You know how you know things are going well for a team? When they come home from a successful road trip, smoke a division rival by a 6-2 score, and the coach describes the play as “sloppy.” That’s right—the team that scored six goals and pulled away from a rival that makes its living by shutting down the opponent, and the head coach described it as sloppy.

Such is life for the Anaheim Ducks these days. The Ducks scored early and often as they racked up six goals against the reeling Phoenix Coyotes.

It’s not often that a 13th place team will get a standing ovation for the final 30 seconds of the game. But then again, it’s not normal for 13th place teams to have 6-0-1 stretches either. They’re not just winning—they’re dominating. In the seven games, the Ducks have outscored their opponents 31-13. They’ve been the highest scoring team in the NHL throughout the first month of 2012 by averaging a full four goals per game.

Not too bad for a league that has most teams averaging under 2.50 goals per game.

Still, the head coach wasn’t positively pleased with his teams overall game. When asked when he knew his team would be able to avoid complacency and would be rolling again tonight, he said: “when Corey Perry scored.” For those keeping track, Perry scored with less than four minutes left in the game.

“Quite frankly, I thought we were pretty sloppy. [I had to] bite my tongue most of the night. They missed a lot of chances and we took advantage. We had four shots in the second period, we had two goals. The chances we did have – after they scored the goal, we had a good push, a good deflection, and got a good power play goal. But I mean, it wasn’t one of those barrages where we kept coming at them and we weren’t playing like we were in Vancouver or Calgary where we were shutting teams down. I thought we were a little loose. But, I mean, I’m not complaining. We still won over a good hockey club and we scored six goals.”

Again, that’s the head coach of the winning team.

One of the huge keys to the Ducks recent run of success is the secondary scoring the team has received from players not named Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, or Selanne. Against the Coyotes, it was the third line of Andrew Cogliano, Nick Bonino, and Jason Blake that proved to be the difference-makers for the team.

The three joined up for one of the prettier goals you’ll see this season. “It was just a pretty play of skilled NHL players. But I think the confidence part wasn’t on Cogliano, but on Bonino. Bonino, who’s getting better every game. Cogliano made a nice play to him, but corral a bullet pass and pass it back is a real tough play.”

Those are the types of plays that weren’t coming earlier in the season—from anyone. Now they’re coming from seemingly everyone.

The added scoring punch wasn’t lost on Boudreau: “[It makes] all the difference in the world,” he said. “Then the other team is talking about it. You have to at least acknowledge the fact that they’re out there. When you have a third line—earlier on, not one of them had a goal. There’s really not a thread out there. Then the fourth line, I think at one point, had one goal. So you’re basically trying to shut down two lines. If you have three lines that have been productive, then you just keep throwing them out.”

But it’s not just the third line and fourth line guys either. Over the recent run of success, the Ducks have been receiving contributions from everyone—defensemen included.

Speaking of the blueliners, “If they’re not a threat, then people don’t worry about them,” Boudreau said. “We need teams to be saying in between periods, or before the game, ‘you really gotta watch out, Cam Fowler is jumping into the play; Beauchemin is jumping into the play.’”

Anyway you cut it; things are going well in Anaheim right now. All 20 guys are playing with confidence on a given night – the stars, the secondary guys, the defensemen, and the goaltenders.

Just imagine what they could do on a night when they weren’t sloppy?

Scoring a hat trick is a big deal. So why do we say that Shane Doan “finally” scored a hat trick in the headline? Because in Doan’s case, it took him 1,161 career NHL games to score three goals in a single game—the most in league history. For those keeping track, those would be his 306th, 307th, and 308th goals of his career. It’s about time man.

Anyone around the team will tell you that it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. In a league that that reveres the title of “captain,” Doan has been one of the best captains of the last decade. His leadership is visible on the ice and on the bench; but it’s just as important in the locker room and on charter airplanes. He’s the unquestioned leader of a team that has repeatedly surprised the harshest of critics over the last two seasons. If you ask some people around the team, they’ll tell you that the secret to the Coyotes success is #19.

This is how the man celebrated his first career hat trick...

While preparing for a quick interview, I overheard someone say, “it all starts with that guy right there,” pointing at a cooperative Doan.

We always hear about how a team has a tendency to take on the personality of its leaders. Sometimes that means the team will take on the personality of an iron-fisted coach. Sometimes that means a squad will perform in the mold of an outspoken general manager. But ideally, a team will learn from one of their own—from a guy that sets an example in the room, on the bench, and on the ice.

In Doan’s case, the “leading by example” thing goes far behind the playing surface. He is one of the most cooperative, well-spoken, understanding guys that I’ve encountered in the entire NHL. He takes his time when answering any question and pauses to make sure he gives the best answer possible. And there are some guys that you just trust their honesty when they answer questions. Doan is one of those guys.

His reaction to the third goal of the hat trick was quintessential Doan. After netting his first hat trick in almost 16 years, he looked at the opposing netminder and actually said “sorry.” He was sorry because he tacked on a meaningless goal with 0.1 second left of a 5-1 blowout. After the game, the humility continued:

“I knew I wasn’t a lock to get it, and then the puck kept coming to me. They kept trying to find me. There was chance after chance. …It was getting embarrassing.” –Shane Doan (via Arizona Republic)

I, for one, am happy that he finally scored his first career hat trick. If for no other reason, it gave me an excuse to write this story.

Here’s a cold, hard fact that anyone who has ever had a job clearly understands: things get messy when someone is fired.

At the end of the day, management decides that it’s best to remove someone from the office because things would be better if someone else was doing their job. Think about how tough that decision can be for management. Think about how tough it can be if you are the person that is being removed. Your employer thinks the office would be a better, more productive place if you weren’t there.

Reality bites.

As usual, hockey has a way of mirroring real life. Coaching changes are usually messy. There is no one, magic bullet that explains all of the reasons that a leader was forced onto his own sword. Instead, it’s usually some toxic elixir that combines losses, doubt, unrealized expectations, and underperformance. It’s like asking a player why the team is struggling: if they knew what was wrong, they’d do something to fix it.

Just like in our everyday lives, telling (or hearing) that someone is fired is never easy. Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi explained that things weren’t any easier when he was firing his coach of the past three seasons, Terry Murray: “If this was just a business relationship… we always use the cliche, `This is business.’ But this was more than business. This goes beyond that. It’s always difficult even if you’re using the business approach. There’s a very good man here and nobody likes to be the bearer of this type of news.’’

Again, reality bites.

Why was Terry Murray fired?

It’s pretty simple—the Kings are sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference and they’re the lowest scoring team in the league. People on the opposite coast, in different time zones, and in the 300 level will throw out things like “losing the room” or “needing a new voice.” There are a time and place for each of those arguments when a coach is fired—but now is not the time and Los Angeles is not the place. This season the Kings’ management, fans, and ownership expected to win. And they expected to win a lot. When the wins weren’t piling up like most people thought they should be, it was only a matter of time before changes headed the Kings way.

Dean Lombardi said as much in his conference call:

“…I think it’s safe to say that with the expectations this year it becomes more result orientated. This goes back to—every situation is different and the challenge for a coach as well as players, when you have expectations, it’s driven more to results. It’s harder, at times, to look for those victories within losses. That’s just the state of the franchise right now. You could look for more of those things 3 years ago. But we’re trying to push to the next level. And it isn’t easy.

It’s a lot easier playing with the house’s money… I do think we’re at the stage of the franchise where you’re going to be judged on wins and losses and playoff rounds. And that’s where you strive to be. It’s a lot easier when there are no expectations and with every win you can get a parade. We’re not there right now, so it comes down to wins and losses.”

When a team isn’t performing and the GM feels like a change needs to be made, they have two choices. They can either go out and make a major trade to shake things up or make a head coaching move. With the acquisition of Dustin Penner at the deadline last season, the trade for Mike Richards in the offseason, and the Simon Gagne signing during free agency, the organization has made a commitment to bring in players that are proven scorers to help push the team from “playoff contender” to “Stanley Cup contender.”

Where are the goals? I'm pretty sure they're hidden right next to the wins...

When the team was underachieving, Lombardi felt that there was only one way to go.

It’s important to note that Lombardi must believe in the team or he would have made some kind of change to the roster. (No, waiving Ethan Moreau doesn’t count.) But Ducks GM Bob Murray summed it up only a couple of weeks ago in Anaheim when he made the decision to make a coaching change of his own: “If I didn’t believe that they could do it, I would have gone a totally different direction and blown things up and started all over.”

But why? Why have the Kings struggled with this roster this season? Is it the coach’s system? For every fan that complains that the Kings are the worst scoring team in the league, they need to acknowledge the fact that the Kings have been one of the best defensive teams in the league over the last handful of years. This year is no different.

The common line of thinking is that offensive can be effected by systems, but by and large scoring is created by talent. Defense? Defense is primary successful when the team buys into the coaches strategy and gives incredible effort. A guy like Alex Semin can wake up and score 30 goals in his sleep. But to have a team that keeps the puck out of the net for three consecutive years, there needs to be a certain level of heart, dedication, and passion from the players willing to sacrifice for the team.  From that point of view, the Kings are as good as they’ve ever been.

Lost his job, but never lost the team

Here’s the tough part for Terry Murray—he hadn’t lost the team. Over and over, we hear about how a coach has “lost the team” and someone new needs to come in to gather the troops with a newfound focus. That’s not the case in the Kings locker room. As early as last week, guys like Kopitar and Williams said they believed that they could come back from a deficit. Confidence is a huge part of today’s NHL; and the team believed that they could make a comeback. That’s not the sign of a team that had lost all hope.

The players have been playing with just as much dedication and passion for Terry Murray than they have for the last three seasons. Players that give up on their coach wouldn’t be willing to make those kinds of sacrifices.

Offensively, on the other hand, the Kings have been a dumpster fire for the better part of two months. Over the last week, the team knew they needed to score more goals and it was obvious that certain guys were gripping their sticks a little tighter than usual. Will coaching change the fates of each and every one of the struggling offensive players? Fans and the GM are betting on it.

But make no mistake about it. The Kings didn’t quit on this coach. The teams focus was always there—even until the bitter end.

I can’t say the same for the coach in Anaheim. That was a case of a team that had tuned out their coach and was ready to hear a new voice. Both Randy Carlyle and Terry Murray are good, successful NHL coaches, but both were fired for different reasons. Even though the losses were piling up for the Ducks, the main reason that Carlyle was fired was because the GM felt that the team had given up on the coach. He wasn’t alone in his assessment.

Some of us were there in the locker room. We were there at practice. We saw the games. We know what a team looks like when they quit on their coach because we just saw it in Anaheim two weeks ago.

Murray this week: “We’re in good shape.”

In Los Angeles, no one around the organization thinks the team quit on the coach. The only problem—and it’s a huge problem—is that they weren’t winning enough. Just last week, I asked Terry Murray how he felt about the team’s performance through the first third of the season with the increased expectations:

Let's run the play where we score a goal at the end...

“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Murray shared. “I think we’re in good shape. We made a lot of changes over the year. We brought in new players, veteran players and it takes them time. We were hoping that Scott Parse would be able to come in and really contribute to the team and that broke down. He’s out and probably done for the year. Penner’s starting to get going; he’s been through a lot through the summer time (and) getting himself to the level that we want. [He’s had] a couple of injuries right from the start—groin injuries and he broke his hand, so there’s a lot of that happening. Doughty comes in late to training camp, or after the training camp, misses the early part. There have been a lot of things, and I think that overall the team’s come through with an incredible amount of confidence. We’re in pretty good shape.”

Unfortunately for Murray, it will be another coach reaping the benefits of all the early season character building. He continued:

“You want to go back through statistics; we’re only a couple of points behind last year’s pace at this time. We’re actually better on the goals against [average] at this time—we’re four less than we were at this time, and we’re fourth in the league in goals against overall this year. Pretty good.”

After the offseason moves (and expenditures) the Kings made this summer, “pretty good” isn’t going to get it done. When a team is shooting for the NHL’s elite at the beginning of the season and they’re swimming in mediocre waters after a third of the season, heads are likely to roll:

“Every franchise, don’t forget, has different levels of expectations,” Lombardi said from Boston. “This team came in with a very high level of expectation, so that puts a different perspective in your room—particularly when you’ve got younger players leading that group. So it’s unique here, in the sense that you have the youngest core in the league and you’re counting on these young players. But again, these established players have to step up here.”

Here’s the part that should be a little more worrisome for fans in Los Angeles. There’s no doubt that the pressure of expectations are weighing on everyone in the organization. But when those pressures start dictating personnel moves that the team normally wouldn’t make—there’s a problem. Firing Terry Murray may very well have been the right move at the right time for the Kings, yet Dean Lombardi repeatedly insisted on Monday that it was a move that he didn’t want to make.

Is it a move in response to the expectations? Or is it a move out of desperation? It’s a difficult question that only Dean Lombardi knows the answer to.

Ultimately, most people around the team believe that the blame for the mediocre start lies at the feet of the 25 men in the locker room. According to reports, the GM blasted the team for forcing his hand with their porous play through 29 games. In a letter to fans, Lombardi said: “I told the players that the coach, who works as hard as any coach I have been around, paid the price and that they are accountable.”

Hard work isn’t the issue right now. The team is working as hard as they’ll work for new coach that may lead the team in the future. Murray admitted only a few days that the team wasn’t executing the simple plays for a full 60 minutes and the mistakes were costing the team. And of course, scoring goals is the biggest issue.

The next step is for the Kings to show that they are, in fact, the team that many people expected when they were making their preseason predictions. Is this the type of team that can make the playoffs, win a few rounds and compete with the Blackhawks, Sharks, Canucks, and Red Wings of the Western Conference? Are they capable of becoming that type of team with a new coach that can squeeze a few more goals out of the collective sticks in that locker room? Well, that’s exactly why Lombardi made the move:

“To answer your question, I think every situation is unique, but why else, in any sport, would you make this change unless you’re hoping for improvement?”

Whoever takes over the reins, the mandate is improvement. A point here, a victory there won’t get it done either. This is a team that is built to win. The boss has spoken and he expects better results—now. Like the office politics that we’re all used to, he thinks the group of individuals will thrive under new leadership. Murray walked the plank for the group’s inefficiency.

Now that he’s gone, it’s up to the rest of the guys to show that things will get better.

Rebuilding.  It’s an awful word to consider, especially when it’s a professional sports franchise that is hell bent on winning games and isn’t worrying about the bottom line.  Rebuilding takes a serious financial commitment, incredible faith and patience from the fanbase, and a little bit of luck (because there is no real guarantee that any sort of rebuilding process will be successful).  In the case of the Calgary Flames, they have much in terms of those three elements.  It’s exactly why all of the talk of trading Jarome Iginla (while he still has another full year on his contract) comes across as static noise to the team’s management.

Being a resident of the City of Calgary and also not being a Flames supporter, I take a step back and try to reason with what is going on with the club from time to time.  More importantly, I try to reason through the lens of all the fans that are around and how they feel with what is going on.  It’s not really hard to get a pulse of how the city feels about their Flames.  It is generally written all over the faces of the true supporters, the ranting and ravings of the casual fans, and the elevated levels of indifference from the corporate seat holders who are trying to show their clients a good time in the lower bowl of the Saddledome.  Things are not well here, but all three levels of fans hinge on Jarome Iginla.  Whether he stays or he goes and whether they want him or not.

This is where the fanbase faith is a real sticking point.

The Flames management knows that they cannot trade Iginla (or Miikka Kiprusoff for that matter) because they are the faces of the franchise. They are the players that everyone in the city pins their playoff hopes to.  As long as Iginla keeps smiling for the media and saying how much he wants to win a Cup in Calgary, the faith will remain on the better side of the middle. Most importantly for the organization, the Saddledome will keep selling tickets. While players like Olli Jokinen, Matt Stajan and Jay Bouwmeester continue to take a kicking for their lack of consistency from game to game, the fans truly need a player that can carry the whole city on their shoulders. Iginla has been that man in Calgary for more than a decade.

There is an element of naivety to the shouts from the casual fans that want to see Jarome Iginla traded away from Calgary to start the rebuilding process right now. It’s as if there is a belief that trading the captain away will make for a quick process to turn this club around.  As if there is going to be a team that is willing to trade their superstar straight-up to make the Flames better or change the atmosphere of the club.  It is far more likely that if/when Iginla gets dealt out of Calgary, it will be a deadline deal in 2013 to a team that wants to limit their risk with a future unresticted free agent forward. It’ll be a team looking to win a Stanley Cup that is willing to take his big price tag out of town.  In return, the Flames would possibly get one roster player, a good prospect, and a number of good to reasonable draft picks. It would give the Flames a boost in the proper way to rebuild this team.

No pressure Sven...

I cannot see Iginla getting moved this year. The Flames would likely get an underachieving, overpaid star in a straight salary swap if they were to move him this season. It would possibly be a player that would keep the team in the conversation for sneaking into the playoffs this season, but also likely an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. It would give Calgary the cap flexibility to do something more in the off-season and maybe a mid-round pick for their trouble.

There has to be a proper time to strike when the iron is hot. Here and now isn’t that time because the market isn’t hot for Iginla… yet.

The Flames dropping the bomb on this roster this season could be a disaster from a financial standpoint. If they conceded that the team can not succeed as currently constructed and rebuilding for the future is the best way to go, the fickle fanbase (both individual and corporate) will be more likely to take their money elsewhere from the Saddledome.

I’m not saying 100% of fans because there are a lot of real hockey in Calgary that can’t get their hands on tickets. Whether they are winning or losing, there will be those that will still support the ‘C of Red’ until the end of days.

It’s the big money that the team really worries about.  The casual fan that doesn’t come to a game that often, buys a jersey during their visit for a souvenir or the corporate groups that entertain their clients.  Those are the ones that may feel they are not getting good value for some very steep ticket prices. If the team doesn’t have anyone to pins their hopes to, well, forget about it.  It will take its toll on the Flames organization, possibly a pretty good hit to the coffers of the ownership group to which the faith in their management would likely be tested.

Call scouting and drafting what you will. Skill. Luck. A combination of both?  Historically speaking, the Flames have not had a great deal of either, but there has been some glimmers of hope with the draft picks they have been able to sneak onto the draft floors with over the past couple of seasons. The future of the Flames could very well depend on what has happened in Minnesota and Los Angeles over the last two drafts (and what is going to happen in Pittsburgh in 2012 and beyond).  If the Calgary Flames make any deals for draft picks or prospects for potential free agents at the trade deadline, they will have to lean heavily on their scouting department to find some diamonds in the rough in the junior ranks or players with skill that NHL clubs have given up on. They’ll hope that any potential prospects can adapt to the system that is in place by the current coaching staff, making their transition into the club easier and then translating that into wins on the ice.  Even if the team isn’t torn down and sold for parts, the management team is still going to have to be strong in the player development department since a lot of the good young players are hard to come by without high draft picks and/or lots of cap space.

If the Flames can find a talented fresh face that they can turn into the face of their franchise (someone the whole city can fall in love with and management can keep around for the long-term), there would be much less postpartum depression when they eventually have to say goodbye to the old era and great years gone by.  Calgary is certainly not alone when it comes to strong ties to hockey nostalgia in Canada, but if they can successfully do the ol’ switcheroo between Iginla and Kiprusoff to a couple of new young bucks, they could be alright.

Boy, I’d sure hate to be Sven Baertschi right about now, he’s right in the crosshairs for that job with an incredible junior season on the go for him in the WHL.  That is going to be a lot of pressure, when he walks in for training camp next season.

Trying to replace a legend always is.

This year we’re doing something a little different for the Trade Deadline. Every blogger out there is going to tell you who’s going to be a buyer, who’s going to be a seller, who needs this, and who needs that. And for the record, I reserve the right to do the same thing later—although it might just be more entertaining to make fun of teams and completely overreact after the fact.

But we wanted to do something a little different around here. This year, we wanted to put these same questions in front of fans who cheer passionately for their teams. Its one thing to hear answers from a blogger who follows the team and has an eye towards objectivity; but it’s something else completely when you ask the question to a diehard fan who cheers with their heart on their sleeve. We’re talking about people who watch their team every game, know what their team needs, and have strong opinions on what needs to do to get better. They’re you and me. Hockey fans.

What better place to look for passionate hockey fans all over North America than checking out Twitter? So that’s where we went—and here’s who we found! For the Central Division, we have Ian representing the Blackhawks, Aaron for the Blue Jackets, Jen for the Red Wings, AJ for the Predators, and Ryan for the Blues.

Hope you enjoy the project as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. After checking out everyone’s views, we’d love to hear if you agree or disagree with everyone’s answers. We know you have an opinion as well!

1.  Is your team living up to the expectations they had going into the season? Do you think there’s more or less pressure to make moves at the deadline because of those expectations?

Ian (Blackhawks): You get two things when you win the Stanley Cup: You get to skate around with a 35 pound silver chalice, engraved with the names of legends and you get a great big bullseye on your back. What you don’t get? An engraved invitation to next year’s playoffs and a hall pass to skip the regular season. This year’s Blackhawks squad has spent the season like they got gold-letter notes in the mail that said to show up in April and everything would be laid out for them. That have rarely displayed the kind of will, determination and heart that won them the Cup in the first place. They stand 11th in the Western Conference based both on raw points and points percentage. So, underperforming expectations would be putting it mildly.

This absolutely puts more pressure on the front office to make a deal or three before the deadline as having the defending Stanley Cup champions miss the playoffs would be nothing short of embarrassing. In fact, Stan Bowman has already started the process, trading the underwhelming Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and something called David Pacan to the Florida Panthers for the slumping Michael Frolik and Czech goaltender Alexander Salak, who’s currently tearing up the Swedish Elite League.

Aaron (Blue Jackets): I think a lot of people expected this to be a pretty interesting year. The new coaching staff was supposed to give the green light to the players to be creative and try and put points up. It was kind of a rough start to the year. While the record was good, there were high scoring affairs in favor of the opponents. Overall though, the Blue Jackets have hung in there and find themselves battling for a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference.

I think a lot of fans put pressure on Howson to make a move. He’s always so quiet with everything he does. He’s not a Brian Burke type GM to go out and make the moves.

Jen (Red Wings): Yes and no. I mean, you definitely can’t complain when your team is sitting at second in the West, but there is room for improvement. Injuries have played a part, just as they did last year, and the team has at times underperformed defensively. They also need to show up on time every game and obviously, there is nothing a trade can do to help that. We as fans are always going to expect our team to live up to their full potential. I don’t think that there is really any pressure to make moves at the deadline. People will speculate that an area that could use help is goaltending because of Ozzie’s injury. There has been chatter about defense as well.

AJ (Predators): Yes and no…and maybe.

The resounding feeling throughout the Nashville Predators organization is that they got knocked out of the playoffs by a great team last season, in the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. But just as strong is the belief that they could, and probably should have won that series and advanced to the second round.

It’s this feeling of ‘unfinished business’ that has driven this team since training camp. A deep playoff run is both possible and expected, not only by the fans, but even more so by the organization itself. Otherwise, General Manager David Poille would have had no reason — and indeed would have been foolish — to have given up a first, and possibly, a second-round pick over the next two NHL entry drafts, to acquire centerman Mike Fisher from Ottawa last week.

The Preds believe the time to win is now and they believe with the addition of Fisher they have the pieces. The obvious question is, however, do they have the scoring?

Nashville is an offensively-challenged group despite the fact that their roster is loaded with guys who can put the biscuit in the basket. A season laced with injuries has played a definite role in the Preds’ offensive chemistry, which Head Coach Barry Trotz has been forced to play around with like a mad scientist since the second game of the campaign.

Nashville’s prized free agent signing from last summer, Matthew Lombardi, coming off of a 19-goal season with the Phoenix Coyotes was touted to be a top-line forward, but has been out with a concussion since way back on October 13th.

Additional long-term injuries to replacement top-line center, Cal O’Reilly (broken leg), his linemate, winger Steve Sullivan (back spasms) and center David Legwand (a pair of nine-game absences), further kept the Preds off-balance, offensively throughout the middle portion of the schedule. And while Sullivan and Legwand are now healthy, and O’Reilly should be ready for the playoffs, there’s no guarantee that the scoring issues will subside.

But there’s no panic at 501 Broadway.

Ryan (Blues): Heading into this season with a new franchise goaltender, I was really hoping to see the Blues rebound after missing the playoffs last season. Perhaps I was caught up in the acquisition of Halak, but the 9-1-2 start was pretty fun, granted only 12 games in. Then the calendar flipped to November which derailed much of that excitement. Injuries to key players, inconsistent goaltending, lack of goal scoring – a little frustrating to say the least.

I would say pressure is starting to mount. Fans want to see results from this youth movement.

2.  Will your team be a buyer or a seller? What are fans hoping to see the team do at the deadline?

Ian (Blackhawks): Oh, the Hawks definitely WANT to be buyers. That said, we are in one HELL of a bind with the salary cap. Winning the Cup hit this team with $4million in bonuses that carried over to this year. Couple that with some highly questionable veteran signings (adding John Scott, retaining Nick Boynton and Tomas Kopecky) means that there’s very little wiggle room. Any additions are going to have to be value-priced.

Aaron (Blue Jackets): If they keep their pace up, they can be buyers for probably the first time in franchise history. For years, fans in Columbus have been calling for a true #1 center and a right-handed powerplay quarterback. I think that is what we’d like to see here to be successful night in and night out.

Jen (Red Wings): I don’t think that the Wings will do anything at the deadline. I am sure some fans are hoping to see some moves. I know some hope to see a trade involving the acquisition of a veteran goaltender or defenseman. I just don’t see that happening. Injured players are either back or on their way back. I can’t see Ken Holland trading away the future in order to solve a temporary problem.

AJ (Predators): Possibly both; they’ve already been a buyer with the acquisition of Fisher, but with a surplus of defensemen in the pipeline (both in Juniors and at their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee), as well as current defenseman Alexander Sultzer’s impending UFA status on July 1st, the strong speculation is that they’ll look to move Sultzer if the injury ninja cooperates.

Despite being yet another talented member of the NHL Entry Draft class of 2003 and a member of Germany’s Olympic squad last year in Vancouver, Sultzer has been a victim of the numbers game and hasn’t seen a lot of playing time in Nashville. As Nashville’s Examiner.com Hockey blogger, Jim Diamond, surmised a few days ago, the sense is that Nashville management would like to at least give Alex an opportunity with a contender as a thank you for being such a good sport during his tenure with the team. A decent, mid-round draft pick in exchange wouldn’t be too bad either.

However, complicating the matter is the still-unclear status of second-line defenseman, Frankie Bouillon, recipient of another of the more nail-biting injuries to hit the team this season. Many believe his status will ultimately be the determining factor in whether or not Sultzer is dealt.

Buillon is trying to come back from a concussion suffered versus Chicago on January 16th. Sultzer has played regularly and admirably in ‘The Cube’s’ stead, but clearly, the Preds would prefer to have Bouillon’s veteran experience and more physical presence in the lineup come playoff time. The rub is that it’s still too early to assume that Bouillon will remain symptom-fee and be cleared to play. He has just recently resumed workouts, and while that’s good news, it’s unlikely the team will know whether or not he’ll be good to go until at least the trade deadline at the end of the month. So I wouldn’t look for David Poille to let Sultzer go at any point prior to that.

Ryan (Blues): I would like to be optimistic and say the Blues remain buyers, but unless a 40-goal scoring Witch Doctor becomes available, I don’t see the organization being aggressive as buyers.

Realistically, a season full of injuries and a tough Western conference may be too much to overcome. I’d like to see them hold tight for a few more games. If the players go out and lay another egg like they did in the back-to-back against MIN, the organization must look to sell off the UFA.

3.  What specifically does your team need if they want to take the next step?  Which players/prospects are on the trading block and could be on the move by Deadline Day?

Ian (Blackhawks): Adding Frolik provides yet another flexible forward for Joel Quenneville to move up and down the lineup. My hope is he becomes the second-line center we’ve been seeking for sometime. Worst case is he fills Jack Skille’s fourth line role, a role he’s even LESS suited for than the departed Skille.

Our other major needs are a crease-crashing top-six forward and a sixth defenseman who can stay home, block shots and not give the puck away. The first of these could be filled internally: Bryan Bickell has done nothing but impress, even in limited playing time. Promoted to the second line, with Frolik and Hossa and told to do nothing but get in goalie’s faces, he could be a force. The defense problem is stickier. The fifth/sixth roles have been mostly filled by a rotation of Jassen Cullimore, Nick Boynton and Jordan Hendry. Recently, Nick Leddy has been called up, replacing Cullimore, who was banished to the AHL and Boynton and Hendry have been filling the 6th role. Boynton is a hot mess, despite his goal in Calgary recently. For every shot he blocks (and he was leading the league early in the season), he commits a God awful turnover, pinches inappropriately or gets turned into a pylon. To say his hockey IQ is low is to presume he has one. I still don’t understand management’s handling of Hendry, other than he’s a prospect from the previous regime (as was Skille). He hasn’t been notable when he’s gotten playing time; which for a bottom-pairing defensemen is a GOOD thing.

The loud noise you hear from outside the window is the riot squad beating down the meathead contingent calling for the return of the Atlanta ExHawks: Byfuglien, Ladd and Sopel. These three (along with Eager) were sent to clear cap space. Big Ugly’s story has been well-chronicled and Ladd’s the captain of that team and clearly thriving. Sopel is EXACTLY the kind of defenseman the Hawks require. However, returning him to the fold at this date would probably entail handing over a prime prospect. These three are probably not returning.

As I alluded to earlier, the Hawks are in a cap mess. The Bowman regime bought last year’s championship on credit and now the bills have come due. Compounded with the signings that WERE made and Bowman, much as he might want to add a significant piece, finds himself in a HUGE pickle. Most of our improvement is going to have to come from within, from players already here.

Who’s on the block? Better ask who isn’t: Kane, Toews, Keith and Turco all have no-movement clauses. Campbell and Hossa have HUGE contracts. Seabrook, Sharp and Brouwer are all players who have been acknowledged as part of the core. Crawford is the goalie of the present. Hjalmarsson CAN’T go anywhere, due to the offer sheet Chicago matched over the summer, courtesy of Doug Wilson’s attempted poaching. Nick Leddy is a future top 4 defenseman.

Outside of that (and possibly Bickell and Jeremy Morin), everyone else SHOULD be on the block. Bolland is the biggest chip in that group, but Bowman said (both in so many words and in his actions) over the summer, that Bolland was a component of the core. The problem is, he’s not much better than the-recently traded Mike Fisher, in that he’s a third-line center who can occasionally pot a goal and fill in on the second line occasionally. IF he cares and IF he’s healthy he can be a dominating shutdown center. Motivation is a question here.

Tomas Kopecky is another interesting case. He’s setting career highs in scoring. However, he spends a TON of time on a line Marian Hossa. A MARSHMALLOW could put up scintillating numbers playing with Marian Hossa (injured or not). He’s never shown anything before this year that would indicate he’s a top-six forward and he clearly doesn’t have the finish to stay up there very long. He’s a guy a I could see being moved. Anyone else with the big club is a bottom-six guy and unlikely to bring anything of use.

As for prospects, I think Morin might be all-but untouchable at this point. He’s also starting to get a reputation as injury-prone, fair or not. The big name here is Kyle Beach. The former first round pick has yet to play a regular-season game in the NHL, despite undeniable buckets of talent. This is mostly because he’s a headcase. His on-ice and off-ice antics continue to undermine his development as a hockey player. The Hawks MIGHT have the luxury on waiting for him to develop, but may not care spend any further time doing it.

Bowman said after acquiring Frolik that the Hawks would continue seek all avenues of upgrading the club. I believe him, but it won’t be easy.

Aaron (Blue Jackets): If they want to make a final push and have any success in the playoffs, he needs to make some kind of move. The big two necessities are a top-line center and a true powerplay quarterback. Up until today I would have said that a defenseman was the bigger need. The loss of Derrick Brassard though makes me perhaps consider otherwise.

As far as who’s on the block, Howson has said anyone but Rick Nash is tradable. Guys like Steve Mason, Jakub Voracek, and Nikita Filatov I think are probably the biggest interests. And then there’s Mike Commodore who wants out of Columbus. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a number of draft picks be up this season too, due to the lack of superstar power in this year’s class.

Jen (Red Wings): To make it to the next step, the team needs to play a full sixty minutes of hockey every game. They need to be defensively responsible. They need to focus on what they do well and execute. I don’t think anyone is on the trading block. Of course I could be totally wrong, but I think this is the same roster you’ll be seeing after the deadline.

AJ (Predators): Unfortunately (I guess), I see the Preds as being kinda stuck. Outside the very real probability of moving Alexander Sultzer, I personally don’t see Nashville making any blockbuster moves at the trade deadline. They would indeed like to have insurance for the possibility of Buillon not being 100% for the playoffs, but anything beyond that would be a complete surprise to those who understand philosophy Poille has espoused from the beginning as the team’s one and only GM.

On the outside, it’s possible you might see the movement of a couple of Milwaukee blueliners, who in the past have played solidly when called upon by the big club, but who also appear to be trapped in numbers limbo within the organization. Guys like Teemu Laakso and Andreas Thuresson could be dealt as depth-adds for another team, but I wouldn’t consider any defensemen on the current NHL roster as deadline fodder, save for Sultzer.

Allow me also to mention that I firmly consider the wild and unfounded speculation within some parts of Preds Nation, surrounding the trade possibilities of both Steve Sullivan and J.P. Dumont, to be woefully misguided in my opinion. Sullivan, who will be a UFA on 7/1, and Dumont, who has a year to go beyond this one on his current $4 million-per-year deal, are not pining to get out of Nashville, or vice-versa.

Clearly Dumont’s offensive production has slowed to an ebb this season, as has his perceived value among a number of apparently pre-senile Preds fans. The fact remains that he has a no-movement clause in that fat contract of his and has shown no intention of rescinding it.

Much of Dumont’s problem, as I and at least one other team observer (Dirk Hoag from OnTheForecheck.com) believe, emanates directly from the doghouse that coach Barry Trotz has housed him in. Playing on a checking line doesn’t bode well for production from a player who has historically drawn much success from complementing the play of other scorers. Dumont has never been a sniper; he has always had his best numbers while playing with those of a more offensively-minded skillset.

His apparent punishment for lack of production has, in my opinion, become a self-fulfilling prophesy by Trotz. Nonetheless, he’s not going anywhere, like it or not.

Sullivan likewise has a NMC in his contract, which expires at the end of this season, and also like Dumont is deeply invested in being a family guy. Both men and their families love being in Nashville and have expressed their intent to remain here after their playing days are over.

It’s not likely that Sully would move his family unless it was to a major contender, and I personally do not see that opportunity surfacing, particularly in view of his own comparative offensive struggles this season. Dumont’s situation is much clearer. His contract is prohibitive given his current numbers, making his tradability nil regardless of the MNC.

And therein lies the frustrating elusiveness of what Nashville really needs to become a solid Cup contender; and it sticks in the craw of every fan who calls this team their own.

The glaring need they’ve had ever since the departure/defection of Alexander Radulov to the KHL back in the summer of 2008 is that of a pure scorer. The miraculous recovery and subsequent comeback of Sullivan from back surgery later in that subsequent 2008-09 season was a huge boost, but since his return, Sully’s goal-scoring touch has yet to sufficiently offset the Radulov void. The Preds believe there’s help on the way in the system, but certainly nothing to make an impact this year.

Only to exacerbate the scoring issue has been the removal of the steady, 20 goals-per-season output of former captain Jason Arnott (who usually played alongside linemates Dumont and Sullivan — hmmm…coincidence? I think not). However, Arnott’s trade to New Jersey last summer was seen as an important step in the team’s evolution; allowing for the smooth transition of Shea Weber to the position of team captain, eliminating the obvious awkwardness of Arnott remaining and being asked to give up the ‘C’ — which no doubt would have been the case.

It was a necessary move, but one whose ripples I doubt the Preds realized would have been felt as strongly as they have. Despite the fact that his goal production diminished last season (and has continued to do so this season), Arnott’s automatic 20 has yet to be replaced within the Preds’ current lineup.

Nashville must win with what they have on the offensive side, which with the stout goaltending of Pekka Rinne, is totally doable. Mike Fisher’s addition to the mix strengthens all of the things a Barry Trotz-coached team does well. Despite being down himself in terms of typical goal scoring this season, Fisher can be the guy to give Nashville the offensive shot in the arm it needs, all while making everyone around him better.

The team can win with the players they have now, but it won’t be without supreme effort, total commitment to the plan, and probably a break or two here and there.

The Nashville Predators are more than good enough to make a deep playoff run — as they believe they were last year — but we’ll save further discussion of that debacle in Chicago for another time. *LOL*

However, that being said, with regard to the deadline, it’s highly unlikely they’d be able to acquire any further serious scoring help without departing with some seriously valuable assets in the process. That, I know, is not a price David Poille is willing to pay.

Predators fans hope it will turn out to be money well-saved.

Ryan (Blues): A Brett Hull-esque goal scorer. Is that asking for too much?

Since I don’t see the organization being very active as buyers, I will say that I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team trade Eric Brewer, Ty Conklin and perhaps Brad Boyes.