Trade discussions between NHL clubs are starting to pick up. Buffalo Sabres Gear . The Detroit Red Wings are among the teams believed to be eager to make a move. The Wings need to create some cap space and sources say Jordin Tootoo is in play. Detroit would like to call up Gustav Nyquist from the AHL, but doesnt have the cap room to make it happen. Tootoo makes $1.9 million this season and is valued by some teams because of his grit. Also complicating things for Detroit from both a roster and cap standpoint is the potential return of injured forward Darren Helm. Helm is scheduled to come off of I.R. on Saturday. (He didnt skate today, so he may have other ailments hes dealing with, but, his 10-game, 24-day stint on I.R. ends on Saturday). Eyes on Liles Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs are willing to sweeten the pot to get John-Michael Liles back in the National Hockey League and off of the Leafs books. Toronto will retain a significant portion of Liless salary for the remainder of his contract to encourage a trade. Liles, currently with the AHLs Toronto Marlies, carries a $3.875 million cap hit through 2015-16. He has a modified no-trade clause, which includes a list of 12 teams, submitted during the summer, that he would accept a trade to. However, at this point, Liles is more than willing to consider all NHL interest. Recovery Mode Dustin Penner is resting, hoping the symptoms from his first NHL concussion wont sideline him for too long. Penner was knocked unconscious by a hit from Dallas Stars forward Ryan Garbutt in the second period of the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 win over the Stars on Sunday. No penalty was called on the play, however, Garbutt has been summoned by the NHLs Safety Department to an in-person discipline hearing, which allows league disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, the flexibility of suspending Garbutt for more than six games. In spite of his injury, Penner was quick to engage with those on twitter on Sunday night who viewed the hit as far less heinous. One tweet in particular from Penner (below) attached a video clip to emphasize referees Greg Kimmerly and Tim Peel missed the call: @Dustinpenner25: To whom it may concern.....black&white vertical stripes.Orange horizontal stripe) Might of been 2 min minor?? http://t.co/JKxL0I8PPi Penner says the tweet was sent to embarrass the people on Twitter who assessed the hit as clean. Furthermore, Penner says players want NHL officials held accountable and the use of social media might help deliver that message. In this case, a mistake was made. Garbutt could have easily been called for charging after racing from the penalty box to make the hit on Penner, who clearly didnt see it coming. Kimmerly and Peel would have received a call from their supervisor to discuss the incident, either postgame or Monday morning, and both are likely appreciative supplemental discipline is an option the NHL uses regardless of the call on the ice. As for accountability, NHL officials are heavily scrutinized...just not publicly. These men are constantly called to discuss their performance and each official is graded over the course of the season, which heavily impacts playoff assignments and, ultimately, job security. As for Dustin Penners tweeting habits, hes one of the best and constantly uses twitter to connect with NHL fans. Also, this isnt the first time Penner responded to a thundering hit via twitter. During the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Penner was rocked by St Louis Blues forward T.J Oshie. Afterwards, Penner posted the following tweet, acknowledging the quality of the hit and teammate Mike Richardss role in the subsequent melee: @Dustinpenner25. Anybody catch the license plate of that Truck? #ithinkitstartswitha7. Wawawewa. #aliG Thanks @Mrichie_10 #thatsleadership Penner has a keen sense of humour, although theres nothing funny about the health issues hes dealing with now. Fake Sabres Jerseys .ca. Kerry, I hope you address Ron MacLeans comment during the second intermission of Game 4 in Montreal-Tampa series. Basically, he suggested that the NHL should not have used a referee from Quebec, following the Game 3 disputed non-goal, because the referee could be biased towards Montreal. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop . Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- With two swings, Scott Van Slyke went from backup outfielder to star of the game. Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. Van Slyke hit a solo homer and a three-run shot off Cingrani (2-7), who could lose his spot in the rotation when Mat Latos returns from the disabled list later this week. Cingrani gave up a career-high six runs in 4 2-3 innings of his fifth straight loss. The Dodgers like Van Slyke for his versatility. He has started four games in centre, 11 in left and three at first base. The problem is that theres no room for him to have a regular spot. "I know what Im here for, so I dont mind it," Van Slyke said. "Im not going to complain." Nor will the Dodgers. "Hes been good for us all year," manager Don Mattingly said. "This guys just kind of slowly showing his value over time. Hes a guy that sneaks up on you. Plays all three outfield spots really well. "I think hes a guy that you could expand his role. Obviously thats not here right now." Dan Haren (6-4) gave up five hits in 5 1-3 innings, including Ryan Ludwicks solo homer, for his first win since May 12. Brandon League escaped a bases-loaded, no-outs threat in the eighth by getting Ludwick to hit a comebacker that led to a home-to-first double play. Haren opened the season 4-0 and has been trying to get back into form the past month. "I started the year throwing the ball very well," Haren said. "Ive just really been mediocre here for a while. Today the bullpen picked me up." The Dodgers have gone 3-1 at the start of their seven-game trip to Colorado and Cincinnati despite hip injuries to right fielder Yasiel Puig and second baseman Dee Gordon. Puig was back in the lineup on Monday and had a single and a walk. Gordon pinch hit in the ninth and beat out an infield single. The Dodgers andd Reds have played a lot of close games the last two seasons. Buffalo Sabres Store. Six of their last seven had been decided by one run, with Cincinnati holding a 4-3 advantage in those games. Van Slyke made this a comfortable win for the Dodgers, getting a career-high three hits. In addition to the homers, he singled and walked twice, reaching base in all five plate appearances. Van Slyke came into the game with four homers and seven RBIs. He led off the second inning with a homer and ended Cingranis outing with a three-run shot in the fifth that made it 6-2. It was his second career two-homer game. Cingrani has struggled since he returned from an inflamed shoulder that landed him on the disabled list. Hes 0-5 in those five starts with a 6.26 ERA and nine homers allowed. The left-hander gave up seven hits -- matching his career high -- and three walks on Monday. The Reds fell to 3-4 on their 10-game homestand, leaving them fourth in the NL Central. Haren had one rough inning, helping the Reds tie it 1-all in the second. Brayan Pena snapped a career-worst 0-for-17 slump with a single, and Zack Cozart singled. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Pena scored when Haren bounced a pitch to Cingrani with two outs. NOTES: Josh Beckett (3-3) makes his first appearance against the Reds since 2008 on Tuesday. The Reds start Mike Leake (3-5), who has been limited by a sore neck and is coming off his shortest appearance of the season. ... OF Andre Ethier was out of the Dodgers lineup getting a planned day of rest. ... Van Slyke hit two homers against Atlanta on May 17, 2013. ... Two ducks landed in centre and stayed there for an inning. Van Slyke threw sunflower seeds to them. ... Ludwick is 7 for 12 career against Haren with three homers. ... Latos made his final rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Monday night and threw 81 pitches before a rain delay. The right-hander has been sidelined all season while recovering from torn knee cartilage and a strained pitching forearm. Alfredo Simon, his replacement in the rotation, leads the team in wins with an 8-3 record. ' ' '