal is the fourth All-Star replacement. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle are injury replacements for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu. Forward Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers joins the All-Stars in place of Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Wild forward Nick Johnson was added to the rookie group on Monday, replacing injured Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 3. ESPN.com - Stars activate Jamie Benn from IR

Mark Stepneski

The Dallas Stars have activated Jamie Benn from injured reserve in time for the forward to participate in this weekend's All-Star Game in Ottawa. The Stars also assigned Tomas Vincour, Philip Larsen and Matt Fraser to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Benn, 22, missed the past five games following an emergency appendectomy.

He is expected to be back in the lineup when the Stars return from the break Tuesday at Anaheim. Benn has 13 goals and 29 assists. Fraser, called up over the weekend because of injuries, made his NHL debut Tuesday night and played just 3:57. He is scheduled to play in the AHL All-Star Classic in Atlantic City early next week. 4. NHL.com - All-Star collection of talent set for selection in 2012 Molson Canadian

NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft

NHL.com

NEW YORK/TORONTO -- Fifty of the best hockey players in the world -- 38 NHL All-Stars and 12 of the League's top rookies -- will be up for selection this week in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft™, the format of which was announced by the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) today. The Draft will be televised on TSN and RDS in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m., ET, from the Hilton Lac Leamy in Gatineau-Ottawa, Quebec. The 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft™ will divide the All-Stars and rookies into two teams for the 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend in Ottawa, Jan. 26-29: Team Alfredsson, led by captain Daniel Alfredsson of the All-Star host Ottawa Senators and his assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers; and Team Chara, featuring captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and his assistant captain Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams will compete in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition™, at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., ET, and the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game, at Scotiabank Place on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m., ET. Live television coverage of both events will be provided by CBC and RDS in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States. 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft™ Format A coin toss will decide first pick, with Alfredsson and Chara, joined by their assistant captains, alternately drafting the 38 remaining All-Stars through 19 rounds. Each team will consist of three goaltenders, six defensemen and 12 forwards. To ensure that the final draft picks are true selections and not simply predetermined due to position requirements, each team's three goalies must be picked by the end of Round 10 and each team's six defensemen must be picked by the conclusion of Round 15.

The 12 Rookies participating in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition will be divided by the National Hockey League into two groups of six. At the completion of the 15th round of the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft, one NHL Rookie will be selected to choose which All-Star team his group will join for the skills competition. The NHL Foundation and the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund each will donate $10,000 on behalf of the All-Star selected with the final pick of the Draft to the grassroots hockey program of his choice.

5. NHL.com - Hagelin, Diaz in for Devils' duo Henrique, Larsson

Mike G. Morreale

The NHL announced Wednesday that New York Rangers forward Carl Hagelin and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Raphael Diaz will be joining their fellow rookies in Ottawa for All-Star Weekend. Hagelin will replace New Jersey Devils forward Adam Henrique and Diaz will be filling in for Devils defenseman Adam Larsson. Both Devils players are dealing with injuries. According to The (Bergen) Record, Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello said Henrique "tweaked his groin" in Tuesday's loss to the Sabres and Larsson has a sore wrist. Both will be staying in New Jersey to get treatment. The rookies will be assigned to a team during the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft on Thursday, and take part in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday. Hagelin, taken in the sixth round (No. 168) of the 2007 Entry Draft, has eight goals, 16 points and a plus-13 rating in 29 games this season. He's spent most of the season on a line with center Derek Stepan and right wing Marian Gaborik. Hagelin will be joining Gaborik, goalie Henrik Lundqvist,defenseman Dan Girardi and coach John Tortorella for NHL All-Star Weekend. Diaz, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens last May, has three goals, 14 points and 81 blocked shots for the Habs this season. He's recently been partnered with Tomas Kaberle. On Sunday, Diaz finished third in the hardest-shot portion of the skills competition during the METRO Fan Practice at Bell Centre. The purpose of the event was to allow fans to get a chance to see their favorite players up close and personal. His best shot of 83.88 mph was short of the event winner, P.K. Subban, with a blast of 93.82 mph.

Diaz will join teammate Carey Price for the All-Star festivities. Henrique has yet to score a point in three games since returning from a groin strain that sidelined him for two games for the Devils. In a 2-1 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, he was dropped to the third line after spending much of the season between Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. "It wasn't my best couple of games," Henrique told reporters following the game. "But I feel good. I obviously want to have a big second half when we get back moving forward." Henrique is tied for second among NHL rookies with 13 goals, and his 34 points are just one behind rookie leader Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Larsson, the fourth pick of the 2011 Entry Draft, leads all rookie defensemen with 13 assists and 15 points. He averages 21:46 of ice time per game, tops among New Jersey's blueliners. Hagelin and Diaz become the fifth and sixth players named to the All-Star roster as replacements, and the second and third rookies. Earlier Wednesday, Pittsburgh forward James Neal was named a replacement for Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who opted out of the game. Earlier in the week, Edmonton forward Jordan Eberle, Philadelphia forward Scott Hartnell and Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang were added as injury replacements for Minnesota forward Mikko Koivu, Chicago forward Jonathan Toews and Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. Also, Minnesota forward Nick Johnson was added to the rookie group in place of the injured Nugent-Hopkins.

6. NHL.com - Pominville excited to spend time among All-Stars

Mike G. Morreale

NEWARK, N.J. -- Despite the fact Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville is in the midst of the most trying season of his career, he's certainly proven himself worthy to skate alongside the best the League has to offer at the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa on Sunday. Pominville has notched at least one point in 34 of Buffalo's 49 games this season on the way to leading the team in assists (30) and points (47). Buffalo is 11-4-0 this season when Pominville scores a goal, and he's been held pointless in consecutive games only twice this season. And now he's ecstatic to be playing in his first All-Star Game.

"It should be a fun weekend," Pominville told NHL.com. "Obviously, being a part of it for the first time should be interesting. My parents, who live in Montreal, will be able to come down and see the game, and my wife and few friends will be there. It's even more so for them than me." Pominville said he's looking forward to meeting and chatting with all the All-Stars. "I think meeting the guys and playing the actual game ... being able to be in the locker room and talk to a few guys and see what they have to say is going to be great." -- Jason Pominville "I think meeting the guys and playing the actual game ... being able to be in the locker room and talk to a few guys and see what they have to say is going to be great," Pominville said. "Obviously, the skill competition should be something that is pretty neat, too." Ah, the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL Skills Competition. Does the 29-year-old have a preference for a particular event? "I think the breakaway relay," he said. "Really, though, I have no idea, it doesn't matter. I know the breakaway is easy, so that would be something I wouldn't mind doing. I don't know if I'd fit in well with fastest skater or hardest shot." Pominville is 2-for-4 in shootouts this season, including one against New Jersey Devils veteran Martin Brodeur on Tuesday that sent the tiebreaker into a fourth round. The Sabres would ultimately win the game 2-1. The shootout goal certainly was clutch for Pominville and his teammates. "It's not the easiest thing to go in there to score to keep it going, but I was able to do it," Pominville said. "I'm just glad I was able to give us a chance." Pominville and rookie Luke Adam, who was named a rookie All-Star, will be representing the Sabres in Ottawa. Both players will participate in the skills competition Jan. 28, while only Pominville will play in the All-Star Game on Jan. 29. "Maybe the accuracy shooting is more my speed," Pominville said with a grin. "Hey, I wouldn't mind doing the passing to the accurate shooter." But in a season that hasn't quite gone according to plan, the All-Star Game just might be the reprieve Pominville needs before gearing up for the second half of the season. He knows it won't be easy. The Sabres enter the All-Star break 14th in the Eastern Conference after having lost five of their last six games. "It's been tough not only for me, but for everyone here," Pominville said. "You take a lot of pride in your play and preparing yourself to win every game and to be sharp. It's been

a tough year with injuries and struggling to score goals offensively. We're not playing as well and as consistent as we did the second part of last year. But we're hoping to turn it around." Pominville feels his team needs to play fast, furious and with a little desperation at times. "I think we have a pretty fast team, but at times we play the game slow, where we've slowed things down, and that doesn't fall into our style of play," Pominville said. "The way we want to play and with the way teams backcheck, it's causing us trouble to create offensively. But if you have the speed and keep it north-south, you'll probably end up playing the game a lot quicker. We've gotten away from that and that's not the way we want to play." If the Sabres can't get their ship turned around in the second half, the future of general manager Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff could be in question. That also could lead to potential trades leading up to the Feb. 27 trade deadline, and Pominville realizes that. "We have Lindy's back," Pominville said. "He's an elite coach in this League and that's why he's been in the League for so long." Since Ruff was named Buffalo's coach in 1997, there have been 170 coaching changes in the NHL. He has 545 wins, the second-most by a coach with a single franchise. He trails only Al Arbour (740). "We've had a lot of discussions and lot of meetings on ways to try and play better," Pominville said. "I thought we did a better job defending and not giving (the Devils) as many opportunities as we did in the past on the rush. It's a good way to go into the All-Star break with a win and maybe put a smile on everyone's face." 7. NHL.com - Roenick: All-Star Game will be great, but needs Ovi

Jeremy Roenick

All-Star Weekend is upon us, so naturally this blog entry has to do with all things All-Star related. There is so much to appreciate at this time of the year, but there's also one storyline this week that really disappointed me: What's clicking? It is really cool that with Ottawa hosting the All-Star Game, the fans there really got behind their players by voting and getting four of them onto the rosters. That shows a lot of commitment and a lot of loyalty from the fans to their players, and you can tell that they're really excited about having the All-Star Game come to their city.

That loyalty, commitment and passion from the people of Ottawa and the surrounding area is something that I understand. I played in Hull (Quebec), which is right there, so I understand the passion for hockey that the city has, and my hat's off to the people there for embracing the event and wanting to see their best players play. Unfortunately, we won't be able to see Jonathan Toews there. We won't be able to see Mikko Koivu there. I also would have liked to see Dustin Byfuglien and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but injuries are preventing all of them from attending. However, I am ecstatic that Jamie Benn is going to be there. I know he was questionable with his appendectomy and was put on injured reserve recently, but it's just awesome that he'll be there. He's one of the top young players in the game today. And, as a result of the injuries, I'm thrilled to see Scott Hartnell going to his first All-Star Game. Hartnell plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. He plays it with grit, tenacity, heart and desire. He had a very tough start to the season, but the way he's turned his season around and really played so well with Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr, it's really great to see him get asked to go to the All-Star Game. He has worked so hard for this, so my hat is off to him. James Neal, the late addition, is so deserving of this honor. He really has come to the forefront in the NHL as a goal scorer, and is doing exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins have asked of him. That is what I expected of him coming over from Dallas. And then there is Logan Couture, a young kid who really has developed into one of the great up-and-coming players in the National Hockey League. I think he exemplifies the all-round, complete hockey player that is being put on display at the NHL All-Star Game this year. It'll be interesting to see who they have in the skills competition. I'm going to predict Evgeni Malkin to win the accuracy-shooting contest. This guy is on fire. Seriously, is there a better player in the NHL right now? He can do whatever he wants with the puck night in and night out. What's also going to be interesting is the fastest-skater competition. I really don't know who can win it this year because all of them seem to be lightning-quick, and I couldn't even get within half a rink from any of them. To me, fastest skater is going to be up in the air because they all have blazing speed. It's going to be an extremely fun event. Having the All-Star Game in Canada always is a well-attracted, well-received and well-planned event. I look forward to celebrating the talents of the National Hockey League. What's missing?

We're not going to see Nicklas Lidstrom, arguably the best defenseman to ever play the game, at the All-Star Game. We're not going to see Teemu "The freak of nature, I will not get old, I can play until I'm 100" Selanne. It's understandable that both Lidstrom and Selanne opted to turn down the chance to attend. They're both aging players -- even though it never looks that way -- and it's very important for them to take these four days of the All-Star break and get some rest to be ready for the second half of the season. That's a very smart move on their parts, to be prepared for their teams in the second half. However, Alex Ovechkin deciding not to go to the All-Star Game really, truly disappoints me. He says since he's suspended he shouldn't go to the All-Star Game, but to me that is a cop-out. This game is about having the best players in the world there. Alex Ovechkin is a young, energetic, strong guy, and one of the best players in the National Hockey League. He should be at the All-Star Game, giving the fans in Ottawa and the fans that travel in something to watch and some great entertainment. Ovechkin is one of the most entertaining players in the world not only because of the way he plays, but also because of his personality. He is a much-wanted commodity for an event such as the All-Star Game and it's disappointing that he's not respecting the honor of being chosen to attend. I understand he's mad at the NHL for his suspension, but this is not the proper way to deal with it. This is a celebration of talent. The city of Ottawa has worked hard to put on this game, a lot of man-hours and pride has gone into putting on the All-Star Game. This is a fan event, and unfortunately he has made a decision not to go. It's disappointing to me and I'm sure it's disappointing to a lot of hockey fans that were looking forward to seeing one of the best players in the world. Listen, I am a big Ovechkin fan. I have been since Day 1. But it doesn't matter that I'm a fan of his because I am disappointed with the way he has treated this situation. There has to be a little more loyalty to a League that has enabled you to make over $100 million. 8. TSN.ca – Sharks place goaltender Niittymaki on waivers

TSN.ca Staff

Goaltender Antero Niittymaki was placed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old keeper has missed the majority of this season recovering from September hip surgery. In his absence, Thomas Greiss has shone in San Jose's crease, seeing time as a backup. In 234 career NHL games with the Flyers, Lightning and Sharks, Nittymaki has posted a 95-86-31 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Nittymaki is in the final year of a two-year contract worth an annual average of $2 million. The Sharks assigned him to Worcester (AHL) in January on a conditioning stint. 9. TSN.ca – Cullen: Comparing power play ice time to last season

Scott Cullen

One of the most important factors in whether a player will be productive is opportunity. It's all well and good to have skills, but if a player isn't put in the position to score, it's awfully difficult to put up the numbers. With that in mind, I've broken down the players that are seeing different usage on the power play this season compared to last, both positively and negatively. Among those getting more power play time, it should be no surprise that some are enjoying breakthrough offensive campaigns. Philadelphia's Wayne Simmonds played in a checking role with Los Angeles, managing one power play point over the last two seasons, but he's received a bigger role with the Flyers and nine of his 27 points have come with the man advantage. An extra two-and-a-half minutes per game on the PP certainly affords him a much better opportunity to accumulate points. Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly had four power play points in his first two seasons combined, but has a dozen points with the man advantage this year as he's become the team's leading scorer. These are typical cases -- young players that reach a point in their development at which they are trusted enough with the responsibility to play power play minutes -- and many others fall under this umbrella. However, there are some veterans that have received generous boosts in power play time this year too. Jay Harrison and Alexei Ponikarovsky, for example, saw significant bumps in power play time with Carolina. It seems to have worked for Harrison, who is having his best season as a 29-year-old, while it hasn't had the same effect on Ponikarovsky, whose production was still down and has since been traded to New Jersey.

Sometimes, the players chosen to play these power play minutes reflect a team's level of desperation. A lack of proven scoring forwards led the Hurricanes to not only give Ponikarovsky power play time, but Chad LaRose and Drayson Bowman are a couple more wingers that have seen more time on the power play. Minnesota's defence has also been looking for answers, particularly with Marek Zidlicky injured then falling out of favour, so Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon have seen increased roles. In any case, here is a look at the Top 40 players in terms of increased power play time per game (measured in seconds, among players to have played in at least 10 games in each of the last two seasons). Biggest PP TOI Increases (min. 10 GP) RANK PLAYER TEAM POS. '11-12 PP TOI '10-11 PP TOI DIFF. 1. Wayne Simmonds Philadelphia RW 206 51 155 2. Ryan O'Reilly Colorado C 155 38 117 3. Jay Harrison Carolina D 124 8 116 4. Nick Leddy Chicago D 123 12 110 5. Colin Greening Ottawa LW 134 28 106 6. Marco Scandella Minnesota D 116 11 105 7. Brad Marchand Boston LW 137 32 104 8. Cam Barker Edmonton D 187 83 104 9. Colin Wilson Nashville LW 152 47 104 10. James Neal Pittsburgh LW 254 155 99 11. Yannick Weber Montreal D 210 112 98 12. Nikita Nikitin Columbus D 174 77 97 13. James van Riemsdyk Philadelphia LW 173 79 94 14. David Desharnais Montreal C 205 113 92 15. Jared Spurgeon Minnesota D 173 88 84

16. Steve Sullivan Pittsburgh LW 246 163 83 17. Chris Neil Ottawa RW 112 30 82 18. David Clarkson New Jersey RW 180 100 80 19. Tim Stapleton Winnipeg RW 95 17 78 20. Tyler Seguin Boston RW 157 82 75 21. Chad LaRose Carolina RW 103 30 73 22. Drayson Bowman Carolina LW 101 28 73 23. Alexei Ponikarovsky New Jersey LW 126 54 72 24. Steve Montador Chicago D 94 22 72 25. Alexander Burmistrov Winnipeg C 90 18 71 26. Marcus Johansson Washington C 126 57 69 27. Claude Giroux Philadelphia C 252 184 68 28. Eric Brewer Tampa Bay D 103 36 67 29. Sami Salo Vancouver D 181 114 67 30. Blake Wheeler Winnipeg RW 146 80 66 31. Marcus Kruger Chicago C 69 6 64 32. Alex Burrows Vancouver LW 123 61 62 33. Oliver Ekman-Larsson Phoenix D 120 60 61 34. Tomas Fleischmann Florida LW 209 149 60 35. Chris Campoli Montreal D 135 76 59 36. Dustin Brown Los Angeles RW 233 177 57 37. Jordan Eberle Edmonton RW 209 153 56 38. Ilya Kovalchuk New Jersey RW 306 250 56

39. Jason Garrison Florida D 149 93 56 40. Mark Fayne New Jersey D 101 45 55 If some players are going to get more power play time, it only stands to reason that others will see less time with the man advantage. Just as some of the young players getting more power play time are experiencing breakthrough offensive seasons, several players that are getting less power play time have naturally seen their production fade. Anton Stralman played a prominent role in Columbus' 29th-ranked power play last season, so perhaps it's not a huge surprise that he's not so prominently involved in the Rangers' power play efforts, even if the Blueshirts currently sit 25th with the man advantage this season. Injuries have derailed the career of Edmonton defenceman Ryan Whitney and Washington's Mike Green, so getting healthy and back on the ice is a bigger concern than the amount of power play time they've been receiving, but other veteran defencemen have been surpassed on their own depth charts. Phoenix's Michal Rozsival, for instance, has been removed from the power play altogether, but Oliver Ekman-Larsson's development helps make that a natural transition. The Islanders' power play has gone through significant changes. Mark Streit's return, after missing the entire 2010-2011 season, has meant fewer power play opportunities for Travis Hamonic, Andrew MacDonald and even Mike Mottau on the blueline, while Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau (before he was dealt to Calgary) had their roles decreased too. If we look at some of the bigger names, perhaps it's not a huge surprise that their point production is down this year too. Buffalo's Derek Roy, the Rangers' Brad Richards and Toronto's Tim Connolly have all seen their power play production dip. Otherwise, a lot of the forwards on the list aren't typical power play forwards and they may have been fortunate enough to see spot duty on the PP in 2010-2011, only to get bumped back down the depth chart this season. Here, then, are the Bottom 40 players in terms of decreased power play time per game (measured in seconds, among players to have played in at least 10 games in each of the last two seasons). Biggest PP TOI Decreases (min. 10 GP) PLAYER TEAM POS. '11-12 PP TOI '10-11 PP TOI DIFF. Mathieu Perreault Washington C 29 90 -62 Grant Clitsome Columbus D 149 211 -62

Pavel Kubina Tampa Bay D 79 142 -63 Derek Roy Buffalo C 160 224 -64 Niclas Bergfors Nashville RW 36 102 -66 Rostislav Olesz Chicago LW 1 67 -67 Antoine Vermette Columbus C 106 175 -69 Travis Hamonic N.Y. Islanders D 51 120 -69 Brendan Morrison Calgary C 70 140 -69 Kevin Porter Colorado C 27 98 -70 Andrej Sekera Buffalo D 53 125 -72 Brad Richards N.Y. Rangers C 244 320 -76 Dustin Jeffrey Pittsburgh C 38 115 -77 David Schlemko Phoenix D 19 97 -78 Joel Ward Washington RW 12 90 -78 Jacob Josefson New Jersey C 25 105 -80 Brandon Yip Nashville RW 24 105 -82 Victor Hedman Tampa Bay D 16 99 -82 Josh Bailey N.Y. Islanders C 59 144 -85 Mike Santorelli Florida C 76 162 -86 Joe Corvo Boston D 154 242 -87 Mike Green Washington D 179 267 -88 Michael Frolik Chicago RW 11 101 -90 Nikolai Kulemin Toronto LW 67 159 -93 David Perron St. Louis LW 176 270 -94

Andrew MacDonald N.Y. Islanders D 89 183 -94 Mattias Tedenby New Jersey LW 17 112 -95 Tim Connolly Toronto C 73 170 -97 Eric Fehr Winnipeg RW 20 117 -97 Michal Handzus San Jose C 64 161 -97 Mike Commodore Detroit D 5 103 -98 Jamie Langenbrunner St. Louis RW 44 146 -102 Brett Clark Tampa Bay D 68 172 -104 Blake Comeau Calgary LW 43 150 -107 Roman Hamrlik Washington D 39 154 -115 Michal Rozsival Phoenix D 0 120 -120 Andrei Loktionov Los Angeles C 32 154 -122 Mike Mottau N.Y. Islanders D 3 126 -124 Ryan Whitney Edmonton D 135 259 -124 Anton Stralman N.Y. Rangers D 40 178 -138 10. TSN.ca – Babcock: Lidstrom has earned right to skip All-Star game

The Canadian Press

MONTREAL -- For Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, if there is a player who has the right to skip the NHL all-star game it is his captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom and fellow 41-year-old Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks asked the league not to select them for all-star duty this week in Ottawa so they could spend the four-day break with their families. Neither was included on the list of 38 stars and 12 rookies released last week, a group that has already had a run of changes due to injuries and saw Washington's Alex Ovechkin opt out because he is serving a three-game suspension.

The game had already lost Jonathan Toews, Mikko Koivu and Dustin Byfuglien to injuries, while the biggest star of all, Sidney Crosby, has been out most of the season with a concussion. "At 41 years of age and with seven Norris trophies and going to the all-star game every year, I think if (Lidstrom) needs four days off, the National Hockey League respects that," Babcock said Wednesday as the Red Wings prepared to face the Montreal Canadiens in the only game scheduled on the final night before the break. "There was no fooling around. It was done up front. He deserves the time off." It turns out that Lidstrom may not have been able to play in Ottawa anyway. He took part in the Wings' morning skate, but left early and did not speak to the media because he has a cold. The team later announced he would not play against the Canadiens. Lidstrom has attended 11 all-star games and Selanne 10 in their careers. But three years ago in Montreal, Lidstrom and teammate Pavel Datsyuk were forced to sit out the first game after the break after refusing to play the all-star game. That rule was brought in that year after a handful of no-shows at the 2008 game in Atlanta sparked anger from the NHL over players' obligation to fans, league sponsors and rights holders to support the league's showcase event. Crosby avoided suspension by flying in at the last moment, if only to participate in off-ice activities and not the game. Lidstrom and Selanne got around the rule this year because they were never named to the team, so they are not turning down an all-star invitation. At least Lidstrom, if not both, would surely have been named to the roster. Datsyuk, along with Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, was named to the team and said he's looking forward to it, even if the 33-year-old admits that, as a rule "it's better to have a vacation a few days and not play. We have a lot of travel." Lidstrom was captain of a team at last year's all-star game in Carolina. Despite his advanced age for an NHL player, Lidstrom still averages 23.43 minutes of ice time per game and his level of performance does not seemed to have dipped at all. His 10 goals ties Nashville's Shea Weber for best among the league's defencemen. The Red Wings' concern is to convince him to continue playing beyond this season.

General manager Ken Holland said recently he wouldn't hesitate to sign him to a two or three year contract, but after talking over his future with his family the last two summers Lidstrom has signed only one-year deals, each at the bargain price of US$6.2 million. Babcock is optimistic he will play again in 2012-13. "I would think (he will) if he's good and the team's good," said Babcock. "Nick's not going to play on a bad team and why would he? "If his game falls off I don't think he'll play either. But he likes it, he enjoys the day in, day out routine of the league. He seems to be having lots of fun. If he plays well and we play well I think he'll be back." Centre Henrik Zetterberg said the whole team holds it's breath each summer waiting for Lidstrom to announce he will return. "We hope he can play for many more years," said Zetterberg. "This summer was a nervous time for all of us. "He waited a long time before he made his decision to play again. Hopefully he'll make a quicker decision this summer and decide to come back and play another year. It all comes down to him and his family and how he feels and how his body feels and whether he's healthy enough to play another year. He works hard off the ice and that's one reason he can still play at the top level." Lidstrom has played on four Stanley Cup teams and had a large role in keeping the Red Wings among the NHL's elite teams for the last 15 years. Some wonder if that will start coming undone the moment he retires. "It's going to be different for sure when he leaves," said Zetterberg. "We would have to pick it up and players would have to step in, but it's tough for one player to do that. All the guys have to chip in when he leaves and try to fill his spot. "It is amazing the way he still plays at 41. I think Gordie (Howe) played until he was 50. Hopefully he can go like that." 11. TSN.ca – Plenty of new faces on display during NHL All-Star weekend

The Canadian Press

Dennis Wideman thought he'd been traded. Scott Hartnell worried he'd be facing a suspension.

What both men failed to consider was that their phone was ringing with an invitation to the NHL's all-star game -- and they aren't the only ones heading to Ottawa this weekend that made such a mistake. A season of surprise performances around the NHL is reflected in an all-star roster that includes 18 first-time participants for Sunday's game at Scotiabank Place. Wideman is among the most anonymous invitees. A seven-year pro, the Washington Capitals defenceman is in the midst of a career season but got nervous when general manager George McPhee called him earlier this month to deliver what turned out to be great news. "He's pretty even-keeled. When he called me, I was like, 'Aw man, where am I going now?"' said Wideman. "I didn't know what was going on. But in my experience, when a GM calls you, it's usually not good news." For the second straight year, the players themselves are taking control of the all-star game. Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara will each select teams bearing their names during a live televised draft on Thursday night. They'll also come up with the assignments for Saturday's skills competition prior to facing off against one another Sunday afternoon. It promises to be a special few days for Alfredsson and Senators teammates Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek, who were all voted to the game by fans. "I think we're going to be good hosts in Ottawa and it's going to be something that I'm always going to cherish," said Alfredsson. "To be able to play in front of our home fans at an all-star game -- even though it's not a Stanley Cup final -- it's a celebration for the game. Having four guys from Ottawa there is going to be pretty neat. I really look forward to it. "I'm going to embrace it all and make sure I try to enjoy it as much as I can." He won't be alone. Hartnell's first all-star invitation comes in his 11th NHL season and is recognition for the great offensive season he's put together for the Philadelphia Flyers. The 29-year-old was named as an injury replacement earlier this week and could barely sleep after getting the news from NHL vice-president Brendan Shanahan. "I think of myself as a good hockey player, but you look at the all-star game and the names that have been there in the past, like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Steve Yzerman -- or even the guys who play nowadays, like Joe Thornton -- and to think of yourself part of that group is hard," Hartnell told the Philadelphia Daily News. "It almost seems a little far-fetched at times. Now I'll be there playing with them."

All but one of the league's top-15 scorers entering play Wednesday will participate in the event. However, that group doesn't include Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby, still the most recognizable hockey players on the planet. It also excludes Nicklas Lidstrom, Eric Staal and Patrick Sharp -- all leading men in last year's all-star game -- among others. Ovechkin has been a staple of this event since bursting into the league but decided to cancel his ticket to Ottawa after receiving a three-game suspension earlier this week for a questionable hit. With him sitting 41st overall in league scoring, it was debatable whether he even warranted a spot. "My heart is not there," Ovechkin told reporters. "I got suspended, so why I have to go there? I love the game, it's a great event, I love to be there but I'm suspended. ... I feel I'm not deserving to be there right now." He was replaced Wednesday by Pittsburgh Penguins winger James Neal, who would have been a notable omission after entering the all-star break with 27 goals. While some players questioned Ovechkin's decision to give the game a pass -- Blues forward Andy McDonald called it "classless" on his Twitter account Wednesday -- it ended up creating an opportunity for Neal, yet another all-star rookie. 12. TSN.ca – NHL on TSN quiz: Is Ovechkin skipping the All-Star game okay?

TSN.ca Staff

What message is the NHL sending by not suspending Alexander Ovechkin for skipping the All-Star Game? That it's optional for everybody or it's just All-Star and not worth going to war with the Capitals and their superstar? Bob McKenzie: There's no hill to make a stand on here. They just gave him a three game suspension, they didnt feel like making it a four-game suspension. I know that there will be people that will say that they're setting a precedent. The NHL will split the hair and say listen if you're suspended we'll talk about it in the future. If there was no suspension here there wouldn't be an issue and they would force him to go. Marc Crawford: I think they're sending the message that it's optional. I'm one of those guys that says they are setting a precedent here. For years guys have wanted the break at this time of the year, especially the older players. And the NHL and the stars, they have a responsibility to sell the game. I think if you're chosen you've gotta be there. Aaron Ward: No hill to make a stand on. They derive no benefit from getting into an altercation with Ovechkin, a star. He obviously doesn't want to be there. I think you might question the type of effort you might get based on some of his interviews post-

announcements. I expect players to provide that dissenting voice. You see already Andy McDonald putting it out there saying, "classless move opting out." After skipping the trip to the White House will Tim Thomas still be a Boston Bruin 2012-2013? Ward: I say yes. You count the givens: the Stanley Cup, the Vezina, the Conn Smythe and all of these things. You only have to look at the Philadelphia Flyers going to the playoffs this year to see how important it is to have a quality goaltending tandem. Thomas staying in this environment might be good. He put his team in a compromising position, this could be pressure that forces him to play very well down the stretch. Crawford: I say no. He's got a no trade contract that expires July 1st and I think that if the Bruins do not win the Stanley Cup then Tuukka Rask is going to take over. Tim Thomas will still be a very viable commodity that the Bruins will cash in by trading him somewhere else. McKenzie: I will say yes, that he will stay with the Boston Bruins. In the event that he doesn't perform in the playoffs with one year left on his contract I just don't see that many teams that will want to take a $5 million cap hit even though he's only making $3 million in salary next year. And this whole thing with the White House and everything else will be forgotten if he plays in net the way that he can and the way that he did when he got them their Stanley Cup ring. Question: How many Canadian teams will make the playoffs this season? A)2 B)3 C)4 D)5 Crawford: I think there is going to be three. I think for sure the Vancouver Canucks will be there, I like the chances of Ottawa now and I love the chances of Toronto as well. I'd love to say that I think Calgary is going to be there but I just think the West is going to be too tough. Hopefully I'm wrong for their sake. McKenzie: Ditto for me, I will say three and I will pick the same three teams that Crawford did. The Canucks are sitting pretty, Ottawa the surprise team this year and I believe the Maple Leafs can and will make the playoffs Ward: Two! First I want to commend my fellow panellists for going out on a limb on this one. Way to check the standings fellas now I get to take all the heat. But I'll go with Vancouver saying that's pretty much a shoe-in. The two teams out of Ontario, I think one of these teams will be challenging the other for it. Ottawa I don't see how they maintain that level of performance and Toronto I think they might struggle Question: With President Obama alluding to Brad Marchand's nickname, "the little ball of hate," who is the greatest all-time little ball of hate? Is it Brad Marchand, Pat Verbeek or our beloved Ray Ferraro?

McKenzie: It's the original, the one, the only Patty Verbeek. He was the one the name was bestowed upon when he got to the New Jersey Devils in the mid 1980s. Over the course of his career on the ice, off the ice, he was a prickly individual who once cut his own thumb off in a farm accident. Ward: Ray Ferraro. I played with Pat Verbeek, he is legendary but Ray for one reason. I had a confrontation with him in Atlanta where we got in front of the net and I cross-checked him the first time. He knew that the next cross-check was coming so in advance he threw himself forward, kicked his legs over the back of him and nailed me in the groing - dropped me for about three minutes. Also, when I asked him if it was okay if I shared this story, his response was, "Absolutely okay, I am proud of my cheapness all necessary for survival." Crawford: I would say the original, Pat Verbeek. He was as competitive of a guy as their was in the National Hockey League. He played a power forward's game at his size. And when you play 20 years, 1500 games and over 3,100 penalty minutes that's pretty amazing.

-FLYERS-