The NHL's Mar. 21 Trade Deadline is approaching and teams are making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TradeCentre on TSN and TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates.


Chara on the Move?

New York Islanders veteran Zdeno Chara tied Chris Chelios' record Tuesday for games played by a defenceman as he skated in his 1,651st NHL game.

Where he will continue to set the new record after the trade deadline, though, remains a mystery. TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that, while there has been interest in the 44-year-old, the decision will ultimately be in his hands. 

"Teams have started to call Lou Lamoriello and the Islanders who are fading out of the playoff race, they were never really in the race all year, one the league's true disappointments, and they're saying to Lou Lamoriello, 'Hey keep us in mind if you decide to do ​something with Zdeno Chara,'" LeBrun said. "Now this is an interesting situation. Chara does not have a no-trade clause, but he's a future Hall of Famer and the sense around the league is that Lou Lamoriello is going to go to Chara at some point and see if in fact he actually wants to move.

"And if he does, then there's interest already in Zdeno Chara despite his age, 44, the fact he's slowed down a bit, but he's still a major leader and a very physical presence that could help a contender on that third pairing for sure."

Chara, a Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins in 2011, has eight assists in 43 games this season while averaging 18:31 of ice time. He has also played in 200 career playoff games with the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.

Chara is a pending unrestricted free agent and carries a cap hit $750,000 this season, though his contract also includes up to an additional $750,000 in performance bonuses.
 

All Eyes on Hampus?

Anaheim Ducks defenceman Hampus Lindholm may not be on the current Trade Bait Board, but he is atop the wish list for some teams across the league.

Lindholm is a pending unrestricted free agent and LeBrun reports that Ducks have opened contract talks to try to keep him off the market leading up to March 21.

"When you talk to other teams around the league, they view Hampus Lindholm as the No. 1 rental defenceman on the market - if he is indeed on the market," LeBrun said. "Now, he a pending UFA and one of the first things Pat Verbeek, the new GM in Anaheim, has done according to our sources, is reach out to Lindholm's camp led by agent Claude Lemieux and start the process of seeing if there's enough common ground to sign an extension before the trade deadline to remove Hampus Lindholm from the trade market.

"That would be a heartbreaker for a lot of teams that would love to throw some assets at Anaheim for a guy who plays 23 minutes a night on that top pairing. We'll see if that deal gets done or not."

Lindholm has five goals and 20 points in 51 games this season with the Ducks, who are fighting for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. 

The 28-year-old carries a cap hit of $5.2 million in the final season of a six-year deal signed with the Ducks in 2016.

Selected sixth overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, Lindholm has 57 goals and 220 points in 572 career games - all with Anaheim.
 


Sens Set to Sell

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said last week he's hopeful this will be the team's final year as a seller at the trade deadline.

TSN Senators Reporter Claire Hanna weighed in on the team's deadline plans Tuesday, stating the team won't be moving any big names players and noting that the 'million dollar question' is whether Dorion will trade pending unrestricted free agent Nick Paul.

Watch Hanna's full breakdown here: