As Monday comes and with less than 24 hours until the NHL Trade Deadline passes, we have time for one final NHL Trade Deadline: Our Top 10 Must-Watch List. For this list, we’ll do something a little different. We’ll cross out the players who were on the list last week to show where they were listed and if they’ve changed places based on being traded or if their circumstances have changed.
With that mind, here is our final list:
1. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets: Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators
Artemi Panarin took this spot last week because at that time, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel hadn’t been traded to Columbus. But, in a matter of a few days, GM Jarmo Kekäläinen decided to go the opposite direction of what everyone expected and loaded up, giving the Blue Jackets an extremely formidable team. As a result, there’s a good chance the Blue Jackets keep everyone and press their luck, trying to win the Stanley Cup this year.
Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators, Nov. 15, 2016 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
As a result, Mark Stone now takes the No. 1 spot. With Duchene and Dzingel gone and Codi Ceci being pulled from the lineup, expect Stone to go at the deadline even though reports are that talk has cooled. It has only cooled because the asking price is so high. Don’t let that fool you. Someone will either pay (GM’s can’t help themselves this time of year) or the price will drop.
Related: NHL Rumors: Dzingel, Staal, Stars, Hurricanes
2. Matt Duchene, Ottawa Senators: Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers
Matt Duchene was traded to Columbus so he comes off the board. Taking his spot at No. 2 is Wayne Simmonds. You know people think he’s going to go when his own teammates have a moment after the game in the locker room and given him the MVP game helmet because they don’t think he’ll be there 24 hours later.
“Keep making this push and keep our hopes alive and our dreams alive.”
After a thrilling #StadiumSeries win on Saturday night, the #Flyers locker room had an emotional Helmet hand-off. pic.twitter.com/ZT9kOTwinh
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 24, 2019
Most experts believe he’s gone and even Simmonds has said he’s confident he’ll be traded and there are certainly going to be teams that want him. Tampa, Winnipeg and Nashville might be front runners.
3. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators: Kevin Hayes, New York Rangers
Stone moves up to No. 1 on our list so putting Kevin Hayes in Stone’s old spot only makes sense. For many teams, Hayes is “Plan B” if they miss out on Stone. The Winnipeg Jets are rumored to be in heavily on Hayes and speculation is a first-round pick and a prospect gets the deal done.
Kevin Hayes, New York Rangers, Mar. 22, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
This might be one of those things where the second Stone is announced, Hayes will quickly follow.
Related: NHL Rumors: Ristolainen, Oilers, Penguins, Islanders, More
4. Alex Chiasson, Edmonton Oilers:
We’ve left Alex Chiasson where he is because we think, of any Oilers player, he’s the most likely to move. TSN doesn’t have him ranked in the Top 10 (they have him at No. 28) but there’s sense someone will come asking and if the Oilers can get a second-round pick or better, they’ll probably pull the trigger.
Edmonton Oilers right wing Alex Chiasson and Connor McDavid (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)
If that’s not what’s offered, the Oilers have no issue keeping Chiasson and offering him an extension. If he doesn’t move, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear an extension get signed, even if the Oilers aren’t sure who their next GM will be.
Related: NHL Rumors: Ristolainen, Oilers, Penguins, Islanders, More
5. Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers: Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings:
While there is a chance the Detroit Red Wings could re-sign Nyquist, there is also a better-than-average chance the Red Wings get a solid offer consider what players with a similar skill set have moved for already. That may be too much for Detroit to ignore.
(Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
The latest whispers are that the San Jose Sharks are extremely interested. It makes sense considering the Sharks just watched him score a goal and register eight shots against them in the Red Wings loss to San Jose on Sunday.
DET has asked Gustav Nyquist to waive his NTC to facilitate a trade to SJ. Nyquist is apparently willing to do so, which would pave the way for DET and SJ to finalize/formalize this transaction.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
- Update: Nyquist, was in fact traded to San Jose a few minutes after this post went live on Sunday evening. The return was a 2nd round pick in 2019 and a conditional third in 2020. Detroit retained 30% of Nyquist’s salary in the deal.
Related: NHL Rumors: Simmonds, Hayes, Oilers, Blue Jackets, More
Best of the Rest
6. Brandon Manning, Edmonton Oilers: Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets:
While we took Panarin out of the top five, it was hard to completely remove him from the list considering the Blue Jackets loading up could be in an attempt to feel comfortable moving Panarin. They might want to recoup the draft picks and some prospects they gave up in the Duchene and Dzingel trades. We’ll call this 50/50 now.
7. Adam McQuaid, New York Rangers:
McQuaid was scratched from the Rangers lineup and that’s usually an indication the team has something on the go for the player. There are rumors that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets could be landing spots. The expectation is about a third-round pick.
8. Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings: Derrick Brassard, Florida Panthers:
The expectation was the Brassard would be traded quickly after being acquired by the Florida Panthers, but they finally pulled him from the lineup and he should be moved at some point on Monday. It was never in the Panthers plans to keep him.
9. Kevin Hayes, New York Rangers: Dougie Hamilton; Carolina Hurricanes
Recent reports suggest the Hurricanes are eager to update their scoring situation and that means moving on the many defensemen who have rumored on to be on the go. We could pick either Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk here but Hamilton could be the guy who goes.
10. Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers:
Zuccarello was traded to Dallas and then injured. Reports are he’ll miss as much as a month with a possible broken arm. Still, he’s off the list now and taking his place is Marcus Johansson. A Devils forward who could be one of the better grabs of the trade deadline, New Jersey has been pretty quiet so far, but will move some pieces on Monday.
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