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UPDATE:Another hurdle, so to speak, is out of the way for Karri Ramo to take over a prominent goaltending position with the Calgary Flames next season. The Calgary Herald reports Danny Taylor has agreed to a deal with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. The 27-year-old Taylor was poised to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and considered essentially out of the mix for the Flames, moving forward.

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Unless the Phoenix Coyotes change their conservative spending ways -- and only new, yet-to-be entrenched ownership has the power to forge a different path in that regard -- it may be difficult to hold onto pending UFA Mike Smith. Crunching the numbers, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic suggests the club has a maximum of $11 million to spend ahead of next season. And, once a few key pieces are re-inked, that won't leave a lot left over for the club's No. 1 netminder.

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Even though the club is facing a salary-cap crunch, the Washington Capitals have some important business to take care of before next season. And re-signing RFA-to-be Karl Alzner is believed to be one priority for GM George McPhee. Katie Carrera of the Washington Post supposes the Capitals will want to retain the reliable, top-four defenseman for several years.

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Initially projected to miss the rest of the postseason, Danny DeKeyser of the Detroit Red Wings appears to be recovering ahead of schedule from a broken thumb. ESPN Insider Craig Custance reports a return by the rookie defenseman this spring can no longer be ruled out.

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Ahead of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the only substantial knock against power forward Valeri Nichushkin has been the two years remaining on his current contract with Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. That may not be a big concern any longer. As relayed by Hockey Prospectus' Corey Pronman, Nichushkin told RSport.ru he has decided to transfer to North America ... and Dynamo is said to have no issue with terminating his contract.

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UPDATE: As relayed by the NHLPA, Andy Sutton has officially announced his retirement from the NHL.

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Forward Mark Stone could suit up for the Ottawa Senators in Game 4. Sportsnet's Ian Mendes suggests the young winger appears pegged to play his first NHL playoff game of 2012-13 when the Senators host the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday.

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Forward Alex Burmistrov may have played his last game for the Winnipeg Jets. As discussed by the Winnipeg Free Press, the soon-to-be restricted free agent wants to move on and compete for another organization. Two league sources have reportedly told the Free Press as much. If so -- and Burmistrov's ongoing discontent with playing for head coach Claude Noel has been widely acknowledged -- a trade would obviously be in everyone's best interest. But easier said than done. Especially, as noted by Ed Tait, when the entire NHL knows the RFA wants out.

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UPDATE: Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports center Jussi Jokinen appears likely to return to the lineup for Wednesday's Game 4 in Ottawa. Denying speculation that he's dealing with an injury, the veteran faceoff specialist can't wait to get back at it.

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The New York Rangers may be without Anton Stralman for Game 4 versus the Boston Bruins. The defenseman sat out the third period of Tuesday's Game 3 after taking a hard check to the boards from Boston forward Milan Lucic. It wouldn't surprise us to hear he's concussed. As it stands, the New York Post reports Stralman's status for Thursday's must-win for the Rangers is unknown.

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The Montreal Canadiens will likely start the 2013-14 season without Alexei Emelin. RDS' Renaud Lavoie reports the big defenseman is expected to be out six months after undergoing surgery on his left knee. By our arithmetic, that adds up to a projected mid- to late-November return.

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Look for Los Angeles Kings winger Kyle Clifford to draw back into the lineup for Game 4 against the San Jose Sharks. Despite coach Darryl Sutter's reluctance to offer confirmation Tuesday, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times reports it "seems likely" that Clifford will return, on the left side of Colin Fraser and Brad Richardson. ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun suggested as much Monday.

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UPDATE: Although San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan might still be "toying" with the idea of skating defenseman Jason Demers as a forward, Tim Kennedy appears to be the likeliest substitute for Martin Havlat in Game 4. After the morning skate, Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com reported that the (re-)insertion of Kennedy appeared to be the only lineup change ahead of Tuesday's contest.

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Outside of using the option of a compliance buyout, the Tampa Bay Lightning is likely stuck with forward Vincent Lecavalier for the long haul. As part of a lengthy discussion with the Tampa Bay Times, Lecavalier recently hinted that he wasn't at all willing to waive his no-movement clause.

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