Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne should allow his club to trade him before the February 27 trade deadline to help them rebuild.

However, Ducks general manager Bob Murray maintains that he will not move Selanne until the veteran forward gives him the okay.

In earlier reports, Selanne has been non-committal about perhaps joining a contender. The Finnish star told Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun that he’s not made a decision one way or another.

We still have time to go. We’ll see.

Should he give Murray permission to deal him to a contender, 41-year-old would be a much sought-after commodity, as he is a high-scoring winger who can still produce.

The New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings are said to have expressed interest in acquiring Selanne.

Ed Willes of the Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Canucks have also called the Ducks to inquire about Selanne’s availability.

What about the Winnipeg Jets? After his much anticipated return to the city where he once played and it was apparent that he was still beloved by Jets fans.

But does Jets management have any interest in acquiring Selanne?

It doesn’t appear that this the case. Jets co-owner Mark Chipman told Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press that the club won’t mortgage the future for a rental, including Selanne.

We’re trying to win hockey games. That’s what we’re all about. If there was a way where we thought we could bring him in here, we would to that. But I would also tell you, we’re not going to mortgage our future to do that. As (Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff) has said over and over again — and we’re just through our 40-game review — we’re about building this team through the assets we have and through the draft… We wouldn’t mortgage or put at risk our future, our draft picks or any of our young talent in order to bring in a player like Teemu or anyone else on a short-term basis.

As for past this season, Selanne is not sure what the future may hold. Retirement is a possibility, but not a guarantee, he told Willes in the same Vancouver Sun report.

It’s the same story. You have to be 100-per-cent sure you’re ready to push yourself again and you have to be sure you’re healthy, otherwise you can’t have success. You have to be honest with yourself. The season and the games are fun. The summer time is the toughest part because you have to work so hard. You can’t take short cuts.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland tells Khan that while the priority is the February 27 trade deadline, he and his staff will put together a more comprehensive plan going forward.

We’ll go over all the teams, we’ll go over our team, the real emphasis is on the trade deadline. But there’s also free agency on July 1. We’ll go over what we think we need and what might be out there for the trade deadline and also free agency.

Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Khan suggests that the Red Wings’s immidiate focus will be on bolstering their forward group with a scoring winger and/or “an abrasive third- or fourth-line forward.” The names being floated around have been that of Carolina Hurricanes’ Tuomo Ruutu, Edmonton Oilers’ Ales Hemsky and Anaheim Ducks’ Teemu Selanne. Selanne has long been a target of the Red Wings in the past, but have always failed to acquire. Should the Ducks make him available the Red Wings may make another attempt.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Bryan Allen. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News also believes that Hurricanes defenseman Bryan Allen and New York Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov may also be in the mix.

With $5.7 million of salary cap space at their disposal, the money is there to bring in a number of depth players before the deadline. Or perhaps go after an impact player. Not so fast, says Holland. The Red Wings GM is looking to add a more of a “complementary piece than a star player” and aren’t interested in parting with anything other than “draft picks, middling prospects and/or fringe players.”

Barring some star player getting moved, the trade deadline is about adding the right pieces, complementary pieces to fill out your roster. There’s the odd trade at the deadline that changes the balance of power, but at the end of the day, when I look at the Vancouver Canucks last year, they made some real nice trades at the deadline that gave them some depth, brought them some grit and were important players. Boston made two or three trades as well. They weren’t the big names, they were guys that were the perfect fit.

With both Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes and Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames highly unlikely to be put on the trade market by their respective teams, high profile names may be few and far between.

The Ducks may decide that in addition to a veteran like Selanne, they may explore the possibility of trading stars Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, but the asking price (rumored to be established NHL players) may be too rich for the Red Wing’s blood.

That could leave New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise and Nashville Predators‘ defenseman Ryan Suter as the biggest names in play this trade deadline.

Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter. Photo courtesy Flickr user bridgetds.

Both are impending unrestricted free agents and may be shopped if they can’t be re-signed by their respective clubs before the 27th of February. However, the Red Wings may opt to keep the assets they would have to trade for Parise and Suter, and go after them in the summer when they be acquired for money alone.

Regardless, Holland expects things to heat up witching the next month or so.

Some teams are going to see in the next 4-5 weeks if they’re playing their way into being a buyer, a seller or sort of status quo. Last year, (deals) started to happen a month out, early February, so we’ll see.

And he’ll be prepared for whatever comes his way.

We like the way the team has performed. A lot of people have had good first halves. But the trade deadline is coming. We have a lot of cap space. We’ve done a lot of drafting and developing since 2005, saving our picks. I don’t know if we have to do anything, but certainly in the next six weeks we’re going to explore.