NHL Rumors: Latest Gossip on Mark Stone and More Ahead of 2019 Trade Deadline

The Ottawa Senators have moved into the lead position prior to the NHL's trade deadline Monday.

They are serious about making moves with their key players, and they set those events in motion Thursday when they traded forward Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Senators showed they are willing to build for the future as they moved Duchene and defenseman Julius Bergman to Columbus for forwards Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson along with a 2019 first-round draft pick and a conditional first-round pick in 2020.

Duchene's former teammates Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel may be the next big-time scorers to leave Ottawa.

Hockey Night in Canada insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Stone had been put on the market after the Duchene deal was completed, and Dzingel had been made available the day before. 

The big key for the Senators in the Duchene trade was acquiring a first-round draft pick (and perhaps two of them), and it seems that getting another first-round pick for Stone would be the key to moving Ottawa's leading scorer.

Stone has scored 28 goals and made 34 assists in 59 games. Dzingel has added 22 goals and 22 assists in 57 games.

The Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames appear to be interested in acquiring Stone's services. However, a forward who is averaging better than a point per game could be on the wish list of nearly every playoff-contending team.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun said that the Jets are the favorites to acquire Stone, and they are willing to put together a package to acquire the high-scoring forward.

Both Stone and Dzingel will be unrestricted free agents this summer.

Former Senator Mike Hoffman could also be on the move at the trade deadline. Hoffman played with Ottawa from 2011-12 through 2017-18 before he was traded to the San Jose Sharks and then subsequently moved to the Panthers last June.

Hoffman has scored 26 goals and 50 points with the Panthers this season, and there is a strong chance he is going to be moved by Florida by the deadline.

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that the Panthers have asked Hoffman for his list of 10 teams that he would not approve of in a trade scenario.

That does not guarantee Hoffman will be traded, but the Panthers are taking calls about his services.

The Detroit Red Wings are far out of the playoff picture, and they have already made one move prior to the trade deadline as they sent defenseman Nick Jensen to the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

The Red Wings are not likely finished making moves, and forward Gustav Nyquist could be on the move shortly.

Nyquist will be a free agent this summer, and while players like Stone and Philadelphia's Wayne Simmonds may be the higher profile targets, Nyquist is getting quite a bit of interest.

According to LeBrun, the Red Wings have taken calls on Nyquist, and general manager Ken Holland could decide to move him if the team does not believe it can sign him to a new contract.

The Red Wings would want a first-round choice for Nyquist, but they may have to settle for a second-round choice if players like Stone and Simmonds move prior to Nyquist.