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Sure, we’ve given some fairly comprehensive looks at each division’s trade deadline outlook already, but here’s a different take on it, looking at each of the 30 teams in the NHL. The answer? There are a whole lot of teams competing for just a few players.
1) Detroit Red Wings (41-17-2) – No change. Come on, the Red Wings haven’t lost a home game since the beginning of November. In that time, they’ve had two seven-game winning streaks and one six-game winning streak, the latest streak coming without the help of star goalie Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings won’t mess with a thing.
2) Vancouver Canucks (38-15-6) – No change. It seems like every year, the Canucks are searching for toughness from their lineup. The difference, this year, is that they have a pretty big bargaining piece in Cory Schneider. But the Canucks don’t have too much cap space to be bringing any big names. If they’re going to bring anyone in, it’s going to involve salary going the other way, as well.
3) New Jersey Devils (34-20-4) – Buyers. The Devils have surged recently, compiling a 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games and making a convincing argument to general manager Lou Lamoriello that he should buy at the deadline. New Jersey needs depth on defense and have been been rumored to be in serious talks with the Wild for disgruntled and benched blueliner Marek Zidlicky over the past week. Zidlicky would make perfect sense for the Devils, as he would likely come relatively cheap. If the teams cannot agree on a price, Lamoriello will probably have a contingency plan and find another way to augment his team's defensive corps.
4) New York Rangers (38-14-5) – Buyers. The Rangers are among the top contenders for the President's Trophy, so naturally they will be looking to buy. New York has struggled to score this season, especially on the power play so either an offense-minded forward or a power play quarterback will could help the cause. The Rangers have been rumored to be pursuing star Columbus forward Rick Nash but given the fact that Nash is in the second year of an eight-year contract with a $7.8 million annual cap hit and would likely cost players off the NHL roster, a smaller deal for a veteran rental is more likely.
5) St. Louis Blues (36-16-7) – Buyers. Despite their amazing run with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench, the Blues lack a true game-breaker up front. While it’s unlikely that Columbus would move their best player to a division rival, the Blues seem to be in a perfect spot to try to reunite Rick Nash with his old coach (that is, if they even have any desire to be reunited). Failing that, we could see the Blues try for a player like Alex Semin or even Ales Hemsky or Dustin Penner to give them some more depth up front.
6) Phoenix Coyotes (29-21-9) – Buyers, to an extent. The Coyotes need to succeed to have any hope of staying in Phoenix and, though they are league owned, the league knows this. Despite not having the change to go after a big name like Rick Nash, its possible that the Coyotes could take advantage of pro-rated as our own Andrew Knoll suggested.
7) Pittsburgh Penguins (33-21-5) – No change. When everybody’s healthy, the Penguins have arguably the deepest and most talented roster in the league (Stop rolling your eyes, Detroit). However, with more than $59.5 million committed to just 18 players for next season, general manager Ray Shero may decide to create more breathing room by moving the cap hits of defensemen Paul Martin ($5 million) or Zbynek Michalek ($4 million) for a rental player with an expiring contract.
8) Chicago Blackhawks (32-21-7) – Buyers. After sitting atop the standings, the Blackhawks sunk like a stone thanks to a nine-game losing streak. They have won their last three but are still in the market to bolster their lineup. Chicago has been plagued by inconsistency in net but few veteran goaltenders will be available, with the possible exception of the New York Islanders’ Evgeny Nabokov. The Ottawa Sun reported that Stan Bowman made an inquiry about Buffalo center Derek Roy and the ‘Hawks may also be in the market for a defenseman.
9) Nashville Predators (34-19-6) – Buyers. The Preds have made quite the run of it so far, but they need offense if they want to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup. After acquiring a big, grinding defenseman in Hal Gill, a proven sniper like Jeff Carter could be on Nashville’s wishlist.
10) Boston Bruins (35-20-2) – Buyers. The reigning Cup winners lead the Northeast Division by four points, are second in the Eastern Conference and tied with Nashville for fourth overall in the league. The Bruins have $11 million in cap room and should have $13 million to play with come the deadline. The organization could add a Jaroslav Spacek to the back end. If Nathan Horton’s concussion causes the right wing to be shut down for the remainder of the season, do the Bruins ante up for Rick Nash or Jeff Carter?
11) Philadelphia Flyers (32-19-7) – Buyers. Thus far, the Flyers have been buyers, shipping out draft picks to receive defensemen Pavel Kubina (Tampa Bay) and Nicklas Grossman (Dallas). The Flyers are thin on picks and even thinner on minor-league prospects, playing seven rookies regularly. Their newfound defensive depth may have given them flexibility to move unrestricted free agent to be Matt Carle, though he has said he would like to re-sign with Philadelphia. The Flyers face an uncertain financial future as a result the injury status of defenseman Chris Pronger. Goaltending has been an issue despite signing Ilya Bryzgalov. Still, there seem to be few veteran goalies that would be better insurance in a platoon situation than Sergei Bobrovsky.
12) Ottawa Senators (30-22-8) – Buyers. Under the right set of circumstances, the Sens could have a good team to make a run in the playoffs. In order to do that, though, secondary scoring and a solid stay-at-home defenseman could be a priority and the Sens have the youngsters and picks to get it done. A solid goalie for the team to fall back on should Craig Anderson falter wouldn’t be a bad pick up, either.
13) San Jose Sharks (31-19-7) – Buyers. The Sharks find themselves fighting for the Pacific Division crown they have captured four years in a row and playing inconsistently to boot. Their penalty kill will definitely be addressed. They already acquired defensive-minded forward Dominic Moore from Tampa Bay and may seek both a stay-at-home defenseman as well as another forward who wins draws and kill penalties. The Sharks would likely look to add by using draft picks rather than roster players or a thin prospect stable.
14) Calgary Flames (28-22-9) – They’ll buy, but they probably should sell. The Flames have a tenuous hold on the eighth playoff spot right now, and a roster that certainly isn’t getting any younger or any closer to bringing the Stanley Cup back to Calgary. The allure of at least two playoff games in Calgary might be too much for management to ignore. If that’s the case, look for the Flames to pursue their constant Achilles’ heel, secondary scoring.
15) Florida Panthers (27-20-11) – Buyers. One year ago at this time, Florida was holding quite the fire sale. Now the Panthers are leading the weak Southeast despite not ranking any higher than 10th in any significant statistical category. That’s because the Panthers aren’t getting any significant offense outside of Kris Versteeg, Tomas Fleischmann and Stephen Weiss. Florida has a ridiculous wealth of talent in its system now playing at the NCAA level. The question is how much of it are they willing to sacrifice for a top-six forward to help now?
16) Winnipeg Jets (29-26-6) – Buyers. That huge rumbling you may feel in two months would be the seismic response to a playoff game for the Jets in their return to Winnipeg. With that playoff spot just a nice winning streak away, Jets management will go all out to upgrade the offense, which currently ranks 25th, potting just 2.40 goals per game.
17) Anaheim Ducks (25-24-10) – No change. The Ducks have been hot enough to sink or swim with their current group and they are still far enough out of the playoffs that an aggressive play seems foolhardy. They have some veterans with expiring deals but they generally fall under the heading of no-movement clause contracts or players of marginal trade value. Gone are the days of everyone being on the block, here is the time of moving toward potential big changes in the offseason.
18) Toronto Maple Leafs (29-24-6) – Buyers. The go-go-go Leafs appear to be out-out-out of gas as they barely hold on to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has lost five out of its last six, including a 6-2 Hockey Night In Canada humiliation at the hands of the Canucks. Ten players were minus-one or worse, led by John-Michael Liles’ minus-three ranking. GM Brian Burke is believed to have $5.9 million to spend at the deadline. A steady defenseman, a second line center and a scoring wing are vital if the Leafs are to participate in the franchise’s first playoff series since losing to the Flyers in the second round of the 2004 playoffs.
19) Los Angeles Kings (27-21-11) – Buyers. The Kings seem to be running in place despite a blockbuster trade, a coaching change and overall raised expectations. General manager Dean Lombardi now faces serious pressure to not only make the playoffs but advance with the league’s most feeble offense. While Lombardi has favored low-cost, high-upside deals, he will at least look to make a big acquisition in the mold of the Mike Richards deal if he can. In his favor is the fact that teams like Columbus and Edmonton are looking for goaltenders (such as Los Angeles’ Jonathan Bernier) and have high-end forwards to offer in return.
20) New York Islanders (25-25-8) – Buyers. The Islanders are six points out of the last playoff spot in the East. The franchise has not qualified since 2007. To do so, it is imperative that GM Garth Snow add secondary scoring as the second line of Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner have combined for 30 goals and 84 points. A depth defenseman would be welcome as Travis Hamonic has not played since a 4-3 shootout loss in Buffalo on Feb. 4 with what the organization termed facial injuries including a broken nose.
21) Tampa Bay Lightning (26-26-6) – Sellers. Despite having the worst defense in the league, giving up 3.31 goals per game, the Bolts were within striking distance of a playoff spot. But last week’s shipping of Dominic Moore to San Jose and Saturday’s trade of defenseman Pavel Kubina to the Flyers for draft picks was Tampa Bay’s way of raising the white flag. Time for Steve Yzerman to do the annual Vincent Lecavalier Trade Rumor Two-Step.
22) Washington Capitals (29-24-5) – Buyers. As of Sunday, the Capitals had the 13th-ranked offense and 17th-ranked defense. That means they could use help up front and on the blueline. Mike Green’s return on Saturday from hernia surgery should help stabilize the D, so the focus will be on finding some firepower to compensate for the injured Niklas Backstrom and the invisible Alex Ovechkin.
23) Dallas Stars (29-26-4) – No change. While they are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, the Stars do not have serious Stanley Cup ambitions this season. They have made it clear that they are seeking a top-six forward, but given the trade market and their flexibility to sign free agents they will likely stand against the wall during this dance. They already dealt Nicklas Grossman and may consider dealing some other such free agents to be, but overall the Stars are likely to make their moves during the summer.
24) Colorado Avalanche (29-27-4) – No change. Yes, the Avs are just three points out of a playoff spot, but the team has just gotten Matt Duchene back from injury and should realize that they’re still an unbelievably young team that will only get better. Selling young assets for a playoff rental won’t help the long-term future of the team.
25) Buffalo Sabres (25-27-7) – No change. Sure, based on their record, it might make sense for this team to sell off a few players to make room for improvement next season, but let’s not forget, this is essentially the same team that took the Flyers to seven games last season and the Bruins to six the year before. They might ship a couple players off to make some room for free agency this coming off season but, on a whole, don’t expect a whole lot of moves out of Buffalo.
26) Montreal Canadiens (24-26-10) – Sellers. Moving Mike Cammalleri and Hal Gill, the selling has already started in Montreal. With potentially valuable players like Andrei Kostitsyn and Travis Moen approaching unrestricted free agency, we might not have seen the last move out of Montreal.
27) Minnesota Wild (26-24-9) – Buyers. The Wild’s fans are starved for another playoff appearance and Minnesota has one big asset to move in Marek Zidlicky. With how poorly their results have been of late, it would be easy to forget that the team was once on top of the NHL this season and the addition of some secondary scoring behind their big line of Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi and Mikko Koivu could push them back into the playoff picture.
28) Carolina Hurricanes (22-26-11) – Sellers. This team could use secondary scoring beyond Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen, Any deal involving Ruutu, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, will be based on whether he fits into Carolina's salary structure. The sense is that both would like to complete a deal. Also, Ruutu's upper-body injury suffered against Montreal on Feb. 13 could scare off potential suitors. Other than Ruutu, Carolina could ship defensemen Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek, who are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.
29) Edmonton Oilers (22-30-6) – Sellers. For the third straight year, the Oilers look to have a top-three pick in the NHL draft. Thankfully, because of the ineptitude of the Blue Jackets this season, they’ll be saved the indignity of a third-straight number one pick (maybe). The Oilers have a few valuable forwards that could fetch them some extra draft picks in the coming draft, so don’t be surprised if Ryan Smyth and Ales Hemsky find themselves wearing different uniforms by Feb. 27.
30) Columbus Blue Jackets (17-35-7) – Sellers. The Blue Jackets could play it safe and move expiring deals like Sami Pahlsson’s or they could completely change the face of the trade market. They had hoped the additions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski would usher in an era of prosperity, but it appears the Jackets are back in rebuilding mode with an unhappy tandem of offensive stars, Carter and captain Rick Nash. TSN reported that Nash submitted to Scott Howson a list of five teams for whom he would have his no-trade clause. Believed to be among them are the front-running Rangers, whom several outlets have reported as likely having asked for center Brandon Dubinsky, top prospect Chris Kreider and a first-round draft selection.
Additional writing done by Andrew Knoll (LAK, ANA, PHI, SJS, CHI, CBJ, DAL), Bill Weisbrod (NYR, NJD), Denis Gorman (NYI, TOR, BOS) and Steve Wozniak (PIT, WAS, TBL, FLA, WPG).
Photos by Getty Images
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