Dale Tallon unironically declares Vincent Trocheck to be the Florida Panthers' most important player this season.

"He saved our team this year," Tallon admitted to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

It's a curious statement to make for the general manager of a team that features a top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, and Jonathan Huberdeau, a franchise defenseman in Aaron Ekblad, and a rejuvenated Roberto Luongo excelling in net.

The 22-year-old - who was selected in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft - has indeed broken out in a big way for the Panthers, with 23 goals and 27 assists in 73 games, but it's Trocheck's complete game that has earned the trust of both management and the coaching staff.

"We knew he had some warts as far as the defensive side, but now he's making better decisions, not turning the puck over and trying to beat guys one on one," Tallon continued. "He's just been better and better every game. He's been terrific."

Trocheck's emergence has come in a second-line center role, with Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith on his wings. The former confirms Tallon's assessment to be no joke.

"Saving a season is a strong statement, but without him no chance we'd be in this spot right now," Jokinen said. "That's a fair thing to say. When we've needed him, he's been there and he's been really reliable."

The additions of Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell prior to the deadline have given Tallon that much more depth up front, meaning the Panthers could very well translate their regular-season success into a long playoff run.

If so, it'll be Trocheck who plays as big a role as anybody on the roster.

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The Buffalo Sabres have dipped into the college ranks to add a young defenseman.

Defenseman Casey Nelson of Minnesota State University has been signed to an entry-level contract, general manager Tim Murray announced.

"We've been consistently impressed with Casey's play for the last two years," Murray said. "We identified him as one of the top college free agents available and we're excited to have him join the organization."

Nelson recorded six goals and 16 assists in 40 games for Minnesota State this season and was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's defenseman of the year.

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Eric Staal hasn't exactly lit up Broadway.

The center has appeared in 11 games for the New York Rangers since being acquired from Carolina prior to the trade deadline, recording a goal and two assists with the Blueshirts. As far as head coach Alain Vigneault is concerned, the blame falls squarely on his shoulders.

"I haven't put him in ideal situations - it's my fault," Vigneault said Tuesday, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "I've been moving personnel around trying to find the right chemistry with the lines."

Not only is Staal's ice time down an average of over three minutes a night as compared to earlier this season with the Hurricanes, but Vigneault has yet to find him permanent linemates.

Staal had Chris Kreider and Oscar Lindberg on his wings in practice Tuesday, but who he plays with during Wednesday's game against Boston is anyone's guess, including the coach.

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The Minnesota Wild's third-highest paid forward will continue to watch from the press box as the team looks to lock down a playoff spot.

Thomas Vanek, who carries a $6.5-million cap hit through to the end of next season, will not play Tuesday against Los Angeles, marking the third straight game that he's been made a healthy scratch by new bench boss John Torchetti.

For the coach, it's not that Vanek isn't scoring - although his 18 goals in 70 games is below-average production based on his career numbers - it's more a matter of all-around effort at both ends of the ice.

"We just talked about playing a two-way game," Torchetti told Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He’s out right now and then when he gets the opportunity, I’m sure he’ll come back and be a better player for us."

Vanek's response?

"I'm not going to lie. Obviously I’m not happy about it," he said after practice Tuesday. "It is what it is. It's a team sport, guys are going to be in and out and I'm not going to (whine) and complain about it.

"(Torchetti's) got his guys he trusts, so I think once I get back in there, just to play well and that's about it. That's all I can control."

Working against Vanek is the fact Minnesota has won the two games from which he's already been scratched. Still, the Wild sit a point back of Colorado in the wild-card race, and may yet be in need of Vanek's previously prolific stick.

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The San Jose Sharks are expected to be without top-pairing defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic for the remainder of their six-game homestand, CSN's Kevin Kurz reports.

Sharks coach Pete BeDoer didn't have a firm handle on Vlasic's recovery from a lower-body injury, but didn't appear overly concerned about his postseason status.

"I would term it day to day, but it could be a week, it could be 10 days," he said.

San Jose has conceded one goal in two games with Vlasic shelved, earning all four points.

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without their top two scorers this week with four points at stake in their push toward the playoffs.

Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, who've combined for 108 points, will miss at least two more games with their respective knee injuries, the team announced.

Colorado will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, and then the ninth-seeded Minnesota Wild in an all-important clash Saturday afternoon.

It's obviously a massive hit, as the Avalanche cling to a one-point lead over the Wild in the final Western Conference wild-card slot. Fortunately for Colorado, the team's benefiting from a soft portion of the schedule, playing just twice over the next six days.

Duchene has missed two games so far to MacKinnon's one.

Their playing status moving forward will be determined at the end of this week.

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Oliver Ekman-Larsson will return to the Arizona Coyotes' lineup after a two-week absence Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Arizona's leading scorer and minutes eater has been considered day to day throughout March with a shoulder injury.

He took reps with Connor Murphy at the morning skate.

The Coyotes took seven points from the first four games played without Ekman-Larsson, but have been shut out in their last two outings.

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