Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic with player movement talk. I'll briefly touch on many subjects, you can read on if interested.

Several clubs are holding those meetings this week, and more will follow before the end of the month. These are meetings in which NHL front office staffs try to explore every possibility the trade market could present and plan for a number of different scenarios ahead of the March 3 deadline....

The Oilers are scouring the market, looking at defense options. That was always the expectation, of course, but the point here is that veteran GM Ken Holland has been active of late making those calls and trying to get a realistic view of what’s available. So yes, I believe they’ve talked to Arizona about Jakob Chychrun, to Montreal about Joel Edmundson, and well, to about every selling team you can think of with a defenseman potentially up for grabs.

The Oilers want to get a full understanding of what’s out there...

The Athletic’s Michael Russo has noted a few times that while the Wild aren’t shopping Dumba because they’re in a playoff spot, he could see the blueliner dealt as part of a hockey deal that helps the team this season....

The idea of an Erik Karlsson trade was theoretical when we first broached the subject earlier this season. Based on his strong start, we wondered if teams would be enticed. Then Sharks GM Mike Grier at the November GMs meeting in Toronto said he would listen on Karlsson, so we wondered if teams would actually engage or if that contract would be too much of an issue.

Well, Karlsson’s strong season has continued, and from what I’m hearing, there are teams that have in fact engaged with the Sharks in discussions....

The Coyotes remain patient on the Chychrun trade front, because well, they don’t actually have to move him before March 3. He’s signed for another two years after this season. But the desire is still there to move him for the right price.

Speaking of which, while the price generally remains two first-round picks plus a prospect in exchange for Chychrun...

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