Across the NHL, there’s no shortage of activity.  From players being sued to teams looking how to slim down their lineups, the league works around the clock to keep things running smoothly.  There’s never a dull moment.

The Carolina Hurricanes have too many men, at least on defense.  The team is reportedly considering moving either Haydn Fleury or Trevor van Riemsdyk, if they can get a top-nine forward, before both head off to restricted free agent land next summer.  Fleury was a top pick in the 2014 draft, but hasn’t performed well since then.  Van Riemsdyk would most likely be the better option with more value in a trade.

The Buffalo Sabres are also looking to put their roster on a diet, with Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian being two possible candidates.  They’re both out due to injuries, which means they can’t be traded now, but will be eligible once they’re back.  Scandella might be able to ensure better value and the Sabres could consider trying to make a deal with the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens, or any other team that is willing to put up the money or the value.

It’s not common to see NHL defensive players make it to 1,500 games, but that’s exactly what Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins did last night.  He joins just five others in the history of the league that can make that claim, and was even given a standing ovation for the feat from Montreal Canadiens fans when he took the ice at Bell Centre.  The experience didn’t help, though, as the Bruins fell 5-4 to take a record of 11-2-2 on the season.

The Arizona Coyotes are looking to shake things up a bit as they look to improve their record and move up in the Pacific Division.  Erik Kallgren has been placed on unconditional wavers, but not because of poor goaltending.  It comes down to economics and position and the depth chart for the Coyotes in the goaltending department already runs deep.  While he’s on his way out, Arizona hopes it can attract some other European talent.  Alexander Barabanov, a forward with SKA St. Petersburg in Russia, is being scouted by the team and would be a welcome addition.  He was one of the most successful players in the KHL league last year, scoring 46 points across 58 games.

The LA Kings lost in a big way to the Vancouver Canucks last month, suffering an 8-2 defeat.  It goes to show that experience doesn’t always conquer, since the Canucks are mostly a younger team that was able to overcome the veteran Kings.  After the loss, Drew Doughty made a few enemies after comments about “a team like that” beating “a team like [the Kings],” but he claims his words were taken out of context.

“Like that” was meant as a reference to the team being young and he clarified his remarks this week by stating, “That’s just ridiculous for a veteran team to lose that bad to any team in the league, not only a young team. That was what I meant by those comments.”  He expressed his anger with reporters who twisted his words to fit their headlines and added, “If you guys want us to be able to say things and be honest with you and then you’re gonna go run with it and just get attacked by it, we’re just gonna stop talking.”

If you’re going to play, you have to pay.  That’s the lesson The Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas wants to impress upon San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane.  He’s being sued by the gambling house for not making good on $500,000 in markers the casino forwarded him this past April.  At $7 million a year for seven years with the Sharks, he should be able to cover it and, hopefully, stick to his day job.  Gambling is apparently not his area of expertise.