Expect movement in the NHL

The National Hockey League’s trade deadline is quickly approaching and apart from some minor deals, nothing yet has happened. Expect that to change over the next couple of days, as teams make their push for the playoffs.

One of the biggest names is St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is a free agent after the year. The Blues are hesitant to trade him being in the hunt for the playoffs. But they don’t want to lose him for nothing, either. The Blues wanted to do a sign-and-trade deal to maximize their return, but Shattenkirk reportedly turned down a deal to send him to Tampa.

Colorado’s Matt Duchene is another big name who could be on the move. The Avalanche are going nowhere fast and he would bring back some nice pieces for the rebuild. The same can be said for Gabriel Landeskog.

The Coyotes should be active at the deadline, with Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata and possibly Shane Doan being moved, while teams like Detroit, New Jersey and Buffalo are likely to move a few players. New Jersey could move Mike Cammalleri if they are willing to retain part of his contract. Vancouver’s Ryan Miller has also been mentioned in trade talks the past 24 hours.

With so many teams in the playoff hunt, it’s likely a seller’s market, but the Flyers may join the mix. Philadelphia has some defense it could trade and that is always a sought-after commodity. Both Michael Del Zotto and Mark Streit are free agents after this season.

The Dallas Stars traded Patrick Eaves, but probably aren’t done. Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya could be gone by Wednesday.

Among buyers, the Penguins could well be the most interesting, as they could make a big move either way. It’s not unreasonable to see them going after Shattenkirk as a pure rental, but they could also move Marc-Andre Fleury.