from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Okay, let’s go through some names starting to make their way around the NHL. It’s going to be very interesting to see how things play out with Minnesota and Kevin Fiala. He could have played Tuesday night in Dallas, but the Wild decided to make him a scratch instead — the second time it’s happened in 2019-20. Coach Bruce Boudreau indicated the winger would be back in the lineup soon, “because we could use his offence,” but it’s clear this marriage is shaky.

It’s a tricky scenario because he hasn’t even been there a calendar year, and was acquired by a previous GM. He’s talented, and the contract is not prohibitive. In a perfect world, he’s part of the solution in Minnesota. But, they’re going to see what is out there.

- Similar situation for the Red Wings and Andreas Athanasiou. I can’t say that Steve Yzerman has put him out there, but waiving Jonathan Ericsson indicates the status quo is not acceptable. Athanasiou started slowly in 2018-19, and still ended up with 30 goals. He’s goalless so far. Complicating all of this is it is a contract year, and the last one was a wrestling match.

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