Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins GM Ray Shero is looking for a goal scoring winger for Evgeni Malkin and a physical defenseman. The Pens 22 man roster is about a $1 million below the cap ceiling. Their rental options are Alexei Ponikarovsky, Raffi Tores, Lee Stempniak, and Ray Whitney.
James Murphy of NESN: Trade discussions involving Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis have intensified, and he could be dealt as soon as the Olympic roster freeze is lifted. The Bruins, Penguins and Sabres are at the top of list of teams looking to acquire Hamhuis. The asking price is a scoring forward and a late 1st round, or early 2nd round draft pick. Raffi Torres and Alexander Frolov are also linked to the Bruins.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Stars: Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk will meet with Steve Ott to see if they can get him re-signed. If not, they might look at dealing him. They’ve already received offers for him. Nieuwendyk is also looking for a top 4 defenseman, but knows it’s costly to acquire those.
