NHL Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Before Deadline

As the clock ticks down 24 style, the NHL trade deadline rumblings only continue to increase. 

The march to Monday's deadline has a different feel to it. About 24 teams are in serious contention for postseason berths, meaning the majority of the league will be on standby in the waning hours, hoping to make some sort of transaction—however small—that will take them over the proverbial hump.

Wheeling and dealing is already in full force, really, with the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes agreeing to a deal highlighted by Antoine Vermette, per NHL.com.

If that's a sign of things to come, well, observers may want to buckle their chinstraps—that was just the opening salvo.

Leafs in a Holding Pattern?

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At 25-32-5 and seventh place in the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the more difficult teams to get a read on as the deadline approaches.

The idea that the front office would like to offload one of Phil Kessel or Dion Phaneuf is not exactly new. Just look at what one Western Conference team executive told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun back in January concerning the former:

"Are you kidding me? If they ever auctioned him off, there would be a lot of interest regardless of that contract. The guy can score. It’s hard to find those guys."

As TSN's Darren Dreger points out, though, chatter seems to suggest that any sort of transaction at this stage will occur right at the deadline, if at all:

Kessel is an obvious hot commodity at 27 years old and under contract through 2021, per Spotrac. In 62 games this year, he's the owner of 23 goals, 27 assists and 50 points, perhaps making him too costly, even for the most serious of contenders.

Then again, Phaneuf is pretty costly himself, with recent injury struggles and just three goals on the year to go along with a contract that makes him a $7 million cap hit for the next six seasons, per Spotrac.

Toronto may very well make a deal involving Phaneuf to clear that cap space, but then again, the front office may be content to take a serious gamble and see if he can increase his value the rest of the way to boost what it would get in return for an offseason trade.

The clock's ticking either way.

Joffrey Lupul on the Block

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Let's just stick with those Maple Leafs for a few more moments and detail another big name that continues to pop up in chatter.

The struggling Joffrey Lupul, of course.

The Alberta native joined the team in the 2010-11 season, but bouts with injuries have plagued his time with the franchise. Considering Lupul is a $5.25 million cap hit in each of the next three seasons, per Spotrac, it makes sense the brass in Toronto may want to ship him away, as a report by SportsNet590.ca's Andrew Walker suggested recently.

According to Comcast Sportsnet New England's Joe Haggerty, the deadline may be when Lupul moves on thanks to interest from other teams:

Resting at 31-22-9, the Boston Bruins are an obvious buyer and need replacements thanks to the injury bug.

Lupul is an obvious choice if healthy, and the Maple Leafs are truly looking to act as sellers.

In 35 games, the 31-year-old has scored nine goals and registered 19 points—respectable numbers given his role and consistent bout with injuries.

For his part, Lupul is ready for the challenges of the trade deadline, as he humorously told Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:

Perhaps that's for the best.

When push comes to shove, Lupul seems to top the list when it comes to contracts the Maple Leafs would like to shed in the coming hours.

Decision Time in Chicago

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Antti Raanta—part of the future in Chicago, or trade bait?

At least for the sake of appearances, the Chicago Blackhawks (37-21-5) appear ready to start over in front of the net as the 25-year-old Raanta struggles.

According to Sportsnet.ca's Mark Spector, the staff seems to prefer Scott Darling:

It makes sense, especially with Raanta's recent trip to the minors. He's just 7-4-1 with a .936 save percentage and a tad more inconsistent of a netminder than Chicago needs at the moment.

This, in tandem with the fact Darling now seems the primary backup behind Corey Crawford, presumably opens the door for contenders and pretenders alike to make offers for a player who may still tout plenty of upside for teams that don't mind a bit of a project.

Shipping Raanta down does not exactly help him increase his value in the eyes of potential suitors, but upside is sometimes all a team needs to see in order to swing a deal.

If nothing comes to fruition, the Blackhawks at least keep a developmental player around on the hopes he can continue to improve his numbers.

Stats and info courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise specified.