This is an exciting time for hockey fans. The opening of the free agent marketplace is upon us and many big names could be on the move.

The Blues will be involved, of course, given their need for a second goaltender and their desire for another puck-moving defenseman. But John Davidson, Larry Pleau, Doug Armstrong and Co. won’t be nearly as active as some of their peers.

They have done a nice job taking care of their business. Another step came Tuesday, when defenseman Roman Polak and forward B.J. Crombeen got their qualifying offers.

The Blues are substantially set for next year. Some change is forthcoming, but nothing to compared to places like Montreal, Toronto and possibly Vancouver as well.

Here are some of the latest rumors:

• KFNS personality notes Andy Strickland notes that Mathieu Schneider could be a nice short-term addition to the Blues defense now that Jay McKee is gone. Along those lines, Sergei Zubov has also drawn mention.
• The muddled ownership situation in Tampa Bay have complicated the Vincent Lecavalier trade talks with several teams. That is why Montreal stepped up its campaign to get the Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik. HockeyBuzz.com suggests the Canadiens are willing to go longer on its contract offers.
• If the Canucks lose the twins, the club’s fallback appears to be Marian Gaborik — who is tight with former Blues star Pavol Demitra. Pavol will no doubt help to recruit hiim to Vancouver.
• Mike Cammalleri is exciting Calgary for the highest dollar. That could come from Nashville, which problably won’t get Alexander Radulov back from Russia, or Washington, which just lost Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov to Russia.
• Martin Havlat wants to stay in Chicago, but he is shopping around to see what his real value is. Will GMs look past his extensive injury history and pay him according to last season’s high production?
• Hockey Guy figured former Canadiens center Saku Koivu would end up with Mikko Koivu in Minnesota, but apparently Teemu Selanne is trying to woo him to Anaheim.
• Swedish goaltender Jonas “The Monster” Gustavssson won’t pick his new team until later this week. The Sharks, Stars and Avalanche have led the bidding on this UFA.
• The Red Wings are trying secure Marian Hossa is a long-term deal that softens the immediate salary cap hit.
• Dany Heatley isn’t getting much love from teams on his wish list. We doubht he could go back to Atlanta, but how would he like Dallas? The Stars could really use a sniper and Brenden Morrow would keep him in line there. The Rangers and Oilers could still be interested too.
• To make room for Heatley or other impact players, the Rangers are trying to offload overpaid center Scott Gomez. TSN figures the Canadiens might be interested if their other moves don’t pan out.
• The Habs failed to lock up defenseman Mike Komisarek. Sensing a seller’s market for blue-liners, he will test the market. Expect high bidding.
• To afford Chris Pronger, the Flyers may have to offload Daniel Briere or Simon Gagne. Will another team want to take a risk on Gagne’s concussion history?
• Here are some breakdowns of free-agent centers, defensemen and goaltenders.