Trade Deadline Primer

NHL Trade Deadline 2015 is upon us, and if James Duthie is a man of his word, he hardly has any friends left among NHL GMs.

Seven sleeps til #Tradecentre. Any G.M who makes a deal this week is dead to me.

— James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) February 24, 2015

Here's a short rundown of the big bait who were traded after that tweet: Erik Cole, Lee Stempniak, Keith Yandle, Curtis Glencross, Antoine Vermette, Tim Gleason, Jaromir Jagr, Andrej Sekera, Daniel Winnik, Tomas Fleischmann, Jiri Tlusty, Sean Bergenheim, and Dany Heatley. (OK, maybe that last one doesn't count). Of course, before those guys, Mike Santorelli, Cody Franson, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Tyler Myers, and Drew Stafford all got traded. By the time you read this, that list might even be out of date. As of 1:40 AM EST, Brett Connolly was acquired by the Bruins, and then Brayndon Coburn was acquired by the Lightning, and other trades could go down after I head to bed.

At first glance, that suggests that there aren't too many people left to trade, but that won't stop teams from making trades for the guys who are left.

Biggest fish

Jeff Petry - Sekera and Yandle were likely the biggest defencemen available, but since they're off the board, you have to think Petry's the best guy left. 27-year-old guy with good underlying numbers. A pure rental, but is likely to re-sign with a contending team.

Zbynek Michalek - The only other great defenceman who is for sure on the market. Another UFA-to-be, he will likely be dealt to the highest bidder by Monday afternoon. Expect teams who miss out on Petry to come looking for Michalek. Michalek's only problem is that he's currently injured.

Michael Del Zotto - The wild card of defencemen left. He's only 24, but failed out in a couple locations last year. However, he's looked alright in Philadelphia, and if the Flyers decide they aren't pushing to make the playoffs, he could easily be available.

Chris Stewart - If he doesn't get traded, Tim Murray will look like a failure in Buffalo. He acquired the forward simply to flip him, and since he can walk as a UFA in the summer, he will be dealt for the best available deal. The fact that Ottawa isn't likely to make the playoffs probably means Bryan Murray won't try to get him.

Mats Zuccarello - Another pending UFA, the Rangers seem to have decided they can't afford him and will trade him. Could be a great addition to most teams' top six.

Matt Beleskey - Reportedly, the Ducks aren't anywhere near signing the 26-year-old pending UFA. If there are any decent offers for him, he might get dealt to a team looking for depth.

Jay McClement - The Hurricanes will likely trade anyone with value who isn't named "Staal" or "Skinner". McClement is known for being a good faceoff guy, which could garner a low pick.

Alex Semin - This could be a high-risk option. He generates shot attempts at a high rate, but has seen his point totals drop, and has three years left at $7-million. Couldn't end up on a team with cap issues. The 'Canes also will reportedly retain a good percentage of Semin's salary to improve the offers.

Antti Niemi - The Sharks are looking to get younger in goal, so any team looking for depth in net could get this guy. I see one team doing it, at least because Niemi has a Stanley Cup on his resume as a starter.

Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak - The Maple Leafs will probably get a better offer for each of these guys in the summer. That being said, they are in rebuild mode, and if a team gets desperate and offers a lot for one of these guys, GM Nonis will trade them.

Some other fish

Here are some other guys who might get traded tomorrow in no particular order: Carl Soderberg, Mikael Backlund, David Booth, Olli Jokinen, Dennis Seidenberg, Loui Eriksson, Jiri Hudler, Michal Neuvirth, James Reimer, Martin Havlat, Michael Ryder, Antti Raanta, Jan Hejda, and Daniel Briere.

Senators' outlook

Bryan Murray appeared recently on TSN and said that the Sens wouldn't be looking to buy, and would most likely be sellers at the deadline. It's unlikely the Sens acquire any of the aforementioned players, especially the pending UFAs and the expensive players (which is nearly everybody available). The Senators will most likely look to shed salary and/or veterans players.

Chris Phillips and Chris Neil are injured and aren't too eager to head out of town, so it's unlikely either get dealt. David Legwand may get the best trade value of any of the vets. Eric Gryba and Patrick Wiercioch have also generated some interest. It appears unlikely that Milan Michalek will be traded, both because of his recent play and the need to replace Clarke MacArthur, but may be given up for a great offer. It's unclear whether or not Jared Cowen is deemed expendable by the organization, but if so, he may get a decent return. Erik Condra was reportedly being shopped a week ago, but the way Dave Cameron trusts him, and with Ottawa looking to make a playoff push, it's unlikely someone as cost-effective as Condra gets traded. Finally, the Sens may look to trade either of Robin Lehner or Craig Anderson, especially if they can be packaged with someone else to bring back a player in the team's long-term interests.

Keep up-to-date on the rumours all day on the SB Nation rumour page, look out for analysis on any deals involving the Sens in our Trade Deadline hub, and let everyone know what you think the day-long open thread!

What do you most want to see the Sens do today?