The post-Olympic NHL is buzzing with rumors of trade talk between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning involving some significant pieces – Ranger captain Ryan Callahan and Lightning captain Marty St. Cheap Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less.2. The real question, though, is what is the latest and greatest information. Or, in other words, is this a story that is a couple of weeks old, just now finally coming to light and perhaps outdated? If its the latter, and either Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman doesnt intend to trade St. Louis or St. Louis doesnt want to be traded (he has a full No Move Clause), one or both of them may want to put the kaibosh on this story real fast now that theyre back from Sochi. Thats their call, but the Lighting are an Eastern Conference contender and letting this take on a life of its own is going to make for an unsettled week to 10 days leading up to the March 5 trade deadline. Ultimately, the larger issue is where is St. Louiss mindset at right now? Does he want to remain captain of the Lightning? There is reason to believe in the immediate aftermath of his Jan. 7 snub from the Canadian Olympic team, in some form or another, St. Louis indicated to the Bolts he may look favorably on a move out of Tampa. We have to be careful here not to get too hung up on semantics. Was it a trade demand? A trade request? A conversation? Was it St. Louis speaking directly to Yzerman or was it some form of communication between St. Louiss agent Lewis Gross and the organization? While none of the principals were confirming or denying anything in those days and weeks after the initial snub, talk in the NHL community was rife that St. Louis wanted out. There was even talk – again, nothing with an absolute confirmation -- that the only place St. Louis would waive his No Move Clause for was the New York Rangers. His off-season home is just outside NYC, in Connecticut. If the NYR or bust account is accurate, it would certainly explain the St. Louis rumors coming out of NYC the last few days and the talk of Callahan for St. Louis. But heres the problem on that front. Tampa, especially now that Steven Stamkos is closer to returning, is a potential Eastern contender. St. Louis is a huge part of the Lightning attack and if you take a primary offensive catalyst out of the Bolts lineup now, its difficult to believe it could be accomplished with Ranger captain Callahan coming the other way on an expiring contract. Yzerman would want and need more from the Rangers than that. And as long as we presume the Lightning want to remain a contender in the East this season, trading St. Louis for future considerations or younger, unproven players presents its own set of unique problems in the short term. As for the Rangers, theyre not about to start giving up draft picks, prospects or young players for a 38-year-old. So the Tampa-NYR fit doesnt appear to be there. Even if there were a fit, when its all said and done, nothing happens if St. Louis doesnt want it to happen. His NMC guarantees that. If he feels more strongly about staying in Tampa now that hes played for Team Canada in the Olympics than he may have in the aftermath of the Jan. 7 snub, then the trade stories out of NYC are old news recycled as new. But if St. Louis would look favorably on a move now, even if its only to NYC, then the ball is back squarely in the Lightnings court to decide if theres any desire to oblige him and whether theres even a deal to be made. The way I see it, Yzerman isnt making any move in the short term unless it totally suits his purposes and IF he is contemplating trading St. Louis, it may make as much or more sense to do it in the summer as now. Or maybe St. Louis and the Lightning are going to live happily ever after. If thats the case, theyll no doubt let us know. Or not. In the meantime, well just sit tight to see how this one plays out but it sure seems as though it has way too many moving parts. Cheap San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Cheap Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . LOUIS -- Tampa Bay pitcher Alex Cobb threw 10 pitches off the mound on Tuesday and was unhappy. DETROIT -- The banged-up Pittsburgh Penguins took another hit. They just hope its not a big one. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists before hurting his left leg early in the third period of Pittsburghs 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. "He was walking around after the game," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. Malkin was in fact walking, but with a noticeable limp. He got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening, lost his balance and his left skate took the brunt of a collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Malkin slowly got up and kept his left skate in the air as he was helped off the ice. He was called for holding on the play, but couldnt serve the penalty because he was being evaluated. Malkin moved past the 600-point mark for his career during the game and ranks among league leaders with 41 points this season. NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby scored two goals to help the Penguins win without standout defenceman Kris Letang, who was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. "Losing Kris before the game was tough," Crosby said. "We stuck with it and found a way." Pittsburgh defenceman Brooks Orpik hasnt played since being punched Dec. 7 by Bostons Shawn Thornton, who was suspended by the league for 15 games on Saturday. The Penguins might lose another player from their blue line because the NHL is trying to crack down on blows above the shoulders. Defenceman Deryk Engelland put himself in danger of being suspended for an illegal hit to the head. Engelland landed his right shoulder high on Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader late in the first period and was ejected with a match penalty. Abdelkader struggled to get up, had to be helped off the ice and didnt return. "He dumps it in and I try to finish my check," Engelland said. "Obviously Im not trying to hit him in the head or anything like that, but I think I catch his chin a little bit before his body." Detroit defenceman Brendan Smith was suspended for five games two years ago for a similar hit. "I know what it feells like because Ive been in that position," Smith said. Olympic CA. #10 Guy Lafleur Red 100th Anniversary Stitched NHL Jersey. "Its a quick game, things happen." Pittsburghs Jeff Zatkoff made 28 saves, getting the start in part because he was playing near his hometown of Sterling Heights, Mich. "He was pretty pumped up about playing back here at Joe Louis against the Red Wings," Bylsma said. "He was strong." Jonas Gustavsson gave up three goals on 13 shots through two periods, playing in place of injured starter Jimmy Howard, and finished with 21 saves. "When you let four goals in its tough to win," he said. "I got to be better." The Red Wings got off to a good start. They went ahead 1-0 at 6:09 of the first period when Niklas Kronwalls shot just inside the blue line went off Crosbys stick, bounced off the ice and got past Zatkoff. The lead didnt last long. Detroit went to the penalty box twice midway through the first period and the NHLs top team on the power play took advantage. Crosby scored at 9:08 of the first and Malkin made it 2-1 at the 12:50 mark of the period. The Red Wings outshot Pittsburgh 14-4 in the second, which started with them on the power play for four-plus minutes because of Engellands penalty, but didnt score. "We didnt do enough with it," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We had some looks. Their guy made some saves, but we were perimeter on the power play. Power play is establishing a net-front presence, shooting the puck and getting it back and outworking them to get retrievals and be on top of them." Olli Maatta gave Pittsburgh a two-goal lead in the final minute of the second period. Crosby, who started the night with an NHL-high 44 points, scored his second goal with five-plus minutes left. "We started well on the power play and then were able to shut them down on the five-minute power play," Crosby said. "That was an important part of the game." NOTES: Bylsma (U.S.) and Babcock (Canada) will lead their countries in two months at the Winter Olympics. ... Penguins D Brian Dumoulin made his NHL debut. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale JerseysWholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
