So much for the trade rumors – van Riemsdyk is out indefinitely with a concussion.

Pick up the 2011-12 DobberHockey Midseason Guide here. Dobber, myself, and the rest of the team worked really hard on it, and I am fully confident it will help you improve your standing significantly. Need to see an example? Check out last year’s guide for free and judge for yourself the value.

Radim Vrbata leads the entire Western Conference in goals scored (tied at 22 with Toews). Don’t expect him to hit 40 (or even 35) as his shooting percentage is almost double what it has been for the rest of his career. Still, he’s an underrated offensive talent.

Ekman-Larsson (two assists) and Yandle combined for almost 60 minutes of ice time last night for the ‘Yotes. Youth is served. Yandle was a minus-3, while Ekman-Larsson was plus-3.

Gilbert Brule was pointless in 13 minutes of ice time for Phoenix.

Brassard had two points and led the BJ’s with five shots on goal.

Don’t look now, but the Ducks are heating up. Points in five straight games. Getzlaf had four helpers against the Oilers last night. Perry added two goals.

Tampa Bay’s goaltending woes continue (I think I have written this before). Troy Brouwer put three past Roloson last night (well two, and one into the empty net).

The Lightning are getting absolutely nothing from anyone not named Stamkos, Lecavalier, or St. Louis right now. The struggling Teddy Purcell does have points in consecutive games, though.

Mike Cammalleri will make his debut on Saturday, rocking a #93 Flames jersey. The opponent? Interestingly enough, Darryl Sutter's LA Kings. Sutter is the one who chose not to re-sign Cammalleri a few summers ago.

Dan Carcillo is out for up to six months with a torn ACL. He suffered the injury while piledriving Tom Gilbert into the end boards. Not much else needs to be said here…

Rick DiPietro is out for (likely) the season with a sports hernia. Time to hang them up, Rick.

Jeff Skinner is inching closer to a return. Could be as soon as next week.

It is a question of when, and not if, Ales Hemsky is traded. Do the Kings and Oilers put the Smyth saga behind them and hash a deal out here? Pittsburgh would definitely have some interest, as well.

No suspension for PK Subban after his shot to David Krejci's head. Could have been a game or two… was a borderline hit.

Halak is starting tonight. He's playing really well lately, as is Brian Elliott. Great for the Blues, bad for poolies (especially those of us in leagues with weekly line-ups).

My take on the Schenn + for James van Riemsdyk rumour: depending on what the + is, the Flyers should avoid making it. Schenn hasn't really improved at all since entering the league. He's big and really strong, but his mobility and decision-making are questionable, at best. Can't really teach hockey sense.

John Tortorella can rest easy – Dan Girardi is heading to the All-Star game. Will be weird not seeing him dive in front of opposing shots, won't it?

Cam Atkinson has 20 goals in 33 AHL games – how long do the Jackets wait before calling him up?

Defenseman Tyson Barrie is having a really strong AHL rookie season in Lake Erie – five goals and 24 points in 37 games. There's a great chance he'll be a full-time NHLer in Colorado (or elsewhere) next season.

Angelo Esposito was traded from Florida to Dallas yesterday. My first question – when did Angelo Esposito end up on Florida?

The Wild waived Colton Gillies yesterday. Back in 2007, Gillies was drafted ahead of the following players – Pacioretty, Backlund, Perron, and Subban. A really weird first round, looking back.

A good read on the new owner in Dallas, Tom Gaglardi.

“When we walked in, the pricing was illogical from the fans' perspective, so we simplified the pricing by reducing most seats,” said Jim Lites, CEO and president of the Dallas Stars.

Gee, is that a good idea for a team that was drawing a near-league low 10,000 fans per game at the beginning of the season? Perhaps. As Gaglardi told the Stars’ radio flagship:

“Already since the ownership change and we’ve announced the ticket price changes our attendance is up over 5,000 per game. That’s remarkable. We’re certainly ahead of where I thought we’d be.”

Suddenly the Stars have drawn over 15,000 fans for six games in a row, topping 16,000 twice in that span.

It’s obvious from his statements that Gaglardi is in it for what fans would call the right reasons: Not for profit, not for a business opportunity, and not because daddy left him the team. He’s in it because he’s a hockey fan whose personal success has afforded him the opportunity every fan dreams of."

A great look at why Dan Hamhuis is Vancouver's best defenseman.

"Edler's taking advantage of his skill, hitting more and generally doing an All-Star caliber job all around, but are his contributions as valuable as what Hamhuis provides?

I don't think so, and I hope that Hamhuis gets some kind of recognition for his quality, steady play in Vancouver this season. He's not dominant enough to be a Norris nominee, and he isn't flashy enough to be invited to an All-Star game. So what's left?"

Missed this the other night  – Zetterberg pays homage to Peter Forsberg here:

Sam Gagner bites off a bit more than he can chew…