With a stacked 2019 free-agent class and several teams well out of the playoff hunt, it appears to be a buyers' market leading up to the NHL's trade deadline. It's possible Artemi Panarin, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and other big names could be moved before Feb. 25, setting up one of the most anticipated deadlines in recent years.

Here are three teams that should be in pursuit of an impact player over the next few weeks:

Nashville Predators

The Predators are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders due to stellar goaltending and arguably the league's best defensive core. However, the Preds rank outside the top 10 in the league in goals per game and own the NHL's 30th-ranked power play. To put themselves over the top, they need some extra offensive punch.

Outside of Filip Forsberg, Nashville doesn't have a game-breaking talent up front. Adding an impact forward such as Duchene, Stone, or Panarin - who the club has reportedly inquired about - would change that.

The Predators dealt a second-round pick to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday for Brian Boyle, but Nashville still has its first-rounder to dangle in trade talks.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins' trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak form arguably the league's best line, but the rest of Boston's roster doesn't pose as much of an offensive threat. David Krejci is having a nice year, but the Bruins severely lack scoring depth in their bottom-nine forward group.

Inserting one of the available wingers, such as Panarin, Stone, or Simmonds - who Boston has reportedly shown interest in - would give the Bruins two formidable lines, making them a nightmare for opponents to match up against in the postseason.

Atlantic Division rivals like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have an embarrassment of riches up front, meaning the Bruins should be in heavy pursuit of an impact player if they have Stanley Cup aspirations.

New York Islanders

Preseason pundits predicted the Islanders would be sellers at the 2019 trade deadline. However, despite losing franchise player John Tavares in the offseason, the Isles find themselves atop the Metropolitan Division.

New York has both the cap room and enough draft picks and young prospects to be serious players ahead of the deadline. Moreover, with several contracts coming off the books after this season, the team could acquire one of the aforementioned pending unrestricted free agents and sign them to a long-term extension before they hit the open market.

The Isles have been the stingiest defensive team in the league this season, but adding a dynamic forward up front could make the club a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite recent comments from Mitch Marner's agent suggesting contract talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs hadn't gone smoothly this past summer, the star forward insists his feelings toward the organization remain wholly positive.

"Me and my family love it here, my agency loves it here. It's a great place to play hockey. We have a great management, we have a great team in this locker room," Marner told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters, on Wednesday. "We all want, including myself, to be a Leaf for a long time and I'm sure that will happen."

Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, said Tuesday that the Maple Leafs had lowballed his client in contract talks. He clarified on Wednesday that his comments were in relation to initial talks in the summer and that things have actually been rather positive since.

Immediately after Auston Matthews' new five-year extension was announced Tuesday, speculation turned to what Marner could command on his pending deal. However, Marner and Ferris have been adamant that they won't negotiate a contract until after the season.

"There's really no rush for anyone, I think the Leafs know that as well," Marner said. "A deal is going to get done eventually. It's nothing to rush upon. I think like Kyle (Dubas) will probably tell you, our goal is here is to be a Maple Leaf for a long time and win a lot of Cups here. I'm sure that will happen eventually.

"I'll let Kyle and my agent talk. I've kind of told both parties that I don't really want to be informed until something's about to happen."

The 21-year-old is in the midst of a banner year in Toronto with 65 points in 53 games, a 100-point pace that would shatter his career high of 69 set last season. Those numbers will fetch a pretty penny whenever talks pick up again, but Marner maintains he's only concerned with one thing.

"As long as I am here next training camp that's all that really matters," he said.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators have staked out a long-term plan for success and it includes undergoing some major spending.

The team held a corporate event in Toronto on Tuesday for close to 200 people, including sponsors and partners. Owner Eugene Melnyk said that following another year or two of rebuilding, the team plans to start spending towards the salary cap in an attempt to go on a five-year run.

"The Senators will be all-in again for a five-year run of unparalleled success - where the team will plan to spend close to the NHL’s salary cap every year from 2021 to 2025," the team stated in a release summarizing Tuesday's event. "He reiterated that the Senators' current rebuild is a blueprint on how to bring the Stanley Cup home to its rightful place in Ottawa."

Ottawa currently boasts the eighth-smallest projected cap hit this season at just over $72 million. Meanwhile, the club also sits last in the league standings, one spot lower than they finished during the 2017-18 season.

The Senators haven't made the playoffs since the 2016-17 campaign when they were eliminated in the Conference Final by the Pittsburgh Penguins in double overtime of Game 7.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans saluted a legend on Wednesday night.

Beloved broadcaster Bob Cole received a tribute video from the club and then a standing ovation from the crowd during a break in the Maple Leafs' game against the Ottawa Senators - Cole's final game in Toronto.

After the game, the Leafs shared head coach Mike Babcock's thoughts on Cole's impact.

This is Cole's 50th and final season on "Hockey Night in Canada."

The 85-year-old will call four more games after Wednesday night's matchup. His final broadcast will be the Maple Leafs' game against the Montreal Canadiens on April 6.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cam Talbot says he took responsibility for his actions after frustration got the better of him Tuesday night.

The Edmonton Oilers goaltender remained in the dressing room down the stretch in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Talbot got the hook on Chicago's fourth goal of the night. That marker, scored by Patrick Kane, was the third goal Talbot allowed in a span of just over two minutes.

"(It was) a highly emotional game (and) I was frustrated with how things went in the third period," Talbot told reporters, including TSN's Ryan Rishaug, on Wednesday. "I was in the wrong to stay in the room. I told (that to) the guys after the game and they all had my back. They understood I was frustrated and I did apologize to them after(ward)."

Talbot added that he met with his teammates Wednesday morning and head coach Ken Hitchcock tabbed him as the team's starter for Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Wild.

It's been a difficult season for Talbot, who's lost playing time to Mikko Koskinen due to inconsistency.

"It's been tough," Talbot said. "You go through some good stretches and then a few more bad stretches this year than I've had probably in my career. So I'm just trying to go out there every day, make the saves I'm supposed to make, come to the rink every day, and be professional."

The 31-year-old netminder is in the final year of his contract, which carries a $4.17-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

He's 9-14-3 with a .892 save percentage and a 3.39 goals-against average in 29 games.

The Oilers signed Koskinen to a three-year contract extension last month.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Eric Engels of Sportsnet and the Boston Globe's Matt Porter to discuss a variety of Atlantic Division topics:

• Marc Bergevin's revival in Montreal
• Bounce-backs galore: Domi, Drouin, Price
• Kotkaniemi tracking towards 1C status
• Should Boston break up their top line?
• Covering Zdeno Chara day to day

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee during Tuesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced.

The 35-year-old is expected to undergo surgery on Friday.

It's a devastating blow for Minnesota. Koivu averages the third-most ice time among Wild forwards, ranks tied for second on the club with 12 power-play points, and is tied for the team lead in takeaways with 35. In 48 games, he's tallied eight goals and 29 points.

The Wild hold a three-point advantage over the Vancouver Canucks for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will play Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury, he told reporters Wednesday.

The Jets went 10-4-1 without the blue-liner in the lineup. Byfuglien's return comes at a crucial time, as Josh Morrissey's status is up in the air after he left Tuesday's game following a blocked shot.

Byfuglien was on pace for a career year before going down with the injury, collecting 29 points in 32 games.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.