Red Wings defenseman Mike Green is shaping up to be one of the top rental players available between now and the trade deadline. Accordingly, MLive’s Ansar Khan speculates that Detroit could try to land a late first-round pick for his services from a team that is guaranteed to be playoff-bound. If not, he thinks a pair of second rounders could be a realistic ask, especially considering the fact that Brendan Smith was able to yield a second and a third-round pick a year ago. Green has a $6MM cap hit but if the Wings are willing to retain on it (something that seems likely), they should be able to land a sizable return for his services.
More from the East:
- The Senators will be without defenseman Dion Phaneuf for a second straight game tonight against the Panthers, reports Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun. Unlike several other Ottawa players who are dealing with injuries or illness, this one is at least for a happier reason as Phaneuf is with family following the recent birth of his daughter. He’ll be ready to go following the holiday break.
- The NHL has rescinded the game misconduct penalty given to Blue Jackets winger Boone Jenner, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). This is notable as players who accumulate two game misconducts for stick infractions within 41 games or three in total for any reason during the season receive an automatic one-game suspension. This penalty being taken back puts Jenner back at a clean slate for the season.
- Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo has resumed skating, notes Walter Villa of the Miami Herald. However, he is still several weeks away from being able to return to the lineup from his leg injury. Villa adds that winger Jamie McGinn’s absence from their game last night was due to an upper-body injury. The veteran is listed as day-to-day.