The NHL trade deadline hits at 3PM this afternoon and even team captains may not be safe, unless your name is Crosby or Lidstrom.

Just days after the Florida Panthers traded their captain, Bryan McCabe to the New York Rangers for left winger Tim Kennedy and a 2011 third round pick sources anticipate a flurry of yard sales to hit the news feeds throughout the day.

Dallas Stars forward Brad Richards name has been thrown around like a hot potato over the past few weeks and although comments from the team have indicated the player isn’t available to be moved, his name remains in the forefront.

Making a huge splash after leaving the Avs for St. Louis was Chris Stewart who went to the Blues for former first round pick Erik Johnson. Stewart settled in to his new sweater by setting a franchise best mark of scoring six goals in the first five games, beating a record held by Brett Hull.

Other notables who have changed uniform are the Leafs Tomas Kaberle (to Boston) forward Rich Peverley (from Atlanta to Boston) Kris Versteeg (from Leafs to Philly) and Jarkko Ruutu (from Ottawa to Anaheim).

Expect a flurry of movement today but with the salary cap in place, the days of teams treating the day like a smorgasbord are over. One year the Detroit Red Wings picked up several All-Star caliber players in the final hours of trade deadline, setting up for a playoff run that ended with a shocking first-round exit.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

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