With the NHL General Manager's meetings just around the corner it is apparent that Toronto's Cliff Fletcher will be among the most popular GM's in Naples, Florida with Mats Sundin's future still very much in question.
Atlanta's Don Waddell will also draw a crowd with Marian Hossa considered a hot commodity, even as a rental; while Buffalo's Darcy Regier will surely invite interest as his rivals hope to determine star defenseman, Brian Campbell's future with the Sabres.
When the Manager's aren't talking trade, they'll be discussing the health of hockey and potential improvements to the game.
In the spirit of trade, it's believed one of the topics on the GM's agenda will be whether or not players traded at or near the deadline be allowed to re-sign with their previous club for a minimum of one-year. The players association would never let that fly.
Officiating will be revisited along with the idea of deeming all goals as good goals until the war room in Toronto determines otherwise. The introduction of this strategy would eliminate NHL referees from the equation.
Improvements to the shootout will be given some attention with the idea of expanding to 5 shooters expected to be thrown out for debate.
Larger nets, smaller goaltender equipment and the instigator rule will also be addressed. It wouldn't seem like an NHL General Manager's meeting without talking about those topics.
The pros and cons of an 84-game regular season will be revisited along with further discussion on the All-Star weekend and future outdoor games.
It will be a jam-packed three days of meetings, with all of it overshadowed by the speculation of trade.
For TSN.ca, I'm Darren Dreger