Is struggling Getzlaf 'C'-worthy?

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The Orange County Register says the collapse of his team has Ducks coach Randy Carlyle looking high and low for a solution to their problems, but one thing that is not under consideration is stripping Ryan Getzlaf of his captaincy.

Getzlaf has come under some fire for his subpar play, which Carlyle noted Sunday night after the Ducks' 5-2 home loss to Toronto. But as far as discussion as to removing the 'C' from the center's sweater, there hasn't been one.

"I think those moves are something that is better served through the course of a couple of years versus making a decision because we're playing poorly," Carlyle said Monday after practice. "We understand that. We're not winning.

On Sunday, Carlyle said he wants his captain to "focus on playing hockey" and leave the other responsibilities of the role to the coaching staff.

Getzlaf said he doesn't believe the captaincy is weighing on him and that "there's nothing to change about me other than talking to you guys more when we lose."

"That's aside from the point," he said. "There's nothing else that is really going on. Our organization is based on hockey right now and that's all I'm worried about. All this group's been worried about is getting back in the win column."

Getzlaf said that he has felt the need to put a lot of team's current troubles on himself "probably more than I should."

"My nature is I expect high things of myself," he continued. "If I'm going to expect my teammates to play at that level, I need to play at that level every night. I haven't felt that I've done everything I can do every night. And that's my responsibility.

"It's nothing to do with wearing a letter. It's got to do with the fact of who I am and what I want to bring to the table. I don't think you can put that type of emphasis on one individual, especially in our situation."

The Montreal Gazette proclaims the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming - to California.

Andrei Markov was teamed with fellow steppes-son Alexei Emelin at the Canadiens' morning practice in Brossard on Monday. And Markov joined his teammates on their early afternoon flight to Anaheim, where they'll play the Ducks Wednesday at the ungodly Montreal hour of 10 p.m.

Asked whether Markov will see action on the Canadiens' three-game California trip, Jacques Martin was customarily cautious.

"I don't know if Wednesday will be the day," Martin said, "but we're getting closer."

Markov has not seen action in more than a year. The defenceman re-injured his surgically repaired right knee in a collision with Eric Staal on Nov. 13, 2010. Markov had a second reconstructive surgery on Dec. 8.

"We're able to have some good, intense practices this week," Martin said. "Markov can get into some grunt work - competing in 1-on-1s, 2-on-2s. We're going in the right direction."

In addition to pairing with Emelin, Markov joined P.K. Subban as the point men in power-play drills. Tomas Plekanec moved back to forward on the second wave, teamed with Brian Gionta and, alternately, Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn with the Swiss Misters, Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber, manning the points.

Joining Markov and Subban on the power play's first wave were David Desharnais, Erik Cole and Michael Cammalleri.

The other defence pairings at practice were P.K. Subban-Josh Gorges, Hal Gill-Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber, who was brutal against Pittsburgh, with Frédéric St. Denis.

The Vancouver Province believes the days of Roberto Luongo getting automatic starts because he’s the incumbent No. 1 goaltender appear to be over.

At least as long as Cory Schneider — who gets his sixth consecutive start on Tuesday against Columbus — is the other goaltender for the Canucks and continues his excellent play.

The way Schneider has performed in his last five starts since Luongo was sidelined with an undisclosed injury has given coach Alain Vigneault no other choice but to move to a merit-based approach.

Does this constitute a goaltending controversy? Maybe, but all the principals — Schneider, Luongo and Vigneault — were doing their best on Monday not to fan any potential flames.

Vigneault, in fact, denied there is a change in his approach this season — although last season as a rookie Schneider was an occasional starter who just managed to get the necessary 25 appearances to share the Jennings Trophy with Luongo.

“Right now the way Cory is playing real well and we decided to go with him tomorrow,” Vigneault said following Monday’s practice. “Obviously, Roberto is our No. 1 goaltender and before he got hurt he was starting to find his game.

“Roberto wants to play. He’s a competitor. He’s a very proud guy. He knows he’s the No. 1 goaltender on this team and he wants to play, but right now Cory is playing real well and those are the decisions that the coach has to make.”

The Province notes that if Luongo is No. 1, then Schneider has become 1A and the Canucks are in the enviable position of having two good goalies to choose from and between whom there will be a healthy competition that can only be beneficial.

Luongo acknowledged he’d like to be playing, but said he understands Vigneault’s decision to go with Schneider.

“I think Cory has unbelievable talent and he’s been working his bag off for the last two years,” said Luongo. “He never complained and was always 100-per-cent behind me. The same thing goes for me. He deserves what he’s getting right now. There’s no doubt that he could be a starter in this league. It’s about the Vancouver Canucks winning games.”

It’s also an adjustment for Schneider, a Canucks first-round draft pick (26th overall) in 2004, who’s finally getting a chance to carry the ball at the NHL level after being a No. 1 most of his hockey career.

“I’m pretty fresh from the last year,” quipped Schneider. “Not a lot of miles on me right now. Sometimes when you play like this you don’t really feel fatigue. You’re riding momentum and adrenalin, and you don’t even notice if you’re tired or not.

“It’s been tough, but it’s fun, too. It’s exciting to get this opportunity and it’s a good feeling to win, and that’s what we’re enjoying right now.”

The Edmonton Journal points out that he was in a suit, not in a sling, and surgery is not scheduled for Taylor Hall, but the Edmonton Oilers dynamic winger will be out of the lineup for the next two to four weeks.

Hall had an MRI on his left shoulder Monday.

“I thought I was going to be out for a shorter period of time,” he said, “but two to four weeks isn’t bad. It’s not like I’m missing a huge chunk of games, where it would take me three to four games to really get back into the swing of things.

“I want to get back as quick as I can, obviously. I just have to try and rehab it as quick as possible .. make it as strong as possible.”

Hall was injured in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. Tattooed into the boards by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Wilson — a hit that clearly left him in some discomfort — he did return to the ice, only to be hit again by blue-liner Kyle Quincey.

“He always seems to bounce back up from hits like that, but I think that was just a really awkward position for him,” said centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Hall leaves the lineup this time around having churned out seven points in his last five games. The fact that he’d finally generated some traction does hurt.

“I felt like I was really starting to get my game around and it’s tough when it ends like that,” Hall said. “But I’m going to get as strong as possible — especially my shoulder — and get ready for a good run.”

Hall said he will be able to skate during his rehab. The key will be icing the shoulder and strengthening the area with exercise.

The Journal says Oilers head coach Tom Renney acknowledged that Hall’s aggressive playing style can make him more vulnerable, but he doesn’t expect that it will change when the winger returns to the lineup.

“He was mad at himself for how he took the play on. He knows this player, he’s played against him before and he knows how he plays,” said Renney. “(But) I’d rather encourage a guy to tone it down rather than extract something out of him that he doesn’t have.”

“With that hit,” said Hall, “I probably just have to be a little closer to the boards so I can make sure I’m not getting hit by him and the boards,” Hall said. “But I’m not going to change how I play.”

"It will be great for the development part of things for him," Jets coach Claude Noel told the Winnipeg Sun of Jets first round pick Mark Scheifele having been invited to Canada's World Junior Hockey Championship selection camp. "It's a high level, it's pressure-packed and that's all part of maturing. There are 41 players and hopefully he gets through that process and makes the team. He's had a lot of success going back to junior and I really hope he gets an opportunity to stay there. There's tremendous growth opportunity there."

ESPN New York reports that injured New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal has begun skating lightly on his own, sources said.

The 24-year-old skated briefly for the first time Monday since being shut down for post-concussion symptoms last month. Staal skated again Tuesday morning at the Rangers practice facility in Westchester.

Staal has yet to play a game this season and remains on injured reserve with post-concussion symptoms stemming from a hit by his older brother Eric Staal last February.

He has yet to begin skating with the team.

Here's the latest blog entry from Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, a day after GM George McPhee replaced Bruce Boudreau with Dale Hunter as coach...

We move forward now together.

No looking back at the first 22 games of the season. No talking about a 7 and 0 start - no dwelling on recent poor performances. It is a clean slate.

We have a fresh start.

We have a new coach; a new voice.

We needed change. We are in it together.

We are situated in the 8th spot in the East - and we are 3 points out of first place in the division; with a game in hand - and with 60 games left to play.

I ask for patience.

I ask for empathy.

I ask for some time to allow the coach the opportunity to create and implement a new system and style of play.

We are all responsible for our success or failure.

This won’t be easy - everyone has to be rowing in the same direction. Our coach is authentic and honest and hardworking. He is calm and his voice will be heard; loud and clear.

We appreciate Dale Hunter dropping all and coming to DC on a moment’s notice to help us achieve our goals as a team; for the benefit of our fans. He is - through and through - a Washington Capital.

Please welcome Dale Hunter back home tonight - warmly and proudly this evening. Thank you - Go Caps! Wish us well.

The Pittsburgh Tribune describes how Pens coach Dan Bylsma has been waiting almost two years to implement new lines and to experiment with combinations, and now he finally gets his opportunity.

Here is a recent sample from Bylsma: "Well, 87 (Sidney Crosby) and 71 (Evgeni Malkin) will play together. Eleven (Jordan Staal) will play with 71 more than in the past. We might entertain 87 on the wing with 11 as well."

Got that?

The Penguins are hoping the rest of the NHL will have trouble keeping up, too.

Bylsma will always have the "three-center model" to rely on — Crosby, Malkin and Staal playing center on three different lines is essentially a matchup nightmare for every NHL team — but believes his current team's lineup is capable of a more diverse approach.

"When it's all said and done," Bylsma said, "Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are all going to play around 20 minutes. Either the fourth line center isn't going to play at all, or we're going to move people around."

The fourth line center — Joe Vitale, Richard Park, or Craig Adams — is going to play, of course. So, expect Bylsma to have some fun with his lines.

Staal and Malkin playing on the same line won't necessarily become a constant, but the plan appears to have the duo on the same line in the third period when the Penguins are trailing. They also expect to see steady shifts for the first time since showing exceptional chemistry during their respective rookie years.

"I'm OK with that," Staal said. "I like playing with Geno. There are so many possibilities right now. We have a lot of options. I'm satisfied if we're winning."

They are winning, which gives Bylsma more ability to experiment.

The Tribune-Review notes that in recent games, Bylsma has put Crosby on a line with Malkin and right wing James Neal. Scoring chances feel almost destined when they are on the ice.

"We're still figuring things out," said Bylsma, who noted that he continues to monitor Crosby's ice time closely, which may prohibit the coach from opening up the playbook completely for a couple of weeks.

"It will play itself out."

Pascal Dupuis might be the key player in Bylsma's plans. Dupuis has been used off and on at center the past couple of games on a line with left wing Matt Cooke and right wing Tyler Kennedy. Should Dupuis be able to handle a third-line center role, Bylsma would have an opportunity to play Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Neal, left wing Steve Sullivan and left wing Chris Kunitz in his top-six rotation.

The numbers don't lie, according to the Buffalo News.

Christian Ehrhoff is the NHL's highest-paid defenseman this season and hardly played like it in October. The Buffalo Sabres needed a lot more from him in recent games, especially with a rash of injuries on the blueline.

Slowly but surely, Ehrhoff is starting to deliver. He played a season-high 27 minutes, 32 seconds and had a pair of assists in Saturday's win over Washington. And in the last four games, Ehrhoff has averaged 26 1/2 minutes and collected 15 shots on goal. He's probably going to keep getting that kind of heavy ice time tonight against the New York Islanders in First Niagara Center.

"There's pressure there for me but I can tell you this: I put a lot of pressure on myself too," Ehrhoff said after practice Monday downtown. "I don't think there's more pressure on me than what I put on myself. I'm a pretty competitive guy and I want to play good hockey for this team."

After an up-and-down start, Ehrhoff has been doing that lately. He's cut back on his defensive mistakes, both in positioning and passing, and is finding ways to get more shots to the net.

It's hard to live up to the $10 million he's making this season in the first year of his 10-year, $40 million deal. But at least Ehrhoff is looking far more like the player owner Terry Pegula coveted last year while Ehrhoff was playing in Vancouver and getting to Game Seven of the Stanley Cup final.

"Nobody says it's easy going from one team to another. It takes time and you're going to make mistakes," said coach Lindy Ruff. "You could make those same mistakes with the team you're just with and not get noticed as much because you're not the new guy on the block.

"In Christian's case, I really like the way he's skated in the last four or five [games]. I think he's been involved a little bit more on the offensive thrust for us and that's what his game is about."

Ehrhoff said his adjustment period here is starting to settle down nicely.

"I feel pretty comfortable now," he said. "The last few games have been more consistent and able to find a rhythm here to be more consistent than I was the first 20 games. At times it's tough but the coaching staff and the guys here have really helped me a lot and made it pretty smooth."

The Raleigh News & Observer recalls how Kirk Muller has won a Stanley Cup, is a former NHL All-Star and was an assistant coach for five seasons for the Montreal Canadiens after retiring as a player.

"It's been a fun path so far," Muller said.

But tonight, Muller embarks on a new path. Named Monday as the Carolina Hurricanes' replacement for fired head coach Paul Maurice, Muller will go behind the bench for the first time to direct an NHL team.

"I'm excited, but that's good," Muller said at his introductory news conference Monday. "You need to have those butterflies. It's a game, but it's fun."

Muller, 45, will take over a Hurricanes team that is 8-13-4, that has lost its past three games and 10 of its past 13. Carolina is currently 14th in the NHL's Eastern Conference, ahead of only the New York Islanders.

"It's all about the players, and hopefully I can come in and get them to feel good, and get them to play at the level they're capable of, and let them have some fun," Muller said. "And we'll go from there."

The article notes that in his five seasons as an assistant in Montreal, Muller drew praise for being able to relate and communicate with the players. But he had not been a head coach on the professional level until June, when he agreed to become head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Nashville Predators.

Speculation about Maurice's job mounted the past few weeks as the Canes lost games and dropped in the standings. But Rutherford said the move made Monday was more about the team than economics or ticket sales.

"My focus has to be on what's right for the team," Rutherford said. "I don't blame the fans. I'm the same as they are, as frustrated and concerned about where the team is going. But if the team is going in the right direction the economics take care of themselves."

Rutherford said he wanted to see a "consistent work ethic" and restored confidence in the players. He also said he would try to trade for another forward, possibly trading a defenseman.

The Columbus Dispatch writes that 32-year-old goaltender Curtis Sanford, who once was resigned to a career in the minor leagues and once had fleeting thoughts of quitting because of a slew of injuries, has dragged the once-aimless Jackets toward respectability by playing the best hockey of his career.

“I had a couple good streaks in the minors,” he said, “but I’ve never had anything like this in the NHL.”

Sanford, signed as a free agent in the summer with the idea that he would spend the season with Springfield of the American Hockey League, will make his seventh consecutive start for the Blue Jackets tonight when they play the Vancouver Canucks in Rogers Arena.

“He’s not all over the place,” Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. “He’s compact. He faces the shooter and prepares himself for the next rebound and that next chance. He’s not a guy who expends a ton of energy by flying all over the place.”

Sanford is 3-1-2 with a 1.38 goals-against average and .947 save percentage, ranking second in the NHL in both statistical categories.

It is a mystery why the Blue Jackets have played so much better in front of Sanford than they have when Steve Mason is in goal — even Sanford has marveled at this — but everybody just want it to continue.

“It’s really hard to explain, the zone that people talk about,” Sanford said. “There are so many things that have to happen to get you into that state. You have to get bailed out by your posts. Other teams have to miss open nets, like they have the past couple of games. It gets to a point where you just expect things to go well, you’re that confident.

“There are definitely games where you feel like you’re as big as a house in the net, and you’re seeing every puck, and it doesn’t matter how many bodies are in front of you.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer says it turns out captain Chris Pronger's virus wasn't the only thing holding the star defenseman back, as the Flyers led everyone to believe.

On Monday, the club announced that the often-injured Pronger will undergo surgery on his left knee and miss four more weeks. It will be Pronger's fifth surgery in the last 16 months. During that span, he has had surgery on his foot, back, hand and other knee.

General manager Paul Holmgren downplayed the severity of the latest surgery, saying it was a "maintenance" procedure to "get him a little more comfortable," and that Pronger would have "loose bodies" cleaned up inside the knee.

"The structure of the knee is fine. He's got good cartilage on both sides of the knee," Holmgren said.

In the last two seasons, Pronger has missed 42 regular-season games; the Flyers have won just 21 of them. Pronger, 37, has been sidelined the last four games with a virus.

Holmgren said Pronger has been bothered by a nagging, sore knee for about a month. "He's been playing through it until this recent bout with his virus," the general manager said.

After Pronger had an MRI on Sunday, "we decided it was time to get this taken care of," Holmgren said.

Asked if he was worried that Pronger's age was catching up with Pronger, Holmgren said: "Chris is a player who takes good care of himself, does the proper rehabilitation and conditioning to stay in top shape. I think this time, the only thing we can do is go by what the doctor tells us . . . and it's just a question of cleaning some of those [loose] bodies."

Holmgren said the organization was "worried because he's going under surgery, but long term, I still think Chris has lots of miles left on his body."

In other matters, winger Jaromir Jagr, rehabbing after a groin injury, skated Monday, and there is a chance he will play Friday. James van Riemsdyk, another injured winger, is a longshot to play this weekend, according to Holmgren.

Mike: "Hi Chris, an update on how things look after we last spoke a month ago. Standard 13team Roto league. G,A,P,+/-,PIM,PP,SHP,GWG,SOG,W,GAA,SV,SV%,SHO.

A month ago, I traded Spez,Horton,C.Anderson for T.Thomas and Berglund. Dropped Berglund. Here's how my team looks now.

C-DRoy,BDubi,Prospal LW-AO RW-Parise W-Kovy,Selanne D-Letang,Subban,Kaberle,EJohnson, Util-Kunitz,Ray Whitney Bench-Bozak G-Smith,Thomas,Pavelec

I'm +10 on games for D and Kaberle, EJohnson are really hurting me. Available are Goglioski, Enstrom, RyanWhitney. Given Johnson's IR status and the fact Elliot looks like a keeper, I dropped him for Whitney. Thoughts? Drop Kaberle for Gog too?

Also, TZajac is available and close to returning. Time to jump in now? Drop Dubi?

Thanks for all the great advice over the years!"

Chris: So you have no IR spot on the roster, I assume. And I guess you already did swap Johnson for Whitney, even though EJ shows on your roster.

Since you're already over on D GP, I'd actually be tempted to drop Kaberle (whom you could drop regardless) to add Enstrom. Enstrom isn't expected back until after Christmas or so, but if you have him in an active slot that'll bring down your GP pace. When he's back, even if not immediately, he should be a point threat with Byfuglien again.

Johnson is still in the DTD zone with the groin and Goligoski is likely at least a few weeks away. Of those guys, I'd likely want Enstrom the most for the second half.

Zajac is probably several weeks away at the earliest, although he's getting closer. Dubinsky hasn't done much, but keep in mind Zajac will also need time to get up to speed. It could be a month or more from now before he's really chipping in something worthwhile to your team.

If you only have one actual bench spot on your team, then I'm not sure I'd spend it on Zajac at this point given how the injury situation works in your league.

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