Now some of you may say; the last four years have been horrendous for Leaf fans.   They have had to endure a half-decade long playoff drought; so, the Leafs must make the playoffs.  Others would say; rebuilding a team is a process, this method takes time.  This recent trend of black and white thinking has become an eternal struggle, it is an argument I have had with many followers of the Maple Leafs.  Though I do not have a dogmatic, narrow-minded view of the current Maple Leaf situation, I am inclined to agree with the latter.  Simply because while the Maple Leafs do have a myriad of future assets including but not limited to; Jiri Tlusty, Nikolai Kulemin, Justin Pogge and the newly-acquired Mikhail Grabovski, to name a few. None of these potential stars really stands out to attain the status of super-star.  Now that they have finally obtained one of these superstars in Luke Schenn, it is time to acquire someone equally as high in status and talent to launch the Maple Leafs into triumph.

Take a second to look around the league, while the most extreme example being the Pittsburgh Penguins (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury) there are many others around the league who have had high draft picks over the last few years and will surely be successful in the near future.  Perhaps the most talked about turn-around in hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks, have a dynamic duo in Jonathan Toews (3^rd overall in 06) and Patrick Kane (1^st overall in 08) to go along with their abundance of other career NHLers such as Cam Barker, Dave Bolland and Jack Skille.  The Los Angeles Kings who have been quietly stock-piling future talent for years, made there biggest splash this year with 2^nd overall pick Drew Doughty to accompany future stalwart Jack Johnson (3^rd overall in 05).  Another standout of course is Wayne Gretzky’s new and improved Phoenix Coyotes who acquired Danish prospect Mikkel Boedker (8^th overall in 08) to complement Kyle Turris (3^rd overall in 07) and Peter Mueller (8^th overall in 06). FYI: I firmly believe these aforementioned teams will be a top the NHL standings in no later than two years.

These are just mere examples of what the Leafs are now facing. But one thing is abundantly obvious; most dominant teams are built on at least two or three standout prospects.   It has been 41 years since the great city of Toronto has seen the Leafs hoist the Stanley Cup.  Is it really too much to ask to endure one more season of failure?  Personally, I do not wish for a top 10 pick, I believe it’s imperative to obtain a top 3 pick.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have the choice between mega-prospects John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Luke Schenn’s brother; Brayden, among others. The Maple Leafs have been mired in mediocrity for so many years, it has certainly become an exercise in futility.  Many Leaf followers wish for the return of Mats Sundin and for some strange reason, Maple Leaf brass is seemingly leaving the door open for his return.  The team Cliff Fletcher has fielded for the 08-09 season has hockey pundits everywhere saying that not only is this team not good enough to make the playoffs, they will be lucky to escape with the 13^th spot in the Eastern Conference.  It is almost set in stone that the Leafs are a shoe-in for another playoff mishap for the fifth consecutive year. With presumably the only bottom-feeders below them being the Garth Snow inflicted; New York Islanders and the one-pony show; Atlanta Thrashers.  So if Sundin loyalties get their wish, it is my belief that it may only move them up a mere one, maybe two spots in the standings.  Is that really what we want?  You really have to ask yourselves Leaf-fans, do you want another Nik Antropov in the 09 draft, or someone who can vault this team to Stanley Cup success? So I implore you Leaf fans, as a life-long fan myself, we must lose, really lose, to win.

This is a rivalry of the original six and it will be a heated battle as well as a memorable one. The Chicago Blackhawks have revamped their team will some much needed offense, defense, and net minding while Detroit recently acquired Marian Hossa. This will be a good showdown.

The belief is that Carter will seek a similar deal to the one signed by teammate Mike Richards, who signed a 12-year, $69 million contract extension earlier in the season. Carter and Richards have similar career statistics, and so would be comparables during negotiations.

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch suggests that the Columbus Blue Jackets may re-sign pending UFA forward Michael Peca because he has a great “dressing room presence” and could help guide Rick Nash through the “early stages” of his captaincy.

Portzline also speculates that the Buffalo Sabres will botch contract negotiations with goaltender Ryan Miller much in the same way they did with forwards Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, and defenseman Brian Campbell.

Miller is set to become a UFA after the 2008-09 season, and word is that he already sees himself playing for the Detroit Red Wings in 2009-10. A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Miller is also good friends with Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that if the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t trade forward Darcy Tucker, they should buy him out.

A buy out would cost the Maple Leafs two-thirds of Tucker’s $6 million contract; the club would be on the hook for a $1 million cap hit per season, over six years.

Garrioch also wonders if teams like the Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks may put in an offer sheet to Montreal Canadiens pending restricted free agent goalie Jaroslav Halak this summer. Aside for Cristobal Huet of the Washington Capitals, the free agent market appears to be pretty bare, leaving teams looking for an upgrade in net to perhaps try and poach RFAs.

Lastly from Garrioch, he reports that if Boston Bruins struggling forward Glen Murray doesn’t start scoring and help the team earn a playoff spot, he will likely be dealt in the off-season.

Murray’s $4.15 million salary could then be used by the Bruins to try and land Pittsburgh Penguins pending UFA forward Marian Hossa.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella tells Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times that 23-year-old defenseman Paul Ranger is an “untouchable” in terms of trades.

“To me, he’s an untouchable because of what he’s going to be.”

“He’s one of the most underrated players in the league,” Tortorella said. “He’s a huge piece of our team as far as transition, as far as his stick, getting us out of our end zone, penalty killing. Ranger is more physical than any of our D. He’s grown.”

Not because they want to be stingy with their only NHL-ready puck-moving blueliner, but because they want to determine if the 25-year-old’s breakthrough season was a fluke or not. The Bruins would like to see Wideman sustain his level of play for at least one more season before deciding to lock him up long-term.

Wideman, who is expected to get a raise either way, has a few options at his disposal: “accept a one-year qualifying offer and hope he has another solid season in 2008-09; sign a multiyear extension; or go to arbitration.”

His current comparables include Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brent Burns of the Minnesota Wild, and Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings. They all earn at least $3 million per season.

Of course, Wideman’s representatives will also keep tabs on the likes of Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, Andrej Meszaros of the Ottawa Senators, and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators and their negotiations. Whatever each player in that trio manage to sign for could also impact Wideman.

According to Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News, the Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon will try to move high-priced forward Martin Havlat and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin during the off-season.

Trading both players, who become unrestricted free agents next summer, would give the Blackhawks $12.75 million to spend in free agency.

If the Blackhawks don’t trade both players, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes that the club will certainly deal Havlat.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reports that Los Angeles Kings pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake would like to continue his NHL career for one or two more seasons. And preferably with the Kings.

However, for that to happen, Matheson suggests that the veteran blueliner will have to take a significant pay cut down to around $3 million per season.

Matheson also reiterates earlier reports that the Ottawa Senators can buy out goalie Ray Emery between June 15 and June 30 at one-third of the $6.75 million left on the last two years of his contract. That translates to a salary cap hit of $562,000 each of the next four years. Matheson suggests that that the Senators will indeed take advantage of this opportunity to dump Emery.

Look for the Edmonton Oilers to shop defenseman Joni Pitkanen in the off-season, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.

Portzline also reports that Oilers pending UFA forward Geoff Sanderson will retire at season’s end.

Garrioch believes that the New York Islanders will not trade goalie Rick DiPietro despite the friction he and head coach Ted Nolan.

Garrioch also reports that Colorado Avalanche pending UFA goaltender Jose Theodore could be pursued by the Kings and the Tampa Bay Lightning should he decided to go on the market.

More from Garrioch, he reports on a number of non-trades leading up to last month’s trade deadline.

First off, word is that the Philadelphia Flyers were willing to part with forward Jeff Carter and their first round draft pick for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The deal fell through when Kaberle invoked the no-trade clause in his contract.

Secondly, the Atlanta Thrashers were unsuccessful in their attempts to move defenseman Alexei Zhitnik.

Lastly, Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough wasn’t willing to meet the asking price for Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen.

However, both players refused to waive the no-trade clauses in their contracts.

Kaberle says that while it’s flattering other teams showed interest in him, he had no intentions of leaving Toronto.

“It’s nice when there is interest,” Kaberle said of the Flyers. “But I’ve said it every day in the past month — I wanted to stay here. I love it here.”

Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Florida Panthers pending UFA defenseman Jassen Cullimore hopes to stick around with the club past this season.

Still with the Panthers, GM Jacques Martin tells Gorten that there’s nothing new to report in regards to suspended forward Chad Kilger. The former Toronto Maple Leaf is still to report to the team that acquired him on deadline day last month.

Martin said he has talked with Kilger “a couple of times” last week, though he remains unsure whether the veteran pivot will play again this season.

“I don’t know if I can say that, but there’s no new development on it.”

Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily Herald reports that Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon shopped forward Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin at the deadline, but didn’t find the right deal. Sassone suggests that Tallon may try to deal the duo in the summer.

If it were up to Sassone, though, he would hang on to Havlat and try to clear out Khabibulin to make room for goalie Corey Crawford.

Adrian Dater of The Denver Post suggests that Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore “will keep Colorado at the top of his wish list if/when he does become unrestricted” this summer.

There was some thought last summer that the Avalanche may buy out Theodore, but that did not happen. The former Hart Trophy winner may take that into consideration and give the Avalanche a better chance to re-sign him.

Now, more and more NHL teams are employing the hockey version of cheerleaders.

The Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning all have them. That’s 16 teams.

Three Canadian teams have them, too, including the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and the Vancouver Canucks.

So, what exactly do Ice Girls do?

Well, according to PuckThatHit.com, this is what the job entails:

Ice Girls often (but not always) step onto the ice, clean away excess snow, wipe down the glass, and of course give away t-shirts. Any excuse to have them parade their increased chest sizes and minuscule waists is good enough for management and fans.

For those interested, there’s a poll over at PuckThatHit.com where you can vote for which team has the best ice girls. There’s pictures, too… pretty pictures… go check ‘em out. I threw in my vote for the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ice Crew.

Anyway, I’m wondering how soon will it be before ALL NHL teams has a crew of Ice Girls dancing in a seat near you? And which team will it be the next in line? Will it be the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, or the Washington Capitals?

This is an unscientific poll, by the way.

The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont reports that Atlanta Thrashers forward Erik Christensen wanted out of Pittsburgh because he wasn’t getting enough playing time.

Dupont also suggests that the Boston Bruins should give goalie Tim Thomas a one-year contract extension, while signing Glen Metropolit to a two-year extension due to their strong performances this season.

Lastly from Dupont, he reports that the San Jose Sharks tried hard to deal struggling forward Patrick Marleau before the February 26 trade deadline, but could not find any takers.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Marleau has a “no-movement” clause kicks in on July 1, so he will be even more difficult to deal. That’s why the Sharks wanted to part ways with him now.

Garrioch also reports that the Montreal Canadiens contacted the Chicago Blackhawks to inquire about the availability of forward Martin Havlat, but could not put a deal together. Speculation is that Havlat may be moved during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens were also working on trading pending unrestricted free agent forward Michael Ryder to the Calgary Flames for Alex Tanguay. It’s believed that the deal fell through when Flames GM Darryl Sutter decided not trade Tanguay.

Tanguay, who agreed to waive his no-trade clause, is said to be disappointed he was not moved.

Look for the Washington Capitals to attempt and re-sign pending UFA goalie Cristobal Huet, says Garrioch. If they’re successful, longtime Capitals netminder and pending UFA Olaf Kolzig could find himself playing for another team.

Did the Columbus Blue Jackets trade pending UFA defenseman Adam Foote to the Colorado Avalanche over $500,000? Yes, according to Garrioch.

The Blue Jackets also lost out on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brad Richards, even though they made a decent offer of forwards Gilbert Brule and Dan Fritsche along with a prospect.

So, which teams tried to acquire Blackhawks forward Tuomo Ruutu before the was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes? Garrioch claims it was the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Negotiations between the Buffalo Sabres and goalie Ryan Miller aren’t going well, as Miller doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to sign a contract extension with the Sabres. This leaves Garrioch to speculate that he’ll take off as a UFA after the 2008-09 season.

However, it’s uncertain if Campbell has a desire to remain in San Jose past this season.

According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Campbell felt pressured to turn down an extension with the Buffalo Sabres.

Whether by his own volition, or perhaps at the advice of the NHL Player’s Association, Campbell is said to have passed on a deal with the Sabres so as to not lower the market value for top free agent blueliners.

The result, of course, was Campbell being dealt to San Jose Sharks, something he may not necessarily wanted.

Should he and the Sharks not reach an agreement, a number of teams are believed to make a play for Campbell. That list could include the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, since they all called Sabres GM Darcy Regier to inquire about the defenseman’s availability.

However, the team believed to make the strongest push for Campbell is thought to be the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ottawa Citizen’s James Duthie reports that Murray apparently wanted to get Khabibulin for weeks leading up to the deadline, but needed to move one of his netminders to offset the salaries.

Since he couldn’t deal either Gerber or Emery, Murray decided to get creative and try to make the 2-for-2 swap.

When asked about the 2-for-2 goalie swap, Murray didn’t deny it.

“The trading deadline is over. I talked about a thousand different things. I talked to every manager pretty much in the league about a whole variety of things. I have all these creative ideas and nobody agreed with me, so we’ll just move on,” said Murray.

The Blackhawks didn’t appear to take the offer “too seriously,” because they would gain salary and take more of the cap hit in the deal.

Khabibulin earns $6.75 this year and next and Lalime makes $950,000 this year. Meanwhile, Gerber makes $3.7 million this year and next while Emery earns $2.75 million this year, $3.25 million next year and $3.5 million, after which he will become a UFA.

The return is a 6th round pick in 2008.

More to follow.

Heading the other way appears to be forward Andrew Ladd.

TSN is now also reporting the trade on their website.

More updates to come.

Carbonneau stated earlier this month that whatever goalie wins, stays in goal. Does this mean with Price losing his last outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his still being in goal for the next game that Huet will be dealt? Could there be a trade in the works? Possibly Huet, Micheal Ryder, a draft pick, and possibly Alex Emlin’s rights could go to the Edmonton Oilers for Jaret Stoll, Dwayne Roloson, and Joni Pitkanen?

Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks has been reported to be on the general manager of the Canadiens Bob Gainey’s radar, along with Robert Lang also of the Hawks. Does the fact that some players have exercised their no trade clause tie Gainey’s hands of sort being that he has coveted those players? Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, and Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers have had their market value triple in the last few hours, does this mean Gainey has to revert to plan B and go after Havlat and Lang?

The Montreal Canadiens defence of late has been less than desirable, will the Habs reinforce their defence for the play-offs by getting Buffalo Sabers Brian Campbell? Would the Canadiens be able to sign him, and with the free agents the Habs have to deal with at the end of next season, how much could they afford to sign him for? The Canadiens need help at defence as it’s hard to believe that Patrice Brisebois will be the salvation of the team. Campbell would be another offensive threat from the blue line and be moderate in the defensive zone which, would be better than nothing, but would it be worth 4-6 million a year, which is probably what Campbell will be asking for.

“We’re not buyers or sellers — we’re building,” Tallon said Saturday before the Hawks went out and beat the Kings 6-5 in overtime.

One one hand, Tallon may try to move pending UFA forwards Martin Lapointe and Yanic Perreault as well as defenseman Andrei Zyuzin. Speculation is that the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings are interested in adding Lapointe.

Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin could also be available. Once again, the Senators may be interested. The Red Wings, too.

On the other, the Blackhawks have apparently contacted the Tampa Bay Lightning to inquire about the availability of forward Brad Richards.

Tallon says that one way or another, he will be involved in the action on or before the 26th.

“We’ll get some things done,” said Tallon, who has assistant GM Rick Dudley and director of pro scouting Marc Bergevin with him here on the trip. “We know what we want to do.”

Blackhawks head coach Denis Savard tells Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun Times he’s confident Tallon will improve the club if the right deal comes along.

“If [general manager Dale Tallon] thinks he can do something to improve this team, he’ll do it,” Savard said. “There won’t be any hesitation on his part.”

Apparently, Forsberg is still feeling discomfort due to his lingering foot and ankle injuries.

“The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn’t where it needs to be at this moment,” Baizley told TSN. “As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.”

The news should definitely disappointed the many teams rumored to have had great interest in acquiring his services. That list includes the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

The Flyers were supposed to be the frontrunners. So it no surprise that Flyers GM Paul Holmgren tells Pierre LeBrun of the Toronto Sun that he is quite disappointed with the news.

“I’m disappointed for Peter more than anything,” said Holmgren. “I know how bad he wanted to come back and play with somebody in the NHL. It’s unfortunate. He’s been trying real hard to get himself back in position to come back and help somebody. It’s also disappointing for the league because I think he’s still an impact player and brings the league a lot of notoriety.”

But even tough he would have preferred to re-sign the former Flyer, Holmgren appreciates Forsberg’s decision to make his plans known so they can get on with their business.

“Peter is a quality guy,” said Holmgren. “He didn’t want to leave anybody hanging. So now it gives teams who perhaps had other options to pursue those other options.”

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke agrees with Holmgren, as McKenzie reports.

“To his credit, he could have come over and passed the physical and gotten someone for pretty good dough,” Burke said. “He’s been a warrior in our league and it was an honest way to deal with this in my opinion. It confirms my feeling that Peter Forsberg is a quality guy.”

So, what happens with Forsberg now?

The 34-year-old forward has made it clear throughout his comeback attempt that he would retire if his injuries won’t allow him to play up to the level he feels he should, McKenzie points out.

However, a return to North America next season doesn’t appear to be out of the question at this time.

Word is that the Devils are interested in Robert Lang and Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning, pending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, and UFA Peter Forsberg.

On a lesser scale, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Devils have some interest in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Manny Malhotra.

The defensive-specialist would come much cheaper than the aforementioned players, both in terms of assets and salary, but would not provide the scoring punch the other do. Malhotra makes $1.5 million this season.

Meanwhile, one player that hopes to stay in New Jersey past the February 26 trade deadline, is pending UFA forward Arron Asham.

Asham tells Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger that he hopes that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t move him before the trade deadline and the two sides can work out a contract extension instead.

“Definitely. I like it in New Jersey. Lou has brought me here for a reason,” Asham said. “I have to go out there and get a couple goals or start a fight. I hope there is a spot for me here. This is definitely an exciting time of year. Hopefully I’ll be a part of the Devils for the playoffs.”

Hossa and Havlat, who were teammates with the Ottawa Senators, are both said to be on the outs with their respective teams, but for different reasons.

Hossa is a soon-to-be UFA and doesn’t appear to be all that interested in re-signing with the Thrashers, calling the chances of it happening “slim.” Thus, Thrashers GM Don Waddell may look to deal Hossa so as to not lose him for nothing in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are willing to move Havlat due to his inconsistent play, injury problems, and his $6 million salary cap hit.

However, the Canadiens will have competition for both Hossa and Havlat.

Even though they are the most aggressive team in picking up Hossa, the Canadiens will have to battle it out with the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, according to Garrioch.

Which ever team wins the Hossa sweepstakes, they will have to meet the Thrashers’ asking price of “a player who can help immediately, a prospect and a draft pick.”

As for Havlat, he is said to be pursued by the Devils among other teams.

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli tells the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa that he has no place for suspended forward Stanislav Chistov to the roster at this time.

Chistov, who remains suspended by the Bruins and still their property, left Salavat Yulayev Ufa, the Russian Super League club he played for this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tells Tom Reed of The Columbus Dispatch he expects to meet with Rick Curran, the agent for pending UFA Adam Foote, within the next 48 hours.

Howson wants to find out what how much money Foote is looking for to re-sign with the club.

James Gordon of The Ottawa Citizen suggests that the idea of the Ottawa Senators acquiring goalie Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers or Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks is “unrealistic and counter-productive.”

While his name has been mentioned in trade rumors involving Martin Havlat of the Blackhawks, Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers and even Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Everson of the New York Post is not convinced that the New Jersey Devils want to part with struggling forward Brian Gionta this season.

That doesn’t mean the Devils aren’t looking to improve their roster.

It’s believed that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is looking to acquire some that matches the the kind of players his head coach, Brent Sutter, likes.

“I like a team that has a junkyard dog mentality,” Sutter said yesterday, discussing the personality of his team rather than the Feb. 26 trade deadline. “You don’t want to be a quiet team because a lot of times, you’re a quiet team on the ice, too.”

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke said in a conference call with the media that he’s heading into the NHL general managers meetings, set to begin Monday, unsure if he’ll make any deals, reports Rick Sadowski of the Rocky Mountain News.

“I’m not sure what I have yet, and I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”

Burke owns the Oilers’ first-round draft pick for losing restricted free agent forward Dustin Penner to an offer sheet last summer, but he says he’s more inclined to keep it than trade it for a rental.

During the same conference call, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell sounded as if he was still unsure about what he’ll do with pending UFA Marian Hossa before the February 26 trade deadline.

“We have one of our stars that’s up in the air,” Waddell said of Hossa.

“If we don’t sign the player, then we’ve got to make a decision whether we’re going to trade that player or ride him out for the rest of the year and try to keep our team as strong as we can.”

“I wouldn’t give my last draft choice in order to get him,” was the way the fellow put it to me.

“It’s not because he isn’t an honest, hard-working player, but because he has lost it. The many wars against much bigger and tougher fellows are telling on him. He is trying hard, but he can’t get there anymore.”

And that may be just fine with the veteran player. Tucker, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, says he would like to remain with the Maple Leafs.

With Hollywood mogul Oren Koules getting closer to purchasing the Tampa Bay Lightning, Erik Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune reports that it’s becoming more likely the club will re-sign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Boyle.

As well, the chances of forwards Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis sticking around have also increased.

Mark Everson of the New York Post reports that New Jersey Devils forward Brian Gionta’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors involving forwards Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks and Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers.

Gionta tells Everson he’s not aware of the speculation.

“I haven’t heard it,” he said.

Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland tells Detroit Free Press that he expects a number of significant deals leading up to the February 26 trade deadline.

“I think there’s probably going to be three or four high-profile trades,” Holland said. “There are names being bandied about. Some are going to be traded. Some aren’t. There’s going to be lots of third-line players, sixth or seventh defensemen (traded). They’re not going to change the nature of your team. They’re going to give you a little depth.”

As for the Red Wings in particular, Holland is said to be interested in acquiring a scoring forward. Holland also hints that he’ll be looking to make a big splash on the trade market rather than just adding marginal talent.

“Other than the high profile players, I don’t know how much better some of these players are than what we’ve got,” Holland said.

Panthers GM and Jacques Martin tells George Richards of the Miami Herald that he’s looking to bolster his injury-riddled roster prior to the trade deadline.

However, youngsters such as forwards Shawn Matthias and Michal Frolik are off limits.

“We’re always looking to add some players if we can,” Martin said. “The only drawback with that is, a lot of time they’re asking for guys like Matthias, Frolik. For the better of the organization, you don’t want to give up one of those young players that you’re going to count on for a lot of years. They’re going to be significant.”

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that the Buffalo Sabres are not “confident a deal is going to get done” with pending UFA defenseman Brian Campbell.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier met with Larry Kelly, Campbell’s agent, Tuesday in Ottawa and were not able to reach a framework for a deal.