Posted by Joy Russo
With the trade deadline just two weeks from Tuesday, there is lots of talk of buying and selling. The motivation is the same for both sides: the playoffs, either this season or beyond.
So, while many debate who will be active in the market, we're telling you who won't make the postseason in April. Sure, it's early, but it's still fun to play predictor.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
• Philadelphia Flyers: Like R.J. Umberger said after Monday's win over the Red Wings, the Flyers are now just playin' for pride.
• Florida Panthers: It's a shame to see Olli Jokinen toil away in South Florida. And Todd Bertuzzi is not saving this ship.
• Washington Capitals: Olaf Kolzig's knee injury, which will sideline the netminder for at least three weeks, kills any chances for the Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin can only do so much.
• Boston Bruins: After trading away Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau, the Bruins officially traded away Joe Thornton for nothing.
• New York Rangers: While the NHL is hoping and praying the Blueshirts make it to the playoffs (Tom Renney, too), we can't imagine fans would want to see it happen. Just imagine the Rangers potentially facing the Sabres or Devils over seven games in the first round. It would not be pretty.
• Carolina Hurricanes: The defending Stanley Cup champs haven't looked at all consistent since a strong mid-December stretch when they won five straight games. Since then, the Hurricanes are 8-9-3 and have posted back-to-back wins just twice in the new year.
• New York Islanders vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Alexei Yashin hasn't played since Jan. 30, leaving the scoring responsibilities to Jason Blake and Miroslav Satan. Meanwhile, Mats Sundin has all but guaranteed the Leafs will make the postseason and says he's never felt better. We're big fans of Isles coach Ted Nolan, but we say "Advantage Leafs."
WESTERN CONFERENCE
• Los Angeles Kings: With referee Kerry Fraser being forced to wear a helmet, Kings coach Marc Crawford now has the best exposed immovable hair in the NHL. Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov give us hope for the future.
• Chicago Blackhawks: We have dreams about the horn at the ol' Chicago Stadium. It makes us weep. Damn you, Wirtz!
• Phoenix Coyotes: The season started out a lot better for Coach Gretzky, but now, he and the team are bowling for draft picks.
• Columbus Blue Jackets: Is Rick Nash going to become the NHL version of Bo Jackson or Ricky Williams? Coach Ken Hitchcock has his work cut out for him, but will GM Doug MacLean be around to see the results?
• St. Louis Blues: When the season began, many considered 2006-07 to be a rebuilding campaign for the Blues. No one expected a playoff berth. But with Andy Murray's arrival (and the winning streak that came with it), Erik Johnson's expected debut and other potential trade-deadline and offseason moves, a postseason spot in 2007-08 doesn't seem that far-fetched.
• Colorado Avalanche: It pains us to say it, but we won't see Joe Sakic this postseason. Heading into Tuesday's action, the Avs were 10 points out of the last playoff spot. While Colorado has a 9-7-1 record against Northwest opponents (it has to pass Edmonton and Minny for a playoff spot), only 10 of their remaining 27 games are at home. That seems too big a burden for a team that has major goaltending issues.
• Minnesota Wild vs. Edmonton Oilers: These two teams are eighth and ninth, respectively, heading into today's games. They will meet FIVE more times before the end of the regular season, including two back-to-back matchups that are both in Minny. Crazy scheduling. If the Wild don't have a healthy Manny Fernandez back in the lineup and if the Oilers can pick up a defenseman before the trade deadline (Eric Brewer), Edmonton has an advantage. It has the ol' we-have-to-make-the-playoffs-by-the seat-of-our-pants routine down cold.
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