Rumors had it that he was going to the Blackhawks (made up by certain sources) and others said he would be waived. Truth to the matter is that Malik didn’t shake coach Tom Renney’s hand after a huge win against the Atlanta Thrashers. Scott Gomez went after Malik about this as it was totally disrespectful to the coach and the organization. Renney sat down with Malik the morning of Brian Leetch day to resolve the matter but the defenseman wanted no part of it. He was punished, sent home and his locker was cleaned out. Keep your eyes open for this.

What will the New Jersey Devils do?

While the Devils are always very quiet on the trade front and especially at the trade deadline I see this trend ending this season. Brent Sutter is known to constantly look for upgrades for his team and he has not been at all happy with the Devils defense. Sutter has said he would love to have a Rob Blake like player so why not bring in Blake? I believe they will try.

Are the Blue Jackets and Rangers still talking?

Sources have said that the Rangers and Blue Jackets were close several times recently on a deal that would move Petr Prucha and Brandon Dubinsky to Columbus. This deal has been held up and is basically dead due to a few reasons. Mainly Dubinsky’s strong play recently and the Jackets unwillingness to unload defenseman Adam Foote, the man the Rangers covet.