ESPN NHL

While speedy and skilled, in general, the Montreal Canadiens are on the small side. And Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette suggests GM Marc Bergevin may look to add some size via the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Supporters of the Carolina Hurricanes can exhale in relief. TSN's Aaron Ward reports forward Eric Staal doesn't appear to be in too bad shape following a nasty knee-on-knee hit from Swedish defenseman Alexander Edler at the IIHF World Championship.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

UPDATE:A return for Game 3 hasn't been ruled out yet. On Friday, Martin Havlat acknowledged the possibility of facing the Los Angeles Kings Saturday.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Unsurprisingly, the list of potential candidates to fill the coaching vacancy in Colorado is growing. Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com suggests Marc Crawford is believed to be interested in returning to his old coaching stomping grounds.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

UPDATE: The Boston Bruins could have defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and/or Wade Redden back in the mix for Sunday's Game 2. According to the Boston Globe, the team appears reasonably open to the possibility.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Todd McLellan didn't come right out and say it, but it's safe to assume the San Jose Sharks coach wasn't happy with the penalty that led to two late goals by Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis that gave the Los Angeles Kings a stunning 4-3 win over his team Thursday night.

"You go back and look at it, it looks like it changed direction" after hitting the glass, McLellan, speaking about Marc-Edouard Vlasic's late clearing attempt that resulted in a delay-of-game call that put San Jose two men down, told David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News and the rest of the media throng shortly after the crushing defeat.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reports that new Colorado Avalanche hockey ops chief Joe Sakic may have had a change of heart about hiring a coach without NHL experience.

That would seem to put former Avs legend and current Quebec junior league bench boss Patrick Roy firmly back in contention for Joe Sacco's old job. From Dater:

Indications from the Avs now are that a junior coach IS possible. I would still say Sakic would prefer an experienced guy, one who already has had an NHL head coaching job. But it's now possible that it could indeed be someone from junior, say a Patrick Roy or maybe even an AHL guy like Dallas Eakins or someone else.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

You can forget about rooting for the Seattle (insert-new-name-here) in the National Hockey League anytime soon. As Sportsnet's John Shannon points out, the decision by the NBA to reject the bid to relocate the Sacramento Kings also hurts the Seattle's shot at getting an NHL franchise. No new SuperSonics means no rush to build a new arena.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Forward Guillaume Latendresse could draw back into the Ottawa Senators' lineup for Friday's tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins. As relayed by TSN.ca, Latendresse skated in place of Matt Kassian on the Senators' third line during Thursday's practice, while Kassian was demoted to the fifth line with Jim O'Brien and Peter Regin.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

UPDATE: The Star-Ledger reports the New Jersey Devils are engaged in talks regarding David Clarkson. But the subject of actual money has reportedly yet to be addressed.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

A restricted free agent this summer, defenseman Chris Tanev may be too expensive for the Vancouver Canucks to retain under the new $64.3 million salary cap. Jim Jamieson of the Vancouver Province argues that other NHL squads will be tempted to tender an offer sheet to the 23-year-old defenseman -- one that the Canucks may not be able to match.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

The Ottawa Senators may be without defenseman Eric Gryba for Friday's Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Ottawa Citizen reports Gryba may be concussed after absorbing a hard hit from Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik during Game 1.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

UPDATE:Coach Claude Julien has confirmed to several sources -- including ESPNBoston.com's James Murphy -- that Brad Marchand is fine and will suit up for the Bruins on Thursday.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Don't count on a decision anytime soon. Adrian Dater of the Denver Post strongly suggests ("take this to the bank") it's going to be a while before the Colorado Avalanche hires a new bench boss. Likely, as discussed before, because the club wants to have a shot at hiring the current head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider