Duthie's working on the dance moves, Kypreos on Karaoke

Monday's NHL trade deadline is providing for the potential vision of a rather bad episode of Gotta Dance or North America's Got Talent, kind of, sort of.

With many NHL teams having spent the last three weeks wheeling and dealing, the prospect of Monday's televised trade deadline shows could be one of panel after panel discussing the merits of teams accepting conditional picks over development players on deadline day.

Over the last few years and as the competition between Canada's sports networks has heated up, the NHL Trade Deadline shows have taken on the kind of buzz that this weekends Academy Awards have received, though if things continue on in the NHL through the weekend, the only drama come Monday morning will be which host can stretch the longest and offer up the best one liners to dull the pain of non-activity.

TSN, Sportsnet and The Score in years past, have offered up programming that takes no prisoners, Blackberries on overdrive they float, debunk and eventually confirm or deny the many rumours that make up the deadline day drama.

This year even the CBC is getting in on the act, previously limited to its on line exposure on draft day, the national broadcaster is set to use it's Bold digital channel as a conduit to the anxious masses awaiting confirmation that their team is still so relevant to the playoff race as to make a deadline deal.

For Sportsnet and TSN the coverage begins Monday morning at 8 am ET, a 5 am wake up call for the West Coast. Some ten hours of coverage to follow, ten hours of wide ranging dissection of the latest moves of the General Mangers, or if silence descends on the trading floors, ten hours of counter programming that will offer up to Canadians the various talents of the likes of a Duthie, Kypreos, McKenzie and Cox, with a cast of thousands ready to join the chorus line if need be.

While The Score and the CBC will no doubt hope to carve a niche out of the traditional trade day madness, make no mistake, Monday is along the lines of a D-Day for TSN and Rogers Sportsnet.

They are the two main players in the trade day derby and both appear ready to flex their muscles and trot out their star performers to either glue the viewers to their channel, or at least offer up a reason for a little channel surfing over the ten hours.

Sportsnet promises a full roster of analysts for their production, featuring the usual crew from Hockey Central as well as including a round table of Bob McCown, Damien Cox and Stephen Brunt to comment on the days proceedings.

Sportsnet Offers 10 hours of trade deadline
The Back Up plan

Not to be over shadowed by the competition, TSN of course will offer up their own stable of commentators, making extensive use of their hockey resources as well as featuring Dave Hodge, Pierre McGuire, Ken McKenzie and their own ensemble to deliver the deadline day delights.

Trade Centre 11 is all set to go Monday on TSN

Opening salvos will resonate across the nation in the morning hours, the final shots to be fired as we move into the late afternoon, the results will come shortly after when the ratings come out, detailing which option Canadians have settled on this year when it comes to who had the best product for Deadline day viewing.

Until Monday's sign on at the Trade deadline desks, you can follow all the lead up to the big day from the various Trade Deadline portals from the vast number of options available.

TSN Trade Centre
Sportsnet Trade Tracker
The Score Deadline Day Tracker
Hockey Night in Canada Trade Deadline Special
Versus NHL Trade Deadline Chat
ESPN Trade Tracker