Shocking, sudden news – Tomas Fleischmann is out for the season with a blockage in his artery. What this means career-wise, I am unable to dig up at this point (it’s Dobber). Adrian Dater is reporting that Peter Mueller is finally making progress though, but he’s still a good month away I’m sure. Looks like the team will call Galiardi back up. I remember that Flash had a blood clot in his leg about 15 months ago, so I wonder if it’s related.

Andreas Engqvist has been called up by the Habs. He’s got size and is slated to fill in for Jeff Halpern on the checking line.

The Avs have sent TJ Galiardi a message – a demotion to the AHL. Ryan Stoa is coming up the other way.

Carlo Colaiacovo is injured again. Ian Cole will replace him in the lineup for now.

The Rangers have lost another forward to injury. Ruslan Fedotenko will be out for up to a month. This opens up more ice time for both Stepan and Zuccarello on the second line.

Nabokov to Detroit may be done soon according to Bob McKenzie. He would have to clear waivers… Wow.

Braden Holtby is getting the start in goal for the Caps tonight.

The Midseason Guide, you can buy it here, re-released just this past Friday. Get yourself organized and ready to go in the second half by picking up this great read.

Grant Clitsome has five points in five games. Worth picking up in one-year leagues and keeping an eye on in keepers. Now is a great time to emerge as an offensive defenseman in Columbus…

Steve Mason was great last night – I often criticize him so I figured I had to show both sides of the coin. He has a lot of talent but struggles with the mental aspect of being an everyday goalie. I personally wouldn’t consider owning him but he does have upside.

Fedor Tyutin has nine points in his past 10 games. Columbus lacks a true PP defenseman but Tyutin has leapfrogged the pack at the moment. He's not great offensively, but he is steady and dependable in most situations.

Dmitri Kulikov has five points in three games. He won’t hit his upside (50+ points) until the Panthers get some talent to play with, but he should approach the high 30’s next season. He has a huge shot and plays with a lot of confidence offensively.

We are in the market for a writer at DobberHockey. Check out this link for more information.

The time off sure did Nick Backstrom good – he stopped all 37 shots he faced last night in Calgary.

Martin Havlat had three points last night and how has points in three straight games.

Andrew Brunette is quietly stringing some quality hockey together. Skating has never been his strong suit, so the fact that he is slowing down with age hasn't really impacted his offense all that much.

Brunette is currently on pace for less than 50 points – expect him to finish the season closer to 60.

Kyle Brodziak has seven points in his last seven games. He's been put in more of an offensive role with all of the injuries to the Minnesota forward group. He doesn't have much offensive upside but I'd take a flier on him if you need a center in a deep one-year league.

Marian Gaborik needs to be benched more. He responded with four goals and an assist against the hapless Leafs last night.

Zuccarello and Stepan have been absolutely flying together – the pint-sized Norwegian is a ton of fun to watch play. He's absolutely fearless.

Gaborik skated on a line with Anisimov and Avery, while Wolski flanked the two rookies.

Lundqvist (aka the best goalie in the league) recorded his seventh shutout of the season.

It sure would be nice to have Ron Wilson’s job security – he does poorer, and Burke has more confidence in him! Wilson is a horrid fit for that team and market. Motivation through fear and the media doesn’t work, especially in markets with such intense media scrutiny and pressure. Players simply tune it out.

Dion Phaneuf had 15 PIM last night – he has one measly assist in his past 10. Simply not working out in Toronto at either end of the ice.

Spring Training is just around the corner – the community at DobberBaseball is slowly growing. Head on over there for some fantasy baseball advice to help build your team into a winner.

Ales Hemsky is out with a concussion. The Band-Aid Boy list never fails. I guess Hemsky's breakout season will be pushed back again?

Shirokov looked very good in his first game this season with the Canucks. The biggest difference between this season and last season – his improvement in strength. He was able to keep the puck on his stick as well as knock it off the opposition, something he struggled with in his six games with the Canucks last year.

Raymond has been struggling mightily offensively, which will open the door for Shirokov to continue to prove he belongs in the NHL.

Horcoff is close to returning – Edmonton's been a lot better with him in the lineup than without. Sounds like he’s playing tonight.

Pulled the trigger on a trade in the DobberHockey Expert’s League last night – my current goaltending has been killing me. Tuukka Rask, Cam Ward, and Tomas Vokoun are my three. Vokoun is always in, while Ward and Rask alternate. Ward has been terrible lately and Rask simply doesn’t play that much (frustrating in a weekly league).

Moved Patrice Bergeron and Matt Cooke (who I picked up off of the wire last week) for Niklas Backstrom and Martin Erat. No use for Erat, especially with Okposo now back (RW), but Backstrom plays a lot and Minnesota is playing decent hockey lately.

Backstrom’s 37-save shutout helped me say yes to the deal, I won’t lie. However, I still would have pulled the trigger after a miserable game.

I have some good news and bad news. The good – Damien Cox has resigned (not re-signed) from the Toronto Star. The bad? He’s moving to TSN on a full time basis.

Gaborik making Gustavsson look like a fool: