There should be a spot somewhere for Chelios in NHL

It's hard to believe there's not a spot on some NHL defense for Chris Chelios, even if he will turn 48 in January.

Chelios played two strong games for the Chicago Wolves last weekend, demonstrating the smarts, positioning and ability to read plays that make him one of the best defensemen of all time.

At least two scouts who watched Chelios on Friday believe he can help an NHL team somewhere down the road.

"As the (March 3) trade deadline approaches and teams are looking to firm up their sixth, seventh and eighth defensemen for the playoffs, some team will grab him," one scout said.

Up until last week when the Wolves hired him to be their head coach, Don Lever was a pro scout with the Blackhawks and knows what kind of report he would have sent on Chelios in his old job.

"I think that the condition he's in, if a team gets into a lot of trouble with their defense, that he has enough class and enough smarts to be able to play in a role where he can help a hockey team just because of his experience," Lever said.

The New York Rangers have showed an interest in Chelios, asking him to play with their American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford, but Chelios opted to sign with the Wolves, a first-class organization in his hometown.

"This is a good chance for me to come back to Chicago, and if it is the end of my career at least I ended it in Chicago," Chelios said.

Chelios contends to understands why no NHL team has called with an offer.

"They've got to see what the young guys can do, and I understand that," Chelios said. "I'm realistic, I'm 47. That cap creates a problem, and a lot of teams have to play their young guys. Obviously, my goal is to some time get back to the NHL or get an opportunity, but I'm comfortable here. It's a good role for me and we'll take it day by day."

NHL blew it

How in the world did the NHL not suspend Philadelphia's Mike Richards for the head shot on Florida's David Booth that sent the Panthers' star to the hospital?

Commissioner Gary Bettman apparently doesn't mind seeing some of the game's best players such as Booth and Hawks captain Jonathan Toews either leaving on a stretcher or crawling back to the bench.

OK, the hit by Vancouver's Willie Mitchell last week was a clean shoulder, but it still was a shot to the head, resulting in a concussion for Toews.

Richards' blindside hit on Booth, shoulder to head, was vicious and unnecessary.

But of course this is Bettman's sanitized NHL, where fighting is frowned upon and players aren't allowed to police themselves anymore for fear of the extra penalties.

Last summer, the NHL Players Association asked for a special penalty to be assessed for head shots, clean or not. The NHL buried the request.

Injury epidemic

Some of the game's best players are out with injuries, which isn't good for the NHL.

The Thrashers have lost Ilya Kovalchuk for a month with a broken foot. Kovalchuk joined the growing list of injured stars that includes Jonathan Toews, Johan Franzen, Marc Savard, Daniel Sedin, David Booth, Brent Seabrook, Danny Markov, Sergei Gonchar and Mike Modano.

Around the rinks

• Jimmy Devellano, Detroit's senior vice president, told the Fan 590 in Toronto the Red Wings are not a sure thing to make the playoffs because of the losses of Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler.

"You can't lose those types of players and have the record we had a year ago," Devellano said. "We're going to have to work very, very hard to be competitive and make the playoffs, that's the truth."

The Red Wings took a 3-4-2 record into Tuesday's late game at Vancouver.

"A little adversity never killed anybody," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "Suck it up and get going."

• The plan of new Dallas coach Marc Crawford and GM Joe Nieuwendyk is to lesson goalie Marty Turco's workload and give more starts to backup Alex Auld.

Turco appeared in 74 games last season.

"I don't think it's rocket science that 75 games is too many," Crawford told the Dallas Morning News. "It's such a grind and you have to rest."

• There are good things happening in Los Angeles, where the Kings are off to a 8-4 start and led the league with 44 goals coming out of the weekend.

Center Anze Kopitar looks to be ready to become that superstar many predicted of him with a league best 10 goals and 21 points before Tuesday's games.

Left wing Alexander Frolov has picked up his game after being benched and ripped by coach Terry Murray last week.

There are still rumors of the Kings looking to trade Frolov, however, with the highly skilled winger set to be an unrestricted free agent next July.

The list

Hawks GM Stan Bowman told WGN radio any tough guy he might consider acquiring would need to be able to skate to play on the team.

Here are five tough guys who might be available:

1. Derek Boogaard, Wild: Heavyweight is an unrestricted free agent after the season.

2. Matt Carkner, Senators: Led NHL with 5 fighting majors through the weekend.

3. Darcy Hordichuk, Canucks: No way the Canucks send him here, right?

4. Colton Orr, Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs need to shake things up.

5. Dan Carcillo, Flyers: Philly also has Ian Laperriere

Ex-Hawk of the week

Love him or hate him as a member of the Calgary Flames, Rene Bourque has turned into a solid player since leaving the Hawks.

Bourque had 5 goals and 14 points in the Flames' first 10 games coming off a 21-goal season a year ago.

Bourque doesn't have fond memories of Chicago, being a young player at a time when the organization was a mess.

"The whole organization was in shambles," Bourque told the Edmonton Journal. "Everybody seemed new to the job, coaches were getting hired and fired. We didn't have a lot of leadership."