The Philadelphia Flyers locked Joffrey Lupul up with a four-year contract extension. Lupul is one of several players the Flyers are committing to for years to come as they believe only good things will come from these young talents.

The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed left wing Daniel Carcillo in which they feel this sparkplug brings great balance of speed and toughness to the team. Carcillo led the league in penalty minutes last season as a rookie and that seemed to be the type of player the Coyotes want as they deal is undisclosed but was a 2 year contract.

The New Jersey Devils signing center Fedor Fedorov, who is the brother of Sergei Fedorov and has been playing in Europe the past few seasons.

Other signings this week included the Anaheim Ducks agreeing to one year contracts with left win Josh Green and center Eric Boguniecki. The biggest signing of the week has come from the Vancouver Canucks, as they signed six players Wednesday. Those players include RW-Ryan Shannon, C-Rick Rypien, RW-Mike Brown, Defs-Nathan McIver, Zach FitzGerald, and James Sharrow. Make sure to check back to see all the NHL’s top news as this year the Stanley Cup will truly be up for grabs. All this action is getting fans excited for the 2008-2009 season and with opening day being less than three months away it will be interesting to see what other deals come our way.

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.

I’m not going to dwell too much on Maurice’s tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He simply didn’t get the job done. Under his tutelage the Leafs were unable to win on home ice, sported a mediocre power play, and were frighteningly awful at killing penalties. Most importantly, the team didn’t make the playoffs.

I can’t honestly say I’m going to miss him. As I’ve written before, his track record speaks for itself and, well, it ain’t making a whole lot of noise. Maurice just isn’t that great of a coach.

Yes, Maurice is good people. And a great quote. I hope he lands on his feet and gets another job in the NHL if that is what he desires. However, good guys always finish last. Dead last. Or, well, 24th in the 30 team NHL.

You know who else was a great quote? Pat Burns. And he was pretty good at that whole coaching thing, too. He’s the perfect man for the job. Burns’ resume screams competence: a Stanley Cup ring, a Jack Adams award, and experience in Toronto. Who better than Mr. Burns to take over behind the bench? His passion is exactly what we need as enter a new era.

Of course, “competence” and “Maple Leafs” don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, but I can’t imagine that Burns doesn’t want this job. The Leafs hold a special place in his heart. I remember reading an article from a couple of years ago when the 1992/1993 Leafs got together for a little reunion. Burns spoke fondly about that team and how special it was. He also offered this little nugget of information: on his mantle at home is not a picture of his Stanley Cup winning New Jersey Devils team. Instead it’s a picture of the 92/93 Maple Leafs, the most special team he has ever coached.

Bring Back Burnsy. It has got to be done.

Alex Kovalev, who was the lone scorer for the Habs played decent all game long, so did Josh Gorges, and a couple of other players, were was the rest of the team? Carey Price had his first bad game in a while, but he kept the Canadiens in the game for the whole series so this game shouldn’t be hung over his head.

The Canadiens had an opportunity to close the series on home ice, and relax, and heal some bumps and bruises before the start of the next series. The Habs once again missed many shots, or their shooting lanes were blocked, hello, are the coaches studying tapes, or are they just hoping that the better team will prevail, if that’s the case, with the exception of game no.1, the Bruins have been the better team, even without some of their players.

Are the Habs missing Saku Koivu, and Francis Bouillon that much? Is the fact that Bouillon, and Koivu aren’t playing affecting the team to such a degree? If in fact the reason that the power-play is non-existent, and that the no.1 line for the Habs all season isn’t working is because the Habs are missing those two players, are the Habs as good as their statistics indicated?

It seems as though the Bruins want it more than the Habs. What happened to the buzz cut boys team unity? Where have all the stars for the Habs gone? The other day in an interview with the French media, Tomas Plekanec said that he was playing like a girl, well guess what Pleky, you still are. Plekanec has been playing like a junior, and Andrei Kostitsyn hasn’t fared any better, Sergei Kostitsyn has taken stupid penalties, and almost every time he carries the puck into the opposing zone, he loses it on his own, not to mention that he tries to go through three players to get into the zone.

What are the Habs thinking, their play since game one has gotten worse game by game, sure the plumbers are playing well and scoring a couple of goals but they won’t win the series for the Habs if no-one else is chipping in. Where is Chris Higgins, you see him on the ice as he zooms by, but he doesn’t really do anything. Stop trying to push through the Bruins, if they are playing the trap, then dump it in and chase it, but get there before the Bruins do. The Habs overcame the New Jersey Devils trap system earlier this year, the Devils are the best at the trap, so why can’t the Habs beat the Bruins style of it?

What ever the case may be, the Canadiens go to Boston to play game 6 on Saturday, the Habs had better come out and tear the house down, enough of this boring neutral zone play, do what you did in the regular season, score goals, sure it’s harder in the play-offs, but still, the Habs have the skill to do it. The Habs still lead the series 3-2, but the Bruins have the momentum, will Koivu and Bouillon be inserted into the line-up on Saturday? Well if that’s what it takes then they should be, maybe those players are missed by the team, it would allow the coaches to get there season line-up back together.

After game no.1 the Habs fans were ecstatic, and especially when the Habs took a 3-1 lead in the series, now they are sitting on their hands. Don’t lose faith, just send a message to the players to start playing like they did in the regular season, in the regular season, they could beat anyone, but now they have problems with the Bruins, so be a real fan and support them, and telepathically send them a wake up call.

Islander’s goalie Joey McDonald put on an exemplary performance last night, turning aside 45 shots in a 2-1 OT loss to the New Jersey Devils. Though he had a lineup dominated by AHL stalwarts in front of him, McDonald battled hard and kept a formidable Devils team (who actually still has something to play for) from dominating the contest. The Devils could only force one PP goal by Patrick Elias past him in regulation time until Zach Parise tallied in the extra frame. Josef Vasicek scored for the Islanders.

McDonald’s play will likely cause Snow more than a few sleepless nights regarding what do with the backup goaltender position. McDonald is already signed for next season to a one way contract, which means that he cannot be sent to the minors without having to clear waivers on his way back to the big club. There is a decent chance that he could be snapped up by some other team en route. Therefore, the question becomes: What to do with Wade Dubielewicz? The diminutive goaltender is not a only a big fan favorite, but he has certainly earned the right to merit strong consideration for the job himself. Unless Dubielewicz, an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, accepts a two way contract and somehow is satisfied with a minor league role, he is going to probably be the odd man out in the situation.

Up next are the hated rival New York Rangers, who the Islanders will play in a home and home series to close out the season. Coach Ted Nolan has not allowed this team to succumb to the litany of legitimate excuses they have to explain away this lost season and he won’t start now. Expect them to fight the Blueshirts tooth and nail in these games. However, this notion places some serious conflict in the minds of Islanders fans. Though they always want to beat the Rangers in any circumstance, they also recognize that losing these two games might result in a better draft position which would enable their club to get better.

It’s certainly not an enviable place to be in.

The highly touted prospect of the New York Islanders scored his first NHL goal last night (the Game Winning goal, no less) and contributed an assist in the Islanders’ 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils last night at the Prudential Center. The win broke New York’s losing streak at 6 games. Blake Comeau and Trent Hunter (empty netter) also contributed goals for the Islanders. Travis Zajac tallied for the Devils.

Okposo scored on a power play late in the 3rd period to put the Islanders ahead for good. He parked himself in the slot and eluded the penalty-killing Devils (exhibiting poise and better hockey sense than one might expect out of a rookie), then one-timed a Richard Park feed past New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur. His assist on Comeau’s goal also showed he has a willingness to work hard in the corners and behind the net and also possesses a soft pair of hands in terms of passing.

The rookie’s goal was not the only highlight of the night for New York , who have inexplicably dominated the Devils this season. Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz was once again solid in net. He turned back 34 shots and made an excellent save on a partial breakaway by New Jersey’s John Madden.

The game featured three fights, two of which were won handily by the Devils. The Isles’ Matthew Spiller was decked by a thunderous blow from New Jersey’s Arron Asham. Rod Pelley dropped the much larger Josef Vasicek with a flurry of punches at the end of the game. Still, Islander fans must have appreciated the fire and passion that was demonstrated by their team. Those attributes were noticeably absent during the losing streak.

Coach Ted Nolan criticized his team earlier in the week for their collective lack of effort and put them through a series of torturous workouts to punish them. If last night’s game is any indication, the Coach’s message has been received loud and clear.

The New Jersey Devils were one of the teams trying to acquire Smith, but weren’t willing to meet the Flyers’ demands.

Expectations are the Smith will become a free agent and sign with the Devils in the summer.

Despite injuries to two of their blueliner, Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post Online reports that the Flyers will not call-up defenseman Denis Gauthier from their AHL affiliate team.

Gauthier would have to pass through waivers in order to be promoted to the big club, meaning teams could claim him at half the cost of his $2.1 million salary. Since the Flyers would be on the hook for the other half, it’s unlikely they will go through with it.

If Pittsburgh Penguins pending restricted free agent forward Evgeni Malkin demand a contract worth an average of between $9-10 million per season, John Buccigross of ESPN.com suggests the club should consider trading him.

The Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that it remains unclear which of the Washington Capitals’ three deadline acquisitions, namely goalie Cristobal Huet, and forwards center Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke, will be back with the club next season.

All three are pending UFAs.

According to The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster’s next move will be to get Vincent Lecavalier’s name on a multi-year contract extension.

Lecavalier, who can become a UFA after next season, will undoubtedly look for as big a raise as he can get. And if that is too much for the Lightning to accept, Lecavalier could end up being “the most highly pursued UFA-to-be” before next year’s trade deadline.

Shinzawa also reports that the Ottawa Senators are negotiating a contract extension with pending RFA forwards Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette, as well as Andrej Meszaros, all of which due for substantial raises.

Forward Chris Neil, who becomes a UFA after next season, could also be in line for a raise on his $1.1 million average salary.

A UFA this summer, defenseman Wade Redden will also need to be re-signed. However, he may be too expensive for the Senators.

One way that Senators GM Bryan Murray can clear some payroll by trading enigmatic goalie Ray Emery, if he can find a team to take him.

Lastly from Shinzawa, he reports that a number of teams have called the Boston Bruins to inquire about the availability of forward Milan Lucic.

Sundin refused to waive the no-trade clause and allow the deal to go through.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs were also close to acquiring Philadelphia Flyers forward Jeff Carter and the club’s first round pick in return for defenseman Tomas Kaberle on deadline day. The deal “was written up at the league office and awaiting approval,” but Kaberle invoked his no-trade clause.

The Edmonton Journal claims that the New Jersey Devils will sign Flyers defenseman Jason Smith in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent.

Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell told Craig Custance of The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he is not negotiating contract extensions with any of the club’s pending free agents.

“There are no talks going on right now,” Waddell said.

Waddell says that there is plenty of time to discuss new contracts with possible UFAs Mark Recchi, Johan Hedberg, Eric Boulton, Bobby Holik and Steve McCarthy, and the team’s lone pending RFA Kari Lehtonen.

“On our current team there’s only one restricted and that’s Lehtonen. We have a couple unrestricted guys but right now no talks have gone on with any of our players. I think the [current] situation, I don’t see a big need just yet. We have a couple weeks here to focus on winning hockey games.”

Pat Hickey of The Montreal Gazette suggests that the Canadiens will have an easier time attracting quality free agent in the summer due to their excellent play this season and good group of talented young players.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette suggests that the Pittsburgh Penguins should not trade forward Sidney Crosby for any reason. Duh!

As witnessed by their reported interest in Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning before he was moved to the Dallas Stars, the Blue Jackets are willing to spend big bucks to fill their biggest needs (i.e. a number one and number two center). And with between $15 million to $20 million in salary cap space at their disposal, they may just pull the biggest moves of the summer.

With that in mind, Portzline suggests that Blue Jackets GM may inquire about the availability of Daniel Briere of Philadelphia, Patrick Elias of New Jersey, Scott Gomez of the New York Rangers. The thought there is that those three clubs may be looking for “roster and payroll flexibility.”

Of course, rumors continue to swirl that the Blue Jackets will trade for San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau before the entry draft, as Portzline and Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun both have reported. As Gary Peterson of the Contra Costa Times documents in his article, Marleau has had a tough season with the Sharks and has seen his name pop up in numerous trade rumors.

So, getting any one of the aforementioned players would definitely resolve their need for a top-line pivot. But what will Columbus do about their second-line center position?

Portzline suggests that trading for Matthew Lombardi of the Calgary Flames may be an option.

The Flames have two pending unrestricted free agent forwards they would like to re-sign in Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow, and would consider shedding Lombardi’s salary to make it happen.

“You don’t get (a top-six role) by acclamation, you have to earn it,” Flames GM Darryl Sutter said last week. “To be quite honest, Langkow and Conroy have outplayed him this year.”

Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche, Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins, Alexander Radulov of the Nashville Predators, Drew Stafford of the Buffalo Sabres, Jiri Hudler of the Detroit Red Wings, David Booth of the Florida Panthers, Brandon Dubinsky of the New York Rangers, and Travis Zajac of the New Jersey Devils.

While not all are expected to receive long-term deals such as the one signed by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards last December (12 years totaling $69 million), it’s possible that some of the top tier players may.

Looks like we were on to something: the NHL’s CBA prohibits teams from buying out injured players at two-thirds of their salaries, as Luke DeCock of The News & Observer suggested the Carolina Hurricanes may do with defenseman David Tanabe this summer.

DeCock reports today that for the Hurricanes to be allowed to buy out his contract for 2/3, Tanabe would have be declared fit to play by July 1.

Otherwise, the Hurricanes would be on the hook for Tanabe’s entire $900,000 salary. The good news is that it wouldn’t count against the salary cap.

Look for the St. Louis Blues to bolster their inconsistent offense during the off-season.

St. Louis Post Dispatch President John Davidson tells Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch that while he’s well aware of his club’s shortcomings, the organization still needs to pinpoint where their troubles stem from.

“For whatever reason, we haven’t scored and we have to figure out why,” Davidson said Sunday, one day after the Blues’ 4-2 loss to Vancouver.

“… there’s a lot of variables that we’ll have to sift through.”

The scoring for the Habs went like this, Brian Smolinski, assisted by Tom Kostopoulos, Saku Koivu, assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn, and Chris Higgins, Maxime Lapierre, assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mark Streit, and Michael Ryder, assisted by Maxime Lapierre, and Guillaume Latendresse.

Carey Price stopped 38 shots for the shutout, Price made some brilliant saves to keep the Habs in the game, especially when the Canadiens had to kill a four minute penalty which was served by Andrei Kostitsyn for high sticking. The Price was right tonight at the Bell Centre, as Carey looked in fine form, let’s hope that Price plays well against the Habs next opponent which is the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

The Montreal Canadiens now hold a 4 point lead in their division over the Sens, and a one point lead over the Devils. The Habs do not play the Devils anymore this year, but they play the Sens three times including the game on Thursday, which means it’s a good way to increase their lead in the standings if the Habs win at least two of those games.

Being that the Habs won today, and now have 87 points, they have 11 games left, hopefully they will be able to win at least 6 of those games to give them 99 points, and a sure win of the division. On to Thursday, were hopefully Carey Price will once again be Priceless.

Here’s a fun fact of mention, since trading Christobal Huet, the Habs have won six out of their last eight games.

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.

So, where could he end up?

Look for the Boston Bruins to pursue the talented forward, says Dupont and Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Reuniting with former Ottawa Senators teammate, fellow countryman, and close friend, defenseman Zdeno Chara, may be an appealing situation for Hossa. In fact, Dupont goes as far as to suggest that Hossa may give the Bruins first shot at signing him.

However, the Bruins may have a hard time fitting him under the salary cap. The Bruins have $39 million committed in cap space for next season, when the cap is said to rise to $53 million. Hossa would have to take a discount if he wants to play in Beantown, though as Dupont points out, that is “not likely” to happen.

There are ways for the Bruins to clear cap room, though.

Garrioch reports that the Bruins received calls from several teams in regards to the availability of forward Glen Murray. So, it’s possible Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli can clear some salary cap space by dumping Murray during the off-season.

And then there are the other teams that lost out on picking up Hossa.

The New Jersey Devils, according to Garrioch, came in second to the Penguins in landing Hossa, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they try to land the Hossa in the summer.

Meanwhile, Garrioch also reports that before the Atlanta Thrashers dealt Hossa to the Penguins, the Ottawa Senators made a play for their former forward.

The Senators were offering forward Nick Foligno, defense prospect Brian Lee and a high draft pick, but GM Don Waddell wanted forward Antoine Vermette included in the deal. talks broke off when the Senators were unwilling to part with Vermette for a rental player.

Might the Senators have an interest in re-signing Hossa in the summer?

With forwards Danny Heatley and Jason Spezza already making over $7 million per season, one would think not. The club’s biggest need is to acquire a competent goaltender, anyway.

Of course, because Hossa is now with the Penguins, they have first dibs on trying to sign him to a contract extension. Since they gave up a hefty package to acquire him, the belief is that they will make every effort to re-sign Hossa.

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 Blues are now confirming the deal to Sportsnet.

TSN now has this on their website with a few comments from the Blues.

“We feel that Cam’s style of play will bring energy and grit to our lineup and being from St. Louis, feel that he will be an instant fan favorite here,” said team president John Davidson in a statement.

“Our depth at defense enabled us to make this move. We admire and respect Bryce as a player for what he did on and off the ice in St. Louis and thank Bryce and his wife April for their contributions as members of our family.”

Stay tuned as more information comes in.

It’s believed that Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson has been in touch with Senators GM Bryan Murray, who knows Fedorov well from their days in Detroit and Anaheim.

Asked to comment on the possibility of being moved before the February 26 trade deadline, Fedorov said he’d like to remain with the Blue Jackets.

“It’s been already a lot of speculation, so I don’t want to add to that,” Fedorov said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m not looking for anything to happen.”

“I just got back in the lineup after a long injury (concussion). I’m happy to play here with these guys. Everything else, after that, is out of my hands.”

Stephen Harris of The Boston Herald suggests that if the Boston Bruins want to acquire Atlanta Thrashers pending unrestricted free agent forward Marian Hossa, they will have to part with “a costly package built around Phil Kessel.”

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli says he’s fully aware that the top guys rumored to be on the trade block before the trade deadline will cost a lot to get.

“The prices for those guys are very high. They’re looking for players, young players, prospects, picks.”

Meanwhile, Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe reports that Bruins pending restricted free agent forward Stanislav Chistov has cleared waivers and can now be sent to the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence.

Chistov, who decided to leave the Bruins and play in Russia earlier in the season, could provide some depth for the Bruins’ playoff drive.

Tom Gulitti of NorthJersey.com believes that New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello will add depth to his defense rather than go big and try to pry away “a top four defenseman and a top six forward.”

Lamoriello has said publicly that he does not want to mortgage the team’s future.

Still, Gulitti suggests that the Devils should pursue a defenseman that can run their powerplay, such as pending UFAs Brian Campbell of the Buffalo Sabres or John-Michael Liles of the Colorado Avalanche. Gulitti notes that picking up Bryan McCabe or Pavel Kubina of the Toronto Maple Leafs may be more ‘doable’ and less pricey in terms of giving up assets.

As for forwards, while costly, Gulitti thinks Lamoriello should keep an eye out for Hossa and Mats Sundin of the Maple Leafs.

According to Newsday’s Katie Strang, the New York Rangers are looking to acquire “a defenseman or possibly a winger.”

According to this person, who shall remain anonymous, they claim that the other club involved is the Florida Panthers.

The supposed deal breaks down like this:

To New Jersey: Olli Jokinen, Ruslan Salei, and Ville Peltonen.

To Florida: Brian Gionta, Andy Greene, Sergei Brylin, Matt Halischuk or Nicklas Bergfors, Draft pick in 08 or 09.

While we’ve never reported made up rumors, fabrications, or in any way pretended to have inside sources, we figured that we’d share this tidbit with y’all just for the hell of it…

Even if this ‘rumor’ is bogus, it would be interesting to discuss the merits of such a deal if it were to go down.

Would it be a fair trade?

Which team would it benefit the most? This year? Down the road?

Let me know what you think…

Here are the teams said to be looking to bolster their rosters:

1. Montreal Canadiens: Although Bob Gainey has never been an open book about his feelings, there is a sense that he likes his team and likes the way the East is shaping up. Believing his team can make an extended run, he has been looking at several big-name trade scenarios. He seems interested in one of the major rental prizes, such as Mats Sundin or Marian Hossa. The Canadiens have prospects such as Ryan McDonagh and Max Pacioretty that other teams would like to have.

2. Boston Bruins: The Bruins have shown an interest in landing Hossa, and they clearly are in the hunt for a top six forward. No Eastern team in a playoff position has fewer goals than Boston.

3. Philadelphia Flyers: GM Paul Holmgren already has added a depth defenseman in Jaroslav Modry and he’s still looking for defensive help. He went after Tomas Kaberle, but Kaberle doesn’t want to waive his no-trade clause.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins: It’s a given the Penguins need a winger for Sidney Crosby. General manager Ray Shero is poking around the marketplace, but it’s unknown how aggressive he will be. He also would like to land defensive help. If the Penguins could land a couple of key veterans, they are capable of making a lengthy postseason run.

5. Ottawa Senators: GM Bryan Murray has already made a major move, acquiring Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. He would still like to land another scorer.

6. New Jersey Devils: Don’t ever discount the possibility that Lou Lamoriello will make a major trade to help his team, and more than likely there will be no rumors before it happens. He always operates in stealth mode. Given the state of the Eastern Conference, why couldn’t this team make a run to the Finals? The Devils could use some scoring help.

7. New York Islanders: With five wins in a row, the Islanders have to be thinking they could still make the playoffs if they could add some defensive help. Their defense has been undermined severely by injuries, but coach Ted Nolan somehow has managed to convince them they can still win.

8. New York Rangers: No trade deadline would be complete without the Rangers weighing in. With points in eight of their last 10 games, the Rangers look like they might have turned the corner at the right time. They could use more scoring.

And here are the supposed sellers:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs: General manager Cliff Fletcher has the top prize of the trade deadline season in Sundin. Most of the top contenders would like Sundin. My hunch is that the price for Sundin will match or exceed what the Nashville Predators paid for Peter Forsberg last spring, top prospect Ryan Parent, everyday player Scottie Upshall and a first-round pick. Fletcher would like to move other players, but the contracts of Pavel Kubina, Darcy Tucker, etc., make them difficult to trade.

2. Atlanta Thrashers: General manager Don Waddell would prefer to re-sign Hossa, but that appears unlikely to happen. He will reluctantly trade him, even though he’s still fighting to win the Southeast Division. He undoubtedly try to get someone back who can help him in that mission. He will want a young player who can play immediately.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning: Presuming the Lightning will sign Dan Boyle, their top rental will be Vinny Prospal, a player with good hands. But TSN.ca is reporting that new ownership is asking GM Jay Feaster to explore what kind of deal he could make to trade Brad Richards. The only problem is that Richards has three years remaining at $7.8 million a season. But there are teams that would like to add a big name to their mix, such as the Edmonton Oilers.

Indications are that the Thrashers would have no problem trading Holik, as they already tried to do so last fall.

Mark Everson of the New York Post confirms that the Thrashers and Devils discussed a swap involving Holik during the pre-season.

However, talks broke down when the Thrashers discovered that the player they were supposed to acquire, forward John Madden, came with “significant deferred payments.”

In New York, Brooks sees Holik as the perfect candidate to center the struggling Jagr. Holik is a defensive specialist who goes hard to the net and isn’t afraid to get involved physically when he has to.

The two Czech forwards have played together for 20 games during the 2003-04 season, and appeared to have some chemistry.

So, if Holik comes “for the right price,” Brooks believes that Rangers GM Glen Sather would be wise to re-acquire the former Ranger.

Even if Sather and Holik don’t appear to have much affinity towards each other. They’d only have to spend a couple of months together since Holik would be no more than a rental.

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.”