Philadelphia Flyers forward James Van Riemsdyk is on the block and would have been traded had he not been concussed earlier in the year, reports the panel on SportsNet’s HockeyCentral Trade Tracker.

According to SportsNet hockey analyst John Shannon, Van Riemsdyk doesn’t fitting with general manager Paul Holmgren’s plans for the Flyers. While the 2007 second overall draft pick is big, highly skilled, and a great playoff performer thus far in his young NHL career as Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star points out, he is not overly physical — an attribute that apparently doesn’t sit to well with Holmgren. And so he could be moved for a piece that’s more valuable to the Flyers.

The HockeyCentral panel listed the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Toronto Maple Leafs as potential destination if he were to be dealt.

Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is desperately trying to improve his club’s offense; Van Riemsdyk had 7 goals in 11 games during the 2011 playoffs. Lombardi likes dealing with teams that he’s familiar with, and since he worked for the Flyers after being fired from San Jose, the two teams could end up as trading partners.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has an affinity for big-bodied, talented players and doesn’t put a premium on their physicality. Wilson, too, is looking to add a scorer.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported recently that the Blue Jackets have asked for Van Riemsdyk, as part of a package that also included Sergei Bobrovsky, Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier, in exchange for their captain, Rick Nash. If the Flyers want Nash, Van Riemsdyk must be included in any trade.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

The Flyers were said to be close to dealing Van Riemsdyk to Toronto for blueliner Luke Schenn. The New Jersey native had been linked to the Maple Leafs long before he suffered his concussion on January 12th, as Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun, and others have reported. Rumors about a potential deal with Toronto have died down, and after picking up defensemen Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina, it’s unclear whether the Flyers have any interest in Schenn anymore, as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun points out.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Meanwhile, Van Riemsdyk told Sarah Baicker of CSNPhilly and other reporters during a media scrum back on February 17 that hearing his name in rumors has been difficult. Especially when his character was being taken into question. Internet chatter had the 22-year-old winger “playing hurt” to avoid being traded.

It’s funny when people question your character that have never even met you before. That’s one thing I pride myself on, is being a hard-working guy that has a high character. And when people say that about you, you can only just laugh about it and just let it roll off you.

I’m not selfish. If that [getting traded] is to happen, whatever. It’s part of the game. So I’m just going to focus on what’s going on now, and that’s playing and helping the Flyers win games.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager met with his Columbus Blue Jackets counterpart Scott Howson today to discuss a potential trade for Rick Nash, according to SportsNet.

SportsNet‘s Nick Kypreos speculated that the Blue Jackets would want a combination of players from the Maple Leafs that could include Nazem Kadri, Luke Schenn, Nikolai Kulemin and maybe James Reimer.

According to the Toronto Star’s Damien Cox, if the Maple Leafs have any notion of trading for Nash the Blue Jackets will undoubtedly want blueliner Jake Gardiner as part of a larger package. It’s believed that the Maple Leafs are not prepared to deal their talented defenseman but have other young roster players and/or prospects that they may be willing to offer Columbus instead such as Kadri, Tyler Biggs and Matt Frattin.

For that reason, they could be one of the few clubs willing to meet Howson’s ransom for Nash. In addition, the Maple Leafs have the wherewithal to deal with the financial side of a Nash trade — which may not be the case for other teams.

The list of five teams that Nash recently presented the Jackets is made up of teams that Nash would prefer to go to, but not the only ones he would approve, Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest edition of CBC‘s Satellite Hotstove.

The understanding between the club and the player is that if the Blue Jackets found a deal they liked with a team not on Nash’s list they could go back to him for approval.

The consensus among the analysts on the Hotstove panel is that both the Blue Jackets and Nash would very much prefer to part ways before the February 27 trade deadline and not have to wait until the summer.

SportsNet hockey analyst Nick Kypreos, agrees, and suggests that Howson is shopping Nash throughout the League — not just the aforementioned five teams — to create a market for him, and potentially spark a bidding war.

This may be due in part to the market for Nash shrinking because of the asking price set by Howson of an impact player, two top prospects, and a first round draft pick, nor can they afford Nash’s $7.8 million cap hit.

Apparently, the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vancouver Canucks have taken themselves out of the Nash sweepstakes for various reasons.

The Canucks don’t have the salary cap room because they are currently over the cap due to players they had bring in to replace players on long-term injury reserves.

The Flyers face similar cap constraints, especially after the recent additions of blueliners Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina. Hotstove panelist Eric Francis is baffled how the Flyers could have interest in Nash — Howson and Flyers general manager Paul Homlgren apparently met at a Flyers game to discuss a potential deal. They would have to dump a lot of salary to bring in Nash.

Also, Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly reports that the Flyers do not want to part with forwards Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier. Frank Seravalli of the Daily News suggests that the Flyers don’t really need Nash.

Bruins general manger Peter Chiarelli has said he will not part with goalie Tuukka Rask or young defenseman Dougie Hamilton, but the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont lists David Krejci or Milan Lucic, and Johnny Boychuk or Adam McQuaid as potential trade bait.

While SportsNet hockey analyst John Shannon reports that Blue Jackets special advisor Craig Patrick was in Hartford last week watching the Rangers’ farm team, the Rangers do not want to trade defensemen Michael Del Zotto or Ryan McDonagh.

Larry Brooks of NY Post points out that the Rangers may face diffculties retaining their core players if they bring in Nash.

For those reason, many general managers around the NHL believe the deal will be made in the summer, a larger number of teams will have more flexibility to fit Nash’s cap hit. Shannon is of the opinion that because the Blue Jackets’ efforts to deal Nash have become so public, the Columbus captain will surely be traded by deadline.

Something that could benefit Toronto greatly, if they’ll have the willingness to part with the assets required and make the necessary financial adjustments to get a deal done.

Lastly, Friedman pointed out during the Hotstove that which ever team ends up with Nash, they will be inheriting his no-trade clause.

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.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn.

As Frank Seravalli of Philadelphia Daily News reported on January 11th, the Philadelphia Flyers director of player development Don Luce has taken in three Toronto Maple Leafs games at the Air Canada Center in the past three weeks. And according to the Toronto Star’s Bob Mitchell, Luce was expected to watch the Leafs play the Sabres last Friday night in Buffalo, as well.

The Flyers, who are looking to bolster their blueline after loosing Chris Pronger to injury, are said to have their eye on Luke Schenn (older brother of Flyer center Brayden Schenn). Accquiring Schenn would make sense for the Flyers, since they can both help them this season and would also provide “capable replacement” for impending unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Carle, who’s contract runs out July 1st.

The problem is trading Schenn to the Flyers doesn’t make much sense for the Leafs. Philadelphia (4th, 56 points) is an Eastern conference rival who are seven points ahead of the Leafs (7th, 49) in the standings. Technicallly, they could still be caught — and getting Schenn would definitely solidify their blueline. Why would the Leafs want to do the Flyers any favours? Also, the Flyers don’t have the frontline center the Leafs covet.

Meanwhile, Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke tells the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle that he is not in trade talks to move Schenn. In a recent meeting with the young blueliner, Burke assured him that he is not shopping him.

We’re getting a lot of calls and we’re listening. But that’s very different than offering a player. Fielding a phone call on a player is very different than making a phone call on a player.

However, if the right deal came along Burke told Schenn that he may pull the trigger.

I told Luke it’s not a guarantee that he wouldn’t be traded if something materializes, but we’re not in trade discussions with any team about him right now. We haven’t offered him to anybody. I don’t know where the rumours started. I told him that’s not happening.

When asked about the rumors, Schenn told the Toronto Star that he’s used to the rumors.

It doesn’t really mean much. They’re just rumours and I’m happy being here in Toronto. In the 3 1/2 years that I’ve been here there has been a few rumours about trades that were going to happen. They come up every year somehow.

One scenario that could play out is the Schenn brothers being reunited in Toronto. Seravalli believes that the Flyers might also be interested in Maple Leafs’ Cody Franson. Could that be the Maple Leaf Luce was actually scouting? And does Philadelphia have any interest in parting with Bryden Schenn to bolster their defensive core? Remains to be seen…