Preusser's NHL Rundown: The Trade Deadline Is Upon Us

(Photo via nhl.com)

The trade deadline is April 12, and the standings are pretty much where I thought they would be at this time. The 52-game season is coming to a close shortly, and with all the pandemic happenings in Canada, these next few weeks are going to be important. 

The question is, who will be the buyers and sellers from each division?

Central Division

At first, I thought that Chicago and Columbus would be fighting for that number four spot, but now it’s Nashville and Chicago with Dallas not far behind. That being said, with the decline in production, I think that Columbus will be sellers. They are going to want to rebuild in a way to get ready for next year if the playoffs aren’t in their line of sight with less than 20 games remaining. This is the division where I think we could see a lot of changes within the next couple weeks. Dallas, Chicago, and Nashville will all be fighting for the number four spot. I think they won’t make any big changes because they want their locker room to feel confident going forward for a playoff push. 

East Division

The Philadelphia Flyers were impressing me at the beginning of the season, and I guess they had a bit of a market correction in the past few weeks. I don’t think that they are necessarily in the playoff picture right now. That being said, I could see them being either at the trade deadline. At this time, they are four points behind Boston, but I think the top four as it stands (Washington, New York, Pittsburgh, Boston) is what we are going to see going into the playoffs. Theoretically they could go for a playoff push and be buyers, but I am leaning more towards sellers at this point. 

North Division

This is a tricky one because of the COVID situation right now. Players would have to quarantine if they cross borders. It will most likely be two weeks, but may be shortened to one. This may cause fans to see Canadian teams trying to get deals done before the deadline, so the players can start quarantining. The top four right now is, again, what I expected and what I think we will see in the playoffs. Vancouver could try to be buyers and make a push. I think the top four in Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal will stay put with their players. They may be buyers if they need to fill a few gaps to feel secure going into the playoffs, but I feel confident with their teams as I’m sure they do too.

West Division

Considering St. Louis is only three points behind Arizona, though they have a tough schedule ahead of them, playing a lot of the top four in the coming days. With their recent playoff history, I think they could be buyers at the trade deadline to give them a nice push going forward. I do not know how much money they have to spend. The Blues are tied with San Jose, but I think that St. Louis has a better team and could compete with Arizona for that fourth spot. Colorado, Vegas, and Minnesota will likely either sit tight with their team or may end up adding a few pieces, but nothing too drastic because, as I said before, they will want their team to know they are confident in them. 

The playoff picture is coming together, and it will be interesting to see how it all takes shape. I believe the divisions to keep an eye on for roster changes are the Central and the West. Stanley Cup Playoff time is the best time.