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Martin Gerber’s tenure in Ottawa looks to be coming to an end. Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray spoke to the media Monday about the goaltender’s future amidst reports from Calgary that the Flames are interested in acquiring Gerber to back up Miikka Kiprusoff.

When asked at practice on Monday about the possibility, coach Mike Keenan seemed luke warm at best.

"I have no idea whether [Flames general manager Darryl Sutter] is pursuing Gerber or not, but I think it’s out of the question. His contract is a little heavy. If you look at contracts and players available in that position, I think that [Curtis McElhinney] is the best solution for us."

Even if a trade isn’t made, Gerber’s future in the NHL doesn’t seem to be in Ottawa.

"There is one team that has expressed some interest," Murray told the media. "I told him that by tomorrow we will either have some arrangement made for him or we will assign him to Binghamton."

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The Anaheim Ducks may have some tough decisions ahead.

Unlike the past three seasons when the Ducks were pretty much assured of a playoff berth at the all-star break, there are no guarantees this season.

The Ducks are sitting in eighth place — the final playoff spot — in the Western Conference with a 23-21-5 record, just two points ahead of Minnesota and Columbus.

Dallas and Colorado are just four points back, so Ducks general manager Bob Murray needs to figure out if it is time to reload or to rebuild.

"Something’s not right in the dressing room," Murray told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Within that group of players, it doesn’t for some reason lend itself to the team coming and playing with enthusiasm. There’s no energy. That could be a chemistry issue."

The Ducks’ core group has been together for several years, save for some minor tweaking. Murray admitted change isn’t out of the question.

"I’ve been with this group since Day 1 after the lockout," he told the Daily News. "There have been a few more bumps this year, but we had predicted there’d be more bumps this year. It may be a year where it may be time to move on."

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Mark Messier wanted to be fighting tuna on his fishing boat, maybe tending bar at the 11-room inn he owns in the Bahamas or being a doting dad to his two little kids — son Douglas and daughter Jacqueline-Jean — after he skated his 1,756th and last NHL game almost five years ago now, but Messier retired from playing, not working.

With Steve Yzerman in charge of Canada’s 2010 Olympic team and contemporaries Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Brett Hull, Cam Neely and Guy Carbonneau either behind NHL benches or learning the ropes in management, you get the feeling Messier, who just turned 48, wants to be part of a team again, too.

It’ll probably be the New York Rangers.

"Glen (GM Sather) and I have talked many times (about life after playing)," said Messier, who’s not sure what he could give the Rangers, but knows he’s ready for a new chapter. He’s had his No. 11 retired here (about 40 minutes of pomp and circumstance) and in New York (about 75 minutes, but hey, it’s New York), he’s done some guest TV commentary in the playoffs, he’s done TV commercials, he’s been working for Cold-FX, handing out his leadership awards and saluting hockey mums across our great land.

He’s had five years to kick back. Now, he wants to get back in the game, in no small part because he sees what well-

respected former foes are doing. Plus, he would be good at it, and his opinion has always been valued.

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Calgary Flames players Robyn Regehr and Andre Roy find out Tuesday how long their respective all-star breaks will last.

In the final match before the National Hockey League’s annual breather, the Flames edged the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets in a corker of a game. But the emotional 5-4 shootout win could come at a cost as both Regehr and Roy might face supplementary discipline.

Regehr cross-checked Blue Jackets pest Derek Dorsett in the head, bloodying the right-winger, midway through the second period. The Flames defender escaped with a double-minor for high-sticking, but the league might still have its say.

Roy missed Monday’s practice because he was in Toronto telling his side of the story to Colin Campbell, the NHL’s senior executive vice-president of hockey operations

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An unrepentant Nick Lidstrom had no regrets in putting the needs of the Detroit Red Wings ahead of the marketing demands of the National Hockey League in opting to skip the all-star game in Montreal this past weekend.

Lidstrom addressed the issue of his ban from playing in Tuesday night’s game in Columbus for the first time after practising Monday.

"I thought it was the best move for the team," Lidstrom said.

"I could’ve taken a game off in the middle of the season and maybe miss three days. I’ve taken the weekend off and it’s turned out to be six or seven days.

"For the Red Wings, I think it’s best I try to heal up."

Lidstrom admitted he was angry over his treatment from the league despite his years of service.

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Edmonton Oilers‘ defenseman Sheldon Souray’s All-Star weekend will be jam packed.

In addition to taking part in the hardest shot event in the NHL Super-Skills competition and playing in the game on Sunday, Souray will also have to make some time to meet with NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

The Edmonton Journal is reporting that Campbell would like to speak to Souray about the guard he has been wearing to protect his injured wrist. The guard is illegal if Souray decides to drop the gloves in a fight. Souray did hit Minnesota Wild forward Craig Weller with several punches to the head during last week’s Oilers loss to the Wild. Weller suffered a concussion on the play.

Although Souray will likely not face any additional discipline, he could have received a match penalty and likely a suspension had the on-ice officials know about the wristguard.

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Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland won’t ask injured stars Nick Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk to put in appearances at the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in Montreal, even though the league announced Friday they’ll be suspended for one game if they don’t show up to support the festivities.

While the NHL doesn’t expect them to play, they want all players named to the All-Star Game to attend nonetheless, so they can work the buffet circuit with advertisers and the media.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will invoke a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that states unless a player misses the game before the all-star break or the game after, he will be suspended for a game for not showing up, even if he doesn’t play.

"I’m not going to call Nick and tell him he’s got to go to Montreal to sit and talk with the media for a day," said a fiery Holland, who is upset with the NHL’s treatment of Lidstrom on this issue.

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Earlier this week, it seemed like Danny Briere was close to returning to the Flyers lineup, if not Thursday night against Atlanta then certainly next Tuesday after the All-Star break.

The only place he is returning to is the hospital.

Briere was scheduled to have an "exploratory procedure" this morning at Hahnemann University Hospital and will be out at least the next 2 weeks.

"[Briere] over the last 2 days hasn’t felt right and in talking to [trainer Jim McCrossin] and talking to the doctors, this is something that we’ve kind of decided to do today to have a little exploratory procedure done and see what’s going on in there," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

Exactly what is going on has been a bit of a mystery all season; Briere has been limited to only nine games. He already has had abdominal surgery and suffered two groin tears; the injuries are believed to be related.

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This year is Wayne Gretzky’s ninth as the managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes and this season is his fourth as their head coach. The Phoenix Coyotes are a troubled Sun Belt franchise in a league with a diminished profile, and they are owned by Jerry Moyes, a financially challenged trucking magnate.

Gretzky has spent the last several weeks seeking new investors for a team that is expected to lose at least $30 million this season. "Yeah, I’ve talked to a few guys," he said this week. "More or less introductions to meeting with the league and meeting with Mr. Moyes."

In some ways, his current franchise manifests some of the problems that used to plague the WHA About 20 employees were laid off last month. There have been recent reports, particularly in The Globe and Mail of Toronto, that the NHL is concerned with the Coyotes’ finances and is involved in their business decisions.

Dismal attendance, an inability to reach the playoffs and what the Coyotes say is an unfavorable lease have contributed to the team’s financial problems.

But team and league officials said speculation about bankruptcy or a move to another city is false. Without prompting, Gretzky said: "You ask me my gut feeling — is this team going to be here in September? Absolutely."

The team, however, may be better this season than it has been in years. The Coyotes’ 6-3 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night was their fifth in seven games.

They are in fifth place in the Western Conference with 53 points from a record of 24-19-5. If the playoffs were to begin this week, Phoenix would be in for the first time since 2002. The Coyotes have not won a postseason series since 1987, when they were the Winnipeg Jets.

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The New Jersey Devils enter the All-Star break in a playoff spot and received some news at practice on Wednesday.

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, goaltender Martin Brodeur skated for the first time since suffering a torn tendon in his left biceps. He underwent surgery in early November to repair the damage.

The future Hall-of-Famer met with doctors on Wednesday morning and received medical clearance to hit the ice. He did not face any shots but his recovery is right on target and Devils’ general manager Lou Lamoriello said his best player may be ready before his expected return on March 1.

"It’ll be a day-to-day situation, as far as skating goes, with the exercises he does," Lamoriello told the Star-Ledger. "Chances are it’s sooner than later."

Currently, the Devils have a record of 29-15-3 through 47 games, good enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

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