This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Yesterday, Sean McIndoe, of the late, great Grantland and currently of ESPN.com, wrote an article about the players who held on a little too long to their NHL career, thus robbing themselves of the chance to go out on a high note. Now, I have no problem for a player to play as long as they want to and as long as somebody wants to give them money, but it is never fun to see a great player running on fumes at the end of the line. The list carves out a whole section for guys who tacked on a little time with the Detroit Red Wings, which, as a Wings fan, I have a fair amount of personal experience with. The thing is, it seems increasingly likely that another player may be added to that list in future years.
I speak, of course, of Brad Richards. Now, Richards isn't the caliber of a, say, Mike Modano, but we are talking about a guy with a Conn Smythe Award and over 900 career points. That's a great career. He won another Cup last year with Chicago, and then headed over to Detroit to, presumably, try and win another one, even though Detroit has been eking into the playoffs for a few years now.
Now, Richards missed time with injury, so perhaps we should be cut him a little slack, but the fact remains that through 12 games he has zero goals. Not a one. That, needless to say, is not good. He's 35, so logic would dictate that he has more years in front of him. Additionally, he should get a little better as the year goes on. However, not everybody gets to play until their 40, especially if they stop scoring goals. Maybe Richards will be joining the list of guys who quietly fade away as a Detroit Red Wing.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Maple Leafs (James Reimer) at Jets (Michael Hutchinson), 7:00 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 8:00 PM
Bruins (Tuukka Rask) at Oilers (Anders Nilsson), 9:30 PM
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Ducks (John Gibson), 10:30 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Maple Leafs
Joffrey Lupul, LW (lower-body) – On injured reserve
James Reimer, G (undisclosed) – Will start if healthy
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) – No timetable for return
Jets
Grant Clitsome, D (back) – Out for season
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) – Likely out at least a month
Rangers
Kevin Klein, D (oblique) – Out 2-3 weeks
Derek Stepan, C (ribs) – Out 4-6 weeks
Islanders
Jean-Francois Berube, G (lower-body) – On injured reserve
Eric Boulton, LW (lower-body) – On injured reserve
Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (leg) – Out 6-8 months
Kevan Miller, D (concussion) – Out indefinitely
David Pastrnak, LW (foot) – Off crutches, out indefinitely
Oilers
Rob Klinkhammer, LW (lower-body) – On injured reserve
Connor McDavid, C (shoulder) – Out months
Nail Yakupov, RW (ankle) – Out 2-4 weeks
Lightning
Jonathan Drouin, C (undisclosed) – Could play Wednesday
Tyler Johnson, C (undisclosed) – Will return soon, perhaps Wednesday
Ondrej Palat, LW (lower-body) – Out 3-5 weeks
Cedric Paquette, C (undisclosed) – Could play Wednesday
Ducks
Frederik Andersen, G (illness) – May return Friday
Simon Despres, D (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Jiri Sekac, RW (ankle) – Out indefinitely
Nate Thompson, C (shoulder) – Close to returning
Hot
Rasmus Ristolainen, D, BUF – The Sabres almost beats the Red Wings on Tuesday, and Ristolainen did his best in that effort. He picked up three helpers, and played 27:55, and now he's picked up five assists in his last four games. He's also plus-4 in those games, which, playing for the Sabres, is not nothing. He's a young defenseman having a good season, and while he hasn't found the net recently he can still help your fantasy team.
Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI – It may seem like a bit of a stretch to call somebody hot after two games, but it works here for Simmonds. He has three goals and two assists in his last two games, and he's also a plus-5 in those games. Simmons has been a bit cold to start the year, as he only has six goals and 13 points on the year. However, this is a guy who has scored at least 28 goals in the NHL's last three full seasons, so he's likely to pick it up eventually. Could this be the start of that regression toward the mean?
Cold
Erik Johnson, D, COL – Johnson picked up an assist Tuesday, but it was his first point in seven games, and he is a minus-5 in those games. Johnson takes a lot of shots, and plays a lot of minutes, and he is a former first overall pick. On the other hand, Colorado doesn't seem to be very good, and Johnson has never been a huge points contributor. He does have nine points on the season, which is OK for a defenseman, but this drought means now is not the time to trust Johnson.
Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM – The Oilers have not taken the steps forward many anticipated. Injuries to key young players, and their continued issues in net, play a big part of that, but the underperforming Eberle deserves some scorn as well. He scored goals in back-to-back games a little while back, but he has not notched a point in five straight games, and he is minus-8 in those contests. Overall, he only has three points. He's certainly too young to fall off a cliff, unless there is some sort of lingering injury issue, and he did miss time so that's possible, so right now Eberle has to be concerning anybody who owns him.
Recommended Pickup
Victor Rask, C, CAR – Rask showed a little promise as a 21-year-old rookie, scoring 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games. However, playing for the Hurricanes does not necessarily make you a prominent name to the casual NHL fan. Rask has taken things to a new level this year. Seeing almost 18 minutes of ice time per game, Rask has eight goals and 15 points through 24 games. He's put 54 shots on goal, and netted 172 last year, and he plays on the power-play too. If you need a little offensive punch, the Swede could be waiting for you.
