The Anaheim Ducks welcomed back two veteran contributors to their lineup on Tuesday night and in so doing, maxed out their salary cap for the season.
Forwards Nate Thompson and Jakob Silfverberg are healthy and returned to the lineup in Anaheim's 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The Ducks are getting healthy at a time when the have been playing well. In January, the Ducks earned 21 points in 14 games played.
For the past two months, Ducks GM Bob Murray has been literally pinching pennies and micro-managing his cap by shuttling players to and from AHL San Diego. D proospect Shea Theodore has been yo-yo'd back in forth from Anaheim to San Diego so many times this season that he doesn't bother unpacking his luggage. Last week, Murray had to expose forward Stefan Noesen to waivers. The New Jersey Devils snagged Noesen upon re-entry.
Murray's cap is now maxed out.
Thompson missed the first 51 games of this season. Thompson had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered last summer. His $1.6 million salary cap hit is now back on the books and no longer in the long term injury column. On Tuesday night, Thompson skated 10:00 TOI.
Silfverberg missed the past two weeks with concussion symptoms. He scored two goals and one an assist in the win over the taking Avalanche. Silfverberg suffered his head injury when he was trucked by Colorado D Nikita Zadorov body check on January 19.
The Ducks (65 points) will kick off a six game road trip in second place in the Pacific Division, one point behind the San Jose Sharks (66 points). The two week, six-game roadie kicks off Friday in Sunrise, Florida. The road will also lead the Ducks to Tampa, The Big Apple, Buffalo, Washington and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The Ducks have been patiently scouting several NHL clubs on a regular basis. Bob Murray wants to add a scoring top six forward at or before the NHL trade deadline on March 1. Evander Kane, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene are forwards that the Ducks have been scouting.
Murray will be forced to trade a contract or two in order to create cap space between now and the NHL trade deadline.
Several teams, including Buffalo and Colorado, are looking to take possession of a top four defenseman. Ducks top D prospects Shea Theodore and AHL All-Star Brandon Montour are in play.
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On Wednesday, the Buffalo Sabres turned the page and went back to work trying to erase the horrific memories of their 5-2 mugging in Montreal.
Dan Bylsma made another switcheroo to his line.
Matt Moulson is now the left winger for Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo. Tyler Ennis was demoted from L1 Lw to L4 RW alongside Cal O'Reilly and Will Carrier. Bylsma is keeping intact Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart, and, Kane-Girgensons-Gionta trios.
The Sabres will host Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers on Thursday night.
Jack Eichel and his teammates went 7-5-1 in January. If they want to leap frog the teams that are rubbing shoulders with them in the standings, the Sabres will have play .650-.675 hockey for the next two months.
Their 34 games in 69 nights grind began with a thud in Montreal on Monday night.
They will play 11 games between Groundhog Day and February 19. Eight of the eleven games will be played on home ice. Nine of fourteen games in February will be played in front of the home fans where the Sabres are 11-8-3 this season.
The Sabres are 6-2 in their last eight home games.
The Sabres have their NHL mandated bye week from February 20-24
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Here's a crazy stat for you:
Henrik Lundqvist has started 37 games this season. The King has allowed the first goal of the game on the first shot that he has faced in eight of his thirty seven starts. Lundqvist is 4-4 in those games where he gets touched up for the first goal of the game on the first shot on goal that he sees.
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****Warning****
If you have a sensitive stomach, DO NOT watch this hall of shame low-light reel of Boston Bruins slew foot specialist Brad Marchand.
It makes me sick to my stomach that Marchand was not suspended for the filthy dirty slew foot that Marchand threw at Detroit Red Wings D Nicklas Kronwall last week. The NHL caleld it a "dangerous trip" and conveniently fined Marchand $10,000.
[New Video] Brad Marchand: "The Leg Sweeper" (HD) https://t.co/poyiqWSsmE pic.twitter.com/CkFPhmCmVW
— Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) February 1, 2017
On Tuesday night, Marchand once again disrespected the NHL, the NHLPA and his opponent when he greased with a slew foot Tampa D-man Anton Stralman.
This time around, Marchand received no hearing nor a fine.
I hate when individual players cheat the game and think they are above the NHL rules.
Please explain to me why the NHL Department Of Player Safety continues to validate and endorse Marchand's unsportsmanlike conduct. Might it be preferential treatment?
Marchand is a multi-time offender. He has been suspended four times. In 2015, he was banned for slew footing NY Ranger Derick Brassard. Marchand has been fined a total of three times. He's been warned many times. He slew footed Nashville D-man Anthony Bitetto just three weeks ago.
That's the type of rap sheet that gets a rouge player suspended.
When did conduct detrimental to opponents and the game itself become acceptable?
Marchand's punk behavior is insulting and reprehensible. His one ice tantrums are selfish and stupid.
That the NHL continues to turn a blind eye to Marchand's disrespectful conduct points to hypocrisy at the league player safety department.
If Marchand pulled this juvenile delinquent crap in my men's hockey league, he'd be breathing through his mouth and eating dinner through a straw for a couple of months.