from Chris Johnston of The Athletic,

Big decisions loom.

We’ve entered the final sprint toward Friday’s NHL trade deadline and there are still multiple teams on both sides of the bracket who have yet to declare their intent. That’s kept the lid on the market during an unusually quiet last couple of weeks. But it doesn’t mean we won’t yet see the action reach a full boil before the deadline passes at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.

“I think the same amount of conversations seem to be going on,” Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters in Washington over the weekend. “It’s just there’s teams on the bubble that really haven’t committed either way to what they’re trying to do and teams are trying to figure out the complete opportunity side of who’s actually available.

“So, I think at the end of the week it (will) become more clear.”

The coming days will likely see teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Capitals making moves with an eye toward the future. Even as the New Jersey Devils continue to chase a No. 1 goaltender, with interest in Jacob Markstrom, they will also have to determine if interest in Tyler Toffoli makes him a rental worth sending out the door.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild, too, as they could all join the list of sellers in the days ahead.

continue ($) for the top 50 on the board, lead by Guentzel, Markstrom and Hanifan.