With players en route to Los Angeles or a quiet beach somewhere, it’s the perfect time for some All-Star break grades and trade deadline plans for every team:
This is a veteran team that has done a good job of lying in the weeds, with every intention of peaking at the right time.
This thought from Ryan Kesler sums up the attitude in that room: “We know we just have to get our foot in the door and the playoffs are a whole new ballgame.”
Grade at the break: B+
Trade deadline status: The Ducks are a buyer, but with salary-cap concerns, which makes a traditional hockey trade more likely.
It’s hard to compete in the West without centers, and the Coyotes have had to backfill that position by working the waiver wires. The hope in Arizona was that the team would take a step forward this season, but it hasn’t happened. Once Martin Hanzal gets traded, it’s going to get worse. The good news is, this organization is loaded with prospects.
Grade: D
Trade deadline status: Seller that knows full well it’s one of the few sellers on the market.
A win against the Penguins means the Bruins sit in third place in the Atlantic. There’s been a lot of speculation about Claude Julien’s job, but this is just about where this team should be sitting as constructed. We’re firmly in the corner that it would be a mistake to fire him.
Grade: C+
Trade deadline status: Buyers. The Bruins should look to add, but not in the rental market. If there’s a major addition to be made either defensively or on the wing, that should be the focus. They have the assets to do it.
Coach Dan Bylsma deserves credit for keeping this team scraping along during all the injuries. Jack Eichel has been great, and probably underappreciated since returning to the lineup. He’s up to 0.81 points per game this season after finishing last season at 0.69, and if his current goal-scoring pace was projected for an 82-game season, he’d finish with 38 goals.
Grade: C+
Trade deadline status: Hold tight, for now. The Sabres have already received calls on Dmitry Kulikov and aren’t going to do anything that departs from the long-term plans in Buffalo.
The Flames got a win on Thursday while limping into the break, responding well to coach Glen Gulutzan’s public criticism of their recent effort. It’s been a strange season in Calgary, where Johnny Gaudreau is dealing with a large minus next to his name, and Brian Elliott is struggling after leaving St. Louis. But Calgary is in a playoff spot and should be better after the All-Star break.
Grade: B-
Trade deadline status: Buyers. The Flames wouldn’t mind adding help both at defense and forward to keep the progress moving in the right direction.
Just when it looked like the Hurricanes were ready to make a playoff push, they checked out early before the break, losing five consecutive games. It’s a chance to reset a bit and start over, and this team has shown glimpses of progress that should be encouragement to stay the course in Carolina. If nothing else, this team has the most dominant penalty kill in hockey. That’s a start.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: Major hockey trade candidates. It’s believed that the Hurricanes like the Colorado forwards, especially Gabriel Landeskog, and they have the young defensemen to pull off that kind of trade.
The Blackhawks just keep on trucking. Jonathan Toews wiped out a slow start offensively and has been productive in January with 10 points in 12 games. Artemi Panarin has officially moved into star status, and Marian Hossa found the fountain of youth. With the West as weak as it’s been in years, they have every opportunity to make another run.
Grade: B
Trade deadline status: Buyer. GM Stan Bowman has indicated that he wants to give his young players a shot up front to fill in around the Blackhawks' stars. With the draft in Chicago this summer, he’s going to be tempted to hold on to his draft picks, but this team could still use another winger, and those are usually easy to find at the deadline.
It’s a complete disaster in Colorado. They are simply the biggest disappointment in hockey this season. Any notion that the struggles were because of head coach Patrick Roy have been completely wiped out; the problem is much bigger than that.
Grade: F
Trade deadline status: Sellers. Jarome Iginla should get moved before the deadline, while Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog will draw interest. Big deals like that are typically easier to make in the offseason, but Colorado is listening.
The Blue Jackets have tapered off a little since their near-historic winning streak, but they’ve still exceeded every expectation. They’ve got a killer power play, great goaltending, outstanding coaching and one of the best young players in the game in Zach Werenski. The only question now is whether or not this team is good enough to make a playoff run.
Grade: A+
Trade deadline status: Buyers. There may be a trade to be made with one of the goalies behind Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets also wouldn’t mind adding a veteran forward if they think it’s an upgrade over their current players.
Nobody was crushed more by significant injuries this season than the Stars. It’s been a rough go in Dallas, derailing what was a promising season after last year’s exciting postseason. There’s still enough talent here to sneak into the playoffs, and at that point anything can happen. But this has the feeling more of a transition year in Dallas than a spring in which the Stars are going to make noise.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: They should sell. They may not, but they should. They have veterans on expiring contracts that contending teams will covet, and enough young players in the system to withstand the short-term impact of losing those players.
The most impressive playoff streak in sports is in serious jeopardy. Injuries, disarray on defense and the regression of Petr Mrazek in goal have derailed playoff hopes in Detroit, which might be just fine for an organization that could use a shot at elite talent at the top of the draft. The fans in Detroit seem ready for a bit of a rebuild, and they might get their wish.
Grade: C-
Trade deadline status: Sellers. GM Ken Holland will give his team a shot, but there are too many teams to pass before the deadline. Detroit likes Thomas Vanek and would consider re-signing him, but the price has to be perfect. The better move is a trade, and then circling back in the summer. Brendan Smith will have value on the market as a younger defenseman who can skate. There are few untouchables on this roster.
Todd McLellan has his team in a really good place at the break, tied for first place in the Pacific with 64 points. Connor McDavid is a Hart Trophy leader, and Leon Draisaitl is a budding star. It took years to get to this point, but the Oilers are a playoff team capable of making a run this spring.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyers. They liked Kevin Shattenkirk in the past, and he still fits a need. The challenge is persuading him to stay in Edmonton long term to make the deal worthwhile. Either way, the Oilers could still use help on defense.
It has certainly been a strange season for the Panthers, who are the Eastern Conference version of the Stars. Injuries have crushed them, and a season that started with great promise has been stuck in neutral.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: Hold tight. No need to do much of anything, although the Panthers are one of the few teams with significant cap space and the ability to use it. That makes them a bit of a wild card.
They enter the break outside a playoff spot, but you have to admire the way the Kings have battled this season without Jonathan Quick and with Anze Kopitar struggling offensively. They are a candidate to make a push after the break -- if they can get healthy and catch a few breaks.
Grade: B
Trade deadline status: Potential buyer. GM Dean Lombardi has resisted the temptation this long to get another goalie, but it might not hurt to get insurance in goal for the stretch run if the price is right.
Bruce Boudreau is a Jack Adams contender. Devan Dubnyk is the front-runner to win the Vezina Trophy, and Eric Staal was the best offseason signing of the summer. So, yeah, things are going pretty well in Minnesota.
Grade: A+
Trade deadline status: Buyer. GM Chuck Fletcher has never been afraid to make a deal at the deadline, and he may see an opportunity this year in a weak Western Conference to take advantage.
There might not have been a coach/GM combination under more heat entering the season than Michel Therrien and Marc Bergevin following last season’s disaster and the trade of P.K. Subban. Things have worked out quite well for both. If Staal is the best offseason signing, Alexander Radulov is a close second. He’s been great in Montreal.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyer. The Canadiens have been connected to Martin Hanzal of the Coyotes, and Bergevin is usually pretty active at the deadline with smart trades.
This is one of the few teams that probably wanted to keep playing rather than taking a break. Subban is back from injury, and the Predators are playing some of their best hockey of the season. They’ve climbed into third place in the Central and have a real chance to distance themselves from the teams behind them. It was a slow start, but they’re trending the right way.
Grade: B-
Trade deadline status: Buyer. They need some more scoring up front, and we know full well GM David Poile isn’t afraid to deal. He’ll be in the middle of the action.
They enter the break in last place in the Eastern Conference after a promising start to the season. Cory Schneider has been uncharacteristically average this season. As much as Taylor Hall has brought to the team, they miss Adam Larsson on defense.
Grade: C-
Trade deadline status: Seller. GM Ray Shero still has some building to do in New Jersey.
The change behind the bench has breathed life into the Islanders, who suddenly find themselves just five points out of a wild-card spot. We’re not going to bet against John Tavares just yet, but the overall picture with the Islanders this season hasn’t been pretty. They’ve been one of the bigger disappointments.
Grade: C-
Trade deadline status: Buyer with a caveat. GM Garth Snow should look hard to make a trade to bring in a player long term to help take some of the pressure off Tavares. That may be easier to do in the summer.
The Rangers just keep on plugging along during a season in which it would have been reasonable to expect a step back. They’ve survived a rough patch from goalie Henrik Lundqvist and need help on defense, but this team still finds ways to win games.
Grade: A-
Trade deadline status: Hold tight. If there’s a defenseman to be had, GM Jeff Gorton should take a look, but this isn’t the year for the Rangers to make a deadline splash.
The Senators have quietly been one of hockey’s better stories, with Guy Boucher’s return to the NHL resulting in a 58-point performance before the break, good enough for second in the Atlantic.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyers. They’d like to add another forward, and the players have earned the right to get some help from management.
It’s been an uneven season so far for the Flyers, who won three consecutive games before the break to slide into a wild-card spot. It’s hard to figure out what to make of this group, which ran off a bunch of wins and then looked like a different team for stretches after that.
Grade: B-
Trade deadline status: GM Ron Hextall has had pretty amazing self-control in terms of sticking to the long-term plan, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sell on defense, especially considering the young defensemen ready to go in the system. He could pull it off without impacting the Flyers' playoff chances too much.
The Penguins kind of limped into the break, and we’ll cut them some slack considering all this team has accomplished in the last calendar year. They may be in third in the Metropolitan, but they join the Capitals as the East’s best Stanley Cup candidates.
Grade: B
Trade deadline status: Buyers. GM Jim Rutherford still has to figure out what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury, with a deal before the deadline coming with the advantage of clearing up cap space and giving Rutherford flexibility to make another addition or two.
The loss of David Backes, Brian Elliott, Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott has been felt, with the Blues not playing the consistent, systematic hockey to which we’ve grown accustomed. The result has been a harder job for the goalies and has contributed to the struggles of Jake Allen. It’s strange to see a minus-14 goal differential next to the Blues at the break.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: Sellers. This team hasn’t given GM Doug Armstrong any reason to hang on to Kevin Shattenkirk. He could justify losing Shattenkirk for nothing if it came with a long playoff run, like the Blues enjoyed last year, but that seems unlikely. They need to capitalize on the deadline’s best trade asset in Shattenkirk.
There was no hangover for the Stanley Cup finalists, a credit to coach Peter DeBoer. The Sharks would be my pick right now to represent the West, and Brent Burns should win the Norris. It’s been a good season so far for San Jose.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyers. GM Doug Wilson will make a deal to boost this team. There’s no reason not to load up for a Cup run in San Jose.
This is another team crushed by injuries, starting with captain Steven Stamkos, and they haven’t gotten the goaltending to bail them out. The bet here is they still find a way to get into the playoffs if they get some help on the injury front.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: Buyers. If GM Steve Yzerman can find a way to add a right-handed shooting defenseman and the Lightning can eke into the playoffs, they become the team nobody wants to play in the postseason.
This is the next great team in hockey, with both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner exceeding the most optimistic expectations heading into the All-Star break. The young talent gets a lot of attention, but Frederik Andersen’s play in goal is another big reason for the success in Toronto. They’re still a year away from being a true Stanley Cup contender, but things are happening fast in Toronto.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyers. Toronto needs help on defense, and if there’s a way to add a defenseman who can be a part of the long-term solution, the Maple Leafs should do it. This is a perfect fit for Shattenkirk.
Coach Willie Desjardins has this team one point out of a playoff spot, which is much better than anyone expected. The Canucks are simultaneously trying to win while working in young talent, and that’s not an easy task. Right now, they’re kind of pulling it off.
Grade: B
Trade deadline status: Sellers. It’s still about the big picture in Vancouver, so if GM Jim Benning can keep adding young talent while trading veterans, he should do it.
The Capitals made their triumphant arrival on the national scene by ending the Blue Jackets' win streak and taking off from there. This team is a machine right now, with all the necessary pieces to win a Stanley Cup.
Grade: A
Trade deadline status: Buyers. A few weeks ago, you got the sense that the Capitals were willing to make a big move to bolster their Cup chances, but now that things are going so well, it may not be necessary. GM Brian MacLellan has to weigh the benefit of adding talent with possibly upsetting chemistry. Cap space is an issue too.
This team can’t quite get everything clicking at the same time. There is so much great, young talent on the roster, and they seem close to making a leap, but they haven’t been getting the goaltending to make it happen.
Grade: C
Trade deadline status: GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is exceedingly patient and isn’t going to do anything to upset the long-term plans in Winnipeg, but the time could be right for a move in goal.