No chance for another pricey player: Gainey

Just a quick hit after listening to Bob Gainey's conference call with the media this afternoon, and the most revealing part of what he had to say was regarding the team's cap room.

Gainey admitted that he didn't "have the same flexibility I had yesterday, but we till have some space today."

That space, however, couldn't be used to land any impact type player, as Gainey later added, "I think you can wipe out the idea of adding another $5 million player, or a $6 million player. We just don't have that kind of space available."

That's assuming, of course, that there would be no salary going the other way, but my quick impression from listening to Gainey this afternoon was that he is nowhere near considering going into seller mode even if his team tanks between now and March 4.

He spoke of the return of Alex Tanguay from injury pretty soon (probably the end of this month) as being an important acquisition for his team, which is struggling to score and keep pucks out of its own net, which is never a good combination.

But Gainey also put the pressure on the coaching staff to get the power play going again because he feels he's added the missing piece of the puzzle.

"He still understands the mechanics of that five-man unit that plays when the other team has a man in the penalty box," he said, adding Schneider can play both point positions on the power play and his shot and passing abilities remain elite, even if his legs aren't. "We haven't had results from players who've played that position so far this year."