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Pre-game reading: Do the Leafs still need a No. 1 defenseman?

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The NHL All-Stars faced a different type of evaluation in Los Angeles ahead of the NHL All-Star Game. Coverage begins on NBC on Jan. 29 at 3:30 ET.

-- Up top, watch NHLers auditioning for their roles in Sunday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles. (Personally, we think Evgeni Malkin showed more range in that old car dealership ad, but he was pretty good in this too.)

-- Do the Toronto Maple Leafs still need a No. 1 defenseman? And if so, would they trade young William Nylander to get one? Pierre LeBrun tackles a topic that won’t go be going away anytime soon. The Leafs are a good, young team with tons of talent up front, but when most people look at their blue line, they see the need for at least one more top-4 d-man to join Morgan Rielly, Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner. (TSN)

-- In a potentially related story, if the Canucks are going to make a trade, it’s likely they’ll move a defenseman for help up front. We’re not sure if Erik Gudbranson would be of any interest to the Leafs, but he might be of interest to some team, and the situation on Vancouver’s blue line has definitely changed in the last year. (Daily Hive Vancouver)

-- The oral history of Fox’s glowing puck is a fun read. Here’s Brian Burke on the prototypes they tested: “I remember one of the first tests was in Boston. One of these pucks went into the crowd, we had to race over to them with some volunteer and say, ‘Here, we’ll give you another puck, and we’ll give you a T-shirt.’ The first two or three guys were like, ‘F--- you. I’m keeping this puck.’ I think we lost $1,200 in that first game.” (Sports Business Journal)

-- Sounds like deputy commissioner Bill Daly had a good trip to China, where the NHL soon hopes to hold some preseason games. “It seems that the NBA, having brought games over there, has been a game-changer over there as far as basketball is concerned. Now everybody is excited about the prospect of NHL teams coming over. So, we’re obviously trying to make that happen as soon as possible. We’re still holding out hope it can happen (this year) but if that doesn’t happen I expect it’ll happen the following year.” (Postmedia)

-- A profile of 96-year-old John “Chick” Webster, believed to be the NHL’s oldest ex-player. Webster lives in a small Ontario town called Mattawa, where he’s been known to make cracks like, “I don’t even buy green bananas at my age.” Webster played 14 games for the Rangers during the 1949-50 season. (boston.com)

Enjoy the games!