The NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching as teams have until March 2 to shore up their rosters for a postseason push or to rebuild ahead of 2015-16.
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With several teams jockeying for postseason position and needing to add some key pieces for the stretch run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there have been a lot of trade rumors nearly a month in advance of the deadline.
Some teams will certainly be looking to unload some players to position themselves better for a potential playoff run next season and many deals may occur between now and March 2.
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Here are three of possible players that could be dealt before the deadline.
1) Evander Kane, Winnipeg Jets: The Jets right wing has drawn headlines in recent weeks and it could be the time for him to leave Winnipeg. The latest twist in this saga saw coach Paul Maurice make Kane a late healthy scratch in the team's 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
Maurice said after the game that it was a coach's decision to bench Kane, who has not been playing well and has been a minus-7 in his last three games.
Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that trade talks have begun to heat up around Kane and while this is seemingly an annual occurrence, there could be more to it this year.
Kane has 22 points off of 10 goals and 12 assists on the campaign and averages 19:19 time on ice. Four of his tallies have come on the power play.
Winnipeg is enjoying a surprisingly good season as the Jets are 26-18-9 with 61 points and own the top wild-card spot while sitting just three points out of the final automatic playoff spot in the Central Division.
2) Antoine Vermette, Arizona Coyotes: The Coyotes center is seen as one of the most valuable trade chips on the market entering March 2 and could end up finding a new home by the deadline.
Vermette, 32, is a veteran and could be brought on by a team that is in need of some depth down the middle heading into the postseason push.
TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks are among myriad teams that are interested in acquiring MacKenzie.
Phoenix general manager Don Maloney was seen scouting the Rangers a few nights ago and it is possible that something could happen between the two clubs. New York could use someone who can win faceoffs.
Vermette has won faceoffs at a 55.6 percent and comes with an annual salary cap hit of $3.75 million.
New York has some cap worries to consider, which could make Vermette a rental, while Anaheim is more flexible and could likely keep Vermette in the fold past the second half of this season.
Vermette is second on the Coyotes in points (33) and assists (22) and tied for third in goals (11) while he has six power play markers and 13 points on the man advantage through 51 games.
Arizona appears to be sellers as the Coyotes sit in 13th place in the 14-team Western Conference with a 19-26-6 record and 44 points.
3) Mike Santorelli, Toronto Maple Leafs: Santorelli, 29, has played mostly on the wing this season for the Leafs, but he could also play center which has the Rangers interested in him as well.
NHL.com reports that the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks -- who Santorelli played for last season -- are both in on the forward..
Santorelli is tied for fifth on the Maple Leafs with 10 goals and has added 18 assists for 28 points through 52 games this season. Santorelli also has a plus-7 rating thus far this season as well.
It's been a frustrating year for Toronto as the Maple Leafs have lost 10 straight games and plummeted to a 22-26-4 record with 48 points, placing them 13th in the Eastern Conference.
As the March 2 NHL trade deadline approaches, many rumors will come up and some players are destined to move.
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