NHL Trade Deadline 2019: Date, End Time, Top Rumors and Speculation

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, as all deals must be made by 3 p.m. ET Monday if teams are going to make improvements for the stretch run of the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

There have already been a number of big trades, most notably between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators.

The Blue Jackets acquired Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel in two separate trades Friday and Saturday from the Sens, and that in itself is surprising. The Blue Jackets have been expected to move sharp-shooting forward Artemi Panarin because he will be a free agent at the end of the season and has resisted all efforts to re-sign with the team.

The Blue Jackets don't want to see Panarin walk out the door July 1, but they did not want to give him away at the trade deadline, either.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that a Panarin deal is still possible, but the Blue Jackets would need a "mammoth offer" to move him.

So, instead of dealing Panarin for whatever they could get for him, they have decided to load up with Duchene and Dzingel in an attempt to make a run during this year's postseason.

It seems likely that Panarin will remain with the team, but the Jackets will face a tough offseason when the sharpshooter will become a free agent this summer, and Duchene and Dzingel will have that opportunity as well because they are also scheduled to be free agents.

Mark Stone of the Senators is the top player listed on most trade boards prior to the deadline. Stone is the Senators' leading scorer with 28 goals and 34 assists, and he has been held out of Ottawa's last two games—both shutout losses.

NHL insider Bob McKenzie, a mainstay on TSN and NBC, tweeted that Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion is obviously trying to trade Stone, and the most interested teams are the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins.

However, the Senators would like to get a package that includes a first-round draft choice for this rental player, and Dorion may have to alter his requirements to complete the deal.

There is an outside chance the Senators could pitch a last-second deal to Stone that could allow him to stay with the team as the centerpiece of the franchise. Ottawa has acquired five first-round draft choices, seven second-rounders and four third-rounders over the next three years, and building around a star player makes quite a bit of sense.

Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers is a potential alternative for teams who find Stone too pricey.

NHL columnist Larry Brooks of the New York Post lists the Flames, Jets and Bruins as the teams that are most interested in Hayes, but serious talks may not get underway until the Stone situation is resolved.

The 6'5", 216-pound Hayes has scored 14 goals and 42 points in 51 games this season for the Broadway Blueshirts. The 26-year-old scored a career-high 25 goals last season.

If the Rangers are looking for a bigger haul, they could move forward Chris Kreider, who has a full year remaining on his contract. Brooks reports that the Bruins are interested in Kreider and that the Predators may also get involved in talks. The Toronto Maple Leafs have made an inquiry about the 27-year-old center.

Kreider has already potted 25 goals, and he has scored 20 goals or more four times in his career.

The Rangers traded Mats Zuccarello to the Dallas Stars on Saturday for a conditional second-round pick in 2019 and a conditional third-round pick in 2020.

Zuccarello is one of the fastest skaters in the league, and the Stars are hoping that he can provide the spark that helps them make the playoffs. Dallas is currently in the playoff structure, but the fight for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference is likely to go on until the final days of the regular season, as the eight teams fighting for those playoff positions are within seven points of each other.

Other candidates who have an excellent chance of changing uniforms include right wing Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings, left wing Marcus Johansson of the New Jersey Devils, defenseman Adam McQuaid of the Rangers and defenseman Dougie Hamilton of the Carolina Hurricanes.