There is a ton of speculation surrounding the two captains as we come into the draft and their names have been out in the rumor mill for many weeks now. This morning I talked to one of my favorite sources who is familiar with both of these situations to get a feel for whether or not the interest has picked up in the recent days:

"Spezza will have plenty of suitors. The Leafs are having a much harder time selling Dion Phaneuf to the NHL GMs," my source continued, " While it would appear he is the kind of defender most teams want, he is not only expensive, but doesn't have the greatest history of being safe with the puck in his own zone."

Phaneuf is also a very big personality to bring into any dressing room.

So far, the best I can tell is the Winnipeg Jets have shown the most interest in Phaneuf.

Spezza, on the other hand, is a much easier sale. At this point I am hearing the Wings, Sabres and Sharks could be among the teams interested...however, the Leafs could very much get involved with the Spezza trade game. They will have interest in him as a UFA a year from now for certain.

Check out Hockeybuzzcast #22 "See Josh Get Fired", as Julie Robenhymer, Josh Rimer, Mike Augello and myself discuss the four second round playoff series and the Spezza/Phaneuf rumors.

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