Here at Wild Nation, we love all hockey, not just the Wild. Sooooooo, with that in mind, I’m starting up my very own rumor thread. It’s nothing much, but it will help pass the time leading up to the big day tomorrow. I do want to stress to you, the reader, however that these rumors are all ones that will be from named sources. I will not be starting any rumors myself, or citing any rumors from a certain hockey rumor website that rhymes with Jockey Fuzz.

Anywho. Here’s the first round of ‘em!  Any updates will appear up top here.

*Everyone and their mother has been speculationg about Roloson to the Flyers now that Emery is out.  Literally, everyone.  I’m not linking anyone on this because it’s honestly everyone.  My question, though, is wouldn’t someone like Harding be a better replacement option?

*Frank Seravalli’s Twitter says that Razor Ray Emery needs a bone graft and will be done for the season.

*According to Bruce “Malkin to the Kings” Garrioch on Twitter, the Blues have sent out an e-mail offering up Brad Boyes and Carlo Coliacovo.

*Kevin Allen of the USA Today chimes in on Twitter, saying that while it isn’t a given that Atlanta will trade Colby Armstrong, they likely can’t re-sign him.

*Oops…And I have some catching up to do.  Pierre LeBrun joins the Twitter army, saying that nothing imminent is on the LA Kings front.  Nick Kypreos says that both Kariya and Tkachuk are unwilling to waive their NTC aaaaaaaannnnnnnndddddd BD Galoff says that there’s about a 95% chance that Roloson gets moved.

*And more Mr. McKenzie.  If Wolski goes to Phoenix, the asking price will likely be Mueller and more, saying that Phoenix has been shopping Mueller like whoa.

*Habs Inside Out has tweeted a quote from Jacque Martin that he expects that both goalies will help out during the stretch run.  While this isn’t difinitive by any means, it certainly sounds like he’s not expecting either to be moved.

*Not a trade rumor, but interesting nonetheless.  Nick Kypreos has tweeted that Ray Emery is looking for a surgeon to save his career and that his hip injury is being compared to that of Bo Jackson.  Uh-oh.

*And once more from Bob McKenzie…Anaheim is not considering trading Scott Niedermayer.

*And Mr. McKenzie is back saying that Toronto’s Alex Ponikarovsky is likely to fetch a 2nd round pick and a good prospect and that LA could be the front runner in this one.

*Mr. Russo is also stating that he is no longer hearing that Owen Nolan is not available and that he believes there is a good chance that Nolan is dealt.

*According to Bob McKenzie, Wojtek Wolski is in play by the Avs and the Coyotes are showing interest.

*Some Wild news.  Per Mr. Russo’s Twitter feed, the Wild have re-signed both Marek Zidlicky and Clayton Stoner.  Zidlicky’s contract is as expected, 3-years $12M total with a no-trade clause for the first half of the contract.  Stoner’s contract is a 2-year, $1.1M total with a one-way contract for the first year and a two-way contract for the second.

*Per Tim Panaccio’s Twitter feed, the Flyers aren’t close to any deals.  Prices are high and the Flyers lack the picks at the moment.

*Frank Sevarelli from the Philadelphia Daily News says on his Twitter that the Flyers may be close to something with Nashville.

*Well, that’s what I get for taking a lunch break.  Per Newsday, Andy Sutton to Ottawa for a second round pick.  So, what you’re telling me is that the going rate for a fourth or fifth defenseman is a second round pick?  Sounds a little steep to me.

*It’s time for lunch for me, but I’ll be back in a bit with all the updates you could ever want!  (If there are any, of course.)

*Not a trade rumor, but it should warm those cynical Wild fans among us.  Larry Brooks is reporting that Marian Gaborik will be sitting tonight’s Rangers game out.  I’m sure that Torts is loving the fact that he’ll play in the Olympics, but not when his team is in the midst of a playoff race.

*Some Waiver wire news.  According to Bob McKenzie via Twitter, Brad Lukowich (VAN), Anders Ericsson (PHX), Ryan Jones (NAS) and John Grahame (COL) have all joined Voros and Lisin on waivers.  Also on the list is Chris Chelios, who must pass through waivers in order to be called up to play.

*Interesting.  According to On Frozen Pond, Thomas Vokoun has been advised of a possible trade.  Will he waive or no?

*Darren Dreger on Leaf’s Lunch — says that Chicago has no interest in Finger but that the rumor can’t be dismissed.

*To anyone who thought Twitter was just a passing fad?  Get on the train!  We’ve got another Twitter account breaking news — this one the account of Chris Vivlamore.  Apparently, Chris Chelios has officially signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.  No word yet on if he has already started referring to Zach Bogosian as a whippersnapper.

*Greg Brady’s Twitter has a rumor swirling about Toronto’s Jeff Finger heading to Chicago for Cristobal Huet in a swap of gross overpayments.  If that’s the case, he says, expect the Hawks to go hard after Vokoun and the Leafs to try to flip Crystal Ball Huey.

*According to Larry Brooks Twitter, Enver Lisin and former Wild player Aaron Voros are on waivers.

*From Jeremy Rutherford’s Twitter account, JD says that there’s no serious talks between the Blues and other teams yet, but he has talked to a few people.

*According to Darren Dreger’s Twitter feed, no list has been given by Tomas Kaberle for his NTC and no interest has been shown in waiving it.  Kaberle appears to be staying put.

*The Miami Herald suggests that the only players that could be untouchable for the Panthers are David Booth, Dmitry Kulikov and Michael Frolik.

*The Boston Herald is reporting that the Bruins are looking for a top-six forward, possibly in the form of Ray Whitney, Teemu Selanne or Nathan Horton.  They also repeat the speculation that Tim Thomas could be moved and also that Michael Ryder is being shopped due to cap constraints.

*Tarik El-Bashir reports on Twitter that the Caps are interested in Isles d-man Andy Sutton. The believed asking price is a second round pick.

*The incomparable Mike Russo has reported on Twitter that the Marek Zidlicky deal is all but done and is expected to be announced by day’s end with the term of 3-years, $12 million.  No word on his NTC as of yet.

*CSN Philly is reporting that the Preds have turned down three offers on Dan Hamhuis.

*The Columbus Dispatch is stating that the Lightning have been showing interest in forward Raffi Torres.

*Chip Alexander’s Twitter account is talking about Ray Whitney to Pittsburgh and Aaron Ward to Ottawa.  It’s what he calls scuttlebutt.

Looking at the standings, the Wild have a daunting task ahead of them.  With 21 games remaining, they sit five points out of the playoff race and, seeing Kim Johnsson shipped out to Chicago, are looking more and more like they will be sellers at the March 3 trade deadline. 

As Hockey Reference shows, the Wild’s chances of making the playoffs are slipping drastically. 

The bottom line remains that the Wild simply are not consistent enough to be in the playoff picture this season.  They cannot sustain any sort of solid effort on the ice in a single game, much less in a stretch of games. 

Keeping that in mind, here is a look at the players that the Wild could potentially move and what their going rate might be. 

Owen Nolan: After Johnsson, Nolan is probably the next “big ticket” item that the Wild have to offer. 

I know what you’re thinking.  14 goals, 28 points?  How is Nolan a big ticket item? 

I’ll tell you how. 

65 playoff games. 

He’s been there and done that, plain and simple.  At the trade deadline, playoff contenders are typically looking at two things.  Veteran leadership and either defensive help or scoring punch (depending on the team’s needs). 

Nolan brings both veteran leadership and the ability to score clutch and timely goals.  He has been a key part of the Wild’s locker room this season and a great number of Wild fans will be extremely sad to see him go; however, he is a player that the Wild could get some good assets for the future for. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $598K 

Expected Return: Prospects and/or picks 

Eric Belanger: Belanger is having one of the best seasons of his career.  He’s just two points off of his career high in points and assists and he’s been a huge asset defensively for the Wild. 

He also has something else that playoff teams tend to look for. 

He can win faceoffs. 

If there’s a big draw to be taken, Belanger will be in on it.  He’s been a large part of many of the Wild’s successful runs this season and has also started showing a bit of a gritty side to his game. 

As a penalty killer, he’s one of the better ones on the Wild’s squad and has started to exhibit that he has the hands to be a threat on the offensive side of things as well. 

In addition, Belanger has the added upside of still being relatively young (or, at least compared to Nolan).  If the fit is good enough, there’s the potential for the team to get a couple more solid years from him after the trade. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $390K 

Expected Return: Depth roster player and/or pick(s) 

James Sheppard: Wild fans will attest to the fact that Sheppard’s stock has fallen like a rock this season. 

Sheppard has gone from the asking price for Olli Jokinen to being less tradable than Benoit Pouliot (which, in Wild fans eyes, was saying quite a bit).  

If there’s one thing that Chuck Fletcher has proven, though, it’s that he’s more than willing to move a player that might need a change of scenery and Sheppard could use just that. 

I’m firm in my belief that he can be successful somewhere—I just don’t think that somewhere is in Minnesota. 

Sheppard was touted as the “next big thing” for the Wild, and he certainly hasn’t turned into that.  Fans have begun to tire of seeing him on the ice, to the point where many would rather see Derek Boogaard get Sheppard’s ice time. 

The bottom line is that Sheppard needs to play somewhere where the expectations facing him are tempered, and that place isn’t in Minnesota. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $312K 

Expected Return: Struggling young roster player 

Derek Boogaard: I’m putting Boogaard on this list because there is the chance that he could get moved, but I’ll say this right now. 

The chance is slim-to-none. 

Boogaard is one of the most feared enforcers in the game on a team that lacks a suitable replacement and is earning ice time this season. 

While it’s a possibility, it certainly isn’t probable. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $212K 

Expected Return: Late round draft pick 

Shane Hnidy: The Sherriff has been an excellent addition to the Wild’s blueline this season, but two facts remain. 

One, he’s been an excellent addition, meaning that he would be an excellent and cheap addition to a team needing defensive help and two, what he brings to the team can be done by either a) Clayton Stoner or b) Jaime Sifers. 

If any team is looking for an injury filler or depth on the blueline, Hnidy can certainly fill that need and fill it quite well. 

In addition, he has gotten more playing time this season on the offensive side of things (more notably, on the powerplay) and has exhibited an extremely heavy (if not very accurate) shot from the point. 

While the return for Hnidy probably wouldn’t be great, he could be a low risk, high reward pick up for someone in need of a d-man. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $167K 

Expected Return: Mid-to-late round draft pick 

John Scott: Let’s face it.  Scottie won’t be on the team next season. 

He’s regressed this season in terms of the ability that he brought to the table that had the Wild keep him around, but he’s moved forward in his enforcer ability—something that teams may be looking for. 

He brings toughness and he can play solid defense, if you don’t take into account his lack of skating ability. 

Scott is the more likely of the two “big men” that the Wild have to be moved, as he quickly became expendable on the blueline—even moreso with the emergence of Stoner. 

Scott could easily be a boon to a team looking to increase its toughness heading into the playoffs. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $123K 

Expected Return: Late round draft pick 

Josh Harding: Harding is the player that he Wild will likely look to shop the hardest, especially with the emergence of Anton Khudobin this season. 

Hards had a tough start to the season, but has rebounded nicely and if there is one thing that teams love heading into the playoffs, it’s a capable, young backup that can take over in the case of injury (see: Cam Ward). 

Harding can provide that for a team and deserves the chance to be someone’s goaltender of the future because, with Backstrom planted in net for the Wild and Khudobin and Matthew Hackett coming up behind up, the Wild’s net is starting to get a little crowded. 

Harding is a restricted free agent this coming off season and would be a tremendous pick up for just about any team looking to improve in net. 

Estimated Cap Hit: $245K 

Expected Return: Roster player and/or prospects or picks

The Draft Picks/Prospects: Fletcher has said that he’s not interesting in trading picks or prospects for players; however, he will be willing to part with picks or prospects if the price is right. 

If he can get a good, young player that can have a future on this club, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger, even if it involves a pick or a prospect. 

While it may be maddening to some, it is a stark contrast to the strategy of Doug Risebrough, and ultimately leads to the line… 

In Chuck We Trust.