Paul, 19, was selected in the fourth-round (#101 overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Paul had 26 goals and 20 assists (46 points) in 67 games with the North Bay Battalion (OHL) this season. Paul had a strong postseason as well, posting 18 points (12G / 6A) in 22 games.

Spezza, 31, scored 23 goals with 43 assists (66 points) in 75 games with the Senators in 2013-14. Spezza, who made it clear that he wanted out of Ottawa, refused a deal to Nashville on Draft Day, but is now on his was to Dallas. He will join Tyler Seguin as the Stars 1-2 punch. He carries a $7 million cap-hit in this, his final season on a seven-year deal.

The St. Louis Blues have signed C Patrik Berglund to a 3-year deal ending speculation that he would be sent off to Ottawa in any type of Jason Spezza trade. Perhaps there are other players that could be substituted in any attempt to acquire the star Senator.  Perhaps we will find out by tonight's NHL  Entry Draft.The Chicago Blackhawks have signed some key support personnel by inking backup G Antti Raanta and F Ben Smith to 2-year deals. The Hawks are tying up all their loose ends as they head into the Draft tonight.  Speculation is that they are heavy into trying to acquire the 1st overall pick from Florida. Tonight should be very interesting as there are a ton of rumors going around the league today.

Whenever you are dealing with the final week of the regular season, injuries to starting players can be crippling for fantasy owner's championship hopes. I, being the perfect example, am in a "dogfight" for top honors in my Super Terrific League but now have to deal with the inevitable loss to starting goalie Ben Bishop. The Lightning's hulking backstopper left last night's game early in the first period due to a UBI, presumably related to his shoulder even though there were conflicting accounts regarding his oft-injured wrist. Nonetheless, Tampa coach Jon Cooper did not sound overly optimistic after the game, stating that Bishop will not be available for Thursday's game. With a 37-14-7 record plus a 2.23 GAA and a .924 SP, the youngster had established himself as one of fantasy's upper-tier NHL netminders, so losing him for basically an entire week is a huge blow. St. Louis center David Backes was also injured last night after being hit by a puck and left the game with an UBI. The severity of the injurity is not known yet, but clearly the versatile pivot is "fantasy gold" in multi-category formats that also award PIMs and Plus/Minus. In 74 games, Backes recorded 27 goals, 57 points, +14 rating, and 119 PIM. As valuable as they come.. Winger Jason Pominville helped the Minnesota Wild secure a playoff spot with his electrifying 3-point (2G/1A) performance in the 4-3 SO win over Boston. With 29 goals and 57 points on the season, the 31-year old needs 3 points over the last two games to reach the 60-point mark for the 6th time in his 8 full seasons. A remarkably consistent mid-level forward who has decent upside, as made evident by his two 70+ point seasons. That Jason Spezza is something else, continually epitomizing the true definition of a "second half guy". The Ottawa center scored two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over the New York Islanders, giving him 33 points over the last 28 games. It's almost a definite lock that Spezza perennially represents one of the most valuable "buy-low" fantasy targets around mid-season, considering he always puts up elite numbers over the last half of the NHL campaign. Despite only registering one assist over the last five games, Philadelphia's top center Claude Giroux remains one of the NHL's best fantasy forwards to own for years to come. His 2 goals in the victory over Florida kept the Flyers alive for playoff home-ice advantage in the first round, while he personally reached the 80-point mark for the second time...

Whenever you are dealing with the final week of the regular season, injuries to starting players can be crippling for fantasy owner's championship hopes. I, being the perfect example, am in a "dogfight" for top honors in my Super Terrific League but now have to deal with the inevitable loss to starting goalie Ben Bishop. The Lightning's hulking backstopper left last night's game early in the first period due to a UBI, presumably related to his shoulder even though there were conflicting accounts regarding his oft-injured wrist. Nonetheless, Tampa coach Jon Cooper did not sound overly optimistic after the game, stating that Bishop will not be available for Thursday's game. With a 37-14-7 record plus a 2.23 GAA and a .924 SP, the youngster had established himself as one of fantasy's upper-tier NHL netminders, so losing him for basically an entire week is a huge blow. St. Louis center David Backes was also injured last night after being hit by a puck and left the game with an UBI. The severity of the injurity is not known yet, but clearly the versatile pivot is "fantasy gold" in multi-category formats that also award PIMs and Plus/Minus. In 74 games, Backes recorded 27 goals, 57 points, +14 rating, and 119 PIM. As valuable as they come.. Winger Jason Pominville helped the Minnesota Wild secure a playoff spot with his electrifying 3-point (2G/1A) performance in the 4-3 SO win over Boston. With 29 goals and 57 points on the season, the 31-year old needs 3 points over the last two games to reach the 60-point mark for the 6th time in his 8 full seasons. A remarkably consistent mid-level forward who has decent upside, as made evident by his two 70+ point seasons. That Jason Spezza is something else, continually epitomizing the true definition of a "second half guy". The Ottawa center scored two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over the New York Islanders, giving him 33 points over the last 28 games. It's almost a definite lock that Spezza perennially represents one of the most valuable "buy-low" fantasy targets around mid-season, considering he always puts up elite numbers over the last half of the NHL campaign. Despite only registering one assist over the last five games, Philadelphia's top center Claude Giroux remains one of the NHL's best fantasy forwards to own for years to come. His 2 goals in the victory over Florida kept the Flyers alive for playoff home-ice advantage in the first round, while he personally reached the 80-point mark for the second time...

Spezza missed the last two games with a sore groin, but is feeling better and will play tonight vs. Montreal. Spezza has 61 points (19G / 42A) in 69 games this season.

Updating an earlier report: Spezza called himself a game-time decision, but head coach Paul MacLean said that Spezza will not play tonight vs. the Isles. Mika Zibanejad will skate in Spezza's spot again.

Spezza missed Monday's game and is in danger of missing his second straight game. He says that he is feeling better, but it will be up to the coaches during warmups. Monitor his status during the 6:30 pm ET warmups.

Spezza missed Monday's game with an undisclosed injury, but could return Wednesday. However, he is not taking part in line rushes this morning. Mika Zibanejad is still skating with Spezza's regular linemates Milan Michalek and Ales Hemsky. This suggests Spezza might sit for a second straight game, but monitor his status following the morning skate.

The Senators will keep their captain out for precautionary reasons. JG Pageau who was recalled this morning, will slide into the lineup for Spezza. Consider him day-to-day at this point.