Trainer Dave Stickney was holding Scott Pellerin’s phone this morning at Wonderland. And when Sticks called Pellerin over, I wondered what was about to go down.
But all 23 skaters stayed on the ice. They continued with practice. And then at the end, Stickney handed the phone over again. And nothing happened.
So, had to ask. Pellerin laughed. “It’s something to do with my house,” he said. A 603- phone number kept calling, and Stickney figured he’d better check. “I’m sure the guys were wondering.” Well, yeah, the guy in the stands was, too.
All hands on deck (except for Chris Bruton, who remains out, upper-body); Joe Finley returned, and Scooter Vaughan was on in a red no-contact jersey, but no call-ups at this point. Matt Mangene has arrived in town. He was in gray with Gallant-Langkow-Johnson; Alan Quine was again in green with Mercier-Martin-Diamond.
At this time of year, especially, all those lineup decisions are moment-to-moment. We’ll revisit everything sometime after 3 p.m. today and take the pulse; the team travels tomorrow.
At that point, the only deal to go down was a big one, Ryan Callahan and two picks for Marty St. Louis. The whole situation, from all four corners, just seems like a shame. But it’s done.