• Martin Biron signed a two-year/$2.6 million contract extension with the New York Rangers. Biron has been a great backup for Henrik Lundqvist, so it’s not surprising that the Rangers wanted him back. Biron should continue to get about 20 starts per season over the life of this deal.
• Andy Miele has signed a one-year extension with the Phoenix Coyotes. Miele had 16 goals and 54 points in 69 AHL games last season. He also appeared in seven games with the Phoenix Coyotes, but wasn’t able to register a point. Miele has a ton of offensive upside.
• Blair Jones has agreed to a two-year/1.3 million contract extension with the Calgary Flames. ”Blair Jones is the type of ‘hard to play against’ player we want in our line-up,” said Flames GM Jay Feaster. “He is a big body, he is fearless, he drives hard to the net and takes defenders with him, he uses his body effectively in both zones and he is versatile in that he can play on the 3rd or 4th line, kills penalties, blocks shots and can be spotted occasionally on the power play for net-front presence.” As Feaster said, he might play on the third or fourth line, but he won’t accumulate more than 15-20 points over 82 games.
• Travis Moen inks a four-year/$7.4 million contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens. Moen had nine goals and 16 points in 48 games in 2011-12. Moen, 30, completed his eighth season in the NHL in 2011-12, his third with the Canadiens. In 48 games, the left winger notched 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists). One of his goals was scored on the penalty kill. Moen registered 45 shots on goal, 75 hits and served 41 penalty minutes, while averaging 15:42 seconds of ice time per game.
• Lee Stempniak has signed a two-year/$5 million contract extension with the Calgary Flames. Stempniak is coming off a two-year/$3.8 million deal, so this represents a decent raise for him. He had 14 goals and 28 points in 61 games last season.

1. The Columbus Blue Jackets fourth-round pick will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a trade on November 8, 2011 that sent Mark Letestu to Columbus in exchange for this pick.
2. The New York Islanders fourth-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on February 27, 2012 that sent Samuel Pahlsson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vancouver’s own fourth-round pick in 2012 and this pick.
   Vancouver previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 28, 2011 that sent Christian Ehrhoff to New York in exchange for this pick.
3. The Toronto Maple Leafs fourth-round pick will go to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on October 4, 2011 that sent Dave Steckel to Toronto in exchange for this pick.
4. The Winnipeg Jets fourth-round pick will go to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on July 8, 2011 that sent Eric Fehr to Winnipeg in exchange for Danick Paquette and this pick.
5. The Colorado Avalanches fourth-round pick will go to the Phoenix Coyotes as the result of a trade on June 28, 2010 that sent Daniel Winnik to Colorado in exchange for this pick.
6. The Buffalo Sabres fourth-round pick will go to the New York Islanders as the result of a trade on June 29, 2011 that sent Christian Ehrhoff to Buffalo in exchange for this pick.
7. The San Jose Sharks fourth-round pick will go to the Anaheim Ducks as the result of a trade on March 4, 2009 that sent Travis Moen and Kent Huskins to San Jose in exchange for Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier, a conditional pick in either 2009 or 2011 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).The condition San Jose re-signs at least one of Moen or Huskins while Anaheim signs neither of the two players was converted on July 9 and 10, 2009.
8. The New Jersey Devils fourth-round pick will go to the Carolina Hurricanes as the result of a trade on January 20, 2012 that sent Alexei Ponikarovsky to New Jersey in exchange for Joe Sova and this pick.
9. The Phoenix Coyotes fourth-round pick will go to the Nashville Predators as the result of a trade on October 28, 2011 that sent Cal O’Reilly to Phoenix in exchange for this pick.
10. The Boston Bruins fourth-round pick will go to the Carolina Hurricanes as the result of a trade on July 5, 2011 that sent Joe Corvo to Boston in exchange for this pick.
11. The Vancouver Canucks fourth-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on February 27, 2012 that sent Samuel Pahlsson to Vancouver in exchange for the NY Islanders’ fourth-round pick in 2012 and this pick.

• Following Jeff Carter’s trade to the Los Angeles Kings, the team appears to still have several irons in the fire according to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie. McKenzie said that the Kings were still talking to a number of teams about their goaltender Jonathan Bernier in their quest to add another forward. McKenzie also stated that the captain of the team, Dustin Brown is also a player that could get moved. McKenzie reports that the teams with the highest level of interest in Brown are Boston, Buffalo, Edmonton, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Toronto and Vancouver.
• TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported late on Thursday that the Edmonton Oilers are making a final push toward re-signing forward Ales Hemsky. Dreger stated that there is still a lot of teams interested in the forward if the Oilers can’t make a deal. Dreger also reports that the Maple Leafs are going to push Columbus for a decision on Rick Nash, and would like to know by Saturday which way they will go. He says the New York Rangers will likely do the same, and that Kings forward Brown is the Plan B.
• ESPN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun says a source told him that the Kings actually made an offer at one point for both Rick Nash and Jeff Carter, but settled for just Carter. He also agrees that there are many suitors for L.A.’s Dustin Brown and the Stars’ Steve Ott, and mentions that Dallas is also interested in James van Riemsdyk.
• According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline, the fact that the Blue Jackets dealt Jeff Carter on Thursday does not impact the market for Rick Nash, who is still available for the right price. Portzline also reports that the Edmonton Oilers have expressed interest in defenseman Marc Methot, who is under contract through the 2014-15 season.
• Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, who is believed to be on the trade market, wants to stay with the team. ”This is where I want to be,” van Riemsdyk said.
• The Canadian Press reports that Montreal Canadiens forward Travis Moen, who is set to become a free agent on July 1, is unavailable. Moen is currently on injured reserve.

“Coach Mike Babcock might have had Moen in mind when spoke recently about his desire to add a ‘heavy winger’. Moen would make the Red Wings harder to play against and help a mediocre penalty kill. He played a key role on Anaheim’s 2007 Stanley Cup-winning club.”

The Wings are also rumored to be interested in bigger names like Teemu Selanne and Ales Hemsky, but they may not be willing to sacrifice future assets to make these deals happen.

Moen is an effective two-way forward that has extensive playoff experience, having been a part of the Anaheim Ducks’ Stanley Cup-winning team back in 2007. However, he has been out since January 21st with an upper body injury, and prospective suitors will want to see that he’s recovered before making a move for him. The San Jose Sharks are rumored to be amongst the front-runners to make the move.

As for Gomez, he still has two seasons remaining on his contract following this year. After earning $7.5 million in 2011-12, he’s on the books for $5.5 million in 2012-13 and $4.5 million in 2013-14. Finding a destination for the former Devil and Ranger may be a bit more difficult.

It makse sense that so many teams where in attendance, the Habs are going into seller’s mode very soon, and guys like Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Campoli, Hal Gill, Travis Moen and even P.K. Subban could be available.

If Subban really is available, then all these clubs are likely interested. However, that’s all speculation for now, and guys like Gill and Campoli will more likely to move.

But the real wildcard here might be Kostitsyn, who is slated for unrestricted free agency. He has said he’d take a hometown discount to stay in Montreal, but several of the above-mentioned clubs are having offensive trouble, the Blues and Wild, among them so things could get interesting if Habs General Manager Pierre Gauthier explores that avenue. Thought there are concerns about Kostitsyn’s consistency that might scare away potential playoff teams.

That leaves the likes of Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Campoli, Hal Gill and Travis Moen, among others, as potential trade targets. Now, these guys may just be deadline rentals but if it can net them a draft pick or prospect, they may pull the trigger on the deal.

General Manager Pierre Gauthier would love to dump a few of his high-priced forward to gear up for a re-build. But his five highest paid forwards Plekanec, Bourque, Cole, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta all have some kind of no-trade clauses, which makes them hard to move. In addition, some of their contracts will be tough to move in the middle of the season.