Two losing teams could exchange forward for defenseman.

Both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames have seen better days.

The Flames are sitting at 2-7 through nine games and the Jackets are stuck at 2-8 in ten. Both teams expected more at this point and both clubs seem willing to make deals to help turn their team's around.

The Flames may look to dangle a couple of defensemen, in order to get some scoring. Bleacher Report’s Adrian Dater reports that Flames GM Brad Treliving is trying to move veteran defenseman Dennis Wideman. Wideman had 56 points last season, putting him among the top scoring d-men in the NHL. The 32-year-old has two years and $11 million remaining on his contract, making him a bit of a tougher sell for some teams. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector believes that Kris Russell could be the other blueliner on the market. The 28-year-old could draw interest from multiple teams looking for defensive help. Russell is in the final season of his contract and carries an affordable $2.66 million cap hit. He also lack a no-trade clause, making him an easy player to move.

It is believed the Flames are looking for a forward to aid their sputtering offense and Russell is the kind of player who could return a second-line forward to the Flames.

A potential trade partner for Calgary would be the Blue Jackets who are reportedly shopping around a forward with scoring prowess. Columbus is looking for a top-four defenseman to round out their blueline, and may be willing to part with forward Cam Atkinson to do so. Atkinson is coming off back-to-back 20-goal, 40-point seasons and is in the first season of a three-year deal with an average cap hit of $3.5 million.

A trade involving Atkinson going to Calgary for Russell could be beneficial for both clubs, who are looking to break out of an early season slump.

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