NHL Trade Deadline 2019: End Time, Latest Rumors and Predictions

The final hours before Monday's NHL trade deadline are certainly going to be frenetic. Whether big trades dominate the day or not, general managers and player agents will burn up the phone lines attempting to make deals that are likely to alter the course of the 2018-19 season and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators have already made two big deals, trading Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel in separate deals to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Senators appear to have more assets to trade by the 3 p.m. ET deadline, including perhaps the most productive player who is likely to change teams.

Mark Stone is scheduled to become a free agent July 1, and it seems unlikely that he will sign a new contract with the Senators. General manager Pierre Dorion is clearly in a rebuilding mode.

Stone has scored a team-high 28 goals and 34 assists for 62 points in 59 games this season.

The Senators have acquired multiple first-, second-, and third-round draft choices in the next three years with the deals they have already made. Trading Stone will likely bring them more draft picks and prospects.

The most serious trade talks for Stone are likely to occur with the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames and the Boston Bruins, per NHL insider Bob McKenzie of TSN and NBC.

Dorion would like to receive a package that includes a first-round draft choice for Stone, but that may not be possible. Dorion is going to have to convince at least one of the teams pursuing Stone that the competition is willing to meet his asking price.

During the procedure, Dorion is going to have to understand he can get exactly what he is asking for or he can't. Either way, he needs to get something for Stone, since the Senators are in last place in the Eastern Conference and the 2018-19 regular season is not going to be their year.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun tweeted that one of his sources reported that as many as eight teams are in pursuit of Stone.

Prediction: The Senators will trade Stone and the Jets will make the best offer to Dorion. The high-scoring forward will head to Winnipeg.

Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers hugged his teammates in the locker room Saturday night following the team's 4-3 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rainy outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field.

The belief is that the Flyers know they have to sell off a top asset in order to build for the future, and Simmonds is among the most valuable free agents who will hit the market July 1.

Prior to their most recent games against the Montreal Canadiens and Penguins, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that the Flyers would use those outings before making a final decision on whether they would move on from Simmonds or keep him for one final playoff run.

The Flyers lost badly to the Canadiens before their come-from-behind victory over the Pens.

LeBrun identified the Bruins, Jets, Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning as the teams most interested in pursuing Simmonds.

Simmonds has scored 16 goals and 11 assists this season, and he has scored 24 goals or more six times in his career, with a career-high of 32 in 2015-16.

Prediction: Simmonds and his hard-hitting, heavy game will end up with the NHL-leading Lightning. Tampa Bay is the best team in the league, but there is a chance the Lightning can be outmuscled. Adding Simmonds will help them avoid that position in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Additionally, Mike Hoffman of the Florida Panthers and Marcus Johansson of the New Jersey Devils were also identified as potential trade candidates by Craig Custance of The Athletic.

Gustav Nyquist was traded by the Detroit Red Wings for a 2019 second-round choice and a conditional 2020 third-round choice to the San Jose Sharks Monday morning.