The NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, but already some moves have started and the Maple Leafs are right in the thick of things.
Out went Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim and Kris Versteeg to Philadelphia and in came Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and draft picks.
So they aren't exactly blockbusters, but those are likely the moves to expect as the deadline approaches. Playoff teams will be adding veteran depth while the teams like Toronto and Ottawa blow up their rosters and take a mulligan.
The Leafs are still not as close as I'd hoped with their goalie development with the three-headed 'monster' that is Jonas Gustavsson, J.S. Giguere and James Reimer. It could be time to turn the goaltending duties over to the young guns and send Giguere, a proven playoff goalie, out. Look at Washington; they have been able to survive without a proven goalie or even a veteran to help develop the youngsters. There is no way, on paper anyway, the Washington defence is that much better than Toronto's, but it is working there with two young guys. They also have the ability to score more than two goals a game, which helps.
Ottawa sent Mike Fisher to Nashville to be with his wife. Although last season was a career year for him on the ice as well as off it, when he married Carrie Underwood, it was time for a fresh start for Fisher and for the Senators. He will not be the only one to go, the Senators will be moving anyone possible and no one is safe.
Montreal is comfortably in a playoff spot thanks in large part to the play of Carey Price. Who knew Montreal could rely so heavily on their goaltender and it would pay off? Oh yeah, that's right, it always seems to work out for them.
Clearly being a Leaf fan has turned me a little bitter towards the Habs' success.
The biggest issue from the past few seasons was once again brought to the forefront last week when they were beat up by Boston - team toughness needs to be addressed. You don't see line brawls often in the playoffs, but having someone there to stick up for the little guys or at least have a presence to be able to push someone around would help them. Hal Gill just isn't quite fast enough to catch anyone to push them around and he is very focused on making sure he gets the puck off the glass and out, as opposed to making a pass.
Edmonton appears to be on the right track despite their last place spot in the NHL. There is no need to panic in Oil Country yet. Obviously, there is room for improvements and some of the more experienced guys have to be a bit edgy come trade deadline day. For the most part the Oilers' look shouldn't change much at the end of the season. Dustin Penner could go as well as the Bulin Wall, since the Russian goalie appears to have some holes and isn't winning games on his own like he needed to occasionally.
With the departure of one Sutter, the Calgary Flames suddenly decided to play up to their fans' expectations and hold a playoff spot. Jarome Iginla is finally doing what he was supposed to do. He must not want to leave Calgary after all. In the Western Conference playoff hunt anything can happen. That has been proven time-and-time again in the past decade, but maybe the grinders in Calgary can hang on to the eighth spot. It should be interesting to see what they can acquire before the deadline.
Last but not least, Vancouver. The Canucks need the least changes since they are comfortable positioned on top of the NHL standings. They have two good goalies who will be the backbone down the stretch and I wouldn't expect Vancouver to do much unless they can pick up a veteran player who has won the Stanley Cup before, who is in his final year of his contract and costs the Canucks next to nothing. There are very few if any holes in the Canucks' lineup right now.
With so many injured stars in the NHL moving to the IR, the salary cap becomes less of an issue for teams, so there could be some action on Feb. 28. I planned my Mexican vacation perfectly. I should be back in Canada just as the deals are going down and I will have my Leafs hat on saying, "That could be good in five years."
