Daniel Briere has reportedly been told by the Philadelphia Flyers that he will be bought out, according to team sources.
He will be given a compliance buyout 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Finals is over, which is when those transactions can start occurring. If the Washington Capitals can't retain the services of Mike Ribeiro, who might be heading for unrestricted free agency, then Briere could be an option there.

Anthony Brodeur, who is the oldest son of future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, will play for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL next season.
He posted a 21-5-2 record with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage during his senior year at Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep. He is eligible for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Last summer, he projected as a fourth to a sixth round selection.

According to two NHL sources not associated with the Flyers, CSNPhilly.com is hearing that Anaheim is listening to offers for Bobby Ryan and Philadelphia is interested.
One source said that there's still "a lot to be worked out," but one scenario could see Braydon Coburn and the 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft going to Anaheim for Ryan. It's not uncommon for the Flyers to be mentioned in several trade rumors, but this off-season could be busy for them since they failed to make the playoffs and they have a difficult cap situation.

The Red Wings hope that Darren Helm will be able to take part in the team's development camp in mid-July.
Detroit wants to see how his ailing back has come along after a few setbacks during the lockout-shortened season. If he doesn't show improvement over the summer then he could be a candidate to start the 2013-14 campaign on injured reserve.

Marian Hossa was criticized by former Chicago Blackhawks star Tony Amonte Tuesday on WEEI-FM 93.7 in Boston.
"I think you play until you can't play anymore," said Amonte who used Nathan Horton, who is playing through a shoulder injury, as an example. Amonte said he heard that Hossa told the training staff he couldn't play after testing his upper-body injury during the warmup and it clearly irked him. "You just don't see guys do things like that in the NHL," he said. "It sounds like it came out of nowhere." Hossa is considered "likely" to play in Game 4 though, according to Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.

The Ottawa Senators will call their home building, which was previously dubbed Scotiabank Place, the Canadian Tire Centre after announcing a new eight-year agreement on Tuesday.
"Canadian Tire is an iconic brand and is one of the largest hockey retailers in the world," Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in a news release. "That represents a unique opportunity for both of our organizations to work side-by-side on a wide range of new marketing and community initiatives that will be good for our business, our hockey team and most of all, our fans."

The Ottawa Senators have talked to captain Daniel Alfredsson about returning for another season, but the veteran forward hasn't made a decision yet regarding his future.
"We have talked, I've talked to Alfie in the past couple of days," GM Bryan Murray said Tuesday. "I told him to take whatever time he needs and come back to me when you can -- as early as you can, that would help me -- but do whatever you have to do to satisfy your family to make sure you're ready to play." Alfredsson can become an unrestricted free agent on July 5, but if he decides to return then a contract should come together quickly with Ottawa.

Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw mixed it up near the end of the Game 3.
The Bruins agitator accused Shaw of eye gouging in the scrum. "Stuff happens. I've done that [punched a guy on the ice] before," said Marchand. "The eye gouge is what I didn't particularly like, but it's part of the game. I've got a nice little scratch mark on my forehead from the claw marks from the ... you know ... kitty cat." Shaw and Marchand play very similar games, so it's not surprising that they collided during the Stanley Cup Finals. Tempers boiled over late in Game 3, but there's too much om the line to be looking for revenge.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings have discussed a Jonathan Bernier trade, a league source confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi.
The Kings drafted Bernier in the first round in 2006 with the intention of making him their franchise goalie, but the development of Jonathan Quick has made Bernier, a pending RFA, expendable. The Flyers have been linked to Bernier before and are currently in the midst of another goalie crisis. As of now, the team plans to have Ilya Bryzgalov and Steve Mason battle for the job, but Bryzgalov appears destined for a buyout. In that scenario, acquiring Bernier and having him battle Mason would make a lot of sense. The Kings have reportedly mentioned young forwards Sean Couturier and Matt Read in talks with the Flyers, which could be a hefty price for Philly to pay.

St. Louis Blues sign Taylor Chorney to one-year, two-way contract.
Chorney played the entire season with Peoria of the AHL before being promoted briefly at the end of the regular season. The former second-round pick of the Oilers scored four goals and 24 points to go along with 37 penalty minutes in 73 games.

The Los Angeles Kings and Slava Voynov have reached an agreement on a six-year contract.
The Kings did not release financial terms, but multiple media outlets reported it is worth $25 million. Voynov was scheduled to be a restricted free agent on July 5 but eschewed the open market and an offer from his hometown team in the KHL to re-up long term with the Kings. The $4.17 million annual salary probably didn't hurt, either. Voynov became a rising star this year amid multiple injuries to the Kings' blueline and stands to be a top-20 defenseman in all formats next season.

Nashville Predators sign Kevin Henderson to two-year, two-way contract.
Henderson's deal will pay him the league-minimum $550,000 at the NHL level. He spent most of the 2013 season in the AHL, registering 17 goals and 29 points in 67 games with the Milwaukee Admirals. Henderson also had one goal in four games with the Predators.

Logan Couture's contract extension with the San Jose Sharks is worth $30 million over five years, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
Couture and the Sharks announced the agreement early Tuesday morning. The contract, which starts with the 2014-15 season, can't be officially signed until free agency opens July 5. It's a well-deserved raise for the 24-year-old Couture, who scored 21 goals and 37 points in 48 regular-season games and then added five goals and 11 points in 11 postseason contests.

Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula admitted he's "concerned" about the status of Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek.
Miller and Vanek are the face of the Sabres, yet both appear likely to be traded this offseason as the Sabres try to reboot their franchise. The man in charge of that reboot, GM Darcy Regier, got a full vote of confidence from Pegula, but his concern about what will happen to Miller and Vanek likely means that vote of confidence comes with an asterisk. The problem for Regier is Buffalo has a very difficult time landing free agents without overpaying, but high-salaried deals for players like Ville Leino are part of the reason the Sabres are in this situation in the first place. Truth be told, there's no easy way out of this for Regier, Pegula or the Sabres.

Marian Hossa is "likely to play" in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday night, according to Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.
Hossa was a last-minute scratch Monday night, but judging by Quenneville's comments after the game and this afternoon it sounds like he was doubtful to suit up in Game 3. Ben Smith, who took Hossa's place in the lineup, didn't warmup because Quenneville didn't want to tip his hand. If Hossa returns for Game 4, expect Smith to find himself in the press box again.

Corban Knight signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
The Flames traded a 2013 fourth-round pick to the Panthers for Knight's rights earlier Tuesday. The former fifth-round pick just finished his senior season at the University of North Dakota, netting 16 goals and 49 point in 41 games. He'll like compete for a spot on the NHL roster in training camp this September.

The Washington Capitals have given assistant coach Tim Hunter permission to interview with other clubs.
Hunter was hired last summer to provide a veteran sounding board and experience for first-time head coach Adam Oates. It's unclear why Hunter won't return, but the 14-year NHL veteran should be able to land a gig somewhere.

Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson says Ryan Murray's shoulder is back to 100 percent.
Murray underwent surgery in mid-January and is expected to be ready for "game action" by sometime in early- to mid-July, according to Davidson. The No. 2 overall pick in last June's draft, Murray should be completely ready to go once training camp opens in September, where he'll try to crack the Jackets' NHL roster.

Chris Bourque has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Bourque is currently traveling with the Bruins' Black Aces squad during the Stanley Cup final, which makes the timing of this report strange. However, Bourque has played in the KHL before and was likely ticketed for the AHL next season after being waived by the Bruins earlier this season. We'll update if anything becomes official.

Florida Panthers trade Corban Knight to Calgary Flames for 2013 fourth-round pick.
Knight was Florida's fifth-round pick in 2009, but the Panthers had difficulty signing the University of North Dakota product and chose to get something for him before Knight became a free agent. Knight had 16 goals, 49 points and 40 penalty minutes in 41 games this season for North Dakota.

Gregory Campbell (broken leg) says he's been given a six-to-eight-week recovery timetable.
Campbell suffered a broken leg in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals and underwent surgery to repair the injury last week. Campbell should be 100 percent in time for training camp.

Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien says Zdeno Chara was cut over the eye in pregame warmups and not the back of the head as reported Monday night.
Chara needed stitches after colliding with teammate Milan Lucic during warmups and there was brief concern he'd suffered a head injury during the pregame skate. The cut clearly didn't bother the Bruins' top defenseman as Chara again led Boston in minutes and again shut down Hawks star Jonathan Toews. Chara and the Bruins will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead Wednesday night.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos believes the Toronto Maple Leafs could trade for Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier because of the presence of new MLSE president Tim Leiweke.
As a former AEG exec, Leiweke had a strong hand in turning around the Kings before leaving and taking the president job at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. With Jonathan Quick firmly entrenched as the Kings' starting goalie, Bernier is expected to be traded this summer. The former first-round pick has already been linked to the Flyers -- who Kypreos cites as the other possible destination -- but the Leafs make a lot of sense, too. The Roberto Luongo rumors in Toronto haven't slowed down in a year and it's clear the Leafs are looking to at least find someone to compete with James Reimer in net. Bernier is obviously much younger than Luongo and would be much cheaper in terms of contract, but the pending RFA would also come at a higher cost in a trade or via offer sheet this summer.

Tomas Vincour has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, according to Stars beat writer Mark Stepneski.
Vincour spent the 2013 season bouncing between the AHL and the NHL. The Czech-born defenseman was then traded to the Avalanche at the trade deadline after posting three points in 15 games with the Stars and then played just two games for Colorado and registered one assist.

Pavel Datsyuk tweeted Tuesday morning that he signed a three-year contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings.
FOX Sports Detroit reported Monday night the two sides were close to an agreement and it appears Datsyuk's agent sealed the deal -- so to speak -- in his meeting with GM Ken Holland on Tuesday. The contract is expected to start after his current one ends next summer, which will carry him until he is 39 years old and essentially means Datsyuk will retire as a Red Wing. There were no financial terms announced, but his last contract averaged a $6.7 million cap hit per season. We'll update as soon as we know the numbers.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune writer Michael Russo points out that Dany Heatley's injured shoulder could create cap problems for the Minnesota Wild.
Before getting hurt, Heatley and his $5.7 million cap hit were obvious candidates for one of the team's two compliance buyouts. However, injured players can't be bought out and it's unclear if Heatley will be healthy in time for the first buyout window, which begins 48 hours after the Stanley Cup final ends and stops when free agency opens on July 5. According to Russo, the Wild currently have a little over $6 million to fill out the roster and sign a No. 1 goaltender, which is hardly enough. Russo speculates the team could deal several players, such as Devin Setoguchi, Kyle Brodziak, Cal Clutterbuck and/or Tom Gilbert. There's also a second buyout window later in the summer that could give the Wild some breathing room, but the Wild would need at least one of their two arbitration-eligible players to file for arbitration.

Damien Brunner admitted he tired after playing in Sweden during the lockout and then joining the NHL's Red Wings for his rookie season.
Brunner said he played in a total of 91 games between Sweden and the NHL, which is pretty close to the amount he'd have played in if the NHL season hadn't been cut short by the lockout. "At some point there's going to be games I'd be hitting the wall but only because it was tough to adjust for me the travel and the time difference," Brunner said. "The good thing is I came back after that 15- or 20-game slump and played better hockey in the postseason." Brunner is scheduled to be a UFA and says he'd like to return, but the two sides are reportedly having difficulty agreeing on his value after just one season.

Martin St. Louis turned 38 years of age today.
Happy Birthday, Marty! He's been hard at work preparing in the off-season since the middle of May. "I took two weeks off, and I got right back into it in mid May," St. Louis said. "I was able to train for two and a half weeks before I met my trainer, so my first stage is already done. Usually, that takes three weeks. I did it in 15 days. I've been pushing my workouts along to try to get as many as I can. I'm ahead of the game in terms of where I usually am at this time of year." He feels confident about Tampa Bay's future and he has faith in GM Steve Yzerman. St. Louis proved that he could still skate with the best of them during the lockout-shortened season by leading the league with 60 points and 43 assists in 48 games. He also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the third time in the past four years this past campaign.

Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings are close to a multi-year contract extension, according to FOX Sports Detroit.
Datsyuk's agent is scheduled to fly to Detroit on Tuesday to talk with Wings GM Ken Holland and Datsyuk tweeted late Monday night, "big day tomorrow. ." A source told FOX Sports Detroit that negotiations have gone very well and the two sides are extremely close to a deal that would keep Datsyuk is Detroit well beyond next season, when his current contract is set to expire. There had been talk after the lockout that Datsyuk would return to Russia after his contract expired, but it looks now like that was nothing more than leverage for contract talks.

Bryan Bickell has yet to score in the Stanley Cup final, which he attributes to trying to do too much.
Bickell was a revelation for Chicago in the first three rounds, with eight goals and 13 points in 17 games before the Cup final. Against Boston though, Bickell has yet to even register an assist through three games. "I need to get back to being more simple," Bickell said Monday night. "There are times when I'm getting too cute and trying to make the better play. . I still feel confident, I just need to stick with my game plan to keep it simple."

Vincent Lecavalier would like to spend the rest of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he understands that he could be the target of a compliance buyout.
"It's something that's really hard to think about, but you see it all the time in sports and business," Lecavalier said. "Sometimes there are changes. It's something you have to adapt to with your family and the city." Agent Kent Hughes said. "We understand this is a difficult contract. There's nothing we can do to change that on our end given the restrictions incorporated into the collective bargaining agreement. Ultimately, it's a decision the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to assess and make." Lecavalier has $45 million left over seven seasons and he is set to earn $10 million in each of the next three, so it would be an expensive buyout. It's probably more likely that the Bolts will try to trade or buyout Ryan Malone if they want to shed some cap space.

The Blackhawks were 0-for-5 on the power play in Monday night's 2-0 Game 3 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Monday's blanking means Chicago hasn't scored a power-play goal in 20 straight chances this postseason, which is starting to upset some of the players. "It's just time to get a goal," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "There's nothing more to say about it." Coach Joel Quenneville called the Hawks' man-advantage unit "not good" and it's hard to disagree with him or Keither. Chicago consistently had trouble getting pucks even into the zone to set up. Once the Hawks did get into the zone, they often made one pass too many or couldn't keep a bouncing puck in at the line. The absence of Marian Hossa was clearly felt, but it's clearly more than a Game 3 issue.

According to some reports, Philadelphia will buy out the remainder of Ilya Bryzgalov's contract, but that may not happen unless the Flyers have a trade in place to acquire another goaltender.
The Flyers may trade someone, like Braydon Coburn or Andrej Meszaros, if they can't wipe out Bryzgalo's contract and reports indicate that Daniel Briere will be bought out. The team is believed to be interested in Los Angeles' Jonathan Bernier as a an option between the pipes in what is shaping up to be an intriguing off-season in Philadelphia.

Ben Smith said he didn't find out he was playing in Game 3 until after pregame warmups.
Smith was inserted into the lineup when Marian Hossa couldn't go after testing out his upper-body injury in the pregame skate. Hossa's absence forced Joel Quenneville to get extremely creative with his lines. Smith skated with Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland, while Jonathan Toews was flanked by Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik and Patrick Kane played alongside Brandon Saad and Michal Handzus. "It was kind of a wild night," said Smith. "I was just grateful to be a part of it, to get an opportunity. I just wish we could have gotten the win."

According to source the Flyers were considering trying to trade Daniel Briere prior to the 2013 NHL Entry Draft later this month.
However, according to the source that plan has changed now and Philadelphia appear to be resolved to buying out the remainder of his contract. He has a no-movement clause and would need to approve any trade, so using a compliance buyout is the easier route. The Flyers have to shed some cap space after reportedly agreeing in principle to a 4-year, $21 million deal with defenseman Mark Streit.

Flames CEO/president Ken King says Brendan Shanahan is a candidate to join Calgary's front office but won't replace GM Jay Feaster.
Shanahan admitted Friday that he met with Flames management last week and there was speculation the NHL's czar of discipline was in line to replace Feaster. "This is not a death watch," King said Monday. "I can tell you we are now on a long-term process to add depth to our hockey operations. We want to get back to where we should be, and this is something we think is consistent with that. We have a GM, and Jay is involved in this process." It remains to be seen if Shanahan might be offered a front office position or what sort of role he would have with the Flames.

Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren didn't confirm the signing of Mark Streit, which isn't surprising.
Announcing a deal would violate the salary cap right now, so Holmgren's official statement was that there's "nothing to report." He added that he continues to have talks with Streit's agent and he "remains confident that we will get something done," but according to reports the two sides have agreed in principal to a 4-year, $21 million contract.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, New Jersey owner Jeff Vanderbeek missed an interest payment and now risks defaulting on its new loan.
A missed interest payment in April of nearly $3 million has the team looking to raise as much as $20 million by selling a minority stake. The Devils declined to comment on the situation and the NHL, which has already aided the club financially twice before, said the story was inaccurate but they declined to give specifics.

Chris Kreider should benefit from a fresh start with whoever takes over as the new head coach of the New York Rangers.
Reports indicate that former Vancouver bench boss Alain Vigneault will take over for John Tortorella, who was also let go after his team's 2013 playoff defeat. Under Vigneault a player like Kreider could thrive because he should get more freedom to create offense off the rush and use his speed.

Quinton Howden will add some muscle this off-season so that he can earn a roster spot out of training camp.
"It was awesome, a big learning step for me," Howden said of his first NHL experience in 2013. "Obviously, the speed of the game is big. They're men and you just can't go around guys anymore. You need strength to make plays." He skated in 18 games with the Panthers, but wasn't able to record a point. Howden ended up with 21 hits, 22 shots and a minus-11 rating.

2013 Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau hopes to "get the Hart [Trophy] one day."
"I'm going to work hard for it, but it's the team first and after you get the personal awards," he said. Huberdeau is currently hard at work rehabilitating from his off-season hip procedure and he hopes to add more explosiveness to his skating and strengthen his lower body. He expects to be able to resume on-ice work in August.

Gregory Campbell attended Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
He sustained a broken leg, which required surgery to repair, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus Pittsburgh. Campbell was seen on walking around on crutches, but having him around probably gave his teammates a lift Monday night in their 2-0 victory.

Jaromir Jagr took sole possession of fifth place on the NHL's all-time postseason points list on Monday night.
He picked up an assist in Game 3 versus Chicago to break his tie with Paul Coffey. Jagr has amassed 197 playoff points in 199 games. He has no goal and eight helpers in 19 contests during his latest postseason run with Boston.

Patrice Bergeron was dominant in the faceoff circle in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
He won 24 of the 28 draws he took for a masterful 85.7 winning percentage. Bergeron also registered seven shots on goal and he netted a power-play goal in the contest. His marker was Boston's second in a 2-0 victory Monday night.

Tyler Seguin still isn't having much luck in the goal-scoring department, but he does have three assists in his past three games.
He has collected a helper in each game of the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago. Seguin is playing well with energy forwards Daniel Paille and Chris Kelly on Boston's newly-formed third line. However, he has only one goal in 19 postseason contests.

Chris Kelly picked up an assist in Game 3 Monday night.
He got his first point of the postseason in Game 2 versus Chicago when he scored a goal. Kelly had been woeful offensively all season, but he's starting to produce in the Stanley Cup Finals. Goals have been hard to come by in the past two games, so getting a point in consecutive contests is something worth mentioning right now. Kelly also won eight of his 11 faceoffs in the match.

Boston has killed of all 11 of Chicago's power plays during the Stanley Cup Finals.
"Our power play tonight was definitely not good," said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville after Monday night's 2-0 loss in Game 3. Chicago went 0-for-5 in the contest and Boston scored once on four of their opportunities. Thanks in part to their special teams the Bruins currently have a 2-1 series lead.

The Winnipeg Jets will play the Washington Capitals in a pre-season "Kraft Hockeyville" contest on Sept. 14 in Belleville, Ont.
"The Kraft Hockeyville program is an exciting celebration of the game of hockey and the Winnipeg Jets are proud to be a part of it once again," Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said in a statement. "We look forward to facing off against our former divisional rival, the Washington Capitals, as well as visiting the community of Stirling-Rawdon in September."

The San Jose Sharks have agreed to terms on a contract extension with center Logan Couture.
TSN and ESPN.com reported Monday night that the deal is a five- or six-year extension. The contract cannot be officially signed until July 5. A first-round pick by the Sharks in 2007, the 24-year-old Couture has been San Jose's top goal-scorer the past two years. In 48 games last season, the Guelph, Ont, native scored 21 goals and added 16 assists. In 232 career NHL games, he's scored 89 goals and 78 assists with a plus- 31 rating.

Marian Hossa was scratched due to an upper-body injury and was considered a game-time decision entering warmups Monday night.
Hossa was a last-minute scratch after going through warmups and there had been some thought he was injured during the pregame skate. However, Jonathan Toews said the Hawks were prepared all day for Hossa to possibly sit, so it's obviously something that was lingering from at least Game 2. Coach Joel Quenneville said Hossa is officially day-to-day and is hopeful the veteran winger will be able to suit up for Wednesday's Game 4. We'd like to say we'll know more after Tuesday's morning skate, but chances are Hossa will be a game-time call again Wednesday night.

Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 35 shots in Monday night's 2-0 Game 3 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Crawford got hung out to dry on both goals and was the only reason the game was still scoreless after the first period. Crawford hasn't been the reason Chicago has lost either of the last two games, but it's starting to look like he has to be nearly perfect for the Blackhawks to win a game. Crawford and the Hawks will look to rebound and even the series in Wednesday's Game 4.

Dave Bolland finished Monday's Game 3 loss with six penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating.
The stats don't really tell the whole story for Bolland, who had a nightmare Game 3. Bolland was just 1-for-8 on faceoffs and was also the primary victim on Boston's first goal when he got his pocket picked from behind by Daniel Paille. It's pretty clear Bolland isn't anywhere close to 100 percent, but nights like this will put him in Joel Quenneville's doghouse for at least a couple days.

Jonathan Toews was held scoreless again despite putting five shots on goal.
Toews has had a nightmare of a time playing against Boston's top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. When Toews does get past those two, he's been stopped at every turn by Tuukka Rask. It's been the same story for Toews for much of this postseason and the Chicago captain has just one goal in 20 postseason contests. If the Blackhawks plan to win this series, they'll need to find a way to get their top players going.

Daniel Paille scored the first goal of the Boston Bruins' eventual 2-0 Game 3 win Monday night.
Paille's speed and strong forecheck helped Boston set the tone from the very beginning. Right before he scored, the Bruins were swarming the Blackhawks in their zone, with Paille, Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly ripping shots at Corey Crawford. The trio combined for a goal and two assists on the night and might have been Boston's best line in Game 3.

Tuukka Rask stopped all 27 shots in a shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks to help the Boston Bruins take a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup final.
The Blackhawks didn't test him much and the Bruins defensemen kept Chicago's forwards to the outside much of the time, but Rask was clearly locked in from the drop of the puck. Rask also did a very good job of controlling rebounds and got a little help from the post on a Bryan Bickell shot in the final minutes of the third period. It was another strong performance to add to Rask's potential Conn Smythe resume.

Zdeno Chara needed stitches after colliding with teammate Milan Lucic in pregame warmups, according to multiple media outlets.
Chara ended up hitting the ice after losing his edge. The hulking defenseman slid into the back of Lucic's legs and it appeared Lucic's skate may have made contact with Chara's head. It didn't bother him enough to keep him off the ice. Chara picked up an assist and while playing a team-high 25:47 and again teamed with Dennis Seidenberg to shut down Jonathan Toews. The Bruins now lead the series 2-1.

Marian Hossa was a last-minute scratch for Monday's Game 3 vs. the Boston Bruins.
There was no reason given for the scratch, but the timing of it certainly was stunning. Hossa's absence will make a big impact on Chicago's lineup and could give Boston the leg up it needs in an otherwise dead-even series. Ben Smith will take Hossa's spot in the lineup, but coach Joel Quenneville will likely have to do some juggling to make up for Hossa's absence.

The Nashville Predators will almost certainly be looking for a backup goaltender this summer.
It looks like the Predators aren't going to re-sign Chris Mason, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July. "It didn't work out the way we had scripted it when he signed," Predators GM David Poile said. "First of all, we scripted an 82-game schedule with lots of opportunities to play. Then we get into a 48-game schedule, Pekka gets all the games we thought would be designated to Chris, and we had nothing to show for it. We really put him in a bad position and he was unable to do his thing." Mason ended up with a 3.73 GAA and .873 save percentage in 11 games in 2013.

Mark Streit's new four-year contract with Philadelphia will reportedly come with a $5.25 million cap hit.
That's in line with what was projected, but it is still a ton of money for a team that's in a rough cap position. Assuming that the reports that Streit has signed are true, Philadelphia will need to do something significant just to get under the ceiling. It's believed that they will use their compliance buyouts on Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov, which will take both players off their books from a cap perspective.

Marco Scandella has agreed to a two-year deal with the Minnesota Wild.
Scandella's new contract comes with a $1.025 million annual cap hit. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. The 23-year-old has four goals and 15 points in 89 career NHL games.

Mark Streit has reportedly signed a four-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Streit was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Philadelphia acquired the rights to Streit from the New York Islanders in exchange for Shane Harper and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014. He'll turn 36 in December, but he's still a great offensive defenseman and particularly effective with the man advantage. The financial terms of the deal aren't known yet, but he was reportedly seeking something north of $5 million annually. The Flyers' cap situation was bad to begin with and it's likely they'll fix that by using their compliance buyouts on Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov.

Mark Streit has reportedly signed a four-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Streit was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Philadelphia acquired the rights to Streit from the New York Islanders in exchange for Shane Harper and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014. He'll turn 36 in December, but he's still a great offensive defenseman and particularly effective with the man advantage. The financial terms of the deal aren't known yet, but he was reportedly seeking something north of $5 million annually. The Flyers' cap situation was bad to begin with and it's likely they'll fix that by using their compliance buyouts on Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov.

Alain Vigneault reportedly inked a five-year contract with the Rangers that will pay him around $2 million annually.
The Rangers haven't confirmed that they have picked Vigneault to serve as the team's next head coach. Vigneault has a 422-288-35-61 career record in regular season NHL games as a bench boss, but he hasn't won the Stanley Cup. The closest he came was in 2011 when the Vancouver Canucks came just one win shy of beating the Boston Bruins. Joining the Rangers would provide Vigneault with a great shot at finally fulfilling that goal.

After spending two games as a healthy scratch, Viktor Stalberg is going to try to keep things simple in his return on Monday.
"The way the Bruins play, I think it's about speed, getting pucks to the net, be hungry around the net," Stalberg said. "That's what I need to do." He's projected to replace Brandon Bollig on the fourth line.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson hinted that his team might sign Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture to contract extensions this summer.
"We have a lot of flexibility going forward. We have lots of flexibility in two years, which ties into some of the players that you're asking about us signing this summer," Wilson in reference to Couture and Pavelski. "We've been fortunate to have players that understand what we're trying to accomplish. We're not a team that's going to miss the playoffs for five or seven years and go into a rebuild. We don't believe in that. We want to reset on the fly, and it only works when you have players that understand what it is we're trying to accomplish, and participate in it." Couture is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014 while Pavelski is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the same time. Locking them both up now would go a long way towards solidifying the core of San Jose's offense for years to come.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson hinted that his team might sign Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture to contract extensions this summer.
"We have a lot of flexibility going forward. We have lots of flexibility in two years, which ties into some of the players that you're asking about us signing this summer," Wilson in reference to Couture and Pavelski. "We've been fortunate to have players that understand what we're trying to accomplish. We're not a team that's going to miss the playoffs for five or seven years and go into a rebuild. We don't believe in that. We want to reset on the fly, and it only works when you have players that understand what it is we're trying to accomplish, and participate in it." Couture is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014 while Pavelski is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the same time. Locking them both up now would go a long way towards solidifying the core of San Jose's offense for years to come.

Riley Sheahan has made some significant strides forward in his first full season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.
"He's put himself in a position, in the future, to become a Red Wing," Griffins coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's impossible to say (when), but it has to do with opportunity and how he continues to improve." Sheahan has been maturing since his drunk driving incident in October. He ended up with 16 goals and 36 points in 72 AHL games. He'll work on his strength and skating over the summer and likely start the 2013-14 campaign in the minors.

Riley Sheahan has made some significant strides forward in his first full season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.
"He's put himself in a position, in the future, to become a Red Wing," Griffins coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's impossible to say (when), but it has to do with opportunity and how he continues to improve." Sheahan has been maturing since his drunk driving incident in October. He ended up with 16 goals and 36 points in 72 AHL games. He'll work on his strength and skating over the summer and likely start the 2013-14 campaign in the minors.

The Toronto Maple Leafs talks with Tyler Bozak are reportedly not going well.
The Maple Leafs inked Mikhail Grabovski to a five-year/$27.5 million deal and it seems like there's some buyers remorse there. Bozak, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, might be itching for a similar contract, but the Leafs supposedly don't want to go down that road again. If the two sides can't work anything out, Bozak will probably be one of the better centers on the market.

The Vancouver Canucks reportedly plan to interview John Tortorella for a second time.
It sounds like one of the Canucks concerns is Tortorella's handling of the media during his days with the New York Rangers. Tortorella confrontations with the press and his tendency to sometimes share raw and unfiltered opinions seems to be an area of concern for them. Los Angeles Kings Kings assistant John Stevens is believed to be another candidate that's being seriously considered.

Brandon Bollig is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday.
Viktor Stalberg will take his spot in the lineup. Bollig had a minus-one rating and a team-low 8:42 minutes in Chicago's 2-1 overtime loss on Saturday.

The Vancouver Canucks have confirmed that they have signed Joacim Eriksson.
The Canucks didn't announce the terms of the deal. Eriksson is coming off of three successful campaigns in the Swedish Elite League. He posted a 1.67 GAA and .931 save percentage in 30 SEL games last season. The Vancouver Canucks are expected to trade Roberto Luongo this summer, so Eriksson might serve as Corey Schneider's understudy.

Viktor Stalberg will be inserted into the Blackhawks' lineup for Game 3 on Monday.
Stalberg was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. He's likely to start the game on Chicago's fourth line.

Cristopher Nilstorp has agreed to a one year, two-way extension with the Dallas Stars.
Nilstorp is projected to start the 2013-14 campaign in the AHL, but he might get a couple stints with Dallas next season depending on the health of their top two goaltenders. He had a 3.09 GAA and .897 save percentage in five NHL starts in 2013.

The Predators signed Joe Piskula to a one-year, two way contract.
The deal is worth $550,000 in the NHL. The blueliner had three goals, 11 assists and 66 penalty minutes in the AHL this year. He was sent from Calgary to Nashville prior to the trade deadline.

Even though they didn't win the Stanley Cup and most of the players he acquired during the season might prove to be just rentals, Penguins GM Ray Shero still thinks those acquisitions were beneficial in the long run.
Shero acquired Jarome Iginla, Douglas Murray, Jussi Jokinen, and Brenden Morrow before the trade deadline. "It didn't get us to where we hoped to be, and that's still playing right now and competing for a Stanley Cup," Shero said. "But to bring in the guys like Murray and Morrow and Jokinen and Iginla and some of the experience that they brought and imparted on our group and our kids and our coaches and myself is, I think, very important moving forward for this team and the players." Shero won the GM of the Year award.

Sidney Crosby only narrowly lost the 2013 Hart Trophy.
Alex Ovechkin finished with 1090 points in the Hart vote to Crosby's 1058. Crosby still ended up winning the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the league's top player as voted on by active members of the NHLPA.

CSNBayArea.com writer Kevin Kurz says that the Sharks' number-one priority this offseason should be giving Logan Couture a long-term deal.
The 24-year-old has a year remaining on his current deal at $3 million, but it would behoove them to get something done now, even if he's just a restricted free agent next season. Couture has developed into one of the great young stars in the game, earning an All-Star nod in 2012 and twice being a 30-goal scorer. He had 21 goals and 16 assists in 48 games this year.

The Ottawa Senators and coach Paul MacLean are reportedly in talks about an extension that would run through the 2015-16 campaign.
"There is nothing at the moment, but hopefully. We like what he does with us and I hope he likes what we do for him, with him," said Senators GM Bryan Murray. MacLean is the reigning Jack Adams Award winner and the two sides should be able to agree to terms in the not too distant future.

The Wings are taking a very close look at the Panthers' Stephen Weiss.
According to Elliotte Friedman on "Hockey Night in Canada," the team has "inquired on the rights" to the center. The Stars and Maple Leafs have also asked the Panthers about Weiss. The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5 and is coming off a a season in which he notched a goal and three assists in 17 games. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, however.

Daniel Alfredsson considers winning the 2013 Mark Messier Leadership Award a "tremendous honor."
"It's a great award because it recognizes all the work you do on and off the ice, and especially coming from a guy like Mark Messier, who exemplifies hard work and leadership in our game," Alfredsson said. The question now is whether or not he'll return for the 2013-14 campaign and he doesn't have an answer yet. If he decides he wants to extend his career, he should have no problem getting a new contract out of the Ottawa Senators.

Twenty years later, the Stars will return to the Fort Worth Convention Center to host their four-day training camp, which will go from Sept. 11-14.
The Stars were last here in their first season in Dallas, 1993. President Jim Lites is the same person who brought the Stars to Fort Worth in his first tenure as team president, and with the team rebranding now, he'll do it again. "We said, "Where are we going to run training camp in the new world order?'" Lites said. "I said, let's think about Fort Worth, and next thing I know we've got a deal cut with the Convention Center and Mayor [Betsy] Price is throwing her weight behind us, businesses there are supporting us and wanting to get involved with us, and we're wanting to get involved with them."

John Tavares ranked third in the vote for the Hart Trophy.
Tavares had 28 goals and 47 points in 48 games in 2013. Over the past four seasons, he's established himself as an elite player and led the young Islanders to the playoffs. With former captain Mark Streit gone, it wouldn't be surprising to see Tavares wear the 'C' next season.

The Dallas Morning News' Mike Heika speculates that ex-Sabres coach Lindy Ruff will now move atop the Stars' coaching list.
After Alain Vigneault, who was clearly Dallas' top choice, removed his name from contention, the Stars will have to shift gears. Former Rangers coach John Tortorella could be in the mix now. Heika says the Stars might also wait until July 1 to see if Coyotes coach Dave Tippett stays. Texas Stars coach Willie Desjardins and Grand Rapids Griffins bench boss Jeff Blashill "will almost surely" be interviewed, too.

Assuming the reports are true and Alain Vigneault will be the New York Rangers' head coach, his introductory press conference isn't expected to happen before Thursday.
That's because Rangers GM Glen Sather is currently in California and will soon head to Boston for Wednesday's general managers meeting. That being said, the Rangers might confirm that Vigneault will be the team's head coach as early as Monday.

Henrik Lundqvist finished second in the Vezina Trophy vote.
Sergei Bobrovsky won the award after securing 17 first-place votes among the 30 NHL GMs. Lundqvist had a chance to take home the top goaltending honors in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Martin Brodeur did it in 2007 and 2008. Lundqvist had a 2.05 GAA and .926 save percentage in 43 starts in 2013.

Sergei Bobrovksy knows there's a lot to improve upon next season, despite winning the Vezina Trophy this year.
"No question, there is a lot more to be done," Bobrovsky said through a translator after accepting the award. "This is not my final stage. I can still be better." Bobrovsky finished with a 2.00 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. "It's back-to-work time for Sergei," goalie coach Ian Clark said. "We've highlighted some areas in his game that we can work on, a few aspects he can sharpen up to get to an even higher level. "It was an amazing season. The award was deserved. But there's still so much more inside this guy, and he wants to show it."

The Blackhawks know they have a tough task ahead in wrestling back the momentum from the Bruins.
The Bruins are coming off an overtime win and are now on home ice. Patrick Kane believes its a welcome challenge to try to steal that momentum back. "I guess the main thing is to always keep it (their game) simple. If you can 
do that, usually you can take away some of their momentum," Kane said. "I think right now they do have it, especially after the last overtime
period where it seemed like they had a lot of chances compared to ours; they got the winning goal, too. It's something we'll look forward to getting back in Game 3."

Viktor Stalberg might draw back into the lineup for Game 3.
He'd be replacing Brandon Bollig, whose inability to get the puck out of the zone in overtime cost the Blackhawks the game. Stalberg has three assists in 15 games this postseason, but provides more speed and offense than the more physical Bollig.

The Hawks are aware that the hits will keep on coming from the Bruins.
Boston finished with a 50-34 edge in hits in Game 2, with 34 coming in the first period and a half. Even though that was a time when the Blackhawks were controlling the game, the hitting eventually seemed to wear down Chicago, as it was a step slower toward the end. "We've got to be harder to play against than we were [in Game 2]," coach Joel Quenneville said. "[Making sure] we're not deterred in where we have to travel to be successful is something we have to talk about."

Flames general manager Jay Feaster has yet to acknowledge coming to terms on a contract with Finnish goalie Karri Ramo.
Reports have indicated that Ramo inked an NHL deal, but Feaster really can't comment until deals can become official July 5. "I can't say anything about Ramo," said Feaster, "other than the fact that we've obviously had conversations with his agent. He wants to come over. July 5 is when, under the rules, we're allowed to sign him. I'm optimistic about that."

There has been no indication from Miikka Kiprusoff that he will retire this offseason.
The 36-year-old has a year left at $1.5 million on his contract, and many expect him to hang up his skates this summer. But Flames general manager has yet to receive word from the netminder. "I talked with him just this week," said Feaster. "and we made sure he knows that we will wait for him to be sure about what he wants to do."

Flames general manager Jay Feaster realizes there is no "quick fix" to becoming a great team.
Feaster understands that after finishing last a year ago and 25th this season, his team is in total rebuild mode. "I don't think there's a quick fix," Feaster said. "The fact of the matter is, we have to do a better job as an organization in drafting. There's not enough players that are pushing through right now. We have to do a better job of developing players. ... And we have to continue to add assets. We can't keep trading away high draft picks and trying for that solution that gets us into the playoffs ... at the expense of the foundation."

The 2013 draft is considered the "most important in Flames' history."
Dubbed so by the Calgary Sun, this is a crucial juncture for the Flames because they are in a rebuild and have three first-round picks. It's quite odd, then, that there was a report that they wanted to trade all three of their first-rounders (Nos. 6, 22, 28) to the Avalanche for their first-overall pick. Calgary has the ability to do some damage in this draft and infuse some more high-end youth into the organization.

With his 2013 Norris Trophy victory, P.K. Subban's name will be on the Canadiens' dressing room Honor Roll, which highlights the major award winners throughout the franchise's storied history.
"I've looked at that plaque many, many, many times," Subban added. "I can tell you this: I never thought my name would be there. My only thought to myself is that I'll try to be the best player I can be every day. If that results in me getting an award for being best at my position, then great. But I never believed that would have happened. My goal is to win a Stanley Cup. The day I was drafted by the Canadiens, I never said my goal was to win the Norris Trophy. My goal is to bring a Stanley Cup back to Montreal." The Canadiens have some significant question marks going into the 2013-14 campaign, but Subban isn't one of them. He should be one of the best offensive defenseman in the league next season.

Chicago has allowed only four power-play goals in 63 chances in the playoffs.
It's a good thing because of its problems on its own man advantage. The Blackhawks have killed off four of five power plays against the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. Coach Joel Quenneville credits his players, pointing out the work of Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger. "I just think that duo is the thing that's been the most noticeable," Quenneville said. And Kruger and Frolik credit their ability to "read off" each other in order to know where to be.

Jonathan Huberdeau wasn't expecting to win the 2013 Calder Trophy.
"It was a surprise. There were two other guys who had great rookie years," Huberdeau said. With 31 points in 48 games, he narrowly beat Brendan Gallagher and Brandon Saad in terms of points. That said, Huberdeau was also second worst among all rookies with a minus-15 rating.

Even though the Blackhawks are a dangerous offensive team, they are mired in a slump on the power play.
Chicago hasn't scored in six chances against the Bruins, and it is 0-for-its-last-15 in the playoffs. The Blackhawks obviously made due with an underwhelming power play in the regular season (ranked 19th at 16.6 percent), but they are only 12.3 percent in the playoffs. It's under the microscope now because goals don't come easy.

Chris Kelly went nearly two full months between points.
Kelly didn't have a point in 17 playoff games before he finally netted a goal in Boston's 2-1 overtime victory on Saturday. "I think he's been snake bitten for quite a while," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "When you don't score, eventually you get scored on, and the minuses keep creeping up. That was certainly something that bothered him. [But] I thought he played well tonight. He's played well in some games. He hasn't been able to produce. So tonight is a good night for him, a good time to obviously have a great game." Kelly had just nine points in 34 games in the regular season, but he is capable of doing more offensively than those numbers imply. We'll see if he can build off of his slump busting game.

Milan Lucic had a game-high 10 hits in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That physicality helped the Bruins turn the tide after a one-sided first period. "The sense of desperation came into our game," said Lucic. "We were desperate on pucks, and trying to hunt pucks and win puck battles before after the first period. Being physical is a big part of our game, and when things aren't going your way you try to get yourself into it any way that you can. For me, that's what I was trying to do: just get physical and get in on the forecheck. It seemed like things started to happen for us after that. We talked before the series about how important a factor the fore-check was going to be, and we need to keep that up."