Frank Mazzola: You were drafted 8th overall in 1994. Obviously, being selected that high comes with high expectations. Did you feel any adverse pressure to perform because of this and, if so, how did the pressure affect your approach to the game?

Jason Wiemer: There was definitely pressure, but I think, being that young, I didn’t even realize the magnitude of it. Looking back now, the ignorance was probably a blessing.

(Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Lubomir Visnovsky #17 of the Los Angeles Kings ties up Jason Wiemer #28 of the Minnesota Wild in front of the net in the first period during the NHL game on January 26, 2004 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

FM: You’ve played with 6 different teams (Tampa Bay, Calgary, Florida, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey) during your career. Where was your favorite place to play and why (location, fans, the area…etc.)?

JW: Of course, playing in Florida was nice. However, my favorite place was Minnesota. They have a great organization, some of the best coaches and fantastic fans.

FM: Tell us about the most memorable goal you scored in the NHL.

JW: It would have to be my first one. I would like to tell you it was end to end, top shelf, but I’d be lying. It was against Quebec and I think it went off my shin pad. But it was my first N.H.L goal and it was pretty exciting.

FM: Were there any particular players you dreaded suiting up against (due to their skill, fighting ability…etc)?

JW: I don’t know if I dreaded playing anyone, but there were a few I didn’t look forward to. Tony Twist was a guy that made you look over your shoulder. I was lucky enough to play against some of the game’s greats like Lemieux, Gretzky and Messier. Playing guys like that was always a thrill and something I’ll never forget

FM: Who was your least favorite goalie to face and why?

JW: I’d have to say Hasek. He was in his prime and was pretty much unbeatable. Not to mention, he would be out in the corner playing pucks or at the blue line, flopping around like a fish.

FM: Hockey players are notorious for having pre-game and season-long rituals. Can you share with us any particular superstitions or routines you might have employed during your career?

JW: Actually, I was one of the rare ones that tried not to get wrapped up in superstitions. Maybe that’s because I never got on a long enough hot streak to keep doing the same thing (laughs).

FM: How did the game change from the time you were drafted up until the end of your career? What sorts of adjustments did you have to make to adapt?

JW: The game has changed in many ways in the last fifteen years. I think the biggest difference has been the size of the players. When I was drafted, teams were all about big guys. Now, they are leaning towards the smaller, faster players. The most important thing for me was to get faster. I dropped six or seven pounds to try and accomplish that.

FM: Now that you are retired, do you have any plans to seek employment within the league (coaching, player agent, league official… etc.)?

JW: I don’t have any plans to get back involved with the NHL, but I am doing some coaching here in Calgary [ Note: Jason is instructing this summer at National Sports Development, a youth hockey camp.]. It’s been fun to stay involved in the game and pass on any knowledge I may have learned to young players.

FM: Has the labor dispute which caused the cancellation of the 2004-05 season affected the relationship between the owners and the players? How did you spend your time during the lockout?

JW: I don’t know if has affected the relationship that much. As you can see, the players are still making big salaries, some even bigger than before. So, I think the players are happy with the new CBA. As for the lockout, I spent most of the time doing things I wasn’t able to do when I was playing…. a lot of hunting, fishing, hiking and skiing. It’s a good thing I could play hockey because…well, I’m a really bad skier (laughs).

FM: In your opinion, can the salary cap continue to rise in the NHL despite falling revenue and flagging interest in the American market? Are the salaries that recent free agents have received out of line with the current economic state of the league?

JW: I don’t know if it can or not. Its funny, though: Before the lockout, all the owners were crying bankruptcy and now they’re paying out more than they were. The amount and length of some of the contracts is concerning, but wiser men than me are running these organizations. So, hopefully, the league will continue to thrive in Canadian markets and grow in some of the American ones

FM: Jason, thanks very much for your time. Good luck with the hockey camp and your other future endeavors.

JW: Thank you.

- Darryl Sutter has hinted in several interviews that he has all but completed a deal with Daymond Langkow. The Flame’s #1 centerman has scored 30+ goals and 60+ points the last two seasons. Estimates suggest the contract (which has yet to be officially confirmed) is in the $5M/year, 3 year range.

- Sutter has also mentioned that he pursued European scorer Fabian Brunnstrom prior to his signing with Dallas and the organization has it’s eyes on some other potential diamonds in the rough from overseas.

Apparently, Swedish Elite league scorer Martin Thornberg is also garnering Sutter’s attention. The 25 year-old left winger 20 goals and 37 points in 51 games last season and added 17 points in 17 games in the post-season. From first-hand accounts, Thornberg was a part of one of the best forward units in the league with linemates Johann Davidsson and Juka Voutilainen. No word on whether the Flames have actually offered Thornberg a contract or simply a try-out.

While it’s difficult to assess his potential impact at the NHL level, the Flames as an organization are woefully shallow at left wing behind Alex Tanguay (Eric Nystrom, Marcus Nilson, Brandon Prust), so Thornberg’s addition would likely be a welcome one, at either the NHL or AHL level.

- Another name that has cropped up recently is former Phoenix Coyotes/Toronto Maple Leaf/Minnesota Wild Erik Westrum. Westrum is a bit older at 29 and has already spent some time in the NHL and AHL. He’s been a scorer at almost every level he’s played, including college hockey (168 points in 161 games), the American Hockey League (295 points in 420 games, including a 98 point season with the Houston Aeros) and, most recently, the Swiss-A League (33 goals and 70 points in 55 games). Despite decent stats at the lower levels, Westrum has never been able to stick in the big leagues, even though he’s had a cup of coffee with all of the teams listed above.

Like Thornberg, nothing official has been announced, although rumors claim that the Flames have offered Westrum a one-way offer. Considering Darryl Sutter’s reticence to grant one-way deals to relatively unproven plaayers (Mark Giordano comes to mind), I personally find that hard to believe. However, with the team’s impending budget crunch, Sutter may be forced beyond his “comfort zones” in order to fill out a roster poised to lose a lot of players to unrestricted free agency (Kristian Huselius, Owen Nolan, Stephane Yelle, Craig Conroy) and lacking enough young prospects to fill the gaps.

Sure there are the Marian Hossa’s, and the Mats Sundin’s of the world, but who are the under-rated players that could help the Canadiens next year? There are some funny rumours in Montreal that fans have brought forth, I guess they are more hopes rather than reality, but the suggestions are to trade Mikhail Grabovski, Jaroslav Halak, the Habs first round pick this year, and possibly Ryan O’Byrne, and maybe Chris Higgins to the Atlanta Thrashers for Ilya Kovalchuk. Well if you want to put all your eggs in one basket, he is not a bad player to get, but trading all of that seems a little steep.

A player which has been getting absolutely no attention from the media in Montreal is Paul Gaustad. This 6′5″ 225 pound centre could be exactly what the Habs need. He’s big, physical, not afraid to get a little nasty, and is a centre, a big one, which could solve some problems down the middle where the Habs need help. I believe that Gaustad would be the no.3 centre that the Habs have been looking for. Gaustad can play well, and isn’t afraid to stand in front of the net either, which could have helped in the Philadelphia Flyers series. Gaustad may not be a superstar, but he could be a piece of the puzzle.

Another player that the Habs should inquire about is the Jordin Tootoo. He does take some stupid penalties from time to time, but he is a pinball, and is definitely not afraid to mix it up. He loves the physical, and nasty play, why not in Montreal? Tootoo might be in the penalty box a little too often, but he inspires his team-mates with loud and crushing hits, unlike Maxime Lapierre. Tootoo could be a good fit in Montreal, as coach Guy Carbonneau enjoys the gritty type players.

If the Canadiens were thinking of landing a proven fighter on the team, then if they are not able to get Georges Laraque, unfortunately, there aren’t many options, perhaps the big Derek Boogaard from the Minnesota Wild would be an option. Boogaard is not fast, but at 6′7″, and weighing 256 pounds, he could crush some people in the boards, and I’m sure that neither Laraque, nor Zdeno Chara would frighten him. There are a couple of other fighters in the league that could use a new home, but they are all about the same as Boogaard, just not as big. However, I do like Zack Stortini from the Edmonton Oilers also as a fighter.

Raffi Torres is another gritty forward which would have helped in the Philly series, he plays physical, and loves going to the net and disturbing the goalie. Although this year he had some problematic injuries, he remains a good player, one which I’m sure the Habs would enjoy. Also in Edmonton, Jarett Stoll, although I prefer Gaustad to Stoll, Stoll does have the edge in winning face-offs. Stoll would be a good replacement for Brian Smolinski, but as I said, I would prefer to see Gaustad.

One of the Canadiens problems is the fact that they are so small at the centre position. Saku Koivu, and Tomas Plekanec, both of whom are talented, but on the smallish side, Smolinski was a decent size, but didn’t pan out, and his best days are behind him. Maxim Lapierre is bigger than Koivu, and Plekanec, but will he be good enough?

The Canadiens have some talented wingers, and defense-men coming up soon, they also have some centres, but they are not much bigger than Koivu, or Plekanec, so perhaps it’s time to think about size, which has been the issue in Montreal for a few years, this year they escaped it by being the number 1 team in the East, but the lack of size up front amongst other things, hampered their play-off hopes.

More to come in part 2.

Last week San Jose Sharks player Torrey Mitchell injured Minnesota Wild player Kurtis Foster, the incident occurred when both players where in a race for the puck, and foster got hammered into the boards breaking his leg, it was a play for the puck, but someone got injured, so perhaps it’s time for the league to stop looking at more ways to make money, and start looking more carefully at increasing the safety of the players who bring the league money.

The NHL, more like Gary Bettman, is trying so hard to introduce the basketball aspect to the game that safety is put on the back burner, why else would it take so long to implement no touch icing? Well, there have been some reports that Bettman likes the NASCAR aspect, meaning that two players are racing for the puck, and there is a crash at the end. There is only one problem with that, in NASCAR the cars do the crashes, not the people driving them, in hockey, it;s the players that do the crashing, but when it comes to full on racing for a call that could have been made already, well that’s just ridiculous.

The NHLPA I’m sure, is all for the league adopting this rule of no touch icing, look, the season is already long, add the play-offs to that and it’s even longer. The NHL is even toying with adding more games, are they nuts? The players are already tired at the end of the season thanks to some moronic scheduling by the league, the schedule is too ridiculous, some teams don’t play each other for a year or two, most teams play let’s say, two games in California, fly to Phoenix, then come back to Cali, what is up with that? Some, or most players are tired enough as it is, why give them a schedule like that, and plus, now, the league is looking at possibly adding more games. Like I said, stop with the trying to make money, and concentrate on player safety, if you would like your product to stay and help you make money!!

With the increasing injuries, the NHL has no choice but to adopt the no touch icing rule, under certain factors of course, not to just have it be an automatic, but it should still be implemented some how, I’m sure that the self called NHL wizards will come up with a way to install this rule while still preserving the race aspect, after all, they do such a bang up job with the way they schedule games, and the way they are not bias when handing out suspensions, that this latest rule should be a piece of cake right?

The 31-year-old has seen his ice time reduced from fourth-line minutes to zero, as he has been made a healthy scratch in three of the teams last past eight games.

“Uh, I mean … aahhh, hmmm … I don’t know what to say,” he said before answering most questions. “I feel bad because I don’t have answers.”

“I just don’t know what to do or say. It’s playoff time. It’s crunch time. I don’t want to be a distraction,” Parrish said. “The only thing I care about is the team winning and these guys in the locker room. The last thing I want is to be viewed as a distraction or negative thing. I want to cheer these guys on.”

Might the Minnesota-native demand a trade in the off-season? His fall from favor with the coaching staff and management could surely provide an incentive for him to do just that.

And the Wild may just comply. Of course, if there are no takers, other avenues could be explored by the club to rid themselves of Parrish’s $2.65 million salary cap hit.

Should his play not improve during the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs, perhaps GM Doug Risebrough may decide to buy out Parrish, who is in the second year of a five-year, $13.25 million deal. Placing Parrish on waivers and sending him to the minors is a possibility, but would the Wild ownership accept paying all that money for an AHLer? Not likely.

For now, Parrish says that he’s not thinking of what may happen down the road but what he can do to get in the line-up and help his team right now.

“I want to play, but I can’t control that. All I can control is my efforts, my actions, my attitude.”

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.

First off, the Oilers could use a “sniper” to bolster their attack, some in the mold of San Jose Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo.

Secondly, the Oilers will look to add some toughness. While it’s unlikely that former Oilers tough guy Georges Laraque will return to Edmonton, there are other options. Those include UFAs Wade Belak of the Florida Panthers, Jody Shelley of the Sharks, Darcy Hordichuk of the Nashville Predators, and Todd Fedoruk of the Minnesota Wild.

Jean LeFebvre of The Calgary Herald suggests that Calgary Flames pending UFA forward Kristian Huselius may have a hard time getting the contract he wants this summer.

While his play in the months of October, December, January, and so far in March, has been superb, November and February saw the skilled forward play the worst hockey of the season.

Ottawa Senators pending UFA forward Cory Stillman tells James Gordon of The Ottawa Citizen that he’d love to re-sign with the club.

“I’d like to stay. It’s close to home, to my home town,” the Peterborough, Ont., native said. “You know, I was happy in Carolina, but (Ottawa) is one of the places I had said that if I ever had the chance to play, I would jump on it.

“So I’m here now and hopefully I can continue on for a couple years.”

Stillman says he hasn’t had any talks about a contract extension with Senators’ management, yet.

“My thing right now is to come play, win hockey games and continue to play into June,” the 34-year-old said.

According to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post, Washington Capitals pending restricted free agent forward Brooks Laich could receive a significant raise this summer. A three-year, $3 million deal isn’t out of the question.

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.

“It’s a different style,” he said. “I find it more fun to play. I know last year when I went to Calgary, I liked it more. The games were a little more intense.”

So, could it be with the Red Wings?

“I think I’m hoping things go well and that maybe I find a spot here,” he said. “I can see myself enjoying it here and wanting to stay.”

Red Wings GM Ken Holland is believed to have pursued Stuart during the past off-season, but the blueliner decided to sign with the Los Angeles Kings.

Still with the Red Wings, Holland tells George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press that the club is close to signing with pending UFA forward Dan Cleary to a contract extension.

“We’re talking term,” Holland said. “We’ve been talking anywhere from four to six [years].”

Erik Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune reports that Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster is interested in re-signing pending UFA forward Chris Gratton.

With the acquisition of pending UFA goaltender Cristobal Huet from the Montreal Canadiens on trade deadline day, George Solomon of the Washington Post implies that the Washington Capitals may be sending a message to their long-time starter, Olaf Kolzig.

Kolzig, a soon-to-be UFA himself, could be nearing the end of his tenure with the organization he has played for the past 18 years.

“There are things in life and in the game of hockey that are out of your control. It’s how you deal with it that separates you from other people.”

According to Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild was ready to deal forward Benoit Pouliot at the trade deadline. However, clubs were more interested in players like James Sheppard, Mikko Koivu and Colton Gillies.

San Jose Sharks pending unrestricted free agent forward Jeremy Roenick tells David Pollak of the Mercury News that he hopes to play hokey past this season.

“I’ll talk to [Sharks GM] Doug Wilson at the end of the season and see if he’ll give the old man another wheel around,” Roenick told reporters. “I definitely feel I can do it - I’m at 190 pounds and I haven’t been there in 10 years.”

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.

It was interesting to read how Colin is a Montreal Canadiens fan but was still interested in the whole Mats Sundin “I don’t want to leave” saga.

Well, here is his take on the situation:

Now, I may be old school, but I sure enjoyed sports better when I knew the players playing for my favorite teams loved playing there as much as I loved watching them play there.

For this reason, I want to write and commend Mats publicly for standing his ground. This guy has been a pillar for an organization that has seen players come and go for the past 12 years. He has been the team’s best player, hardest worker and fearless leader for as long as he’s been there. He loves playing for the Leafs and would rather lose with them, then win with someone else as a “loaned” player. In today’s sports we hear all too often; “He deserves a chance to win”. It seems to me that Matt’s looks at it differently. His mentality seems to be “I want to help the Leafs win. That is my job, that is why I get paid what I do to be here.”

You can read the full article over at Yardbarker.

Regular reader, Bill, had this to say about the odd acquisition of New York Islanders forward Chris Simon by the Minnesota Wild:

Most people I have talked to or heard on the radio have said the same thing… “Why trade for Chris Simon?”

My take on the addition of Simon is that Mike Milbury finally mastered the art of inhibiting one’s mind and body and took full control of Risebrough’s faculties. Either that, or Risebrough was just high. It’s a toss up.

Going to the Islanders is a sixth-round draft pick in 2008.

More to come.

I still do not think Risebrough will part with young talent. That said, the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting the following:

Michael Russo reports that Florida Panthers scouts have attended five of the past six Wild games, giving way to rumors Minnesota may be interested in forward Olli Jokinen.

Asked if he’ll make a move before the the deadline to improve his struggling club, Wild GM Doug Risebrough sounded as though he may stand pat.

“I want to get these guys to win. I want to get these guys to play at their best. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Risebrough is expected to spend deadline day surrounded by Wild Director of Pro Scouting Blair MacKasey and pro scout Jamie Hislop to evaluate potential deals that may come his way.

Bill also sent in the following on the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning:

From Versus just a few minutes ago…. Prospal to Philly for Picard and conditional draft pick. Boyle signs 6 year extension with Tampa.

Thanks to Harold for this, as well.

Another one of our regular readers, Michael, adds this on the Maple Leafs:

Cliff Fletcher GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs might just check on his ability to acquire Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay is said to want a #1 goalie, a #1 defenseman, and a prospect or decent young player in return. Potential trade bait could be G Vesa Toskala, D Tomas Kaberle, and a young player possibly C Nik Antropov since Tampa Bay loves big hockey players who can play the center position, Antropov is 6′5″. Brad Richards does command a big salary, so if the trade is made it’s almost certain C Mats Sundin an unrestricted free-agent this summer will not be offered a contract.

Is it still possible that Sundin move before the deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher might still be able to persuade Sundin to waive his no-trade, news out of Toronto is that Sundin won’t waive it, so unless a team like Anaheim offers Bobby Ryan, Edmonton’s first pick which they have rights to, and a roster player to the Leafs which would be an incredible offer. News of Sundin saying he won’t waive it is an astute move by an exceptional General Manager in Fletcher, who can now drive Sundin’s price sky-high in the trade sweepstakes. There’s a chance although a small one Sundin will be traded, it all hinges on the other team to come up with an incredible trade offer to GM Cliff Fletcher.

Meanwhile, Bill updates us on what’s happening with the Minnesota Wild. Apparently not a whole lot, and Wild fans aren’t too happy about it.

It is totally quiet here in the Twin Cities. Mark my words…Doug Risebrough will not part with young talent. Falling into 2nd place behind Calgary…don’t be surprised if the Wild are sellers, not buyers (which, by the way, is starting to anger season ticket holders). If they sell or do nothing before tomorrow’s deadline, the sports pages and sports radio shows here will be noisy for sure.

That would definitely be an unexpected move by Risebrough. I was sure the Wild would try to bolster their roster before the deadline.

However, it’s unlikely that Sundin would waive his no-trade clause to allow a move to Minnesota.

Garrioch also reports that the Anaheim Ducks are willing to part with the Edmonton Oilers’ first round pick and prospect Bobby Ryan to make significant additions to their roster before the deadline.

Word is that the Ducks are waiting on Sundin to make up his mind on whether he’ll waive his no-trade clause. The Ducks are also said to be interested in Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vaclav Prospal.

Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports that 10 teams sent scouts for Saturday’s game between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers.

Among those scouting the game was Dave Taylor, the director of player personnel of the Dallas Stars. Taylor has been keeping a close eye on the Sabres all week long.

Mark Purdy of the Mercury News suggests the San Jose Sharks could use a puck-moving defenseman such as pending UFAs Brian Campbell of the Sabres and Dan Boyle of the Lightning.

Purdy also believes that, despite all the rumors, forward Patrick Marleau will be a Shark after the 26th.

Marleau tells David Pollak of the Mercury News that he doesn’t worry about what may or may not happen before the deadline.

“You can’t think about it,” he said. “It’s no use worrying about stuff you don’t have control over.”

The Nashville Predators may be in the market for a forward after a rash of injuries, reports Jessica Hopp of The Tennessean.

2008-09 - $3.2M

2009-10 - $3.4M

2010-14 - $3.6M

Schultz has been a solid performer for the Wild over his career, and will continue to serve as part of the club’s defensive backbone. At only 25 years of age, Schultz has spent his entire 5 season NHL career with Minnesota, where he has at times shown the potential to become a decent offensive contributor. He isn’t an “elite” defenceman, but is one of those guys that every team would like to have.

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.

Jackson, who was at the Air Canada Center with another Stars scout, is said to have attended 9 Maple Leafs games in the last little while.

Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun reports that there has been little discussion between representative for Maple Leafs pending restricted free agent forward Matt Stajan and the club.

And while some have speculated that Stajan could be traded, the forward wasn’t shy in expressing his desire to remain with the Maple Leafs.

“If it happens, it happens,” he said, referring to a trade down the road. “I’m just saying I love to play for the Leafs and want to stay here. But it’s not up to me.”

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports that at least eight scouts from the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers took in Friday night’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings.

Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan suggests that players such as forwards Sergei Fedorov and Michael Peca, and defenseman Adam Foote, will garner some interest from other clubs during the GM meeting starting Monday in Florida.

Meanwhile, Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Blue Jackets are holding discussions about a new contract with only one of their unrestricted free agents. That would be Foote.

Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson is yet begin negotiating with Peca, David Vyborny, and Jan Hejda and Ron Hainsey. This could indicate that Howson has no interest in bringing any of them back next season. Thus, all four might be available for trade.

Lew Serviss of The New York Times takes a look at a few creative trade scenarios that he suggests could help contenders down the stretch.

Sundin, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, maintains he doesn’t want to be moved.

Ottawa Senators head coach John Paddock hinted that the club’s management is still looking to add players before the February 26 trade deadline after a recent trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, reports Ken Warren of The Ottawa Citizen.

“We’re trying to sort out how best to work the guys together on the power play,” Paddock said following yesterday’s practice in preparation for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils at Scotiabank Place. “I don’t know, but I think, in the next 10 days, whatever happens, we will have more of a formulation of a second unit, or another unit that’s relatively equal (to the first).”

The Senators could use a player, be it a forward or defenseman, to quarterback their power-play.

Dan Boyle of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been mentioned as an option. However, Tom Gulitti of the NorthJersey.com reports that the Lightning blueliner is currently negotiating a contract extension to stay in Tampa.

According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, Los Angeles Kings pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake has agreed to waive his no-trade clause.

However, Blake will only allow a move to a Western Conference team.

Gulitti reports that, in fact, Blake would only go to a California team, namely the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks.

Mark Everson of the New York Post reports that the New Jersey Devils are looking to acquire a top-six forward.

A possible target is said to be Robert Lang of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Word is that the Devils are willing to part with one of their eight defensemen, possibility Johnny Oduya or Andy Greene.

Meanwhile, with Blake wanting to stay in California and Boyle negotiating a new deal with the Lightning, Gulitti suggests that the New Jersey Devils are running out of possible players they can acquire to run their power-play.

Koshan also reports that unrestricted free agent forward Peter Forsberg is “intrigued with the idea of centring Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik” of the Minnesota Wild.

Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland tells Paul Hunter of The Toronto Star that the need for teams to retain their draft picks and prospects has become more important in the salary cap era.

“What I’m seeing, three years into this CBA, is that teams need cheaper players on the back end of their rosters. If you don’t have those players coming through the draft, where do you get them?” said Holland. “Where do you fill in if you’ve given up those drafts or prospects?”

Holland reiterates to John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that teams will have to fill the bottom part of their rosters will less expensive talent.

“Teams are going to have to make harder decisions about trading first-round picks and real good prospects,” Detroit GM Ken Holland said. “I’m not saying it won’t happen, but it’s harder and harder to do with the way the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is fleshing itself out.”

“We have 15 players getting $1.2 million or less; some will retire, but some we’ll end up playing more. How do you fill in the back end of the roster if you’re continually trading away picks and prospects?”

So, does this mean that we won’t see as many trades this year as in past years?