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Most teams in the NHL have played in and around 20 games, meaning that each NHL team is about a quarter of the way through their season. Now these NHL teams are all run by smart hockey people. Well, I guess that could be up for debate depending on what market you live in!

Let's put the latter discussion aside for now and just say that each team is run by smart hockey people with some being a little better than others.

So where does your favourite team sit in the standings? Are they the top 3 in their Division? Are they a wild card team? Or are they on the outside looking in?

If you check back over the history books, the teams that are the playoff picture now, typically stay in the mix until the end of the season. For sure, they will jockey for position but for the most part these same teams will stay in the mix. So in saying that, you can basically
eliminate several teams right now. No matter which way their marketing department spins it, it is probably not going to get much better.

If you are under .500 for the season now, most likely you are going to be stay under .500 next month and the month after that.

Traditionally in the NHL there are 2 dates that teams, their fans and the media seem to thrive on: the trade deadline and July 1 (the start of free agency).

If you want to improve your team, build your team, add depth or character to your team – you have to do so by participating in these two dates. I get the free agent thing. Each team gets the opportunity to offer contracts to players that will not “cost” them any players on their current roster. It really does cost them because they usually end up paying way too much in both dollars and term for these Free Agents – but that is a topic for another blog altogether!

It is the flurry of activity around the trade deadline that I do not really understand. Back when I played, the trade deadline was in the back of people's minds but it wasn't really something that fans and media made a huge deal about each year.

By U.S. Thanksgiving, teams have been together for approximately three months when you include training camp. The coaches, general managers, scouts and in some cases owners have to know what they have by now.

If the chemistry isn't right in the dressing room, you better address it now. It's not going to magically get better.

Need a goalie to stop the puck more consistently, go get one now! Need a tough defenseman to clear out the front of the net -- I think this is still allowed, right? -- go find one that fits your team. If you need a forward that can score, pick up the phone and call the other GMs.

My point is why wait until the traditional trading deadline? Why not make changes now? While I realize that in today’s game there are a lot of “variables” that go into making trades.

But I have never understood why there aren't more trades earlier in the season, when you still have 60 games left to right the ship? Why wait until the traditional trade deadline in March
and at best you will have a dozen or so games to make up for lost time.

Happy News for Canadian Hockey Fans

I hear this stat almost everyday, someone either writes about it or includes it in their sportscast. If the regular season ended today, five of the seven Canadian hockey teams would be in the playoffs.

Big news up here: For most of the season, the stat has been six of the seven Canadian teams would make it. Last season only one Canadian team made it into the Stanley Cup playoffs. To have five or six teams in the playoffs this year would be tremendous for us.

It is sad to say that, once again, even though there is a lot of hockey left to be played, the Edmonton Oilers are already basically eliminated.

As for the surprising Calgary Flames, nobody – not even their hockey operations department -- had them picked for this type of early season success. It is great to see, all they do is work. Every
hockey fan (even any sports fan) should be cheering for them to keep up this pace and make the playoffs.

Islanders Look Like the Real Thing

This is kind of a lame duck season for the Islanders in Uniondale, as they are moving to Brooklyn at the end of the season. At least they are making noise in their final year at the Coliseum after years and years of futility with only rare rays of hope. I think this team is for real. They look deep, fast and finally seem to have a reliable goaltender.

It is especially nice to see that John Tavares has rebounded from the injury he sustained at the
Olympics last year. He is quietly becoming a genuine superstar in the league.

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