That may be what he's looking to do, according to Stephen Whyno of the Canadian Press. The former Philadelphia Flyers goalie/aspiring astrophysicist is closing in on a deal with the Las Vegas Wranglers that he hopes gets him back in the NHL

The Pittsburgh Penguins, they are not. In fairness, it's not like he needs the money.

One important thing to note: The Wranglers are no longer the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, who do need a goalie (if they're not fully invested in tanking). In any case, Bryzgalov has expressed a fondness for some Vegas icons in the past.

Bad as Bryzgalov, 33, was last season with the Flyers -- and they're paying him $1.643 million per year for the next 14 years to not play for them -- he still should have something left to contribute to an NHL team. Not many teams needed goalies in the offseason, and Bryzgalov's baggage, his fault or not, couldn't have helped.

Bryzgalov went 19-17-3 with a .900 save percentage and 2.79 goals-against in 2013. Those numbers got progressively worse in each month -- in six January starts, he had a 2.19 GAA and .924 save percentage. Expect those numbers to improve with Las Vegas -- probably closer to 0.00 and 1.000. We also eagerly await Las Vegas' season opener against the Utah Grizzlies.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury insurance plan is out of the picture for 3-6 months.


PENS LOSE SAFETY NET


Goalie Thomas Vokoun is on the shelf until at least the new year because of a blood clot, general manager Ray Shero told reporters on Wednesday. The main issue: Vokoun's condition requires blood thinners, so spending time in close proximity to men with knives on their feet is a bad idea.

"I'm not thinking about hockey right now," Vokoun, 37, said, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I'm thinking about being healthy for a long time."

In something of a surprise, Shero said the team planned to give Jeff Zatkoff a long look as Fleury's backup; Zatkoff, 26, had a 1.93 GAA and .920 save percentage with Pittsburgh's AHL team last season.

For now, though, that makes enough sense; Fleury has been a good enough regular-season goalie, playoff meltdowns aside. The real question, though, is what kind of help Vokoun could provide if his recovery takes six months -- odds are Pittsburgh will need its backup at some point in the first round of the postseason; he had a .933 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against in 11 appearances after taking over against the New York Islanders

Pittsburgh opens its season tonight at home against the New Jersey Devils.


GET OUT OF THE ROOM


A pair of Hall of Famers are getting scrubbed from their old locker rooms -- and it's probably for the best.

First, the Colorado Avalanche finally relocated Joe Sakic's glass-encased stall from the room to the Pepsi Center concourse. It had been in that position since Sakic retired in 2009. He's now in charge of the team's hockey operations; franchise legend or not, dressing a few feet from a shrine to the guy who could put you on waivers would be awkward.

Instead, it's in a spot where fans can see it and take Instagrams and Vines and whatnot. The new on-ice face of the Avs, for what it's worth, was OK with where it was.

"I saw it (in July) after the draft and it's pretty cool to sit beside his old stall," Nathan MacKinnon said, according to the Denver Post. "I may even put a little barrier here so even my knee won’t cross over there."

The other is a little more complicated; the Pittsburgh Penguins replaced Jaromir Jagr's portrait in the ring of franchise greats above the current roster's stalls at Consol Energy Center. His situation is a little different than Sakic's, because he's still playing, and his exit from the team was (and continues to be) a very strange situation.

Not coincidentally, Jagr's now with the Devils, who play the Penguins tonight. He visited Consol as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins while his face was painted above his opponents, and walked past another portrait of him on the wall outside the room. It's not the only place you'll see his face at the arena, either.

In any case, down he goes, replaced by Mark Recchi. For the time being, it's the right move -- but it'll have to go back up someday. Maybe. Or not.


ROY TAKES ON GLASS 


Patrick Roy, Hall of Fame goalie and glorious crazy person, is back.

In his first game as coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Roy knocked down a glass partition between the benches during a screaming match with Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau.

It doesn't matter why it happened, really -- just that it happened, and that it was awesome. That said, it revolved around Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy's hit on Colorado rookie Nathan MacKinnon. The Avs won 6-1.

Contributor: Sean Gentille