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MONDAY, FEBRARY 26 is the big day.

From what I'm hearing from Friedman and a host of others, the Avalanche may have ruined the trade market for everyone. Because he stuck to his guns when everyone in the league was scoffing at him (me too) for not just getting a deal done and over with, and garnered an ENORMOUS haul, all the other GMs in "sell" mode are raising their demanding prices accordingly. Frankly it's stupid beyond belief if Jason Boterill thinks he's gonna get a good return for Evander Kane, but that's apparently where we are.

I think the big storyline will be if Vegas decides to go for it. Why not, eh? They've been great all season and Fleury is healthy. You never know when midnight might strike.

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Earlier in the season I thought they'd be fools to load up, but now? How can you not.

The Rangers are supposedly in selling mode, but I recall the last time they "downsized" for one frickin' year before deciding to go stupid with the money again. And their "rebuilding" phase featured a Jaromir Jagr still in his 30s!

I'm reminded of a quote from Ted Leonsis, saying prior to a deadline years ago that other teams wanted them, the Caps, to do their rebuilding in one fell swoop. You can bet teams like Buffalo are desperate for something like that.

Come the deadline or close to it the teams with UFA's that are completely out of the playoff picture and not interested in resigning will end up moving them for what ever picks they can get. That is not a huge list of guys but it is some guys all the same.

Rick Nash is an obvious trade candidate. Would the Rangers do a deal with Pittsburgh?

The thing with Vegas too is if they acquire a pending UFA they end up liking, they'll have a leg up on signing them. Who wouldn't want to be there?

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Green in Detroit and Kane with buffalo seem like the only better than depth guys I am looking at as need to be moved.

Green is most assuredly gone.

I'm resigned to the fact that Detroit can and should trade Nyquist.

Holland somehow, someway needs to deal some of: Ericsson, Kronwall(probably won't out of respect - one year left), Daley, Helm(yeah like that'll happen), Abdelkader(yeah like that'll happen), Neilsen(yeah like that'll happen). And one of Mrazek or Howard.

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

Pretty much everyone not named Boeser, Horvat, Demko, or Stecher is available from the Cannots, if I had it my way.

Not that that as any big secret or anything...

Isles had scouts at the Montreal/Ottawa game the other night. The most common reaction to that news on Isles blogs today is "We have scouts?"

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Would somebody please make an offer for Guddy

Deals so far:

Phaneuf and Thompson from OTT to LAK for Gabbo and Shore

Soshnikov from TOR to STL for a pick

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Also, pretty minor deal but it's somewhat interesting that Ottawa appears to be scrambling a bit: D Ville Pokka heads to the Senators in exchange for F Chris DiDomenico.

I know he was never a sure-fire thing but apparently Pokka was a decent prospect, a key piece going back in the Nick Leddy trade between the Isles and Hawks. Not a good sign that he couldn't crack Chicago's piecemeal blueline corps.

Hope he sticks so we can make a "Pokka Dot Door" gameday thread.

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Mrazek finally out of DET and into the goalie graveyard that is PHI. For conditional 4th in the 2018 and a conditional 3rd in 2019.

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Given that he could have been had for free essentially, Holland got something. Still don't like the idea of giving up on a young, talented goalie like Mrazek.

Detroit had a massive cap crunch coming up, probably couldn't have dealt Howard and probably couldn't even have qualified Mrazek without corresponding moves. Buyout then sign Mrazek? Not sure they're comfortable enough with Mrazek to do that but now they're left with nothing after Howard.

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

NYR trades depth D Nick Holden to BOS for Rob O’Gara and a 3rd.

Not bad by Gorton.

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Nick Holden is an upgrade on who? Not Kevan Miller...so if this was purely a depth move to acquire a verteran D man to prepare for the playoffs ok I guess. Maybe this is the insurance in case Carlo has another Canuck night.

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No AI has been used in the making of this post

Holden is a decent addition so long as he stays a 6/7 guy. The Avs started thinking he was a 2nd pairing guy and that's when his many flaws came out and then some. If the B's continue to understand he's really just a specialist (Vigneault ended up using him as a top pairing guy ) then there should be no problem. I for one do not miss seeing him having to scramble back like mad because he got caught up-ice for like the 10th time.

Wonder if Roy will call up the B's and sing Holden's praises there.

Somehow I acquired a Nick Holden signed Avs puck. Totally agree.....he's a 6/7 depth guy. Don't try to make him anymore and certainly don't sign him!

And then there is always this:

https://www.tsn.ca/iginla-practices-wit ... -1.1005168

Now I don't put too much stock into that but.....

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No AI has been used in the making of this post

Fehr from TOR to SJS. Not even a warm body, just a body.

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