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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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Still awaiting word on whether Alain Vigneault will remain in place as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, we may have to be patient a while longer. CBC's Elliotte Friedman suggests we won't know Vigneault's immediate fate for the next few days -- at least.

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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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Poised to become a restricted free agent, Leo Komarov is weighing two very different options for next season. According to Dmitry Chesnokov, the physical forward is debating between heading back to Russia, or re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Assuming the Maple Leafs want him back, of course.

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Apparently there's an opening to coach alongside NHL bench boss Barry Trotz in Nashville. According to Josh Cooper of The Tennessean, the Nashville Predators have reportedly canned associate coach Peter Horachek. We're still awaiting confirmation from the organization (as of early Tuesday afternoon, Horachek is still listed as a member of the coaching staff on the club's website). Broadcaster Darren Pang is credited with first relaying the news via Twitter.

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