Cole inked an honorary deal with Carolina to allow him to retire as a member of the Hurricanes, Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com reports.

Cole left in the first period and he fell awkwardly in a scrum. He played just 5:32 minutes on Tuesday.

Cole scored in the third period to help Detroit avoid the shutout. Cole has 20 goals and 18 assists in 65 games this season.

He had a goal and an assist, along with two shots, two penalty minutes, and a plus-one rating. However, even with a solid outing, owners should leave Cole on the waiver wire.

He had a goal and an assist, along with two shots, two penalty minutes, and a plus-one rating. However, even with a solid outing, owners should leave Cole on the waiver wire.

The Dallas Stars won't buy out the final season of Erik Cole's contract. Cole scored just 16 goals and 29 points in 75 games in 2013-14. We wouldn't bet on the 35-year-old bouncing back next season.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff confirmed that Erik Cole was a healthy scratch and not an injured player on Monday. Cole logged 10:11 minutes in Game 2 on Friday. The 35-year-old forward has declined steeply over the last couple of seasons after recording 61 points in 2011-2012. We wouldn't count on him bouncing back next season.

Erik Cole might be a healthy scratch on Monday in Game 3. He did not skate in a regular shift with the Stars' 12 forwards and stayed out a little later during the session. Coach Lindy Ruff didn't tip his hand about his lineup. He was asked why Cole stayed on the ice longer and he said: "Probably just getting some extra work, I guess. He hasn't played a lot." He saw 10:11 of ice time in Game 2 and 11:10 in Game 1. Chris Mueller may be taking his spot.

Erik Cole (upper body) returned to action Saturday. Cole missed seven games with the upper body injury and played 13:22 minutes with 4:27 coming on the power play in a 5-2 win. He was pointless and has 16 goals and 29 points in 61 games this season. Put him back in your lineup if you normally would.

Erik Cole (upper body) will travel with the Stars, but he isn't expected to play Tuesday night. "He's going to join us on the road trip," coach Lindy Ruff said. "He's still day to day, but he's progressing." Cole has already missed five games due to an upper-body injury.