Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun can't even escape trade rumors at the Olympics. The Blackhawks are the latest team he's been linked to. "I did read some stuff," Vokoun said. "I follow hockey closely, it comes across. But I haven't been approached [to waive his no-move clause] by anybody from Florida or anything like that, so until I hear otherwise, I'm just going to treat it as rumors. Right now, I'm playing for Florida and that's where my focus is." Vokoun said the only communication from Panthers general manager Randy Sexton was Olympics-related. "Randy sent me a text message before I left, just wish me well in the Games," said Vokoun, who is playing for his native Czech Republic. "That's the only conversation I've had with him."

The Bruins have been working to acquire a defenseman and it's possible that by now they have a trade in place. The NHL is currently under an Olympic trade freeze. Nashville's Dan Hamhuis is the big possibility, as are Carolina's Joe Corvo and Aaron Ward.

New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello is looking for another center, sources told the New York Post. According to sources, the Devils were in the hunt for Matt Cullen, who went to Ottawa from Carolina, and they have made inquiries about Matt Stajan, who left Toronto for Calgary. Toronto's Alexei Ponikarovsky could be an option.

If the Ducks decide to deal defenseman Scott Niedermayer, the Blackhawks would be willing to make an offer. Anaheim is currently on the outside of the Western Conference playoff race and general manager Bob Murray could opt to trade the veteran. Vancouver and New Jersey like Niedermayer as well.

The Blue Jackets are expected to be sellers as the NHL's trade deadline approaches. "It's a gray area, but we're probably leaning more toward being sellers," general manager Scott Howson said. "Nothing is final yet. "It is difficult for all of us, yes, because we didn't expect to be in this situation. But that's the reality. You have to make the most of it." Columbus is nine points behind eighth-place Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with 19 games remaining. The Blue Jackets have three players who can be unrestricted free agents this summer -- wingers Raffi Torres and Fredrik Modin, and defenseman Milan Jurcina.

If the Bruins want to be major players in this postseason, the Boston Globe writes that they need to acquire a defenseman and winger. The NHL's roster freeze will be lifted on Feb. 28 following the Olympics. Soon after the season resumes, Boston will embark on a seven-game road trip. "We know," Patrice Bergeron said of the obstacles that loom ahead. "We've seen the schedule. We know we're going to have to play well on the road and build some momentum. Right now, we?re more aware of what's going on. We're trying to make a difference every time we step on the ice. We feel the urgency of climbing back in the standings."

The Maple Leafs don't appear close to dealing left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky. Toronto drafted Ponikarovsky in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Draft. "Nothing imminent on Ponikarovsky, but there have been offers. Leafs will wait to see if the proposals get better," Darren Dreger wrote on his Twitter page.

Lee Stempniak's tenure with the Leafs may end just 15 months after he was acquired from St. Louis. ?That?s completely up to management. It?s totally out of my control,? Stempniak said Wednesday. ?I certainly like playing in Toronto. And my teammates are great.? Stempniak hasn't been the goal scorer Toronto was hoping for. ?I think my time here has gone fairly well. I think I?m a more complete player now, playing the power play, killing penalties, just things in my overall game. ?I do wish I had more goals and more points.?

The New Jersey Devils have acquired Ilya Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night, a source close to the deal told ESPN.com. Kovalchuk will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 and contracts talks with the Thrashers hit a stalemate recently. The move comes hours after Thrashers GM Don Waddell released a statement saying that contract negotiations with Kovalchuk had reached an "impasse" and that the team was exploring its options. "Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract," Waddell said in the statement earlier Thursday. "During the process, Kovy affirmed his desire to be a Thrasher for life. We've spent several months exploring scenarios with Kovy and his agent to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and offered many lucrative packages in an attempt to meet his financial objectives. Unfortunately, we've reached an impasse and at this point he has declined all of our proposals and we can't reasonably go any higher. "Ultimately, we offered Kovy more than $101 million over 12 years, which would have been the highest contract signed by an impending unrestricted free agent in the history of the league," Waddell said in the statement. "If accepted, this contract would have been the second-highest offer ever to any NHL player. We also met his desire to be the highest-paid player based on average annual salary with a separate offer of seven years at $10 million per year ($70 M). This offer is $0.5 million higher per year than any other player. "If we went beyond these offers, we would not be able to retain the young players on our roster when it came time to sign them or invest in other top-tier players needed to assemble a truly competitive team. Therefore, we are aggressively exploring all of our options as we move forward," Waddell's statement said.

Because of the Olympics, the NHL essentially has two trade deadlines this season. All teams are forced to freeze their rosters on February 12th due to the Olympic break. Teams will not be able to start trading again until March 1, but that leaves fewer than three days before the formal deadline of noon, March 3 for any swapping of players, prospects and draft picks.