February 7th, 2013

Evgeni Malkin, Miikka Kiprusoff, Mikael Granlund — there are some big names in play this year, which should make for a very interesting deadline day. TheAFHL.com and TSN will be following all of the trades today and providing some analysis of the deals as they happen. And we’ll hear lots from Pierre LeBrun, Barry Melrose, Scott Burnside and Scott McKenzie who is at TSN’s studios for Tradecentre.

So, feel free to stay on the page and refresh for updates, which begin below:

9:45 am  Bob McKenzie: Hey everybody! Happy Trade Deadline Day!!

9:51 am  Barry Melrose: I’m predicting 15 to 20 trades today. Lots of teams are still in on Malkin. Not sure if a deal will get done though.

10:05 am  Pierre LeBrun: Keep an eye on the Montreal Xtreme today. They are hungry to make a deal. As I said before they even called Boston about Malkin.

10:11 am  Scott Burnside: First trade of the day happened around 3 am between Toronto and Deer Park. Toronto got Mats Zuccarello and a 2013 third round pick. Deer Park got Keith Kinkaid and Jeff Frazee.

10:15 am  Scott Burnside: Just talked to Manhattan GM Tony Furino. He has something in the works involving Filip Forsberg. He recently finished drinking his fourth Red Bull. Been up since 2:30 am lol

10:35 am  Pierre LeBrun: All quiet so far as we get things up and rolling. EJ Hradek on his way to Warriors practice. Pierre McGuire will be texting us from Boston where he is on Evgeni Malkin watch. Mike Milbury is in Hamilton, where rumours are running wild. We’ve also got Jeremey Roenick on deck from Philadelphia.

10:55 am  Barry Melrose: Reports from everyone so far: It is very, very quiet.

11:01 am  Bob McKenzie: Hearing about a trade to be announced between Ottawa and Manhattan.

11:05 am  Bob McKenzie: Manhattan just dealt Peter Holland and Filip Forsberg to Ottawa for Ryan Strome. Also exchanged 2013 second round picks.

11:09 am  Scott Burnside: Wow. Furino must have a hard-on for Strome. Way to overpay!!

11:15 am  Barry Melrose: The Philadelphia Crunch cancelled their practice today.

11:23 am  Pierre LeBrun: Text message from Lakehead GM Jason Briggs: Malkin will probably stay put. I can’t wait for the NEW GM in Boston to trade him.

11:27 am  Scott Burnside: Heard there is some friction between Lakehead GM Briggs and Boston GM Phelan. Source tells me they don’t like each other. Possibly a future rivalry there.

11:42 am  Scott Burnside: Most likely Fort Drum Killers to be traded? Kiprusoff, Dupuis and Jokinen.

11:53 am  Bob McKenzie: All quiet on the Phantoms so far, though Buffalo radio guys sure would like Kane to be traded back home.

12:15 pm  Barry Melrose: Wolfpack GM Rick Charron says he hopes to seal the deal on a trade today for some help up on right wing.

12:32 pm  Barry Melrose: A guy Wolfpack have been watching for awhile is Loui Eriksson. Nice fit. Next to impossible to get.

1:09 pm  Scott Burnside: Text from Montreal GM Cancilla: I just traded a third round pick to Manhattan for Killers GM Steven Stryska’s mother lol

1:16 pm  Bob McKenzie: I’m hearing that Boston is seeking three top line forwards for Evgeni Malkin.

1:24 pm  Barry Melrose: Talking to a friend with Twin City. Could see some activity there today. Lots of buzz on Granlund and Tarasenko, good chance both could be on the move.

1:32 pm  Bob McKenzie: Like last year, several teams asking Leafs GM McNeill about Parise. McNeill says he’s untouchable. “I need Parise for the playoffs this year.”

1:40 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Source in Manhattan tells me GM Furino already has buyer’s remorse from his trade for Strome this morning. He thinks he might have given up too much.

1:49 pm  Barry Melrose: So, it’s exceedingly slow right now, but that is par for the course. The first half of deadline day is typically a dead zone.

1:55 pm  Scott Burnside: Malkin arrived at the rink in Boston at 10:20 this morning. “Just another morning,” he said, with a smile.

2:04 pm  Scott Burnside: London GM Plachta says the Mustangs are not looking to make any moves before the deadline.

2:06 pm  Barry Melrose: Patrik Elias may be staying put in Toronto.

2:07 pm  Barry Melrose: Toronto GM Carbone tells me they are “out of the Malkin sweepstakes by the looks of it.”

2:10 pm  Pierre LeBrun: TSN reporting the IceHoles and Red Devils are on the verge of a deal.

2:12 pm  Pierre LeBrun: James Neal to the Red Devils.

2:13 pm  Bob McKenzie: My source in Toronto says Max Pacioretty is part of that deal.

2:14 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Just to repeat: James Neal to Toronto appears to be on the verge of being completed. No word what the IceHoles get back.

2:17 pm  Bob McKenzie: There’s some speculation that this Toronto-Lakehead deal is a big one and some draft picks are going to Lakehead along with Pacioretty and Jiri Hudler (again, no confirmation). Just as an FYI, a bunch of sources I’ve talked to in the last little while say all the GMs in the league are trying to stockpile high picks for 2013, which is shaping up to be an exceptional draft year.

2:20 pm  Scott Burnside: Ottawa continues to shop Dan Ellis. GM Armstrong getting lots of offers for Toews but he insists that Toews isn’t going anywhere.

2:23 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Toronto GM Carbone has announced a trade with Lakehead. Toronto receives James Neal and David Perron. Lakehead receives Max Pacioretty, Jiri Hudler, two third round picks in 2013, and a second round pick in 2014. Wow.

2:41 pm  Barry Melrose: Told an hour ago that Giants Evgeni Malkin trade talk was in a holding pattern, that signs continue to point toward Malkin staying put… for now.

3:02 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Source says Manhattan GM Tony Furino was just seen crying while eating McDonald’s in his office. That’s a serious case of buyer’s remorse.

3:20 pm  Scott Burnside: London no longer standing pat. GM Plachta says Lecavalier might be on his way out of town.

3:39 pm  Barry Melrose: Lots of talk in Victoria, as we now have 8 hours to go until the deadline. Vipers GM Hartley is shopping around Grigorenko, Killorn, Paajarvi and Kruger.

3:41 pm  Bob McKenzie: I’ve been told that Toronto has struck yet another deal. This one is with San Diego. Toronto acquires Bozak, Hanzal, Frk and John Moore for Loktionov, Jaskin, and three second round picks in 2013. That makes three trades for Toronto on Trade Deadline Day.

3:49 pm  Pierre LeBrun: TSN reporting the Warriors are a front-runner in the Malkin sweepstakes.

3:58 pm  Barry Melrose: Told San Diego and Pittsburgh are completing a trade, one is close/near done.

4:01 pm  Barry Melrose: San Diego acquires Tyler Toffoli, Rhett Rhakshani, Brett Connolly, Mark Jankowski, Mark Barberio, 2014 third round pick, 2015 second round pick and third round pick. Pittsburgh acquires T.J. Oshie, Kyle Okposo, Roman Josi and Hamilton’s 2013 first round pick.

4:21 pm  Bob McKenzie: Text from Pittsburgh GM Jason Henley: I’ve got some irons in the fire, feelers are out there and any other phrases that mean I still want to move some players.

4:52 pm  Scott Burnside: San Diego GM Lucas Main on trade with Pittsburgh Heroes. “I think both teams have met a need to say the least.”

5:39 pm  Bob McKenzie: Source telling me Boston GM Mike Phelan is strongly considering a trade that would send Evgeni Malkin to North Bay for Patrick Kane and Rick Nash.

5:53 pm  Barry Melrose: Some Killers fans on the internet are talking about starting a riot if GM Stryska doesn’t trade Kiprusoff today.

6:38 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Twin City GM Phil Svoboda on Vikings plans for the rest of the day: We’re still actively looking, this isn’t going to end until 11:59 pm [EST]. We’re trying to improve this hockey team, we want to go for the whole thing, so we’re looking at some really creatively type of things top help improve us.

7:10 pm  Barry Melrose: Firestorm forward Patrick Sharp says trade deadline is nothing but stress, tension and awkward goodbyes.

7:30 pm  Bob McKenzie: Boston GM Phelan won’t say how many teams have made offers for Malkin, only that he’s been having  “substantial” discussions today. “The price is high. I don’t apologize for that. It has to be high. He’s the best player in the league.”

8:42 pm  Barry Melrose: TSN reports the London Mustangs have traded Lecavalier and Hishon to the Victoria Vipers for Grigorenko, Maatta and Dansk.

8:50 pm  Scott Burnside: Talks are starting to heat up with three hours to go. Source in North Bay telling me they just pulled off a deal for Bobby Ryan.

9:19 pm  Scott Burnside: North Bay has in fact acquired Bobby Ryan. Dealt Lehner, Bishop, Palmieri for Ryan, Anisimov, Klefbom.

9:37 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Tweet from Leafs forward John Tavares: I’m pretty confident that at 12:00 am, I will still be an Oshawa City Leaf.

9:40 pm  Barry Melrose: London has just sent Spencer Mechacek to North Bay for Olli Jokinen.

9:46 pm  Bob McKenzie: Quiet in Toronto. They’ve done their deals, I’m led to believe.

10:05 pm  Bob McKenzie: Quick round-up of names floating around the Twittersphere with two hours until the deadline: Evgeni Malkin (Boston), Adam Larsson (Boston), David Clarkson (Comox Valley), Miikka Kiprusoff (Fort Drum), Dan Ellis (Ottawa), Pascal Dupuis (Fort Drum), Mikael Granlund (Twin City), Vladimir Tarasenko (Twin City), Teemu Selanne (Hamilton) and Daniel Alfredsson (Hamilton).

10:45 pm  Pierre LeBrun: North Bay makes another trade. Acquires Clarkson, Bieksa, Latendresse and Horak from Comox Valley for Zajac, Gaudreau, Orlov and Riley Nash.

10:57 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Word is Comox Valley is done. No deals pending.

11:05 pm  Barry Melrose: Trade deadline is one hour away!! It’s about to get intense any minute now.

11:32 pm  Scott Burnside: Just hung up with a GM who commented on how busy it is now. He said, “I’m talking to 7, 8, 9 GMs at once. Madness. Absolutely insanity.”

11:59 pm  Bob McKenzie: Flurry of deals to be announced in the final moments…

12:00 am  Bob McKenzie: Ottawa sends Dan Ellis to Oshawa City for 2013 second round pick.

12:02 am  Bob McKenzie: Manhattan deals Al Montoya to Toronto for two third round picks in 2013.

12:03 am  Bob McKenzie: Victoria acquires Jeremey Morin and a 2013 third round pick from San Diego for Cal Clutterbuck and a 2013 second round pick.

12:09 am  Barry Melrose: Malkin stays put and remains a Boston Giant. The Toronto Red Devils and the North Bay Warriors were making the biggest pitches today, but apparently GM Phelan’s asking price was too high.

12:13 am  Bob McKenzie: We saw a  grand total of 11 trades get done. Who won? Who lost? Biggest trade? Most improved? Top contenders? Discuss in the comments below…