8:36 a.m. EST -- So the New York Rangers are out of the Rick Nash Sweepstakes, but that doesn't mean GM Glen Sather will be quiet. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Washington's Mike Knuble and John Erskine and Buffalo's Paul Gaustad are three targets that Sather might go after today.
Evgeni Nabokov appears to be staying on Long Island as ESPN's Craig Custance is reporting that Islanders GM Garth Snow is telling teams he's not available. According to Newsday, Snow and Nabokov's agent, Don Meehan, will continue their contract talks today.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams that could be very active today. Will Brian Burke shake things up or continue preaching patience? The Globe and Mail's James Mirtle looked at some Leafs who could be trade bait.
8:12 a.m. EST -- The Detroit Red Wings are one of the teams widely expected to make some sort of move today to tweak their roster heading into the final stretch of the season. MLive.com's Ansar Khan reported on Sunday night that a big forward is among what GM Ken Holland is looking to pick up:
Buffalo's Paul Gaustad is that type of player, and might be available since the Sabres are virtually out of the playoff picture and haven't been able to re-sign the 6-foot-5, 212-pound center.
The Red Wings also are interested in big, gritty winger Travis Moen of Montreal (6-2, 215).
The going rate for these types of rental players (impending free agents) is at least a second-round pick. The Red Wings' problem is that their pick in any given round will be lower than that of most teams.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, rumors of the Flyers potentially looking at adding another goaltender seem to be just that, rumors, according to Frank Seravelli of the Daily News:
For months, the Flyers have been rumored to be in the market for a third goaltender, perhaps as an insurance piece should either of the two Russians falter worse than they already have this season. That doesn't seem to be the case.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said last week that he had not given any thought to adding another goalie.
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8:00 a.m. EST -- Happy Hockey Rumors Christmas, everyone. Judging by the lead up to today -- from player's getting re-signed to GMs making moves before the deadline -- it appears things might be slow up until the 3 p.m. ET deadline. But hey, we're all in this together, so fire up that pot of coffee and sit back and watch the trades (hopefully) come in.
Here's how things will work today on Puck Daddy: As per usual, we will have live blog posts going up every hour, on the hour. Trades, news, analysis, observations or general pithiness will be published on top of the most recent information in the post, so it'll end up reading in reverse chronological order. In other words: Hit refresh and check the top of the post. A lot. Big news or trades will be pulled out for their own posts.
Once again, we'll have our Chatterbox up and running with the Twitter feeds of beat writers and news breakers around the NHL. As a special bonus, because of Wysh's involvement, we'll be streaming Sportsnet's coverage of Trade Deadline Day and, yes, our American friends will have access to it.
Last but not least, our classic bit is back for this deadline: The Milbury Scale, in which we rate a trade's fairness and effectiveness with floating noggins featuring perhaps the most inept general manager in the history of the NHL.
For those of you who are new, here's how it works:
One Milbury: A fair trade that helps both teams, both in the short term and in the long run. No winner, no loser: Just a solid deal founded on smart financial and hockey needs. Think Brad Boyes for Dennis Wideman.
Two Milburys: A trade that could, down the road, burn one team in a big way. We're talking a trade of blue-chip prospects for a rental, if the team that's renting clearly isn't going to win it all this season.
Three Milburys means a clear winner in a deal at the time of the trade. Someone got a little too desperate, or someone just got hosed. Sergei Fedorov for Ted Ruth is a Three Milbury trade.
Four Milburys! Bertuzzi, McCabe and eventually Jarkko Ruutu for Trevor Linden! Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha! YASHIN! DISASTER!
So there's that. Coming up: The teams that have captured our imagination today. What are your predictions for deadline day?