Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad speaks after Florida's 5-3 win in New Jersey on March 5. Players across the NHL are preparing themselves for what is already shaping up as a crazy week. The NHL Trade Deadline is coming up on Friday at 3 p.m. ET, though several big deals have gone down over the past couple days. Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin, Sean Walker, Casey Mittelstadt, Alex Wennberg and of course Vladimir Tarasenko have already been traded, and we’re still a day away from the deadline. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito made a big move on Wednesday, acquiring Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators for a pair of draft picks, but he may not be done just yet. Zito is believed to be in the market for another forward and a defenseman, if the prices are right. A couple names that have emerged as potential targets for Florida are Washington’s Max Pacioretty and San Jose’s Anthony Duclair. Duclair is an interesting name because he’s got history with the Panthers, playing in Florida for the past three seasons before an offseason trade last summer. It’s been a rough year for the Sharks, who have sat at to toward the bottom of the league standings for much of the season. Duclair has done well, with 16 goals and 27 points through 56 games. Speaking after practice on Wednesday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/latest-news/sharks-winger-expecting-to-get-traded-feels-agent-can-help-him-navigate-the-situation], Duclair revealed that he recently hired an agent after representing himself for several years. Max Miller of THN San Jose was kind enough to share the audio of Duclair's media availability with THN Florida. "I can't do those calls myself,” said Duclair. “The situation I'm in, I think it was pretty apparent that I was going to be moving, so I needed somebody to represent me and make those calls on my behalf. I can't be making that in the middle of the season, so I decided to go that route and then go from there." These are uncharted territories for the 28-year-old Duclair, which is why he wanted to make sure he had the proper support. "This is the first situation [where I knew a trade] was going to happen," Duclair said. "The other times I either had an agent for I was really confident that was going to stay, and that was the case." Duclair is playing in the final year of a contract that pays an average annual value (AAV) of $3 million. In terms of a possible extension or new contract, Duclair said that’s something he would revisit down the line. "I think it's probably a conversation maybe in the summertime,” Duclair said. “But as far as right now, we stand where we stand.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Vladimir Tarasenko expected to make Panthers debut against Philadelphia [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/vladimir-tarasenko-expected-to-make-panthers-debut-against-philadelphia] Three takeaways: Forward depth, strong third periods help propel Panthers to victory [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-forward-depth-strong-third-periods-help-propel-panthers-to-victory] Florida Panthers trade for Vladimir Tarasenko, send pair of draft picks to Ottawa [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-acquire-vladimir-tarasenko-from-ottawa-senators-for-pair-of-draft-picks] Aaron Ekblad made some Florida Panthers history during Tuesday's win in New Jersey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/aaron-ekblad-made-some-florida-panthers-history-during-tuesdays-win-in-new-jersey] Cousins 2-goal game sparks Panthers win over New Jersey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/cousins-2-goal-game-sparks-panthers-win-over-new-jersey] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
