The National Hockey League's Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 25, and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy or sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out the latest trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

 


Ready to Add?

The New York Islanders are expected to receive injury relief in the near future as both Thomas Hickey and Andrew Ladd have started skating, but Brett Cyrgalis of The New York Post believes general manager Lou Lamoriello will be working the phones for help ahead of the trade deadline.

“We sat down and talked about where we are, our chemistry, our team. We’ve discussed maybe some of the areas we could improve,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said Saturday. "Lou is as diligent as anyone you’re ever going to meet in terms of making calls and seeing what’s out there.

"And if he’s going to do anything, it’s going to be in the best interest of the New York Islanders. He’s not going to do anything that’s - he’s looking to improve us all the time, either internally or externally.”

Cyrgalis notes that the Islanders must keep their long-term future in sight at the deadline since Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson and Robin Lehner are all pending free agents. He believes it's very unlikely Lee hits the open market, while trading Eberle or Nelson would deliver a significant blow to their playoff chances.

Trotz said Saturday that with help on the way, the Islanders could simply stand pat at the deadline.

“As we get closer to the trade deadline, getting Andrew Ladd and Hickey back, those could be some great acquisitions for us and cost us nothing,” Trotz said. “We’re hoping they get better.”

Ladd, who has three goals and seven points in 14 games this season, has been sidelined since Nov. 13 due to a lower-body injury. Hickey, out since Dec. 17 with a concussion, has four assists and a plus-8 rating in 32 games this season.
 


Reason to Pause?

Jason Lieser of The Chicago Sun Times believes that general manager Stan Bowman could elect to stand pat at the deadline if the Blackhawks - five points back of the final wild card spot - remain within reach of a playoff berth.

Lieser notes the Blackhawks have been exploring trade options for veteran defencemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, but neither seem inclined to waive their no-move clauses.

Keith, 35, said Friday he envisioned spending his entire career in Chicago when he signed his 13-year contract with the team in 2006.

“I signed my contract, [so] that would be the first thing I would think about,” he said. “I haven’t really thought too much about anything. You get reports out there, I don’t know where that stuff kind of comes from. I just take one day at a time.”

Captain Jonathan Toews said Saturday he couldn't comment on what direction management should take at the deadline, but believes the team can continue to build on their current streak.

“I can never really comment on those questions, whether we’re at the top of the standings or at the bottom,” he said. “My job is to try to help this team win.

“Regardless of our situation, we’ve got to keep creating that belief in ourselves in the locker room that we’ve got the crew here that can put points on the board every single night. That’s our focus in the room. Anything aside from that is not really anything we can control or worry about.”

 


Done Dealing?

Ducks general manager Bob Murray made several trades last month as the Ducks suffered through a franchise-record 12-game winless skid, but Elloitt Teaford of The Orange County Register believes the team is unlikely to make any major moves before the trade deadline.

Teaford notes that the Ducks will have trouble making a major move with expensive veterans Corey Perry, Ryan Gertzlaf and Ryan Kesler all owning no-move clauses, while Murray is on record saying the team will try to re-sign pending free agent Jakob Silfverberg.

Murray shook up his roster last month with four trades in the span of four days, including shipping veteran centre Andrew Cogliano to the Dallas Stars for Devin Shore.

With Silfverberg, the team has nine pending unrestricted free agents, including Derek Grant and Michael Del Zotto who were acquired in January.