*As Pierre LeBrun points out in his column at ESPN.com this morning, the Dallas Stars are on the playoff bubble with some major tradeable assets to make decisions on at the April 3 deadline. This year, Dallas sits in ninth 12 days before the deadline, and GM Joe Nieuwendyk has Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Morrow and Derek Roy as pending UFAs. LeBrun suggests that Morrow "isn't coming back to Dallas" given his diminished role, and could be useful to a team like Boston to bolster their Stanley Cup run. He suggests contract talks with Roy "haven't gone anywhere" and Niewendyk should see if he can turn him into a first-round pick in this year's NHL Draft. LeBrun thinks the Stars should roll the dice with a cast led by Benn and Jagr down the stretch and then see what happens over the summer.
NHL trade rumors: Stars unsure of what to do while on playoff bubble
For the third consecutive year, Dallas has valuable commodities, but are unsure whether or not they’re a playoff team.
*Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun says that the Ottawa Senators, now known in their own locker room as "The Pesky Ottawa Senators", could be buyers at the trade deadline. Ryane Clowe, who became even more notorious for not scoring a goal this season after Martin Brodeur did last night, is considered to be on their radar. Clowe is also on the map of the Senators main rivals, the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
*John Boruk of CSN Philadelphia believes that the Philadelphia Flyers are, for the first time in a long time, sellers at the trade deadline. It's hard to argue with that, as Philadelphia now sits 14th in the Eastern Conference based on tiebreakers, and the Flyers have no chance to gain ground on any of the teams in front of them until Sunday, when they renew their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is the Eastern Conference's ineptitude that keeps them with faint hopes.
Anyway, Boruk suggests that -- while center Daniel Briere is someone the Flyers might consider -- defenseman Andrej Meszaros might be the way to go. The injury-plagued 27-year-old has a cap hit of $4 million, and might be a reasonable alternative to a more expensive defenseman like Jay Bouwmeester. Meszaros is under contract through next season, therefore he wouldn't be a mere sign and dump in the off-season. Meszaros hasn't had a great season, however, with Boruk admitting he plays "18:33 very average minutes a night". He may not bring Philly much in return.
