The Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch's in fine form as we approach the NHL's pre-Olympic roster freeze, and I think this take on the Rangers' roster situation is important to spotlight given the fact that Ryan Callahan's status is stealing the show...

All eyes are on the Rangers. Forwards Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot along with defencemen Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman all become UFA’s on July 1. The troubles don’t stop there, winger Derrick Brassard is in the last year of a contract he signed while with Columbus. He’s a restricted free agent and will come up a winner at arbitration if he can’t get a deal done. All this makes the buyout of Brad Richards pretty much inevitable and it also means other players will be packing their bags. The talk is Callahan wants a seven-year deal worth $6.85 million per-season (that’s exactly what Patrice Bergeron got with Boston) and it’s doubtful the Rangers will pony up. The Blues, Wings and Kings all need help up front. Girardi could be a headache as well because he wants $6 million per-season on a long-term deal.

If the Rangers buy out Richards, his status will obviously change the UFA market's landscape considerably...

And this isn't trade-related, but it's intriguing: