NHL approaches trade deadline

Who will be buyers? Who will be sellers? Which players will be rentals? Will the Detroit Red Wings or San Jose Sharks add one more piece to the puzzle?’

Will the New York Rangers try to ride it out with new coach John Tortorella or will they shed some salary by dealing high-priced veterans like Scott Gomez and Wade Redden? Are the Pittsburgh Penguins good enough to make the postseason or will they give up on the season and become sellers?

Who to Watch

Expect the Florida Panthers to deal emerging, top-flight defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to a contender. The Panthers are in a tough situation, trying to claw their way into a postseason berth. With Bouwmeester’s impending unrestricted free agency, he may be moved if they cannot sign him to a long-term deal before Wednesday.’

Other notable defensemen rumored to be on the move include Anaheim’s Chris Pronger, Ottawa’s Filip Kuba, Toronto’s Tomas Kaberle and the Islanders’ Brendan Witt.’

Up front, expect veterans such as the Islanders’ Doug Weight and Bill Guerin, along with Tampa Bay’s Mark Recchi to all be traded. St. Louis’s Keith Tkachuk is another power forward who could put any team over the top.

Predictions

The ‘Pass the Mike’ magic eight ball predicts Tkachuk to either end up with his hometown team, the Boston Bruins, or make a Western Conference team even stronger (i.e. San Jose).’

The Minnesota Wild’s oft-injured superstar Marion Gaborik will find a new home in Montreal. Expect the Washington Capitals to make some strides in surrounding Alexander Ovechkin with a better supporting cast by acquiring Guerin and/or Witt.’

Kuba would sure look good in Red Wing red – or is the black and orange armor of Philadelphia more suiting for the puck-moving defenseman?’

Toronto’s enigmatic center, Nik Antropov, won’t be able to escape the scrutiny of the Canadian media, as he will soon become a Vancouver Canuck.’

Chris Neil’s nasty game will only make the New Jersey Devils tougher to play against, so expect Ottawa to trade away the right wing.

The magic eight ball is drawing hazy shades of confusion in regards to Bouwmeester, Pronger and Phoenix center Olli Jokinen. They certainly will end up being moved. The question remains-where to? Tune in Wednesday to see how the trade deadline unfolds.