There has been an unusual amount of activity leading up to the NHL trade deadline. Unlike other years in which early rumors were just rumors, the rumors turned into speculation and there was a blockbuster trade in January.
The Canucks started off deadline season by trading captain Bo Horvat to the Islanders on January 30th. Since then, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, Dmitry Orlov, Nino Neiderreiter, and Timo Meier were all moved, among others. On top of those trades, several other players have been held out of games due to “trade-related reasons” and Patrick Kane reportedly is all but wearing Lady Liberty on his chest.