The Bruins are one of those four teams, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. As Dreger sees it, Boston, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Chicago are four teams having “ongoing conversations” with Calgary.

Iginla, 35, is having another strong season for the struggling Flames. Through 29 games, he has eight goals and 13 assists, with those 21 point totals the third most on the squad.

Over the course of a 15-year NHL career, the right winger has compiled 524 goals and 570 assists.

Yandle, a Boston native, "would love to play for the Bruins," according to CSNNE.com's Danny Picard. The news comes amidst speculation that the B's could look to add a top-pair defenseman to play alongside Zdeno Chara.

Yandle, who turns 26 on Sunday, would certainly fit that mold. He's been an All-Star the past two seasons, and has played in all of the Coyotes' games the past three years. He recorded a career-high 59 points (11 goals, 48 assists) in 2010-11, and compiled 11-32-43 totals last season while helping Phoenix reach the Western Conference Final.

The Coyotes understand how important Yandle is to their success, so they signed him to a five-year, $26.25 million extension last summer. He's been the subject of some rumors this offseason, though, with the Red Wings reportedly among the teams that have inquired about the defenseman.

Picard's source — which he describes as "close to Yandle" — said any potential trade to the Bruins could include David Krejci, who signed a three-year, $15.75 million deal that starts this season. However, that's pure speculation at this point, so the real news remains Yandle's apparent desire to play for his hometown club.

Yandle has amassed 43 goals, 144 assists, 187 points and is a plus-17 in 365 career regular season games.

Photo via Facebook/Keith Yandle

The Bruins are "not in on" the Nash and Ryan sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com's Jimmy Murphy.

According to Murphy, the Bruins and Ducks had "exploratory talks" regarding Ryan, but Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli made it known that David Krejci and Milan Lucic are not available, meaning a deal is probably unlikely.

Nash, whose name has also been tossed around in trade rumors and whose list of teams he'd accept a trade to includes the Bruins, also appears off the radar for Boston. The B's have reportedly dropped out of the running for the Columbus forward, as the Blue Jackets' asking price has been considered too high.

These reports don't come as much of a surprise. Despite speculation and cries from some B's fans to go after a scorer like Nash or Ryan, the cost of acquiring such a player remains through the roof. The asking price for Nash appears to be especially high, with the Blue Jackets reportedly requesting any combination of Krejci, Lucic, Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton in exchange for the five-time All-Star.

Sometimes, it's better to just walk away from the table with what you have, and it appears the Bruins are willing to do that.

Click here for an opinion on Rick Nash's impact >>

Click here for an opinion on Bobby Ryan's impact >>

Bobby Ryan Photo (right) via Flickr/OfficerGreg

Boston re-signed restricted free agent forward Lane MacDermid and signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Garnet Exelby, and both will have a chance in camp to compete for spots with the big club.

Both players signed one-year, two-way deals. MacDermid will make $600,000 if he sticks with the big club in Boston and $70,000 if he is assigned to their AHL affiliate in Providence, while Exelby will make $600,000 in Boston and $130,000 in Providence.

MacDermid was a fourth-round pick of the Bruins in 2009 and made his NHL debut this past March in his third pro season. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, the 22-year-old supplies size and toughness, which he showed by taking on Rangers heavyweight Mike Rupp in his NHL debut in New York on March 4.

MacDermid played five games in Boston, then joined the team as a black ace in the playoffs for the second straight year. He didn't score, but had six shots and 10 hits with the big club, while adding 4-12-16 totals, 121 penalty minutes and 13 fighting majors in 69 games in Providence.

MacDermid, who has 13-27-40 totals, 434 penalty minutes and 54 fighting majors in 212 games in his three seasons in Providence, has a shot at earning a job in Boston this year. While the re-signings of fourth-liners Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille would appear to block his path for now, he could stick as the club's 13th forward or get into the fourth-line mix if Paille or Campbell slips up to the third line.

Even if MacDermid doesn't make the team out of camp, he will likely be in line for more call-ups during the season if injuries strike. He did not look out of place at all in his brief stint last year, and while he is known for his toughness, he is a more well-rounded player than many pigeonholed in that role. MacDermid has been used as a penalty killer throughout his time in Providence and helped Windsor win the Memorial Cup in his final season of junior hockey in 2008-09.

Exelby is on the other end of the spectrum. While just 30, he is trying to earn his way back into the NHL after playing in the AHL the past two seasons. Prior to that, he played 408 games in the NHL with Atlanta and Toronto, posting 7-34-50 totals with 584 penalty minutes. Earning a job in Boston would bring his NHL career full circle, as he was selected by the Thrashers in the eighth round of the 1999 draft, which was held at what was then known as the Fleet Center.

Like MacDermid, Exelby carries a reputation for his physical play, as the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder is known for his big hits and is willing to drop the gloves when needed. He was a regular on the Atlanta blue line for five seasons from 2003-09, but saw his ice time diminish in Toronto after being traded to the Leafs.

This will be his third straight one-year, two-way deal with an Original Six team. After signing with Chicago two years ago, he spent the entire 2010-11 season in Rockford, where he served as captain and posted 3-10-13 totals with 128 PIMs and eight fighting majors in 77 games.

Last year, he signed with Detroit but other than being called up as a black ace in the playoffs he remains in Grand Rapids. Exelby put together a solid campaign there, with 7-14-21 totals, 177 PIMs and eight fighting majors in 75 games.

Exelby will likely spend the bulk of this season in Providence, where the Bruins could use an experienced blueliner to help bring along their younger defense prospects. With Andrew Bodnarchuk signing with Los Angeles and Nathan McIver remaining unsigned, the Bruins had been facing the prospect of stocking Providence with a defensive corps consisting of first-year pros Tommy Cross, Torey Krug and Zach Trotman along with fellow youngsters Matt Bartkowski, Colby Cohen, David Warsofsky, Kevin Miller and Ryan Button.

With his NHL experience, Exelby can't be ruled out of the mix for a job in Boston either. The Bruins have five veterans back in Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid, with rookie Dougie Hamilton expected to round out the top six. That still leaves room for someone to claim the seventh spot. Barring the addition of any other veteran free agents, Krug and Bartkowski likely have the inside track, but Exelby could earn the job with a strong camp if the Bruins decide Krug and Bartkowski are better off developing with lots of ice time in Providence rather than sitting in the press box in Boston.

Have a question for Douglas Flynn? Send it to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Photo via Facebook/Garnet Exelby

Parise is now a member of the Minnesota Wild, but before he signed his new 13-year, $98 million deal, the free-agent forward received plenty of interest, and the Bruins were reportedly among the teams who made him an offer.

Parise received a "significant offer" from the B's, according to The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa.

It's unknown how close Boston's reported bid came to Minnesota's, but if the Bruins did actually extend an offer, it goes against general manager Peter Chiarelli's insistence that the club would remain quiet this offseason.

Parise, who racked up 31-38-69 totals during the regular season and led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final, ultimately decided to head to Minnesota to play alongside defenseman Ryan Suter, who also inked a 13-year, $98 million deal with the Wild on Wednseday. Parise is a Minnesota native, so the move is actually a homecoming.

The Bruins currently have less than $3 million in available cap space, so they would have had to do some finagling if they were to actually sign Parise.

In any event, whether or not the Bruins made an offer is moot. Not only did Parise decide on Minnesota as his new home, but the decision reportedly came down to him choosing between the Wild and the Devils.

Parise has five seasons with more than 30 goals, including the 2008-09 season in which he recorded career-high 45-49-94 totals.

Photo via Flickr/rubyswoon

Tuukka Rask

Rask agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Bruins on Thursday, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com.

The Bruins had a bit of a gap open up in goal over the course of the offseason, as last year's starter Tim Thomas indicated he will sit out the 2012-13 season. Without Thomas, the onus in net for the B's would fall on Rask's shoulders, as he's been seen as the heir apparent in net for quite some time.

Rask, who was a restricted free agent before agreeing to the deal on Thursday, will remain as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2013 as long as the terms in the new collective bargaining agreement remain the same.

In the 2011-12 season, Rask started 22 game for the Bruins primarily serving as a backup to Thomas. Rask was 11-8 with a 2.05 goals-against average (GAA) and a .929 save percentage.

No, Roberto Luongo hasn't been traded yet. And how could Bruins fans truly hate Luongo? His ability to motivate Tim Thomas in last year's Stanley Cup Final, not to mention his own sieve-like netminding in the three games at the Garden, were instrumental in Boston winning its first Cup in 39 years.

Aaron Rome played a key role too. He also galvanized the Bruins' effort and helped turn the series around, but Boston fans were far less appreciative of that as it came at the cost of Nathan Horton's health.

Rome was responsible for one of the most controversial hits of the 2011 playoffs, delivering a late shot to Horton early in Game 3 that knocked the Bruins winger out for the rest of the series with a concussion. It also ended Rome's postseason, as he was suspended for the last four games of the Final. Horton struggled to regain his form early this past season, then suffered another concussion in Philadelphia in January that sidelined him for the rest of the year.

Rome, meanwhile, battled through his own series of less serious injuries, playing just 43 games with hand, thumb and knee ailments. Among the games he missed was Vancouver's return to the Garden on Jan. 7, denying the Bruins any chance to avenge the hit.

Any revenge now won't come against the Canucks. Despite Rome's career-best 4-6-10 totals last year, Vancouver will not be bringing the unrestricted free agent back next season. That news was revealed by his agent, Kevin Epp, on the NEWS 1130 in Vancouver on Monday.

Vancouver already has six defensemen under contract for next season with Alexander Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard, Chris Tanev and Andrew Alberts, plus restricted free agent Marc-Andre Gragnani. They may also retain veteran unrestricted free agent Sami Salo, giving them plenty of depth of defense without the journeyman Rome.

Have a question for Douglas Flynn? Send it to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Photo via Facebook/Aaron Rome – Vancouver Canucks

Perhaps acquiring the five-time All-Star isn't outside the realm of possibility either. The Bruins have inquired about Nash, according to ESPN.com. The talks, however, have only been exploratory to this point, so a lot would still have to happen in order for the talented forward to end up in Black and Gold.

Nash has been the subject of trade rumors since early this past season, and there were many who believed the Blue Jackets would deal him prior to the trade deadline. Columbus opted not to pull the trigger, though, and the trade speculation has carried over into the early part of the offseason.

A number of teams have reportedly shown interest in Nash. The Columbus Dispatch reported last week that up to seven teams have had "significant" trade talks with the Blue Jackets, including the Rangers, Maple Leafs, Flyers, Sharks, and Hurricanes.

The holdup in a Nash deal thus far has been Columbus' asking price, which has been high all along. If the B's were to pull the trigger on acquiring the former 40-goal scorer, they may have to part ways with either Tyler Seguin or Dougie Hamilton.

Perhaps the price has — or will — come down at some point, but that's certainly not an appetizing idea for many B's fans.

Click here for an opinion on any potential Rick Nash trade >>

Photo via Flickr/bridgetds

On Wednesday, the Bruins officially announced the signing of center Gregory Campbell to a new three-year, $4.8 million deal through the 2014-15 season. They also announced an "agreement in principle" to sign center Chris Kelly to a four-year, $12 million deal to keep him in Boston through the 2015-16 campaign.

The Kelly deal, however, can't be official just yet, and he will technically hit the market on July 1. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli doesn't anticipate any issues with finalizing the deal then, with the delay caused by some salary cap complications.

"With respect to Chris, we've got a commitment from him for four years and we're not able the register that contract yet," Chiarelli said in a conference call on Wednesday. "We have to wait because of payroll tagging issues. That will be something we do on July 1. He has my commitment, he's given me his commitment, and we're ecstatic to have him for four years."

Those issues led to reports Wednesday night that the contract with Kelly had been rejected by the league, but based on Chiarelli's statements there should not be an issue with making the deal official on July 1 once the expiring contracts for players heading into free agency are off the books.

In return for that patience, and that $12 million commitment, the Bruins will get to retain one of the top two-way centers in the league who has played a huge role for the Bruins on and off the ice since coming from Ottawa at the 2011 trade deadline.

Kelly reached the 20-goal mark for the first time this past season, with six of those goals being game-winners. He also scored an overtime winner in Game 1 of Boston's first-round playoff clash with Washington, making the Bruins 19-0-0 when he scored last year. Even with the increased offensive output, Kelly remained a standout defender, finishing third in the league at plus-33 and second among Bruins forwards with 56 blocked shots.

"You've seen him score clutch goals for us, you've seen him take clutch faceoffs for us, you've seen him make great defensive plays, make great offensive plays, and he shows up every night," Chiarelli said. "Kells is another guy who has been adamant and has been in the discussions that I've had with him that he wants to stay here and I think it's evidenced by the fact that he's making this commitment to us."

Kelly has also been a key leader for the Bruins, and it did not take long for those qualities to be recognized by his teammates. He earned an A on his sweater as an alternate captain before the start of the 2011-12 season after playing just 24 regular-season and 25 playoff games with the team. That combination of two-way skill and intangibles could have earned him even more on the open market, but Kelly's priority was to stay in Boston.

"Right from Day 1, I think he knew that I wanted to be back and they wanted to have me back," Kelly said. "There's no better feeling than that – to be wanted, to come back to such a great organization. To be a Bruin is something that’s been really special to me."

Chiarelli was grateful for that.

"Kells is another fellow as a centermen that, had he went to the market, he would have gotten much more money than this," Chiarelli said. "So it's kind of a feel-good [story], these two players, and happy to get them done at this time. They're two really important pieces to our team and to our effort to try to keep the team together as much as possible."

Kelly will be with the team for four more years now, and getting that length of term was an important factor in agreeing to the new deal.

"Obviously you want to play hockey as long as possible and to get the four years is something great," Kelly said. "The four years that I get to spend in Boston is even better. Like I said before, it's a great hockey city and I’ll have the opportunity to play with a lot of great players for the next four years hopefully."

Signing a free agent for that long can carry risks, but Chiarelli is comfortable with making such a commitment, even with Kelly turning 32 on November 11.

"He's still relatively young from a free agent perspective and Chris keeps himself in very good shape," Chiarelli said. "I've seen how he plays over the years and he's a very smart player, so at the end of the day, I didn't really have an issue with that. He can change his game and he can move up and down the lineup and he can fill a lot of spots, and just his intelligence and his hockey sense, it wouldn't surprise me if he played beyond the four years."

And to get Kelly locked up for four more years, the Bruins are willing to wait a few more weeks before they can make the deal official.

Have a question for Douglas Flynn? Send it to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Chris Kelly and Gregory Campbell both agreed to terms with the team on Monday, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. Kelly reportedly signed for four years and $12 million, while Campbell deal is reported to be for three years and $4.8 million total.

The players' agent, Patrick Morris, confirmed the deal to ESPN.com.

Kelly, who was traded to the Bruins from Ottawa in 2011, had 20-19-39 totals in 82 games for the team last season, while Campbell tallied 16 points on the year.

After bringing back Michel Therrien for his second stint behind the Canadiens bench on Tuesday, Montreal is set to add Martin Lapointe as the club's new director of player development, TSN reported on Wednesday.

Lapointe spent three seasons on the opposite side of hockey's fiercest rivalry, playing in Boston from 2001-04. Lapointe came to the Bruins on one of the most infamous free agent deals of the pre-lockout era, cashing in on a career year with the Red Wings when he tallied 27 goals and 57 points in 2000-01 with a four-year, $20 million deal with the Bruins.

Lapointe went on to post modest totals in Boston, never scoring more than 17 goals in a season and finishing with a 40-43-83 line in 205 games over three years before the final season on his deal was wiped out by the owners' lockout.

While he spent the bulk of his 991 NHL games with Original Six teams, coming up with Detroit and also playing in Boston and Chicago, Lapointe does have ties to Montreal as well. He's a Quebec native and played his junior hockey under Therrien in Laval. He also played with new Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin in Detroit in the mid-90s.

After finishing his playing career in Ottawa in 2008, Lapointe also worked with Bergevin in the Blackhawks organization. Lapointe served as a pro scout while Bergevin worked his way up to assistant GM before landing the Montreal job this spring.

According to TSN, Lapointe also considered joining Therrien's staff as an assistant coach, but instead chose to stay on the management track in the front office.

There was an opportunity to be an assistant coach after the Canadiens announced on Wednesday that assistants Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur had been relieved of their duties. Cunneyworth had served as the Canadiens' interim head coach after Jacques Martin was fired last December, but Cunneyworth was demoted back to an assistant role when Bergevin was named GM and began the search for a new coach.

Bergevin said at the time that whoever he hired would have the discretion to retain the current assistants or assemble a staff of his own, and Therrien has obviously chosen the latter.

Have a question for Douglas Flynn? Send it to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Nicklas Backstrom has been suspended for Game 4 by the NHL for his cross check to the head of Bruins’ forward Rich Peverley at the end of Monday’s 4-3 loss, the league announced on Tuesday night.

The play was deemed “excessive and reckless” by the NHL’s department of player safety, which is famously headed up by former-player Brendan Shanahan.

Backstrom, who scored the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game 2, has been a big part of the Capitals offense during the postseason thus far. He’s scored one goal, dished out one assist and has a plus-two rating in the three games in the opening-round series.

Game 3 proved to be a chippy battle between the Bruins and Capitals, following two relatively tame games to kick off the series. The chippiness carried over into a few scraps throughout the game and even turned into some post-game mayhem, where Peverley tripped up Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin and Backstrom exacted some revenge by cross-checking the B’s first-line winger.

The loss of Backstrom could pose a major hole for the Capitals on Thursday, as many of the chances that Marcus Johansson and Alexander Semin have seen on the second line have been a result of Backstrom’s aggressive play. More pressure will surely be put on Ovechkin as well, as Washington is in a near must win situation heading back to Boston for Game 5.

Shanahan shows and explains the suspension in the video below.

Capitals forward and Game 2 hero Nicklas Backstrom was hit with a "match penalty" at the end of Game 3, after what was deemed misconduct at the end of the game. The penalty also comes with an automatic one-game suspension, a call that is reviewable by the league.

As time expired on the game, Bruins forward Rich Peverley took a vicious hit near the boards and a scrum broke out between the two teams. Peverley reached out his stick and tripped up Capitals star Alex Ovehckin at which point Backstrom intervened. Backstrom skated over with his stick held high and cross-checked Peverley right in the face after the Bruins 4-3 win had already been decided.

Now with the Capitals down 2-1 in the opening-round series, Backstrom's absence could have an even bigger impact on the outcome of the series as another Boston win would put the Caps in a major hole heading back to Boston for Game 5.

Thornton didn't meet with the media Monday, and the Bruins did not officially announce the two-year extension Thornton was first reported to have signed Saturday until late Monday afternoon, but that didn't stop teammates and opponents alike from weighing in on the new deal with praise for the efforts of Boston’s popular pugilist.

Toronto tough guy Jay Rosehill traded punches with Thornton the last time the teams met in Toronto on March 6 but had nothing but compliments for his fellow enforcer after Monday’s morning skate as the teams prepared to clash again Monday night at the Garden.

"It's nice to see a guy that's come as far as he has and has done well and proven how well he can play get rewarded," Rosehill said. "To have a guy like that on your team is great. I think they're happy to have him, obviously. I like to model myself in a similar style, I guess you could say, in playing that tough role but at the same time being able to play out there and contribute on the ice."

Thornton certainly has contributed plenty in his first five seasons in Boston, posting career-highs with 10-10-20 totals last year before playing a key role in the Bruins' run to the Cup with his leadership, toughness and energy. This season, he's continued to provide the Bruins with a strong physical presence, leading the entire NHL with 19 fighting majors. He’s done that while still being responsible and reliable enough to skate a regular shift, a rarity among the tough-guy set.

"I definitely respect the job that he does," said Bruins center Gregory Campbell, Thornton's linemate for the past two seasons. "It's not an easy job. I think you get more of an appreciation for him playing with him. I know he’s respected around the league, but when you play with a guy you obviously see a different perspective. What I see from him is professionalism every day, hard work, and he's a leader off the ice. He’s a big part of the team."

The Bruins will reportedly pay Thornton $1.1 million a year for the next two seasons to keep him a part of the team. The signing will follow extensions to Adam McQuaid, Rich Peverley, David Krejci and Johnny Boychuk, all of whom would have been free agents this summer. The Bruins still have several players scheduled for free agency after the season, including Campbell, who would like nothing better than agreeing to an extension of his own.

"Of course this is where I want to be," Campbell said. "This is a great place to play, a great organization, and a successful one. Every player wants to play where there’s been success, and there's more success to come. It's really nice to see those guys get those extensions, and they’re a big part of the team, but the important thing is focusing on playing and not the other stuff."

Thornton's focus has never wavered on his long road to the NHL, which featured a decade toiling in the minors before earning his first opportunity at full-time duty in the NHL with Anaheim in 2006-07. Thornton earned his first Cup ring that season with the Ducks, who were coached by Randy Carlyle.

Carlyle took over behind the Leafs bench earlier this month, but he's kept track of his former player and isn't surprised by the success Thornton has found in Boston.

"I think that Shawn Thornton has been able to continue to build off the year we had him in Anaheim," Carlyle said. "He hasn't changed his approach. I think he's getting more recognition because he went out and earned it. He's a catalyst. He was a catalyst for our hockey club when we had him in Anaheim, and that’s what he's doing for the Bruins. It's great to see a player put in number of years of hard work, and I’m talking years, not months of hard work, and be rewarded with a contract of that stature. He's earned everything that he's got, and he earns it the tough way."

Have a question for Douglas Flynn? Send it to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Thornton and the Bruins have agreed to a two-year extension worth an average of $1.1 million per season, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The 34-year-old Ontario native has become an integral member of the Bruins team over the past few seasons, most famously returning from the bench to help the B's struggling fourth line during last year's Stanley Cup run.

Thornton isn't much of a goal scorer but he has been pretty productive for Boston this season, scoring four goals and eight assists in 70 games. The hard-hitting forward has averaged 9:06 of ice time per game and of course the 19 fights.

The winger is in his fifth season with B's, after coming over from Anaheim as a free agent in 2007. Thornton would have been an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, along with teammates Chris Kelly, Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille and Joe Corvo.

But even though Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli wishes he was further along in some trade discussions, he's remaining cautiously optimistic that he'll be able to make a move or two before Monday's NHL trade deadline, according to The Boston Globe.

''I think those deals are there to do,'' Chiarelli reportedly said. ''You're never sure, but….I'd like to be further along in some of these discussions, down to the short strokes, but yes, right now, I think we are getting closer and there are one or two deals we could close.''

Chiarelli also reportedly noted that he's told the teams with which he's had discussions that he's not interested in moving anyone off the current Bruins roster. That could mean the B's will be in line to deal away prospects and/or draft picks should they bring in some depth like they hope.

It remains unclear which players in particular the Bruins are targeting in trade discussions, although they are rumored to be interested in a trio of Colorado forwards.

The B's could also look to add defensive help, although with the injuries to Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton, Chiarelli may be focused on first adding a forward or two.

The B's have interest in David Jones, Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi, according to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun.

All three Colorado forwards are reportedly in play, and LeBrun reports that the Bruins may have interest in dealing for one of them.

Jones, a 27-year-old right wing, has 15-13-28 totals through 53 games this season. He's coming off a season in which he tallied career highs across the board, with 27 goals, 18 assists and 45 points in 77 games in 2010-11.

Winnik, 26, has 5-13-18 totals in 63 games this season, and sits at a minus-11. The winger spent his first three seasons in Phoenix before being traded to Colorado in June 2010. He finished last season with 11-15-26 totals in 80 games.

Galiardi, meanwhile, has 8-6-14 totals in 55 games with the Avs this season. His most notable season came two years ago, when he finished with 15-24-39 totals in 70 games. The 23-year-old was a second-round draft pick in 2007.

It's one of the busiest times of the year for NHL general managers and one of the most exciting for hockey fans.

The NHL trade deadline always generates plenty of buzz, with rumors and opinions running rampant leading up to the big day. This season is no different, as many names have already surfaced as potential trade chips, with the biggest being Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash.

However, a Nash deal — and any other big trade — seems unlikely, as NHL GMs are beginning to take a new approach to building a winner.

Check out the video above to hear more about the upcoming trade deadline.

Kings captain Dustin Brown is reportedly on the trading block, and the Bruins are among the teams who have interest in acquiring the forward, according to TSN insider Bob McKenzie. Of course, it must be mentioned that McKenzie also mentions the Sabres, Oilers, Devils, Rangers, Flyers, Maple Leafs and Canucks along with the Bruins has teams with "high levels of interest" in Brown.

It makes sense that there would be a ton of interest in Brown. He's still young at 27, and he has good goal-scoring capability. Brown has 17 goals this season, and he's scored no fewer than 24 goals over the last four seasons. He's also among the league leaders in hits every season.

Brown is also relatively cheap. He's signed through the 2013-14 season with just a $3.175 million cap hit per season for the duration of his current deal. 

Tuomo Ruutu, a top potential trade target for playoff bound teams this season, agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, keeping the forward from reaching free agency this summer. The deal is reportedly for an average of $4.75 million per season.

"Players like Tuomo are extremely difficult to replace," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said in a team statement on Wednesday. "We are very happy that he has committed to what we are building here, and (that he) is excited about what the future holds for the Hurricanes."

Ruutu, a former first-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, has been a central piece to the Hurricanes success over the past four seasons. The 29-year-old forward arguably had the best year of his career last season, when he posted 19-38-57 totals while playing in all 82 games.

So far this season, Ruutu has found his fair share of success while also falling on some tough times as well. He's scored 17 goals and dished out 13 assists in 57 games so far this season and was well on his way to another career year before running into a few speed bumps.

Ruutu fell into a bit of a scoring drought over the last month, scoring a grand total of just four points in his past 12 games. He has also missed Carolina's last three games and is expected to be out for another few, due to an upper body injury suffered in a game in Montreal on Feb. 13.

The signing is big news for the Hurricanes, who are currently last in the Eastern Conference, as Ruutu will likely serve as a block to build around for the future of the franchise.