John Davidson, Larry Pleau, Doug Armstrong, et al are popular men this weekend. The Blues have finally built up some assets. The team is on the move upward.

Other GMs like their young players. Player agents have renewed interest in sending their clients to St. Louis.

Blues executives are like the popular guys at the prom again. Good for them, they earned it.

Hockey Guy wishes these guys would make budding scorer David Perron unavailable to other teams, but, hey, you’ve got to give up something to get something.

Make no mistake, the Blues organization wants to take a big playoff run next season. So this could be a fun weekend for Blues fans tracking their team’s off-ice progress.

Here are some of the latest rumors coming from the draft scene:

• Several teams have shown interest in Maple Leafs offensive defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but opinions vary on whether Toronto GM Brian Burke will make something happen today. Burke will be the vortex of activity and the Toronto hockey media is on red alert today.
• TSN reported that the Bruins offered forward Phil Kessel, a restricted free agent, to the Leafs for Kaberle and the seventh overall pick in the draft.
• Burke declared himself out of the John Tavares sweepstakes, owing to his decision not to deal defenseman Luke Schenn.
• Burke denied interest in Rangers defenseman Wade Redden, who has $31 million left on his contract. But he did concede his willingness to take on salary to make a move.
• Would the Islanders really take center Matt Duchene over Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman? That apparently could happen, but GM Garth Snow shouldn’t do that without getting something to move out of the first overall pick.
• Dany Heatley remains the second hottest topic at the draft, behind Vincent Lecavalier. Both could get traded and neither could move, too, depending on how the weekend plays out. Lightning GM is asking other teams to speak to him, and only him, about Lecavalier and any other trade topic,
• Some teams, like the Kings, have been linked to both superstars in trade rumors. LA’s front office tried to quell rumors on both the Heatley and Lecavalier fronts, but the Kings are another team that should be active this weekend.
• Among the wilder rumors: The Sharks shopping Jumbo Joe Thornton and the Blue Jackets getting him to play with Rick Nash — thus guaranteeing that Nash re-ups in Columbus.
• Some team will acquire the negotiating rights to Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester today. It does not suck to be Bouwmeester, who is about to cash in big via free agency.
• Having lost Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov to Russia, the Capitals are celebrating their $6.5 million in newfound cap room.