on.Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has taken responsibility f

The NHL trade deadline always makes for an interesting time in the season http://www.flyersshoponline.com/authentic-travis-konecny-jersey , as plenty of contenders want to stockpile talent for stretch playoff runs.Last year, for example, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller before the deadline and came within one win of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.This year's deadline鈥攚hich occurs at 4 p.m. ET on Monday鈥攎ay bring with it more playoff-aiding moves. It will certainly bring a flurry of activity as contenders look to buy and other teams sell off various pieces.There is no shortage of speculation as the deadline rapidly approaches. You'll find some of the latest buzz below.Duchene Open to Extension with New TeamIt's now pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Ottawa Senators are going to part with center Matt Duchene. According toTSN's Darren Dreger, Duchene may have already played his final game as a Senator:Darren Dreger DarrenDregerPlan is to not risk injury therefore Duchene not expected to be in the lineup for the Sens on Thursday. May have played last game with Ottawa. xe6d3QDq9yThe only question is where Duchene lands. There has been plenty of speculation on this front, but the Nashville Predators seem to be the favorites. Elliotte Friedman of NHL Network and Sportsnetrecently linked Duchene to Nashville, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets."Those are the two teams I think are really big into it,"Friedman said on NHL Tonight. "I think Nashville, in particular, they're a team that has had interest in Duchene before. Also, I think Duchene has interest in playing there."More recently, Friedman reported that Nashville seems to be the team "working the hardest" not only to acquire Duchene but also to extend him.This may make for a perfect pairing. According to DavidPagnotta of The Fourth Period, Duchene is open to signing an extension when and if he is traded."While Duchene is open to signing a new deal with whichever team he's eventually traded to, there are no guarantees an extension gets ironed out before a trade is finalized," Pagnotta wrote. "But it's my understand[ing] he's is open to multiple possibilities."Whichever team does land Duchene may be getting him for the long haul. Bruins Could be All-In on StoneWhile Duchene is likely gone, there's at least some chance that the Senators hang on to winger Mark Stone. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reported that it's more likely Stone stays than either Duchene or Ryan Dzingel:Andy Strickland andystricklandMark Stone seems to be the most likely to stay with the #Sens. Hear nothing but great things about him as a player and leader. Might want to see what Duchene and Dzingel bring back first but there鈥檚 a growing sentiment that he鈥檒l stay.If Ottawa goes make Stone available, however, then it may have a buyer in the Boston Bruins. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that Boston will go after Stone if he doesn't soon sign a long-term deal with the Senators:Larry Brooks NYP_BrooksieTold that Bruins will be all in on Stone if Senators are unable to sign winger to extension...Thisdoesn't mean that Stone will be heading to Boston if he doesn't sign an extension. The Senators could refuse to trade him while continuing to sell a long-term deal. They may also put a price tag on Stone that the Bruins shy away from.However, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reportedthat a non-extension would result in Stone receiving a for-sale sign:"If he doesn't, then [general manager Pierre] Dorion, who is expected return to Ottawa Tuesday morning from Chicago to huddle with the club's scouting staff to work on deals before the deadline Barrett Hayton Jersey Womens , will add Stone's name to the list of players he'll be trying to move to get assets that can help Ottawa down the road in return."Garrioch added thatStone has requested time to mull over Ottawa's long-term offer.Bruins Also Have Some Interest in PanarinDavid Zalubowski/Associated PressIt's been difficult to peg the Columbus Blue Jackets as either sellers or buyers before the trade deadline, as the team is firmly in the playoff mix but also has some difficult roster decisions looming.Winger Artemi Panarin, who will be a free agent in the summer, is at the top of the list of players who could be moved if Columbus decides to sell.Panarin is also a player the Bruins are interested in acquiring, though Friedman believes they wouldn't want him long term."I think the teams with the best chances at signing Panarin long term are [the] Florida [Panthers], Los Angeles [Kings], [New York] Islanders and [New York] Rangers," Friedman wrote. "The only one that makes sense to take a shot at him for rental purposes is the Islanders. Boston hovers as a rental option too."With the Bruins only "hovering" around Panarin as a rental, it likely means that he isn't their first choice of a deadline add.It appears most likely that Stone is Boston's desired addition, but Panarin will be an option if he's available for cheap or if Stone simply isn't available. Interest in Nyquist Could Be BuildingGustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings isn't one of the hotter names on the market, though this is primarily because he has a full no-trade clause and would have to agree to be moved before the deadline.Nyquist, who has 48 points in 60 games, is having a fine season.The left wingrecently admitted that he's discussed the idea with general manager Ken Holland, but he hasn't given any indication of whether he would give his consent on a deal."It has to work for either side," Nyquist said, per Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News. "That's about as much as I will say."Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, however, believes that Nyquist would be willing to waive the clause in order to land with the right contender. He also believes that Nyquist will start to generate more interest once Panarin and Stone have their situations settled."A lot of those teams are saying 'just make sure you call us if you do something because we're keeping an eye on the bigger guys first,' with all due respect to Nyquist, who is having a fine season in Detroit Michael Grabner Jersey Womens ," LeBrun wrote.LeBrun also reported that Detroit is ready to sign Nyquist if the right deal doesn't come along, so he may not be going anywhere. It's a situation to keep an eye on, though, especially if guys like Stone and Panarin are moved well ahead of the deadline. The Montreal Canadiens will try and build on their surprisingly strong start to the season when they host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at Bell Centre.The Canadiens, picked by many forecasters to dwell near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, are off to a 3-1-1 start after a 7-3 home win against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.The Canadiens are in third place in the Atlantic Division.Article continues below ...Canadiens coach Claude Julien said changes to the roster and an acceptance of a new playing style have been responsible for the Canadiens’ improved play so far.“I think it’s about the way we work together,” Julien told Montrealcanadiens.com Tuesday. “We chose to play a certain way this year given the things we identified over the summer. It was about speed and execution. At the same time, it takes players who believe and are capable of playing that style and playing it the right way together.“It’s a good start, but there are still a lot of games left and we have to continue to show that playing this style will serve us well right until the end.”Julien said he recognizes that it is a small sample size, but a fast start is critical to positioning a team to contend for a playoff spot. The Canadiens have been riding a more up-tempo game that has emphasized a more aggressive forecheck for their early season success.“You always hear talk about the season being just like a marathon,” he said. “I’m 100 percent in agreement with that. I think you also have to sprint out of the gates to start the year to position yourself well and then the marathon starts after that. It you don’t start out with a sprint, it’s tough to catch up.”The Canadiens have been led by a diversified attack with Tomas Tatar, Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher each with three goals to lead the team. Jonathan Drouin, who got off to a slow start, now has two goals as does Charles Hudon.At practice Tuesday, Tatar was on a line with Phillip Danault and Gallagher, Drouin was with Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen and Byron was with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia. Hudon was on a line with Tomas Plekanec, who scored a goal in his 1,000th NHL game Monday, and Matthew Peca.The Canadiens placed forward Jacob de la Rose on waivers Monday to make room for Nicholas Deslauriers http://www.sanjosesharksteamshop.com/authentic-brent-burns-jersey , who is returning from a facial fracture.De la Rose, 23, suffered from a cardiac episode Sept. 29, but was cleared to return to practice.Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who missed the past two games because of the flu, is expected to start against the Blues (1-2-2), who are starting a three-game road trip.The Blues could get forward Jaden Schwartz, one of their offensive leaders, back in the lineup against the Canadiens. Schwartz, who has been battling a lower body injury, skated on Tuesday. It’s expected he will be a game-time decision.Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has taken responsibility for the Blues’ slow start.“I’m the one that leads this group and we’ve won one game,” he told the team’s website. “It starts with me. I know I need to be better. It’s still on me. If we’re not winning hockey games, that starts with me.”The Blues, usually a strong defensive team, have given up 20 goals in their first five games.“It’s a disappointing start. We’re not going to sugarcoat that or hide from that,” Blues coach Mike Yeo told the team website. “It’s a little bit of adversity, that’s all it is. For us as a group, what’s important is we don’t let circumstances dictate who we become.“It’s taking us a little longer to get going; we’re not quite on top of our game, but we’re going to find it. We always do. We’ve always been a good defensive team. We always will be. We’ll get closer and I think this road trip will be really good for us.”