Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Arnason pushes his stock back up; Carcillo back in Phoenix lineup; Zednik recovering; Hasek on the shelf; Barch re-signed; Toivonen re-assigned; and more...

MAKING HIS CASE 
There was a time when 28-year-old center Tyler Arnason was considered one of the more promising young players in the NHL.

One season after winning the AHL's 2001-02 rookie-of-the-year honors with 56 points in 60 games, Arnason was named to the NHL's All-Rookie team thanks to a solid 39-point performance. And the season following that one, Arnason led his Chicago Blackhawks in scoring with 55 points. After that came the lockout, which of course led to a more freewheeling game. The future couldn't be any brighter. But the bottom dropped out for the Oklahoma City native.

Despite his production equaling that of the season before, Chicago fans and coaches were not happy with his play in 2005-06 and, by March, Arnason found himself in Ottawa. What happened in Ottawa? It's a mystery to observers, but he stumbled badly, garnering just four points in 19 games and not scoring a single goal. He was a healthy scratch throughout the team's short playoff run.

Fortunately, Colorado took a chance on him in the summer of 2006 and he admirably filled a third-line role, posting 41 points. He impressed his new team enough to re-sign him in 2007, for two years this time.

This season, the injuries to the club's No. 1 and No. 2 centermen (Paul Stastny to appendicitis and Joe Sakic to a sports hernia) have suddenly thrust Arnason into the spotlight. And he has risen to the task. Arnason has 11 points in his last six games, and 16 in his last 13--first-line numbers. In fact, No. 39 has been so impressive that even when Stastny and Sakic return, he should continue to garner responsibilities in offensive situations. It was a long climb back, but it looks like Ty has finally made it.

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BLUES 
St. Louis assigned goaltender Hannu Toivonen to the Blues' AHL affiliate in Peoria on Monday. The team recalled goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu, as well as forward Yan Stastny. This season, Toivonen has played 16 games for the Blues and three games with Peoria (3-0-0, 1.95 GAA, .921 SV%). Beckford-Tseu, 23, has not yet appeared in an NHL contest. He has played in 28 games with the Rivermen this season, posting a 15-9-2 record. Stastny, 25, is the son of former Blues' forward Peter Stastny.

CANADIENS 
The Habs take their No. 1 ranked power play into Tampa Bay to face the Lightning Tuesday, hoping to stop their two-game losing streak. They play an unusually hot Tampa Bay team that has gone 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings. The red-hot line of Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexei Kovalev has been practically unstoppable, combining for 14 points in the last three games. The team finishes up their Florida trip on Wednesday when they play the Panthers.

CANUCKS 
Vancouver announced Monday that left wing Jason Jaffray has been re-assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The 26-year-old has played in 26 games for the Moose, recording 27 points and 43 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 19 games this season with the Canucks, picking up two goals and four assists.

COYOTES 
Phoenix recalled Daniel Carcillo Monday and he was in the lineup against the Stars. Carcillo was temporarily banished to the AHL because of his penchant for unnecessary penalties that were hurting the team. After three points and 16 penalty minutes in five AHL games, the Coyotes decided to bring him back up. He played 10:57 in the team's 2-1 loss to Dallas.

PANTHERS 
Veteran winger Richard Zednik continues to recover at Buffalo General Hospital. He underwent surgery for a neck laceration suffered during Sunday's game against the Sabres when teammate Olli Jokinen was up-ended. Jokinen went flying and Zednik skated right into his airborne skate. During a press conference on Monday, doctors said that Zednik was alert, able to speak and didn't appear to have any long-term damage. The Slovak was expected to remain in intensive care into Tuesday.

RED WINGS 
Detroit has called up goaltender Jimmy Howard from Grand Rapids of the AHL because Dominik Hasek is considered day-to-day with a hip injury--the future Hall-of-Famer is not expected to be in uniform on Tuesday when the Red Wings face the Predators. Howard is 17-19-2 this season for the Griffins. He's expected to play backup to Chris Osgood on Tuesday. The team also announced that they have placed Niklas Kronwall on injured reserve. The young rearguard suffered a shoulder sprain January 30 against Phoenix.

SENATORS 
Ottawa will have a two-game winning streak, as well as a new-look roster on Tuesday when they play host to the Buffalo Sabres. The team hopes to have new acquisitions Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore in the lineup in time for the contest, as they look to extend their lead in the Eastern Conference standings. Goaltender Ray Emery won both of the team's last two contests, with Jason Spezza posting a whopping nine points.

SHARKS 
Both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will be in the lineup Tuesday when the Sharks face the Flames. The team's top two centermen both missed practice Monday. Marleau missed Sunday's contest with a sore groin, while Thornton sat out practice because he has been fighting the flu.

STARS 
Dallas signed tough guy Krys Barch to a contract extension Monday, inking the winger to a two-year deal worth $1.15 million. The 27-year-old has just three points in 34 games this season, but is more valuable for his 78 penalty minutes. His job is to give the team an edge physically, getting his nose dirty when needed.