NHL Trade Deadline: Bruins Reportedly Acquire Marcus Johansson From Devils
3:10 p.m.: The deal between the Bruins and Devils is for Marcus Johansson.
Johansson coming to Boston
— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) February 25, 2019
3:07 p.m.: Savvy Scoops checking in, saying the B's made a deal with the Devils.
Hearing Boston and New Jersey have made a deal
— Marc Savard (@MSavvy91) February 25, 2019
Joe McDonald has heard the same...
Bruins have made a deal with the Devils. Stay tuned. . .
— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) February 25, 2019
It also looks like Tyler Toffoli won't be moving.
Kings are done for the day, per text from Rob Blake.
— lisa dillman (@reallisa) February 25, 2019
3:05 p.m.: Take another reported Bruins target off the board. Wayne Simmonds to Nashville.
Pending a trade call, Wayne Simmonds is headed to Nashville
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019
2:52 p.m: Despite all reports suggesting it would be necessary, Vegas didn't have to give up a first-round pick to get Stone.
Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, Second Round 2020 for Mark Stone. #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) February 25, 2019
Per @DarrenDreger, OTT receives Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg and DAL 2nd round pick in 2020 for Mark Stone.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
EriK Brannstrom, 19, was the Knights' pick at No. 15 overall in 2017. He's posted 7-21-28 totals in 48 AHL games this year as a left-shot defenseman. Oscar Lindberg has 34-37-71 totals in 232 career NHL games.
2:45 p.m.: The Golden Knight appear to have won the Mark Stone sweepstakes.
Hearing Ottawa and Vegas are putting finishing touches on a Mark Stone trade. Still not done but appears Golden Knights will get Stone if deal goes through
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019
VGK is expected to get Mark Stone prior to 3 p.m. ET deadline.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
2:44 p.m.: Marc Savard -- aka Savvy Scoops -- foresees a big Bruins deal coming.
Bruins are digging deep on a deal stay tuned..I'm on it!!
— Marc Savard (@MSavvy91) February 25, 2019
2:43 p.m.: Some more action, as Mikael Granlund goes to the Predators.
Mikael Granlund from Minnesota to Nashville for Kevin Fiala.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
2:32 p.m.: Another Stone update that does not involve the Bruins...
Another Vegas/Ottawa deadline day showdown. Both teams grinding to get something done on Mark Stone.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 25, 2019
2:18 p..: Elliotte Friedman reports that Vegas is a favorite to land Stone, with Nashville and Calgary still in the mix. Notably absent from Friedman's tweet: the Boston Bruins.
2:06 p.m.: Adam McQuaid went from the Bruins to the Rangers in the offseason. Now, he's off to Columbus.
Adam McQuaid traded to #CBJ
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 25, 2019
And we're now within an hour of the deadline.
1:37 p.m.: Right on cue, we've got a trade.
Derick Brassard is going from the Panthers to the Avalanche.
D. Brassard traded to Colorado
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 25, 2019
For a third in 2020, I believe. https://t.co/BgD3r7Aojn
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
1:28 p.m.: It's been pretty quiet as teams make their final assessments heading into the deadline. We're likely to see a flurry of action soon.
12:09 p.m.: Bruce Cassidy cleared up the Kevan Miller absence, saying that the defenseman has an upper-body injury from blocking a shot.
#NHLBruins updates from Bruce Cassidy:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 25, 2019
Kevan Miller blocked a shot in Vegas, still bothering him. Upper-body, day-to-day. May miss tomorrow's game vs. SJ.
David Pastrnak skated for first time today. Further update will come from Don Sweeney later this afternoon.
12:05 p.m.: The Bruins are still "lurking" on Mark Stone:
Teams are willing to take the Mark Stone talks down to the wire to see where Ottawa's ask ends up. VGK, NSH, BOS, NYI and CGY -- despite Don Maloney's earlier quote to @ryanleslie73 -- among those still believed to be lurking.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 25, 2019
Seems like they have quite a bit of company.
As one might expect, Stone is not practicing with Ottawa today:
Stone not on ice at practice in Ottawa....Ceci and Boedker are on the ice.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) February 25, 2019
11:55 a.m.: It's always noteworthy when players aren't present for practice on deadline day. Might they be an important piece of a potential trade? Or might they just have a touch of the stomach bug? We don't know the answer, but speculation runs rampant on this day.
So, it's worth noting that Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller is absent from practice today.
Kevan Miller is not on the ice this morning. Torey Krug is practicing. #NHLBruins
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 25, 2019
Kevan Miller ... still awaiting word on why he's absent.
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) February 25, 2019
Just for the record: UFA in '20 ... $2.5 million hit this year and next.
Might Miller be on the move? We'll obviously have to stay tuned.
11:25 a.m.: To this point, Philly is acting like a team that's not particularly eager to trade away Wayne Simmonds. At least, that is the conclusion to draw from the reported asking price.
Keep hearing the asking price by Chuck Fletcher for Wayne Simmonds is high...1st pick and a prospect...Teams are shying away.#NHLTrade
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) February 25, 2019
11:12 a.m.: The Hayes-to-Winnipeg deal is official.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, forward Brendan Lemieux, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Kevin Hayes.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 25, 2019
That's a fairly hefty price to pay for Hayes, but that is the cost of doing business on deadline day. The Jets are currently in first place in the Central Division, but they're just one point ahead of Nashville.
11 a.m.: As of right now, the Calgary Flames can be excluded from the race for Mark Stone.
He was referring to Mark Stone here. So Calgary is out. And Winnipeg is out. https://t.co/wRgKL8H0LR
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 25, 2019
10:20 a.m.: It looks as though Kevin Hayes will be off the market very soon.
The Jets are close to adding the Dorchester native, acording to Bob McKenzie.
WPG closing in on a deal for Kevin Hayes with the NYR, but not finalized yet.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
This potential WPG-NYR deal is WPG 2019 first-round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional pick in exchange for Kevin Hayes. Believe an agreement is in place but trade call not set yet.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
Hayes has 14-28-52 totals in 51 games played this year.
9:45 a.m.: The Boston Bruins, as currently constituted, are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. What will they look like by day's end?
That is the question on everyone's mind as the team and the league race toward today's trade deadline, at 3 p.m. ET.
The Bruins have already been busy. Last week, the team acquired Charlie Coyle to solidify the third line. Over the weekend, the team added Lee Stempniak, a veteran forward who should be able to contribute as a bottom-six winger.
But if the team really is going to make a move to enhance its status as a true Cup contender, it's going to take a bigger shake-up than those two moves.
And according to TSN's Darren Dreger, the B's are still in on the biggest names of the deadline.
Boston and the New York Islanders will be watched closely today. The Isles could be a sleeper and the Bruins are still in on Stone, Simmonds and Toffoli as bigger options.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 25, 2019
The Bruins were also reportedly close to acquiring Gustav Nyquist, before losing out to the Kings.
BOS believed to be the Eastern Conference team that was closest to landing Nyquist.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019
In terms of other big names that moved, Mats Zuccarello went from New York to Dallas (and immediately got injured) and Ryan Dzingel went to Columbus.
Mark Stone is the most coveted asset around the league today, so he will not go cheaply to whichever team lands him. The 6-foot-4 winger has 62 points (28-34-62) in 59 games played this year, and he's tallied 303 points in 343 games played, going back to the 2014-15 season.
Stone would help any Cup contender, but again, his price will be high and he won't be short on suitors. If the Bruins aren't in the Stone race, it appears as though they'll at least try to pursue Wayne Simmonds or Tyler Toffoli.
Toffoli has 12 goals and 15 assists for the Kings this year, after scoring 24 goals last year. The 26-year-old hit a career high in goals with 31 back in the 2015-16 season. Toffoli has played in 47 playoff games, registering 7-7-14 totals en route to a Stanley Cup win in 2014.
Simmonds, 30, would certainly add toughness to any team that acquires him. He's posted 16-11-27 totals in 62 games this year. He scored 32 goals and 31 goals in back-to-back seasons just three years ago, and with 584 games of NHL experience (plus 30 playoff games) he has a wealth of experience.
Then of course there are the wild cards that we may not yet be hearing about. As for them -- and all reports and rumors throughout the day -- we'll provide updates right here up until the deadline hits.