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OFF THE GLASS

The New York Rangers have a deadline decision looming on Chris Kreider, who has 17 goals and 32 points in 48 games. He’s making $4.525 million in the final year of his contract, and GM Jeff Gorton has to determine if he’s going to move the winger or sign him to an extension. The word is the Rangers are playing both sides of the fence with Kreider and aren’t sure which way to go. He told reporters in St. Louis on Thursday the two sides aren’t having any contract discussions, but maybe that’s because the organization hasn’t made a final decision. There are a lot of teams looking for help up front and the belief is the Boston Bruins would make a hard push for Kreider if the decision is made to deal him. Teams believe this will be a last-minute deal because Gorton isn’t in a hurry. … The Bruins aren’t the only team looking for scoring help; the Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues would all like to add forward depth before the post-season. One option for all the teams involved would be Los Angeles Kings forward Tyler Toffoli because there’s a good chance the UFA will get moved and his name has been out there all season.

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AROUND THE BOARDS

Not sure how many teams have shown interest — there’s no shortage of them looking for defenceman — but San Jose’s Brenden Dillon may be an option. After getting the backing of ownership last week to right the ship, Sharks GM Doug Wilson is determined to make deals and his mandate is get draft picks in return. Somebody should call Wilson and offer him a first-round pick, which would help the rebuilding job he needs to do because the Sharks’ 2020 first-round selection was sent to Ottawa as part of the Erik Karlsson deal. … The Kings are looking to move blueliner Alec Martinez. He has one year left with a cap hit of $4 million so that won’t be an easy task for GM Rob Blake. … Interim Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has posted the “For Sale” sign and is looking to move the club’s UFAs, including defencemen Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen, along with forward Wayne Simmonds. Forward Kyle Palmieri was placed on injured reserve before the break, but league executives say his name is out there as well. According to CapFriendly, he has a modified no-trade clause with an eight-team list so he has some control over where he’s headed if the Devils go that route.