There are still plenty of intriguing names available to teams ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline
Long before the March 3rd trade deadline, we have already seen the likes of Bo Horvat, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, Dmitry Orlov, Timo Meier and Tanner Jeannot all come off the board. There has been a lot of talk about how "boring" Friday's deadline is going to be with all of the top names already having moved, but I don't believe that to be the case. Why? Because there are a lot of interesting names who are not only rumoured to be available, but are also very likely to move.
On Sunday, NHL Insider David Pagnotta revealed a list of 7 names who still sit atop the trade board - and his list didn't even include the likes of Patrick Kane, who is believed to be headed to the New York Rangers at the midway point of this week. Here's Pagnotta's list of top remaining names on the trade market:
In addition, there are plenty of other names who may not only move, but could be impact players for their new teams. Names like Mattias Ekholm, Adam Henrique, Max Domi and, most recently, J.T. Miller. There are also players, such as Nick Schmaltz, Colton Parayko and Boone Jenner that teams remain curious about, given their teams' current struggles.
There are still 4 days remaining until Friday's deadline, so there's still time for some additional names to drop off the board, but even if that happens, there will still be plenty of reasons to track what happens on deadline day. Whether it's waiting to see what the Leafs might have planned on the final day where players acquired in a trade can compete in regular season and playoff games, or waiting to see the names that land with the Leafs' direct competitors within the Atlantic Division or the Eastern Conference, there will be interest and plenty of movement to track and discuss come Friday.
**Update at 1:26pm ET - Leafs have traded for defenseman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty**
