That's my thought, and here's why.

A few years ago, I lived in another area of town. My good friend and neighbour was a finisher for a local high-end builder who specializes in builsing around golf courses whose name starts with "stone" and ends with "bridge". This is where my friend met the Phillips family, specifically the lovely Erin Phillips, wife to Chris Phillips.

The Phillips have invested in a gorgeous house (truly beautiful), and my friend was constantly over to add a built-in this or a built-in that or to modify some part of the house for Erin. Needless to say, the Phillips are Ottawans. Chris Phillips has been in the city for nearly 15 years since he was drafted in 1996.

Which is why I can't see the Phillips yanking out their roots right now. Hockey is Chris' job, but there's a family to consider, and kids who are still in school. Phillips has a no-trade clause, so he has to approve any trade request. If it looks like he's not going to be renewed here (and it doesn't), then Phillips would only move to a true Stanley Cup contender, preferrably on the North-East Coast where it's easy to fly back home.

There are plenty of teams who would benefit from a "stay-at-home" shutdown D-man like Phillips, and it's a hard one to call. Washington has been rumoured to be interested, but they are also looking for a #2 centre. Some Western teams have also been up and scouting, including Nashville who nabbed Fisher last week. A little extra weight on the blue line for the Preds would be great.

But I can't see Phillips going that far afield. So Boston seems to be the most likely spot. He's played with Zdeno Chara, so is a known quantity to the captain there. There's not that many shutdown, physical d-men in Boston except Chara. So Boston is the best possibility in my book, but it's all about the price. What does Ottawa get in return?

A lot of Boston fans don't even want to think about seein Phillips in a Bruins jersey. They look at his season as a sign that he's a has-been. But we all know by now that Ottawa's problems are systematic. Nobody has that much quality on a team and not perform without the problem being off the ice somewhere.

One interesting scenario would see the Big Rig leave as a rental player, and return to a new contract at the end of the season. Sure there's some nice new blood waiting to move up from the minotrs, but you;re going to need some seasoned veteran on the blue line to show the kids the ropes.