Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

All About Agendas...As Best Seen In Pennsylvania; Deadline Eve Buzzcast

February 28, 2016, 10:26 AM ET [29 Comments]
Eklund
RSSArchiveCONTACT
just a quick note: I know some very sharp hockey people who are behind this upcoming fantasy hockey game, and they are giving out a few free invites to their beta. The beta will be free to play with some prizes. The creators of this cool new game have given me a few invites to give out. If interested > Click here

So far today I have updated Drouin, Downie, Bozak, Boedker, Kadri, Eriksson, and Hartnell on the Trade Rumor Chart

When I went to bed last night I checked twitter for questions and the first question I read said what we were all thinking...

"Will there be anyone left to trade on Monday?"

It is a damn good question.

The answer is: Plenty.....To get a grip on the trade deadline you need to first look at the agendas and the kinds of teams who are getting busy. As the Draft has become a bigger and bigger day for trades, the actual trade deadline has become essentially the domain of two distinct kinds of teams.

Contenders and Tankers.

Teams who believe they can "win it all" and teams who are fine with "losing it all."

There used to be another kind of team to look for this time of year..There was a time when teams would make trades because they were on the playoff bubble and believed a piece or two would get them in...not so much anymore.

And the difference between these kinds of teams can be a few points...look at one example..The Penguins and the Flyers.

The Penguins sit in a playoff spot, only three points ahead of the Flyers, and yet these two rivals from Pennsylvania couldn't be acting more differently.

The Penguins traded for yet another high risk/high reward D-man in Justin Schultz yesterday and a few weeks ago made a big move for Hagelin....a move that has really helped the line combinations and made the Penguins much more dangerous. All this of course follows the Kessel trade. The Penguins are clearly going to try and outscore everyone and they are going for it. They may still not be done.

The Flyers are right with the Penguins in the race, the teams play each other quite a few more times, and yet the Flyers are showcasing and taking calls on Sam Gagner and Mark Streit. They traded away Lecavalier and Luke Schenn a month ago, getting nothing really but cap space in return.

The Penguins consider their Stanley Cup window wide open and not making the playoffs would be an absolute disaster. The Flyers see their window still 2-3 years away and making the playoffs would be an unexpected bonus.

A few years ago if these teams were in this same position the Flyers would be crazy buyers over the next day...especially given the injuries the team is battling. The Flyers have shown no signs of being buyers...Eric Staal would have been tops on the Flyers list...not today.

We will discuss all this and more tonight on a special preview Podcast at 8pm tonight. Tomorrow we will be doing our normal HockeyBuzzCast Trade Deadline show beginning at 11am.




Try Relay: the free SMS and picture text app for iPhone.
Join the Discussion: » 29 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Eklund
» Best Night of Hockey Yet..With Drama, Comebacks, Upsets!..Picks;Wed's Buzz
» 12 HUGE GAMES. THE BUZZTRON TELLS YOU EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN...
» Buzztron 7-3 last night. New Tie in Projected President Cup; Mon's Buzz
» The Buzztron Wins another Night Calling Leafs and Rangers Wins. Tonight?
» Caps Get Two Huge Points. Pass Flyers on Projected. 11 Game Picks Today