Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks

NHL

Lundqvist won’t bring his family to Sochi

Team Sweden’s security blanket that goes by the name of Henrik Lundqvist has concerns over security in Sochi, but that’s not the only reason the royal family won’t be accompanying the King to the Olympics.

“It is a few different things,” Lundqvist told Slap Shots on Friday night. “Security is one of them, but I don’t know how things are going to be set up for families over there.

“So I’m not going to have anyone there with me. I think it is better that way.”

The NHLPA has not issued any broad-based advisories to its membership, and there is no unanimity on the matter, but several agents and players have said the union, citing a lack of suitable hotels and accommodations outside of the Olympic compound where the players will be housed, is recommending families don’t make the trip.


Ryan Callahan is saying his heart is in New York, and there is no reason to disbelieve the captain. But when No. 24’s agent, Steve Bartlett, tells people he has “not closed the door to ongoing discussions with the Rangers” as he did on Friday, that doesn’t quite pack the same emotional wallop.

Trading Callahan to the Blue Jackets, with whom the Rangers are competing for a playoff spot and could conceivably meet in a cross-pollination first round, seems like a crazy idea, but the Blueshirts would sure have to think about it if Columbus would send 24-year-old Cam Atkinson, Chris Kreider’s Boston College Eagles teammate, to the Garden.

The last time, by the way, the Rangers traded a captain in-season was on Nov. 7, 1975, when Brad Park was sent to the Bruins with Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi in the seismic deal that brought Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to Broadway.


Strange doings again with the Devils, who have dispatched Eric Gelinas back to the AHL despite his difference-making capabilities on the offensive side of the puck. If the 22-year-old rookie, who has already spent two full years at Albany, needs to improve defensively, isn’t that what coaches are for?

The Devils already have buried Adam Larsson in a season in which their two leading scorers and two best players, Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias, are 41 and 37 years old, respectively; their top scorer on defense, Marek Zidlicky, turns 37 on Monday; and their shutdown guy on defense, Bryce Salvador, turns 38 during the Olympic break.

Meanwhile, Gelinas goes down despite adding another dimension to the attack and on the power play, having been on the ice for a Devils power-play goal once every 5:37 (17 goals for in 95:22) compared to alternate point men Andy Greene being on for one PPG every 8:13 (16 in 131:32) and Zidlicky on for one every 8:36 (19 in 163:19).

It was terribly unfortunate the way it went at Yankee Stadium for Martin Brodeur, who sensed all along he had gotten the start on Sunday afternoon as nothing other than a ceremonial assignment and just never seemed comfortable in the Bronx nets.

And it would be terribly unfortunate as well if Brodeur feels the need to go somewhere else for the remainder of this season to try and squeeze in a few additional starts as a No. 1 for teams out of the running such as the Sabres, if they trade Ryan Miller, or the Panthers, if they trade Tim Thomas.

Talk about your decidedly unceremonial assignments.


Thomas Vanek, no fool, has told people over and over how much he enjoys playing with John Tavares, but there’s essentially no scenario under which the Islanders’ temp won’t go to the open market on July 1.

Hence, Vanek, also represented by Bartlett, will be available as a rental; perhaps the prime forward on a market that also includes Callahan, Matt Moulson, Mike Cammalleri and Marian Gaborik.

The Kings, desperate for a scorer, were in on Gaborik the summer of 2009 before he signed with the Rangers but did not express interest last year when the Blueshirts were attempting to move No. 10 at the deadline.


So the league’s other 29 organizations are fine with the fact this display of ongoing utter ineptitude in Edmonton is going to earn the Oilers the reward of perhaps a fourth first-overall pick in the draft in five years, and if not No. 1, then certainly another in the top two or three?

It’s true. Nobody really loses in this NHL.

It is not true that just before general manager David Poile named the most deserving Zach Parise as captain of Team USA, Brian Burke asked the Minnesota born-and-bred winger to spell “leadership” out loud.

News: Phoenix Coyotes to become Arizona Coyotes next season.

Views: See, everyone knew they would move, after all.