from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

- How tough is it to make a deal? Nine teams are already spending into their long-term injury allowance and another 10 are less than $1 million below the cap. The only deals that can take place are dollar-for-dollar.

- Left wing Dany Heatley’s days are numbered with the Wild and Europe may be his only option. Scheduled to become a UFA on July 1, Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher has been unsuccessful in his attempts to trade the struggling winger to anybody who might be willing to take on the final year of his $7.5—million contract. No such luck.

- Columbus coach Todd Richards is on the hotseat. Since taking over last year, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen hasn’t played the coach firing card and the club has taken a step back this year. The only guy who can save Richards job is goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and he has to stop the puck.

more including what happened to the urgency Oliers GM Craig MacTavish talked about when he was hired...