Puck Daddy's all-day trade deadline coverage rolls on. We're publishing fresh posts every hour with breaking news, fresh rumors and "live blog" analysis. Please share what you've heard and what you think will happen down in the comments. Read Hour 3 here. Be sure to also check out the Chatter Box for the Twitter feeds of top insiders and beat writers all in one spot. Watch Sportsnet's live stream here.
11:47 a.m. EST -- Brian Burke told Sportsnet that he isn't looking to add to his goaltending, despite their recent struggles. Also, he doesn't expect Mikhail Grabovski to sign an extension by the deadline today.
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11: 27 a.m. EST -- Well, this should get the Rick Nash rumors heated up. Here's video of a work crew taking down a Nash banner from a Columbus street. Could just be taking down the pair now that Carter is gone or ...
(or just a scheduled day of swapping them out with others). Keep in mind that Nash was present at the Blue Jackets' morning skate today. Only a few more hours and we can be done with those rumors, at least until Draft time if he doesn't move.
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11:22 a.m. EST -- Some reaction out of Nashville on the acquisition of Andrei Kostitsyn. From Preds' radio play-by-play man Tom Callahan:
"Andrei has broken the 50-point barrier before and despite a bit of a down year in Montreal this season still has posted 24 points. Reuniting him with brother Sergei in Nashville will hopefully mean not only an uptick in production but might also convince the elder brother that the change of scenery suits him on a longer term. His $3.25M cap hit contract expires this season and he becomes a UFA, but perhaps an audition here and a little positive press from Sergei might make him a long-term guy.
Barry Trotz has shown that he is able to bring players in that have fallen into disfavor with other teams and help them get their games in order in a Predators sweater. I would think that for Andrei coming in having a clearly defined role and responsibilities will help tremendously. Also, to have someone with his offensive talent give Nashville just that much more depth of scoring shows that the Predators can attack with three (and sometimes four) lines."
Last year, the Boston Bruins picked up Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly before the deadline and watched as their contributions helped lead them to the Stanley Cup. Joe Haggerty of CSN New England list of players potentially eye-balled by the Bruins includes Ryan Malone, Mike Knuble and Bryan Allen, among others.
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11:00 a.m. EST -- Morning skates are underway on the east coast and right now no notable names are being held out of practice as part of potential deals. Mike Knuble and Roman Hamrlik are on the ice for the Capitals, per Whyno; as is Brandon Dubinsky in New York, according to the New York Daily News.
Will Stan Bowman make some moves today with the Chicago Blackhawks currently hanging on to stay in the Western Conference playoff picture? According to Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune, he needs to:
The Hawks had the best record in the league a couple months ago, and now, today, at the trade deadline, they are barely in the playoffs. They have 73 points in 64 games, good enough for sixth place in the conference. The Los Angeles Kings, who just shut out the Hawks, are in ninth place with 68 points, but the Kings have played two fewer games. Fact is, the Hawks have played more games than anyone in the playoff race and have little to show for it.
This season might not be an official disaster, but you can see it from here.
The Hawks need Bowman to make a move, but do they want Bowman being the guy to make that move?
Still in a holding pattern are Josh Harding and Rick Nash. Minnesota is still debating on whether or not to re-sign the backup netminder, according to ESPN's Craig Custance. Meanwhile, Scott Howson and the Blue Jackets are not letting up on their demands for Nash. All indications, for the moment, point to the Columbus captain staying through the end of the season.
If Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad is dealt today, it won't be to Detroit, as per Kevin Allen of USA Today.