Today is the day, it's the NHL Trade Deadline. We're roughly 5 hours away from the deadline so news should be rolling in all day.

- Ottawa has acquired Pascal Leclaire and a 2nd round pick from Columbus for Antoine Vermette.

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10:14 EST

- Reports are that the Sabres have offered Tim Connolly a 2 year deal worth better than $4 million per season. Reports shortly after that have said that Connolly has left the HSBC arena this morning. Stay tuned.

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10:17 EST

- TheFourthPeriod.com is reporting that the Sabres have reached an extension with Tim Connolly.

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10:50 EST

- Calgary acquires D Jordan Leopold from Colorado for Lawrence Nycholat, a prospect and a draft pick.

- Pittsburgh acquires Andy Wozniewski from St. Louis for Danny Richmond.

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12:07 EST

- Buffalo acquires G Mikael Tellqvist from Phoenix for a 4th round pick.

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12:17 EST

- Dallas has picked Brendan Morrison up off waivers. He was put on waiver by Anaheim yesterday.

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12:40 EST

- Anaheim acquires Petteri Nokelainen from Boston for Steve Montador.

- Calgary acquires Olli Jokinen from Phoenix for Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a 1st round pick.

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1:26 EST

- Boston acquires Mark Recchi and a 2nd round pick from Tampa Bay for Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums.

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2:07 EST

- Pittsburgh acquries Bill Guerin from the Islanders for a conditional draft pick.

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3:14 EST

- Philadelphia acquires Daniel Carcillo from Phoenix for Scottie Upshall and a 2nd round pick.

- NY Rangers acquire Nik Antropov from Toronto for a 2nd round pick and a conditional pick.

- NY Rangers acquire Derek Morris from Phoenix for Dmitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha.

- Buffalo acquires Dominic Moore from Toronto for a 2nd round pick.

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5:46 EST

I stepped away a little after 3PM so there were a few trades that came in just in time. Here is a round up of those deals.

- Anaheim acquires Erik Christensen from Atlanta for Eric O'Dell.

- Tampa Bay acquires Noah Welch and a 3rd round pick from Florida for Steve Eminger.

- Columbus acquires Kevin Lalande from Calgary for a 4th round pick.

- Philadelphia acquires Kyle McLaren from San Jose for a 6th round pick.

- Chicago acquires Samuel Pahlsson from Anaheim for James Wisniewski.

- San Jose acquires Travis Moen and Kent Huskins from Anaheim for Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier and a conditional draft pick.

- Carolina acquires Patrick O'Sullivan and a 2nd round pick from Los Angeles for Justin Williams.

- Edmonton acquires Patrick O'Sullivan and a 2nd round pick from Edmonton for Erik Cole.

- Edmonton acquires Ales Kotalik from Buffalo for a 2nd round pick.

- Toronto acquires Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andy Rogers and 4th round pick from Tampa Bay for Richard Petiot.

I believe that is the final round up, although there could be a few deals that haven't been cleared through the NHL office just yet. It's been a very long day and I'm looking forward to watching some games tonight. So with that, I bid the blog goodbye.

News is flying but none much is official yet. We’re about 24.5 hours away from the NHL trading deadline and a few moves have been made today. Some of them are being made in anticipation for moves tomorrow so things should get interesting.

- Sean Avery is officially back with the Rangers. I’m sure my hatred for the guy will boil over in about two weeks.

- The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Niklas Backstrom to a four deal with yanks him off the trade market. He is getting a significant pay raise to stay in Minnesota, which is a good deal for both sides.

- Last evening the New Jersey Devils beefed up their defense when they acquired defenseman Niclas Havelid from the Atlanta Thrashers.

- Brendan Morrison, Miroslav Satan and Gary Roberts were all placed on waivers today. Nothing surprises me about Satan. He is about as worthless as they come and I at least got a hearty laugh out of Pittsburgh signing him last off-season. Gary Roberts is a player, depending on his health, that I wouldn’t mind having in Buffalo for the remainder of the season.

- The Sabres are still trying to work out a deal with Tim Connolly but if they don’t, I see a very good chance of him being moved before the deadline tomorrow. He is an impact player, but at what cost? The Sabres have eaten quite a bit of the money from his last contract and they will be cautious in spending a ton on the guy. I’d like to have him back in Buffalo but only at the right cost. If he wants too much and the alternative is losing him in July for nothing, I’m not opposed to moving him if it means getting something worthwhile in return.

Be sure to check in as more stories develop over the next 24 hours.

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6:05EST Update

- Toronto forwards Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore are being held out tonight which almost guarantees that a trade is in the works. There is no information at this time as to what team(s) are involved.

- There is still no word on Bill Guerin and where he is going. He was held out last night for the second straight game so I'd be shocked if a deal didn't go down by tomorrow, although I expected it would've happened by now.

- There are some rumblings that Buffalo is looking to bring back goalie Martin Biron from Philly. I'm not sure if this would be for a rental or if they would eventually want Biron to be the back-up to Ryan Miller again and move Patrick Lalime (which I wouldn't understand).

Here we are in the final week of the regular season and the top teams continue to shuffle around and nobody wants to keep the #1 ranking it seems. Lots of shifting again in the past 2 weeks since our last look, so let's dive right in.

1. Connecticut (27-2)

Two weeks ago I wrote that UConn would likely fade away from the top spot after a loss to Pittsburgh. Well, I was right about that, but they quickly regained the spot today. Since the lost to Pittsburgh, the Huskies have taken down South Florida, Marquette, and Notre Dame. Oh, and Jim Calhoun had a little incident you might have heard about as well. Connecticut can relax this week as they don't play again until Saturday, but that game is a big one as they have their shot at redemption on the road at Pittsburgh. Regardless of the outcome of that game, the Huskies only need a solid showing in the Big East Tournament to get a #1 seed in the Big Dance.

2. North Carolina (25-3)

UNC has continued to climb back towards the top of the rankings where they were for much of the early part of the season, falling just short of the top spot. Since we last looked, the Tar Heels have knocked off neighboring NC State, as well as ACC bottom dweller Georgia Tech. They dropped a tough battle in College Park in between however, falling to Maryland in overtime thanks in large part to a triple double from Greivis Vasquez. UNC has 2 games left in their regular season, first against a desperate Virginia Tech team who needs one more big win to ensure themselves a spot in the tourney on Wednesday, followed up by a season ending show down at home against #7 Duke on Sunday. Much like the Huskies, a solid performance in the ACC will all but lock up a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney.

3. Pittsburgh (26-3)

Pitt managed to claim the top spot last week after their strong performance at UConn, but it was fleeting as they dropped a game at Providence, where they were outplayed the entire way. Wins over DePaul and Seton Hall didn't do much to help the Panthers as those teams sit near the bottom of the Big East. Jamie Dixon's squad finishes up with 2 tough games though, hosting Marquette on Wednesday and then UConn on Saturday. If the team can at least split those games and make it to the semi-finals of the Big East Tourney, they will likely grab a #1 seed on selection Sunday as well. I personally still think this team will be a beast in the NCAA tournament due to the presence of big man DeJuan Blair.

4. Oklahoma (26-3)

Just as they looked poised to finally take the #1 ranking when Pitt beat UConn, the Sooners had a decided setback. Early in the first half of a big matchup with Texas, Player of the Year favorite, Blake Griffin took a shot to the head and ended up leaving the game with a concussion. Oklahoma battled hard, but couldn't overcome their loss. Further proving how much Griffin means to them, Oklahoma then went on to lose it's next game at home against Kansas as well. Blake is back now though and OU is right back to it's winning ways, winning easily against Texas Tech on Saturday. Oklahoma wraps up at #15 Missouri on Wednesday and hosts Oklahoma St. on Saturday. Barring something unexpected, Oklahoma figures to grab the last of the 4 top seeds.

5. Memphis (26-3)

Memphis just keeps on winning, but can't seem to move up the rankings at all. The Tigers have now won 20 straight games this season and a ridiculous 56 consecutive conference games. But there in lies the problem. Memphis just doesn't get the respect that Big East or ACC schools get due to their vastly inferior conference. The last legit competition they faced (and you might say the only legit competition they've faced all year) was Syracuse, Georgetown, and Xavier. Those 3 teams happen to represent all 3 losses for the Tigers. As I've mentioned before, John Calipari has a way of having his team ready come tourney time despite this, but I won't be all that surprised to see the Tigers make an early exit this time around.

6. Lousiville (23-5)

The Cardinals are perhaps the forgotten Big East team at this point, but they certainly should not be overlooked. Since our last look, they've reeled off 4 straight wins including beating Marquette yesterday. They finish up hosting Seton Hall on Wednesday and at West Virginia on Saturday. Both games should result in wins for Louisville and I would look out for them as a #2 seed in the NCAA tourney. Rick Pitino is a master come March, and with the 1-2 punch of Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, the Cards could make some noise.

7. Duke (24-5)

It took a while, but Duke finally managed to turn things around. After some lineup changes, Coach K seems to have hit upon a winning combination by starting freshman guard Eliott Williams. Williams has provided a big spark since being given the opportunity and it's translated to success for the Blue Devils. They've won their last 4 in a row including an outstanding performance in a rematch against Wake Forest, going for 101 in the 10 point victory. John Scheyer and Gerald Henderson both had career games with 30 and 35 respectively and momentum seems to be back on Duke's side. They close with two tough games, hosting #24 Florida State on Tuesday and then heading 8 miles down the road to Chapel Hill to face the #2 Tar Heels on Sunday. Duke is looking at a 2 or 3 seed for the tournament and seem poised to make their deepest run in the past several years.

8. Michigan St. (23-5)

The Spartans fell off a bit after getting blown out at #19 Purdue two weeks ago, but have rebounded with wins against Wisconsin, Iowa, and #23 Illinois since. Michigan St. heads to Indiana to face a pretty awful Hoosier squad on Tuesday before finishing up at home in a rematch against Purdue. That game should mean a lot to Tom Izzo's squad as they look for redemption and possibly a higher seed for March Madness. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan have been solid for the team all year, but they'll need to be at their best come tournament time if the folks in East Lansing have hopes of making it very far.

9. Kansas (24-5)

The Jayhawks have quietly chugged along unnoticed for most of the year and now find themselves in the Top Ten in March. Kansas has lost only once in it's last 14 games, that being a narrow 2 point loss on the road at #15 Missouri. Along the way, they've knocked off #4 Oklahoma (without Blake Griffin it should be noted) but not much of anybody else. Still, Bill Self's squad can finish out on top of the Big 12 by winning their last 2 games, at Texas Tech on Wednesday, and home to Texas on Saturday. Junior guard Sherron Collins is extremely talented, scoring 18.5 points per game to go along with 4 assists, and sophomore center Cole Aldrich averages a double double with his 15.1 points and 10.8 boards per game. I'm not sure how well the Jayhawks will hold up against increased competition in the NCAA tournament, but they'll enter as one of the hotter teams in the country if they continue their winning ways.

10. Wake Forest (22-5)

After a bit of a cold spell, Wake Forest has seemingly found it's stride again, having won 4 of it's last 5. The lone loss coming at #7 Duke, when the Blue Devils put on perhaps their best performance of the season. Granted, the other 3 wins the Demon Deacons have had since we last looked at the Top Ten all came against the 3 weakest teams in the ACC, but it provides a confidence boost if nothing else. Wake faces Maryland on the road Tuesday before finishing up at home against #18 Clemson on Sunday. Looking at either a 3 or a 4 seed for the NCAA depending on their finish, Dino Gaudio's team can be a difficult matchup for some. They are one of the longest and most athletic teams in the country and few schools have a defensive answer to the trio of Jeff Teague, James Johnson, and Al-Farouq Aminu. Despite some setbacks, I still like Wake to make it perhaps as far as the Elite 8.

Here we go. We're a mere two days and a few hours away from the NHL trading deadline. This will tell how bad the winners want to win, who is selling, and who is trying their best to make a playoff run. It's always a fun time and I'm looking forward to it.

This isn't for sure, but I'm planning on blogging throughout the day during the deadline with updates on rumors, completed trades, etc. Be sure to check in with us throughout the day for the latest news and headlines.

1. New Jersey Devils (5) – I had these thoughts before Martin Brodeur came back and now they have been proven true. New Jersey is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. They held on and did well without the best goalie in the league, and now they are even better. He is healthy, rested and ready to go. Look out everybody.

2. Detroit Red Wings (3) – Despite getting blown out 8-0 at Nashville on Saturday, Detroit won two out of three games this past week including a game against San Jose, whom they are competing with for the top spot in the West. They need to solve their goaltending situation at the trade deadline, and if they do that I think they will be the team to beat in the West.

3. Boston Bruins (2) – Boston is holding on to the top spot in the East but they need to step up their game if they want to hold off New Jersey. Things that won’t help them hold on to the top spot: letting in a game winning goal from 80 feet out. I still am fully against Tim Thomas being the starter for Team USA in the Olympics next year, but that isn’t for sure.

4. San Jose Sharks (1) – San Jose split the week winning two out of four games, but losing to Detroit hurts. I don’t foresee them doing anything major at the trade deadline, but you never know. They have been known to add a piece or two for the playoff push, although it has never really worked out.

5. Washington Capitals (4) – Washington is currently tied in the East with New Jersey so if things continue with the way they are going, I see Washington finishing third in the East again. There have been a few rumors of them acquiring Bill Guerin before the deadline from the Islanders, but it’s been two days since Guerin didn’t dress on Saturday and no news, so again, who knows.

6. Calgary Flames (7) – Calgary and Chicago have been neck and neck this season in the rankings but Calgary makes the jump this week since they went 2-1 last week. Rumors are rampant that Calgary is going after Olli Jokinen but I’m hoping he lands on the other team he is rumored to be going to. Then again, these rumors I read are rarely true.

7. Chicago Blackhawks (6) – Chicago should be a buyer this week as the push for the playoffs heats up. They have a nice core but they should be looking to add at least another piece to the puzzle to ensure they survive the first round.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (8) – The Flyers have continued their steady play in the past week as they hold on to a playoff spot in the East. They had to make a few moves last week to make room for the return of Danny Briere. Assuming he can stay healthy and bring some more scoring and leadership to the Flyers, they should be fine in terms of making the playoffs.

9. Montreal Canadiens (14) – What a difference a week makes. The team went from free falling to winning all three games last week and looking like the team everyone thought they would be. I suppose this is what happens when you get solid goaltending and good play all around.

10. Florida Panthers (9) – Florida split their schedule last week but had an embarrassing loss on Saturday to New Jersey. They rebounded nicely yesterday to pick up a win which showed me that they are a real team. It’s usually a good sign when a team can come back the next day after a severe beating and get two points. I think at this point they would be crazy to trade Jay Bouwmeester unless they get some kind of amazing deal.

11. Vancouver Canucks (10) – Vancouver’s winning streak ended last week but they still won two out of three to continue their solid play. They are another team that should be buying at the deadline in hopes of making a deep playoff run. Although I don’t think the Canucks are a “great” team, you can never fully rule out a team with such a good goalie. If he gets hot in the playoffs, look out.
12. Nashville Predators (NR) – I had to do a double take this weekend when I flipped stations and saw Nashville winning 5-0 with several minutes remaining in the first period against Detroit. How does that happen? One thing is for sure, I’m very happy I picked Pekka Rinne up on my fantasy team, even though the playoffs are a long shot right now. (for me, not Nashville)

13. Pittsburgh Penguins (NR) – The Penguins finally made the leap from 10th to 8th with a victory over Dallas yesterday. It’s still a tight race so they are by no means a lock. I’m sure the execs in the NHL office are praying for a first round match-up between Pittsburgh and Washington.

14. NY Rangers (15) – The Rangers move up a spot, but mostly because Buffalo slipped so far this week. They fired their coach in a move that I disagree with, but they appear to be playing different hockey with John Tortorella now. Then again, are they? They blew a 1-0 lead in the third period against Florida that resulted in a 2-1 regulation loss. Those kinds of games are killers this time of year.

15. Buffalo Sabres (11) – The Sabres are picking the worst time to not show up in games. There is absolutely no excuse to lose a game to the Islanders, let alone get shutout. It will be very interesting to see what they do at the deadline. They are expecting Thomas Vanek back this Wednesday so that will be an addition in itself, and Ryan Miller should be back sooner rather than later.