The National Hockey League’s trade deadline is looming, and it is one of the most chaotic days of the season; on deadline day, teams either go all in for a playoff push by making a ton of acquisitions or sell their star players to prepare for the future.

  In the NHL, star players are almost always on the move from team to team. Unlike other leagues such as the NBA and the NFL where the teams protect stars at all costs. An example of a deadline trade that sent stars on the move: the Los Angeles Kings trading centerman Butch Goring to the New York Islanders for forward Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis in 1980. The Islanders went on to win four straight Stanley Cups after the trade.

  More recently, centerman Blake Coleman was traded from the New Jersey Devils to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward prospect Nolan Foote and a first-round pick. The Lightning went on to win two straight Stanley Cups with Coleman in the lineup.

  The biggest buzz around the deadline is the Chicago Blackhawks superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Those two have been anchors for the Blackhawks for almost two decades, and it seems as though that era could be coming to a close very soon. Those two being traded has been talked about amongst fans for the last few years.

  “I do believe at the very least one of them will be traded,” senior and Blackhawks fan Christian Garza explained, “Toews seems the most likely to go as he would get the most value out of a trade. While Patrick Kane is, in every shape and form, way better of a player than Toews, Kane has such a huge salary for teams to take on. Toews – while still similar in salary – is less to handle compared to Kane.”

  The first domino to fall was Vancouver Canucks centerman Bo Horvat being traded to the New York Islanders for left winger Anthony Beauvillier, centerman Aatu Raty, and a 2023 conditional first round draft pick. The Seattle Kraken also acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2023 fourth round pick.

  Some more big ticket players that are likely to be traded are Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan, and St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly. Other notable potential deadline pieces include San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, Blackhawks forward Max Domi, and Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin.

  The most recent trades that were made were St. Louis Blues veteran Vladimir Tarasenko traded to the New York Rangers with defenseman Niko Mikkola going with him. In exchange, they received forward Samuel Blais, defenseman prospect Hunter Skinner, and two draft picks. The Coyotes also traded defenseman Jacob Chychrun to the Los Angeles Kings for a package centered around Brandt Clarke, who was selected eighth overall in 2021. However, the Kings later stated that Clarke had not actually been traded, and the deal did not go through.

  Some teams, like the Boston Bruins, don’t necessarily need to make any moves at the deadline. 

  Bruins fan and science teacher Tim Kelleher stated, “Since they are winning, the trade deadline does not put a lot of stress on a fan, like myself. In years past, the trade deadline might have stressed me out due to the Bruins being in the middle of the standings and needing to add a crucial piece to the puzzle in order to advance in the playoffs.”

  The NHL trade deadline is scheduled for March 3 at 2:00 PM CST. Before this time, teams will be making a ton of trades, so many that it will possibly be difficult for fans to keep up. We’ll see who will pad their lineups for a playoff push, or accelerate a rebuild by acquiring top picks for past stars.