Which players' trade stock has changed the most in the last week and why?
Scott Burnside: It hasn't exactly been a banner season for veteran goalie Jaroslav Halak, who was forced to endure a cockamamie three-goaltender system with the New York Islanders before being waived and dumped to the minors a month ago. Yet the 31-year-old, who was so good for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, has been excellent in the AHL, going 6-1-1 with a .927 save percentage. He comes with salary-cap baggage -- he's owed $5 million real money next season with a $4.5 million cap hit -- but surely the Isles would be willing to eat some of that if a team came calling. And there are teams looking for either a starter (St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, to name three) or a backup (Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers or Pittsburgh Penguins, pending what becomes of Marc-Andre Fleury). Either way, it'll be a bit of a surprise if we don't see Halak, the star of the Montreal Canadiens' magical run to the 2010 Eastern Conference finals, back in an NHL jersey before March 1.
Pierre LeBrun: According to sources, the Arizona Coyotes have received around 10 serious inquiries about pending unrestricted free-agent center Martin Hanzal and are in the process of trying to whittle that down. The price on the two-way beast was sky-high a few weeks ago, which made some teams want to wait and circle back. But given the interest in the shutdown center, it sure sounds like young GM John Chayka will do OK. And why not ask high? Only the Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche are clear sellers, so they own the market until further notice, when other teams drop out of the playoff race and join them as auctioneers.
Joe McDonald: It's going to be quiet around the trade deadline for most teams, simply because it's a close playoff race and there aren't a lot of sellers. However, some impact players could be on the move. Colorado's Jarome Iginla admitted he wants to be on a playoff team and would welcome a trade. This could be it for Iginla, the veteran forward and future Hall of Famer who turns 40 on July 1. He hasn't decided if he'll continue to play after this season, but the deciding factor is whether he can finally win a Stanley Cup. Even though his on-ice contributions would be limited to the bottom-six and the power play, he would add a veteran voice in the room, and that's a valuable asset to have in the playoffs. There will be interest in his services.