from Elliotte Friedman of sportsnet,

So, with just hours until the bell rings, here are some things to keep an eye on:

• All eyes are on New Jersey and Philadelphia for Gaudreau. The Flyers have indicated James van Riemsdyk will not be traded, because they are not willing to pay what it will cost to move the cap hit. One source indicated it was similar to what Toronto sent Carolina — a first-round draft pick — for the Hurricanes to take Patrick Marleau in 2019. And teams prefer Philadelphia’s 2023 pick, not the Florida 2024 selection acquired for Claude Giroux....

• With Malkin back to Pittsburgh, look for Vincent Trocheck in Manhattan. That appears to be his best fit.

• Florida and Ottawa remain the leaders for Giroux, with Carolina lurking.

• Mason Marchment is very popular, although Florida has tried to keep him. Also popular: David Perron.

• Ondrej Palat’s got a few teams surrounding him. I’d heard Jersey, but no idea if that can work if Gaudreau ends up there. Seattle, too. The Kraken are also expected to be hard after John Klingberg and possibly a veteran centre like Noel Acciari (had heard possibility of Toronto with Acciari, too.) Andre Burakovsky would make a lot of sense for Seattle, too.

• Also heard San Jose, in addition to Brent Burns, could be moving Kevin Labanc.

• I will guess Andrew Copp to Detroit, because I like to try and figure out what Steve Yzerman will do. There is also belief the Dylan Larkin extension is trending in a positive direction.

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