Trade Deadline Islanders News & Open Thread: Duchene or Not Duchene? That is the question.

The NHL Trade Deadline is finally upon us. By 3 pm Eastern today (but really not), all 31 general managers will have had their final chances to augment their teams from outside their organizations. Some are gonna strike gold and and some are gonna strike out.

What does today mean for the Islanders? Could be something, could be nothing, could be something in between. Will they finally bag Matt Duchene, the biggest name among forwards that’s probably definitely available? Will they finally trade Jaroslav Halak and end that star-crossed saga? Anybody else out there worth taking a shot on? Sure. Will they? Uh...

My personal feeling is that the Islanders are going to end today with more or less the same roster they had going into it. There’s no pressure on Joe Sakic to move Duchene now if he doesn’t want to, and in fact he might end up getting more at the draft. I don’t expect more than a pick coming back for Halak, if even that much. And I don’t think this is the year for Garth Snow to swap a few prospects to jolt what’s still a pretty-good-but-not-great bubble team.

But that’s me. Maybe I’m just trying to protect myself against disappointment. It’s entirely possible. But so is trading for this year’s Tyler Kennedy.

So where can you watch all the fireworks?

Sportsnet’s 13-hour Hockey Central Trade Deadline show starts at 8 am on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Now, and will be streaming on Sportsnet.ca. For early birds, the coverage starts on Sportsnet radio at 5 am.

Hockey Central will also be aired on NHL Network.

Sportsnet’s competition TSN will also start their trademark #TradeCentre coverage at 8 am with a Preview Show starting at 7:30 am. The 10-hour broadcast will also be streaming on their site, TSN.ca.

Needless to say, there are tons and tons of analysts, players, coaches and executives all on hand to lend their expertise. Each network has everyone slotted into different rooms or sections focusing on different aspects of the deals. Good luck finding one you like.

Finally, SBN’s own Travis Hughes and Pat Iversen will be doing a Facebook Live event you can watch here. They’re good dudes. Be nice.

Of course, you can stay right here for some fun conversation and therapy with fellow Islanders fans. And please remember: Be happy, be sad, be mad, be excited, be bummed, or be anything else you want. But above all be respectful to others and keep everything cool, okay? Let’s have fun out there.

Daily Bits [abridged]

Meanwhile, here’s stuff to read while you’re waiting...

• Joshua Ho-Sang is here! Wait...he was here just a minute ago I swear. Michael Fornabaio has the best breakdown of how and why for his recall (and subsequent reassignment) yesterday. [CT Post | LHH]
• Don’t worry, if Ho-Sang’s back, they expect him to play, because Weight isn’t a guy to “call guys up just to have them sit.” [Newsday] Here was us celebrating, then wondering, then clarifying the news. [LHH]
• Back to the deadline though: Who should the Isles target? Jenny broke down the available names and recommendations. [LHH]
• So the Isles are after Matt Duchene. At what price? [LHH]
• And teams are after Jaroslav Halak. Do the Isles part ways? [LHH]
• Mathew Barzal had a Barzal night on Monday (goal, three assists) as Seattle thumped the division leaders, 6-1. [My Northwest]

Slightly Beyond the Isles

• Last night’s NHL scores. It was a bad night for the Islanders as a ton of teams around them picked up points.
• Speaking of trade deadline roster rules and moves like Ho-Sang’s, this day is about way more than trades. [PPP]
• The Avalanche, who hold prize trade chips Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog if they want to deal, were a quiet hot mess in Philly. [Denver Post]
• The Canadiens traded David Desharnais to Edmonton for Brandon Davidson, which frees up valuable cap space for further moves. [HEOTP]
• The Rangers acquired Red Wings free agent-to-be Brendan Smith [Blueshirt Banter] , who isn’t Kevin Shattenkirk. [Newsday]
• The Post goes into the reasoning behind the Smith trade and appropriately runs a picture of...Thomas Vanek? [Post]
• The Rangers laid two stinkers, including last night to the East favorite Caps, so...Steve Ott anyone? [Brooksie]
• Whoops! Too late: Montreal got Ott. [Ott’s Twitter]
• The Blackhawks reacquired Johnny Oduya. [NHL]
• The Canucks sent certified Dane Jannik Hansen to the Sharks. [NHL]
• Speaking of which, after over a year of speculation, the Shattenkirk trade was appropriately disappointing for Blues fans. [STL Game Time]
• Meet the historian behind HockeyDB, an essential hockey info site. [Globe & Mail]