Publicly, Nash insists he wants to remain with Columbus, the team that drafted him first overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. However, according to an article by John Shannon of Sportsnet.ca, those familiar with Nash and his situation claim that it may be a different story with Nash behind closed doors.

According to the article, Nash has admitted to friends his frustration with the direction the club is heading and doesn’t want to go through yet another rebuilding period with the Blue jackets.

“I have received a couple of calls from friends of Nash, who claim that Rick is very unhappy with the way the franchise is going and realizes it will take five more years to rebuild, again,” Shannon states in his article. “Nash is now telling people close to him that he would entertain being moved, but still will not be the one who asks for a trade.”

This rumor comes amid speculation that the Blue Jackets are also looking to move forward Jeff Carter at the trade deadline following a sub-par season after acquiring the skilled goal scorer from Philadelphia in a blockbuster trade last summer. Now, with Nash possibly on the trading block, it appears more and more likely that the Blue Jackets will completely blow up their roster to stock-pile picks and prospects at the trade deadline.

Unfortunately for Columbus, trading a player of Nash’s caliber may not be easy. Nash currently has the fifth highest cap hit of any player in the NHL at $7.8 million. Since his current contract takes him through 2018, any team that acquires Nash will need to have the cap space to accommodate his salary for years to come.

The New York Rangers and LA Kings have both reportedly already shown interest in trading for Nash, who would require a hefty return. It’s likely that Columbus would look to acquire a top young player, a prospect and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Nash. Brandon Dubinsky from the Rangers and Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson from the Kings are all names that come to mind that could find themselves involved in a Nash trade should it go down.

So far, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson has refused to comment on trade speculation, which, naturally, lends itself to even more speculation around the ‘net. With a little over two weeks left until the trade deadline, Rick Nash will certainly be one of the most watched and talked about players until a move is made or the trade deadline expires.

Murray told Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times that the only untouchables in his roster at this point are Koivu and Selanne because each of them has no trade clauses in their contracts.

“I still believe we have some core players. Now, whether we have to change a few players, so be it. They’re deciding who’s staying and who’s not staying at this point.” Murray told Elliott.

This means that players such as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan could all potentially be in play come trade deadline time.

However, it appears as if Getzlaf and Ryan have more to worry about. Both players are having down seasons as Getzlaf is on pace to put up some of the worst stats of his career. Similarly, Ryan’s 13 goals and 21 points could result in his lowest points totals ever. Both players would be highly coveted by other teams and could yield a significant return.

The Ducks currently sit 14^th in the Western Conference, 19 points out of a playoff spot. With stiff competition in the West, the team is unlikely to regain a playoff spot and could opt to start selling assets in hopes of building a contender for next season.

Murray made it clear, however, that he is looking for core-type players in return and won’t deal for draft picks and prospects. The team isn’t going into rebuilding mode, but they are looking to improve.

Ryan was the subject of major trade rumors earlier in the season, but those trade rumord quieted just as quickly as they started. He could find himself the center of attention again when the trade deadlines begins to creep up. Washington could make an offer, possibly for Semin straight up. The Islanders may look to get in on Ryan as well as they have several solid young forwards to offer. And don’t be surprised of Colorado pops up as a contender for Ryan as well. The Avs are on the cusp of a playoff spot and could offer up Paul Stastny in return.

Getzlaf could also garner some significant attention as well. Getzlaf is a big bodied, gritty forward capable of producing 70+ points a season. Nashville could make a pass at Getzlaf, possibly including Weber in the deal in some capacity, and Toronto could get in the mix as well, perhaps offering Nazem Kadri as part of the deal.

The team is 2-7-1 over their last 10 games and lingers near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The team fired their head coach last week and then followed up that move by trading defenseman Tomas Kaberle to the Montreal Canadiens, a player they signed as a free agent over the summer to a three-year deal. With all this going on, it appears more and more likely that the Hurricane’s are gearing up for something big.

That something big could be an implosion.

The team traded away Kaberle to the Montreal Canadiens for Jaroslav Spacek in return. Carolina arguably got the short end of the stick as Spacek is older (37 as opposed to 33) and offers less offensively than Kaberle is capable of producing.  So why would Carolina want to take him on?

Trade bait.

Spacek is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Despite his advanced age, he remains a proven NHL veteran and could add depth to the blue line of a team looking to make a deep playoff run. If a trade occurs, Carolina could stock up on draft picks and prospects in exchange for Spacek.

The Kaberle/Spacek trade could have signaled the beginning of a rebuilding process in Carolina. Spacek could be the first piece, and players like Alex Panikarovski, Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu could also be trade bait come trade deadline time.

The real issue, however, is how far the Hurricanes are willing to go in their rebuilding process. Mainly, will they shop current captain Eric Staal?

Staal was drafted second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Hurricanes and has basically been the face of the franchise since. He has scored 30 or more goals in five of his seven NHL seasons, and twice tallied 40 or more. Not to mention that Staal, at 27-years-old, is right in the prime of his career and will be for several more seasons.

What could make Staal expandable is another young star on the Carolina roster. Jeff Skinner came into the league last season as an 18-year-old rookie and not only won a roster spot, but went on to contribute 31 goals and 63 points en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year. This season, Skinner basically picked up where he left off and currently leads the Hurricanes in goals (12) and points (24).

Could the success of Skinner prompt the Hurricanes to trade away Eric Staal? After all, Staal makes $8.25 million a season while Skinner is only in his second season of an entry-level contract that pays him $1.4 million per year. After next season, Skinner will become a restricted free agent and Carolina could try to lock him up long term for a cap-friendly figure. A player of Staal’s caliber could warrant a significant return and help speed up the rebuilding process for Carolina.

Still, Staal trade speculation remains far-fetched. But the general likelihood that Carolina enters a rebuilding phase appears more probable with each loss this season. The team has two legitimate stars in Staal and Skinner and is set in goal with Cam Ward. The team needs to find a way to surround their stars with capable secondary scoring and a legitimate blue line. Carolina is second worst in the NHL in goals allowed per game with 3.38 and 20^th in the league in goals scored per game with 2.5. It’s becoming clear that Carolina just doesn’t have the pieces of the puzzle to be a legitimate contender.

The Spacek trade may have been the first step, but it likely will not be the last move for Carolina this season. An implosion and a move toward rebuilding may be a necessary step now if Carolina intends to build a winner for the future.

The 36 year-old Nabokov began the season with a horrible 1-5-0 record in 8 games started. Of the time played, Nabokov has a rather high 2.83 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. So why in the world would any fantasy owner be interested in him?

Nabokov’s career has been played with the San Jose Sharks where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year in 2000-2001. Since then, his stats have not been Patrick Roy like, but still a solid number one net-minder. In his 571 games played he has a winning record of 294-183-29-51 with a 2.39 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Furthermore, his playoff stats have been 2 games over .500 with 40 wins and a 2.29 goals against average with a .913 save percentage.

OK, the stats have been pumped but why is Nabokov a potential steal in fantasy pools? Nabokov is a solid net-minder despite lacking a team in front of him with the New york Islanders. He may not get as many wins as some other goalies but he will definitely get a decent save percentage by facing an average of 31.1 shots per game (21st in the NHL). The Islanders are still young and developing, they can only get better as a team. The real possibility however comes in the possibility of a trade.

Last year Nabokov made headlines by being signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings. However, due to his play oversees, Nabokov needed to clear waivers before re-entering the NHL. This is where the New York Islanders came to pick him up and tried to work out a trade. Nabokov on the other hand refused to play, eventually was suspended and sat out the remainder of the year. Well he is back, the Islanders still need a goaltender and the Red Wings may be willing to trade. Backup Ty Conklin has only seen 4 starts, a 1-3-0 record with a 3.26 goals against average. Ouch!

Conklin may not be a trade interest for the Islanders, however, the Red Wings do have 22 year-old Thomas McCollum. McCollum is young, currently playing in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. His stats are not quite there but the Red Wings have belief in his potential. Not needing a goalie for quite some time with 27 year-old Jimmy Howard, on top of possibly willing to trade winger Dan Cleary, the Red Wings may be interested in Nabokov once again.

Nabokov is not going anywhere for a while, not until he starts posting a few wins. Be on the lookout for buzz about a possible trade. Once that starts to hit the headlines Nabokov might be of interest.

Zach Parise may be a New Jersey Devil today, but come trade deadline or free agency, expect him to be on the move.

New Jersey Devil fans have it tough, real tough. If it is not bad enough that the Devils are currently sitting 12th in the standings in the East, young superstar Zach Parise is likely to play for another team come trade deadline or in the off-season.

The Minnesota native Zach Parise is coming into his production years at the age of 27. Playing 7 seasons with the Devils, it is time for some new scenery. With a Silver medal under his belt from 2010, Parise wants a Stanley Cup ring, that of which the Devils won’t do for quite some time.

The Devils of old were once a powerhouse team. Hard hitting defender Scott Stevens, a younger Martin Brodeur between the pipes and head coach Jacques Lemaire made every team cringe. How the years have passed, as the Devils of new are nothing but a pushover. Last year the team missed the playoffs by 12 points. To this day the team is once again sitting on the outside looking in. An argument could be that they are only 2 points back from 8th, but the Eastern Conference is a tricky beast.

My how a few acquisitions, trades and years makes a difference. The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs have surprised the hockey community as both are currently sitting in playoff spots. It seems Brian Burke’s master plan to take over the hockey world is finally taking form. (insert lightning/thunder/evil laugh now) On the flip side, the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, all three teams who made the playoffs last season, are currently on the outside looking in. The Devils competition is only going to get tougher.

Over a quarter way in, Parise has only 16 points in 25 games. His total is from a combined 7 goals and 9 assists, a rather poor total for such a player of his caliber. On top of that, Parise has a plus minus rating of negative 10, second to worst on the team, that of which belongs to Ilya Kovalchuk with a negative 11.

Devil fans enjoy the season while it lasts, despite the slow plummet to miss the playoffs yet again. Parise is on the move come trade deadline or free agency. If you are lucky another team will be offering a trade and you can get some depth and draft picks.

No real denials have come out of Anaheim to squash the Ryan movement rumors, leading to speculation that offers are at least being entertained. And about 29 teams around the league are currently assessing their rosters and cap situations to figure out how they could make a reasonable pitch for Ryan.

Ryan is a young, versatile player who can pretty much play any forward spot. He has three full seasons of NHL experience under his belt and has improved his point total in every season played. Ryan has scored at least 30 goals in each of those seasons and topped out at 71 points last year, arguably with room to improve. He has playoff experience, international play experience and would be a great addition to any lineup. Not to mention Ryan’s $5.1 million cap hit makes him a reasonably affordable asset.

So which teams might actually put together a reasonable pitch for Ryan? Rumors put Buffalo, Toronto, Philadelphia, and both New York teams in the mix. Nashville could also take a swing and some dreamers have Columbus making a straight up Carter-for-Ryan swap. Boston, Dallas and Edmonton have also been floated as possible destinations as well. Needless to say, almost anyone needing an impact forward is in the running.

The most intriguing destination in this list is Boston. Ryan would provide the team an offensive boost and he would fit their system well as he plays responsibly at both ends of the ice. The price would be hefty though. David Krejci, a restricted free agent, could be part of a possible trade package. A defenseman and perhaps a prospect or draft pick or two would also likely be included. Anaheim has holes in their roster and Krejci alone would not be enticing enough.

The two roll-your-eyes-at-the-obviousness teams on that list are the Rangers and Flyers. Seriously guys, you can’t have every player worth having in the NHL on your roster. However, both teams do have some depth forwards and some d-men that they could package together to entice Anaheim. Perhaps New York would be willing to part with Dubinsky and Del Zotto? Philadelphia may consider flipping Simmonds, shipping Van Riemsdyk or even including Matt Carle in some capacity.

The most likely destination would have to be Toronto. With Brian Burke calling the shots on Toronto, he would definitely pounce to get Ryan, the player he drafted second overall in 2005. Besides, Burke has adamantly stated over the past two years  that he wants another top-six scorer – something that he hasn’t been able to secure (unless you want to count Tim Connolly as that, but we don’t). Joffrey Lupul has been a significant surprise, but having Ryan on board would certainly solidify Toronto’s top two lines. And after several poor seasons, the Maple Leafs have the prospects to trade away as well. Nazem Kadri could be included, as could Nikolai Kulemin, Luke Schenn or Carl Gunnarsson. However, Toronto has zero cap space to work with this season, so the trade would have to be tit-for-tat salary wise in order for this to work for Toronto.

Whether a trade actually happens remains to be seen, but the Ducks need to make something happen if they plan on digging themselves out of the 6-13-4 record they currently have, and Ryan seems to be the disposable piece of the puzzle. I guess we should forget about a Selanne return to Winnipeg for Enstrom straight up, eh?

Carter himself has been a disappointment thus far with only one goal and three assists, but Carter has also missed half of the season with injuries making it difficult for him to establish himself with the team. Still, rumors are lingering that Carter isn’t happy playing in Columbus and has asked management for a trade, which harks back to over the summer when Carter was initially traded and rumors swirled after he failed to address the media that he was unhappy with the trade and didn’t want to play for Columbus.

Teams rumored to be interested include the Boston Bruins, who would love to have another goal scorer added to their lineup, the Montreal Canadiens and the LA Kings. Yes, the Kings may be in the running with Mike Richards rumored to be leading the charge to have LA trade for his friend and former teammate.

Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson, Jeff Carter’s agent Rick Curran and Carter himself have all denied that he has requested a trade, but that certainly won’t stop speculation around the web that Carter wants out.

Carter did comment, however, that he is unhappy with his team’s performance thus far.

“I don’t think anybody is happy (in the dressing room) right now,” Carter said. “If anybody is happy in this room, they shouldn’t be. We’ve won (four) games.”

Personally, I have to call the bluff on this rumor. While the initial trade to send Carter out of Philadelphia caught everyone by surprise, it’s highly unlikely that Carter will be passed on by the Blue Jackets after only nine games. Injuries have hindered his ability to get comfortable on the ice with his teammates, thus causing his performance to suffer.

Besides, the Blue Jackets are more likely to fire their head coach, Scott Arniel, before they make any significant lineup changes. The team gave up a lot in order to acquire Carter. While he makes an easy scapegoat out of the gate because the team expects so much from him, it’s highly unlikely that they are willing to give up on Carter after so little time.

Reports have surfaced that Weber’s camp asked the arbitrator for $8.5 million a season, making the 25-year-old defenseman one of the highest paid defenseman in the NHL. Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins will make $8.5 million a season while Christian Ehrhoff recently signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Sabres that will pay him $10 million this season.

Similar news surfaced that Nashville was initially offering a contract for just over $7 million per season with terms of the deal ranging between three and seven years. During the arbitration hearing, however, Nashville asked for a lower amount in their proposal (rumored to be $4.75 million) in hopes that it would lower the arbitrator’s award to somewhere in the middle with a contract for $6.5 million or so.

Speculation continues that this whole charade could be a do-or-die moment for the Predators as Weber was unhappy that Nashville decided to take him to arbitration to begin with. Coupled with his desire to win a Stanley Cup, it’s believed that Weber is looking for a big pay day and also the assurance that Nashville is willing to spend the money to land the talent to build a championship team – something they have been reluctant to do in recent years despite their success in making the playoffs and consistently getting bounced in the early rounds.

It’s likely the arbitrator’s award will be a one-year contract, making Weber a restricted free agent again next season. However, since the Predators initiated the arbitration this year they will be unable to do so again next season. If Weber truly is unhappy with the team’s decision to take him to arbitration, this could be an interesting story to follow as the season progresses – especially if Nashville can’t re-sign Weber to a long term deal or if the team appears to be out of the playoff picture when the second half of the season hits. Nashville could opt to trade Weber at that point. The team would probably prefer to trade Weber than risk losing him for a compensation package of draft picks if an offer sheet came through next summer.

After an arbitration hearing, the arbitrator has 48-hours to deliver his award. Weber’s decision will come through by tomorrow morning at the latest.

Tell us what you think! How much do you think Weber will be awarded and how do you think this whole process will impact Weber’s future relationship with the Predators?

Nothing is confirmed currently, nothing that I could dig up at least, but rumors are Ovechkin will be sporting Bauer products. Ovechkin was seen a few years back playing with a Bauer stick. Some felt the move was due to his unhappiness with the inconsistency and durability issues of CCM sticks, while others thought CCM had asked him to use other sticks and then provide feedback to make their products better. Still though, nothing was confirmed why he used the Bauer products.

Perhaps being a little skeptical, and maybe using a little business logic, it seems unlikely that Ovechkin will use anything other than CCM products. Well, at least for this year. With huge ad campaigns and a whole product line following the superstar, I just do not see the change being pulled off so quickly. To me, Ovechkin would have to have a contract set in place by CCM hockey that would not allow him to jump ship right now, or perhaps pay a large penalty for negating the contract. Sure Ovechkin is one of the top paid NHL players in the league, but I don’t see him paying up to use another brand. But then again, crazier things have happened.

It is unclear right now what is fact and what is rumor, but if Ovechkin was to play with another brand this upcoming NHL season, what brand do you think he would be sporting and why?

Update:

Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals superstar, has left CCM and joined the Nike team with an apparel and product endorsement.

Ovechkin has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday, September 6th, where he is expected to announce his endorsement deal with Bauer Hockey. If you visit Bauer.com, you will notice a brand new intro and header which shows the Bauer APX skates, with Ovechkin’s signature yellow laces. The text reads “This year will be different.” You can expect Ovechkin will now be wearing the APX skates this season when he suits up rather than the CCM U+ CL skates.

The 38 year old Osgood began his career in the ’93 – ’94 season with the Detroit Red Wings. Going 23-8-5 in his rookie season, it was evident he was bound for greatness. He has scored a goal in the WHL, two time winner of the William M. Jennigs Trophy (fewest goals scored during the regular season with a minimum of 25 games played), and currently holds the 10th ranking for all-time wins as a goaltender with 401. These stats are merely a glimpse of his career.

Osgood had short stints with both the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues, yet the majority of his play has been with the Detroit Red Wings. Being there for the Wings through the thick and thin, Osgood is most notably  known for his helmet/cage combination goalie mask. Perhaps even recognized as a feisty goalie who fought with Colorado Avalanche net-minder Patrick Roy. For Red Wings’ fans though, he will always be known as the Wizard of Oz.

Unfortunately Osgood’s time has come to an end in the NHL. With current Red Wing’s young goaltender Jimmy Howard taking the number one spot, as well as coming off of a season filled with groin injuries and surgeries, it proved to be his Achilles heel. He can hang his head high though. Through his career as a Detroit Red Wing, Osgood brought home the Stanley Cup three times, both back to back years in 1997 and 1998, as well as another in 2008.

It is a sad day indeed, as another great player retires.