NHL Returns with Looming Deadline

NHL hockey returned last night after a two week break with Detroit edging the tenacious Avs in Colorado. Though perhaps, 'break' is not really the most apropos word, as hockey was still very much is the spotlight in North America, as Canada won the Gold medal on Sunday against the U.S. with by far the biggest audience in Canadian television history.

80% of the Canadian population tuned in at some point in the broadcast to watch their heroes take Gold with 50% of the population watching the whole thing. Such an amazing captivation is unprecedented and surely augurs well for Gary Bettman and NHL heading towards the playoffs. Along with the return of NHL action comes the return of trade buzz.

With the deadline looming at 3pm EST tomorrow afternoon, NHL general mangers scramble to negotiate the transaction that they think will get them that added edge come April. Already a few minor to medium-sized trades have taken place since trade-season re-opened, with names like Grebeshkov, Artukhin, Toivonen and Leopold all being given new homes. But over 24 hours remains and a storm is surely brewing.

In this new age of NHL parity, comes a shortening of the lists of buyers and sellers alike and more and more general managers aren't particularly sure exactly what category they should fall under. Still, there are enough clear-cut buyers and sellers out there to at least speculate around the water cooler. In terms of sellers, it would be safe to include Atlanta, Carolina, Columbus, Edmonton, Florida, NY Islanders and Toronto in that group of prospect and pick seekers.

Plenty of names, as usual, have been thrown around over the last few weeks but some guys with a very good chance of moving are: Joe Corvo, Cory Stillman, Ray Whitney, Radek Dvorak, Dan Hamhius and Tomas Vokoun. Given the activity prior to the Olympic break which saw Kovalchuk, Phaneuf and Giguere sent elsewhere, March 3 will most likely seem comparatively quiet.

For the action that does take place, it's safe to assume GM's from Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Washington will be among those actively seeking the missing parts to create the soughtafter, Stanley Cup Machine.

All the answers will come tomorrow as the details of each deal unfold. Every trade deadline is always a fun day for a hockey fan, but don't be too disappointed or surprised to find that all the big deals have already happened.