NHL Trade Deadline 2020: End Time, Latest Rumors and Predictions

NHL teams looking to make notable additions for the final stretch of the regular season are running out of time.

Monday brings the 2020 NHL trade deadline, and squads will have to decide whether they are in buy, sell or sit idle mode. More than half the league's teams make the playoffs (16 out of 31), so there are still Stanley Cup dreams across the sport's landscape.

That makes for fewer obvious sellers, but there are still players in the rumor mill.

With that in mind, here is a look at the timing of the NHL trade deadline, as well as some of the latest rumors and predictions for how they will unfold.

2020 NHL Trade Deadline

Date: Monday, Feb. 24

Time: 3 p.m. ET

Chris Kreider May Finally Leave Rangers

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Left-winger Chris Kreider has been with the New York Rangers his entire career, but that may change Monday.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, hopes the two sides could reach an agreement on a new contract were "fading" by Sunday. He suggested that leaves the 28-year-old as the "top available player" approaching the deadline.

Dreger echoed those sentiments on a TSN panel (h/t Forever Blueshirts) when he said "contract talks did not bridge the gap" between player and team, leaving it more likely he would be traded for a package that included at least a first-round pick.

David Pagnotta of  The Fourth Period noted the Carolina Hurricanes are among the teams interested in Kreider as they push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kreider is only under contract through the remainder of this season and has impressed before potentially hitting the open market, putting up 45 points on 24 goals and 21 assists. He has tallied at least 43 points in five of the past six seasons and put the Rangers in a difficult spot when assessing what to do.

On the one hand, he may leave during the offseason. New York could land important pieces for the future in a deal before that happens if it pulls the trigger on a trade.

On the other hand, the Rangers are playing their best hockey of the season, with wins in three straight and seven of their past eight contests. What once seemed like a surefire rebuilding campaign has turned into a playoff push, as New York are just four points behind the Hurricanes for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

That Carolina is one of the teams the Rangers are competing with adds another variable to the report the Hurricanes may be interested in Kreider.

The prediction here is New York decides to trade the left winger and doesn't pass up on the chance to bring in a significant asset moving forward just because it has played well of late. 

Prediction: Rangers trade Kreider.

Senators Could Move Jean-Gabriel Pageau

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Like Kreider, Ottawa Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau has spent his entire career with one team.

Like Kreider, that may end Monday.

According to Pagnotta, there hasn't been "much progress" in contract talks between the Senators and the playmaker, making it "more likely that he gets moved" by the deadline. 

However, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun noted the Senators prefer to keep the center and "made it clear to teams that even if they don't have him signed by the deadline, then the possibility exists they won't move him to see if they can get a deal completed in the offseason."

Pageau is only under contract through the remainder of this season and has turned in a bounce-back effort after appearing in just 39 games during the 2018-19 campaign. He has 40 points on 24 goals and 16 assists and is just three points away from the career-high total he set in 2015-16.

Unlike the Rangers, the Senators do not have to factor a potential playoff push into their decision-making process. They are an ugly 21-30-11 for 53 points, which is the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference.

Still, this is a franchise that traded away Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel last season and could use someone like Pageau scoring goals in the future. He is just 27 and could help a rebuilding team for a number of seasons.

While a sizable return package that included a favorable draft pick would help, Garrioch's report suggests Ottawa does not want to lose another impact goal scorer.

With that in mind, the thought here is the Senators do not trade him away even if they cannot reach an agreement on a new deal prior to the deadline.

Prediction: Senators keep Pageau.