from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- I’d be astonished if Calgary traded Johnny Gaudreau at this time. For one thing, the Flames are aware that this historically 12.5 per cent shooter is at 7.8 in 2019–20. There is concern about how he’s playing, as Gaudreau’s confidence and puck wizardry in the offensive zone are missing. A huge part of their offence was Gaudreau getting in close, where Sean Monahan could bury it. That’s missing. But there’s no desire to make a rash move.

- Some other rumblings: This isn’t news, but the Sabres face a roster crunch. They are sitting NHL-calibre defenders every night (Colin Miller, Marco Scandella). It’s tough to make a good deal when everyone else sees the situation, and GM Jason Botterill wisely is trying to use every second he can. Zach Bogosian is close to a return, which adds cap chaos to the equation. Almost everyone else is capped out, too. It’s a delicate dance. They want a top-six forward that can help them.

- Minnesota GM Bill Guerin is doing a lot of legwork on the value of his players.

- Tuesday was an unusual night, with just one of 13 games going to overtime — making it 88 of 330 for the season. That’s 26.7 per cent, on-pace for the highest total ever. Previous mark was 25.6, in 2003–04. That was right before the season-long lockout, where the game was changed.

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