Could Mathieu Schneider finally be dealt? On Tuesday night, TSN reported that St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson could miss the entire 2008-09 season with a torn MCL and ACL. Earlier in the day, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Johnson’s status could prompt the Blues to pull the trigger on a deal for Schneider. So with the news that Johnson could very well be gone for the season, look for talks between the Blues and Ducks to intensify.

One of the main hurdles for Anaheim GM Brian Burke in trying to deal Schneider has been to find a trade partner that wouldn’t have send salary back to the Ducks in order to take on Schneider’s $5.7 million cap hit for this season. Burke of course is trying to clear space so he can sign Teemu Selanne and round out his roster. With the Blues at $47.6, $9 million shy of the cap, they have to be considered prime candidates to land Schneider now.

But keep in mind the rest of McKenzie’s column that can be found below. According to McKenzie, the 2005 second pick overall, Bobby Ryan is in play as part of a package deal. That could entice a team that was hesitant to deal before, to make the trade now.

Click here for Bob McKenzie's column at TSN.ca...

Murphy’s Law spoke to some NHL sources Tuesday night and based on those conversations, keep an eye on the Blues, Kings, Thrashers and Penguins, with the latter not likely to land the veteran defenseman but still surprisingly inquiring despite being up against the cap. Remember the Penguins will be missing defenseman Ryan Whitney for the first 2-3 months of the season and now Sergei Gonchar is out as well, so they could use a blue liner.

Kudos to the NHL, NHLPA, the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and fans in Roberville, Quebec aka, “Hockeyville, Canada” for taking us back to our hockey roots on Tuesday night in an exhibition at Benoit Levesque Arena...

Finally, Happy Birthday to “The Boss”. 59 on Tuesday.

That’s my wife’s favorite!

Slainte,
Murph