NHL teams are making their bid for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina, who officially stepped onto the trade block this week.

The Lightning asked the offensive defenseman to waive his some of his no-trade protection by listing a list of teams he would move to. The team also told him he would not play (and thus risk injury) while the team attempted to trade him.

Kubina is steaming toward unrestricted free agency. He makes $3.5 million this season and carries a $3.85 million cap hit.

He has three goals and eight assists in 52 games this season. But he scored 118 points for Toronto and Atlanta from 2007-10, so some teams may still be believe in his offensive ability.

His availability comes as the Wild are trying to move offensive defenseman Marek Zidlicky, perhaps to the Devils.

"We're making our decisions on a player-by-player and opportunity-by-opportunity basis,” Yzerman told the Tampa Tribune. “We see potential opportunity to improve our club with regards to Pavel.

"The broader strategy is we want to be a better team in the future. We want to be a Cup contender at some point, and we're going to have to do some things to become that."

Yzerman has lamented the organization’s lack of depth at the minor league level. With his team fading from the playoff picture, he can start stockpiling more picks and prospects.

He opted to go into selective “sell” mode rather than trade existing commodities for, say, goaltending help.