TO TRADE OR NOT TO TRADE?
That’s the question facing NHL GMs as most teams within sight of playoffs
Three months down, another three to go.
But as we enter the second half of the NHL schedule, the date on every general manager’s mind right now is March 1.
We’re still about six weeks away from the trade deadline and yet most teams spent this week holding internal meetings with their scouting staff to prepare for the onslaught of phone calls that are sure to start after a very quiet first half to the schedule.
“It’s that time of the year where the evaluation process is honed in and the needs and wants and desires of each team are discussed,” said Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. “You set out with some marching orders from there.
“I would suspect over the next 10 to 15 to 20 games, as you get closer towards that deadline, you’ll see chatter and intrigue pick up from that standpoint.”
The big question inquiring GMs will be asking: are you a buyer or a seller?
At this time a year ago, before all seven Canadian teams missed the playoffs, the answer was fairly simple. This year, thankfully, it’s becoming a bit more complicated.
While Montreal leads the Atlantic Division and Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa were holding down playoff spots before Friday’s games, the three worst Canadian teams — Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg — are still very much in the race.
The Canucks, who were tied for ninth place in the Western Conference standings, were only one point back of the final wild-card spot. The 12th-place Jets were three points back.
Heading into Friday night’s game against the New York Rangers, the 11th-place Leafs were only four points back of the Senators — with one game in hand — for the final spot in the Atlantic Division. Because of the league-mandated bye week, they had also played five fewer games than the Philadelphia Flyers, who were holding down the final wild card spot, six points clear of the Leafs.
As Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said Friday, “this break couldn’t have come at a worse time” for a team that is 7-2-1 in its previous 10 games.
“We had a pretty good run there and we did a lot of it on the road and played extremely well,” Lamoriello said.
“We certainly would have liked to have done better in the last game, but I think as a whole these last 10, 15 games we’ve played well.”
The next 10 to 15 games will be equally important. Though only five points separated the sixthplace team from 12th place in the Western Conference — and six points separated sixth from 12th in the East — there is already a gap forming in the standings.
The Sabres were seven points back of the Senators for the final spot in the Atlantic Division and along with the Red Wings (eight points back), Devils (nine points back of the final wild-card spot) and last-place Islanders (12 points back of a wild card) appear to be sellers. The same goes for the Coyotes (16 points back of a wild-card spot) and Avalanche (19 points back) in the Western Conference.
Based on how many teams they have to leap over to get into the playoffs, some might add the Jets to that list. But Cheveldayoff is not ready to throw in the towel — or start trading away pending UFAs like Drew Stafford and Paul Postma — especially with top goal-scorer Patrik Laine and defenceman Tyler Myers expected back sometime soon from injury.
“A lot of it depends on the injury situation for us here,” said Cheveldayoff. “We hope to get Patrik Laine back in the lineup as soon as possible, as soon as he’s medically able. And the same goes for Tyler Myers. Those are two key pieces for us in that realm.
“There’s lots of games to be played yet and a lot of discussions to have internally and externally before you can classify us or a lot of teams as truly buyers or sellers.”
The Leafs don’t have injuries to deal with, but are in a similar wait-and-see approach with a young team that might be improving with each game it plays — or could be heading toward hitting a rookie wall. If it’s the latter, look for James van Riemsdyk to get shopped around. But that’s hardly an ideal situation.
“Every team in the National Hockey League wants to make the playoffs. Anybody who tells you any different, I wonder what they’re thinking or saying and why,” said Lamoriello, who is aware of what a playoff berth could mean for the development of rookies like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. “So you do everything you possibly can and you know that it will certainly help the growth of players, the experiences, all of the above … that’s unquestionable.
“But to just do something for today, for the sake of it, or to pick up a few extra points, I don’t think you’re going to see that.”
When asked what he expects to see at the trade deadline, Lamoriello laughed.
“You need a crystal ball,” he said. “There have been years where we’ve gone almost to the trade deadline and you think nothing is going to happen and then all of a sudden one trade goes and it’s almost like dominoes. So you never know.
“Teams are very confidential as to what they are doing and they should be.”