First the Four-Nations schedule.

Rosters have to be submitted tomorrow, and Team Canada at least is planning a practice in Montréal.

Some other players that did not play their final NHL game (Quinn Hughes, Mikko Rantanen, for example) may still be good to go.

Team Canada will announce the defender replacement for Alex Pietrangelo tomorrow. I'm betting MacKenzie Weegar.

The break is all about the trade deadline for everyone not going, and maybe some of the players there. The actual deadline is March 7, and the NHL starts back up approximately two weeks prior to that date. In a normal year, those last two weeks are when the deals get made as teams wait for the prorated cap hits to come close to bottoming out and the ticking clock sharpens their minds to the task.

This year, most of the GMs have this handy break to either overthink everything or make moves while others are busy watching Canada vs USA. There is no restriction on trades, waivers or player movement during this break.

If you missed it in the comments yesterday, this is a comprehensive look at who is interested in trading for Dylan Cozens:

How close are the Sabres to trading Dylan Cozens?
Dylan Cozens is generating interest, but the Sabres aren’t prepared to move him for just anything.
Daily FaceoffAnthony Di Marco

The Sabres aren't really that into it, it seems. Do a search for the word Toronto, and it's not there.

On the other hand:

Quick Shifts: Should Maple Leafs trade for Cozens or Schenn?
Digging into Maple Leafs trade rumours | Don’t be scared to get hurt at 4 Nations | Matthew Knies tries to pull a fast one | Will Quinn Hughes prioritize USA or Canucks? + 8 more NHL goodies…
Sportsnet.caLuke Fox

These two players are not all that similar beyond being out of the Leafs' price range. Kevin Weekes, included in this article in a tweet, seems to be the source for the claims of Leafs interest in Cozens.

In other news:

One presumes he's going back to Finland.

This reads like a novel about Timothy Liljegren with the name changed:

Time for Jets to wave white flag on Ville Heinola
As uncomfortable as it may be, it’s time for Winnipeg to wave the white flag on Ville Heinola. Because as Jacob Stoller writes, it may not be long before the young defenceman has zero trade value altogether.
Sportsnet.caJacob Stoller

Okay, talk football if that's your thing, and remember – some trade rumours come true.

From The Branches