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.
3:07 p.m.: Savvy Scoops checking in, saying the B's made a deal with the Devils.
Joe McDonald has heard the same...
It also looks like Tyler Toffoli won't be moving.
3:05 p.m.: Take another reported Bruins target off the board. Wayne Simmonds to Nashville.
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.
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.
2:44 p.m.: Marc Savard -- aka Savvy Scoops -- foresees a big Bruins deal coming.
2:43 p.m.: Some more action, as Mikael Granlund goes to the Predators.
2:32 p.m.: Another Stone update that does not involve the Bruins...
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.
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.
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.
12:05 p.m.: The Bruins are still "lurking" on Mark Stone:
Seems like they have quite a bit of company.
As one might expect, Stone is not practicing with Ottawa today:
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.
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.
11:12 a.m.: The Hayes-to-Winnipeg deal is official.
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.
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.
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.
The Bruins were also reportedly close to acquiring Gustav Nyquist, before losing out to the Kings.
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.
