The new year is well under way, the joke that has become the
all-star break is a distant memory and the push towards playoffs is well and
truly underway. Make no mistake this is the best part of the regular season.
Some teams are looking to lock up the division titles, others are trying to
address a weakness in their game plan and then there are those who are just
scrambling to make the postseason. Whatever the focus is, the GM will no doubt
be looking to his scouts to see what deal can be made to improve the situation
before the trade deadline hits on February 27.
This year shapes as another busy trade period although there
doesn’t exactly seem to be a lot of big names of the table. Some of the names
that we are hearing spoken about as possibly being available include Zidlicky,
Selanne, Malone, Kubina, Hemsky and Carter but by far the biggest name is Rick
Nash. He has a no trade clause, but like some others, we are lead to believe he
has allowed discussions to take place. So hopefully this will heat up the next
week or so.
Winners and Losers
My first winner for this month (ok I know it’s been nearly
two months) is Sam Gagner. In an amazing night against the Blackhawks he
managed eight points, the first time this has been done in 20 years. Quite a night
out, especially for a player who you would hardly regard as a star of the
league.
Next up are the Red Wings who have built a home record of
late to intimidate all comers. Should they continue their current trajectory
then they look set for a top two seed in the West and home advantage through
the first two rounds of the playoffs. This sort of home ice dominance may well
be enough by itself to get them through to a conference final alone.
Finally we have those players around the NHL that are
currently with teams outside the playoff picture but are coming into unrestricted
free agency in the summer. This is a great these unrestricted free agents
(UFAs). With their current teams not wanting to lose them at the end of the
year for nothing they will likely look to offload them before the trade dead
line and get what they can. For the UFA, they can go from a struggling team to
a contender in a blink of an eye, should they contribute to a deep playoff run
and they may even get signed to a big money deal in the summer. It truly is a
great time for free agents.
First loser is Corey Crawford, wow have things gone bad in
the windy city. Not that long ago we were talking about the Hawks as a cup
threat but now they are in genuine danger of slipping out of the playoff
picture. Make no mistake what the fans are blaming for the drastic change of
fortune, it is the goaltending situation lead by Crawford.
The Minnesota Wild were on top of the league not so long ago
but after a dreadful run of form they are now 12th in the West and
six points away from the final playoff spot. Coach Yeo has declared they won’t
be sellers at the deadline as they are still confident of making the playoffs,
but I’m not sure I’m buying that.
Daniel Paille is my final loser for missing out on frequent
flyer miles when he went for this flight recently.
Corny commentary aside credit to him for getting up and just
playing on, a clean hit and no retribution was needed.
Trade plan
The Atlantic is the strongest division in the East and the
Rangers more or less have the division title wrapped up, but that’s not to say
they won’t be looking to add something before the trade deadline. They are
amongst the favourites looking to acquire Rick Nash and whilst they have some
cap space, the asking price by Columbus may well be too much. It is most
definitely a sellers market this year. If that doesn’t happen expect them to
add some depth and hopefully someone who can improve the powerplay.
The Flyers have already made a move to address their biggest
concern which was the loss of veteran d-man Chris Pronger and that was to
acquire Nicklas Grossman from Dallas. Now Grossman is not even in the same
league as Pronger but he does improve the six they put on the ice, but it still
leaves them with some room to move. Bryzgalov hasn’t lived up to expectation
but a trade here is unlikely, another defender or some depth up forward seems
to fit. The fans and management would seem to want Nash but there are conflicting
reports as whether Nash would approve a move to Philadelphia, or of greater
concern would be if they could get the deal done.
For the Penguins it all hinges on Crosby. If they have ruled
him out for the rest of the regular season then they have his cap hit to spend
and make a big splash, but he is still free to play come playoff time. If they
don’t rule him out they are more or less at their limit for the cap and can
only really swap like for like in terms of cap hit. I think we can assume they
won’t rule him out for the regular season, 40 days is a long time. If they are
looking to free up some cap space they may look to move Paul Martin on as he
has underperformed this year and they do have depth in the form of Lovejoy and
Despres, although they would want a capable d-man in return in case on injury.
Expect them to also add a forward in the days before the deadline and David
Jones from Colorado is one that might fit the bill, a potential to score a few
goals from the wing and a UFA so may be gotten cheap.
The Devils too are well and truly in the playoff mix and
have already got some help up forward but they are in desperate need of
reinforcements in defense. They want
experience and Zidlicky is perfect, they want him, he wants to go there but
Minnesota is keen to get full value for him so will shop him around the league
for the next week or so first to entice other buyers. Difficult though when
Zidlicky has the no trade clause and can potentially veto a trade to a team he
doesn’t approve. Of course he is unhappy in Minnesota so it should make for an
interesting few days. Kubina a potential backup for the Devils. Or maybe even
Martin back to New Jersey and Zidlicky to Pittsburgh in a complicated three way
trade? #ridiculous
In the Northeast Boston are the only serious team for mine
and unfortunately they have started to let their super high standards slip
again. The injury to Nathan Horton (concussion) hasn’t helped as goals have
really dried up and with Rich Peverley down for 4-6 this will magnify that
effect. They haven’t had a great deal of injuries to deal with so this is a
little concerning that the first sign of trouble highlights a lack of depth up
front, injuries will happen in the playoffs. The good news is that they have
the time to address it and plenty of cap space. Savards’ full cap hit is
available plus more room so it’s just a matter of who they bring in to help. I’m
expecting a veteran forward with playoff experience, possibly Carter or Malone
(although both Tampa and Columbus are offloading other forwards) and also a
depth forward in case of injuries. Of course Boston are also in the Rick Nash
mix.
The Southeast has Florida looking fairly solid ahead of a disappointing
Washington. It seems like these teams will need to win this division if they
want to make the postseason. They probably don’t have the team to make a deep
run although a number three seeding could help that. Washington have some cap
space so they can add some talent and they do need it but what they are really
after are some veterans who can adjust the attitude of the team. Making
Ovechkin the captain has hardly proven a success, goaltending coach Olaf Kolzig
even suggested that his rock star status is what holds him back. I am at a loss
to work out who they will bring in but I really don’t think anyone can help, in
the offseason they should move Semin on and give the captaincy to someone else,
this will go a long way.
Florida for me are more likely to make an impact in the
playoffs if they secure the division title. They can get hot and if they can
get healthy they may cause an upset or two. However they have made it clear
that they will not be trading for rental type players before the deadline to
improve their team for these playoffs, as they are building for the future not necessarily
this year. Such a smart organisation. Anyway there are a few players that have
been mentioned in passing that fit the bill, as young, with time on their
contract and capable of making an impact and the one that seems to make the
most sense would be Derick Brassard from Columbus. He was a high draft pick who
has found things a little tougher this year. But hey of those at Columbus, who
hasn’t? He has been hot of late and just maybe might get a chance if Columbus
will prefer prospects and draft picks.
Over in the West you have to start with the Central which is
just so tough. Detroit have been dominating at home and riding that form to a
commanding position at the top of the division. They do have some minor
concerns with Zetterberg out and more importantly his dropping form when he is
in the lineup. But generally for the wings it will be about depth and if
possible veteran depth. A perfect fit would likely be Teemu Selanne but the
more points the ducks get on this road trip the less likely they are to part
with an asset before the deadline. Another option mentioned has been Travis
Moen from Montreal, he has a bit of an injury which could be an issue but they
are not looking for immediate help but playoff help so that shouldn’t be a deal
breaker.
As I said it wasn’t that long ago that we were talking about
Chicago as a real cup contender but they a long way off that right now.
Crawford is horribly out of form and Jeremy Roenick has even come out and
suggested that trading Patrick Kane away is doable, presumably for a goalie.
Now management has backed Crawford and trading Kane is not going to happen but
it does give an idea of how bad things are going of late. If a trade for a
goalie is not going to happen then at least one defensemen must come in. Now
that Kubina seems to be on the market surely he has to be on the top on their
list and they should do what it takes to bring him in. Beyond that maybe a like
for like swap of a 5th or 6th defensemen may help spark
the whole defensive unit up, Oduya or Campoli are two others that could be
options.
The Predators are one team that has already made a big move
and made it damn clear they are here to win the cup this year, there is no next
year for Nashville. They traded for 37 year old Hal Gill and gave up plenty to
get him. They now have what can be considered to be one of the best defensive
units in the league however they could easily lose Gill, Shea Weber and Ryan
Suter in the Summer leaving them thread bare. So they need to win now and in
order to do that they still need to probably add an experienced forward,
however having declared their hand so brazenly they may be forced to pay dearly.
Hemsy, Tuomo Ruutu and Andrei Kostitsyn are some options that have been
mentioned.
The Blues are still impressing and look set to play a big role
in the West but in terms of activity at the trade deadline they are a hard team
to read. They have no obvious weaknesses and are a team built on chemistry and
depth, not star players. So if it ain’t broke......
Now I’m not saying they won’t make any trades but I would
expect them to tread carefully and look to ensure whoever they get fits in with
their system and philosophy. Worth mentioning that Kubina may have listed the
Blues as one of the teams he would accept a trade to.
In the Northwest Vancouver are still travelling strongly but
things are unsettled and reinforcements up front look all but certain. The
topic for discussion in Vancouver is whether or not they should trade backup
goalie Corey Schnieder. If you want to add quality then you have to give
something up and to have Schnieder sitting on the bench throughout the playoffs
is seen by some as a waste of on an asset, others see this as too short sighted.
What happens with Schnieder will be very interesting, will they take a Nashville
approach and go for broke? Additionally Vancouver may be in the mix for Nash
but I’m not so sure the fit is right there. I feel something a little bit smaller
on the scale is what they will go for although no names have really been
mentioned regularly yet.
In the Pacific San Jose have taken control as expected, but
the other teams have really dropped away and don’t really figure in as cup
threats anymore for mine. Los Angeles are touted as one of the favourites to
land Nash along with the Rangers, so if they can do that without giving away
too much in terms of key contributors then it may well throw them back into the
mix.
The Sharks have already made a move to improve their depth
up forward by adding Dominic Moore from the Lightning. This is underwhelming on the surface but Moore
is a penalty killer and a proven playoff performer and often these signings are
the ones that prove the difference. Regardless I still think it’s possible they
could move for another veteran forward at the deadline with someone like Ray
Whitney being mentioned although it’s unlikely the Coyotes will be willing to
trade. Maybe more likely options are Hemsky, Gaustad or Parenteau. The trouble
for the Sharks is that the common belief is that their depth chart is not that
great and so if they want to make a trade it will have to be through draft
picks or talent on their current playing roster. This may be why the rumours
about a Ryan Clowe trade persist.
History shows us that the team that wins the Stanley Cup
usually makes a critical trade in the day or two leading up to the deadline.
Sometimes it can be the blockbuster deal but more often it is the one that
slips through under the radar and is only discussed in depth after the cup has been won. The trade deadline will hit on the morning of the 28th
Australian time so keep an eye on the net for all the latest moves.
Cheers
@mal68au
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