LeBrun expects movement on Miller, Neuvirth and possibly O'Reilly

The March 5th trade deadline is closer than many think. There are less than four weeks until the Olympics are in full swing, and after the players return home from the hockey event, the trade deadline will be upon us.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun ran down a few names that he expects will be moved soon, or in the near future. The lock to be moved before the trade deadline saving him from his own misery is Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller.

"Before the March 5, either an injury needs to happen to a starter on a contender or a contender has to realize that adding Miller is the kind of upgrade to what they have that could make the difference in winning a championship."

LeBrun also notes even though the St. Louis Blues are comfortable with Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot in net, adding Ryan Miller could be what the team needs to win a championship.

What about Michal Neuvirth who has requested a trade through his agent? LeBrun sees him landing in Florida as both Tim Thomas and Scott Celmmenson are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. 

"We’re told there hasn’t been any contact between the Panthers and Caps at this point and you figure Florida isn’t in a hurry, really. Thomas is playing well and it’s really more of an offseason issue. Neuvirth has one year left on his deal after this season at $2.5 million."

Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly has been quite the performer this season. Since matching an offer sheet from Calgary, the Avalanche could not trade O'Reilly for 12 months. The no-trade freeze lifts on February 28th, and with the Avalanche needing defenseman more than anything, they could use O'Reilly for leverage in a trade.

"If Colorado wants to seriously upgrade its defense corps, it likely needs to make a quality top-six forward available. Is that O’Reilly, pending UFA Paul Stastny or is there another way to get that defenseman?"

You can read all of Pierre LeBrun's rumblings here.