Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina has not given the club his list of five teams to which he would accept a trade, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Petr Svoboda, Kubina’s agent, said Thursday that while he and his client have seven days to put together the list, it shouldn’t take that long — it may even be ready by Friday where he is to meet with Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman.

Kubina, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, was told Thursday by Yzerman that he will be kept off the ice until the club can find a trading partner. Since Kubina has a limited no-trade clause in his contract, Yzerman first approached the blueliner for a list of teams he would approve going to.

With the announcement, came speculation that the fire sale was on in Tampa. But Yzerman was quick to deny that was the case, as per Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times, and noted that a deal for Kubina was not imminent.

This doesn’t make it official the sale is on. We’re not going to give people away, but if deals make sense and whatever we’re bringing in makes us a better organization, we’ll do that. But we’re not going to unload guys for the sake of unloading them.

Kubina appeared to be the first player the Lightning would trade until Dominic Moore was dealt to the San Jose Sharks Friday. For now, Kubina still awaits his faith.

We’re making our decisions on a player-by-player basis. We see a potential opportunity to improve our club. In regards to Pavel, and as far as any other players or any other opportunity, there’s the broader strategy of wanting to be a better team in the future, so we’ll look at any opportunity to become that.

So where might the former 2004 Stanley Cup champion find himself playing?

ESPN‘s Scott Burnside speculated today that the connection with his former head coach in Tampa during the Cup win, and current Rangers’ bench boss, John Tortorella may see him land in New York. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News wrote back on February 11 that two other teammates form the 2004 season play on Broadway: Brad Richards and Ruslan Fedotenko. The Rangers also need a depth blueliner that can play the right side that doesn’t cost too much — Kubina has a $3.85 million cap hit.

Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times also lists the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, while ESPN’s Jesse Rogers adds the Chicago Blackhawks, as team that need blueline help and may show interest in Kubina.

Cristodero also noted that because Kubina loves living in Florida, he may include the Panthers — who sit atop their division and third in the Eastern Conference — on the teams he would allow a trade to.

If any of these teams want to acquire the Czech defenseman, they will have to pony up. According to Cristodero, Yzerman is looking to get back prospects and draft pick in return for any player he deals before the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman and the club’s front office must first decide whether they’re buyers or sellers heading into the February 27 trade deadline before any serious discussions about moving forward Ryan Malone takes place.

Yzerman tells Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times that he does not have a deadline for deciding if they’ll load up for a push to capture a playoff spot or unload players for futures.

The trade market dictates what, if anything, we’re going to do. At this point there’s nothing that makes any sense that is the right thing to do whether it’s short or long term.

What’s making it difficult to decide is his club’s 6-0-1 run in its past seven games, Yzerman told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun earlier this week.

It’s still a bit early for that in light of the fact that our team is playing reasonably well. The timing isn’t right to look at it that way. We have to keep seeing if we can keep climbing into this. We’ll see how we do in the next few games. We’ll see how it all plays out. There’s no rush to do anything. There haven’t been any difficult decisions to make at this point because any potential [trade] opportunities really haven’t made sense for us, short-term and long-term.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not listening to offers for his players or investigating potential deals. Aside from Malone, Kevin Allen of USA Today, and Scott Burnside of ESPN believe that the likes of defenseman Pavel Kubina and forwards Adam Hall and Dominic Moore would garner interest from teams looking to add depth.

Our team is winning. My approach is that if there’s any deal that potentially can be done which makes our team better now or a better team in the future that’s worth doing, I’m prepared to do it. But at this point, nothing has made sense from my point of view.

That could change as the trade deadline nears and sellers and buyers become more clear and ready to deal. Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure: Yzerman will be ready to act accordingly.

All we can do is be prepared to act one way or another.

According to the Toronto Star’s Bob Mitchell, Yzerman has attended several Toronto Maple Leafs games recently. That only adds more fuel to the rumors the Maple Leafs are interested in acquiring the truculent forward.

As numerous reports indicate, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke wants to add a top-six forward before the deadline and Malone is one of his targets.

But the Maple Leafs aren’t, and won’t be, alone in pursuing Malone, says Mitchell. The Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, and the Vancouver Canucks are, or would be, interested in making a play for the American winger if he were to become available.

Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times also reported earlier in the week that the Pittsburgh Penguins had director of pro scouting Derek Clancy and pro scout Andre Savard at a recent game between the Lightning and the Winnipeg Jets. Seven other teams had scouts at the game.

The SportsNet’s HockeyCentral Trade Tracker panel also has the New York Rangers as a potential suitor.

Allen and David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail claim the Lightning would love to stabilize their situation between the pipes by acquiring a goaltender. Allen lists Vancouver Canucks super-backup Cory Schneider as a possibility. Cristodero reports that Kings’ goalie Jonathan Bernier has been linked in trade rumors as a return for Malone.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider.

The former Stanley Cup winner much regarded playoff performer could be an attractive option for low-budget teams, not just the big spenders. As Globe and Mail’s Erik Duhatschek noted recently, Malone has a cap hit of $4.5 million for the next three seasons, but because his contract was front-loaded, his actual salary is $3.0 million, and $2.5 million for the final two years.

However, should the Lightning decide that the best course of action is to part with him, Malone would have final say in where he ends up as he has a no-movement clause in his contract (which transforms into a limited no-trade clause at the end of next season).

For now, Malone tells Cristodero that he is just trying to get back into the lineup after missing a number of games with an upper-body injury.

It’s something you can’t control. You can’t worry about it. It’s just people talking. It’s just the way the business is, so I don’t think twice about it.

He may finally return to the ice this Saturday.

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is investigating the trade market to improve his club ahead of the February 27 trade deadline, according to a recent segment of SportsNet’s HockeyCentral Trade Tracker.

Bowman is said to be intent on the Blackhawks recapturing the Stanely Cup this season, and believes is only a couple of players short of a roster that could accomplish that. The HockeyCentral panel reports that Bowman is looking to add a veteran top-six forward — preferably a center — and a top-four NHL caliber defenseman to fill out the Blackhawks’ bottom pair.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun also reports that a number of teams, including the Blackhawks, will explore the possibility of trading for Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller should he become available. However, the HockeyCentral panel shot down any suggestions the Blackhawks will look to make any changes between the pipes.

The HockeyCentral report is more in line with what Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times also reported recently.

According to Jahns, the Blackhawks have been linked to Edmonton Oilers pending free agent center Sam Gagner — a friend and ex-teammate of Patrick Kane’s — and that the Winnipeg Jets have kept a close watch on their games. Before becoming the general manager of the Jets, Kevin Cheveldayoff was a part of the Blackhawks’s front office so he is familiar with the players.

Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Jahns suggests that a couple of Carolina Hurricanes players may be two worthwhile options to investigate — forward Tuomo Ruutu, and former Blackhawk, and defenseman Tim Gleason. However, the price for Gleason is said to two first round draft picks or a first round pick and a top prospect, according to Garrioch.

Jahns notes that the asking price for Drew Stafford, Derek Roy and Brad Boyes of the Buffalo Sabres, and the Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Francois Beauchemin, is also high and wouldn’t make sense for the Blackhawks to pursue.

Jason Brough of Pro Hockey Talk lists a number of pending UFA defensemen that may become available: Hal Gill of the Montreal Canadiens, Pavel Kubina and Brett Clark of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bryan Allen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Adrian Aucoin of the Phoenix Coyotes, Andy Sutton of the Edmonton Oilers, and Steve Staios and Milan Jurcina of the New York Islanders.

Bowman is said to be willing to part with draft picks, prospects / AHLers (such as forwards Brandon Pirri and Jeremy Morin and defensemen Shawn Lalonde and Brian Connelly), and depth players off his roster, for the pieces he’s looking to bring in. Defenseman Dylan Olsen, center Kevin Hayes and winger Brandon Saad are believed to be off limits.