While Brad Richards isn't skating yet because of concussion-like symptoms, he still appears to be a hot commodity going into Monday's NHL trade deadline.
Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk confirmed on Wednesday that while his priority is locking up Richards to a new contract, he has also spoken to other NHL clubs regarding his coveted top centre.
"I've discussed it with some teams," Nieuwendyk told NHL Live on The NHL Network on Wednesday afternoon.
"All options are in play here. It's certainly not my first choice, I've maintained all along that we'd like to keep Brad as a Dallas Star for a long period of time. There's a lot of uncertainty with our side as far as ownership that are a concern for them. But all options are open."
Nieuwendyk added that even if he's in play, Richards - who's becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer - won't be heading out of Dallas easily.
"It's certainly going to have to be a good type of deal in order to pry him away from us," he told NHL Live. "Because we're sitting tied for eighth right now and have a lot of home games coming up in March."
Richards, 30, leads the Stars in scoring with 24 goals and 63 points this season.
He hasn't returned to the lineup since suffering a head injury on Feb. 13 after a hit by Blue Jackets forward Samuel Pahlsson.
