Top storylines before NHL Trade Deadline include Fleury, Giroux decisions

The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is March 21 at 3 p.m. ET.
The next month will be filled with talk of the deadline, players who could be moved, buyers and sellers and rental players. Rumors will float like pucks flipped high in the air; some to be confirmed, others shot down quickly.
Here are 12 must-follow storylines leading to one of the busiest days on the NHL calendar:

Fleury, the Blackhawks and what comes next
The juicy story would be Marc-Andre Fleury getting traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Washington Capitals, setting up the goalie potentially to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins, his team from 2003-17.
Fleury is one of the headliners in the goalie market this season and a trade is possible with the Blackhawks seventh in the Central Division.
The goalie, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, is in the final season of a three-year, $21 million contract ($7 million average annual value) and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Capitals could be interested if they don't believe Ilya Samsonov and/or Vitek Vanecek can carry them to a long playoff run. Other teams that could be in the mix include the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche.
Fleury is 16-18-4 with a 2.80 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and four shutouts in 38 games this season.
Giroux and his no-move clause
Claude Giroux has been Philadelphia Flyers captain since 2013, but the forward is in the final season of an eight-year contract on a team that is seventh in the Metropolitan Division. Giroux has a no-move clause and must decide if he'll waive it for a chance to win this season.
The Flyers are expected to trade Giroux to one of his approved teams if he waives the no-move clause.
The 34-year-old leads the Flyers with 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 48 games.
Giroux is nine games from 1,000 in the NHL and could get there with the Flyers as soon as March 17, when they host the Nashville Predators four days before the deadline.
Goalies: Market could be hot in addition to Fleury
Fleury is the headliner, but the goalie market is expected to be interesting with the possibility of the Capitals, Oilers, Penguins, Avalanche, Wild and Vegas Golden Knights looking for help at that position.
In addition to Fleury, pending unrestricted free agent goalies who could be available are Braden Holtby (Dallas Stars), Thomas Greiss (Detroit Red Wings), Joonas Korpisalo (Columbus Blue Jackets), Pavel Francouz (Avalanche) and Martin Jones (Flyers).
Darcy Kuemper's strong play of late might convince the Avalanche that he's capable of carrying them on a Stanley Cup run. He is 16-1-2 with a 2.21 GAA, .929 save percentage and three shutouts in 21 games since Dec. 2.
Fleury might be the only goalie available who would be considered an upgrade from Kuemper.
The Wild are in a similar spot, and unless they land Fleury to play ahead of Cam Talbot, it seems unlikely they would make a move for a goalie, but they're worth watching.
Robin Lehner has missed three games with an upper-body injury but the Golden Knights have time to figure out his status before making any decision. Coach Peter DeBoer said last week he thinks the goalie will be back "sooner than later."
Forwards: Hertl and Kessel could be big rental additions
San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl and Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel each is in the final season of his contract and a pending free agent who could be sought-after rental options for a contending team looking for scoring help.
It's possible Hertl re-signs with the Sharks before the deadline. If he doesn't, San Jose is almost guaranteed to trade the 28-year-old who scored 40 points (22 goals, 18 assists) in 50 games.
Kessel doesn't figure to be part of Arizona's future with it rebuilding, so it makes sense for the 34-year-old to be traded before the deadline. He's a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins who has scored 33 points (six goals, 27 assists) in 51 games.
Defensemen: Pending free agents aplenty
The market for rental defensemen is strong with Hampus Lindholm (Anaheim Ducks), P.K. Subban (New Jersey Devils), John Klingberg (Stars), Mark Giordano (Seattle Kraken), Ben Chiarot (Montreal Canadiens) and Nick Leddy (Red Wings) among the options.
The list of teams that likely will be in the market for a defenseman also is long, with the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Oilers and St. Louis Blues certainly on it.
Subban, Chiarot and Giordano are the most likely to be traded because the Devils, Canadiens and Kraken are not in the playoff race.
Unless they re-sign their pending free agent defensemen, the Stars, Ducks and Red Wings must figure out where they are in the playoff races and the legitimacy of their ability to contend this season before making decisions on Klingberg, Lindholm and Leddy.
Speaking of Dallas, what about Pavelski?
The Stars also must decide what to do with pending free agent forward Joe Pavelski while in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference.
The Stars play 11 games before the deadline, including eight on the road.
How the Stars do in the next 11 games likely will determine if they're going to keep Pavelski and Klingberg or trade them.
Pavelski led the Stars with 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games. Klingberg has scored 26 points (one goal, 25 assists) in 43 games.
It's not just Lindholm in Anaheim
The Ducks have forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell along with Lindholm and defenseman Josh Manson all in the final season of his contract. Each could be a valuable rental option in the trade market, but are the Ducks willing to move them when they're contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference?
Pat Verbeek was hired as general manager Feb. 4 and talked about having time on his side to decide what's best for the team. The Ducks have 11 games before the deadline.
Are the Rangers going big-game hunting?
The Rangers need scoring depth and potentially another veteran defenseman.
If they want to add, they're in a strong position to do so with organizational depth at defenseman, a first-round pick and two picks each in the second and fourth rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft, and NHL salary cap space.
Vancouver's plan will be telling
What the Vancouver Canucks do at the deadline likely will show if they're thinking about a short rebuild or are in win-now mode even though they're sixth in the Pacific Division.
Forwards J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser appear to be the most intriguing trade options for Vancouver.
Miller has one season remaining on a five-year contract he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 16, 2018 that carries a $5.25 million salary cap charge. Boeser is a pending restricted free agent approaching the end of a three-year contract with a $5.875 million cap charge.
The Canucks could try to trade them to restock their draft pick and prospect base to build for the future. They haven't had a first-round pick since the 2019 NHL Draft and don't have a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
If they keep both, it sends a message that they believe what they have now is good enough to win as soon as next season.
Are the Oilers planning more changes?
The Oilers are playing better and have moved into fourth place in the Pacific Division. Now it's a question of what else they have planned to upgrade and prepare to make the playoffs and go on a run.
Edmonton could look to acquire a goalie, a position which has been an area of concern all season, although Mike Smith has helped stabilize it since coach Jay Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett on Feb. 10.
They could try to improve at defenseman, with the Oilers focused on playing better defensively under Woodcroft.
Jesse Puljujarvi's lower-body injury, which could keep the forward out another three-plus weeks, might showcase a need for more depth scoring.
The Oilers might have a better indication of how close or far away they are after this week, when they play at the Lightning on Wednesday, at the Florida Panthers on Saturday and at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday; those are three of the top four teams in the NHL standings.
Always look out for the Lightning
The Lightning are trying to position themselves to win a third straight Stanley Cup championship and they're always a team to watch around the deadline.
Two seasons ago they added forwards Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman, who along with Yanni Gourde made up their productive third line in each of their two straight Stanley Cup championships, combining to score 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists).
Last season they added defenseman David Savard, who contributed five assists and averaged 14:07 in ice time in 20 playoff games.
Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois said in January that the Lightning needed to "manage expectations" because they don't have cap space to do much before the deadline. But his history proves they remain a team to watch.
Watch the Red Wings too
The Red Wings are fighting for a wild card in the Eastern Conference and could be a wild card in the deadline market as they were last season.
Detroit pulled off a surprising trade ahead of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, sending forward
Anthony Mantha
to the Capitals for forwards Jakub Vrana and
Richard Panik
, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (goalie
Sebastian Cossa
) and a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Mantha was in the first season of a four-year contract when the Red Wings traded him.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Detroit pull off another trade like it did last season to continue to beef up the draft pick and prospect base. The Red Wings have seven picks in the first four rounds of the 2022 draft.