from Travis Yost of TSN,

One of the fascinating decisions facing sellers as the trade deadline approaches is whether or not to rest a player who is likely to be traded in order to protect their value.

Think about the NHL landscape as we approach Feb. 25.

Columbus’ Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are two of the marquee names available, and all reports indicate that they will be with a new franchise in short order. But the team is also in the middle of a playoff race, and trading two of their most skilled players at the deadline would likely sink their postseason chances. Even having the players miss a handful of games to buy insurance against the risk of injury could have an impact on the Jackets’ playoff likelihood, which currently sits at around 89 per cent.

Ottawa’s situation may be more complex. The Senators have been effectively eliminated from playoff contention and have no first-round draft pick to tank for this season. Moreover, they have two marquee names in Matt Duchene and Mark Stonepotentially on the block and neither has put pen to paper on a contract extension.

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