NHL Trade Rumors: Reviewing Latest Reports Before 2019 Deadline Passes

Hockey fans need to strap themselves in for a busy trade deadline day.

The biggest names available are Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators and Artemi Panarin of the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed closely by Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The amount of interest teams have shown to this point may or may not reflect their real interest in trading or acquiring these top players. All three of them have value, and that value will become crystal clear by Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Stone is the Senators' leading scorer with 28 goals and 34 assists in 59 games. TSN and NBC insider Bob McKenzie has said that the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins are all interested in his services.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun has tweeted that as many as eight teams are looking at Stone. 

Since the Sens have already traded Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel in separate deals to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it seems certain that Stone will also get traded.

All three players are on expiring contracts and will be free agents July 1, so there doesn't seem to be a point in holding on to the high-scoring Stone if he is going to walk out of Ottawa at the start of free agency.

The Blue Jackets have surprised many NHL observers by acquiring those two future free agents. They have their own expiring asset in Panarin (24 goals, 44 assists), so why would they bring in two more? 

It appears that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has decided to go all-in on the Blue Jackets' chances to make a long Stanley Cup run.

Prior to the trade deadline, the Blue Jackets said they would not give away Panarin or goalie Sergei Bobrovsky because they were likely headed to free agency. Instead, Kekalainen has indicated that Columbus would need to receive a significant package if they were to trade Panarin or Bobrovsky.

But there is still a chance that the high-scoring winger could still move, and Kekalainen is still listening to offers, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

By acquiring Duchene and Dzingel, the Blue Jackets have taken two of the most valuable trade assets off the market. Any team that wants to make a big move has to figure that Panarin or Stone are the players most capable of helping them.

Kekalainen knows the Senators are cleaning house, and once that star is traded, Panarin will be the biggest name left on the market.

That will presumably drive up Panarin's price, and it would likely take a combination of players, prospects and draft picks to acquire him.

If Kekalainen gets the maximum value he wants for Panarin, he will have mastered the trade-deadline game. If he holds on to Panarin (and Bobrovsky), the Blue Jackets appear to have the talent to make a solid postseason run.

However, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the most dominant team in the league this year by a wide margin, and it would be difficult to say that Columbus (or any other team) would be able to beat them this season. Over the years, however, Presidents Trophy-winning teams have often come up short in the postseason.

Simmonds has been a big-time scorer throughout his career with the Flyers, having netted 24 goals or more six times in his career.

The Flyers made a strong 13-3-1 run in recent weeks, and they recorded a come-from-behind 4-3 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night in the outdoor game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

However, the Flyers still find themselves seven points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, and Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher is taking calls on Simmonds, per Frank Seravalli of TSN.

The Dallas Stars made a big move when they acquired talented and speedy forward Mats Zuccarello from the New York Rangers Saturday.

Zuccarello scored a goal in his Sunday debut with the Stars in their victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, but he also suffered a lower-body injury that general manager Jim Nill said would keep him out of action for four weeks, per John Shannon of Sportsnet.

The Stars are back working the phones as the deadline approaches, and the Zuccarello injury may be a factor, per TSN insider Pierre LeBrun.

Gustav Nyquist was traded early Monday by the Detroit Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks sent a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 third-round pick to the Red Wings for his services. Both of those picks are conditional, based on San Jose's playoff performance.

The New Jersey Devils followed that deal by sending goalie Keith Kinkaid to the Blue Jackets for a 2022 fifth-round pick. Kevin Hayes of the Rangers was subsequently traded to the Jets for a 2019 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick.

Marcus Johansson of the Devils, Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings, Adam McQuaid of the Rangers, Jimmy Howard of the Red Wings, Thomas Vanek of the Red Wings, Derrick Brassard of the Florida Panthers and Michael Ferland of the Carolina Hurricanes are among the bigger names who could be moved prior to the trade deadline.