We are into the second half of the season, so it’s time for some more former NHL stars to stage their comebacks.

Peter Forsberg is feeling better these days after suffering earlier foot/ankle setbacks. If he can regain his skating stride – and do so relatively pain-free – then he could return to action for the stretch run.

Every contender would be interested in the injury-prone center, of course, with Colorado and Philadelphia having the inside track. But wouldn’t the Flyers have to clear cap space to get him back?

That could create some trade opportunities for other teams.

Various reports have winger Teemu Selanne returning to the Ducks sooner than later. Anaheim is looking more and more like the team that won the Stanley Cup, so Selanne seems intrigued after talking off the first half of this season.

Selanne’s return would make general manager Brian Burke feel much better about the Andy McDonald/Doug Weight exchange, a regressive move necessitated by the team’s salary cap crunch.

Old friend Curtis Joseph could also return to the NHL. He made his comeback for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup and did well enough to make the Rangers and Flames interested, among other teams.

AROUND THE RINKS: Obviously, the Capitals did not trade Alexander Ovechkin. In fact, the club locked in their cornerstone player for the length of his NHL career –signing him to a 13-year, $124 million contract that will set the standard for all future cornerstone players. Sidney Crosby, Ilya Kovalchuk, Vincent Lecavalier, et al celebrated this development big time. In Calgary, defenseman Dion Phaneuf is hopeful for a long-term, big-money extension . . . Down on the farm, the Rivermen have won six games in a row. Peoria has also earned points in 20 of its last 24 games. In his first four games back in the AHL, defenseman Steve Wagner had three goals and an assist . . . Predators defenseman Ryan Suter is finally out of the doghouse. He sat out four games as a healthy scratch before getting the call Sunday night from coach Barry Trotz . . . Former Blues assistant GM John Ferguson has moved onto even thinner ice in Toronto, where in-fighting among company officers is at an all-time high. This would be a good time to blow up the Maple Leafs and start over, ala the Blues, but who will be in charge of this project? Stay tuned . . . With Marian Hossa steaming toward free agency, this might be a good time for the Thrashers to move him for a pile of draft picks and prospects. This would allow the franchise to focus on keeping Kovalchuk for the long haul. General manager/coach Don Waddell admits this scenario could play out. “The good thing is, in the next three or four weeks, we’ll know which direction we’re headed,” Waddell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ll be prepared for whatever we’ll try to do.” . . . The Boston Globe reports that the Bruins might consider moving forward Phil Kessel for a high-end offensive defenseman. But, no, don’t propose a Kessel-for-Chrisian Backman deal in the comments below. The Blues can’t possibly be that lucky . . . Goaltender Josh Harding may get a bigger percentage of work in Minnesota. He won his last three starts, posting a 1.54 goals against average and .959 . . . Which will happen first, the Lightning getting a new buyer or the Lightning dealing a high salaried veteran (Martin St. Louis?) for prospects and draft picks?