Trade Deadline Preview: Eastern Conference

Atlanta Thrashers
Needs: None
Trade Bait: Slava Kozlov, Colby Armstrong
Cap Room: $9.944 million
Why they WILL be active:
If you believe GM Don Waddell’s words, he’s going to do whatever he can to get the Thrashers in the playoffs; they’re only 2 points out of the top eight right now. They have rentals that other teams would be interested in, so he’ll want roster players in return. It’ll be interesting to see what they do come March 3rd.

Boston Bruins
Needs: Goal-scoring forward, defenseman
Trade Bait: Michael Ryder
Cap Room: $1.570 million
Ideal Acquisition: Ray Whitney
Why they WILL be active:
They have to be. GM Peter Chiarelli can’t afford to see his team go from first to the draft lottery in just one year. Chiarelli will be looking for an offensive-minded forward and defenseman, as the B’s are currently last in the league in goals scored.

Buffalo Sabres
Needs: Top-nine forward/defenseman
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $1.828 million
Ideal Acquisition: Fredrik Modin
Why they WILL be active:
The Sabres are in a position where they can win the division and make a run in the playoffs thanks to Ryan Miller… but they are going to need some more help up front to do so. I see them adding a veteran forward with playoff experience, and possibly a depth defenseman.

Carolina Hurricanes
Needs: None
Trade Bait: Ray Whitney, Joe Corvo, Stephane Yelle, Aaron Ward
Cap Room: $2.281 million
Why they WILL be active:
GM Jim Rutherford is in a great position, as he’ll likely get a good return for Whitney and maybe Corvo. If I were him, I’d even think about making Joni Pitkanen available for the right price. The ‘Canes are looking mighty fine for next season and beyond…

Florida Panthers
Needs: None
Trade Bait: Anyone not named Booth, Horton, Frolik, or Weiss
Cap Room: $3.661 million
Why they WILL be active:
GM Randy Sexton has basically waved the white flag on the season already, meaning he’s open for business before 3 PM on Wednesday. I’m sure Cory Stillman and Jordan Leopold will get a lot of looks. What about Tomas Vokoun? There are rumors (with legs) out there that say Chicago is interested. He’d be stupid to unload the likes of Booth and Weiss when trying to rebuild, but this is Florida we’re talking about!

Montreal Canadiens
Needs: Playmaking forward
Trade Bait: Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak
Cap Room: $2.358 million
Ideal Acquisition: Paul Kariya
Why they WILL be active:
Either at the deadline or the draft, new GM Pierre Gauthier will make his mark on this team. You know he’ll try to before Wednesday, as the Habs have had injury problems all year. I doubt you’ll see Halak or Price dealt, but nothing would surprise me coming out of Montreal.

New Jersey Devils
Needs: Defenseman, depth forward
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $2.069 million
Ideal Acquisition: Carlo Colaiacovo
Why they WILL be active:
With the acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk, it means the Devils are going for the Cup this season. I doubt GM Lou Lamoriello is done, and would like to grab a D-man before Wednesday’s deadline. Also, don’t be surprised if he adds another forward for depth purposes.

New York Islanders
Needs: None
Trade Bait: Doug Weight, Martin Biron, Andy Sutton, Richard Park
Cap Room: $17.982 million
Why they WILL be active:
The Islanders are probably in selling mode, and have some UFA’s to ship out. Weight and Biron are the most likely to go, and Sutton will be valued with the slim pickings for D-men.

New York Rangers
Needs: A new GM
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $0.459 million
Why they WON’T be active:
We usually see GM Glen Sather be pretty active at the deadline. But since they already traded for Olli Jokinen and are against the cap, I don’t see them making more deals… even though Sather needs to.

Ottawa Senators
Needs: Defenseman
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $1.720 million
Ideal Acquisition: James Wisniewski
Why they WILL be active:
The Sens brought in Matt Cullen before the roster freeze, and I full expect them to pick up a defenseman, too. They are neck-and-neck with Buffalo for the Northeast, and a 2-seed isn’t out of the question. Look for GM Bryan Murray to be working the phones, as always…

Philadelphia Flyers
Needs: Depth defenseman, goaltender
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $2.550 million
Ideal Acquisition: Dennis Seidenberg
Why they WILL be active:
With Mike Rathje on LTIR, the Flyers have some room to do something. But what are they going to give up?? They don’t have a 1st-rounder because of the Pronger deal, and most of their top players have no-movement clauses. GM Paul Holmgren wants to improve his team, but he shouldn’t deal away anymore important assets.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Needs: Top-six winger
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $0.933 million
Ideal Acquisition: Alexei Ponikarovsky
Why they WILL be active:
Just like the last two years, I expect GM Ray Shero to try to bring in a forward to help Sid and ‘Geno. There are some decent wingers available, but he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room to work with. He shouldn’t give up a 1st-rounder or a top prospect, but a veteran pickup for a conditional draft pick (a la Guerin) would be smart.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Needs: Offensive defenseman
Trade Bait: Alex Tanguay, Jeff Halpern
Cap Room: $9.522 million
Ideal Acquisition: Joe Corvo
Why they WON’T be active:
With the current ownership problems, I don’t expect the Lightning to be very active come Wednesday. A smaller deal to help depth wouldn’t surprise me, but don’t look for anything near significant.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Needs: None
Trade Bait: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Lee Stempniak, Garnet Exelby, Wayne Primeau
Cap Room: $2.883 million
Why they WILL be active:
Even though he made two big trades to bring in Phaneuf and Giguere, GM Brian Burke isn’t done here. There are still rentals to be had, and he’s surely looking to add more draft picks to the cupboard.

Washington Capitals
Needs: Defenseman
Trade Bait: None
Cap Room: $4.469 million
Ideal Acquisition: Dan Hamhuis
Why they WILL be active:
GM George McPhee and owner Ted Leonsis have to feel the Caps are more-than-ready to make a run for Lord Stanley. They already have a talented team, but have a lot of room under the cap to make something happen. McPhee needs to acquire a defenseman to help solidify the blue-line.

*All cap room numbers are courtesy of nhlnumbers.com