It appears as if there are some legs to the rumors that the Boston Bruins are looking to trade away their top-line center Marc Savard. Reports have surfaced that Savard, who signed a seven-year contract extension with the Bruins in December 2009, will waive his no-trade clause if it means being dealt to the Ottawa Senators or Toronto Maple Leafs – two teams that could have some legitimate interest in Savard’s services.

After drafting Tyler Seguin at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft this past weekend, the Bruins have too many bodies at center and need to clear a player in order to fit Seguin into the lineup. The 32-year-old Savard looks to be the odd man out. While some aspects of this move make sense, other aspects would make any fan scratch their head with wonder.

Savard’s seven-year contract extension carried with it a $4.2 million cap hit, which is quite reasonable for a center of his abilities. While somewhat injury-prone, Savard has managed 70 or more points in four of his last five seasons. In two of those seasons he registered 90 or more points. Last year, during a season in which Savard only played in 41 games, the gifted center still tallied 33 points – and that’s playing without a legitimate winger on his side.

For comparisons sake, Jason Spezza, who has registered similar numbers over the past several seasons, makes roughly $7 million a season. If Savard took a “hometown discount” to finish his career with the Bruins, it seems quite disrespectful that the Bruins would turn around and send Savard and his friendly cap hit elsewhere. It’s especially disrespectful when you consider that Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron accounts for a slightly larger cap hit of $4.75 million per season and has been considerably less productive over the same time period. Granted, Bergeron has dealt with several significant injuries, but Savard is a proven commodity and a veteran player. Why not look to trade away Bergeron and keep Savard?

Well, the answer is in the numbers. Bergeron is younger at 24 years old and does have a huge offensive upside when he is healthy. Savard also makes for tasty trade bait with the numbers he is capable of producing offensively coupled with a low salary cap hit. The Bruins are currently $4.7 million under the cap. If they move Savard and his $4.2 million cap hit, as well as goaltender Tim Thomas and his $5 million cap hit (which they are definitely expected to do), then the Bruins all of a sudden have roughly $13 million to bring in a scoring winger or general scoring depth on the wings with money leftover to replace Dennis Wideman on defense. Heck, Boston management is probably licking their chops at the thought of being able to make a legitimate offer to unrestricted free agent Ilya Kovalchuk.

If a trade is to happen, the Maple Leafs would seem like a logical destination for Savard for several reasons. First, Savard has a history playing with Phil Kessel. They have made magic together before and I doubt that Maple Leafs GM Brian Bruke could resist the temptation to pair them together again. Burke has also stated several times over the past few weeks that he wants to add offense this summer. Tons and tons of offense. Well, a healthy Savard paired with Kessel could bring about 80-90 points out of Savard. Second, the Leafs are still looking to trade Kaberle and, as I’ve already stated, the Bruins will look to replace Wideman. Could a Kaberle-for-Savard deal be in the works? It would seem mutually beneficial to both teams.

With the free agent frenzy beginning in just a few short days, if there is a deal to be done expect it to happen soon. Both teams involved in the trade will want to hash out the details and get their ducks in a row before free agency begins so that they can figure out what pieces they still need to put into place this summer.

The days preceding the 2010 NHL Entry Draft have been some of the busiest in recent years in terms of trades and trade rumors. Now that the draft is only a few short hours away from beginning, trade rumors are heating up as general managers around the league look to get the most bang for their buck and do whatever it takes to make their team a contender. And it appears as if nobody is safe from the trading block. Here is a quick rundown of some of the last-minute rumors going around the net that could come into fruition before or during the draft tonight:

- It appears as if several teams are offering their first-round draft picks. The Florida Panthers (#3), Columbus Blue Jackets (#4), New York Islanders (#5), Atlanta Thrashers (#8), Florida Panthers (#15) and the Phoenix Coyotes (#22) are all said to be fielding offers for their first-round draft picks. If any of these teams do give up their selections, don’t expect them to come cheap. Several of these teams are looking to rebuild and they will want promising prospects or a package of later draft picks. Florida, Columbus or New York may even want a roster player plus prospects in exchange for their selection.

- Tomas Kaberle talks continue and will continue through the draft until he is dealt. The number of interested teams appears to be in the double digits, but the number of serious offers may only be around 5. While I would be very surprised of Kaberle wasn’t moved tonight, it’s being said that Toronto GM Brian Burke is asking for a lot in return and some teams may not be willing to give up what Burke is asking for. When push comes to shove, I expect Kaberle to be moved tonight.

- Dallas Stars forward Mike Ribeiro has recently come into play. Rumors state that inquiries have been made about Ribeiro’s availability, but Dallas isn’t actively pushing to unload Ribeiro, who carries with him a cap hit of $5 million per season.

- Stars center Brad Richards has also been linked to the New York Rangers as a possible center for Marion Gaborik. Richards carries a hefty price tag of $7.8 million, but the Rangers may be willing to pay.

- Senators forward Jason Spezza has been the center of trade talks for a few weeks now, but it appears as if talks have died down for Ottawa’s top center. With a hefty cap hit of $7 million per season, many teams may not be able to absorb that kind of salary. Spezza could be moved tonight, but my guess is that he is still a Senator by the end of the draft and that talks will heat up next week before free agency begins. Spezza’s no trade clause kicks in next Thursday at the beginning of the free agency period.

- Boston Bruins center Marc Savard has recently appeared in trade rumors. The general feeling is that Edmonton will take taylor Hall with the number one overall pick, leaving Boston to take Tyler Seguin at number two. This will leave the Bruins overloaded at center. They will most likely try to move a center in the near future. I highly doubt that Savard will be that center, however.Teams rumored to be interested in Savard are the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames.

- Reports state that the Florida Panthers have decided to take defenseman Erik Gudbranson with their number three overall pick (if that pick is not traded).

- Flyers center Jeff Carter continues to appear in trade rumors. Philadelphia needs a strong goaltender next season and Carter may be the sacrifice to get what they covet. Carter would certainly be a welcome addition to any team needing a young, goal-scoring center. Carter is set to earn $5 million this season and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

In short, it appears as if the rumor mill has either gone crazy with wishful thinking or  simply no player, no matter how gifted or well-liked, is safe from being traded. While I don’t think tonight’s draft will be as crazy as some rumor mongers are making it out to be, I certainly believe that some moves will be made and that at least one big player will get traded before the night is out. Draft starts in roughly two hours. Grab a pizza and a beer and enjoy.

Jason Spezza’s tenure as an Ottawa Senator could be over. The star center reportedly spoke to Senators GM Bryan Murray and expressed his dissatisfaction and frustration with his situation and reception in Ottawa, especially after the team’s first round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. Spezza supposedly asked for a trade during their initial meeting but neither side will confirm. Murray stated that he hopes to sit down and talk to Spezza again in the coming weeks and determine a course of action.

Conflicting stories are surfacing regarding the initial meeting between Spezza and Murray. About his first meeting with Murray, Spezza stated, “I had a good conversation with Bryan,” Spezza said. “There’s always things to talk about the end of the year — just kind of airing out what I thought, and what he thought.”

Murray, however, seemed to walk away from the meeting with a different opinion. “I got an impression that he was quite unhappy at the end,” Murray stated in a recent interview. He went on to say that he hopes to speak to Spezza in the coming weeks after the emotion and stress of the playoffs has worn off a bit.

Spezza finished the regular season with 23 goals and 57 points in 60 games. He continued his impressive offensive pace by adding another goal and six assists in Ottawa’s six-game series with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. However, Spezza finished the series with a minus-3 rating and was called out by the media and fans alike for turnovers and general poor play.

In November 2007, Spezza signed a seven-year contract worth $49 million, which averages out to a cap hit of roughly $7 million each season. The contract does not currently have a no-trade clause, but one will come into effect as of July 1 of this year. If Spezza is indeed unhappy in Ottawa and would like to be dealt, the Senators would probably prefer to move Spezza before the no-trade clause kicks into effect, otherwise the team risks a similar situation to the one they dealt with last summer with Dany Heatley. Heatley very publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Senators and asked for a trade from the organization. However, Heatley said he would only waive his no-trade clause for a handful of teams and offered a list to Murray of preferred destinations. Heatley eventually landed with the San Jose Sharks.

Spezza, at least, seems to be more interested in some level of discretion with the situation, despite the swirling rumors. “[I'm] trying to keep the conversation between the two of us,” he said of his conversations with Murray.

At 26-years-old, Spezza should be coming into the prime of his career – which is saying a lot for an athlete that has already recorded two seasons in which he scored 90 or more points. Throughout the past five years with the Senators, Spezza has had three seasons in which he scored 30 or more goals as well.

The obvious problem with this scenario is that the Senators would need to find a suitor capable of absorbing Spezza’s hefty cap hit of $7 per season, which is something that not a lot of teams would be able to do without making some heavy roster changes. If Spezza does become available, the Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that could possibly make a move for him. Columbus has sought a center for Rick Nash for several seasons and the two could work magic together on the ice and help create a dominate top line for the Blue Jackets. Columbus currently has roughly $9 million in space under the cap, which would be enough to absorb Spezza’s cap hit.

The rumor mill is buzzing and the Toronto Maple Leafs are again at the center of attention. The target? None other than puck-moving defenseman Tomas Kaberle.

Toronto supposedly has several suitors interested in Kaberle’s services and that a deal to move him out of Toronto could come shortly after the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs. If not by then, sources are claiming that a deal will certainly be done before the end of Round 1 of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

While the rumors are vague at this point, it seems that one scenario involves trading Kaberle and a prospect for a draft pick and a very good, young goaltending prospect. The draft pick coming to Toronto would most likely be a first round pick to make up for their own first round pick that was traded last summer to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal. The second part of this scenario is simple – by trading Kaberle, the Leafs free up the $6 million or more that it will take to bring in a top 3 forward when the free agency period opens up on July 1. Regardless of who the Leafs target, sources claim that Toronto’s plan when the free agency period opens up is to secure more offense.

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that as many as five teams are interested in Kaberle while two are at least very interested in obtaining the defenseman. Pittsburgh and Washington are rumored to be the two primary contenders. Pittsburgh would love to bring in Kaberle as a suitable replacement for Sergei Gonchar if they are unable to resign the unrestricted free agent. However, with the cap going up roughly $2 million, Pittsburgh may be able to squeeze Gonchar under the cap. A mobile defenseman who is capable of scoring 50 or more points a season would also entice the offensively-stacked Washington Capitals as well, but other sources claim that Washington is more interested in targeting Anton Volchenkov as thier first choice when the free agency period opens. New Jersey and Buffalo are also rumored to be in the mix for Kaberle.

Regardless of what the rumors state or where he ends up, it appears as if Kaberle’s tenure in Toronto is all but finished. While Kaberle has often been the target of trade rumors, several sources are claiming that there are solid offers on the table for Kaberle. With Toronto looking to rebuild quickly and make a run for the playoffs next season, GM Brian Burke will probably not hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal to ship Kaberle out of Toronto.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to rebuild. Again. But this time they might have to do so without long-time Lightning right-wing Martin St. Louis who has stated that he wants to play for a contender instead of going through the rebuilding process once again.

“I want to be on a winning team,” St. Louis told the St. Petersburg Times. “It’s three years of this and (we’re going) back to square one, so I want to be on a winning team. That’s the biggest thing. I’m not getting any younger. We’ll see how it all shakes out this summer.”

Immediately after the regular season ended, the new owner of the Lightning, Jeff Vinik, relieved general manager Brian Lawton and head coach Rick Tocchet of their duties.

“My vision of being world class here necessitated taking this action and really having a fresh start on the hockey side of things,” said Vinik of his decision to fire Tocchet and Lawton.

While replacements are yet to be named for the vacant positions, a list of roughly ten names are rumored to be possible replacements as the new GM for the Lightning. However, without a new GM or head coach in place, it’s difficult for players to assess the state of the team and where the team will be headed in the future. Certainly a new GM might come in and decide to clean house and rebuild from the ground up – something that St. Louis isn’t willing to take part in again.

Despite being a few months away from his 35th birthday, St. Louis still appears to be in the prime of his career. In fact, last season St. Louis was fifth in the league in assists with 65, and sixth in the league in total points with an impressive 94. St. Louis has accumulated 80 or more points in each of his last four seasons and twice scored over 90 points in that same span. His incredibly consistent play has made him one of the most valuable assets for the Lightning in recent years.

St. Louis is signed through next season for a cap hit of $5.25 million and has a no-trade clause on his current contract, which means that St. Louis would need to waive his clause in order to be traded. Depending on the direction that the new GM decides to take, it’s entirely possible that St. Louis delivers a list of acceptable destinations that he will waive his clause for – much like Dany Heatley did for the Ottawa Senators last summer before they shipped him to the San Jose Sharks. With his impressive numbers, St. Louis could certainly be a hot commodity for any contender.