from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

- Jacob Markstrom, the ex-Canucks goalie, has recorded eight shutouts this season with the red-hot Flames. He looked like an overpay (six years, $36 million) when the Flames hired him away two years ago, but now the Swedish stopper is a Vezina candidate and looks capable of backing the Flames to a long run.

- Would the Blackhawks deal Patrick Kane? It sounds absurd, but Kane is on the books for only one more season at $10.5 million. As prolific as he has been, Kane will be nearly 35 upon hitting the UFA market. If they’re not interested in extending him, now is the time for the Blackhawks to make a move, provided he relinquishes his no-move clause. There are no guarantees in postseason play, but Kane, even at 33, is among the few players in the game who could move a team from Cup contender to Cup favorite.

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