from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,

The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline is April 12, and though that's only three weeks away, most teams are still determining the best way to navigate it with quarantine protocols and a flat NHL salary cap for the foreseeable future.

"That supply and demand equation, I don't know what it looks like right now," Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said. "I know a lot of teams are in the same situation we're in where they literally have no cap space or very, very little, not enough to add a player without subtracting. At the same time, the schedule matrix and the divisional format, there's a lot more four-point games. The teams on the bubble, I don't know what's ultimately going to guide their decisions. Are they going to add or try to sell? Will there be more teams standing pat? I don't know. It'll be interesting to find out."

The cost for the top rental players, who can become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, is expected to be high. Buffalo Sabres forwards Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri, and Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf are among those who could command a significant return, such as a high draft pick and top prospect.

continued