Fans aren’t the only ones trying to keep up with speculation, rumors and innuendos as the NHL’s Feb. 25 trade deadline nears.
Players attempt to fact-find for themselves to discover what’s true and what isn’t this time of year, because who enters and who exits their locker room could determine the outcome of their season.
“Everybody knows it’s there, right?” Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “Everyone likes to have their ear to the ground a little bit, have a couple lines in the water to see what’s happening.”
Schmidt’s sources already have been put to the test this winter because forward Nick Bjugstad, his teammate for three seasons at the University of Minnesota, was traded from the Florida Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb.