Sport-Blog.com

By Ed Jennett


Despite a shocking lack of publicity, the trading deadline of the NHL really is just around the corner. Due to the trade deadline being 10 days earlier than in 2004, there are less teams that are sellers and more teams that are buyers because teams now have a little more time to make the playoffs than they usually would. Because of that teams on the bubble are unwilling to have a fire sale because they believe that they still have a chance of making it to the postseason.

One factor that has not been as big an issue as some would think is the new salary cap. Since there is only a quarter of the season remaining, any team acquiring a player would only have to pay the remaining quarter of the salary of that player. This means that even teams with big payrolls can still trade for players that are making a lot of money.

At past deadlines powerhouse teams such as Colorado, Detroit, and New Jersey, and less successful Toronto, were always buyers. The smaller market teams usually wanted to dump salary and became sellers. Because they did not generate as much revenue as the larger market clubs, the small market teams were less likely to be buyers at the deadline even if they had great records. Since there is now a salary cap, the small market teams do not have to worry about their payroll becoming too high. These clubs can now become active buyers if they feel there is a legitimate chance that they can win the Stanley Cup this season.

An example of this was the Southeast Division leading Caroline Hurricanes acquiring C Doug Weight from the cellar dwelling St. Louis Blues of the Central Division. In the past the Blues would have been one of the better teams in the league due to their willingness to have a high payroll. Because the Blues had to stay under the cap they were unable to put together a competitive team this season. This made the decision to trade Weight, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, an easy one for St. Louis. The Hurricanes have always tried to maintain a low payroll, so they were not harmed by the salary cap. Carolina was actually helped. Since they were leading their division the Hurricanes decided to become a buyer and make a run at the Cup this season. Due to the salary cap, Carolina does not have to worry about its salary becoming too high. This made the decision to trade for Weight easy for them.

The Maple Leafs will miss the playoffs this year and will be a seller if they make any trades. Because they are very close to the cap, the Avalanche and the Red Wings are not likely to make any moves. Both teams would also like to protect their future depth. The New Jersey Devils are willing to mortgage their future for a playoff run this year. But the Devils are so close to the cap that it might not be possible for New Jersey to make any beneficial moves because players with high salaries would have to be traded off of the team to make room for the salaries of incoming players.

There is speculation around the league that there will be last minute moves made once GMs have had the chance to watch the last games of their teams before the deadline. So the handful of games after the Olympic break and before the trading deadline will be used to determine what teams will do, and if teams are going to be buyers, what needs must be filled.

Another issue for teams heading up to the deadline is what to do about upcoming free agents. The New York Islanders decided this week to remove forward Shawn Bates from the list for this summer by signing him to a three year contract. All-Star C Olli Jokinen has not been offered a new contract by the Florida Panthers. Florida has also not signed G Roberto Luongo to a long-term deal. With a horrible season and their two best players heading towards free agency, Florida has become the hotbed for trade speculation. Most rumors have Jokinen on his way out of town at the deadline so the Panthers do not lose him as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. It is believed that one of the possible destinations for Jokinen is Ottawa for RW Martin Havlat. Ironically the Senators will be in Florida to face the Panthers on Thursday night. If the trade really happens the players shouldn't have much difficulty reporting to their new clubs in time for the game. The teams could also hold a joint press conference. Although that might be risky as Florida GM Mike Keenan would probably have a hard time resisting the urge to slap the ear to ear smile off the face of Ottawa GM John Muckler.