NHL trade rumor roundup: The latest on Ryan Kesler, Ryan Callahan, Chris Phillips

The NHL trade deadline is a little more than 48 hours away and speculation is, well, a thing that's happening.

Deadline day is a funny collection of anticipation and tension, that blurs the lines between Christmas and the most disappointing birthday you've ever had. The potential is always there for massive trades that will take some seemingly untouchable player and put him in the ranks of a Stanley Cup-caliber team. Or your favorite team will come out of nowhere and trade for that awesome player who you always wanted it to acquire.

But, in reality, you'll probably end up watching TSN on NHL Network all day looking at a bunch of guys texting about hot deals that are cooling off because the price is too high. At least James Duthie is usually pretty funny.

Here's a roundup of things that might not happen before Wednesday:

Ryan Callahan lowers asking price

The New York Rangers want Ryan Callahan signed before Wednesday afternoon or they want to trade him. It seemed like Callahan was as good as gone due to his reported asking price of a seven-year, $49 million contract extension, but the captain has apparently rolled back his demands to a six-year, $39 million offer. The Rangers are reportedly willing to go six years at $36 million, which is obviously much closer to $39 million than it is $49 million.

Is it close enough for the two sides to bridge before 3 p.m. ET?

Chris Phillips mulls contract extension from Senators

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that Ottawa has offered a one-year contract to Phillips. The 35-year-old defenseman is in the final year of a three-year contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Garrioch and others have reported that Ottawa will likely trade Phillips if he is not extended before Wednesday's deadline.

The Boston Bruins have reportedly shown interest if Phillips becomes available.

Boston searching for defense

The Bruins are interested in adding a defenseman, which has spanned almost every available name. General manager Peter Chiarelli has expressed that he would be open to adding a veteran defenseman, which likely is due to the season-ending injury of Dennis Seidenberg. Of course, Boston has several young defensemen who the club might look to lean on down the stretch.

Regardless, Boston is an intriguing player given its status as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. With a few names floating around on defense, the Bruins might look to strike.

Alex Edler, Ryan Kesler available in Vancouver

One such name might be Edler, but the 27-year-old blue liner has several years remaining on his contract and will likely require a package outside the Bruins' price range. While it remains unidentified, it's safe to assume that it will take a first-round draft pick, a current NHL player and a prospect to pry Edler out of Vancouver.

In terms of Kesler, reports over the weekend identified that the Canucks are looking for a young centerman (aged 20-25), a first-round pick and a prospect. Several teams are rumored to have interest, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly "very interested" in Kesler and might have exchanged formal offers.

Long Island watch

The New York Islanders are expected to be big players in this year's deadline, as the club is looking to move Andrew MacDonald and Thomas Vanek. Several teams are looking for defense, which makes MacDonald an enticing addition for some clubs.

Vanek is considered the prized rental of this year and is expected to go to a contending team looking for scoring. However, rumors have been quiet and the forward's name hasn't surfaced much. This is likely due to Garth Snow's high asking price, which many view as unreasonable for a player intent on testing the open market come July.

Despite this, Vanek will likely be somewhere else come Wednesday afternoon.

Buffalo's fire sale

There's a simple formula to identify potential trade candidates in Buffalo: Is the player under contract with the Sabres? Does he have a pulse?

If the sum of those two parts is yes, then you can assume that the player is available via trade.

The Sabres are expected to move Matt Moulson and could look to deal newcomers Jaroslav Halak and Chris Stewart. Players with term on their contracts like defensemen Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff have also emerged as speculative trade candidates.

Buffalo is attempting to build from the ground up, which might mean general manager Tim Murray burns this thing to the ground come Wednesday.

Minnesota looking at goaltenders

The Wild were in talks with Buffalo to acquire Ryan Miller, but ultimately balked at the opportunity. Minnesota has reportedly inquired about Halak and has spoken to the New Jersey Devils about Martin Brodeur. While Darcy Kuemper has played well, the club might look to fortify the position in case he falters down the stretch/in the playoffs.

Dealing Brodeur sounds insane, given how important he is to the Devils (they ceremonially drafted Brodeur's son at the 2013 draft and let Brodeur announce the pick). General manager Lou Lamoriello is notoriously tight-lipped about these kinds of things, but it sounds like trading Brodeur is the last thing he wants to do. Conversely, Brodeur seems to want more playing time and wants to find some way to get it.

For the Wild, it depends on the asking price. Brodeur has a lot of value to the Devils (purely sentimental) and might be too expensive for Minnesota's liking (could you imagine the Devils trading Brodeur for a mid-round pick? Eyes are rolling right now).

Marty might want to leave, but it seems so unlikely that the Devils would willingly trade off the most important player in franchise history for a meager return. But, hey, it's the deadline, so anything could happen.