Countdown to TradeCentre: Suggested target for Senators

The NHL's March 1 Trade Deadline is 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. And follow TradeCentre on TSN and TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates.

A 'Duchene to Senators' proposal

The Ottawa Senators currently sit second in a forgiving Atlantic Division and barring a second-half collapse, should make the playoffs this season. 

Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen suggests the Senators should be buyers leading up to the Trade Deadline, not just because of their current playoff standing but also because of the news Clarke MacArthur will not return this season, and with Erik Karlsson's long-term future with the team in mind. It would behoove the Senators to have a successful run this season.

And if you're buying, you might as well go all in. Warren floats the idea of acquiring Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, currently ranked No. 1 on TSN Hockey's Trade Bait List.

Warren cautions a move of that magnitude wouldn't come cheap and would likely cost Ottawa a current blueliner and at least one highly-touted prospect, with World Juniors stars Thomas Chabot and Colin White mentioned.

No added pressure

Just five games back from a knee injury that cost him 18 games this season, Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk reinjured his knee Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. But TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger doesn't buy the notion the Habs will alter their course of action in Galchenyuk's absense.

"I don’t think it adds any pressure to Marc Bergevin. The pressure is continuous," Dreger told TSN 690 in Montreal. "Of course Galchenyuk is a big loss, but they did weather the storm without him. It definitely creates a weakness and puts a pretty big hole in your lineup but for Bergevin to make more calls, I don’t think that’s realistic either."

Dreger continued that if the Habs were to strike a deal for a player that can make an impact, a prospect like Mikhail Sergachev to land him.

"Any player of substance, the asking price would include a player like that. You would either include a young NHL roster player or a prospect like (Sergachev), and then your collection of draft picks."

Decisions to make

Trade action won't pick up until teams on the playoff bubble get a little more clarity on where they truly stand this season. Their play over the next month will dictate whether they can make a postseason run or need to start looking towards next season.

The Buffalo Sabres are one of those playoff bubble teams, sitting just five points out of a wild card spot, and because of that have a decision to make by March 1st.

Pro Hockey Talk's Mike Halford details the Sabres' dilemma with veteran forward Brian Gionta. Gionta is having a solid season for the Sabres in the last year of his three-year, $12.75 million deal with the team. His veteran presence, along with the 10 goals and 22 points he's racked up halfway through the season would be beneficial to a playoff-bound team. If the Sabres are that, Halford reasons the Sabres should likely keep him. If they're not, they should probably put him on the market.

Gionta has a limited no trade clause and told John Vogl of the Buffalo News over the weekend he hopes to get the team's rebuild back on track.

Too much to ask?

Any Kevin Shattenkirk trade figures to bring a substantial package back to the St. Louis Blues. The New York Rangers have a hole on the right side of their defence.

But Larry Brooks of the New York Post cautions forward JT Miller is more valuable than filling that need for the Rangers.

Brooks reasons Miller - or winger Chris Kreider - would have to be part of any deal that lands a stud defenceman, but the young forward is too versatile, especially in the wake of Kevin Hayes' injury, to consider shipping away.

Miller has 16 goals and 35 points in 48 games for the Rangers this season.

Hot goalie market

Pro Hockey Talk's Jason Brough outlines the number of goalies in backup or part-time roles currently excelling around that league that also happen to be free agents come the summer. 

Brough writes names like the Islanders' Thomas Greiss, Blackhawks' Scott Darling, and Sabres' Anders Nilsson among others, figure to make the goalie market this summer very interesting, especially in an offseason where an expansion team can poach two goalies in the expansion draft.

But for the teams that figure to have a goaltending decision to make this summer, they may engage in some advanced planning ahead of the Trade Deadline.Some of the names listed in Brough's piece could be ones to watch for as March 1 draws closer.