Player Notes in the Draft (Oct 11)

There is a positive update for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman, Kristopher Letang, as he has hit the ice for the first time this season for the morning skate.  This news does not mean that the Norris Trophy candidate will be back in the line-up this weekend, but it is a step in the right direction.

Letang has yet to play a game this season, thanks to a lower-body injury and Stuart could really use his help soon, as he sits in last place, heading into Friday night's action.  Letang was scoring at an unreal pace last season and that would be the shot in the arm that Stuart's team would need to get out of the basement.

The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled one of their 2013 draft picks, goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis, likely to help out at practice, as it sounds like their number one goalie, Ben Bishop, is suffering from a lower-body injury.  Sounds like the details are fairly limited at the moment, but the Lightning don't go again until Saturday evening, home to the Penguins, so it would seem more likely we'll get details closer to that game.  Currently, Bishop is listed as out day-to-day.

The Lightning are likely in tough against the Penguins on Saturday night, but they are rolling at the moment, so it wouldn't be out of the question that they couldn't pull out a win here.  Scott G. is hoping that he doesn't miss out on a start, but Stacey M. would probably like to see Anders Lindback in the net for the Bolts and help her climb up the standings.  Scott is currently 1 point back of Stacey in the standings and giving up the start is not a way to make up that ground.

It's kind of hard to say whether or not this is a salary cap move (which seems likely) or just a roster move for the sake of, but T.J. Brennan has been assigned to the Marlies again, without having played a game on his first recall of the season.  The Leafs are up against the cap ceiling this season and they will likely have players up and down from the minors often, just to save on that cap space, if at all possible.  As of right now, between being a call up and a healthy scratch, there just doesn't appear to be any schedule that would see Brennan in the line-up.

This is not good news for Wes M., who took a home run swing with Brennan in the draft this year.  Wes currently sits in 14th place, but is only 3 points out of the top 10, so missing out on Brennan isn't the biggest deal at the moment right now.  Over the schedule of the season, it will definitely add up.