Fans of former NHL star Peter Forsberg are aware the former Hart and Art Ross trophy winner is currently playing for Sweden in the Karjala Cup, an annual international tournament - involving Sweden, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic - held in Finland. 

It's believed Forsberg, whose playing career has been waylaid due to pain in his surgically repaired right foot in recent years, may be using the tournament as a possible springboard for a return to the NHL. 

As a result it was believed those NHL teams potentially interested in signing Forsberg ran the risk of losing him to waivers, however, Paul Kukla and friends over at Kukla's Korner have determined this isn't the case, courtesy of an e-mail to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. 

I and others believed he had to clear waivers first  because he'd played three games for MoDo of the Swedish Elite League but it's been determined he played those games prior to the start of the NHL season and hasn't played any more since. 

The CBA states that a player who participates in an professional league game other than in the NHL during an NHL season would have to clear waivers. That doesn't apply to Forsberg in this case. 

Furthermore, international tournaments like the Karjala Cup aren't considered playing a professional league game. 

In a nutshell, Forsberg doesn't have to clear waivers if he signs with an NHL team for this season. 

Philadelphia Flyers captain Peter Forsberg could be playing elsewhere by the February 27th trade deadline.

Sportsnet.ca reports Forsberg has agreed to waive his no-trade clause in order to be dealt to a playoff contender. Concerns remain over his health, however, as Sportsnet reports "a deal could revolve around a conditional future considerations trade built around Forsberg's performance and if or when he re-signs with the Flyers again in the off season."

So let the bidding war begin. It's believed as many as a dozen teams have inquired into Forsberg's trade status. Among them: Detroit, Montreal, Vancouver, Anaheim, Nashville, Atlanta, Nashville and the NY Rangers.

As I've previously noted on this blog, any team that acquires Forsberg will be taking a gamble, given his foot problems this season which has clearly affected his performance.

If he can play at at least 75 percent, and be available for most if not all the remaining regular season games and the post-season, he could prove an invaluable playoff rental for a post-season contender.

But if his foot problems continue to hamper his performance, or lead to other injuries, he'll be limited in his effectiveness and would thus be only taking up space on the roster.

Are those clubs interested in him truly willing to take that chance? Are they truly confident that he'll regain his form playing with a better team? Or are they blinded by the star power of his name and not really taking into account the seriousness of his foot problems?

It'll be interesting to see if Forsberg is truly worth the gamble.

**UPDATE**. Eklund at Hockeybuzz claims the Sportsnet report is not true, that Forsberg has not only not waived his "no-trade" clause but is apparently very upset about the story. Interestingly, Sportsnet's rival, TSN, has not picked up on the Sportsnet story.

Eklund's site, which is based in Philadelphia and has local media contributors who post regularly, also intends to post a follow-up shortly. Stay tuned, folks. More to follow.

**SECOND UPDATE**. Sportsnet.ca has a link to a video where Hockeycentral analyst Nick Kypreos claims it's his understanding that Forsberg has given Holmgren permission to examine the possibility of a trade. He doesn't claim Forsberg has waived his no-trade clause but suggests Foppa could use it as leverage to be moved to a team of his choosing. More to follow.

**THIRD UPDATE**. TSN.ca/CP reports Forsberg's meeting with Holmgren ended with his future no clearer than it was prior to the meeting. They've apparently agreed that nothing can move forward (a trade or a contract extension) until Forsberg's foot/skate problems have been sorted out. In other words, nothing has really changed. Forsberg's still bothered by his foot/skate problems. The Flyers would like to re-sign him but Holmgren hasn't ruled out the possibility of a potential trade.

As I noted on my website, the only certainty out of all this is that the trade rumours will continue to dog Forsberg.