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Four moves to be made after the roster freeze

Bryan Allen

Colorado Avalanche’s Bryan Allen, right, trips Edmonton Oilers’ Ales Hemsky during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

AP

Now that the holiday roster freeze is over with, teams are free to go about their business and start making those mid-season tweaks to help them stay in the playoff hunt. Some teams have obvious issues, others not so much but there are a handful of moves that could be near the top of the list.

Ales Hemsky’s last days in Edmonton?

Ales Hemsky has been quarreling with coach Tom Renney of late with Renney even going so far as to complain about what kind of stick Hemsky is using. Hemsky’s production is a bit off but there’s no doubt he’s a solid scorer. Teams are asking about Hemsky, but the Oilers might not be selling yet. If Hemsky is just about done in Edmonton they should move him before he winds up hurt again.

Philly wants a defenseman

With no Chris Pronger to bash guys around for the rest of the season and playoffs, the Flyers will need some help on the blue line, but who? Tim Gleason has been talked about as a possibility and Kyle Quincey very well might be available in Colorado. Gleason fits the Pronger role a bit easier but Quincey provides solid all-around play at a young age. Paul Holmgren won’t make a panic move, but they’ll need a little something extra without Pronger.

Tampa Bay needs a lot of help

Lightning GM Steve Yzerman could use some help both on the blue line and in goal. With injuries last night to Victor Hedman and Eric Brewer, their defensive depth is taking a beating. Making matters worse is that neither Mathieu Garon nor Dwayne Roloson can stop pucks well enough for them to win. Yzerman won’t make a rash decision, but getting a long term answer in goal could go a long way to stopping the bleeding in Tampa. Coughing up big for Cory Schneider or Jonathan Bernier would be the obvious ways to do that.

Big shakeup in Washington?

Firing Bruce Boudreau and hiring Dale Hunter hasn’t done much to fix things in Washington which leads us to wonder if a big trade here might be the medicine the Caps need to turn things around. Would moving Alexander Semin help out? Perhaps sending Mike Knuble to a contender in need of help? GM George McPhee might have to take some long looks at the guys on his roster to figure out who should stay and who should go.