NHL Trade Rumors: Buzz on Jaromir Jagr, Jeff Petry and More

The March 2 NHL trade deadline is still more than two weeks away, but teams aren't waiting to be aggressive. 

In the last week alone, there have been four completed deals. The San Jose Sharks added veteran goalkeeper Evgeni Nabokov, the Buffalo Sabres acquired Evander Kane in a seven-player deal, the Dallas Stars acquired Jhonas Enroth and, most recently, the Nashville Predators brought over Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli from the Toronto Maple Leafs, per NHL.com. 

As teams attempt to add some final assets for a playoff run or continue to build for the future, the moves aren't likely to slow down. Here's a look at some of the most recent rumors and gossip from around the league. 

New Jersey Devils and Jaromir Jagr to Part Ways?

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The general assumption is that Jaromir Jagr, who is currently in his 21st NHL season, would like to play for a playoff contender. The 43-year-old—happy birthday!—isn't exactly playing for experience at this point in his career. 

New Jersey, meanwhile, has lost four in a row and is quickly slipping out of the postseason picture. The Devils are tied for 12th in the East and are 12 points behind the Boston Bruins for the last playoff spot.

As such, TSN's Darren Dreger believes a trade could be coming. SI.com provides the transcript:

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He has stopped short of asking [Devils GM] Lou Lamoriello for a trade, because he, like everyone else, is very respectful of Lou Lamoriello. Lamoriello believes that the Devils are still in the postseason fight, so Jagr does not want to bail. But they intend on revisiting the situation, probably a week down the road, to see where the Devils are at that point.

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ESPN's Craig Custance also cited sources saying that if Jagr indeed wants to be traded to a contender, the Devils will abide. 

Jagr continues to impress, leading the Devils with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists). He has scored just one goal in his last two playoff appearances (33 games), but there's little doubt a contender would jump at the chance to add him for what is likely to be a fairly cheap price. 

Edmonton Oilers Shopping Jeff Petry?

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Jeff Petry will be an unrestricted free agent, and it appears the Edmonton Oilers have no plan to bring him back. With playoffs out of the question for the Western Conference's last-place team, it makes sense to trade Petry now before losing him for nothing. 

"It doesn’t appear Edmonton has any intention of re-signing (Petry), so the Oilers will try to turn him for an asset prior to March 2," wrote ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun.

And it would appear those in Petry's camp feel exactly the same. 

“We have had no contract negotiations with the Oilers and we’ve expressed that to Jeff,” said his agent, Wade Arnott, via the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson. “We expect Jeff will be dealt by the deadline.”

Petry doesn't rack up many points (14 in 56 games), but he's a right-handed shot, passes the puck well and is a solid all-around player. Playing for a bad Oilers team, the former second-round pick is a bit underrated. 

Considering he's a potential half-season rental and the Oilers don't have much bargaining power to drive the price up, there should be plenty of suitors in the next couple of weeks. 

Dave Nonis to be Active with Job in Jeopardy?

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has the most recent rumor on general manager Dave Nonis' future with the Leafs and what it might mean for the team as the deadline approaches: 

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A close hockey friend has described Dave Nonis as a “dead man walking” and has urged the Maple Leafs general manager to go down swinging if he’s going to be fired in Toronto.

The associates of Nonis—and there are many in the hockey world who trust him and believe in him—are pushing him to be active, forceful and aggressive in what could be his final days as Leafs GM.

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Nonis got the fire sale started Sunday, moving Franson and Santorelli with a clear focus on improving the future, acquiring Olli Jokinen's expiring contract, prospect Brendan Leipsic and a 2015 first-round pick. 

He then discussed what to expect in the coming weeks, via NHL.com's Chris Lund: 

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We're not trying to move out our whole roster—that's not the case. If there are deals that will help us move the team forward we would look to do them. In this situation you are talking about two players who are due to be unrestricted and we felt that we couldn't risk not getting something for them in the event we couldn't re-sign them. It was important we got assets back.

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The Leafs have several more intriguing assets, including Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Jonathan Bernier among others. Don't expect Sunday's trade to be their last.