The NHL's off-season is upon us and teams are already re-shaping their rosters for the 2016-17 season. Keep up to date on the latest trade/free agent news, speculation and rumours from around the league.

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Putting the D in Detroit

While the trade of Pavel Datsyuk's cap hit to the Arizona Coyotes signalled the Detroit Red Wings' intent to get in on the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes, general manager Ken Holland is looking beyond the superstar centre for help on his blue line.

The Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James reports the Wings are actively pursuing defencemen through trades with the belief that the free agent market is a weak one.

St. James says that Holland checked in on both Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues' Kevin Shattenkirk over the weekend. The Shattenkirk talks went nowhere when Holland balked at the asking price of 19-year-old centre Dylan Larkin. A native of nearby Waterford, Michigan, Larkin had 23 goals and 22 assists in his rookie season.

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Everything's A-Ok?

It might behoove Kyle Okposo to keep his phone charged on July 1.

Newsday's Arthur Staple reports that the soon-to-be-free-agent right winger has a number of teams interested in his services come Friday.

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The seventh-overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Okposo has spent his entire career with the New York Islanders. He appeared in 79 games last season, scoring 22 goals and adding 42 assists. The native of St. Paul, Minnesota had a career-best 27 goals in 2013-14.

The Islanders are not expected to be a player for Okposo.

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Blood in the Water?

 

McKenzie: Habs are tougher to play against

The Canadiens made a deal at the draft and picked up forward Andrew Shaw and TSN Hockey insider Bob McKenzie thinks it's a move that will add more grit to the Habs roster.

On the way to winning the franchise's first Western Conference title last month, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson made a number of depth acquisitions towards the NHL trade deadline. He doesn't expect any of them to return.

Wilson revealed the likes of goaltender James Reimer, forwards Nick Spaling and Dainius Zubrus and defenceman Roman Polak will not be re-signed.

Some of the guys that we added, we’ll probably let them get to market,” Wilson said in a conference call this past weekend.

CSN Bay Area's Kevin Kurz surmises that, though the team will fill some of the newly vacated spots with NHL-ready young players, Wilson will have to turn to free agency for others. Kurz doesn't expect the team to repeat last summer's free agency gameplan when Paul Martin and Joel Ward were signed, but will focus on role players.