Teams look to bolster blue-line

Updated: February 23, 2004, 4:00 PM ET

With the bidding war up to at least eight teams, Sergei Gonchar's trade appears imminent.

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By By Jim Wilkie
NHL Insider

So far this trade season, we've seen the sweet (Steve Sullivan perking up the Predators) and the Sauer (defenseman Kurt to the Avalanche). Here's the latest news from the rumor mill as playoff-bound teams try to load up before the March 9 trading deadline:

It doesn't make much difference, but defenseman Sergei Gonchar has told GM George McPhee that he wants out of Washington.

"I told George that if the team is rebuilding and wants to build a young team from level zero, I want to go somewhere else," Gonchar, 29, told The Washington Times. "I'm not getting any younger, and I want to win a Stanley Cup before my career is over."

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