The NHL trade deadline is a little over a month away, but the rumors have started to surface over which teams might be willing make moves.
ESPN analyst Pierre LeBrun reported that the first major move that could get underway is a trade of Ottawa Captain Daniel Alfredsson to the Boston Bruins. "GM Peter Chiarelli used to work in Ottawa's front office and B's captain Zdeno Chara is a former teammate of Alfredsson's," wrote LeBrun. "If there's one team that could entice Alfredsson, I'm not sure there's a better fit than Boston."
Alfredsson had contemplated retiring during the 2012 off season, but he decided to sign with his team for one more year in hopes of making a final playoff run. However, the team lost its top offensive contributors Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson to injury for the remainder of the season and may not be able to hold onto a playoff spot. Alfredsson is currently second in scoring for the Senators. He has tallied four goals, six assists in 16 games this season
Despite the injuries, LeBrun notes that the Senators have made calls regarding Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly. The dynamic center has held out from signing an extension with Colorado and could be a major trading chip for Colorado general manger Greg Sherman. The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers are considered another major player in the O'Reilly sweepstakes. The Rangers may be interested in moving defenseman Michael Del Zotto to Colorado and the Panthers could be looking to exchange Stephen Weiss for O'Reilly.
Other major trades that LeBrun reports include the San Jose Shark's willingness to shop defenseman Dan Boyle. He also notes that the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for a winger to complement Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin; Minnesota Wild's Devin Setoguchi seems to be a player they are targeting.