NHL Trade Rumors: Divisional Breakdown

If you are a fan of hockey NHL trade rumors are like your morning coffee; it’s hard to go without. This years NHL trade deadline is only just over a month a way and the days leading up to the March 2nd deadline will be full of rumors and moves. Every team has needs and wants; some want to stay in the basement and other teams will make a charge at the Stanley Cup.

The NHL trade deadline is the time of year that GM’s  can lose or win their jobs. It is also a time of year the NHL trade rumors are simply pulled out of thin air by some GM’s in an attempt to test the market and see if anyone bites.

The problem  with who buys and who sells is it is purely in the eyes of beholder. The NHL is broken down into three groups; the contenders, the pretenders, and the wash outs. This season it’s very clear what teams fits where.

After all it’s all about the cup.

Atlantic Division

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings are leading the way in the Atlantic with 65 points, and it would seem they have gotten used to the Eastern Conference and have continued to dominate their opponents. Detroit will buy come deadline day, but the price they are willing to pay may not be what the sellers want to hear. teams like the Red Wings will have the chance to set the market as the NHL trade rumors heat up.

If Detroit is looking at add a top four defensemen like I think they want to they may need to give up Tomas Tatar to make that happen. Tatar has come up in a few rumors as of late. The Red Wings would then need to replace his 34 points; not an easy task. Any deal that the Red Wings look to make should be a long-term deal, as i don;t see many rental players coming to the motor city.

Going strictly off their NHL roster Drew Miller and Kyle Quincey could be part of a deal. Miller(30) and Quincey (29) are role players and while they would be missed I believe they can be replaced.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Things are sunny in Tampa. The Lightning are only one point behind the Red Wings with 64 points. Tampa is very strong offensively averaging 3.18 goals a game (leading the NHL). The down side in Tampa is they are sitting in 15th place in goals against with a 2.59 average. Like many teams in the NHL Tampa could use a stronger blueline, but adding a player like that is hard to do and as stated before would come at a heavy price. The question in Tampa will become one of Do we want the cup this year? If the answer is yes look for the Lightning to make a hard push at the deadline.

The Lightning may want to consider trading away Brian Boyl and Brett Connolly. Boyl is 30 years old and has played in 49 games this season, and while this is his first year in Tampa the center could draw some interest on the market. Contact status aside walking away from Boyl would send a strong message to the rest of the NHL that Tampa is going for it this year. When it comes to Connolly things get a little unclear. Connolly was the Lightnings first round pick in 2010 and he has not been able to lock up a regular roster spot in Tampa. With that in mind he has appeared in 36 games this year and has 9 points. Teams need young forwards with hope, and Connolly still has some hope attached to his name.

It would be a shame if the Lightning chose to sit tight and hope they can win with their current roster. They have done just fine so far this season, but the NHL

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playoffs are a completely different animal and the addition of a bigger defenseman could be the missing link.

Montreal Canadiens: Montreal is riding a three game win streak, and is only two points back of Detroit. That is in large part due to goaltender Carey Price; Price has put up great numbers and an even better record this season. His record of 25-10-2-2  is the main reason Canadien’s fans are thinking about bringing the Stanley Cup home. Looking at needs; Montreal is one of those teams that sits in an odd spot. They could use a big offensive player with an eye for the net, but their roster as it stands now has seven players with over 20 points, and four players with over 30 points.

I don’t see Montreal making a Cup run this season and for that reason I don’t expect many big moves in the coming month. In my eyes the Canadiens are about two years away from being a top Stanley Cup contender. With that being said one possible move I see is bringing in a younger defensemen for the future. I fully realize Montreal still has Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov, but Gonchar is already 40 years old and Markov is not too far behind at 36 years old. Montreal needs to get younger on the blueline.

Montreal’s biggest problem may be their own expectations. They are expected to compete for the Stanley Cup and their fans are tired of watching it slip away. But, as most teams learn it takes more than strong goaltending to win. The Canadiens are building and given time I think we will hear their name spoken with other contenders. It’s just not this year.

Boston Bruins: The Bruins are a bit of a mess this season. The have had trouble finding the net and Zdeno Chara is not playing like the Chara of old. Boston is only surviving on goaltending. Tuukka Rask has been able to keep the Bruins in most games, but at this pace I’d expect him to tire down the stretch. Boston needs a lot of help, and I’m not sure they are willing to pay the price this year.

It seems to me that the Bruins are entering a rebuilding window and while fans won’t like it; it is something that every teams will go through at some point. Boston is seven points up on the Florida Panthers for the final wild card spot, and with the Eastern Conferance playoff seeding looking more and more set they may control their playoff destiny.

It’s time for the Bruins to start moving some big name players in an attempt to set the franchise up for years to come. Names like Chara, and  Milan Lucic will start popping up in the next year or so. But, this year I think Boston needs to sell so mid range players. Maybe move Daniel Paille out to a real contender looking to add someone with heart. I’d also consider trying to move Chris Kelly. At 34 years old Kelly still has a few years of decent play left, and with a shortage of centers in the NHL there would be a team willing to make a deal for him.

Florida Panthers: The Panthers have been rumored to be one of two franchise that could be relocated. Their new ownership has made some changes, but they have yet to get the on ice product where it needs to be. Florida has a decent roster, but they don’t have that big time star. Sitting with 50 points and playoff hopes fading away Florida is in no man’s land.

The Panthers have the goaltending and a future star on their blue line in Aaron Ekblad, but they don’t have much else. Ekblad is second on the team in scoring only two points behind Nick Bjugstad. If the Panthers want to catch up with the top half of their division they will need to unload picks and prospects; something I done really see them doing.

In Florida it is all about the future; the team is banking on high draft picks over the next two or three years to build up what has mostly been a terrible NHL franchise.

Toronto Maple Leafs: If this was a pretender or contender article the Maple Leafs would sit on top my pretender board, but as this is about NHL trade rumors, and what is anything a team should do I’ll move on. Toronto’s biggest problem may very well it Toronto. The media pressure and fan pressure is out of control, and their front office is scrambling to find their footing.

With 47 points and a six game losing streak this season is over for the leafs and as a mid-level team I don’t think being active at the deadline is in the cards for Toronto.

I’ve said before moving JVR could bring back some very high draft picks, but as some Maple Leafs fans have said that will never happen. But looking the roster I’m not seeing many players that would bring a great return. So, it would seem that the Maple Leafs have created what will become a few more years of being stuck in the middle of the pack.

Overall Toronto should try to sell and attempt to build a stronger more balanced team, but as NHL fans know they do always think like most teams do.

Ottawa Senators: With 47 points the Senators are hopeful but will fall way short of the playoffs. They are what their record says; a .500 team and unless they find a way to add scoring and defense they will continue to be on the outside looking in.

The Senators are so average even their goal differential is near ever (-2). If I didn’t know any better I’d say trade everyone. A possible move would be to ship to Kyle Turris. I know, why trade away the Senators third leading scorer? Well, I think if you package a mid round pick with Turris you can tun his 29 points into a 20 goal scorer and maybe 35-40 points.

Ottawa has potential, the challenge will be to get the roster to live up to that potential.

Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo is riding an epic 12 game losing streak, and in what I can only call one of the most painful teams to watch in NHL history the Sabres will sell, and we could be talking a good old fashion fire sale. Buffalo may not be tanking,  but they are not a NHL team this season. They have some very interesting players that could be moved.

The problem as I see it is the Sabres have set the price very high on most of their players. With that being said there is not a player on the roster that can’t be had for the right price. Tyler Myers and Chris Stewart have been tossed around the NHL trade rumor mill a lot. Myers is going to require a team to open their vault and send Buffalo a ton. Something that I just don’t see happening this year.

With only 31 points and a two point “lead” for last place the Sabres are in full rebuild mode, and fans could be looking at one more year of crap play. It seems clear that the Sabres are willing to play let’s make a deal, but I’m not sure other teams are playing the same game. The Salary Cap questions may hurt Buffalo’s attempt to unload dead weight.

 Metropolitan Division

New York Islanders: The Islanders are right back on track after a sub par 2013-2014 season that went down the drain largely due to injuries. With 65 points in 47 game the Islander hold the best record in the East. If the Islanders are really going to make a run this year they will need to add one or two missing parts. It’s not scoring or goaltending that are an issue on the Island. But the addition of a few strong role players could be just what is needed to return this once great franchise back to the glory days of the 1980’s.

Like any other team looking to make a move at the deadline the Islander will need to move prospects and picks. The problem is the Islanders don’t have a first round pick in the up coming draft, and trading away their 2016 first round pick would just be dumb. Instead I’m looking for the Islanders to make mid round moves or look for an even player for player swap.

I’d look to move a player like Anders Lee. At 24 years old the young center could bring in a slightly more seasoned player; something the Islanders will need if they are going to host the Stanley Cup in 2015.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins are among the NHL’s elite but they are also among the NHL most puzzling teams. Even with Sidney Crosby on the Roster the Penguins have managed only one Cup. As far as NHL trade rumors go the Penguins will most like stay the course and hope that on again off again net-minder Marc-Andre Fleury will need to stay healthy and not go into shell shock.

There are always trade options available to teams willing to risk it all to win the Stanley Cup, but the Penguins don’t need to risk it this year. They need to just sit

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back and evaluate. When you have an experienced roster like Pittsburgh’s you have the freedom to just play the game.

The Penguins are sitting pretty in the playoff picture and as long as the injury big doesn’t pay them a visit I’d look for the Penguins to hang around Stanley Cup talks. (Pittsburgh have traded center Marcel Goc to the St. Louis Blues for center/right winger Max Lapierre.)

New York Rangers: High profile, low returns? Maybe, the Rangers are a confusing team to look at. They have the talent and goaltending; yet they can’t seem to gain much ground on the Islanders or Penguins. New York has 58 points and is sitting in a playoff spot, but only by one point. Any slide and the blue-shirts will fall.

This deadline the Rangers need to bring in some hungry players with drive and playoff experience. While I’d say most teams in this spot should sit back and not be too active I think the Rangers need to be bold. They need to shake it up and get a charge going in the locker room. The Rangers roster is largely divided when you look at points with only Rick Nash having over 40 points.

New York needs to find some high 20 point scorers and they need to get them as soon as they can or making the playoffs may prove difficult to do. The rangers big spending ways could slow the process, but the right trades at the right value and NY could make a little run.

Washington Capitals: There’s a lot to be happy about in Washington. Barry Trotz has the Capitals looking like a playoff team, and better yet he has found away to get more out of Alex Ovechkin. If I’m a Capitals fan im not looking at too many NHL trade rumors. Not because the Capitals don’t need help, with 57 points and hanging on to a wild card spot they could use a boost, but finding the right player to fit into this roster will not be easy.

Washington unlike many teams has balanced scoring with only six players with under ten points. With solid goaltending and the balanced attack anything can happen if the Caps get hot.

Not unlike most NHL teams it come down to the blueline. Washington is allowing 2.55 goals a game, and a stronger more disciplined back-end could be all that is needed to tun this borderline contender into a true Stanley Cup threat.

Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers are a mess, and have been for a while. The hard-hitting in your face style doesn’t win you Stanley Cups. Philadelphia has struggled to change their game, and they don’t have the talent needed to be a real threat in the NHL.

As the deadline closes in the Flyers need to sell off some parts in an attempt to bring in a faster style of play. At 22 years old Sean Couturier is an interesting trade idea.  The former 8th overall pick has largely underperformed as a member of the Flyers. The team has given more of the same old stuff.

Year after year there is hope that this roster will click and the wins will start to come. But, it is becoming clear that the current makeup is not working. It’s the away record that is killing the Flyers (7-15-4).  This trade deadline is a chance for Flyers brass to rework things and start gearing up for next year.

Columbus Blue Jackets: After a much-needed successful season last year the Blue Jackets were attacked by the injury bug early this season and haven’t found a way to claw back. I don’t see major changed coming to Columbus via a trade, and I don’t see any reason they should blow this thing up.

If I was in the Blue Jackets front office I’d want to take a wait and see approach to the rest of this year. Columbus only has seven player with over 40 games played, and you can’t compete that way. Going forward this season will be about individual growth.

Any trades that come to the Blue Jackets will be from teams looking to raid a struggling teams roster and I hope the Blue Jackets are smart enough to understand now is not the time for bold quick moves.

New Jersey Devils: With a -27 goal differential the Devils have been riding a High Way To Hell this year, and trade and deals wont save them. With 17 wins and 42 points the only thing the Devils have to look forward to is the NHL Draft.

If the Devils are willing to move a player I suggest they unload Jaromir Jagr. His age aside Jagr is still a 20 plus point a year player, and he should get the Devils a 2 or 3rd round pick in return. I’d day the Devils are close to turning the corner but other than Cory Schneider there is not much to be happy about right now.

New Jersey is sitting in 26th place in the league. Not bad enough to be in the race for the bottom and not good enough to matter.

Carolina Hurricanes: There are a handful of really bad teams, and Carolina is one of them. It would be wise of their front office to find a way to be active this year. Carolina is facing a few issues.

Moving Eric Staal is proving to be impossible. Staal hasn’t shown much willingness to wave his NMC, and the Hurricanes are now handcuffed. Cam Ward‘s name has been talked about in years past, and came up again about a week ago. Moving Ward seems smart considering his cap number, but who wants an aging net-minder that no longer player to his contract?

If Carolina wants to improve in years to come unloading some bigger players will be their only option. They are not a great free agent destination, and I don’t believe they will finish the season as bad as they started; taking the out of the race for the bottom conversation.

 Central Division

Nashville Predators: I’m not sure what they put in the water bottles in Nashville, but what ever it is it’s working. The Predators are leading the Central with 67 points, and may be a real threat come playoff time. Nashville has found their groove, and the music city boys are giving the rest of the NHL a good old fashion butt kicking.

Looking at trades; the Predators will buy. However I don’t think they will be too active. Maybe adding a simple third line forward or two is all that is needed. They could use a little help on the wings. I’d like to see the Predators get a little more physical, and I think they will need to make that happen if they want to go deep in the playoffs.

With a home record of 19-2-1 and a goal differential of plus 34 any team coming into Nashville needs to be very careful.

St. Louis Blues: The Blues have the highest plus goal differential in the NHL at 50. If the Blue are going to get involved during this trade deadline they will need to be willing to give up a lot to get a little. The market is not a buyers one right now and prices are high. St. Louis is looking to take the next step and adding another top six forward could help them with that.

There is the possibility of addition by subtraction, and it might take moving Paul Stastny or T.J. Oshie in order to land the bigger fish. The days of the bigger better teams picking over the struggling markets may be coming to an end. It’s the struggling teams that have cap space.

St. Louis may be the third best team in the West, but as it stand now unless they make a strong move I don’t see a Stanley Cup in their future.

Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have been Cup contenders for years, and they spend money like it’s going out of style. I guess that’s the price you pay when you have two of the NHL best players.  While it seems Chicago has taken a small step back this season they are still dangerous, and I’d expect to see them try to add a player or two in the next month.

I think Chicago is feeling the effects of a stronger Central Division and they will need to look East in order to find a trade partner. As NHL trade rumors flow in I’d look for the Blackhawks to start popping up as well. One player that could easily be moved and may land the Blackhawks an experienced rental could be Bryan Bickell. The main issue with him is he is in the middle of a four-year deal with Chicago.

I bring him up because I don’t think it’s going to be easy to move a player that doesn’t have term on a contract this year.

Winnipeg Jets: With 60 points and the playoffs on the line the Jets need to be active. Sitting around a watching is not going to help them. Frankly it is going to take moving Evander Kane or someone like Michael Frolik.

The Jets have been a fun team to watch this year, and I think in the next few years they will only get better but this is not their year. Getting Kane out of Winnipeg would be a big step forward and couldn’t hurt.

If things go well the Jets could find themselves in a dog fight come the first round of the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche: I’m not sure who put Free Fallin on the sound system, but the Avs have not had it easy this season. Trades for them are about more than this season; they are about finding their footing going forward.

The trade rumors have been growing in Colorado and it seems like no name is off-limits. Ryan O’Reilly may be the biggest name rumored to be on the block right now, but I wouldn’t rule out moving Jarome Iginla.

Colorado needs to reinvent themselves and move big names is a fast and easy way to make that happen.

Dallas Stars: Sorry Dallas fans, you get what you get. The Stars hired Lindy Ruff and now you are seeing Lindy Ruff hockey. It’s not pretty and unless everyone buys in it doesn’t work.

The NHL trade deadline is not only about making your team better it is about dumping expiring contracts, and both Shawn Horcoff and Eric Cole are prime example of players that could be out of Dallas.

To be fair the Stars need a stronger starting goaltender, but fixing that through the deadline may not be the way to fix that.

Minnesota Wild: Nothing has gone right in Minnesota. The Wild hoped that they finally had a chance but that was false hope. With the third worst record in the West the Wild should unload Thomas Vanek, and maybe Ryan Suter.

The nail in the coffin of the Wild has been goaltending and road trips. The Wild don’t perfrom well out side of Minnesota, and their goalies just don’t perform well period. Their lone bright spot has been the acquisition of Devan Dubnyk.

With the Wild it has become better luck next season.