While 30 NHL teams were talking trades ahead of this week's deadline, the wheeling and dealing is about to begin for the 31st.
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights can begin making trades and signing free agents for next season as soon as owner Bill Foley's final payment clears with the league. The expansion draft is almost four months away, but Vegas could get some clarity - and some assets - very soon.
''We've been talking with teams here for a few weeks now,'' general manager George McPhee said. ''Teams are looking for some certainty with their rosters and obviously trying to improve their rosters before the trading deadline and they want to talk to us to see if there's a player that we could agree upon that for a couple months from now to claim, which would make their life easier.''
Most of the talk about the Vegas expansion draft has centered on teams giving up draft picks or prospects to the Golden Knights in exchange for a ''hands off'' agreement. Maybe it's worth it a mid-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks not to lose one of their young defensemen or for the Columbus Blue Jackets to guarantee an extra player is safe because they'll be forced to protect so many with no-movement clauses.
But if McPhee agrees to take, say, Bobby Ryan from the Ottawa Senators, it keeps GM Pierre Dorion from being nervous about losing someone like defenseman Marc Methot. Preparations for the expansion draft are an ongoing chess match with scores of pieces in play.
''Ideally we'd like to see the whole universe of who's protected and who's exposed before we have to make decisions,'' McPhee said. ''But there are teams that want to talk now, so we're listening.''
McPhee has been listening for a while but will be able to act by agreeing to trades for draft picks or unsigned prospects as soon as the NHL gets the final installment of Foley's $500 million expansion fee. It could be done this week or at least in time for McPhee to attend the general managers meeting next week.
He's not worried. There's plenty of time to play let's make a deal.
''It really is just paperwork at this point,'' McPhee said. ''The money's there. It's just trying to get through all the paperwork to close. These big transactions aren't easy to close. If you've bought a house recently you know how long it takes to close.''
THE MUMPS RETURN
The Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks reported players being diagnosed with the mumps, the NHL's second outbreak of the disease in the past three years. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league doesn't know exactly how the mumps returned but noted that other sports have seen isolated incidents, too.
Daly said the NHL is promoting ''education, reinforcement of precautions and booster shots, where necessary'' to keep the mumps from spreading.
STREAKING
Filip Forsberg is lighting it up four years after was traded at the deadline from the Washington Capitals to the Nashville Predators. Forsberg had hat tricks in back-to-back games last week and scored eight goals in four games.
SLUMPING
The Colorado Avalanche have lost nine of their past 11 games. The league-leading Capitals , who acquired defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues on Monday as their pre-deadline splash, have more wins since Jan. 1 than the Avalanche's 17 this season.
GAME OF THE WEEK
P.K. Subban returns to Montreal with the Predators to face former Nashville captain Shea Weber and the Canadiens on Thursday night.
LEADERS (through Monday)
Goals: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), 34; Points: Connor McDavid (Edmonton), 71; Ice time: Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 27:25; Goals-against average: Braden Holtby (Washington), 1.97; Save percentage: Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota), .931.
