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Were less than six weeks from the Mar. 2 trade deadline, which means all the basic chatter and tire kicking will take on a more serious tone as early as next week. Theres no promise that deals will be made immediately following the All-Star break, but a number of team executives do sense that the urgency to make a move is starting to grow. On Thursday nights Tim Hortons Thats Hockey, we addressed the wants and needs of the seven Canadian NHL teams. Granted, every team is looking for upgrades and Im certain many NHL general managers take some pleasure in playing the media game by declaring a wish list that often includes a top six forward or a top four defenceman. And its hard to imagine any of the 30 teams arent in the market for that. With that in mind, lets first take a look at the list we unveiled in Tuesdays edition of Insider Trading disclosing the initial list of players considered as trade bait with the deadline looming: Trade Bait Player NHL Team Position Antoine Vermette Arizona Coyotes Centre Tyler Myers Buffalo Sabres Defence Joffrey Lupul Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing Jake Gardiner Toronto Maple Leafs Defence Keith Yandle Arizona Coyotes Defence Ryan OReilly Colorado Avalanche Centre Jaromir Jagr New Jersey Devils Right Wing Curtis Glencross Calgary Flames Left Wing Zbynek Michalek Arizona Coyotes Defence Erik Cole Dallas Stars Left Wing Chris Neil Ottawa Senators Right Wing Cody Franson Toronto Maple Leafs Defence Marc Methot Ottawa Senators Defence Jiri Tlusty Carolina Hurricanes Left Wing Jeff Petry Edmonton Oilers Defence Tyler Kennedy San Jose Sharks Right Wing Zack Kassian Vancouver Canucks Right Wing Matt Hendricks Edmonton Oilers Left Wing Drew Stafford Buffalo Sabres Right Wing Brad Boyes Florida Panthers Right Wing Matt Irwin San Jose Sharks Defence Michael Ryder New Jersey Devils Right Wing Kyle Brodziak Minnesota Wild Centre Ryan Carter Minnesota Wild Centre Chris Phillips Ottawa Senators Defence Paul Martin Pittsburgh Penguins Defence Tomas Fleischmann Florida Panthers Left Wing Canadian NHL Team Game Plans Toronto Maple Leafs Veteran defenceman Cody Franson is a late addition to the Trade Bait list in the likelihood he embraces unrestricted free agency. The Leafs arent willing to pay him what he will lure on the open market and based on the demand for blueliners with a right-handed shot, Franson will fetch a decent trade return once its been determined he intends to walk. And that decision should be soon. Forwards Daniel Winnik and Mike Santorelli (also pending UFAs) are drawing interest from trade circles as well and given Torontos play of late, the list of available Leaf players is starting to grow. While never impossible, any trade involving a key player is unlikely until the off-season, when other cap teams have more flexibility to take on bigger contracts. Again - anything is possible. However, Torontos expected return seems fairly specific as the Leafs are looking for good young roster players in their early twenties. Montreal Canadiens The Habs have faced adversity this season, but keep on finding ways to win and remain a top team in the Eastern Conference. A sagging power play has regained some spark and when healthy, Carey Price has performed at his usual elite standard. Trying to nail general manager Marc Bergevin down on divulging internal secrets is a near futile exercise, but he talks to enough people around the league to surmise hes not satisfied with how his team looks. And if he can add a forward to strengthen his top two lines, he will. Bergevin is also believed to be looking for a defenceman - perhaps an upgrade to whats already considered a decent top five. Ottawa Senators Wayne Scanlan of The Ottawa Citizen wrote an excellent piece this week on Senators GM Bryan Murray and by Murrays own admission, this will very likely be his last season at the helm. Murray likes what he sees on this years roster and still believes Ottawa has a chance, though the standings are continuing to paint a different picture. Its believed Murray would also like to add a top six forward - an established player with some term remaining to give the Senators some stability. Acquiring such a player is hard to do, though Murray found a way when winger Bobby Ryan was brought into town. While some believe it might be better for the Sens to wait and allow the younger players to develop, Murrays more immediate concern is his lack of roster space. Mark Borowiecki is very close to returning, which will force Ottawa to make a tough decision. Its likely that Colin Greening will be placed on waivers to open a spot. Meanwhile, the uncertainty of Marc Methots future continues to hang over the club as well. A pending UFA, Methot complements captain Erik Karlsson and is playing well. If a contract extension cant be worked out, Methot will likely be traded - which would create a large hole on Ottawas blue line. Given the spot duty assigned to veteran defenceman Chris Phillips (who has been a healthy scratch eight times this season), perhaps Murray finds a new home for a proud man who cant be happy with his limited role. All of this makes for difficult decisions for Bryan Murray and his management team to ponder. Winnipeg Jets The Jets appear to be a throwback example of hard work and chemistry paying off. Head coach Paul Maurice says he never goes to the rink concerned about how hard his team is willing to work. And it shows, as the Jets are highly regarded as one of the most difficult teams to play against. Comfortably in a playoff spot, no one in this organization is taking anything for granted. And this Jets team knows that the post All-Star grind will demand a high level of intestinal fortitude to secure that spot. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has assets he can dangle in a trade - particularly from his defence corps. The Jets would like to add a third line right winger, but given the play of this team, Cheveldayoff might consider something more significant to bolster his chances against the Western Conferences big boys. The Jets wont mortgage their future, but if they continue to string wins together and find a way to creep into the Top 10, there will be some interesting boardroom conversations leading up to the deadline. Vancouver Canucks The Canucks continue to quietly go about their business and with far less drama than weve seen in recent years. The team is where they thought they would be at the beginning of the season - in the playoff mix, but fighting to distance themselves from the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings. Now Vancouver needs scoring and the team is hopeful that the right deal will materialize to add a second line forward. Dont expect GM Jim Benning to dive into the rental pool, as the Canucks have no intention of blowing out the young talent theyve accumulated over the last couple of seasons to acquire a player destined for free agency. And the rumour mill keeps linking the Canucks to Boston, given the obvious history Benning has as the Bruins former assistant GM. Calgary Flames Remarkably, the Flames remain one of the NHLs pleasant surprises this season. Approaching the 50-game mark, they are a playoff team, while the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings are not. Yes, its hard to believe. Head coach Bob Hartley has developed a winning culture in Calgary and similar to the job Maurice has done in Winnipeg, the buy-in from the players is impressive. But Flames GM Brad Treliving knows where his team is on the rebuilding road and while it might be enticing to fast-track the plan, he continues to evaluate his group to make sure he has the long-term pieces in the right fit. The team would like to add a defenceman and will remain open to all trade possibilities. But young key players wont be sacrificed based on where the Flames are positioned in the standings on Mar. 2. Edmonton Oilers General manager Craig MacTavish has faced enough challenges to last 10 lifetimes, but his to-do list is as long as ever as the club braces for another offseason of selling hope. Its hard to imagine the Oilers being quiet in the weeks leading up to deadline, but with three picks in the Top 35 in this Junes draft, MacTavish may wait to do the heavy lifting until the summer. If Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle or another member of the Oilers core is to be included in a game-changing swap, then this type of auction will clearly draw the most action in the off-season. Goaltending and defence are a top priority for the Oilers and another quality centre would help as well. Defenceman Jeff Petry will attract interest on the trade front and could be used in a package to satisfy one of the teams needs, or for another draft pick that the Oilers can use to load up for June. Enjoy the All-Star break and make sure you check out SportsCentre and TSN.ca on Tuesday for the latest edition of Insider Trading. Cole Holcomb Jersey . At this point, even he isnt sure when it is going to stop. The right-hander dropped his fourth straight decision in Los Angeles 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, leaving his status very much in doubt as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch drive. Sonny Jurgensen Jersey . The former Edmonton Oilers defenceman was with the St. Louis Blues in training camp on a professional tryout. Whitney, 30, had four goals and 13 points in 34 games with the Oilers last season. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-steven-sims-jersey .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Andrew Ankrah Jersey . On Thursday, they signed former Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Josh Woodrum Jersey .C. -- Jackson Whistle made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Kelowna Rockets blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.Did you think that the Swedish game was tailored against your skillset? Actually I was surprised how they played over there. It was a lot of trap hockey, it was pretty tight checking, I thought it would be a lot more wide open with dangling. Id say the rules were not as suited towards me, as they dont allow big body checks, youll get a penalty for roughing or boarding if you hit a guy too hard, so theres a little big of an adjustment there. I was more surprised how they played over there than the dangling Russian style I kind of pictured. Was there any culture shock going over? Yeah, definitely. I think day-to-day life away from the rink, and even at the rink, your schedule with practice, the game day set up that theyve been doing there for years, its all totally different - even practice days - I hadnt done some of the drills before. It was free-flowing big big ice drills with lots of turning. But I brought my family and my kids over there, so getting used to how things operate, how restaurants work, how every little thing you are used to here is kind of different. Did your family enjoy being there? Yeah I think they did. We had our baby like two weeks before wed gone over there so that was not good [laughs] for the wife off the start. It turned out she had a really good time though and our family enjoyed it. My kid was in preschool and learned a little bit of Swedish, a young kid takes everything in well, so it ended up being a good family experience. Happy to be back in Canada? Yeah, very happy. Your Twitter handle @Armdog has over 163k followers, do you like interacting with people on Twitter? I love Twitter actually. My wife gives me a hard time because Im on there all the time, but I love checking it out for my own personal news pick ups and things that Im interested in following, and hockey and other people in general. I also like the fan interaction, I like getting @ mentions, its pretty fun, its like somebody has my phone number but they dont have my phone number, like I could send you a text message and youll see it. What was it like playing for both sides of the Toronto/Montreal rivalry? It was great. I dont know how many times Ive said it but I feel very lucky to have played on both organizations, it was two great experiences. It was awesome living in both cities. It was great for my family, people were friendly, both cities were awesome. Putting on those jerseys was something special, it was something else. Did you have any preference? I know you were a Montreal Canadiens fan growing up. Yeah, I grew up as a Habs fan so Id probably say that hit home for me a lot more. Growing up being a Habs fan, I was in thhe Montreal Canadiens fan club as a kid, which I think had a five-dollar entry fee [laughs] you would get a pendant that says youre a part of the fan club, which had up on my wall, but to get to put on that jersey after being a fan as a kid was like a dream come true.dddddddddddd I wish it hadnt been during a lockout year, it was something to remember. Now that youve had time to reflect, what do you think of this video? Oh did you like that [laughs]? It was certainly something else. That was McLovin [as Maxime Talbot is on the screen]. You know what, that was put on Jay Leno as like the worst car commercial hes ever seen. I was sleeping and we had a game the next day and I was in bed and my wifes parents were visiting and they came upstairs and were like "oh my gosh, you were just on Jay Lenos worst car commercial," and I immediately felt myself sweating and getting red and embarrassed because thats pretty big time you know. I was just like "oh my God," because I knew it was pretty cheesy and bad when we did it, but its something fun, its kind of a YouTube sensation. Did you ever think it would blow up like it did? No, not off the start, I guess it kind of fizzled out now, but people still talk about it or bring it up on Twitter especially. It still kind of lingers around but it did kind of take off at the start which I think what the company was hoping for [laughs]. Changing topics, who do you have for the Stanley Cup this year? I hope my buddies in Montreal can pull off the series and get to the finals, but I think Chicago/LA are pretty strong. I think yesterday on Off The Record I think I picked Chicago in the series, but I dont know, I think L.A is just built for playoff series, I think theyll probably win. When somebody asks, who is the best playing in the NHL? You say.. There are so many guys that are different players. I dont think you can question what Toews have done for his teams that hes played on. I remember him when he was 18 or 19, and he just carried his World Junior team to Gold and played with us as a young guy at the World Championships as a young guy and was a big part of the team at a young age. That guys just got it. Crosby or Toews, just with their resumes, what theyve done with their teams in their careers is just incredible. Can you go bar down? I can go cheddar down mostly [laughs]. Finally, whats next for Colby Armstrong? Just a summer of training and getting ready. Hoperl] ' ' '