Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is such a tease. After setting NHL fans talking last night when news broke that his captain might well be on the trade market, this morning Elliotte Friedman popped all of our speculative balloons:

Trade deadline craziness: Lombardi telling inquiring GMs that Dustin Brown is not available. Can't wait until this is over.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 24, 2012

And now, some afternoon hockey reading...

Saturday's game is not on TV, so save money on tickets with the OTF Discount!

Nashville Predators News

The Hippodrome: Randy Edsall Is A Petty Little Genius | Pith in the Wind
We're blushing over the OTF stuff in this one.

Rinne and Shootouts: From Elation to Depression | The Predatorial
Don't read too much into shootout results.

Smashville 24/7: Preds seek better starts; Hornqvist likely for Saturday
Getting Horny back would be nice...

The 303:30 – the NHL trade deadline roundtable with Preds bloggers | Section 303
A few members of Bloggers Row talk up the trade deadline possibilities.

Greetings From Smashville! With Three You Get Eggroll Edition | The Hockey Writers
Jas walks through the latest happenings with the Preds.

Postgame ponderings - Predators Insider
Willy don't slump.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Calgary Flames Twitter Account Not Fond Of Ales Hemsky - SBNation.com
Yeah, this isn't going to end well.

The Montreal Canadiens should turn to nerds for help - Faceoff.com
The Canadiens' turbulent season leads one observer to call for them to beef up their front office with some analytical help.

2012 Draft depth likely to shape deadline deals - NHL.com
Keep this in mind as draft picks fly back and forth between teams.

Against the Trade Deadline: A Polemic | Backhand Shelf
E bemoans the madness which afflicts hockey fans at this time of year.

Rumblings: Dustin Brown draws interest, Kings like Luke Schenn - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
Assorted updates from Pierre LeBrun.