From the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch:

"Lots of teams looking for a defenceman," said a league executive, "and they all want one that can play in the top four."

Well, good luck with that.

Still, a sniff around NHL circles by telephone indicates there are plenty of teams that would like blueline help as the important U.S. Thanksgiving quickly approaches at the end of November. The list is long and, of course, the the list of actual players who can provide that kind of assistance is pretty short.

That hasn't stopped teams from looking. Sources say Columbus, Toronto, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Calgary, San Jose, Buffalo and Boston are on a list of more than 10 teams that are looking for somebody who can play in their top four immediately.

"Since those guys aren't available you have to decide if there's a guy who is a No. 5 on a team right now that can maybe help you in your top four," the executive added.

There aren't many in the names of blueliners being shopped: Trevor Daley (Chicago), Matt Carle (Tampa), Justin Braun (San Jose), Braydon Coburn (Tampa), Ron Hainsey (Carolina), Carl Gunnarsson (St. Louis), Jake Gardiner (Toronto) and Kris Russell (Calgary).

Garrioch continues...