Daily Cupcakes - Links from around the unlocked out NHL - January 25th, 2013

A story about Greg Zanon's beard.

His beard should be the product of four consecutive seven-game playoff series, and we’re only on Game No. 3 of the regular season for the Avs. We don’t want to say his beard is epic, but he makes Leonidas look like that floppy haired kid from One Direction that Taylor Swift is going to emo-country on her next album.

An article about how the guys who played in the AHL might be having a leg up this season.

While many players sat at home during the work stoppage, the reigning AHL MVP continued putting up points in the minors. So when the league reopened its doors last week and the Lightning needed someone to play on its top line, a 23-year-old with zero NHL experience had no trouble fitting in.

Another long-term injury is hitting the NHL.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell is expected to miss four to eight weeks because of a broken left foot.

Hartnell, an All-Star last season, was injured by a shot taken by teammate Kimmo Timonen in Tuesday's game against New Jersey. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made the announcement before Thursday night's game against the New York Rangers.