from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

- League executives insist the Ducks, preparing for a full rebuild, want to be busy at the deadline and they’re open to just about any possibility, including taking bad contracts in exchange for prospects and picks. The belief is Murray isn’t willing to trade just anybody on his roster, but he’s certainly open for talks on several fronts.

A look at the roster indicates the options of moving players out may be limited because the Ducks have several with term on their deals. Contenders don’t want term at this time of year, which is why unrestricted free agents are attractive options, but if Murray is serious about taking bad contracts for picks, then that’s where the Ducks may have leverage.

- There are a lot of teams looking for help up front and the belief is the Boston Bruins would make a hard push for Kreider if the decision is made to deal him. Teams believe this will be a last-minute deal because Gorton isn’t in a hurry.

- The Bruins aren’t the only team looking for scoring help; the Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues would all like to add forward depth before the post-season. One option for all the teams involved would be Los Angeles Kings forward Tyler Toffoli...

- The Kings are looking to move blueliner Alec Martinez. He has one year left with a cap hit of $4 million so that won’t be an easy task for GM Rob Blake.

more on most of the above plus additional teams and names...