Halak Trade Possible, Habs Looking for D, & More News

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The New York Islanders are reportedly willing to deal goaltender Jaroslav Halak.

The story came out Saturday after Halak’s agent, a frequently outspoken Allan Walsh, took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with year two of the Islanders’ three-goalie system. His frustration makes sense since J.F. Berube is also Walsh’s client.

Berube hasn’t received a start this year behind backup Thomas Greiss and practice time is additionally limited with three goaltenders sharing the crease. Reports have long indicated that there’s an apprehension from the Islanders to put Berube on waivers after experiencing goaltender depth issues in the past. That’s the only way the team could get Berube, who they claimed off waivers in the summer of 2015, to the AHL.

After Walsh took to Twitter, Elliotte Freidman reported that Isles GM Garth Snow has let other GMs around the league know that Halak is available via trade.

No All-Star Game Changes

It’s John Scott’s world and we’re just living in it.

In Saturday’s “Headlines” segment on Sportsnet, Friedman reported that the NHL is unlikely to have any “substantive changes” to the All-Star Game selection process.

Yes, that means there’s a chance for another John Scott situation. And apparently, time hasn’t eased the wounds of many worked up about what wound up being the most exciting All-Star Game in many, many years.

On “Headlines,” Kelly Hrudey called John Scott at the All-Star Game a “disaster” and a “terrible decision.” Hrudey said players “cherish” the opportunity to play in the game, “To make a mockery of it was wrong.”

Hrudey must have missed how many top players pull out of it annually. They must be cherishing the opportunity in private.

Sergachev to Juniors & Habs Looking for Another Defenseman

It appears the Montreal Canadiens are set to return defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to juniors. He’s the youngest rookie playing in the NHL this season, though he hasn’t played much of late. On Saturday’s “Headlines,” Nick Kypreos called the defenseman’s pending return to the Windsor Spitfires a “foregone conclusion.”

He also added that the Canadiens have entered the market for a top-four defender, citing concerns about overusing Shea Weber and Andrei Markov. For the latter, the worry is that overuse will have ill effects since he’s an older skater. On Weber, Kypreos believes the Canadiens have concerns about him wearing down toward the end of the season, as many believe he did last year.

Stone Out

Arizona defender Michael Stone will not be in the lineup Sunday with what coach Dave Tippett classified as a lower-body injury. He’s considered day-to-day.

Stone missed the first three games of the season rehabbing a knee injury from last season. He had surgery over the summer to repair an ACL/MCL in his left knee. The team did not confirm that it’s this same issue that has him out for Sunday’s contest.

Bob Plager Gets Choked Up

This week, St. Louis announced they would be retiring the number of Blues legend Bob Plager in February. Sunday, they shared a video of Plager discovering that he’ll have his number hanging in the rafter, including an appearance from recently retired Blue Barret Jackman, who had worn Plager’s #5.

“Being from Canada it was my dream to play one game in the NHL,” Plager said. “I’m very fortunate to still be here.”

Odds and Ends

– The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday that Zach Parise is “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury, as is defenseman Marco Scandella. That didn’t stop the team from shutting out the Dallas Stars on Saturday, but it wasn’t pretty.

– That shutout was Devan Dubnyk’s third straight shutout. He’s the first goaltender in Minnesota Wild history to post three straight shutouts and only the second to do it while playing for an NHL club in Minnesota.

– Chris Kredier’s return is within sight.