from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

- Dale Tallon’s status as executive of the year has taken a hit after a disastrous season in Florida. The catchy phrase “Red Rising” should be changed to “Seeing Red” after an embarrassing year. Signing winger Alexei Kovalev was the first mistake and veteran defenceman Ed Jovanovski didn’t work, either. Then, there was the whole fiasco involving Sean Bergenheim. The club refused to pay the injured forward, lost a grievance and then had to pay his full $2.75 million salary this season. While Tallon gained a reputation as being player-friendly, Florida may not be a desired destination among players anymore.

- Whispers out of St. Louis have players frustrated with the antics of coach Ken Hitchcock. It seems Hitchcock has the ear of players wherever he goes in the short term, but his constant picking apart and calling them out has gotten old. The team has performed far below expectations and is struggling to hang on to a playoff spot. Many league executives believe a quick exit could lead to changes for a team that is operating on a shoestring budget where ownership is counting on a deep playoff run to minimize losses.

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