NHL Trade Rumors: Latest Updated Trade Buzz for Each NHL Team

Trade rumors have begun floating around the NHL, with all teams except the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings already in offseason mode, looking to reload for next year.

The Stanley Cup Finals begin on Wednesday for the Devils and Kings. With most of the major players in the Kings locker room under contract at least through next season, the large pink elephant in the Devils stalls is waiting for New Jersey captain Zach Parise to decide where he'll play hockey next year.

While Parise's focus right now is most certainly on the Cup, and his play has certainly reflected this, you have to wonder if he allows himself a moment away from the rink to wonder where he will be this time next year. With a zillion dollar sticker price on the biggest of show room floors, Parise will be cashing in somewhere after the mad scramble for Lord Stanley's Cup has been decided.

The lifting of the Cup is symbolic for the 29 other teams who won't sip from it this year because it officially begins the quest to lift the Cup for next year.

With the NHL draft three weeks away and teams readjusting their financial portfolio, player movement will begin. Some trades will be used to move up in the Entry Draft, while others will provide the salary cap relief needed for free-agent pursuits.

Allow yourself a moment to look away from the playoffs for a few moments, unless you are a Kings or Devils fan. Here is a look at some of the rumors swirling around the NHL.

Anaheim Ducks

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Ducks prospect Justin Schultz filed his paperwork to leave the University of Wisconsin to join the NHL. The Ducks have 30 days to sign him, or he becomes a free agent on July 1.

Schultz has the potential to be a top four defenseman, which could make high-dollar D-man Lubomir Visnovsky available for trade.

Boston Bruins

Columbus Blue Jackets play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimmer said on a Columbus radio station that the Bruins are preparing a "major" offer for Rick Nash.

In order to accommodate Nash's large salary, the Bruins would have to move a player or players to make a deal viable for both sides. Stay tuned.

Buffalo Sabres

Sabres GM Darcy Regier addressed the Sabres' need to upgrade at center through the trade market, saying (via Buffalo News):

"

The right center ice is a priority. The real unknown here is what the trade market will hold. Nothing has started. It doesn't get started until after the playoffs. Teams begin to talk, and then it really builds as you go into the draft. It's tough to know what will be available, but if we can find the right centerman it would help.

"

With Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy and Cody Hodgson as the top three centers on the roster, the Sabres can use some help.

Calgary Flames

Crickets chirping on the Flames' trade talks.

GM Jay Feaster has to know that if the Flames aren't competitive this year, franchise stalwarts like Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff will need to be moved. Attempting to get out from underneath Jay Bouwmeester's terrible contract might not be a bad idea either.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes have been mentioned as the No. 1 possible trade destination for center Jordan Staal. His brother Eric is on the squad already, and the Hurricanes need a strong second-line center behind him.

Carolina has the No. 8 pick in the draft and could offer that and young center Brandon Sutter as potential trade bait.

Chicago Blackhawks

Two-way center Dave Bolland is a name that has come up in trade discussions for Penguins center Jordan Staal. The Hawks would have to put up more than Bolland to get a deal don,e and it has been suggested that the Pens might want top prospect Brandon Saad and some draft picks.

The Penguins have also been interested in defensemen Nick Leddy or  Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Colorado Avalanche

Not much on the Avalanche trade front. Most of the front office activity in Colorado is centered on resigning their UFAs and keeping their strong young core together.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Rick Nash is, of course, at the center of the trade-talk universe, but will anyone be surprised if he goes nowhere?

The latest and greatest rumors surrounding Nash involve the previously mentioned Bruins. Columbus is said to be keen on one of Boston's goalies and possibly Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci.

Dallas Stars

Not a lot of trade talk in Big D, though it has been stated that they will be active in free agency.

The Stars need help on defense and could make a strong play for prize free agent Ryan Suter. Missing the playoffs is the exception, not the norm, in Dallas, and they will look to make some noise to get back.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit has a ton of salary cap room and is itching to get to July 1. While there is no trade talk on the horizon in Hockeytown, they will absolutely be active in free agency.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers made some noise about possibly offering their No. 1 overall pick to the Pens for Jordan Staal, but those whispers never materialized. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal posed the question and supplied supporting statements:

"

Staal is a big, strong and fairly aggressive two-way centre, still in his prime, capable of playing the toughest minutes. He won’t come cheap, but he’ll likely be worth the money over the next six or seven years if he can stay healthy.

"

Florida Panthers

After a surprising season that got the Panthers from worst to first and their first playoff appearance in over a decade, Florida will be focused on Kris Versteeg and Jason Garrison.

The Panthers' re-signing of veterans isn't the only talk. There is also the possibility that the Panthers could package some prospects to improve their draft position.

Los Angeles Kings

With respect to the trade-winds, I think that the Kings have other things on their minds right now. That being said, the Kings will probably be getting a lot of phone calls about the availability of goaltending understudy Jonathan Bernier.

Minnesota Wild

It's no secret in Minnesota that coach Mike Yeo was not at all happy with Devin Setoguchi. With a ton of younger talent under contract, Setoguchi could be used as a pawn to move up in the draft.

Montreal Canadiens

Scott Gomez to anywhere would be a dream scenario for new Montreal GM Marc Bergevin, but that's just not going to happen. There was a Twitter rumor about P.K. Subban to the Isles for the fourth pick, but that was gone almost as quickly as it materialized.

Nashville Predators

The Predators' No. 1 priority this offseason is to convince Ryan Suter that Nashville is the best possible opportunity for him to win a Stanley Cup. The Predators' abbreviated playoff run didn't do too much to help their case.

With only 13 players under contract July 1st, Nashville will have its hands full just trying to fill their roster.

New Jersey Devils

Remember the Los Angeles Kings slide a few spots ago? Ditto. The Devils' focus, once the Stanley Cup is lifted, is to re-sign their captain Zach Parise. Win or lose, this will and should be the primary focus of the Devils.

New York Islanders

The Islanders' offseason plans center around the NHL draft and re-signing breakout star winger P.A. Parenteau. Conventional wisdom suggests that the Isles take a defenseman with their pick at the fourth spot. No real trade rumors on or around the lighthouse.

New York Rangers

The Rangers head back to the drawing board after their season ended one round too soon. Ironically, the Rangers' nemesis, Zach Parise, might be performing on Broadway this fall. The Rangers have emerged as one of the favorites to procure the mercurial winger's services.

If the Blueshirts can get Parise, it would make a couple of other Rangers potentially expendable. Brandon Dubinsky is the name to watch if the dominoes fall

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa's first-year coach and Adams-finalist, Paul MacLean took the top-seeded Rangers to seven games before their first-round elimination. The Sens have 15 players under contract July 1 and will be focused on keeping their core together. No trade rumors of note.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun lists the following five as the Sens' top free agent targets: Zach Parise, Chris Kelly, Bryan Allen, David Jones and Jiri Hudler.

Philadelphia Flyers

Most of the news coming out of Philadelphia involves free agency. Will the Flyers re-sign Jaromir Jagr, and who will the backup to Ilya Bryzgalov be? Sergei Bobrovsky's inconsistent play down the stretch may find him looking for a new home in a goalie-rich market.

Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix can't spend too much time patting itself on the back for their remarkable playoff run. They have a ton of free agents to re-sign. Re-signing Shane Doan is GM Don Maloney's No. 1 priority. No trade rumblings from the desert.

Pittsburgh Penguins

For some reason, Jordan Staal's name keeps popping up in trades with everyone. However, GM Ray Shero says that Staal is part of the Penguins' long-term plans. Shero is looking to extend Crosby and Staal's deals beyond next season.

San Jose Sharks

A predictably disappointing end punctuated a disappointing season for the talented San Jose Sharks. A first-round exit at the hands of the St. Louis Blues had the San Jose faithful calling for the scalps of both GM Doug Wilson and Coach Todd McLellan. Both appear to be safe, for now.

Back in February, the Sharks had jumped into the fray as one of the leading contenders in the Rick Nash trade sweepstakes. The Sharks have a lot of older talent with big contracts who could be packaged to bring the big winger to the Bay area.

St. Louis Blues

A disappointing end to a promising season will see the Blues make minimal adjustments. With an ideal situation in goal and a solid, deep and young roster, the Blues will continue to improve under coach Ken Hitchcock's system. Maybe some minor tweaks and St. Louis will be in good shape for next year.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Steve Yzerman outlined his plan for Tampa's most pressing and obvious need (via Tampa Bay Times):

"

My preference is to go with a little bit of a younger guy that maybe has a little less experience and can step up and play well for us now. And if we can't do anything in that way, we look forward to July 1.

"

In the cross-hairs would be Jonathan Bernier in Los Angeles, Josh Harding in Minnesota and Cory Schneider in Vancouver.

Toronto Maple Leafs

No chance the Maple Leafs let another postseason dance pass them by. At the All-Star break, it seemed like the Leafs were a shoo-in, but their goaltending let them down and injuries sealed their fate.

In a radio interview with Toronto 590 host Greg Brady, Leafs executive Dave Nonis strongly suggested to the Toronto faithful that there would not be a Reimer/Scrivens tandem in goal next season.

When asked about 47-year old Dominik Hasek's desire to un-retire, Nonis said (via The Star), “I think we’re looking for a veteran—I don’t know if we’re looking for that much of a veteran.”

Vancouver Canucks

Speculation lately has the Canucks resigned to having a goaltending tandem of Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo. While newly re-signed coach Alain Vigneault admits that Luongo wants to leave, his contract is problematic for a lot of teams. His deal pays him $5.3 million per year, until he is 39.

The Canucks are probably best served to hold on to the pair as long as they can. When the season starts and knee-jerk desperation kicks in after a couple of weeks, they might be able to unload Luongo and his lengthy deal.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals enter the postseason with free-agency questions that could see players moved. Alexander Semin is as good as gone, and the Caps are probably better investing his $6.7 million elsewhere.

The key to the Caps is the free agent defensemen Dennis Wideman. If the Capitals re-sign him, it is believed that RFA Mike Green becomes expendable.

Winnipeg Jets

The most interesting news coming from the Winnipeg Jets is that KHL club Ak Bars Kazan have made an offer to Alexander Burmistrov. Allegedly.

Burmistrov's agent, Mark Gandler, issued a few token "no comments" before letting this quote loose (via Winnipeg Free Press): "Alex Burmistrov is under contract to the Winnipeg Jets. Neither Alex or I heard from that team, so that's the end of that story."

Other than the potential drama between the KHL and NHL, Winnipeg has seven UFAs and four RFAs that they are keen to retain.