A weekly gauge of the players who are controlling substantial buzz around the league. When a player is included on this list it may not be a good thing -- it means that they are capturing a large amount of the hockey world's attention.

That’s the reality and New Jersey’s best deadline is one where the team doesn’t waste assets on a likely lost cause. Whether the Devils choose to accept that remains to be seen, but trading a second-round pick for Brian Dumoulin in 2025 is certainly not a good start.