Boyce, a pending unrestricted free agent, earns $700,000. Rosehill, who earns $600,000, will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke told TSN radio earlier this week that he will be active on deadline day.

I told [assistant general manager] Dave Nonis two weeks ago: I said ‘I don’t like the way this is shaping up’. I don’t think we’re going to do anything until closer to the deadline and we may have to be one of those people that figure it all out at the check-out register on the 27th.

However, Burke won’t force a trade or mortgage the future just for the sake of making a deal.

I’d like to add if I could, because I want to reward the group for how hard they’ve worked, but if it’s not there, it’s not there.

Speculation is that Burke is looking to add a goaltender, after poor performances from James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson in recent weeks.

We haven’t been dabbling in that market. But certainly it’s something we have to explore to at least find out what the price-tags are.

NHL.com analyst Kevin Weeks agrees that an upgrade in net may be required.

James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun list Cory Schneider, Jonathan Bernier, Evgeni Nabokov, Josh Harding, Curtis Sanford, J.S. Giguere, Antero Niittymaki, Scott Clemmensen, Anders Lindback, and Ben Bishop as possibilities.

The Maple Leafs have been seeking a top-six forward all season long, without much luck. But things may change on that front.

After acquiring Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Los Angeles Kings may make captain Dustin Brown available. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star says that Burke would be interested in dealing for the American-born, if that was the case. ESPN is reporting that the Kings would ask for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward prospect Matt Frattin in return.

Brown, of course, would be plan B. The Maple Leafs appear to have made an offer for Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Dreger reports that Toronto is trying to get Columbus to make a decision by Saturday on what they’ll do with Nash.

SportsNet’s Mike Brophy suggests that the Maple Leafs may look to add a depth forward, like Travis Moen of the Montreal Canadiens.

Meanwhile, the still unsigned Mikhail Grabovski may become trade bait if his contract demands don’t line up with what the Maple Leafs believe is fair, according to SportsNet. Teams like the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes could use a player like him.

Dallas Stars pest Steve Ott alos interests Toronto, according to LeBrun. However, it’s not a given the Stars will move him before the deadline.

The National Hockey League’s worst scoring team may turn to their back up goalie, Jonathan Bernier, to help them out of their offensive woes.

No, the Los Angeles Kings will not ask what many view as the League’s top goalie prospects to suit up as a winger. Speculation is that the Kings will be ship out Bernier for a front-line forward.

As Elliotte Friedman of CBC, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, Kevin Allen of USA Today, and Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star point put, the stellar play of Jonathan Quick has made expendable Bernier.

The Kings can’t afford to keep an asset like Bernier sitting on the bench, especially when you consider that the Kings are in such a desperate need of scoring help, as Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told Craig Custance of ESPN not too long ago.

TSN‘s Bob McKenzie and the Toronto Sun report that the pressure is on Lombardi to get his club into the playoffs, so may be forced to make a significant deal prior to the February 27 trade deadline to for an impact forward. And time should be of the essence. The Kings are trailing the Calgary Flames in a tight race for the Western Conference’s last playoff spot, and the Flames have all the tiebreakers.

The Globe and Mail, along with various other media sources, believe that the Kings may target either winger Rick Nash or center Jeff Carter of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

A package for Nash ($7.8 million cap hit) would be the most costly, and would have to include Bernier, defenseman Jack Johnson, along with another piece — a prospect and/or first round draft pick.

Trading for Carter ($5.27 million cap hit) would be cheaper — in terms of assets, salary, and cap space — because the consensus is that it would take either Bernier or Johnson, not both, to make a deal happen.

Aside from the Blue Jackets, SportsNet hockey analyst John Shannon lists the Tampa Bay Lightning (they need a goalie bad), Buffalo Sabres (in case Ryan Miller is moved), and the Edmonton Oilers (for Ales Hemsky?) as possible suitors/destinations for Bernier. Shannon was fairly adamant that Bernier is an attractive asset only to teams looking to acquire a goalie for the future, not one is serious about being a contender.

Friedman suggests that with the emergence of young Slava Voynov on the blueline, the Kings would feel more comfortable to deal just Johnson for a forward instead of Bernier. LeBrun wrote recently that Johnson’s name has been popping up in trade rumors with more frequency recently.

The consensus in the media is that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke will not make a big splash before this year’s trade deadline.

The veteran GM told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun during the Winter Classic announcement in Detroit that part of the problem is that the trade market is — and has been for the entire season — cold.

It’s very quiet.

Burke has always tried to avoid deadline day shopping because of his belief that prices are always too high, as he reiterated to Kevin Allen of USA Today several days ago.

Do a graphic for any year — the math doesn’t work. Fourteen to 16 teams add players. Prices are inflated, and there is one Stanley Cup parade at the end of the season. The trade deadline is a pit of quicksand.

While Burke may not go without tinkering with his roster this trade deadline, he may shy away from making bigger deals if he feels the cost is too much. As Doug MacLean noted, Burke doesn’t want to sell the farm and deplete his farm system for short-term gains.

Because the trade market is dead, Burke tells Craig Custance of ESPN he may have to wait for deadline day to make his moves.

I think people know I’m not a deadline guy, but we might have to do our stuff at the deadline because there’s [expletive]-all happening now.

So, what type of players would Burke want to add?

Aside from desperately wanting to add a top-six forward with size who can score — which, as Bob McKenzie of TSN points out, aren’t widely available — SportsNet’s Patrick Hoffman has Burke also wanting to add a two-way forward.

Philadelphi Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk.

Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, a Burke trade target in mid-January, is currently still out of action with a concussion. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Maple Leafs have interest in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter, but Burke isn’t too keen on taking on his long-term contract. The Anaheim Ducks aren’t trading Bobby Ryan or Ryan Getzlaf. And the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t as keen on dealing Ryan Malone, another former Burke target.

With news that Rick Nash has handed a list of teams — with the Maple Leafs being one of them — where the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowed to trade him to, it would make sense that Burke will explore the possibility of landing the big power-forward. However, there are some challenges on that front, as we already discussed.

Bob Mitchell of the Toronto Star has an in-depth analysis of a trade for Edmonton Oilers’ Sam Gagner, and a similar breakdown of a potential deal for Carolina Hurricanes pending unrestricted free agent forward Tuomo Ruutu.

Any of these players would come at a high cost. So, which players and assets might Burke be willing to make available?

Hoffman lists current roster players Nikolai Kulemin, Clarke MacArthur, Cody Franson, and Luke Schenn as potential trade bait, while McKenzie adds Carl Gunnarson.

Burke may also put pending unrestricted free agent forward Mikhail Grabovski in play. Word from TSN’ Darren Dreger is that the Maple Leafs have been offered “a second-round pick and a prospect” that Burke believes can upgrade to a first round draft pick.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joe Colborne.

Garrioch reported on February 4th that the Maple Leafs are also willing to part with prospects Joe Colborne or Nazem Kadri (specifically for Ruutu).

While Burke may not feel the same way yet, Colborne told Koshan a couple of days ago that he would like a shot to be the type of player for the Maple Leafs that the club is looking to bring in from outside the organization.

I want to be the one the Leafs look (upon) to be their No. 1 go-to guy. It’s something I’m striving for. When I wake up every day and come to the rink, that’s the goal I have.

As for the rumors, Colborne says that he would prefer to remain in Toronto if it were up to him.

It’s old hat for me. I know Nazem (Kadri) has been in a bunch of (rumours) and we joke about it. People make it seem like we are so worried about it, but it’s really a relaxed atmosphere. I love being in Toronto and that’s where my focus is.

We know that the Columbus Blue Jackets have made Rick Nash is available for trade.

We also know that Nash has a no-movement clause in his contract, therefore being in full control of where he will end up if dealt to another team.

Speculation is that Nash has already handed Blue Jackets general manger Scott Howson a list of no more than five teams he would allow a trade to.

What we don’t know is which teams he is willing to accept a trade to.

While Nash and the Blue Jackets has been linked to a number of teams recently, here is our take on who the contenders to land the one-time 40-goal scorer if a deal were to go down before the February 27 trade deadline.

New York Rangers

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the New York Rangers have already contacted the Blue Jackets to inquire about Nash, but a trade to the Big Apple remains a long shot.

New York Rangers forward prospect Chris Kreider.

For one thing, as Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News points out, the Rangers would have to clear some cap space to accommodate Nash’s $7.8 million annual cap hit this season, and especially going forward. Secondly, the cost in terms of assets appears to be much more than the package reported by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun of Brandon Dubinsky, highly touted prospect Chris Kreider, and a first-round draft pick. While Rangers general manager Glen Sather wants to add a legitimate goal-scorer for the playoffs, he may not be interested in paying that high a price for Nash.

Still, we can’t shake the feeling that the Rangers have it bad for Nash, especially when they two teams have been scouting each other recently.

Leonard reported Monday that a Rangers scout was in Minnesota for the Columbus Blue Jackets game against the Wild, while a scout from the Blue Jackets “attended at least two of the Rangers’ past four home games.” Not to mention that the Blue Jackets sent three representatives, including Howson, to the Rangers-Flyers game in Philadelphia last Saturday.

Philadelphia Flyers

Speaking of the Flyers, NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor Adam Kimelman reported that when Howson and Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren were spotted having a long one-on-one chat during that February 11 game between the Rangers and Philadelphia. Howson says he prefers to have those kinds of meetings with his colleagues.

You do it both ways, obviously. But anytime you can get face-to-face with somebody and talk to them and have a little more time in a face-to-face encounter… I prefer it be face-to-face because I think you can get more out of it.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn.

It’s uncertain what they were discussing, but as CBC’s Elliotte Friedman points out that Howson attended a Toronto and Ottawa game to the surprise of many — because he doesn’t attend non-Blue Jackets games — a few years ago, and ended up trading for the Senators’ Antoine Vermette just days later. Time will tell if events will repeat, and if Nash was the player the two general managers were indeed discussing.

Sean Gentille of the Sporting News suggests that the Flyers could put together a package revolving around forward Brayden Schenn and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Nash, who was born in Brampton (a suburb of Toronto), has also been linked with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A report earlier this month by AM 640 hockey analyst Bill Waters had the Maple Leafs sending Mikhail Grabovski, Nazem Kadri, Luke Schenn, and maybe prospect Joe Colborne as well, to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Nash.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri.

While that specific report was debunked by many media sources, it is expected Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke will at least investigate the possibility of acquiring Nash. The Maple Leafs have long been in the market for a big top-six forward, and Nash would fit the bill.

The Maple Leafs not only have the financial means to absorb Nash’s salary, but also have the ware withal to bury contracts in the minors in order to clear cap room, if need be. They also have a number of intriguing prospects — other than the ones mentioned above — such as defensemen Keith Aulie and Korbinian Holzer, forward Matt Frattin, and goalies Ben Scrivens, Mark Owuya, and Jussi Rynnas to make available for the Blue Jackets.

UPDATE (Feb. 15): According to Damien Cox of SporteNet, the Toronto Maple Leafs are on Nash’s short list he would allow the Blue Jackets to trade him to.

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier. Photo courtesy Flick user bridgetds.

ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun the Kings are also in the market for a scoring forward, and Nash definitely fits that requirement. The Kings have goalie Jonathan Bernier and defenseman Jack Johnson as well as prospects Andrei Loktionov and Slava Voynov, to offer the Blue Jackets.

Others Teams

Of course, a number of other teams could end up in the Nash sweepstakes. During a segment of TSN’s NHL Insider, McKenzie speculated that the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks may express some interest.

For more analysis of teams potentially interested in Nash, check out a video of TSN’s That’s Hockey panel discussing the various possibilities.

Renaud Lavoie of RDS reported Monday that the Columbus Blue Jackets have made forward Rick Nash available for trade.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday that the Blue Jackets have informed a number of teams Nash was up for grabs — though not at the player’s behest. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun was also able to confirm that the Blue Jackets have become more open with the idea of moving Nash.

All reports appear to indicate that Nash has not requested a trade, however. Apparently, it was Blue Jackets management and ownership, during a meeting last week discussing the club’s future, who decided that the possibility of trading Nash needed to be explored.

Howson told NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor Adam Kimelman Saturday that the club has a plan in place for this season and beyond.

I’m not going to disclose what we’re going to do, but we certainly have a plan in place. We’re working on it, we’re talking to teams. We’ll see… it’s not just a pre-deadline plan. It’s a plan leading up to the draft and leading into next season. We’ll see what happens before the 27th and we expect to be active.

Even considering trading Nash would be a drastic change in philosophy for the club, as it has constantly denied any plans to part ways with Nash whenever rumors popped up. While rumors have been swirling around the struggling Blue Jackets, Portzline claims that Nash’s name wasn’t even brought up in any trade talks Howson may have had with his colleagues. General managers were well aware that the Canadian Olympian was off limits.

When asked to clarify his stance on the manner, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson was evasive but did not deny the club may attempt to move their captain.

We’re open to all options to try to improve the team. As far as rumors go, we’re just not going to comment.

Since Nash has a no-movement clause in his contract, the club cannot deal him without his permission. So, according to Portzline, the Blue Jackets approached Nash and his agent Joe Resnick to inform them of their decision. TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s reports his sources indicate that Nash has given his blessing and would consider a trade — on his terms, of course.

During an interview with Portzline last week, Nash didn’t sound like he would stand in the way of the Blue Jackets trading him.

I love Columbus. I love being here. I love being a Blue Jacket. The city of Columbus deserves a winner and deserves a good product on the ice. If it comes to that – like you said, all speculation – but if they don’t want me here, they want to move me? I’m not going to do something where it’s going to hurt the franchise just because I have that in my contract.

When asked today about all latest rumors of his potential departure, Nash reiterated how much he like playing and living in Columbus.

The last couple of weeks there have been so many rumors and when a team loses, more rumors keep on surfacing. That’s [all] it seems to be right now, is just rumors. I’m a Blue Jacket right now. I’ve played my whole career here and it’s a special place to me. So as of right now I’m a Blue Jacket.

However, as Dan Di Sciulloa of the Miami Herald suggests, perhaps Nash may not necessarily want to go though a rebuild with the Blue Jackets again. But as Di Sciulloa and LeBrun point out, that doesn’t necessarily mean a trade will occur before this year’s February 27 trade deadline. The Blue Jackets are not on a timeline — they can wait for the off-season to sort things out.

Stay tuned for a look at which teams may be in on the Nash sweepstakes.

Speculation persists that Columbus Blue Jackets disgruntled forward Jeff Carter will be dealt before the February 27 trade deadline, according to a recent segment of SportsNet‘s Sources Say.

While the Blue Jackets would like to move Carter, as Kevin Allen of the USA Today reports, his contract could be a problem.

Not so. The show’s panel maintained that the 10 years and $52.7 million remaining on Carter’s deal would not deter some teams from acquiring him. Thus, there could be a number of suitors.

Among them are the Vancouver Canucks, apparently, who are looking to add some size and grit along with some offense to their top line.

The Los Angeles Kings are on that list, as well.

As Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News notes, the Kings are the lowest scoring team in the National Hockey League and could go shopping for a forward before the deadline.

Speculation is that they’re investigating the possibility of picking up Carter and reuniting him with former Philadelphia Flyers teammate Mike Richards However, the cost would be too steep and Kings general manager Dean Lombardi isn’t a fan of his contract so there may not be a match in the end.

Another possible destination for Carter is Toronto, where Gleason believes Carter would benefit from being around head coach Ron Wilson and Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke.

But as Bob McKenzie of TSN notes, Burke, too, does not like those “long-term deals with the bogus years at the end.” He has been vocal in the past about not offering those kind of deals to unrestricted free agents, so what are the chances he would trade for a player that owns one of those contracts.

However, the Sources Say panel points out that the last three years of Carter’s contract are worth $3.0, $2.0, and $2 million respectively , so they could easily be bought out if Carter’s production falls off drastically. They also alluded to the new CBA bringing more flexibility for teams in dealing with long-term, expensive contracts.

Could that potentially sway general managers such as Lombardi and Burke to take a chance on Carter?

We shall soon find out.