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NHL: Which Eastern conference teams should stay, buy, and sell?

By Jasmine Yen

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 15: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates between Kasperi Kapanen #24 and Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 15, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 15: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates between Kasperi Kapanen #24 and Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 15, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images /

The NHL trade deadline is coming up. Let’s take a look at the Eastern Conference and see which teams should stay the course, be buyers, and be sellers.

The NHL trade Deadline is meant for teams to get their teams on track. Playoff teams bolster up for a strong run and teams that are building for the future acquire young assets. This year, the NHL Trade Deadline is February 24, 2020, which is less than a month away.

Trade rumors are heating up and hockey twitter is full of mock trades. Here are three Eastern  Conference teams that should stand pat, buy, and sell.

Stay the Course

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs have been hit injuries to key defensemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin, this team does not need to give up more picks or take from their forward depth for a playoff rental. The two big problems with the Leafs are their defense and their back-up goaltender. However, Muzzin is expected back in the lineup soon and Rasmus Sandin has looked good when called up.

The Leafs limped into the All-Star break as Frederik Andersen played the worst hockey of the season. Andersen’s performance made all the Leafs’ flaws look worse than they actually were. As long as he can regain his play (he has had a history of playing very well in February), the team will be just fine. The team has the pieces to do well in the playoffs and as long as they can stay healthy and do better at playing team defense, they won’t need to trade for a rental.

2. Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have built a very strong team with Alex Ovechkin doing everything in his power to break Wayne Gretzky‘s goal record. They have offensive depth, their defense is great, and even though Brayden Holtby has not had his best season, Ilya Samsonov has been very good and the team helps out by scoring a ton.

The market for this year’s Trade Deadline is not that eye-catching and there’s no player available that will make a huge splash for the Capitals. Having Ovi’s 34 goals and John Carlson‘s 60 points is just fine for Washington and they should save their bullets for bigger fish in the future.

3. New York Islanders

The New York Islanders started off the season red-hot but have been playing .500 hockey heading into the All-Star break. The team struggles to score and it is their biggest and most glaring weakness. The problem with the Islanders is that they are heading into a big summer in which they need to make very important decisions. Matt Barzal is a RFA at the end of the season and will want a huge pay raise.

The team also will not want to give up more picks and prospects for a rental. They should stay the course and have a full season to properly evaluate the players they have before making any more big moves.

With four UFAs and three RFAs to deal with at the end of the season, Lou Lamoriello will need to make decisions on what kind of team he wants to build. If the team makes it to the playoffs, then Lamoriello can see what their biggest problems are against the league’s top teams and address them in the offseason.

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