The National Hockey League's Trade Deadline is on Monday, Feb. 26, and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy or sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out the latest trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

What would it take to get Pacioretty?

Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty is currently the No. 10 player on TSN’s latest Trade Bait list. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie breaks down what the Canadiens should be looking for should they decide to deal Pacioretty.

“Montreal can’t just trade Pacioretty for some magic beans, a couple of drafts picks and some kid that may or may not be a player. If they’re trading Pacioretty, they have to get themselves a sure-fire guy that can play in the National Hockey League in the relative near future and preferably at the centre-ice position, otherwise it’s hard to justify trading the only guy on your team that’s a consistent threat to score goals,” McKenzie told TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa.

In 58 games this season, the 29-year-old has 16 goals and 19 assists. For his career, he has 225 goals and 221 assists.  

 

Sens asking price for Hoffman higher?

Six Ottawa Senators occupy a spot on the latest Trade Bait list. But as McKenzie notes, it may be harder for teams to land Mike Hoffman than some of Ottawa's other assets.

"When I look at the list of players that all things being equal the Senators would like to trade, I look at Derick Brassard and say okay, well the year didn’t go the way they saw it, so it makes sense to get rid of a guy [who’s 30] for some younger pieces. No problem. Zack Smith I can understand, to the level that he produces on the Ottawa Senators he’s overpaid, so if you can parlay him into more future considerations and live without him that’s fine too. That makes sense," McKenzie said.

McKenzie: Sens need to be blown away to deal Hoffman

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie joins Lee Versage on The TSN 1200 Pregame Show to talk Sens- & all things hockey.

 

"The one that jumps out at you and doesn’t fit with the other ones is a 25-year-old who can score goals like Mike Hoffman. That’s not to say that it’s ludicrous to trade him because if he gets the right offer coming back you might get multiple pieces that aren’t Mike Hoffman but could give you better balance and better depth. But the flip side is he’s got a nice contract, he is an elite skater with elite goal-scoring potential and his actual production is very good, so part of me says why do you want to get rid of a guy like that? And then there’s another part of me that says well I guess if you got a really good return that made sense in line with those other deals that you may or may not do, that you could make a seismic shift here for the next five to seven years with your team. But I think the key there is you really need a return on Hoffman and I don’t know if you can get that at this deadline. That might be, in my mind, and I could be completely proven wrong here by Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators, but I got to think it’s going to be real hard to move that and get fair value back and that there’s not enough dance partners either given the number of teams that are looking for scoring wingers and the number of wingers available either in rental markets, or guys competing as term players."

Hoffman is enjoying another strong season, scoring 16 goals and tallying 23 assists in 57 games coming into play Sunday.

 

What about the market for rental wingers?

"Most of the teams are looking for scoring wingers, and that’s what makes this such a fascinating deadline because when we start listing off the scoring winger rentals – so you’ve got Rick Nash, you’ve got Evander Kane, Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon in Edmonton. So there’s four somewhat noteworthy guys that have the ability to score 20 goals in an NHL season who are on expiring contracts and could make a significant add to a team in the playoff run," McKenzie said. 

 

Need in in net for Philadelphia?

With goaltender Brian Elliott already out until mid-March, Michal Neuvirth left Sunday's game with a lower-body injury and the team announced he will not return. 

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported the Red Wings offered goaltender Petr Mrazek to the Flyers last week in exchange for a third-round pick, which the Flyers rejected. 

Alex Lyon took over Sunday as the backup, with Dustin Tokarski next in line should Neuvirth miss time, according to TSN Senior Hockey Writer Frank Seravalli, while Carter Hart would fall under emergency conditions with a recall from Everett of the WHL. 

The Flyers are currently four points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the Metropolitan Division with two games in hand.