"This is how it works in the world of instant analysis. Anybody with a mobile device, Twitter account or some obscure blog, can do the math and try to figure out the method of operation.

Kevin Bieksa misses a game with the flu, everybody wonders if he's really sick and the trade winds start blowing again. While it was confirmed Sunday that the Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been battling flu-like symptoms for two weeks and was bed-ridden, it hasn't stopped speculation that his days here are numbered.

This is not new.

This time, the winds of change are howling out of Washington where the Capitals are seeking a defenceman. They had offseason interest in Bieksa and are willing to part with under-achieving 26-year-old forward Tomas Fleischmann. He played 13 minutes Sunday in a 3-2 victory over Carolina, but has just four goals in 22 games and is a pending unrestricted free agent. Fleischmann, who started the season as the Capitals' second-line centre, was also a healthy scratch in a Nov. 17 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Bieksa, 29, has been inconsistent with one goal, a plus-2 rating and 21 penalty minutes in 21 outings and is also a pending UFA. His name was churned out in the offseason rumour mill when the Canucks acquired Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis before learning that Sami Salo would be lost to an Achilles rupture on July 22.

Andrew Alberts then outplayed the departed Shane O'Brien for a roster spot, Aaron Rome proved more consistent than expected and Ryan Parent is a project worth protecting. There's also a Christian Ehrhoff contract extension to factor in future salary cap concerns.

Add it all up and there's definitely some smoke. How much fire remains to be seen."