With the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline hours away, some of the top names have already found new homes. The main one available Matt Duchene, has already played two games with the Columbus Blue Jackets after simply moving to the visiting dressing room when they visited Ottawa. He’s put up two points so far, in back-to-back shutout victories for a team now eyeing home-ice advantage. Other teams are hoping to acquire a player who can make the same kind of impact.
After being the talk of the 2018 deadline with Erik Karlsson’s status up in the air, and already parting ways with Duchene, the Ottawa Senators are still the top seller to watch today, with Mark Stone being the biggest name available, garnering the interest of many of the contending teams. It seems inevitable that he will be on the move, and now we wait to see which offer Pierre Dorion feels is the best for his team’s future.
The Montreal Canadiens aren’t expected to be very busy, in a position to be neither a seller nor a buyer, rather seeing how far they can go on their own. But there are options for additions and subtractions, and for an AHL team perhaps looking to retool for next season, so Marc Bergevin will still be working the phones today, and may find a deal he likes.
It’s the day when the talent from the lottery teams flows to the Stanley Cup contenders, as short-term goals and long-term plans clash on one of the NHL’s busiest days.
Top players available (via TSN as of 1:30 AM EST on Monday)
Mark Stone (OTT)
Wayne Simmonds (PHI)
Kevin Hayes (NYR)
Marcus Johansson (NJD)
Adam McQuaid (NYR)
Derick Brassard (FLA)
Jimmy Howard (DET)
Artemi Panarin (CBJ)
Jack Roslovic (WPG)
Micheal Ferland (CAR)
Dougie Hamilton (CAR)
Jason Zucker (MIN)
Eeli Tolvanen (NSH)
Josh Ho-Sang (NYI)
Mike Hoffman (FLA)
Adam Henrique (ANA)
Alexander Wennberg (CBJ)
Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)
Artem Anisimov (CHI)
Cody Ceci (OTT)
