Bubble playoff teams need to approach trade deadline with caution
With just two days to go before the NHL Trade Deadline, everyone is looking to see what teams are willing to do to bolster their rosters.
While everyone is excited to see the favorites take big swings before Friday’s deadline, a few teams are right on the cusp of making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but might desire a piece or two to improve their chances down the stretch. However, it might not be worth giving up high draft picks or top prospects simply to play two more home games and get trounced by a true Cup contender.
On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Steve Peters joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to explain why teams on the postseason bubble need to be careful and not make a disastrous mistake.
Steve Peters: When you start to look at how close these playoffs are, on both sides of the East and West…You go to Anaheim, San Jose, and Utah. Three teams that have gone through a rebuild. They’re getting through the rebuild. They’re finally getting to the place where they’re competing for a playoff spot. But they’re not ready. No offense to any of those three teams, they are not ready to hoist the Stanley Cup. They’re not. I think internally they’ll say that. Outwardly, they’ll say, “Hey, we’re going to compete.” They’re still missing pieces, but they’re young. You can’t give up assets making a swing for this season when you’re not ready, when you have to play Colorado, when you have to play Dallas and forfeit the future when you are going to be better than, hopefully, Colorado, who has lost their older players and they’re out. [When] Dallas has aged out and they’re no longer competing for a Cup. Now Anaheim, San Jose, Utah. Because they didn’t give away their picks, or more importantly, their prospects that could play maybe in the next year or two, now they have those players, and now they’re the teams competing for a Stanley Cup.
So, I think it’s those tweeners that it’s the hardest [for]. The top teams, Tampa Bay and Colorado, they’re going to make a smaller deal, and they’re going to compete. I agree with you guys. I think they are the best chances to win a Cup in both conferences. But it’s those bubble teams. Be careful. Boston, man, you’re maybe not ready yet. You’re better than you anticipated. Buffalo, better than you anticipated. Don’t blow up the house just for this year. So, I do think there’s so many decisions that have to come in. GMs get crazy. They get that little twitchy finger going, “Hey, those guys just picked up that guy. They’re in our division. We better do something. Who’s out there? Who’s the best?” It can run away from you, and you think you might be something better than you are.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…
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