The NHL's March 1 Trade Deadline is fast approaching and teams are making decisions on whether to buy, sell, and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

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Eaves drop in Chicago?

Chicago Blackhawks  general manager Stan Bowman has said he doesn’t expect to make any big moves ahead of the trade deadline this season.

However, that doesn’t mean Bowman will stand pat at the trade deadline and Mark Lazareus of the Chicago Sun Times believes a low-risk addition could put the Blackhawks over the top once again.

The Blackhawks have been tied back to Patrick Sharp, who spent 10 seasons in Chicago from 2005-2015, in rumours but Lazareus lists another Dallas Star as a more fitting option. He believes Patrick Eaves should be the target of the Blackhawks, since he carries a low cap hit - $1 million on a one-year deal – and likely won’t command a first-round pick in return.

Eaves, 32, has already topped the 20-goal mark (21) for the first time in his career this season and owns a career-high 37 points in 59 games.

The Stars (23-27-10) appear to be sellers heading into the trade deadline, sitting six points back of the second wild-card spot.

Chicago currently sits securely in second place in the Central Division, seven points back of the Minnesota Wild and 10 points ahead of the St. Louis Blues.

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Sales in Philly?

It’s been an up and down season for the Philadelphia Flyers, who have won just nine of 27 games since their 10-game winning streak.

Their 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks Sunday left them two points out of the final wild-card spot, in a log jam with six clubs within five points of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their current position leaves them in a spot to be a buyer, or a seller, at the trade deadline.

Sam Carchidi of Philly.com believes the decision general manager Ron Hextall should make is obvious – sell, sell, sell.

Carchidi writes the team’s goaltending has regressed from last season and the parts simply don’t seem be fitting for an aging roster.

He lists pending unrestricted free agents Mark Streit, Nick Schultz and Michael Del Zotto atop the list of assets who should be on the move.

Streit and Del Zotto are listed at No. 33 and No. 34, respectively, on the TSN Trade Bait List.

Acquiring a backup goaltender in a trade could be of value for the Flyers, Carchidi notes, in order to protect 23-year-old Anthony Stolarz. Goaltenders Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are both set to hit free agency on July 1 and Carchidi believes the Flyers should trade one of the two, naming the Edmonton Oilers as a potential trade partner.

As for the Flyers’ core, Carchidi writes no player should be deemed untouchable. Not even captain Claude Giroux, who’s slumping with two goals in his past 23 games after 10 in his first 36.

The Flyers have three games remaining before the March 1 trade deadline.

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Time for His Shot?

Embedded ImageRon Hainsey has played 890 career games and counting without appearing a playoff game - an all-time NHL record.

With the Carolina Hurricanes quickly falling out of the playoff race, Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer writes it time for the Hurricanes to trade Hainsey and give him his playoff shot.

Hainsey, 35, has spent time with the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes during his career, missing the playoffs in every one of his 13 seasons. 

DeCock argues the Hurricanes should move as many of their expiring contracts as possible, including Jay McClement and Viktor Stalberg.

Following Sunday's loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes sit last in the Eastern Conference with 56 points and are currently in the midst of a four-game losing skid.

Count Boston out?

With the Colorado Avalanche putting a high price tag on both Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene, Joe Haggerty of CSN New England suggests the Boston Bruins should stay out of the sweepstakes for either.

Haggerty believes that if the Avalanche demand either Brandon Carlo or Charlie McAvoy in a package from the Bruins, then Boston should demand Nathan MacKinnon in return.

Carlo, 20, was the 37th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft and owns four goals and nine assists in 59 games with the Bruins this season. McAvoy, selected 14th overall last year, owns four goals and 20 points at Boston University this season.

Haggerty believes a Duchene deal for the Bruins would have to involve David Krejci, and his $7.25 million cap hit, going back to the Avalanche. Overall, however, he believes Duchene makes more sense for the rival Montreal Canadiens than he does for the Bruins.