Metropolitan Notes: New Jersey, Andersson, Fines

The New Jersey Devils have played better under new head coach Alain Nasreddine, going 5-6-2 after today’s shootout win against the Boston Bruins. Even if the playoffs are an unlikely goal at this point, they may still be looking at upgrades on the trade market. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that he believes New Jersey is “considering” some of the excess defensemen that the Buffalo Sabres have been trying to trade.

Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are the names that have been speculated on most over the last few months, though it’s not clear exactly who the Devils would be after. The Sabres have eight legitimate NHL options, not even including names like Lawrence Pilut and John Gilmour who are currently in the minor leagues.

• Friedman also writes that New York Rangers prospect Lias Andersson is back in Sweden again after recent reports that he was in North America after the holidays. The young forward left the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this month and was subsequently suspended, after requesting a trade out of the organization. Friedman suggests that the Rangers are treating Andersson just like the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars with their own discontented players, still valuing them as “young former first-rounders”—whatever that exactly means—in trade talks.
• Evgeni Malkin earned himself a $5,000 fine for high-sticking Jean-Gabriel Pageau last night, not the first time he’s been disciplined for hitting someone in the head/neck area with his stick. Pageau earned his own $2,500 fine for roughing during the incident.