The day that most die hard hockey fans salivate over is rapidly approaching. February 27th is the day that is circled on many a calender. By this date teams will have decided weather or not they are going to be buyers or sellers. Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how one wants to look at it) there isn't likely to be the flurry of deals being made this year.
As it stands right now the only team without a prayer is the Philadelphia Flyers. They aren't completely alone however, because the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings will require an act of God to reach the playoffs this year. This leaves a glut of 26 teams fighting it out for 16 playoff spots. Ten points is all that separates 6th place from 14th place in the East and twelve points is all that separates 6th from 12th in the west. So depending on what happens in the next three weeks many of these teams are going to have to decide whether or not this is their year.
There are certain teams in particular that could make the playoff races and trade deadline day very interesting. Depending on what happens in the upcoming weeks the New york Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers will be the most likely teams (who are on the cusp of a playoff berth) to be either actively seeking to bolster their lineups for a Cup run or will begin making moves to build for next year.
So in the East the Rangers are pretty solid in net and have a pretty descent mix of youth and experience. If they continue to play well they'll like just be looking to add some more experience on defence (only 2 players over 30) and perhaps another solid forward to play up front. If they are able to get a playoff spot they could be a fairly dangerous team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to start getting more consistent goal tending from Andrew Raycroft if they are going to make the playoffs and make any kind of run at all. They may be looking to add some grittier defenceman with playoff experience if they believe that they can make the playoffs. However if they fall too far out of the race they may be willing to move Darcy Tucker who is a UFA at the end of the season and he is a player that many teams may be interested in.
In the West the Colorado Avalanche will also need to solidify their defence if they are going to make any run to the playoffs. They aren't the powerhouse that they once were and may be the most likely of the four teams mentioned to slip out of contention. If they were to become sellers by the trade deadline they do have some more experienced players who could be moved like defenceman Ken Klee or forwards like Pierre Turgeon or Andrew Burnette.
Finally there are the Edmonton Oilers who were the Western Conference Champions of last year. Again they find themselves battling for their playoff lives and need to play a lot better if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. Like many other teams they need to get deeper on defence and in particular need a more offencive defenceman. Should they not do well in the coming weeks then the Oilers will have to make a tough decisions and move a key player like Ryan Smyth (who is a UFA at seasons end and is having a career year).
So regardless of how the playoff races end up, there should definitely be some interesting developments over the next few weeks. This year prooves that there is becoming more parody in the league which can only make for more excitement.
As it stands right now the only team without a prayer is the Philadelphia Flyers. They aren't completely alone however, because the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings will require an act of God to reach the playoffs this year. This leaves a glut of 26 teams fighting it out for 16 playoff spots. Ten points is all that separates 6th place from 14th place in the East and twelve points is all that separates 6th from 12th in the west. So depending on what happens in the next three weeks many of these teams are going to have to decide whether or not this is their year.
There are certain teams in particular that could make the playoff races and trade deadline day very interesting. Depending on what happens in the upcoming weeks the New york Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers will be the most likely teams (who are on the cusp of a playoff berth) to be either actively seeking to bolster their lineups for a Cup run or will begin making moves to build for next year.
So in the East the Rangers are pretty solid in net and have a pretty descent mix of youth and experience. If they continue to play well they'll like just be looking to add some more experience on defence (only 2 players over 30) and perhaps another solid forward to play up front. If they are able to get a playoff spot they could be a fairly dangerous team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to start getting more consistent goal tending from Andrew Raycroft if they are going to make the playoffs and make any kind of run at all. They may be looking to add some grittier defenceman with playoff experience if they believe that they can make the playoffs. However if they fall too far out of the race they may be willing to move Darcy Tucker who is a UFA at the end of the season and he is a player that many teams may be interested in.
In the West the Colorado Avalanche will also need to solidify their defence if they are going to make any run to the playoffs. They aren't the powerhouse that they once were and may be the most likely of the four teams mentioned to slip out of contention. If they were to become sellers by the trade deadline they do have some more experienced players who could be moved like defenceman Ken Klee or forwards like Pierre Turgeon or Andrew Burnette.
Finally there are the Edmonton Oilers who were the Western Conference Champions of last year. Again they find themselves battling for their playoff lives and need to play a lot better if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. Like many other teams they need to get deeper on defence and in particular need a more offencive defenceman. Should they not do well in the coming weeks then the Oilers will have to make a tough decisions and move a key player like Ryan Smyth (who is a UFA at seasons end and is having a career year).
So regardless of how the playoff races end up, there should definitely be some interesting developments over the next few weeks. This year prooves that there is becoming more parody in the league which can only make for more excitement.
1 comment:
Some say they hate parody, I however, love it.
I'm more than positive that Lowe will pull the trigger and land a offensive d-man in the city of Edmonton.
Can't wait to see what happens next as the trade deadline approaches.
Post a Comment