That is the early morning speculation today among my sources:

In order to make room for Scott Niedermayer the Ducks are going to have to move some cap space, and in this world where trades are hard to come by, the Ducks may have to move the player that was brought in as an insurance plan in case Scotty did not return.

It is believed that Marchant is also an option, but at 2.5 per he is not easy to move. Schneider's number, 5.5, is not easy to move either, but Mathieu carries with him serious on-ice value and is viewed as an impact player.

"No one knows yet what Anaheim will do to clear cap space, but rest assured that other teams really want Mathieu Schneider and will be kicking the tires today," a source told me this morning.

I am also meeting with a source this afternoon regarding the possible San Jose deal with either Montreal, Ottawa, or Toronto. I will post more on that this afternoon.

Today's Talkcast will be at 3pm so that you can all listen to Gary Bettman and our own Bill Clement at 4pm ET on XMRadio and NHL.com

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