4 p.m.: Thomas Vanek confirmed his trade to Montreal in an interview with TSN, and the details of the deal have become more clear. The Islanders reportedly will receive prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second-round pick, with the Canadiens getting Vanek and a conditional fifth-rounder.
One final notable name also has switched sweaters. Goalie Jaroslav Halak, who was dealt to Buffalo in the Ryan Miller trade, officially has been traded to the Washington Capitals without playing a game for the Sabres. Buffalo will receive goaltender Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Rostislav Klesla in exchange for Halak and a 2015 third-round pick.
Barring any more late-breaking news, this likely concludes what was a hectic two days of wheeling and dealing. A number of big names (Martin St. Louis, Ryan Callahan, Roberto Luongo, Marian Gaborik, Matt Mouson, Vanek) changed allegiances, but perhaps more intriguing is the players who did not, a list that includes Ryan Kesler, Mike Cammalleri and Martin Brodeur. — ZC
3:23 p.m.:Â Arthur Staple of Newsday reports the Canadiens had to give up only a second-round pick and a prospect for Thomas Vanek.
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3:19 p.m.: Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston is reporting Thomas Vanek is heading to Montreal.
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3:16 p.m.:Â Nashville center David Legwand also is on the move. He’s heading to Detroit, according to John Shannon of Sportsnet.
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3:14 p.m.:Â Thomas Vanek has indeed been traded, according to multiple reports. Where is Vanek going? No one knows — yet.
3:10 p.m.:Â Another shoe has dropped. The Buffalo Sabres reportedly have sent Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick to Minnesota for picks and Torrey Mitchell. That’s according to the Buffalo News’ John Vogl.
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3:08 p.m.:Â The Pittsburgh Penguins and a few other teams reportedly wanted to acquire Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks, but the forward is staying put.
Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman reports Kesler isn’t leaving Vancouver — at least not yet.
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3:06 p.m.:Â Raphael Diaz is on the move again. According to multiple reports, the veteran defenseman is heading to the New York Rangers to provide some depth to the Blueshirts’ blue line. The Vancouver Canucks will get a fifth-round pick for Diaz, the team said.
3:03 p.m.:Â Bruins center Chris Kelly, who was acquired at the trade deadline by the Bruins a few years back, will speak with Jamie Erdahl on NESN around 4 p.m. Kelly also has ties to Andrej Meszaros, who reportedly was acquired by the B’s before the deadline. The two were teammates in Ottawa.
3 p.m.:Â The NHL trade deadline has passed. There’s still a chance we’ll learn of more deals, though. As long as the trades were submitted before the 3 p.m. deadline, they’re good to go.
2:55 p.m.:Â Five minutes to go, with both Matt Moulson and Thomas Vanek yet to be moved. We’ll see.
2:46 p.m.:Â The Bruins reportedly have acquired a defenseman, which was presumably their No. 1 objective heading into the trade deadline.
Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy reports the B’s have acquired Andrej Meszaros from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins will send a third-round pick to the Flyers.
2:45 p.m.:Â Goalie Dan Ellis reportedly is going back to Florida in the Tim Thomas deal, according to multiple reports.
2:38 p.m.:Â With the deadline just minutes away, the Columbus Blue Jackets might not be done. They’re getting a lot of interest in defenseman Jack Johnson, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
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2:25 p.m.:Â The defense market continues to thin.
Edmonton is sending defenseman Nick Schultz to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a third-round pick, according to multiple reports.
2:20 p.m.:Â Tim Thomas won’t team up with Roberto Luongo. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports the Florida Panthers have shipped the goaltender to the Dallas Stars.
1:53 p.m.:Â Tuomo Ruutu is now reportedly on the move.
TSN’s Darren Dreger just reported that the Carolina Hurricanes are sending Ruutu to the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are looking to cut some salary, so while it’s unclear what the return will be, it’s unlikely the Canes will be taking on a lot of money.
1:45 p.m.:Â The Pittsburgh Penguins have been pretty quiet all day, but they’re on the board now.
According to multiple reports, the Pens have acquired unrestricted-free-agent-to-be Marcel Goc from the Florida Panthers for a pair of draft picks. Goc has 12 goals and 11 assists this season for the lowly Panthers.
1:30 p.m.:Â The price for acquiring Marian Gaborik? Apparently not much. The Kings reportedly are sending Matt Frattin, a second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Gaborik.
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1:18 p.m.:Â The TSN guys are at it again. Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie are reporting that Marian Gaborik is indeed heading to the Los Angeles Kings. What the Kings are giving up to get Gaborik, however, is still unknown.
12:56 p.m.: Perhaps the Ryan Kesler market is starting to heat up. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the Red Wings, Kings and Wild are all interested in acquiring the forward from the Vancouver Canucks.
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12:48 p.m.:Â TSN’s Pierre LeBrun just reported on the network’s trade deadline show that the Montreal Canadiens have acquired Devan Dubnyk from the Nashville Predators for future considerations.
This is an interesting move given that Carey Price is out with an injury. This is probably just an insurance move, though.
12:32 p.m.:Â It sounds like we might not get to see the dream pairing of Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo. The Panthers are discussing Thomas with teams including Dallas, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.
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12:30 p.m.:Â Things are very quiet on the Bruins’ front, but it sounds like they’re still working hard to add some depth. B’s president Cam Neely just spoke with the club’s website, and he had this to say about the market.
“I know there are still some players out there that are going to be unrestricted at the end of the year that I know teams are certainly looking at acquiring and teams are looking at moving,” he said. “I think this may shake things up a little bit, but from what I gather, the prices that teams have been asking may be high, and they’re starting to come down a little bit because there hasn’t really been a lot of movement.”
12:20 p.m.:Â The rumor going around right now is that Ales Hemsky is on his way to Ottawa. The Oilers reportedly have dealt the veteran winger to the Senators in exchange for picks.
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12:10 p.m.:Â The Bruins’ defense options are getting slimmer and slimmer. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch is reporting that Chris Phillips has signed a two-year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators.
12 p.m.:Â We’re about three hours away from the 3 p.m. deadline. At 2:30, be sure to tune in to NESN for a two-hour trade deadline special.
11:53 a.m.:Â Now that the big Marty St. Louis deal is done, it’s time to start turning the attention elsewhere. One name that continues to pop up is Ales Hemsky. The Edmonton forward scored two goals last night and now has nine goals and 17 assists this season. Two of the teams reportedly interested are Pittsburgh and Ottawa, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
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11:23 a.m.:Â The aforementioned trade that would send Martin St. Louis to New York and Ryan Callahan to Tampa Bay is all but done. According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is finished and is just pending a trade call.
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11:05 a.m.:Â We’re really close to a blockbuster trade, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Here’s what the NHL insider just said on the network’s trade deadline:
“Very close. I believe if it is done that it would be Ryan Callahan going to the Tampa Bay Lightning and there would be a couple of draft picks, significant draft picks.”
11 a.m.:Â The Bruins don’t figure to be entirely busy today, at least according to Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. This is what he told the team’s website.
“You try not to be emotional about it. You know, we’re trying to add, so the emotions get involved when you’re trading away players, so I don’t really want to trade away players. I don’t think we will today,” he said from his office. “It’s just about being on top of the market, being in touch with the other GMs, and finding where all of the players slot in and finding some players for the Bruins.
“We’re looking for one, maybe two depth defensemen. When I mean depth, it doesn’t mean they can’t play up the lineup. It just bolsters our depth, and they’re serviceable guys, so it’s a good day, it’s an exciting day, it’s a culmination of a lot of days.”
“Yesterday [Tuesday] might have even been more busy for us than today; we were in on a couple of deals, and they didn’t happen, so we’ll see.”
10:45 a.m.:Â We might be on the verge of our first big trade of the day. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune is reporting that he hears Marian Gaborik is being sent to the Los Angeles Kings. At the moment, it’s unclear what the Columbus Blue Jackets would get in return.
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10:30 a.m.:Â The Dallas Stars are still very much alive in the Western Conference playoff picture, but they still haven’t ruled out moving some pieces, apparently.
The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch says Dallas is at least taking calls on veteran forward Ray Whitney. The 41-year-old has 7-18-25 totals this season and will be a free agent this offseason.
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10:19 a.m.:Â Interesting timing here, but it appears Steven Stamkos is ready to return. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward just tweeted that he’ll be ready to go Thursday, as his recovery from a broken leg is complete. That’s even more noteworthy now, as the Lightning are in the midst of the Marty St. Louis saga.
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9:35 a.m.:Â Again, it’s not a surprise, but the Bruins are still reportedly looking for a defenseman. Once again, Pierre LeBrun has all the latest.
He just tweeted that the B’s have interest in acquiring a blueliner, and he lists some options.
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9:30 a.m.:Â The Boston Bruins almost certainly are going to try to acquire a defenseman today. One D-man who could be available and might be interesting to the B’s would be Ottawa’s Chris Phillips.
Phillips, an unrestricted free agent after this season, would like to stay in Ottawa, though, and the Sens are trying to work that out before the deadline. The Senators have offered Phillips a two-year deal, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
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9:15 a.m.:Â New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur really might get moved before the deadline.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports Brodeur wants out of New Jersey, and the Devils are going to do what they can to accommodate the future Hall of Famer.
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9 a.m. ET: One of the most exciting days on the NHL calendar is underway.
The NHL trade deadline is today, and it’s just six hours away. Between now and 3 p.m., some big moves could be made. The action got started early, with a flurry of activity all day yesterday. The same could happen today, with plenty of players who still could be on the move before the deadline.
One of those players is Tampa Bay Lightning captain Martin St. Louis. The 38-year-old reportedly is unhappy in Tampa Bay, and according to reports, the New York Rangers are making a strong push for St. Louis.
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It sounds like St. Louis also is making the push for that to happen.
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The Rangers have other issues to deal with, too. They’re still reportedly in contract talks with their own captain, Ryan Callahan. The two sides are still working on a long-term extension. If they can’t come together on something, Callahan is presumably one of the players who could be on the move.
Catch up with what’s already happened by taking a look at yesterday’s action.
