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THERRIEN PLEASED WITH GALCHENYUK

The Montreal Gazette points out that the Buffalo Sabres may have sent Mikhail Grigorenko back to the Quebec Remparts, but Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said Alex Galchenyuk is staying in Montreal even if he is fighting his way through an offensive slump.

Therrien said the key for youngsters Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher is the ability to play at least 12 productive minutes a game and they have done that. And, while Galchenyuk has only one assist in his last 10 games, Therrien is happy with his progress. He’s averaged 12:39 of ice time and has three goals and 10 assists.

“He’s playing a mature game,” Therrien said after the Canadiens practised in preparation for Tuesday’s visit from the Buffalo Sabres. “Sometimes he’ll miss a few things, but we’ll sit down with him and show him. He’s part of every power-play meeting and every penalty-kill meeting. We know he’s going to be there and he’s going to be ready.”

Therrien said the 19-year-old is still adjusting to the jump from junior.

“He has a tendency to handle the puck too much and try to make the good play,” said Therrien. “In the NHL, the play is so tight and the opening is so small and you have to see it. You always have to do the percentage play. It’s part of the learning process. You have to accept what the other team is going to give you. When there’s time, you have to make the play and where there isn’t time, you can’t force the play.”

MORROW UNDERSTANDS IGINLA’S PLIGHT

The Calgary Herald observes how the parallels are unavoidable between Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow.

Both captains. Both highly respected. Both having come to symbolize the only organizations they have ever known. Both set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Both holding the hammer of no-trade clauses, and therefore wielding a large measure of control. Both the subject of gathering barter speculation as April 3rd’s trade embargo hurtles towards us like a runaway freight train.

“For me, 13 years here.” mused Morrow. “For him, longer there. The blood and sweat you put in for the organization . . . it’s a lot. I don’t know exactly his situation. I know what I’m dealing with here. There’s no certainty for next year.

“Sometimes it’s difficult, hearing the rumours.

“The 60 minutes you play are the easiest. But it’s always in your mind, I guess. When you guys bring it up or mom calls or friends start talking about it, there is speculation out there. You do think about it. You try to get it out of your mind as best you can but it’s still there, all the same.

“Still, that isn’t what’s important right now. What’s important for me is trying to get this team — and for him, his team — into the playoffs.”

Morrow fully grasps the sensations Iginla is going through right now. Because, by circumstance, he happens to be living them, too.

“Every kid who plays hockey dreams of winning the Stanley Cup,” said Morrow. “Even when we get here, to the NHL, as great as everything is, it’s still all we think about.

“And when I dream of holding that Cup in the air, it’s always a Dallas Stars’ jersey that’s on my chest. Always. Doing that, accomplishing that, here.

“Always.

“So until the situation changes, that’s the way my dream is.”

EAKINS: DON’T COMPARE RIELLY



The Toronto Sun indicates Dallas Eakins is about to take charge of the Leafs’ best offensive defenceman draft pick in years.

Which Eakins knows will be a test, not only for Morgan Rielly, but the organization and its often impatient fans.

“I don’t want him compared to Paul Coffey,” the Marlies coach said Monday on the phone from a road stop in Cleveland. “I want him to be Morgan Rielly. I don’t like how we do those comparisons in our city, young guys to great players of the past. I think you’re setting kids up to fail.”

Rielly had a banner year for the Moose Jaw Warriors, 42 assists and 54 points in 60 games on a non-playoff team. He also had a trip to the world juniors for Team Canada and stopped by Leafs camp on his way home from Russia. The fifth pick overall in 2012 will join the Marlies Wednesday in Chicago and likely make his pro debut there Friday against the Wolves.

“The first thing he’ll find is the AHL is a step up, pace-wise,” Eakins said. “We’ll get a feel for what he can do.”

OILERS MANAGING JUSTIN SCHULTZ’S MINUTES

The Edmonton Sun believes Justin Schultz may not have hit the wall, but he knows it’s there.

Between the American Hockey League and NHL, the Edmonton Oilers defenceman has already played 25 more games this season than he did all of last year with the University of Wisconsin Badgers. And he still has 20 regular season games left to go.

“It’s a lot different here,” Schultz said. “In the AHL it was more like a college schedule, but coming here, you’re playing a game every other day, so it’s a lot different than college for sure. There are a lot more games, it’s a lot more tiring, it’s a lot of hockey for sure.

“You just have to be smart with your days off, recover in the right ways and eat the right things. You have to make sure you’re doing the little things to conserve some energy.”

In an effort to help keep Schultz from slamming into the wall, which a lot of college players have a tendency of doing, the Oilers have cut down on his minutes. They have also paired him with Ryan Whitney, who can help share the offensive load Schultz has been carrying from the back end this season.

“It’s the minutes that he’s played that have probably held him back a little bit from showing the offensive spectacle that he was able to show in the AHL or earlier in the season,” said Oilers coach Ralph Krueger. “We’ve definitely pushed him back down a little bit. Paired with Ryan Whitney and the two being power play players, has given him a little less of the defensive burden that he had earlier in the season as well, which we hope gives him more energy for offence.”

JETS’ GM ON TRADE DEADLINE



The Winnipeg Sun caught up with Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who provided a glimpse into what the Jets might do between now and the April 3 trade deadline.

“I’d love to be able to acquire something that could inspire some more scoring for us,” Cheveldayoff said. “Our left side with Ladd and Kane has played well. Wheeler on the right side has played well. And the guys that have been auditioning up and down the lineup on the right side, you’ve seen some good things and you’ve seen some times where you wish you had more.”

To which The Sun responded, “Get in line.”

“There’s a long line,” Cheveldayoff conceded. “But we’ve positioned ourselves well. We do have the assets that if the right deal comes along we can pounce on it.”

Those “assets” are draft picks, of which the Jets have a nice stockpile: six in the first three rounds of this year’s draft.

If the Jets are out of the running, expect Cheveldayoff to dangle Ron Hainsey and Nik Antropov, probably his two most tradeable UFA’s.

“You have to look at the legitimacy of where you’re at in the playoff mix,” Cheveldayoff said, listing one of the factors he’ll be considering as April 3 approaches.

OATES KEEPS OVECHKIN FOCUSED

The Washington Times takes a lengthy look at Alex Ovechkin’s well-publicized struggles, noting Capitals coach Adam Oates wants Ovechkin to concentrate on the internal evaluations instead of the external noise. Sometimes that’s hard to block out.

It’s Oates‘ job to keep Ovechkin focused on the task at hand, working every day to get better.

“I’ve always believed that you can come to the rink and work and smile. Just because you’re frowning doesn’t mean you’re improving,” Oates said. “For Ovi, my goal is to get his trust. By doing that, we talk a lot that when the respect comes it’s going to be an easier transition and just make it a lot easier for everybody concerned.”

Ovechkin said he’s comfortable with Oates, “so that’s most important thing.” Having earned the Russian winger’s confidence, Oates is in the midst of a unique situation trying to revitalize a dimming superstar’s career.

The Hall of Fame playmaker believes he can make Ovechkin better than he was before.

“I’m trying to improve it, in all honesty,” Oates said. “Every day we watch the video and try to make every single player better, including the stars. Tom Brady can still get better. If you ever have the attitude that you’re not or you can’t, that’s the wrong attitude.”

BERTUZZI SEEKS TO AVOID SURGERY

Michigan Live details how Todd Bertuzzi has taken several pain-killing shots and has gotten plenty of rest in the five weeks since he was hospitalized with severe back pain.

The Detroit Red Wings forward is doing what he can to avoid surgery because he desperately wants to play again this season.

“I’d like to get back, because the only other option is getting it fixed,” Bertuzzi said Monday. “I’m going to try to rehab and get it back to being strong enough to where I can play. I don’t want to play one game and be back to where I’ve been. I want to be able to last the remainder of the games.”

Nobody knows when he will return – or if he will be back this season.

“With the back, it’s just time,” Bertuzzi said. “I don’t have an answer. I wish I did because that’s the frustrating part. If you have a knee injury or something (like that) you know how long it’s going to take. But, when it’s the back, you have no clue.”

GOOD TIMING FOR PANTHERS’ BRENNAN

The Miami Herald points out that with Panthers defensemen Dmitry Kulikov, Mike Weaver and Michael Caruso all on injured reserve, the door was wide open for T.J. Brennan to make an immediate impact with the Florida Panthers over the weekend.

Coach Kevin Dineen knew exactly what to expect. His information on the defenseman comes from two seasons of fostering his development with the AHL Portland (Maine) Pirates.

“He’s got a heavy shot; he’s very assertive offensively,” Dineen said of the blue-liner. “As much as anything, he’s extremely well-respected by his teammates for the effort he brings to the rink every single day.”

After a good start to his season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL, Brennan had to be recalled to Buffalo at the end of the lockout. The Sabres carried him around on the roster, but despite a solid showing in AHL play — 35 points in 36 games with the Americans — there was no place for him.

“With the shortened season and not getting off to the start that Buffalo wanted, it was tough to work me in there,” he said.

“That leash wasn’t exactly long, so it was tough for me to really prove myself. No one’s [to] blame.”