It may be All-Star Weekend in Ottawa, but general managers around the league are well aware that Trade Deadline Day exactly one month from today.
So while the players are wowing the crowds at Scotiabank Place in Saturday's Skills Competition and Sunday's All-Star Game, the cell phone bills of NHL GMs are likely going to spike in the next 31 days.
The Canadian teams are no exception as some tough decisions will need to be made in the next few weeks. Which ones will be buyers at the deadline and which teams will be sellers?
The Canucks appear poised for another long playoff run, so they would fall into the buyers category. General manager Mike Gillis will undoubtedly be shopping for those missing pieces that he hopes will improve the chances of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are 14 points out of a playoff spot with 33 games remaining and general manager Steve Tambellini will likely be looking to trade away some roster players to acquire prospects and draft picks amid hopes of adding another cornerstone to the organization in June.
The surprising Ottawa Senators are currently in a playoff spot but that doesn't necessarily mean general manager Bryan Murray will be looking to make a blockbuster.
"(Dealing) would come with one caveat," Senators owner Eugene Melnyk told The Ottawa Sun this week. "Let's not lose focus of what our job is: That's to rebuild."
But while the Senators are in the enviable position of enjoying some success during a rebuilding process, there are three Canadian teams in the Eastern Conference that don't want to entertain the idea of not making the playoffs this year. The Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for the final playoff spot while the Winnipeg Jets are just five points back but neither team has made the playoffs in the last five years. The Montreal Canadiens are eight points back of eighth place in the East but the expectation of playoff success may be higher there than anywhere else in the league.
In the Western Conference, the 11th-place Calgary Flames are three points out of a playoff spot but appear ready to make a run at a playoff, especially after acquiring Michael Cammalleri from the Canadiens earlier this month. But an ill-timed slump could postpone that plan by another year and ignite rumours of some rebuilding moves.
So which Canadian teams will be buyers and which ones will be sellers? It's Your Call.
