Patrick Marleau will join in NHL Live

Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks, the NHL's top goal-scorer this season, will be among the guests on Friday's edition of NHL Live!, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Also scheduled to appear with hosts Rob Simpson and E.J. Hradek are Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and TV analyst Ed Olczyk, who will be behind the mike for Sunday's NBC Game of the Week telecast of the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia game.

Carrasco and Pirates agree to Minors deal

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates agreed to a Minor League deal with reliever D.J. Carrasco, who is set to make $950,000 if he can earn up to $250,000 in performance bonuses. The five-year veteran has a career 20-16 record and a 4.45 ERA in 181 appearances with the Royals and White Sox. Carrasco became a free agent after the White Sox decided not to give him a contract.

Carrasco went 5-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 49 appearances in the white sox jersey in 2009. He struck out 62 batters while walking 29 in 93 1/3 innings.

Astros' Paul feels good after Haiti earthquake

Dieudone Paul, a left-handed pitcher in the Astros' system who was born in Haiti, was in the Dominican Republic with his family and was unharmed during the earthquake. Houston assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said coordinator of player development Allen Rowin contacted Paul on Thursday and was informed his family was unharmed. Paul was signed in June and posted a 1.65 ERA for the Dominican Summer League Astros last year. "He is lucky, obviously, because his family is safe and sound," Bennett said. "It was difficult to find out because of the lack of communication. But the staff located him and he talked with his family and he was fine."

Commissioner Bud Selig announced that MLB has pledged an immediate donation of $1 million to support earthquake relief. The donations are aiding victims by providing necessary supplies to assist with recovery efforts, including clean water and sanitation, medical supplies and temporary shelter. This piece of news will comfort Paul's fans and they will see him playing in his astros jersey sooner or later.

Angels avoid arbitration with Weaver

It is reported that the Angels avoided arbitration with Jered Weaver by signing him to a one-year deal worth $4.265 million. Weaver is coming off an outstanding season as the Angels' most dependable starter in 2009. He posted a 16-8 record with a 3.75 ERA, striking out 174 batters in the los angeles angels of anaheim jersey.

Weaver has a career record of 51-27 with a 3.73 ERA, along with 546 strikeouts and 198 walks in 671 2/3 innings pitched. He becomes the second Angels player to avoid arbitration, joining second baseman Howard Kendrick, who agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million earlier in the day.

Alfredsson returns to the lineup

Daniel Alfredsson will be back in the lineup when the Senators face off against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It's a huge lift for Ottawa heading into a showdown. "It feels good to be back and it feels good to be ready to play," Alfredsson said at the Bell Centre. "I'm confident I'm going to go in there and be able to help the team. I wouldn't be back if I thought there was any risk."

Alfredsson has been sidelined since separating his left shoulder during a Dec. 23 game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The original prognosis suggested a 4-to-6 week absence from the lineup. He skated on a line with Nick Foligno and Mike Fisher at the morning skate in the senators jersey.

Ribeiro was placed on injured list

The Dallas Stars announced that center Mike Ribeiro has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to be out for several weeks due to a throat contusion suffered at the New York Rangers. Ribeiro underwent a procedure at St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan to repair the contusion. He is expected to stay in the hospital for a few days before returning to the team

Ribeiro suffered the injury when he was hit in the neck by the Rangers forward Chris Higgins at the second period. Higgins was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play. Ribeiro has appeared in 43 games in his dallas stars jersey this season, scoring 10 goals and 23 assists.

Jovanovski is suspended two games

The NHL announced that Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended for two games without pay, for hitting New York Islanders center John Tavares. With 17 seconds remaining in the first period of a game, Jovanovski delivered an elbow to Tavares' head and was assessed a major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct.

Jovanovski now is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He will forfeit a lot in salary based on the number of games in a season, rather than the number of days. The money goes to the Players’Emergency Assistance Fund. Jovanovski will miss Coyotes' games against San Jose and New Jersey. He will be eligible to return Saturday against Minnesota Wild in the coyotes jersey.

Senators relieved Eli Wilson of his duties

Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced that the club has relieved goaltending coach Eli Wilson of his duties. "Performance of the goaltenders in the organization had everything to do with it," said Murray. "I think Eli was a hard worker and paid a lot attention to it, but for some reason, both at the NHL level and American league level, we felt that the goaltenders weren't where we thought they were going to be and where they have shown they can be." Considering a replacement for the balance of the season, Murray noted: "Hopefully, in the next week we'll have someone at least in a consulting capacity. Somebody that can have insight and give direction to our goaltenders and get them back on track to where we think they're capable of being."

Wilson joined the Senators in August 2007. He previously worked with the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers, where he spent four seasons.

Rays will host free coaching clinic

It is reported that the Rays will host a free coaches clinic as part of the team's youth baseball training program. The "Learn How to Play the Rays Way" Coaches Clinic will be held on Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at Tropicana Field. All youth league coaches are invited, each of whom will be afforded a unique opportunity to learn from a Major League coaching staff. The clinic will feature professional advice and instruction from members of the Rays' Major League and Minor League coaching staffs, including third-base coach Tom Foley, pitching coach Jim Hickey and hitting coach Derek Shelton, along with Eckerd College head baseball coach Bill Mathews.

The clinic will consist of six stations, each of which will hold a lecture on techniques and drills. The Rays' coaches will also conduct a question-and-answer session to conclude the day's activities. In addition, representatives from St. Anthony's Sports Medicine will provide instructions on injury prevention.

Yankees agree to terms with Mitre

The Yankees has agreed to term Mitre on a one-year contract. Mitre will earn a base salary of $850,000, plus possible performance incentives. The Yankees officially announced the signing on Thursday morning. Mitre was 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 games for the Yankees in 2009, returning to the big leagues after undergoing ligament-replacement surgery in July.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that Mitre will enter Spring Training in competition for the fifth starter's role as well as auditioning. If Mitre does not make the team out of Spring Training, he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the Minor Leagues, but his affordable contract and potential upside could make him attractive to other clubs. Mitre has pitched in parts of six Major League seasons with the Cubs, Marlins and Yankees.

Mets acquire Marshall from Athletics

The New York Mets added to their bullpen with the addition of Jay Marshall from the Oakland Athletics. Marshall was 0-2 with a 14.72 ERA in 10 outings out of the Oakland bullpen, but had been one of Triple-A Sacramento's more effective relievers prior to that, going 5-3 with seven saves and a 3.20 ERA in 50 games with the River Cats.

Originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 25th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Marshall made his big league debut with Oakland in 2007 as a Rule 5 selection, spending the entire season with the Athletics and posting a 6.43 ERA in 51 games in the athletics jersey. He has a 7.66 ERA, with a 2.85 ERA in 219 Minor League games and 61 big league games.

Verdi is hired as Blackhawks' first Team Historian

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Verdi’s hiring as Team Historian, which is a newly-created position. Verdi will use his five decades of sports journalism for periodical stories on the team’s Web site. "We are privileged to add such a true Chicago sports legend in Bob to our staff," Blackhawks Senior Vice President of Business Operations Jay Blunk said. "As Team Historian, he will give our organization perspective and depth in a number of different roles, which includes contributing on chicagoblackhawks.com. His 40-plus years of sports journalism in Chicago will serve as a great link to our franchise’s rich history."

Verdi served as a writer and columnist for the Chicago Tribune from 1967 to 1997 before writing for the newspaper as a columnist over the last 12 years. He also served as a senior writer for Golf Digest and Golf World. In 2004, Verdi received the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

Brave might be D-backs' second baseman

It is reported that Johnson is a guy that the D-backs have discussed with the Braves since Josh Byrnes became GM in the fall of 2005. Johnson hit .224 with eight homers and 29 RBIs last season for Atlanta and was not offered arbitration earlier this month. Johnson has actually hit better against lefties than he has against righties in his career. Based on advanced metrics, it is believed that he is an excellent candidate for a rebound season after struggling last year.

If Johnson gets the starting at second, the D-backs could shift Tony Abreu into a utility infield role. The team learned during the Winter Meetings that there is interest in Ojeda, so moving him would probably not be a problem. The D-backs could also give Abreu more seasoning at the Triple-A level.

Nationals has termed with Whitesell and Bruntlett

According to a report, the Nationals agreed to terms with first baseman Josh Whitesell and infielder Eric Bruntlett on 2010 Minor League contracts. Both of them have been invited to Spring Training. Whitesell, who returns to his original organization, was drafted by the Expos in the sixth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. He posted a .346 on-base percentage in 46 games with the D-backs last year and has two home runs and 15 RBIs in 53 career games with Arizona.
Whitesell has hit 113 home runs and posted .394 on-base in seven Minor League seasons.

Bruntlett joins Washington after playing the past two seasons with the Phillies. Bruntlett is a .231 hitter with 11 home runs and 72 RBIs in 512 career games in seven seasons with Philadelphia and the Astros. He can play all four infield positions and all three outfield spots. Bruntlett is best known for turning a triple play in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Mets on Aug. 23. Hope both of them can play well in the nationals jersey.

Forward Prospal underwent knee surgery

New York Rangers forward Vinny Prospal underwent knee surgery on Monday morning to repair a lateral tear and will be sidelined several weeks. The injury was sustained during Saturday's game against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden. The procedure was performed this morning at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Westchester by Dr. Anthony Maddalo.

Prospal has scored 8 goals and 24 assists with 22 penalty minutes, in 38 games in his new york rangers jersey this season. He currently leads the Rangers and is tied for 19th in assists. He also ranks second on the team in points and third in goals.