Which clubs could the Red Wings target as potential destinations for defenseman Simon Edvinsson? What’s the latest on Bruins center Pavel Zacha? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SPORTSNET: Ryan Dixon looked at which players the Detroit Red Wings might target in any trade involving restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson.

Dixon believes the Red Wings would prefer to get an up-and-coming center in return for Edvinsson. He suggested Caleb Desnoyers of the Utah Mammoth, Berkly Catton of the Seattle Kraken, James Hagens of the Boston Bruins, Dalibor Dvorsky of the St. Louis Blues, and Kent Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (NHL Images)

The Mammoth already have rising star Logan Cooley, plus Vincent Trocheck and Nick Schmaltz can also play at center. The Kraken already have Matty Beniers, Jake O’Brien, and Shane Wright. Hagens has played mostly on the wing for the Bruins. Robert Thomas and Mason McTavish seem entrenched as the Blues’ top-two centers. Johnson’s been the frequent subject of trade rumors and might benefit from a change of scenery.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the Bruins are among at least 10 teams that have inquired about Edvinsson. He said that Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has told those teams he prefers to re-sign the 23-year-old left-shot defenseman. However, the longer this goes on, the more a trade becomes possible.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson believes the Oilers should pursue Edvinsson, but he doubts they have sufficient trade capital to win a bidding war. He thinks it could cost them forward Ike Howard or Matt Savoie as part of the return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the Red Wings cannot reach an agreement with Edvinsson, it’s rumored they might be open to a return of futures for the young defenseman, especially if they can get an established forward for Dylan Larkin in a separate deal.

Dixon’s made some interesting suggestions. Apart from the Bruins, we don’t know how much interest those other clubs have in Edvinsson. Nevertheless, those young centers that Dixon mentioned could entice the Red Wings if they are open to a package with a promising prospect (Desnoyers) or an NHL-ready young center as part of the return.

The Oilers could look into Edvinsson’s availability, but they probably can’t afford the Red Wings’ asking price, especially if one of the other clubs mentioned above includes one of those promising centers in the deal.

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday that Pavel Zacha “came up in conversations” between the Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets when the latter was shopping winger Kirill Marchenko, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.

According to LeBrun, contract negotiations between the Bruins and the 29-year-old UFA-eligible center are continuing, but they’re still not close to a deal. Given his age, the Bruins might be reluctant about signing him to an expensive long-term extension.

LeBrun believes this could go either way. However, if the Bruins are struggling to make the playoffs by the trade deadline and Zacha remains unsigned, he will likely be moved by March 1.