Monday, January 29, 2007

Supply and Demand?

1) Taking a look at the latest NHL standings this early Monday morning and one is struck how many teams are still very much in the playoff hunt. January is almost over and the trade deadline is a mere 4+ weeks away, and if the standings continue to stay tight, there may be very few 'sellers' at the deadline, and quite a few potential 'buyers', looking to add that final piece that they believe will cinch a playoff berth or Cup run.
2) In the East only the Flyers are out of it. The current 14th seed Panthers are a mere 6 points from the 8th spot. With 5 other teams in front of them its an admitted long shot, but it wouldn't look good for their fans if they were to fold up when the playoffs appeared within reach. The Panthers aren't alone in that category; teams that are technically still in it, but the odds are against them. The Bruins, Caps, and one could argue the Coyotes and Blues are in this category.
3) However for the sake of argument we believe any team more than 6 points out at the deadline will be a potential seller, then if that were today that would be a mere 6 teams! With 24 potential buyers, it could be a case of low supply and high demand, which could cause an escalation or a bidding war to ensue.
4) Of course the ever present trade choker, the salary cap, is still likely to limit a free for all of dealing. Either way this is going to be an interesting month or so. As always keep it here for the latest!

5 comments:

Stacey Schnall said...

So faux do ya think the islanders are gonna be byers or sellers? We need another good scorer to win the cup. who could they get?

faux rumors said...

1) Good to have ya back Stacey. Some have mentioned you in your absence. We guess they missed ya. LOL
2) Anyway, good question. However its hardly a unique question. We are asked just about the same thing over and over. Only difference is insert the name of another team into your question and its essentially asking the same thing.
3) There are a ton of rumors floating around. Some even include the Isles. However, we don't see too many deals taking place for another little while until more teams drop out. As we mention in our post, prices for the few players available might be steep

faux rumors said...

1) Now that Peter Forsberg is officially 'on the market' he will be one of the most often named rumored player to be dealt
2) We doubt he'll go to the Isles, but with the 2 trades already made between the 2 clubs ya never know
3) If we were betting folks, we'd say a Weastern Conference contender would be the most likely destination. Could a Forsberg to Calgary trade change the balence of power? Stay tuned. ; )

Antzmarching said...

a. Apparently, Calgary made the move they needed and wanted to make... Where were you on the Conroy deal, Faux?

b. By the way, this is an awesome trade for the Flames... Should make Nutz happy...

c. Hey Stacey, so glad to see that you have returned - and, its seems as though you found the spell check...

faux rumors said...

1) The Conroy deal was no surprise, but its hardly a huge deal in our opinion. onroy is NOT the player he was 2-3 years ago
2) His numbers have slipped significantly, and his age(36) is probably beginning to show. From a Calgary perspective they didn't appear to give up too much anyway. ANY offensive help couldn't hurt them
3) Overall this deal isn't going to tip the balence of power inthe NW division