NHL Trade Buzz: Lovejoy latest addition for Stars, might not be last

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are two days remaining until the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET, and the Buzz is picking up. The Dallas Stars added to an area of strength by acquiring veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Saturday. Time is running short for the Philadelphia Flyers to decide what to do with potential unrestricted free agent Wayne Simmonds. And several players were held out of games Saturday in advance of the deadline.
Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

Dallas Stars

The Stars added to their strength on Saturday by acquiring veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Dallas has been active in the days leading up to the deadline. They picked up 31-year-old forward Andrew Cogliano from the Anaheim Ducks in a trade for 24-year-old forward Devin Shore on Jan. 14.
The Stars also acquired 26-year-old defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 Draft on Jan. 28.
Lovejoy, 35, can become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and adds more experience in an area Stars general manager Jim Nill called one of his team's biggest strengths: its defense. Lovejoy also helps fortify the Dallas penalty kill.
He will not play Saturday when the Stars host the Hurricanes (5 p.m. ET, FS-SW, FS-CR, NHL.TV).
Dallas has allowed 156 goals this season, third-best in the NHL behind the New York Islanders (141) and Boston Bruins (155).
Dallas is in the thick of an intense race in the Western Conference to qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and
may not be done bolstering its roster
.
Nill said the Stars are searching for scoring. They have scored 153 goals this season, third fewest in NHL behind the Anaheim Ducks (135) and Los Angeles Kings (142).
"Yes, we're very actively shopping," Nill said. "We know we need to add somebody to the front. Like to add a little scoring if we can. Right now everybody's kicking tires. Everybody's making their demands. I'm hoping we can."
The Stars (30-25-5) have 65 points and hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, and have a one-point lead on the Minnesota Wild and a two-point lead on the Colorado Avalanche, who have played one more game.

New York Islanders

Many Stanley Cup contenders are believed to be in hot pursuit of available players on expiring contracts and other possible additions who could boost their championship chances ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.
It doesn't sound like the New York Islanders (35-18-7), who lead the Metropolitan Division with 77 points, are one of those teams looking at big changes.
"I think there's not going to be a lot of movement for us," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said before their game at the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, which is New York's finale before the deadline. "We feel we've got a good core group and we've got good chemistry in that and Lou (Lamoriello, Islanders general manager) is working the phones and trying to improve our hockey team.
"I don't think there's going to going to be a whole lot of deletions. We trust in Lou, Lou has got great experience. He's working diligently to try and improve our hockey club and if there's a right fit, he'll make the move."

Columbus Blue Jackets

Though other teams have opted to sit out players who could be on the move before the deadline, the Blue Jackets had goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin in the lineup for their game against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
It was Bobrovsky's second straight start in as many days; he made 22 saves in a 3-0 win at the Ottawa Senators on Friday. Bobrovsky and Panarin can each become unrestricted free agents on July 1, but by continuing to play them rather than sitting them out for precautionary reasons, Columbus is signaling that wins are more important.
The Blue Jackets (34-23-3) are third in the Metropolitan Division with 71 points, the same amouont as the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. They are one point ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, who were outside the playoff picture entering Saturday.
The game against the Sharks will be the first at home for center Matt Duchene, who was traded from Ottawa on Friday.

Philadelphia Flyers

Will the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game be the last with the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Wayne Simmonds?
The Flyers play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, SN360, SN1, TVAS2) and NHL.com's Dan Rosen writes that Simmonds' future is
one of the big questions
in the Flyers' last game before the deadline Monday.
The Flyers are eight points behind the Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"It could be a possibility, but I think up until this point I've just tried to go about my business as normally as possible," Simmonds said. "I'm going to be thinking about winning the game, not if it's my last game or not with the Flyers. We have points to get to get back into this playoff race and that's all my brain is processing right now. The other stuff is, you know, it is what it is, right? All I can control is I'm a Philadelphia Flyer right now and I've got to prepare for a game."
Simmonds, who has 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 61 games this season, is in the last year of a six-year contract he signed with the Flyers on Aug. 16, 2012 and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils scratched forward Marcus Johansson for a second consecutive game Saturday. Johansson didn't play in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden after sitting out a 4-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
The 27-year-old left wing can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games this season.
Earlier in the day, the Devils traded veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
New Jersey, 15 points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, now has nine picks in the 2019 draft, including five in the first three rounds, and could add more if Johansson is traded.
"Every time you have draft picks you have assets and I think even when you look at a guy like Ray's (general manager Ray Shero's) track record, he's turned picks into players lots of times and has done a very good job," Devils coach John Hynes said. "Ray does a really good job in understanding how to build the assets and how to use them and how to get players in return. For us it's important and I think it's nice that we got a player back; you have another player that we can have in our lineup that can help us this year and another potential guy who maybe he's going to be a Devil for a while. I think it's a great move and hopefully there's more to come."
The game against the Rangers is New Jersey's final game before the deadline.

New York Rangers

The Rangers had three healthy scratches in their 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, sitting forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes and defenseman Adam McQuaid.
Each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Zuccarello and Hayes have been the subject of plenty of trade speculation with the Rangers nine points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted that Brad Treliving, the general manager of the Calgary Flames, was in New York to watch the Rangers and Minnesota Wild on Thursday and said
Zuccarello and Hayes would likely interest him
.
"After (Matt) Duchene, I think (Hayes) is probably the No. 1 center on the market," Friedman said. "I think there's lots of teams there. There's five or six teams in on him. He's really going to cost you."
Friedman also speculated Treliving would have interest in forward Chris Kreider, who has another year left on his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2020.
"I love Chris Kreider," Friedman said. "I heard the Rangers are asking a pretty big return for him. I think he's the kind of guy that can cause a lot of problems for teams in the playoffs. You just really have to know you're going to pay to get him."
The Rangers have one more game before the deadline, against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NBCSWA, MSG, NHL.TV).

Florida Panthers

Center Derick Brassard is likely to be a healthy scratch when the Panthers play the Los Angeles Kings at BB&T Center (5 p.m. ET; FS-F, FS-W, NHL.TV), The Athletic reported.

Brassard has four points (one goal, three assists) in 10 games with the Panthers since being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to Florida with forward Riley Sheahan, Pittsburgh's second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and two fourth-round picks in the 2019 NHL Draft for forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann on Feb. 1, 2019.
Brassard was demoted to the fourth line for practice Friday, The Athletic reported.
Florida (26-25-8) is 11 points behind the Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
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