Calgary general manager Jay Feaster said during an interview between periods of the Flames – Phoenix Coyotes game Thursday night with SportsNet‘s Roger Millions that if his club is not showing they’re a serious playoff team before Monday’s trade deadline, the Flames will become sellers.

The Flames aren’t playing inspired hockey at the moment — having lost two in a row to the seventh place Phoenix Coyotes Friday night and the lowly Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday — and Feaster said he could be really busy if the team doesn’t show more urgency in their game against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night.

If we don’t show a whole lot more urgency heading into Monday, you (media) guys will be busy as it relates to the goings on in Calgary.

But don’t look for the Flames to deal captain Jarome Iginla or goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, according to Allan Maki of the Globe and Mail. The club’s ownership “don’t have the stomach to do that.”

Maki suggests that more realistic options are defensemen Cory Sarich and Scott Hannan, and pending unrestricted free agent forward Olli Jokinen — although on the February 18th edition of CBC‘s Satellite Hotstove, Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun said that while the Flames haven’t had any contract talks with Jokinen, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Feaster said that he’s already made his big move by trading for Montreal Canadiesn’ Michael Cammalleri, so he will only look to tinker with his roster should the Flames play better. That means no Rick Nash, as Francis points out. Besides, with the returns of first line winger Curtis Glencross and defenseman Derek Smith to action this week, the Flames should be much improved going forward.

The Flames GM said he could be looking to add a rental player — a top-nine forward and/or defenseman — to help out his club make a stronger push for a playoff spot.

George Johnson of the Calgary Herald suggested back on February 13 that the Flames could use a play-making center.

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.

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.

Look for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Derick Brassard to remain with the club, according to SportsNet’s HockeyCentral Trade Tracker panel.

After consistently being made a healthy scratch during the first quarter of the season and a spat with then Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Brassard would be shipped out of Columbus.

Brassard’s lack of production was blamed on Arniel by Brassard’s agent, Allan Walsh. Walsh went as far as releasing a public statement stating his displeasure with Arniel’s handling of his client.

While I have tremendous respect for Scott Howson and the rest of Columbus’ management team, the situation regarding Derick Brassard has become untenable. This coach has a history of burying players and using them as scapegoats to mask his own lack of success on the ice. Derick has been singled out, almost from the very beginning of the season to be the fall guy in case things don’t go well. The Columbus organization cares about Derick and has been good to him, but at some point enough is enough.

Since then, however, Arniel has been dismissed as the club’s head coach and Brassard’s play has been much improved, leading the SportsNet’s panel to conclude that the sixth-overall pick in the 2006 draft will not be moved by the Blue Jackets.

Earlier talk had a number of teams investigating the possibility of trading for Brassard.

CBC’s Elliotte Friedman reported back in mind-January that the Chicago Blackhawks have expressed interest in Brassard. Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson wouldn’t comment on those rumors, but did say that the 24-year-old playmaker may not be traded after all. Jeremy Lynn of Comcast SportsNet Chicago added that a trade between two division rivals is highly unlikely, but due to Chicago’s need for a center it may not be out of the question. What may turn the Blackhawks away from picking up Brassard could be the player’s $3.2 million average salary and his uneven play this season.

And it appears that that may have been the case as the Blackhawks acquired center Brendan Morrison from the Calgary Flames January 27th. It’s unknown whether they still remain interested in Brassard, but the club is still keeping an eye on the Blue Jackets.

CBS Sports reported few days ago that scouts from 10 different teams were present at a recent Blue Jackets game against the Dallas Stars. The list of teams included the Blackhawks, as well as Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks.

SportsNet’s Patrick Hoffman reported in late January that the Flames, Stars, Florida Panthers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have also shown interest in Brassard. While the SportsNet’s HockeyCentral Trade Tracker panel listed the Los Angeles Kings (who are in dire need of some scoring help), Carolina Hurricanes (who need a setup man for Eric Stall), and the Devils (who are unsure about the future of center Zach Parise) as possible destinations should the Blue Jackets look to move Brassard.

According to Barry Melrose of the NHL Network, defenseman Hall Gill and pending UFA forward Travis Moen of the Montreal Canadiens could attract a lot of attention from playoff bound teams looking to add size and veteran playoff experience before the February 27 trade deadline.

Melrose speculates that high-profile players such as pending unrestricted free agents defenseman Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators, forward Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils, and forward Tuomo Ruutu may follow his Carolina Hurricanes, will be put on the trade market by their respective teams, so secondary players may become much sought after.

That’s where Gill and Moen come in.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Hal Gill. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun and Kevin Allen of the USA Today believe that the Canadiens will move Gill by the trade deadline. The 6-7, 240-pound blueliner could draw many suitors due to his hard-nosed style of play and his Stanley Cup ring.

Allen reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are shopping for a blueliner and may look at Gill among others.

Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post Dispatch has the St. Louis Blues being interested. CBC’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this month that the Blues had three scouts at a recent game between the Winnipeg Jets and Canadiens watching a left-side defenseman, thought to be Gill.

According to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, the Boston Bruins may look to add to their blueline. Gill would be one of several options.

Montreal Canadiens forward Travis Moen.

According to the Toronto Sun, the Canadiens like what Moen brings to the table but wouldn’t mind moving the former Anaheim Duck because (1) they don’t think they can fit him under the salary cap, and (2) they would like want to give their prospects more playing time.

Like Gill, Moen has won a Stanley Cup and has been a great playoff performer while being a defensively responsible forward and playing a gritty game. As Allen point out, Moen would be much sought after by contending teams.

So far, LeBrun reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins are interested. Dave Lozo of NHL.com has the Detroit Red Wings looking at him as a possibility.

The Toronto Sun reported recently that there is “growing interest” in Moen, with the San Jose Sharks in hot pursuit.

The report also mentions that before teams trade for Moen, they will want to see how he comes back from an upper-body injury he suffered January 21st. Moen has just resumed light skating and is expected to be out for at least another week.

Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said on the FAN590′s HockeyCentral radio show that the club is aiming to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Suter. And preferably before the February 27 trade deadline.

However, nothing appears to have changed since February 1st when Josh Cooper of the Tennessean reported that Poile and Suter’s agent have had negotiations on a new contract for the American defenseman.

And if progress isn’t made Poile told the FAN590 that he cannot guarantee that he will not deal Suter to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing at season’s end.

I don’t want to shut the door (on a trade), but I can’t see us being successful without Ryan (Suter) in first our quest to make the playoffs and obviously to win in the playoffs. Our goal is to sign him… As a manager you can’t deal in absolutes. The landscape changes every day with your wins and losses and injuries.

The Predators have long been a budget-conscious club while sporting one of the lowest payrolls in the NHL. The belief throughout the hockey world is that they would not be able to afford goaltender Pekka Rinne’s salary cap hit of $7.0 million and the their need to re-sign defenseman Shea Weber. But the on-the-cheap days are over, according to Poile.

We’ve always been one of the lowest spending teams in the NHL, but our owners have got their arms totally around the fact to pay Pekka Rinne $7 million, to pay Weber ($7.5 million), and fill in the blank on what you think it will cost to sign Suter, you add up all of our salaries and we’re going to be a cap team next year.

Could that also mean that the Predators may target a few rental players to try and make a play for the Stanley Cup? NBC’s ProHockeyTalk’s Jason Brough suggests that the ownership in Nashville should show they’re committed to winning by being aggressive at the trade deadline and bolster their roster.

As the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman points out it’s not all about money with Suter. Suter wants to win. And proving that the Predators want the same thing could go a long way for them to retain their Star blueliner.

It’s not that cut and dry to Poile, however. He has a number of options to to consider.

My aggressiveness to make changes between now and Feb. 27 could take on salary, could take on rental players, could give up future (draft picks and prospects), it all probably makes sense if (Ryan) Suter is signed. If Ryan leaves here on July 1, maybe a lot of those things I was going to do wouldn’t make a lot of sense in the long run.

But don’t look for Suter to make it easy on his general manager.

As reported by USA Today’s Kevin Allen and others during the All Star weekend, Suter is intent on hitting the open market and doesn’t appear to be too interested in signing a contract extension.

I don’t see the point of doing it. It would be a distraction at this point. I will still be with Nashville until July 1, and we could still get something done.

Suter went on to tell ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that his priority is the game on the ice, not on negotiating a new contract.

I feel it would be more of a distraction than anything. We’ve never had a timeline or deadline. We’re just focusing on winning. Everything else will take care of itself.

Suter was then asked by Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer how the idea of playing for the Philadelphia Flyers sounded. The Flyers have been rumored to have interest in picking up Suter as a replacement for the injured Chris Pronger.

I don’t think about where I want to be. I focus on being a good player on our team. The time will come for all that, and now is not the time. Our team is doing very good right now, and hopefully we can go and get that piece we might need for the playoffs.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the New York Rangers will be among a number of teams that will show interest in Suter if he were to be made available. Dreger believes that he would cost a roster player, an A level prospect, a B level prospect, and a 1st round draft pick.

On the latest edition of CBC‘s Satellite Hotstove, the panel reported that the Edmonton Oilers have not had any contract negotiations with restricted free agent forward Sam Gagner.

Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini is said to be evaluating whether Gagner can play on the club’s top two lines before deciding what the player’s future with the club will be. Gagner will have until closer to the February 27 trade deadline to prove himself.

If the Oilers decide to move Gagner, his recent eight-point game against the Chicago Blackhawks has no doubt made more than a few general managers have taken notice. Especially Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman who saw the record feat in person. Chicago has been rumored to have some interest in picking up Gagner, as ESPN’s Craig Custance reports. But after trading for forward Brendan Morrison in late January, Bowman may not be in such a hurry to make a deal.

Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun claims that a top-four defenseman must come back in return should the Oilers deal Gagner.

But like the Toronto Maple Leafs, not many teams are willing that price.

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal reported towards the end of January that the Maple Leafs had expressed some interest in the 22-year-old center. Toronto has a number of NHL-caliber defenseman that they can part with, including Carl Gunnarsson and Luke Schenn.

The problem is that the Maple Leafs may not want to include any of those players in a trade for the diminutive Gagner. Toronto is looking to bolster their center position with a big and truculent center that can score. Gagner does not provide that combination of skills.

But all these rumors may all be for nothing if Gagner shows enough in his tryout as a second line center. The club may feel that whatever they can get for him in a trade may not be enough for them to part with.

And that would be OK with Oilers head coach Tom Renney, who tells John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal that perhaps Gagner may be ready to live up to expectations right where he is, in Edmonton.

Maybe, in a strange kind of way, maybe the wheel has turned. Maybe we’re going in the right direction here now and we can start to talk about more special things. That’s what you can look forward to here. I’m not going to say it’s going to be a high-wire act every night and we’re going to be doing extraordinary things offensively every single time we play… but this team is going to be special, there’s no question.

Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke tells Kevin Allen of USA Today that he will look to make additions to his team long before the February 27 trade deadline.

Whatever moves we intend to make will be in advance of the deadline because I’ve never liked the price tag at the deadline.

It’s a tactic that Burke has employed in the past — partly because he wants new players to have longer to gel with their teammates and partly due to the high number of teams chasing the same players near the deadline — and there’s no reason to believe he will try to employ again this season.

I don’t think the math ever changes. The number of teams that think they can add a piece and get there is the same every year, and the pressure on general managers remains the same.

NHL.com Senior Writer Dan Rosen and the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman both list Burke as one many general manager who will be making calls to acquire talent before the trade deadline.

Friedman reported on the January 21st edition of the Satellite Hotstove that he has made struggling forwards Mikhail Grabovski (pending unrestricted free agent) and Nikolai Kulemin (pending restricted free agent) available.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nikolai Kulemin. Photo courtesy Flick user bridgetds.

However, Burke denies that he has been shopping Grabovski or Kulemin.

We are not shopping [Grabovski or Kulemin]. We have been asked. But that is it.

Meanwhile, on a recent segment of SportsNet’s Sources Say, John Shannon reported that Leafs may feel comfortable shopping blueliners Luke Schenn, Keith Aulie, and Mike Komisarek to add some much needed help at center/forward because of their belief that minor league blueliner Korbinian Holzer would be an adequate replacement.

And If the Leafs don’t end up moving any of those three, than perhaps Holzer ends up being the one used as trade bait.

As for who they may target, Steve Buffrey of the Toronto Sun urges that Burke pulls the trigger on a trade to acquire some size and scoring to bolster the club’s forward group before their poor play continues.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that Burke has held talk with the Anaheim Ducks about center Ryan Getzlaf. However, sources indicate that Getzlaf is no longer on the market. Fellow Duck forward Bobby Ryan doesn’t appear to be an option either, as the asking price for him is too high — two top prospects and a draft pick.

Anaheim Ducks Captain Ryan Getzlaf.

Toronto Star’s Damian Cox suggests that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone would be a good fit, because of his size (6’4″, 219 lbs) and the power-forward type of game he plays.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone. Photo courtesy Flick user bridgetds.

Cox cites the Lightning’s poor record this season and their financial troubles as reasons why they would move Malone. He would also not cost as much as Getzlaf in terms of both money and assets to acquire.

UPDATE: Adrain Dater of the Denver Post reports that scouts from a number of teams, including Toronto, were present at Saturday’s game in Los Angeles between the Kings game and the Colorado Avalanche. The Maple Leafs don’t play either team for the rest of the season, so let the speculation begin.

NBC — the NHL’s broadcasting partner — looks at it the same way, as the network’s executive producer Sam Flood tells the CBC.

This is not a hockey game. It’s an event.

NBC’s highly regarded sports interviewer / reporter Bob Costas calls the game “a unique hockey event,” one that is very intriguing to American viewers for the atmosphere surrounding it rather the game itself.

As NHL chief operating officer John Collins points out, the partnership with NBC may have started because of the network’s need for content but the league has greatly benefited from the exposure.

Winter Classic kind of landed on Jan. 1 because frankly NBC had a big window on a big day, why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?

Eventually, even HBO jumped on the bandwagon. Once again, as USA Today’s Kevin Allen reports, they will be following the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers in its 24/7 documentary-style series. The first go around was at last year’s Winter Classic in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins and Sidney Crosby took on the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin. Here’s a taste of what the 2012 series will bring:

And then there are the many stories like when National Football Commissioner Roger Goodell and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II contacted Collins about tickets to the Winter Classic.

[I was walking out of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh with Rooney when he] turned and said, ‘I think this is the biggest sporting event that Pittsburgh has ever hosted,’ I would never say that, but he did. If there was one other moment when I knew we made it, it was when Roger Goodell called me and asked for tickets for his father-in-law in Chicago.

The Winter Classic has also been a ratings success: last year’s game had the highest ratings for a regular season game since 1975, according to USA Today. And with two big markets like New York and Philadelphia involved in thus year’s Winter Classic, there’s a very good chance that ratings for the 2012 version can eclipse its predecessor.

Still, Collins — the driving force behind the Winter Classic and it’s evolution from the Heritage Classic at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium in 2003 to what it is today — says that while it’s still early to fully assess the success of the Winter Classic, there is plenty of potential for growth.

It’s still early, it’s only five years. Certainly we’ve got a lot of attention and I think the business metrics have been great. I think just getting to more markets [will help with] exposing the game.

NHL COO John Collins talks about the success of the first four NHL Winter Classics.

So where can we expect hockey’s grand spectacle to be held down the road? Will we ever witness an all-Canadian matchup?

I think there are a lot of markets that would be fantastic. I’d like to ultimately see these games not viewed as a regional matchup or a Canada game or a U.S. game, but really kind of a celebration of hockey. If you’re a hockey fan — whether you’re a Canadian hockey fan or an American hockey fan or a Flyers fan or Flames fan — these games are special and unique and you should be tuning in even if your favourite team isn’t playing in the game. It’s kind of that line that we use all the time: ‘Nobody ever cancelled their Super Bowl party because they didn’t like the two teams that were playing in the game.’

Allen offers a number of viable options for future locations. The list includes the usual hockey-mad cities like Toronto, Montreal, Detroit / Ann Arbour, Buffalo, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Denver; as well as big markets like Washington (DC), New York City, and St. Louis. Colins appears to concur with some of those cities.

[T]here should be more Canadian teams in these games. Just like teams like Minnesota should be involved and St. Louis should be involved and Colorado should be involved — you can just keep going on and on.

And what about southern cities? Allen believes that hosting the Winter Classic in a warm-weather city — such as Dallas and Tampa Bay — is plausible with the “ice-making capabilities today.” There is president for that. Back in 1991, a sellout crowd of 13,000 watched the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 5-2 in an exhibition game played at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Charles Curtis of FOX Sports details some of the challenges faced and how the organizers persevered.

And of course, there are some neutral sites to consider. If the league wants to increase exposure of the game in cities where they don’t have a presence, “playing an NHL game on the Frozen Tundra” of Green Bay’s Lambeau Field “should be first on the list,” according to Allen. Of course, that may take a while. The NHL executives have made it clear that “take care of its league cities before it goes to neutral sites.”

Wherever the future holds for the Winter Classic, this is for certain: it’s hear to stay. The fans love to watch their favorite teams play the game outdoors, the way it was meant to be played. NBC loves it. And the NHL loves the exposure it receives.

PS: If you haven’t heard yet, the 2012 Winter Classic has been moved from 1PM to 3PM.