Post by Eklund on Feb 24, 2013 21:46:34 GMT -8
The Columbus Blue Jackets currently sit in 12th place (Feb 22nd standing update) and are 3 games back from a playoff spot. With an aggressive GM in Columbus, he has shipped away all 3 pieces included in the Rick Nash blockbuster a couple of years ago and has brought in some up and coming and elite talent in Lars Eller and Bobby Ryan. The team has played good hockey ever since the acquisitions and have looked like a team that has finally been able to score consistently on a nightly basis. The goaltending situation from the beginning of the year has yet to be solved and Mason is still a Blue Jacket, with the trade deadline upon us, will Mason be shipped for a top 6 forward? Or will the market prove unneeded for a goalie with some upside? Guess we’ll find out in the coming weeks.
The Nashville Predators have definitely been a pleasant surprise halfway through season 2. After finishing in the basement of the Western Confernce of season 1, the Predators find themselves in 2nd place halfway through the season. The signing of Alex Semin has made up for any goaltending shortcomings analysts thought the Preds would face this year as Semin is top 5 in the points department and leads the league in goals scored. The Preds power play is 3rd best in the league and they are in good shape to contend for the Central Division.
The St Louis Blues have been an interesting team to watch on and off the ice through the first half of the season. The Blues GM dealt away long time Blue Alex Steen for Delonte Smith Pelley and the Blues struggled through the month of December and dropped in the standings from 2nd to 8th place. However, the Blues have come out flying in January and are undefeated in regulation. The Blues figure to improve the rest of the season when they get captain David Backes back in the lineup in late January, but is it possible that Backes disrupts this chemistry? And with such a young team, will experience be a problem when games start becoming more and more important down the stretch? We’ll see.
The Detroit Red Wings have struggled this season to say the least. After finishing 2nd in the West and winning the Central Division in season 1, the Red Wings find themselves 14 points out of a playoff spot. Although the Red Wings have picked up their play of late, it looks as if Red Wings GM is looking to rebuild after shipping Valteri Flippula to Nashville for Marc Savard. The big question in Motown is will they continue to be sellers come trade deadline time or will they be poised to make a push for the playoffs? Time will tell.
With former Ottawa Senators GM leaving Ottawa and joining management in Chicago, it will be interesting to see how he makes the adjustment of going from a playoff team to a team looking to get into playoff contention. With such a deep team, GM buhbigmarq will face some difficult questions with a 66 million dollar cap hit and areas that may need to be improved to make a push for the playoffs. What will happen with Patrick Marleau and Dustin Brown when trade deadline comes? Will they be moved to improve the future of the Blackhawks or will he bring in more talent to deepen the roster further? Anything could happen.
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