Pierre McGuire's In The Crease

Pierre McGuire

February 06, 2006

Washington general manager George McPhee has been so impressed with the attitude of his goalie Olaf Kolzig--whom many insiders expect to be dealt before the March trade deadline--that he is trying to negotiate a deal with the 14-year veteran. Kolzig, who is due to be a free agent after this season, has been a leader to the younger players, such as wing Alexander Ovechkin and defenseman Steve Eminger.... Big trouble is brewing in Toronto. The Leafs dropped their eighth straight last Saturday, a 4-3 loss to Montreal, giving them their longest losing streak in 10 years. Toronto has been riddled with injuries and is too weak on defense to win with consistency. Leafs management has mentioned popular enforcer Tie Domi (above) in trade talks.... Many of the NHL's Finnish players are unhappy with Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff's decision to pull out of the Olympics. Kiprusoff said he couldn't compete for his home country because of a hip injury, but he's still playing for the Flames. More bad news for the Finns came last week when Kari Lehtonen, the talented young Atlanta goalie, hurt his groin, also sidelining him for Turin.