from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

- There continues to be dialogue between the Bruins and Loui Eriksson's camp, which is the good news. Whether or not they can come to terms on an extension before next Monday, well, that's another question altogether....

- The surprising New Jersey Devils headed into Tuesday's games three points out of a wild-card spot. In other words, as difficult a spot a team can be in when deciding its trade deadline strategy. But I don't think it's as difficult as people think. GM Ray Shero must keep the big picture in mind as he continues to rebuild this team....

- We continue to wait on the Eric Staal front. The pending unrestricted free-agent center still hasn't had a firm sense of direction yet from Hurricanes management as of Tuesday morning and perhaps it's because the next few games could influence that decision, depending on wins and losses....

- Similarly, the Detroit Red Wings would look to add before Monday's deadline if it means getting an impact player for their top six up front. But like the Wild, I don't believe Wings GM Ken Holland has any inclination to move out a first-round pick to do it. So if Holland makes a move before the deadline, somehow it's for an impact forward and yet without having to pay out a first-rounder. Which means perhaps he does nothing at all....

more on each of the above plus the Andrew Ladd status among other topics...