The Carolina Hurricanes could be ready to hang up the “For Sale” sign with their roster.

The talk around the league is general manager Ron Francis is pretty much willing to discuss everybody, with the exception of a few of the club’s young players.

“Ideally, there’s a handful of players they’d keep,” a league executive said.

The players the Hurricanes would like to move are familiar. At the top of the list is winger Jeff Skinner, but he has four years left at $5.725 million per season on a deal that runs until 2018-19. We’re told Carolina would even be willing to give a prospect as part of a package to get the contract off the books.

A decision on captain Eric Staal and goalie Cam Ward must be made before the Feb. 29 trade deadline as well. Both are unrestricted free agent’s next summer and many don’t believe there’s much of a chance that one or both will be back, especially if Carolina wants Staal to take less money and a short-term.

Coach Bill Peters, who may be feeling the heat, scratched veteran forwards Kris Versteeg and Riley Nash for Carolina’s game against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night. Nobody in Carolina is happy with the club’s lousy record and Peters clearly is trying to send a message with those decisions.

“It’s my decision, for sure. We need a different look,” Peters told the Raleigh News and Observer Saturday morning.

The Hurricanes could have a much different look after the deadline.

OFF THE GLASS

Three teams will have big decisions to make on key players before the trade deadline: Winnipeg, Arizona and Boston. The Jets have to decide what to do with defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, the Coyotes need to determine if they’ll sign winger Mikkel Boedker, and the Bruins have a similar dilemma on forward Loui Eriksson. All three players are set to become UFAs next summer and all are going to attract attention on the market and their teams are all in the mix for playoff spots at the moment. A team that may take a run at Byfuglien is the Florida Panthers. GM Dale Tallon is a huge fan and the Panthers will have defenceman Brian Campbell off the books next year ... Calgary GM Brad Treliving has been working the phones hard with his club struggling. While teams would like to acquire UFA forward Jiri Hudler and defenceman Kris Russell for a run to the playoffs, the Flames may want to sign both of those players before it’s decided whether they’ll make a move. Both are going to be valuable pieces to contenders ... The biggest decision the Leafs are going to have to make is on goalie James Reimer. Making $2.3 million in the last year of his contract, he’ll be a UFA on July 1. Teams are going to call at the deadline and Jonathan Bernier has struggled.

THIS ’N’ THAT

Anaheim GM Bob Murray has been doing a lot of talking and would like to do something to shake up his struggling club. The issue: Nobody is sure what. He does a lot of talking, then doesn’t take any action. There just doesn’t seem to be any urgency despite the Ducks’ struggles to get back on track. Anaheim wouldn’t mind moving wingers Andrew Cogliano and Patrick Maroon, but there’s not a huge marketplace for those two players and nobody is sure how much they’ll get in return. If the Ducks are serious about moving D Cam Fowler, then Murray might be able to get good return ... The Blue Jackets are looking for a top-four defenceman in exchange for prospect defenceman Kerby Rychel. The 21-year-old, a No. 19 overall selection in 2013, has suited up for 10 games and has three assists but many believe the asking price is far too high. The teams that have top end blueliners want a lot in return because of demand.

RUMOURS DU JOUR

Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is looking to make changes and RW Jordan Eberle is prominent on the market, but it sure sounds like it will be difficult for Edmonton to make a significant move before the deadline. Since Chiarelli likes his teams to play hard (see the Bruins for details), he’ll want to change the mix with the Oilers at some point. The only way for the Oilers to get the 25-year-old Eberle and his $6 million cap hit that runs until 2018-19 is if Edmonton is willing to take back a player or two to even up the money. Ideally, the Oilers want a good, young player in return with plenty of upside. Several teams believe that’s an off-season deal for Chiarelli ... There is interest in Chicago D Trevor Daley, who has a cap hit of $3.3 million through next season. Yes, he went into the weekend with no goals in 26 games but a few teams believe that Daley, 32, might thrive if he is given a change of scenery. He was an important player on Dallas under coach Lindy Ruff but that has changed under Chicago’s Joel Quenneville. It can be tough to change Quenneville’s mind if you don’t make a good first impression and Daley has struggled with the Hawks. He’s is being used in a third-pairing role and if moved could get the chance to play a top four role. That may be why Chicago GM Stan Bowman has set the asking price high by seeking a second-round pick and a prospect.

Have a nice Sunday.