In The Crease

Don't be surprised to see Coyotes power forward Keith Tkachuk, who was nearly traded to the Hurricanes and the Rangers last month, end up with the Devils. New Jersey would most likely keep Tkachuk for the rest of the season and then deal him to the Blackhawks for forward Tony Amonte. Mike Smith, who drafted Tkachuk for the Jets in 1990, is the new manager of hockey operations for Chicago....

In recent years the Kings have purchased a number of club teams in Europe, both for scouting purposes and to make money. (Games in European leagues are well attended, and player salaries are low.) Los Angeles has been so successful in this venture that you can expect other NHL clubs to follow suit....

Lightning forward Darcy Tucker, a feisty player who had 14 goals through Sunday, was being scouted by several teams looking for help down the stretch. Tucker could make a difference in the playoffs because of his grittiness....

Speaking of Tampa Bay, there's little doubt that second-year center Vincent Lecavalier has the talent to become one of the best young players in the league, but he's getting into bad habits by trying to do too much. In a match against the Canadiens last week he stayed on the ice for the full two minutes on two power plays instead of taking the usual one-minute shift. Worse, according to Lightning players, Lecavalier is being encouraged to take these long shifts by the coaches....

Panthers coach Terry Murray, feeling Florida needed to be reenergized, recently placed grinding forward Scott Mellanby on a line with star wing Pavel Bure and center Viktor Kozlov. Mellanby's physical presence should give his highly skilled linemates more room to work.