Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 29)

The last couple days haven't exactly been conducive to updating the blog, but since I have a few moments today, I am quickly going to run through the updates we've seen on the news page.

One of two returns to the press box on Tuesday night, as Devante Smith-Pelly for the Ducks' game against the Canucks, returning from the All-Star break.  Smith-Pelly has been somewhat of a regular up there of late, but with a return to the lineup before the break, he came off the list and his trip upstairs meant that he got added again to the blog.  This may end up being more of a regular occurrence, until he gets his game sorted.

Through the last two nights of action, Ryan has dropped back into 23rd place, thanks to only 4 points in the week, to date.  He now is projected to have the first pick in next week's Waiver Draft.

On Monday, Edmonton's Taylor Hall took a shot off the leg at practice, which gave him a bone bruise and forced him to miss Tuesday's return against the Wild.  Hall is listed as out day-to-day and his availability for Thursday's game, hosting the Sabres, is somewhat questionable still.  I would imagine that he would be closer to go than not, but we probably won't know until game time.

Even without Hall, Wyllie has had an okay start to the week with 9 points, sitting in 21st place in the standings, meaning right now, he would have the third pick next week. Things can change, but I don't think Hall is a candidate for a drop.

The saga of Mike Richards continues, as he was assigned to the minors on Tuesday and there is every indication that he will report to Manchester in the AHL, while he waits for new life in the NHL, likely with a different club.  There have been rumours of other teams kicking at his tires, but as of Thursday morning, there hasn't been any movement.

Richards only has 15 points in 47 games, but Troy has not really missed a beat without his 11th round draft pick, as he's moved up from 8th to 6th in the first couple nights of action, which is hurting his Waiver Draft selection next week.  Now, Richards may be a good candidate for a drop next week.

The second of the press box returns is Lee Stempniak, who has been an occasional visitor of the healthy scratch club, when the utility forward hasn't had the best of times on the ice.  In 38 games with the Rangers this season, the veteran forward only has 6 goals and 8 assists, so he hasn't had a screaming start to the season.

Stempniak was a Week Nine Waiver Draft pick-up for Leo this year and since he was added to the roster, he had played 16 games, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists.  Not sure about Leo's ties to his team, but he may want to consider dropping a consistent scratch like Stempniak.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.