Gord's Notebook: Rangers won't panic, Hellebuyck wavers, Montreal chants for Larkin

Week two belonged to the goalies. One got hurt in New York, one still won't report in Winnipeg, and the market spent three days trying to introduce them. It isn't happening. Seventeen items this week.

1. The Rangers aren't making the panic call. Igor Shesterkin is done for the season, and Friedman shut the obvious door within a day. Connor Hellebuyck to New York doesn't add up, because it leaves the Rangers with two goalies on big long-term deals. He expects patience. Grade: Reported.

The read: I agree, and the Desk has the depth chart. File under: Trade winds.

2. What the numbers say: Garand has earned a month. He's 2-1 with a .945 save percentage and a shutout in three appearances, per NHL data. New York is 5-2-0. Three games is a tiny sample, and it's enough to buy him a month.

3. The names being floated are other teams' starters. Weekes put Filip Gustavsson and Mackenzie Blackwood out there, with free agents Petr Mrazek and James Reimer behind them. Grade: Noise on the first two. Minnesota and Colorado aren't selling a goalie in October. The realistic add is a veteran on a one-year ticket.

4. Hellebuyck is still suspended, and the bill is growing. Dreger had no good news. Hellebuyck is losing pay by the day, both sides still want a trade, and the league is firmly behind the Jets on the suspension. Grade: Reported.

5. The first crack in Winnipeg. Pagnotta floated that Hellebuyck has started to think about rejoining the Jets while still wanting out. Grade: Smoke.

The read: Winnipeg is 3-1-1 without him, and Stuart Skinner is 2-0-1 with a .919 save percentage, per NHL data. I had him a Jet through Sunday, and he was. I'll go further: he plays for Winnipeg before he plays for anyone else. File under: Trade winds.

6. Ten teams have called Detroit about Edvinsson. LeBrun put the count at "at least 10," Boston among them. The Red Wings keep telling every caller they'd rather sign Simon Edvinsson. His line: "the longer this goes on, the more a trade becomes possible." Grade: Reported.

The read: Halloween is still my date for a signature. Ten callers is leverage for Detroit. File under: Trade winds.

7. What the numbers say: the calendar costs Detroit cap room. A deal signed in-season carries a bigger first-year hit, because the money lands on fewer days. Seravalli's example was a seven-year, $70 million contract that would count $10.4 million this season instead of $10 million. It climbs daily until the Dec. 1 deadline.

The Wings are 1-3-1 with a penalty kill at 70 percent, by our count. Moritz Seider is playing 25.4 minutes a night. File under: Cap crunch.

8. The Canadian-market item: Montreal chanted for Larkin. The Bell Centre chanted "We Want Larkin" all Saturday night. "I never would have imagined that in this building and in my career," Dylan Larkin said.

Seravalli quoted an executive who said Larkin could "end this saga tomorrow" by adding the Canadiens to his list. No Canadian team is on it. Grade: Reported.

The read: a chant isn't an offer, though a Habs autumn can run on less. I had Larkin a Red Wing through October, and that stands. File under: Trade winds.

9. Nikishin has nowhere to go. Friedman sees no trade coming for Alexander Nikishin and wondered when he has to "wave the white flag" and report to Carolina. Grade: Reported.

The read: the Hurricanes are 5-1-1 and have won five straight, by our count. A team winning like that doesn't call first. He reports by American Thanksgiving. File under: Extension watch.

10. Zary to Vancouver has a price problem. Calgary sent Connor Zary to the AHL after he cleared waivers. Friedman has the Canucks among the teams looking, with nothing close. The snag is a $3.775 million cap hit. Grade: Rumbling.

The read: the Flames have a retention slot open and should use it. Vancouver is 2-5-0 with a penalty kill at 52 percent, by our count, so one forward won't fix it. File under: Trade winds.

11. Toronto will shop for a defenseman. Mirtle expects the Leafs to chase a top-four blueliner with Colorado's first-round pick and their second-rounders. He also has Morgan Rielly willing to waive for a handful of teams. Grade: Reported.

The read: I said last week that pick goes for a defenseman. Then Chris Tanev left Saturday's win in Denver with an upper-body injury, and he has 14 blocks in six games, by our count. The timeline moved up. File under: Trade winds.

12. Zacha: still not close. LeBrun says talks continue without traction, and that Pavel Zacha's name came up when Boston and Columbus talked about Marchenko. His view: if Boston is on the bubble and Zacha is unsigned, he moves by March 1. Grade: Reported.

The read: he has two points in six games for a 4-2-0 team. Boston can wait, and so can he. Marcus has the board. File under: Extension watch.

13. The Panthers item: Tarasenko is skating down the road. LeBrun's detail is that Florida offered Vladimir Tarasenko just over $850,000 in July and he passed. He's now without an agent and skating in South Florida. LeBrun doesn't expect Zito to circle back. Grade: Reported.

The read: Florida's power play is 1 for 28, by our count, and Barkov and Marchand are both out into late November. A 23-goal scorer at that price is the cheapest fix on the market. Marcus has why the problem is structural. I'd make the call. File under: Cap crunch.

14. Nashville's veterans got the talk. LeBrun has new GM Chris MacFarland telling his room that another slow start means significant change. He's made nine trades since June. Grade: Reported.

The read: the room heard him. The Predators are 2-1-2, and Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos have points in all five games, per NHL data. File under: Trade winds.

15. Texas cools off. Dreger says expansion to Texas is no longer a sure thing. Some owners don't think the talent pool supports another team, and it comes back up in December. Grade: Reported. File under: Board room.

16. Bouchard is making his Team Canada case. Johnston called this a "statement year" for Evan Bouchard, who was left off Team Canada last season. He has 12 points in five games, six of them goals, per NHL data.

The read: whoever ends up in the Hockey Canada chair inherits that argument on day one. File under: Team Canada.

17. Housekeeping. Calgary is 0-5 and has been outscored 27-8, by our count. Philadelphia is 0-5-2 and has been outscored 28-8. Neither bench is comfortable. File under: Hot seat.

Darryl Sutter, 68, has a book coming out and didn't rule out coaching again, for a team that "has a chance at winning a championship." That isn't either of those two.

Ottawa put William Eklund on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and he's out about two months. Connor Bedard is cleared for contact.

The Panthers are in Buffalo this afternoon and Columbus on Tuesday. The Notebook is back next Monday.