The NHL trade deadline has come and gone. Several teams were buyers in order to set themselves up for a stretch run in the postseason while others sold off pieces for draft picks. The draft picks are always a big gamble in hockey because you won’t see immediate success like in sports like football and basketball. Check out the rankings below as well as a information regarding what they did at the trade deadline.
| Rank | Team | Last Month | Team Notes |
| 1 | PHI | 1 | With the addition of Nick Boynton, the Flyers gotthe depth defenseman thatthey needed. Interesting fact: They do not have any games on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday this month. Look for them to cure their struggles as they have several games against non-playoff contenders. |
| 2 | VAN | 2 | Could they be getting bored? They have alternated wins and losses for the last 10 consecutive games. They have a commanding 15-point lead in the division, but Detroit is slowly chipping away at their lead in the conference standings. They might not make a move today as two top defensemen are still injured and should return around playoff time. |
| 3 | DET | 5 | The Red Wings couldnt do much at the deadline, but they did re sign Jimmy Howard to a contract extension. He may have a league-best 30 wins but he ranks 31st out of 44 goalies with a 2.79 GAA. They are slowly getting healthy players back like Mike Modano and Valtteri Filppula whichis making their depth even more dangerous to other teams. |
| 4 | SJ | 17 | Anti Niemi has a 14-2-1 record since January 15. 13 of their final 19 games are at home, which could make them a dangerous team in the postseason should they keep this up. |
| 5 | NJ | 28 | No other team has a better record in the month of February than the Devils. They went 11-1-1 during the month. They still have a tough road to climb back in the playoff race, but at least Devils fans have something to watch for the rest of the season. |
| 6 | TB | 3 | In February, they had the longest homestand in league history at 12 consecutive games. They went 7-3-2 in that stretch, losing to two teams ranked higher than them (PHI and DET) could be a sign they aren’t yet ready for prime time hockey. They did however, hand New Jersey their only regulation loss of the month. |
| 7 | PHX | 14 | What evil person in the scheduling department set up their schedule for them this week. They had road games in Philadelphia, Tampa, and Columbus in a four-day stretch. They allowed 13 goals in last two games, the same amount allowed in eight games prior to Wednesday. Let’s hope this isn’t the chill that flames out their season. |
| 8 | LA | 19 | The Kings went 8-1-3 so far this month with 10 of those games coming on the road. This week the schedule isn’t easy as Detroit, Phoenix and Vancouver will visit Staples Center. Can they hang with the top teams in the league? |
| 9 | CBJ | 23 | They set a franchise record with eight wins in the month of February. Can they keep playing this week in March? They are only four points out of a playoff spot, which isn’t too much of a mountain to climb. |
| 10 | CGY | 21 | Mid-December this team was 14th in the conference. Now, they are currently sitting in 6th place. They can’t rest easy as there’s five teams two points behind them. They might find a way to grind their way into the playoffs. |
| 11 | BOS | 7 |
The B’s have 21 road wins, counting the win in the “road” half of the opening series in Prague. The 21 wins are tied for the league lead, and their 46 road points leads the league. This could prove to be very helpful come playoff time. |
| 12 | WAS | 8 | The Caps are trying to make a push for the playoffs as they traded for Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott this afternoon. Wideman will provide depth and offense on the blue line. |
| 13 | MIN | 20 | They might have to place a classified ad to find someone to play center. Mikko Koivu and Kyle Brodziak are injured. The minor league callup to replace them Cody Almond is also injured. They need Koivu and Brodziak back quickly as they can’t afford to take any nights off. |
| 14 | NYI | 27 | They have looked nice in the last month considering they have more minor-league caliber players than NHL. Mark Streit hasn’t played all season due to injury but is looking to return before the season ends. |
| 15 | CHI | 13 | Chicago is trending upward just as Dallas is tending down. They will make the playoffs, with Corey Crawford in goal. 11 of their 14 games in March will be against playoff or playoff contending teams. |
| 16 | PIT | 4 | Sidney Crosby has been out for close to two months. The Penguins need to give him a timetable to return because there’s a 13 point gap between them and the final playoff spot. That gap can be less than five if they keep losing games the way they have been. |
| 17 | STL | 25 | Erik Johnson, Brad Boyes, Jay McClement and Eric Brewer. Those are players traded away in the last week. They are only seven points out but they are already stocking up on draft picks and prepare to miss the playoffs again for the fifth time in the last six seasons. |
| 18 | TOR | 26 | Ending the month 5-1-4 has put the Leafs only four points behind the Hurricanes for the final playoff spot. Toronto fans have been hungry for a winner and the NHL could always benefit from a Canadian team in the playoffs. |
| 19 | BUF | 25 | Acquiring Brad Boyes from St. Louis could be the push to get them into the playoffs. The ball is in their court as they have played two less games than Carolina, which is ahead by two points. |
| 20 | ANA | 12 | Of the teams clogged together in the west, I have the least confidence in Anaheim. When Jonas Hiller went down, they are depending on two goalies who weren’t on the team at the beginning of the month: Dan Ellis and Ray Emery. |
| 21 | EDM | 29 | The yard sale of Oilers players was complete when Dustin Penner went to Los Angeles today. They got a defensive prospect and two draft picks. One of those is a first-round pick this year, giving the Oilers like a top three pick and other between 18-22. |
| 22 | NSH | 11 | The Predators have completely owned the Blue Jackets at home. Since 2006-07, the Predators have won all 16 games on home ice against Columbus. It is the longest active home winning streak against one team in the NHL. |
| 23 | MTL | 11 | They didn’t do much at the deadline, only getting a third goalie in Derek MacIntyre. They had the cap space to make a move, but there probably wasn’t a player making $1.8 Million or less and someone who could take on Scott Gomez’s $7.3 Million contract. They have failed to win a Saturday night home game once since Nov. 6 (an OTL against Anaheim). They have one such game left, at the end of the month against Washington. |
| 24 | NYR | 10 | The Rangers getting Bryan McCabe Saturday is just what they needed. He provides a veteran presence and could be a big factor on special teams. They currently rank 24th on the power play and seventh on the penalty kill. |
| 25 | CAR | 19 | Despite being eighth in the east, they are the only team that has allowed more goals than scored that is currently in the playoffs. Not often do you see someone trade within the division, but they were able to acquire Bryan Allen from Florida for Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov won’t have to travel far to join his new team as the two meet tomorrow night in Raleigh. |
| 26 | DAL | 6 | The schedulers didn’t do the Stars any favors in March. They have 16 straight games against playoff or playoff caliber teams. They have to take it one game at a time, starting this week when they travel to each team in their division. |
| 27 | FLA | 24 | The Panthers used the trade deadline to look forward to the future. They shipped away four older players in exchange for two prospects, two draft picks, and former 20-goal scorer Nick Bergfors. |
| 28 | OTT | 30 | If an award was given to the team that won at the trade deadline, it would be the Senators. Bryan Murray got a head start on the future as they sent away six players and they could have as many as seven of the first 70 picks in the 2011 draft. |
| 29 | ATL | 15 | One of the teams that desperately needs to make the playoffs to give their fans some hope, they have fallen faster than gravity with a record of 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. They need to get on a hot streak as they are four points outside the playoff bubble. |
| 30 | COL | 13 | The Avalanche is dealing with a slide of their own. The night of January 18, they defeated Vancouver 4-3 in overtime. Since then they have gone 2-14-1, with not much to look forward to for the rest of the season. With over half the team going into free agency this summer, they can get the rebuilding process starting rather quickly. |
I have some issues with these rankings. EDM has no business being at 21. They should never be ahead of NYR or MTL. I also think ANA is way too high. Washington has not been playing that well either. Love the Top 8.