Updated:
The NHL trade market is beginning to heat up. Many pending UFAs are attracting some serious attention. According to a report, NY Rangers captain Ryan Callahan has been given permission by Rangers management to talk about future options.
According to Sportsnet's John Shannon, Callahan's agent has said:
"Still expect to continue to explore options with NYR but expect they will explore options in the event of an impasse"
The Rangers have given permission to multiple teams to talk to Ryan Callahan's agent.
Callahan, 28, is reportedly seeking a seven year contract in the $42-$44 million range. The Rangers are said to be opposed to paying their captain that kind of money to stay in Manhattan. If Rangers GM Glen Sather passes on the player demands then Callahan would then become a trade option.
As trade rumours heat up, know the Olympic Trade Freeze is 3 pm ET on February 7th until 11:59 pm ET on February 23rd.
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Goalie crisis in Tampa has just reach DEF CON 5.
Bolts backup goalie Anders Lindback is not likely to play before the Olympic break due to a lower-body injury while their rock solid starter Ben Bishop remains questionable to start the game Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens .
Steve Yzerman should be calling Sabres GM Tim Murray right now, if he hasn't already to ask about Ryan Miller as a rental option. Miller will be UFA in July.
Bishop was forced to leave the game Thursday against the Ottawa Senators when he was cranked in the head by the skate of teammate Nikita Kucherov. Bishop practiced in Montreal on Saturday and told reporters afterwards that he'll see how he feels when he waked up Saturday morning. If he has no symptoms, then he'll play. He he feels bad, he won't. Puck drops at 1pm in Montreal.
Bishop told the team's website:
"It could have been a lot worse," Bishop said. "He kind of skimmed me. If he hit me direct on I don't know what would have happened.
"Hopefully I wake up in the morning and I feel OK. We'll have to wait and see what happens."
Bishop is third in the NHL with a .932 save %, fifth with a 2.01 GAA.
"Bishop's been a big part of our team this year," Cooper said. "If he can't go the 19 other guys will have to step up around whoever's in net."
Lindback 's injury will keep him out long term. he was plowed into by former Canisius College scoring star Cory Conacher in the second period Thursday. Lindback gutted out the game despite the injury.
Bolts coach John Cooper:
"Pretty gutty performance by him because that happened sometime in the second period and he finished the game," Cooper said. "I give the kid a lot of credit but we probably won’t see him until after the Olympic break."
It appears likely that Cedrick Desjardins will be called up from AHL Syracuse.
"We'll have a goalie [Saturday]," Cooper said. "I just don’t know what league he played his last game in".
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Upper body injury for Moulson, looks like he'll be out until after the Olympic break, #Sabres Interim Coach Ted Nolan says.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 31, 2014Terrible news for Matt Moulson and the Buffalo Sabres.
Moulson could be shut down until after the Olympic break. Buffalo are in Denver right now for a Saturday night tilt with Patrick Roy and the Avs. They have three games remaining next week, and then the NHL shuts down for the Sochi Olympics.
Nolan said that it depends on what type of healer that Moulson is.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Moulson was injured on a combo platter body check-slash from Coyotes captain Shane Doan on Thursday night. With the Sabres nursing a one goal lead with six minutes remaining in the third period and the Yotes surging in pursuit of the game tying goal, Doan took matters into his own stick and hands and sent Moulson flying headlong into the side boards. Moulson needed assistance to get off the ice and to the bench, where he collapsed to the floor in obvious pain in the runway leading to Sabres room.
The Toronto native was traded to Buffalo on October 27 as part of the Thomas Vanek (plus, conditional 1st round pick in either 2014 or 2015) trade. Moulson has scored nine goals and has 15 assists for 24 points in 40 games for the Sabres this season. Moulson is a pending UFA who has been the object of the trade desires of bubble teams and playoff contenders like the LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.
The rest and recovery issue will certainly help Moulson’s marketability. There’s no point in the last place overall Sabres rushing him back only to have him get re-injured, thus crippling his tradability. I contend that teams would trade for Moulson despite his injury just to get their grubby mitts on a bona fide multi-time NHL 30-goal scorer. A contender could take delivery of Moulson in February and give him the amle time to rehab his injury just in time for him to play in February, March and April as a preamble to the NHL playoff wars.