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So you likely remember my "Team Pressure Ranking" which took several factors into account including: Market Anxiety, Last Season's Disappointment, How Team Playoff Performances Have Measured Up to Their Regular Season Performances, The Honeymoon Period of a GM/Coaching Team, etc
(see here for more in depth details)
On December 4th I combined the pre-season Team Pressure Factor and factored in the performance to date this season, taking the last 10 games and playoff positioning into account to come up with a Team Panic Factor.
Here is a look at the ten teams with the biggest Panic Factor as of December 4th (and what they have done since)
#10 Columbus (made a trade with Washington)
#9 Atlanta (In Kovalchuk Talks)
#8 Edmonton (nothing)
#7 NY Rangers (nothing)
#6 Philadelphia (fired their coach)
#5 Minnesota Wild (traded for Latendresse)
#4 St. Louis (fired their coach)
#3 Montreal Canadiens (Traded for Pouilot)
#2 Florida (nothing)
#1 Toronto (nothing)
Now for the Current Top 10 as of January 25:
#10 Minnesota: The Wild are still in dire need of a move to change the scenery, and one is definitely coming...
#9 Boston: The Bruins are in the top ten of Panic teams for the first time all year. They are heavily involved in Kovalchuk talks and also have had their eyes on Dion Phaneuf for a while. The Bruins are looking for a spark. It was just last season when the Bruins held the best record of any Eastern Conference team in the 90's. They now find themselves in 9th place having lost 4 straight. There is talk of a trade as early as today.
#8 LA Kings: On December 4th things were going great in LA, but now there is an absolute sense growing that the Kings MUST make the playoffs. The Kings are primed to be the most aggressive deadline team here...not very Dean Lombardi. This should tell you all you need to know about where the expectations from above are. Jack Johnson, Dustin Brown, Alex Frolov....any or all could be swapped here.
#7 Nashville: The Preds have had an outstanding season and I still say Barry Trotz gets my "coach of the year" vote to this point. He and Dave Tippet have been outstanding. That being said...the Preds have shown that if you go .500 in your last ten in the West you will drop in the standings. It was not long ago they were on the Blackhawks heels and looking up. Now they are 13 behind Chicago sitting in 7th, with a Detroit Red Wing's team (lurking) getting healthier and healthier....only 3 points behind them in 9th.
#6 Atlanta: Well documented what is going on here. The Kovalchuk saga is at a fever pitch. Once it all clears out I expect the Thrashers to be aggressive in other moves to attempt to make a playoff run. Right now however, there are no options. Tough spot.
#5 Columbus: This team is too good to sit in 14th place in their Conference. Something has to give here and fast. A Ken Hitchcock team that has given up the second most allowed goals in the NHL? The Jackets are trying to trade for D-men and "exploring all and any options."
#4 St. Louis: The Blues are showing some positive signs, but just barely. They need scoring and they need it to likely come from the players already on the team. Players who are having whatever the opposite of a "career year" is. There have been some changes here, and there could be bigger changes by Feb 12. The Blues are talking to many teams right now. Trades could start sooner than later.
#3 Panthers: The Panthers are right where they have been for several years now. On the bubble. But there in lies the issue. You live on a bubble long enough....This team has not made the playoffs in a very long time and it needs to this season. The Panthers always make a late run. Time to start that now boys.
#2 Edmonton: The Oilers have really collapsed this year and the Hall Hunt is on in Edmonton. Like Toronto, the #1 team, the Oilers expectations have been down played. However, also like Toronto, they are in a city that only allows you a few mulligans. The Oilers are going to be sellers here...the future could be bright....but the fans need to see that the team is willing to pick a direction and head that way.
#1 Toronto: The Leafs are #1 because they simply have gone a long time without making the playoffs in a mega hockey town and this year they are actually "less" in the race than they have been recently. This team has to find some magic at this deadline. They simply don't have their #1 pick and can't sit back. They won't sit back. Youth is coming, but the deadline needs to be viewed as an important opportunity. They will be perhaps the most interesting team to watch.
More to come, as I am talking to sources over the next hour or so and will have my rumor update in a bit.
Interested in the "Most Tradeable Players" and where they may be heading? To see more exact details and percentages constantly changing based on my conversations throughout the day visit
The NHL Trade Rumor Chart. Your support is greatly appreciated.
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