1.   Erskine sent to minors The Stars assigned defenseman John Erskine to their minor-league affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, on Monday.

2.   The Avalanche also assigned rookie defenseman Wade Belak to their AHL affiliate in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

3.   The Dallas Stars assigned defenseman Sergey Gusev to their International Hockey League affiliate in Michigan, the team said.

4.   The San Jose Sharks assigned rookie defenseman Rich Brennan to their American Hockey League affiliate in Kentucky.

5.   The St. Louis Blues recalled defenseman Jamie Rivers from their American Hockey League affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts and assigned defenseman Libor Zabransky to the AHL club.

6.   The Vancouver Canucks assigned rookie defenseman Mark Wotton to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

7.   To make room on the roster, the Whalers assigned defenseman Marek Malik to Springfield.

8.   To make room for Muni on the roster, the Stars assigned defenseman Brad Lukowich to their International Hockey League affiliate in Michigan.

9.   The Blackhawks assigned defensemen Steve Poapst and Nolan Baumgartner to the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL Sunday.

10.   The Blues also assigned defensemen Dale Clarke and Vladimir Chebaturkin to Worcester of the AHL.