So your team missed out in free agency. Or it still has a gaping hole at forward. Don't sweat it — because there still is plenty of talent available. It's just going to have to come through trade. Thanks to the salary cap — at both the high and low end — we can look for an active trading market between now and the start of the season.

Five players who are prime candidates to change uniforms:

Nikolai Khabibulin, G, Chicago Blackhawks
We want to believe Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon when he says Khabibulin isn't going anywhere. But the $12 million per year paid to Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet is a lot to spend on goaltending — and the Blackhawks aren't in the clear on the salary cap.

"The thing is, I don't look at it as $12 million tied up in goalies," Tallon says. "I look at it as the two best goalies to give us a chance to win."

Maybe he's right, but if a team like, say, the Los Angeles Kings makes a strong offer for Khabibulin and the $6.75 million he's due next season, will Tallon be able to pass?

Mathieu Schneider, D, Anaheim Ducks
They signed Schneider last summer as $11.25 million insurance in case Scott Niedermayer retired. He didn't, and now Niedermayer has committed to another season, which means Schneider is expendable, along with the $5.75 million he's owed for this season.

Trading Schneider becomes even more of a sure thing if Teemu Selanne re-signs with the Ducks.

Mike Knuble, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are one of five teams -- the Blackhawks, Capitals, Flames and Ducks are the others -- with serious cap issues. And that makes them prime candidates for a cost-cutting move, especially considering GM Paul Holmgren loves forward prospect Claude Giroux.

"He was arguably good enough last year to start here," Holmgren says of Giroux. And that means a right winger, maybe Knuble or Joffrey Lupul, could be shipped to clear space under the cap and on the ice for Giroux. With Lupul signing a four-year extension last week, Knuble is in the bull's-eye.

Michael Nylander, C, Washington Capitals
The Capitals signed center Sergei Fedorov to a one-year, $4 million deal. Fedorov was a great fit last season; the same can't be said of Nylander.

Injuries limited him to 40 games, and he never meshed with Alex Ovechkin or Alexander Semin. Trading Nylander, who is set to average $4.7 million over the next three seasons, would keep Washington out of cap trouble.

Frantisek Kaberle, D, Carolina Hurricanes
With the acquisition of Joni Pitkanen, the Hurricanes have depth on defense. Now they wouldn't mind shedding a little salary. Kaberle makes the most sense but isn't cheap ($2.2 million per year) or young (34).

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