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The latest news as we count down to the trade deadline:

Rick Nash

Teams that I believe have either been contacted by Columbus regarding Rick Nash or have reached out to the Blue Jackets: the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Of that list, I think the Rangers, Flyers and Kings really stand out in terms of their interest and ability to provide the right assets. The Canucks and Leafs obviously have interest, but I’m not sure they’re willing to part with the kind of package of assets the Jackets are looking for.

The Leafs have worked hard over the last few years to build up their base of assets and don’t want to empty the cupboard on one player, even though it’s a player they like. My sense is that Toronto will remain involved on some level just to make sure the price doesn’t go down.

Wild-card teams: San Jose and St. Louis. I’m not sure the Sharks can pull this off midseason; I think they’d be more interested in the offseason. The Blues have ownership issues, which I think really limits their ability here, yet one source suggested to us that we should not discount them. Still, trade Nash within your division? That would surprise me.

Jackets GM Scott Howson has told some teams, a source told ESPN.com, that while he is listening to offers on Nash, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll move the superstar winger by the Feb. 27 trade deadline. There’s still a chance this gets moved to an offseason transaction. Still, given that the cat is now out of the bag, you know Howson will work his hardest to make it happen in the next two weeks.

Ryan Smyth

You can take Ryan Smyth's name off the trade market list. The veteran winger (UFA on July 1) solicited interest, we’re told, from the likes of Detroit, Boston and the New York Rangers, but Oilers GM Steve Tambellini had a meeting with Smyth on Tuesday where both sides agreed he’d stay put in Edmonton. And that was just fine with Smyth. Sure, Smyth was flattered to hear some Cup contenders wanted his services, but given what he went through to force a trade from L.A. to Edmonton last June, he’s more than happy just to stay put.

Tuomo Ruutu

You can also officially scratch Tuomo Ruutu's name off the trade market. That was pretty much the case last week when Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford announced he would try to re-sign the pending UFA forward, but now with Ruutu out three to four weeks with an upper body injury, it makes it a moot point. A Canes source confirmed to ESPN.com Tuesday night that Ruutu would not be going anywhere. Talks on a contract extension continue.

Tim Gleason was a man in demand.

Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Nashville and Detroit were just some on a long list of the teams that were believed to have some level of interest in the rugged defenseman.

Slated for unrestricted free agency on July 1, he was an obvious target for playoff-bound contenders, and the trade rumors were hard to ignore.

"I was pretty much going somewhere every day," Gleason laughed Thursday night in a chat with ESPN.com.

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford knew he could get very good value for Gleason, but he wrestled with the thought of having to replace him next year.

"Despite what the rumors were, I don’t think at any time we had made a decision we definitely wouldn’t keep him," Rutherford told ESPN.com Thursday night. "As we studied it, we just felt if we let him go that he’d be hard to replace. So we met during the All-Star break and we’re able to get something done."

Said Gleason of the four-year, $16 million extension announced Monday: "It got done pretty quickly."

The deal includes a no-trade clause for the first two seasons of the deal, but it doesn’t kick in until July 1. Because of that, Gleason's veteran agent, Pat Morris of Newport Sports, protected his client by getting in writing Rutherford’s assurance that he wouldn’t move Gleason between now and July 1.

Rutherford looked Gleason right in the eye and promised him as much.

"I shook Jimmy’s hand, it was a promise," Gleason said. "You have to respect that, obviously. Jim is well respected by myself and my family. We were happy to get the negotiations finished."

The grass can often look greener in pro sports. Gleason knew some of the teams rumored to want his services had a serious shot at winning a Cup. But he said he the Canes are turning things around, and he wants to stick around for it.

"The last 10-15 games, we’re moving in the right direction," Gleason said. "We’re in every game. It’s only going to get better I believe. That was part of my decision."

The other part? Gleason and his family have been in Raleigh since 2006. It’s home now.

"I’ve been here for a while and you get to know people inside and outside of hockey," he said. "Friendships are hard to find here and there around the hockey world. We’re happy here."

Red Wings' shopping list

The Detroit Red Wings remain on the hunt for a top-six forward, but I’m not so sure they’re as keen on Oilers winger Ales Hemsky as they were earlier this season.

I was told Friday that now they’re more inclined to try to pick up a forward who has more edge to his game.

Forward Tuomo Ruutu of the Carolina Hurricanes is one of several names on the Wings’ short list. But, will he be available in the end? The Hurricanes could always pull a Gleason with Ruutu and talk extension with the forward before deciding whether to trade him.

The Wings are like many of the contenders right now, they haven’t done anything because the buyers outnumber the sellers on the trade market.

As for Hemsky (UFA on July 1), I believe Los Angeles and Nashville still have interest in him.

I wrote earlier Friday that perhaps Dominic Moore would be another name the Wings were interested in, completely forgetting the history between the Moore family and Todd Bertuzzi. Scratch that idea.

Schneider's future

Cory Schneider’s trade value continues to soar with each and every impressive performance.

But judging from what sources around the league are telling ESPN.com, I would be stunned if the Vancouver Canucks moved him before Feb. 27.

It’s not impossible, but my understanding is that the Canucks would have to be absolutely blown away by an offer.

My sense is that the Canucks are more than happy to have a 1-A and 1-B situation in goal with Roberto Luongo and Schneider entering the playoffs, giving themselves tremendous insurance should Luongo either get injured or struggle.

Come summer, the Canucks can revisit their situation in goal and capitalize on their depth on the trade market.

I also think it’s brilliant that coach Alain Vigneault started Schneider for a key game in Boston earlier this season, as well as in this past week’s win over the rival Blackhawks. It gives Vigneault the necessary confidence to know that if he has to go to Schneider in a playoff game, he can do so without worry.

Jagr's extension talks

The Flyers and Jaromir Jagr’s agent, Petr Svoboda, had preliminary conversations last month about a possible extension.

Jagr wanted some time to think about things before getting back to the Flyers.

"I’ll be talking to [Flyers GM] Paul Holmgren again within a week probably," Svoboda told ESPN.com Wednesday.

Jagr, who turns 40 on Feb. 15, signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal last summer. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but there’s obvious interest in staying in Philadelphia if both sides can come to agreement.

"It’s a good situation for him there," Svoboda said.

Blackhawks not done

Chicago’s acquisition of veteran center Brendan Morrison doesn’t mean the Blackhawks are done before the trade deadline.

The Hawks, I’m told, would like to acquire a defenseman to play on their third pairing. After allowing eight goals in Edmonton on Thursday night to sit 25th in goals against in the league entering the weekend, help on defense should indeed be a priority.

And despite getting Morrison, they’d still be willing to add a forward, one with grit. With the rugged Daniel Carcillo out for the season, they’d like a little sandpaper in any forward they acquire.

Predators' recent success

One of the reasons for Nashville’s torrid run of late might surprise some, given that people assume defense to be the team’s top priority. Fact is, the Preds were middle of the pack in early January in goals against but have really tightened up over the past month.

"Defensively we’ve been much better than we were earlier in the year," Preds coach Barry Trotz told ESPN.com this week.

Trotz also pointed to the leadership on the team as a major contributing factor.

"The young guys are playing more like poised veterans, and the veterans are doing a really [good] job in terms of helping them out," Trotz said.

"Our core of leaders is as strong as it’s ever been here in terms of character and work ethic. Also in terms of accountability to teach others, they don’t take any days off; they’re very professional."

OTTAWA -- From conversations I’ve had with teams over the weekend, there’s a chance the trade season will get going for real after the All-Star break.

One name that could move as early as this week is Tuomo Ruutu, the Carolina Hurricanes forward who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Canes have taken lots of calls on him and may finally be ready to move him.

One player that won’t be on the move is Ryane Clowe. The San Jose Sharks winger was mentioned in a published rumor this past week, but Sharks GM Doug Wilson vehemently denied it, telling ESPN.com there was no way Clowe was going anywhere. It would not make sense at all to move him, in my mind. Clowe is a glue guy on that roster, an important blend of sand paper and skill, and the perfect compliment to center Logan Couture.

Speaking of grit, Habs winger Travis Moen is garnering some interest around the league. He’s an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and would be a decent rental pickup for a contender looking for a bit more of a physical presence on their third line. Vancouver and Detroit are among several teams that have an eye on him, although one NHL source told ESPN.com that Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier is telling teams he’s not ready to sell yet. The Canadiens play eight of their next 12 games at home and the word is Gauthier wants to see if his team can make a run before pulling the plug.

Meanwhile in Columbus, GM Scott Howson is expecting he'll be a very busy man in the next four weeks. Aside from the obvious rental players (players who will be UFAs on July 1) he’ll attempt to move, keep an eye on center Jeff Carter. Howson, we’re told, is willing to move Carter less than a year after acquiring him from the Flyers, in part because the player doesn’t want to be in Columbus. But can Howson find a taker for Carter’s contract? He’s in the first season of an 11-year, $58-million contract (cap hit $5.27 million).

Stock Up

Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers
Take that, NHL Hockey Ops. After being snubbed by the NHL for inclusion in the All-Star Game in Raleigh later this month, Danny Briere continues to run red-hot for the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers. He had a goal, his 23rd of the season, and an assist in Thursday's 7-5 loss to Boston, and now has points in five straight games. In his past eight games, Briere has seven goals and seven assists. Pretty good for a guy not good enough to go to the All-Star Game.

Tuomo Ruutu, Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes dropped a 3-2 decision to Buffalo on Thursday night, but Tuomo Ruutu kept up his recent torrid pace, adding his 12th goal of the season on the power play. He has goals in three straight games and points in four straight to help keep the Canes within shouting distance of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Stock Down

John-Michael Liles, Colorado Avalanche
It's been a difficult time for the youthful Avalanche as they try to hang onto a playoff berth in the Western Conference. One of the reasons for the team's strong start was the impressive point production of veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles. After a torrid start, though, Liles has managed just two points in his past 12 games for the Avs. As for goals, he has gone 17 straight without pushing one across.

Brooks Laich, Washington Capitals
One of the things that made the Caps such a dynamic offensive squad last season was the depth of scoring. Brooks Laich was the leader of a second line that most often featured talented yet streaky Alexander Semin, and Laich topped the 20-goal mark for the third straight season. Now he's on pace for about 15 goals this season and has gone 11 straight without a goal.