CALGARY - The Calgary Flames were sellers heading into Wednesdays NHL trade deadline, but buyers had yet to open their wallets a day out. The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Interim general manager Brian Burkes theory for slow business was shoppers were temporarily preoccupied elsewhere. Other forwards said to be on the market were New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, Matt Moulson of the Buffalo Sabres, Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres. "I think theres a logjam thats been presented or created by two, three, four players thats going to paralyze the rest of the league," Burke told reporters Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome. "Youll see other deals happening but I think the hold up for a high-end forward has kind been captivated by two, three, four players. "I think were on the backburner for a lot of teams right now. Doesnt mean nothing is going to happen, but thats where we are today. "Weve been in discussions with every team in the league and what theyre trying to do. We have some unrestricted free agents we will move if the price is right. Im not close on anything that makes sense for us." Trade speculation in Calgary has centred on Cammalleri, but with a record of 23-31-7 and destined for a fifth straight season out of the playoffs, the only Flames that Burke considered off limits were captain Mark Giordano and rookie sensation Sean Monahan. "When youre in the place we are in the standings, your list of untouchables should be either nonexistent or tiny," Burke said. Burke, the Flames president of hockey operations, stepped in as interim GM when he fired Jay Feaster on Dec. 12. He intends to hire a new GM. But Burkes mandate is to speed up Calgarys rebuild by whatever means necessary: trades, spending to the cap or the signing of free agents. "You cant be waiting for the next guy," Burke said. "Were going to do what we can to improve. If that means theres a few less decisions for the new guy, thats fine. "The dynamic of the trade deadline is, you want to show your players first and foremost, if youre close, you want the room to feel youve done something to add. You want the players to believe management is trying to make the team better." Only the Buffalo Sabres have scored fewer goals than Calgary in the NHL this season, but upgrades are needed both up front and on the blue-line. Cammalleri, 31, scored 39 goals and had 43 assists as a Flame and a linemate of Jarome Iginla in 2008-09. Cammalleri is in the final year of a five-year contract paying him $6 million annually. With the right linemates, Cammalleris offensive skills and experience make him an attractive rental for a playoff push. "Things change very quickly in the business," Cammalleri said. "When it comes to that, I think you understand why certain things take place and why they might be thinking along certain lines. "I feel my best hockey is ahead of me and I feel great about my game. Whether its here, or whatever happens, Im not concerned about my ability to help my team out." Stempniak, also 31, is in the second year of a two-year deal that counts $2.5 million against the salary cap. He has eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games this season. His wife gave birth to twin girls following the Olympic break and he could be on the move Wednesday. "I know thats a very likely possibility and have sort of braced myself for that," Stempniak said. "Ill either get a phone call or I wont get a phone call. "It could be two big life changes in the span of five days, but its part of the business. Thankfully on the family front, everything is going well there and everyone is healthy. Thats the most important thing. Whatever else happens, you think you can deal with it." Defenceman Chris Butler, whose salary is $1.7 million this season, is also scheduled for unrestricted free agency in July. Burke said he prefers adding a player who can upgrade the Flames immediately over acquiring draft picks. Calgary has a healthy dose of cap space to take on unwanted contracts as part of a deal as well. "I hope to be up here in a year talking about buying players, not selling players. Were selling," Burke said. "That being said, if we can salvage a hockey deal out of this were going to do that. "If we can turn our cap space into assets were going to do that. It could be a very important day for the franchise, the next 24 hours, but its not the same as when youre adding to try to make a push." The Flames host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Coach Bob Hartley said Joni Ortio will get the start in net. Ortio was called up from Abbotsford, B.C., when goaltender Karri Ramo injured his knee Feb. 2. Ramo skated Tuesday for the first time since the injury prior to Calgarys optional skate. (SportsNetwork.com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will aim to eliminate the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, as the clubs battle in Mondays Game 6 at Nationwide Arena. The Penguins, who are seeded second in the East, were tied at 2-2 with Columbus before gaining an edge in the best-of-seven series with Saturdays 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh fails to wrap up the series tonight in Columbus, the clubs will play a decisive Game 7 in the Steel City on Wednesday. Columbus, which had never won a playoff contest before this series, has little margin for error in Game 6. Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu hopes facing elimination can bring the best out of his club. "I mean, if theyre going to push, what are we going to do?," Letestu said. "Its back in our building and our backs are against the wall. When there is adversity, this is the best that this team has played all year. I expect this first elimination game for everybody to play with their hair on fire." Columbus is 1-1 on home ice in this series, losing Game 3 to the Pens before rebounding with an overtime victory in the next encounter. The Blue Jackets are 1-3 all-time at Nationwide Arena in the postseason. The Blue Jackets had lost six straight home games against the Penguins before notching a victory in Game 4. Columbus and Pittsburgh were tied at 1-1 after 40 minutes on Saturday, but Jussi Jokinen scored the eventual game-winner at 6:16 of the third period. Kris Letang added an empty-netter with 1:01 left in regulation to seal the win for the Penguins and put them one victory away from advancing to the second round.dddddddddddd After a rough outing in Game 4, Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury bounced back by making 23 saves for the win. Chris Kunitz had a goal and an assist in the victory. Sidney Crosby added an assist to give him five helpers in the series, but he has yet to score a goal. After his club grabbed a 3-2 lead on Saturday, the Pens captain talked about the difficulty of closing out a series. "We have to realize theyre going to be as desperate as theyve been," Crosby said of tonights Game 6 battle. "It doesnt get any easier. We know the fourth one is the toughest." Crosbys teammate Evgeni Malkin also has yet to score over the first five games, but he has four assists. Boone Jenner scored the one goal for Columbus on Saturday, while Sergei Bobrovsky single-handedly kept his team in the game with a 48-save loss. "It was one of those performances where you come into an opposing rink, thats a game that your goaltender can steal for you," Columbus head coach Todd Richards said. "We just werent able to do enough in the offensive zone." Columbus defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray each returned to the lineup after missing time with lower-body injuries. Tyutin missed the previous two games, while Murray was held out of Game 4. Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo made his NHL playoff debut in Game 5, replacing injured blueliner Brooks Orpik. Pittsburgh hasnt disclosed the specifics of Orpiks injury and he is questionable for tonight. ' ' '