Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

@Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for timely NHL & poolie info, along with occasionally snarky comments.

Live blogging nightly: line combos, defensive pairings, analysis, statistical trends and more from every game on the NHL docket. Refresh the 'Live NHL Recap' page while the games are on to get new info as it is added.

Send in a brief fantasy hockey question, including all relevant league info, and it may be included in a future Hockey Hearsay blog during the week. One per person, please. Send it via Twitter for a possible response in the blog, or send via email (include your first name and hometown to represent!) if you'd prefer. chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relays that Penguins centre Sidney Crosby, saying he hopes to be able to attend the NHL All-Star Game, today strongly dismissed a Canadian newspaper report that he might boycott that game because he is angry that the league did not appropriately punish the players whose hits left him with a concussion.

"That's not even close," Crosby said of the story in the Globe and Mail. "I'll be there if I can be there. I still haven't ruled out being there. Hopefully, the next few days things get better and there's still a slight chance I could be back for that. That's what I'm hoping. If I can be there, I'll be there."

Crosby, speaking for the first time in 10 days, will miss his sixth game in a row tonight because of a concussion caused by some combination of hits to the head by Washington's David Steckel Jan. 1 and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman Jan. 5. Steckel received no penalty, Hedman a boarding penalty. Neither was suspended or fined the by NHL. Crosby earlier said he did not like the hits and felt they violated the NHL's rules against hits to the head.

"It's out of my hands," he said today. "I can't control what's called and not called. If anything, it's frustrating being out, but that's not what fuels the frustration. The frustrating part is just not being able to play hockey every day."

The Post-Gazette notes Crosby said even if he isn't able to compete at the All-Star weekend, Jan. 28-30 at Carolina, he will be there if possible to take part in promotional, fan and media events.

"I've definitely gotten better," Crosby said. "It's kind of hard to judge because it's not something I've gone through [before], but I feel like I'm progressing.

"It's kind of on and off. As far as symptoms, it's mostly headaches and that kind of thing. Once you get better, I think you realize how far you've come. Some days you feel good, you feel like you've had progress, and there's other days that are a little bit tougher. That's kind of all tied into it.

"The good thing is that it has gotten better. It's tough to really put a timetable on it, but I feel like I've progressed a lot, especially the past week or so."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Thrashers have traded forward Ben Eager to San Jose for a fifth-round draft pick.

Eager, who just completed a four-game suspension, appeared in 34 games for the Thrashers with three goals and seven assists. He led the team with 77 penalty minutes.

Eager was acquired, along with Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel and prospect Akim Aliu, from Chicago during the offseason.

Eager was recently suspended after receiving a match penalty for punching Toronto’s Colby Armstrong. He was a healthy scratch in six of seven games in December. He also missed four games with a lower-body injury.

The Sharks also acquired Kyle Wellwood, who had signed with the St. Louis Blues after leaving the KHL but had to pass through NHL waivers.

The Blues also lost Marek Svatos to Nashville on waivers after signing him.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the Sharks are also reassigning Andrew Desjardins, Brandon Mashinter and Justin Braun to Worcester.

In fantasy terms, neither Eager nor Wellwood will likely have too much of an impact. Eager is a PIM source and there are likely better ones out there at that, although you may be able to target certain match-ups. Wellwood will fit inside the bottom six forwards, but with the way the Sharks have juggled their lines this season we shouldn't be too surprised to see Wellwood worked into a top six situation at some point because he does have offensive skills. He may also get some PP2 time. Honestly though, unless your league is extremely deep there's really no reason to rush out and get him at this point.

Naturally, the Sharks could care less about the fantasy value and believe these two moves today helped the team. The Mercury News offered this after the trade today:

“I think he’s a very engaged player,” Sharks GM Doug Wilson said of Eager, citing “his speed and his size… and what he’s accomplished in the last couple years. I think we’re a better team when we’re engaged in playing the game and I think he fits very well for us.”

Eager, Wilson added, “is a guy that contributes to his team in several different ways and the other team knows when he’s on the ice. It’s like getting a big Scotty Nichol.”

Wilson said the recent six-game losing streak wasn’t a factor in acquiring Eager. But injuries are and, maybe most importantly, so is the timing.

“Part of it is we always give our young players the opportunity to show what they can do and I’m very proud of them,” Wilson said. “This is the playoff mode, this is the man’s time of the year and adding to our depth of players who can contribute in those areas is very important.”

The Mercury News notes that Wilson said this wasn’t a sign that Clowe could be out an extended period of time. More importantly, you have to think the GM isn’t in love with the idea of Clowe being the first to drop the gloves most nights when things need to get a little physical.

As far as claiming Kyle Wellwood off the waiver wire and blocking the Blues in their attempt to bring him back from the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, Wilson said “it gives us veteran depth with our injury situation and adds experience for our coaches to draw upon.”

Wilson didn’t say so specifically, but Torrey Mitchell’s presence on injured reserve probably requires that kind of depth at this point.

“He’s on a two-way contract,” Wilson said of Wellwood, “and that’s all the flexibility we need.”

Wellwood had weight and conditioning issues last season with Vancouver, and Wilson indicated that players who have gone through something like that feel they have something to prove when given a second chance.

The Tampa Tribune believes that Dwayne Roloson and the Tampa Bay Lightning are together for all the right seasons.

Minutes after his home debut against the Washington Capitals on Friday, in which he recorded a shutout to secure a 3-0 win that put the Lightning in sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division, the 41-year-old goalie identified one of the elements he'd come to appreciate about his new team.

"Their work ethic, their tenacity, their willingness, everything to achieve the ultimate goal," he said. "Everyone's mindset and direction is pointed towards the ultimate goal and that's great."

Fittingly, the fervor he senses from the organization that acquired him in a trade on New Year's Day is the same quality they like in him.

"He's one of the first on the ice and last one to leave," Lightning goaltending consultant Frantz Jean said. "He always wants a couple of extra reps. I'm very impressed by him to tell you the truth, that at 41, to still have that drive and dedication to get better."

The Tribune says his new teammates are impressed.

"He's amazing," All-Star centre Steven Stamkos said. "I had a chance to play with Roli at the World Championships two summers ago, so I know what he's all about. He's a big performer. It's amazing what he can do at his age. He's still one of the most energetic guys out there."

Wins and losses may not convey his overall impact on the Lightning.

"What impresses me with him is his game preparation," Boucher said. "He actually meditates before the game and he sees the game in his mind. So, when you see somebody that's had so much experience and still pays attention to detail, I think it has an affect on the rest of the team, not just our goaltenders."

Roloson has a youthful hunger.

"There are a lot of players that get to a certain age and they just go through the motion, but he always looks at trying to improve," Jean said. "I think that's why he's been in the league for so long and that's why he's as good as he is right now."

The article points out that age is just a number to him and all that matters is the game and the everlasting passion he has for it.

"I'm fortunate enough to say I can go to work every day and I love doing what I do," he said. "Not a lot of people in the world can say that, and I can."

The Ottawa Citizen writes that with 38 games left, including tonight's against the Anaheim Ducks, the Senators' season is effectively over. With only 40 points, the Senators would need approximately 54 more to make the playoffs. It's not something they've shown either the ability or inclination to do.

Do they have it within themselves to make the sort of run they did when Craig Hartsburg was fired and replaced with Cory Clouston two years ago? If they take any cues from their captain, Daniel Alfredsson, they'll press on.

"We're in a tough spot," he said. "We know that, but we're not going to go down without a fight. We're going to push ourselves as hard as we can. We have to have the effort every night.

"We know that. We're not getting enough goals where we can play one period or 30 minutes (each game).

"We have to have the effort like we did (on Sunday). That's our approach."

The Citizen points out that Sunday's game highlighted the problems that have afflicted the Senators all season: they can't score enough goals, they make too many mistakes and they can't get a save when they need it. Toss in a requisite amount of bad luck and it's a toxic mix.

They've scored only 102 goals, the second-fewest in the NHL. That has them on pace to score 182, which would be the fewest since the team scored 117 in a 48-game 1994-95 season.

As much as the team's inability to score goals, the team's unsettled goaltending situation has been a trial for Clouston.

Pascal Leclaire has largely been lost through several lower-body injuries, Elliott has been inconsistent, Mike Brodeur has played only a handful of games because of a concussion he suffered at the start of the season and Robin Lehner is only 19 and in just his first year as a pro.

The coach doesn't have a lot of options.

After three games in four days, the Senators had Monday off. It was to rest mentally as much as physically. While they feel they're making progress, said Alfredsson, they're not getting the points to show for it.

"After a game, it's obviously very frustrating," he said. "But when you come back to the rink the next day, you've got to prepare. We're professionals and you've got to prepare for practice, try to get better all the time and deal with everything that comes with it, obviously.

"At the same time, we've got to look forward and just try to improve in all areas."

"Without him, it could have been 6-0 or 7-0," Flames centre Olli Jokinen told The Calgary Herald of Miikka Kiprusoff's effort in last night's 5-4 loss to Montreal. He was pulled after the fourth goal. "We all should be a little bit embarrassed about the way we played in front of him at the beginning of the game -- giving up breakaways and odd-man rushes.

"He's our best player most of the nights.

"We have to do a better job in front of him."

Philly.com reports that defenseman Chris Pronger is getting closer to returning to the Flyers' lineup for the first time in a little over a month.

Pronger, sidelined since Dec. 15 with a broken right foot, went through a hard practice in Voorhees on Monday and hinted that he is almost ready to return. He will not play Tuesday against visiting Washington, general manager Paul Holmgren said, but Pronger said he will be examined by Steve Raikin on Wednesday.

That visit will determine whether he can return Thursday against visiting Ottawa.

During Monday's practice in Voorhees, Pronger went full tilt and said he "felt pretty good. Obviously, I wasn't able to do everything the way I'd like, but it was as good as could be expected."

"He looked OK in that skate in [Central Park on Saturday], but it was really casual," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Today, there was more structure to the practice. There were drills. There was defensive-zone coverage. There was offensive [play]. There was puck movement, and I thought he looked very good."

The Flyers have been without Pronger in their last 12 games, going 8-4. For the season, the Flyers are 9-4-1 without Pronger. Because the team has played well in his absence, Pronger said he wouldn't rush back. Including preseason action and the Winter Olympics, Pronger played in 117 games last season, which is why he thinks this layoff could be helpful.

The Boston Globe notes that yesterday, Bruins blueliner Zdeno Chara did something he never had done before: He scored three times, leading the Bruins past the Hurricanes, 7-0, at TD Garden. Chara became the fourth defenceman in Bruins history to score a hat trick, joining Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, and Glen Wesley in a select quartet.

“That’s pretty special company, I don’t know if I deserve to be in that company,’’ said Chara, who collected his eighth, ninth, and 10th goals of the season. “It happened, I’m happy, I’m humbled, and you move on, it’s another game tomorrow.’’

It took Chara 892 games in the NHL to get his first hat trick, but it was obvious he was thrilled. When he sliced a shot between Carolina goalie Justin Peters’ pads for his third goal of the game at 14:04 of the third period, Chara threw his arms up in the air and then playfully pretended to doff his helmet and throw it out on the ice to celebrate. The crowd roared, and within seconds, the ice was peppered with hats.

“I saw Peter Bondra once do it,’’ Chara said of his hat-tossing pantomine, “so I remembered that, and I remembered if I ever get a hat trick, I’ll want to do it, too. I thought it was pretty cool.’’

The Buffalo News indicates that winger Drew Stafford heads into the Sabres' four-game week as the team's most consistent player. He has 15 goals and 23 points in 29 games. He's played particularly well since returning from a shoulder injury Dec. 15, with 10 goals and 13 points in 14 outings.

"So far, so good," Stafford said. "Now I'm not thinking about anything that's happened. It's all forward thinking."

Looking forward, then, Stafford and the Sabres have a busy schedule. They host Montreal on Tuesday, travel to Boston on Thursday, host the Islanders on Friday and return to Long Island on Sunday. If this season's form holds, Stafford will reach the score sheet during the run.

Stafford's longest goal drought this season was a three-game stretch at the end of October. He's been scoring nearly every other game, and since he was blanked in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Isles, he's already due to find the net.

Again, The News notes, that's if form holds. Until this season, Stafford was wildly inconsistent. It created long droughts. He had 16- and 15-game scoreless skids last season, which led to a playoff benching, a long chat with coaches and management, and a summer of strenuous workouts with Kyle Okposo and New Jersey's Zach Parise.

"We all had a really good summer together," Stafford said. "It was kind of refreshing."

The work likely would've been for naught if Stafford hadn't heeded coach Lindy Ruff's other offseason edict: focus on shooting. Stafford averaged 2.55 shots per game last year. He's at 3.24 this season, and his 16 percent scoring rate is tops on the team. His six power-play goals rank second.

"He's got a great shot," Ruff said. "Shoot it. I think in the past he might've hung on a little bit longer. I think now he's got the confidence that he's going to shoot the puck as much as he can. It's a great tool he's got.

"You try to play a player to his strengths, and his strength is the offensive side of it," Ruff added. "Not unlike a lot of young players, they have ups and downs, and then it hits them four, five years in. First and foremost, he's held himself accountable. He's not looking at the outside saying, 'Boy, it was this or that. It was me, and I'm going to make a difference.'"

The article says that Stafford has so far. The important thing for the free agent-to-be is to keep it up. He'll need to stay consistent if the Sabres hope to improve their 11th-place standing in the Eastern Conference.

"There's always ups and downs with the season," he said. "It's not always going to be 100 percent positive. There's going to be adversity. There's going to be challenges. It's just a matter of how you react to it.

"Instead of being negative, trying to find excuses, trying to point fingers, [be positive]. That's definitely one thing that's happened with myself and this team. We're not going away. We're going to keep going."

The Chicago Tribune observes that the discovery process took longer than anticipated and certainly was more arduous than they'd prefer, but that championship feeling has eased itself back into the Blackhawks' dressing room.

A seven-game stretch during which the defending Stanley Cup champions captured 11 of a possible 14 points to move into sixth place in the Western Conference will do that to a team.

"The way we're playing, a lot of us feel that when we get to the playoffs we're going to have a really good team," winger Patrick Kane said.

"A lot of us feel we have another shot at this thing — especially the guys who were here last year. We kind of knew what we had last year and it kind of feels the same way around here. If we can put things together … you never know, you get a couple of breaks and we could be there again."

Beginning Monday, the Hawks had five days between games to heal any bumps and bruises — physically and mentally — and contemplate not only what they've been through thus far this season but also what lies ahead. They won't play again until Saturday when they face the Red Wings in Detroit.

"I like our team," coach Joel Quenneville told The Tribune. "Trying to find out how good we can be is something I don't know if we've discovered yet. There's been some growth in the enthusiasm level and hopefully that's a sign of what Kane is saying. We have a lot to prove."

Some of that enthusiasm may stem from the fact that the Hawks believe there is still another level to ascend to, the recent success notwithstanding.

"We still have another gear or two to learn how to play that way, and when we do, with our speed and skill, then teams have to adapt to us," goaltender Marty Turco said. "When we get to that level, it'll be pretty obvious. In the meanwhile, you just see glimpses of it pretty much every night."

Ian in Toronto: "Hi Chris, 11-team Keeper league that keeps 5 forwards each year (categories are G, A, +/-, PIM). Will be keeping Ovechkin, Backstrom, Malkin, Datsyuk, and either Semin or Clowe.

I'm in 4th-5th place, with 1st place way out of reach this year, although I am usually right near the top each season. I'm evaluating if I fall any further, if I should consider packaging up both Semin and Clowe to land an upgrade on my last protection spot. Looking at rosters, and what I see an upgrades, I might have a shot at the following players in a deal: D.Sedin, H. Sedin, Hall, and Tavares. How would you rank these 4 players for next year and beyond if I decide to go the trade route? Thanks for your time."

Chris: Ian, I may leave you with more questions than answers once you've read this but hear me out...

If I were in your shoes and assuming you're planning on being in this league for awhile, I'd certainly go after Hall or Tavares before I'd target one of the Sedins. The twins are clearly awesome and they're not OLD, but relatively speaking the advantage should go to having one of the young superstars-in-waiting. Tavares is kicking it into gear now and by next year I'd imagine he'll be a clear point-per-game threat as a base level. Hall should be the same in the same general timeframe, keeping in mind this is only his rookie year. Maybe that gives Tavares the edge now since you're only keeping five players and want to win next year, but either guy will be an excellent choice in the long run.

Now... all of that said, let's keep in mind that Semin is an all-around fantasy threat and he's also slated to be a UFA this summer. While I'd love to see him stay with the Caps personally (I just trade for him in my own keeper league), his value might actually be helped by going somewhere where he'd be a first-line regular instead of a mix of L1/L2. He's had his share of struggles this season like all of the Caps, but he's no less a threat for poolies.

And Clowe. Man, he's having an incredible season. I'd keep Semin over him if no deal came down for you, but Clowe has been great for the Sharks and his fantasy value in standard leagues has really grown leaps and bounds.

Just to give you something to consider, depending on who in your league has the Sedins (and whether they're on different teams): you might be able to swing a deal with Datsyuk (your oldest keeper) and Clowe, as an example, going to land both Sedins and then you'd keep both Sedins with your threesome of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Malkin. Food for thought.

You have a lot of possibilities and the bottom line is that with only five keepers, there'll be really good players left on the table unprotected. You have the right thought process as far as shoring up your top five to get the highest-level guys possible... there just happen to be a number of possible ways to go.

Mike: "h2h league i have kiprusoff and brodeur, what do you think of dropping kiprusoff, going with brodeur for now and occasionally neuvirth, schneider, biron, etc. I like Kipper alot but I don't know what to say about his play this season, what's your call Chris? thanks."

Chris: Despite the results Kipper has been delivering lately Mike, I really think you'd regret that move. Especially in an H2H format, where your goalie stats reset each week and he could easily be a dominant guy for you in your playoffs. Brodeur and the Devils seem to be turning things around, finally, which should help to form a pretty deadly tandem once Kipper gets his game back on track. At worst I'd bench him, but I'm really not that inclined to bench my stud netminders because when you start to get too cute with your roster picks it generally comes back to bite you in the form of missing great games and chasing your tail by putting him back in for a bad one.