Stars trying to work out a last minute trade in the next few hours.

At this stage of things it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that restricted free agents Jesse Puljujarvi and Julius Honka would play out the remainder of this current season in their native Finland, but now at the last minute it sounds like one of these deals may actually get done. 

First, Puljujarvi. According to multiple outlets it sounds like there is now no possibility that the former top 4 pick at the National Hockey League Entry Draft will be going anywhere this season, with two very solid sources confirmed that there is no deal to be made here. Sportsnet's Mark Spector reported yesterday that barring any drastic changes Puljujarvi would be playing out his entire season in Europe.

That report has now been echoed by TSN NHL insider Bob McKenzie, but McKenzie also had some interesting information to share in regards to what is coming next for Julius Honka. According to McKenzie it now appears as though the Dallas Stars are trying to facilitate a trade involving Honka at the final hour, and I do mean the final hour. If the Stars want to work out a trade it would have to be well before 5:00 pm on Sunday due to the fact that the team acquiring his rights would also need to sign him prior to that deadline in order for him to be eligible to play this season. 

Here's what McKenzie had to say:

"Neither Puljujarvi nor Honka are interested in signing with the clubs that currently retain their rights," wrote McKenzie. "It’s my understanding there is no chance Edmonton will trade Puljujarvi’s rights before today’s deadline, but Dallas is working on the possibility of trading Honka."

It sounds like there is a real possibility this one could happen as well. According to a report from The Fourth Period, a source close to the Dallas Stars has informed them there are currently “multiple teams” interested in acquiring Honka before the 5:00 pm deadline today, which could mean that a deal will in fact get done on time. Only time will tell if they manage to get it done before the deadline, but there are quite a few teams out there that could use the added depth on their blue line that Honka would provide.