It was revealed earlier this week that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Matt Carle would undergo surgery to repair torn abductor muscles in his lower abdomen and will miss the next six to eight weeks.
Carle is third on the team in average ice time and second in Lightning defensemen in goals.
Carle isn't the first blueline injury the Lightning have been forced to deal with this season and the latest bit of NHL rumor fodder says that Tampa Bay could be eyeing a potential deal for Arizona Coyotes defenseman, Zbynek Michalek, to help mitiage the loss.
"One defenseman who is eminently available and might be a real good fit for the Tampa Bay Lightning might be Zbynek Michalek of the Arizona Coyotes," said TSN Insider Bob McKenzie on NBCSN's NHL Live Wednesday, per NicholsOnHockey.com. "An unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. We talked last week - not a fire sale per say, but if it's not nailed down for the long term in Arizona, general manager Don Maloney is going to be moving it along,"
The 32-year-old Michalek is a big, right-shooting defenseman averaging over 21 minutes on ice for the Coyotes this season.
He's not strong offensively - he's got one goal and six assists in 42 games - and his cap hit of $4 million is a little hefty, but for the Lightning he'd be a good depth acquisition.
Another player to keep an eye on as a rental for this season and possibly beyond is Andrej Sekera of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are attempting to sign him to an extension, but as McKenzie noted, Sekera is likely to demand a deal in the $5 or $6 million a year range and if he and the team can't come to an agreement, he could be a big trade piece come March.
