“I think if they do make moves this season, it is likely to shore up other holes on the roster,” said Pagnotta on The Fan 960. “They can bring in another physical D, Ekholm Jr., at a lower cap, if they’d like to do that. And if they can get a mid-six guy, that’s again something they’d love to do.

“We’ve seen Stuart Skinner playing considerably better in the last week or so than the rest of the season, because the entire team was struggling,” he said. “This is another scenario where it’s status quo for the time being, but they aren’t going to continue to look to see if they can fill other holes.

The most obvious choice for a blueliner is Rasmus Andersson, who is all but out the door with the Calgary Flames. He carries a cap hit of $4.55 million, and will assuredly be traded the Flames, but the likelihood of a inter-provincial swap is low.

Brandon Carlo could also be a target. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman is 28-years-old with an additional year of term until 2026-27 at $4.1 million. Carlo does have a eight-team no trade list, and the Leafs have been winning more often, so the appetite might not be as high to move him anymore.

Carlo hasn’t been himself lately, never living up to the large acquisition cost Toronto handed Boston, a 1st-round pick and Fraser Minten. He averaged 1.54 hits per game as a Bruin, but those numbers are down to just one per game with the Leafs. This seems quite dependent on what GM Brad Treliving wants to do, but the Leafs give the sense they want to make “hockey trades.”

Mario Ferraro could keep the Sharks-Oilers connection alive. A year removed from the Jake Walman move to Edmonton, could Bowman and Mike Grier re-kindle the phonelines and bring a sturdy blueliner to Oil Country?

Ferraro is 27-years-old and carries a cap hit of $3.25-million. If the Sharks are out of the playoff picture, Ferraro would be a prized depth add for teams. He’s been a loyal Shark through the lean years of a rebuild, and has averaged just over 20 minutes of TOI in his career. For a bit of sandpaper who’s played big minutes before, Ferraro could fit the mold of a “Ekholm Jr.” type.

Flyers defenceman Emil Andrae is also super cheap, at just over $900,000 this season. There’s been some rumblings the Flyers brass aren’t in love with this 23-year-old player. He is pretty green, though, having played just 46 games total before this season.