Today's New York Post includes a story on Tom Renney, who as an assistant coach in Edmonton was up against his former New York Rangers team in last night's action. Perhaps most interesting in the piece though was a blurb on a player Edmonton fans might love to see in Oilers silks next season.
(Renney) invested heavily in Jaromir Jagr and was rewarded for his faith. It is no surprise that Renney both stays in touch with No. 68 and is keenly interested in bringing him to the Oilers once the winger completes his second season with Omsk of the KHL and is able to exercise an out clause in his contract.
"Jags and I text back and forth. I talked to him about six weeks ago," Renney said. "He's on our radar. He has NHL years ahead of him. No question."
The Oilers, as you may remember, tried to land Jagr in the summer of 2008 before he ended up going the KHL route and even though he decided not to play with the Oilers, he spoke glowingly of the team's effort to acquire him and said at the time he wouldn't forget that should he come back to the NHL in the future. He's currently playing for Omsk Avangard, where he has scored 11 times in 19 games with 16 total points. He had 53 points in 55 GP last season.
NO TIMETABLE FOR SOURAY
The Edmonton Sun indicates that Sheldon Souray feels well enough now to begin light skating and exercise, but still has no idea when he'll be game-ready. He's been out with a concussion since October 8th.
You can't say you're close or you're far," he said.
"Look at Stevie (Staios, who came back two games after his concussion and had to miss the next 11). To see him come back and try to ignore some of his symptoms and try to be a warrior ... when it's your head you can't really do that.
"We'll try to learn from his setbacks. We're trying to handle this the right way (and) make sure when I do come back it's not coming back for one game. I'm going to learn from Stevie's situation. I'll come back when I feel 100%."
The rugged blueliner had no points in his first three starts at the time he got hurt, but he's one of the more valuable standard league defencemen around when he's healthy. He uses that booming shot from the point to simultaneously rack up impressive point totals and make opposing goalies ensure their life insurance policy is up-to-date.
Can you consider Souray a good buy-low candidate right now? Honestly, it's impossible to say. The results will be there if he's fine when he comes back, but with concussions you just never know. The aftermath is impossible to predict.
OVECHKIN ON PRACTICE
The Washington Post notes that superstar Alex Ovechkin skated at practice yesterday, but he said an injury near his left shoulder will likely keep him out of back-to-back games against the Florida Panthers.
To which the Florida Panthers replied, "Hallelujah!"
"It's still a little sore," Ovechkin said of his shoulder. "I feel a little bit better, but there is still a little bit [of] pain. From last night to today, I feel much better.
"I don't want to disturb my injury," he added. "Without my stick, it's better."
Even better was a quote in The Washington Times after yesterday's practice.
"I miss it -- it is not my thing to sit in the press box and watch the game with you guys," Ovechkin said. "It is a boring time [watching practice]. Especially when [assistant coaches Bob Woods and Dean Evason] take me and [Eric] Fehr after practice to skate -- Jesus, I don't like that. I don't mind playing 30 minutes, but I don't like that."
It was kind of bizarre, but at that very moment Allan Iverson showed up and wanted to say something.
"If I can't practice, I can't practice. It is as simple as that. It ain't about that at all. It's easy to sum it up if you're just talking about practice. We're sitting here and I'm supposed to be the franchise player and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that? Now I know that I'm supposed to lead by example and all that but I'm not shoving that aside like it don't mean anything. I know it's important, I honestly do but we're talking about practice. We're talking about practice man. We're talking about practice. We're talking about practice. We're not talking about the game. We're talking about practice. When you come to the arena, and you see me play, you've seen me play right, you've seen me give everything I've got, but we're talking about practice right now. Hey, I hear you, it's funny to me too, hey it's strange to me too but we're talking about practice man, we're not even talking about the game, when it actually matters, we're talking about practice. How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing?"
Weird, eh?
QUOTABLE
"I got my shoulder right in his chest," Chris Neil said in the St. Petersburg Times of his hit on Victor Hedman in last night's game, which caused Hedman to leave the ice and not return. "He's like 8 feet tall (actually 6-6), so it's not like I could hit him in the head."
ELIAS CLOSE
Fire & Ice reports that Patrik Elias is at practice this morning for the Devils and he might make his return tonight after missing the first 13 games of the season following off-season hip and groin surgeries. Yann Danis will apparently make his second start of the season.
TOEWS' STATUS UNCERTAIN
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the status of injured centre Jonathan Toews for tonight's game in Denver against the Avalanche is uncertain. If not tonight though, he's very close. Great news for poolies counting on his production.
''Every day gets better, but I've only been two days back on the ice, so it's more than about feeling good,'' Toews said. ''I feel great out there. I feel like myself -- but when you're off two weeks, you've got to get your legs back. We'll take it day-by-day, just as we have for the last couple weeks. Today was better than yesterday, and hopefully tomorrow will be the same.''
QUOTABLE
"That's the first time you compete for a loose puck, and it starts everything," coach Todd McLellan told The San Jose Mercury News in explaining the importance he places on winning draws. The Sharks entered last night's action leading the NHL with a 57.7 success rate and they led the league last year at 53.8. "And with the fact that faceoffs now occur in the offensive zone in power play and penalty kill situations, I think it makes it even more important."
MALKIN RESTING, GONCHAR SKATING
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that centre Evgeni Malkin is the only Penguins player not skating. Coach Dan Bylsma said Malkin's recovery from a shoulder strain is "progressing in rehab, and the important part is the rest part of it."
Defenceman Sergei Gonchar, meanwhile, said he will have his cast removed and an X-ray taken on his broken left wrist after the road trip.
"If everything is fine there, we're going to start thinking about doing more in practice, maybe shooting more," Gonchar said.