NHL trade deadline

With the NHL trade deadline coming up on February 27th the number one question is, which teams are the sellers and who are the buyers? Perhaps at no other time in recent memory has it been more clear as to who these teams are with six days to go.

Every team in the Western Conference who is currently out of a playoff spot is a seller. Colorado and Edmonton sit 8 points back of Calgary for the final playoff position with each team having 22 games left. The 8 point gap may be too much to overcome given how hard it is in today’s NHL to make up ground in the standings with the overtime points that are awarded.

In the East, Boston in 12th place but only 5 points back is still hanging in there and may decide to make a run at the 8th playoff spot which will be fun to watch. Washington, Florida and Philadelphia are sellers, but the Flyers have already made their big deal.

So let’s look at the new “rent-a-player” phenomenon that is taking place in the new NHL. Last year Mark Recchi was traded from Pittsburgh for Carolina for the Cup run and then re-signed with the Pens in the summer. The same was true with Doug Weight who left St. Louis only to re-sign with the Blues after winning a Cup with the Hurricane’s. How good will the Flyers look if they re-sign Peter Forsberg after getting Scotty Upshall and Ryan Parent plus a 1st and 6th round pick? (The Flyers got a 3rd round pick in the deal but that will turn into a 6th if Forsberg doesn’t re-sign with Nashville) Did the Flyers whisper in Forsberg’s ear, wave your no-trade clause and we’ll make it worth your while on July 1st when we can re-sign you? Will Kevin Lowe and the Edmonton Oiler’s attempt this with Ryan Smythe who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season? I would if I was Kevin Lowe.

This new approach may very well be against the spirit of the new collective bargaining agreement, but there’s nothing saying they can’t do it. It may be dirty, but teams will and should do anything within their power to win a Stanley Cup. Hey, even in house league teams will do anything to win.