If the trend continues, Brad Richards might be on the move before Monday.

BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca

The times, they are a-changin'.

The NHL's annual trade deadline day has now become trade deadline month. Teams aren't waiting for the final few days before the deadline to start making moves; instead, they are getting busy much earlier.

There has been a flurry of activity leading up to this year's deadline with lots of big names, high-profile players and high draft picks being dealt.

Look at some of the big name players, relatively speaking, that have been swapped to date - Tomas Kaberle, Alex Kovalev, Kris Versteeg, Francois Beauchemin, Joffrey Lupul, Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jarkko Ruutu, Chris Stewart, Craig Anderson, Erik Johnson, Eric Brewer, Ian White, Blake Wheeler, Rich Peverley, Michael Frolik … not to mention a host of first round draft picks.

This year's trade deadline definitely has a different vibe than deadlines in the past.

"For me, I've never been in this situation before," said Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who is stripping down his team and starting over. "It's pretty tough when you have to give up great guys like Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly, but that's the position our team is in. We just figured it was better to get the deals done early rather than hold out at the end and miss an opportunity to get something that could help our club."

There are a number of different philosophies in terms of how GMs deal at the deadline. One Western Conference GM, who asked that his name not be used, suggested, "There are some teams that hold onto prime assets until the deadline hoping that they can create a bidding war. You might get four or five teams willing to overpay for what they are looking for then. If you wait until the end to go after something you think you really need, that's when you might end up overpaying and those are the kinds of deals that address a short-term need, but can hurt a team big picture."

He added: "The reason for all the early deals is teams are trying to stay in the race. Teams think if they can do something early, then they should do it. You look at how many games you have after deadline day and you figure it is better to make a move early so the player can get integrated into his new team. Teams also think they had better get what they need early or the cost could go up as the deadline gets closer because there are more buyers than sellers."

Murray cautioned holding out to the bitter end can be a recipe for disaster.

"If a deal comes along that you like, you have to do it," Murray said. "You don't want to wait and have a deal fall through at the last minute and you end up with nothing. That has happened to me a few times in the past where I thought I had a deal done, but at the last minute the other GM phones and says he got a better offer."

Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said he isn't necessarily surprised there have been many deals already.

"The year we won the Stanley Cup, we made our biggest move, getting Doug Weight, early," Rutherford said. "That said, I can't remember so many teams making their big moves three weeks in advance of the deadline. There is so much parity in the league, I guess teams identify their need and they want to address it as soon as they can. Some GMs may figure that if they wait too long, the deadline could come and they won't get anybody. Another reason for the early trades is there are so many teams that have cap space. The reason you waited to the end in the past is because you had no cap space. It seems like many teams have learned to manage the cap better."

The big question is: will there be anybody left to be traded come Feb. 28?

"It depends," the Western Conference GM added. "Some teams could run into injuries or suspension and need to make a last-minute deal. It's all about supply and demand. Right now it seems like many teams are looking for defencemen and centres and there just aren't many available. Some general managers feel pressure to make moves based on what other teams have done. If one team in a playoff race makes a deal, then perhaps the GM of a team in a race with that team feels he needs to do something, too."