Time to Put Trading Cards on Table

Today is the last chance for Stanley Cup contenders to fill some holes and for pretenders to dump veterans and high salaries.

A flurry of action is expected in the hours before today’s trading deadline at noon PST, including moves of some prominent players. The Florida Panthers, who haven’t won since the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team’s chairs were intact, are expected to be active, with a trade of franchise keystone John Vanbiesbrouck among their options.

Vanbiesbrouck, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, asked to be traded. However, only a team that doesn’t trust its goaltending--can you say Philadelphia Flyers?--would risk acquiring him, only to lose him with no compensation.

The same risk might not deter the New York Islanders from making a deal with Edmonton for Curtis Joseph. They have given up on Tommy Salo and have bodies to spare, such as defenseman Rich Pilon. The Islanders are also interested in a center, so that could become a multi-player deal.

The Ottawa Senators are in the market for goaltending help because Coach Jacques Martin is unhappy with Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt. Carolina can spare Kirk McLean, but his stock has fallen.

As always, defensemen are in demand and they don’t have to be top-notch. Chicago is interested in the New York Rangers’ Jeff Beukeboom and Tampa Bay’s Bryan Marchment, but San Jose and Edmonton also looked at Beukeboom. The Mighty Ducks are almost sure to trade Dmitri Mironov, who can be a walk-away free agent July 1. Detroit is his likely destination, although the Red Wings also like Florida’s Gord Murphy.

The New Jersey Devils want a power-play quarterback, as do the Kings. That role could be filled by Al MacInnis of St. Louis, Chicago’s Gary Suter or Vancouver’s Jyrki Lumme, but none is likely to be dealt within the conference. Ottawa’s Igor Kravchuk and Toronto’s Mathieu Schneider are also available.

Some high-profile forwards are rumored to be moving. The Buffalo Sabres agreed to grant Matthew Barnaby’s request for a trade, and they can get a lot for the pugnacious right wing. The Blackhawks, who recently traded Jim Cummins, are interested.

The Rangers like Barnaby too, but are far enough out of an Eastern playoff spot to think about dumping players, not acquiring any. If they trade Mike Keane to Colorado, as reported, the Rangers will pay part of the four-year, $8-million contract they gave him last summer to lure him away from the Avalanche.

The Kings want a big center and could dangle Yanic Perreault as bait. The Flyers looked at veterans Mike Gartner and Rick Tocchet of Phoenix, but they’re happy enough with Alexandre Daigle to stand pat. Dallas, looking to the playoff grind, wants defensive center Brian Skrudland from the Rangers. Ottawa made mercurial center Radek Bonk available, and his age (22) and size (6 feet 3) make him a good reclamation project. Mike Keenan sent a fax around the NHL, telling general managers that Gino Odjick, Scott Walker and Dave Roberts are available--Odjick was traded to the Islanders Monday--and Alexander Mogilny could probably be had for the right price, but not for Jeremy Roenick.

PHOENIX HASN’T RISEN

The Phoenix Coyotes ended a three-game losing streak Sunday, but their injury streak continued.

They have lost a center in each of their last five games: Craig Janney because of a knee injury, Bob Corkum because of a concussion, Juha Ylonen with a broken leg, rookie Daniel Briere because of a separated shoulder, and Roenick because of a strained groin. Roenick’s injury isn’t believed to be serious--good news for the Coyotes, who have lost more than 400 man-games this season.

“It’s unbelievable,� Roenick said of the team’s struggles. “We’ve had absolutely no luck at all. . . . I’ve never seen as bad a string of bad luck as we’ve had.�

They have almost played themselves out of the playoffs, and they’re clinging to seventh in the West.

“It’s been a tough year, especially the last month,� defenseman Teppo Numminen said. “Everyone had really high hopes before the season and it isn’t going as well as we thought.

“We’ve had lots of injuries but that’s part of the game. A couple of small thing didn’t go our way and we haven’t gotten breaks, but we can’t feel sorry about ourselves. We just have to stick to it and stay strong as a team.�

BLOCK THAT SHOT

Although injuries have deprived the Dallas Stars of 10 regulars and led them to recall half of their Kalamazoo farm team, right wing Pat Verbeek said it hasn’t been entirely a bad thing.

“The guys who are coming up are providing a lot of enthusiasm for us,� he said. “When you go through troubles like this, it shows what you’re made of. I think we’ll be a much better hockey club because of it. . . . Everyone’s stepped up their game a little bit. We have to do a little better job defensively. The forwards have to play better defensively. We’re like a new hockey team and we’re going to have to learn a little bit how to win again.�

The Stars, who got defenseman Derian Hatcher back from a knee injury Friday, have the depth and defensive commitment to weather injuries that would devastate most other teams. Shot-blocking is almost a lost art, but it’s alive and well in Dallas. Thanks to the diligence of the Stars’ defensemen and forwards, their goalies face an average of merely 22.6 shots a game, a league low.

OUTFOXED

The hideous glowing puck and distracting comet tail have been missing from Fox’s NHL telecasts since the All-Star game, but don’t rejoice yet. They’re going to be back, sorry to say.

Fox spokesman Lou D’Ermilio attributed the absence of the puck and comet to the incompatibility of the Fox trak system--which generates the glow and the tail--with new cameras being phased in by the network. Fox is working to adapt the cameras and expects to have the gimmicks back for the playoffs.

SLAP SHOTS

The Florida Panthers’ 0-14-1 streak is an unexpected blessing for the San Jose Sharks, who acquired Florida’s first-round draft pick for the less-than-immortal Viktor Kozlov. . . . Readers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press who dislike the name “Wild� for their expansion team, came up with a better one: Skeeters. The paper devised a logo of a mosquito carrying a hockey stick. . . . Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, facing losses of $25 million, is seeking investors. He’s willing to sell up to 30% of the team.

Sergei Fedorov’s new contract will help other players. It will push up the average league salary, and any player who has completed 10 or more pro seasons, earned less than the average league salary in the last year of his contract and hasn’t been an unrestricted free agent can become a Group 5 unrestricted free agent. “Group 5’s will be the most sought after,� said Bill Watters, Toronto’s assistant general manager. “It’s pretty difficult to sign a 35-year-old as a Group 3 free agent when he’s going to want a long contract, and yet you can’t stay out of the marketplace.�

Not even a great stretch run by Wayne Gretzky, who has seven goals and 19 points in his last 10 games, has gotten the New York Rangers into the top eight in the East. They’re still paying for trading prospects for veterans in their 1994 Cup run. . . . The Rangers still won’t call Pat LaFontaine’s head injury a concussion, although he had all the classic symptoms after colliding with teammate Keane. As soon as he feels better, he will fly to Chicago to see Jim Kelly, the specialist who treated him last season after his last concussion. Duck winger Paul Kariya is also scheduled to see Kelly when he’s well enough to travel.

Philadelphia’s John LeClair is eight goals from his third consecutive 50-goal season and from becoming the first American-born player to record three 50-goal seasons. Kevin Stevens, Roenick, and Keith Tkachuk have each had two. . . . Fuhr’s two-year, $6-million deal with the Blues has a trade-approval clause. Brett Hull rejected a three-year, $15-million offer because it lacked a no-trade clause.

Tampa Bay center John Cullen, stricken with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is progressing well and talking about a comeback. . . . Boston defenseman Ray Bourque got his second game misconduct of the season last Thursday after earning none in his first 18 seasons. He went after Toronto’s Mats Sundin to avenge a hit he said Sundin inflicted while Sundin was still with Quebec. Long memory.