Trade Deadline Predictions

With the NHL Trade Deadline looming, teams are preparing for a tough day of decisions on how to better themselves for the playoffs, or for the future.

Here is a list of things I believe to happen (or to not happen) by Wednesday, March 4th at 3 p.m. EST.

-    Ryan Smyth will stay put in Colorado.  He has already stated he does not want to waive his no-trade clause.

-    It has already been announced on TSN.ca that Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore will sit tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils.  Dominic Moore will be shopped, but GM Brian Burke will not find any deals that please him.  Antropov will be dealt to a Western Conference team, possibly the Edmonton Oilers or the Minnesota Wild, who are both still battling for their playoff lives.

-    Chris Neil will be a Dallas Star.

-    Keith Tkachuk will remain a St. Louis Blue.  The team decides to be cellars and make a move for the playoffs, and with just a few minutes remaining, will pick-up Derek Morris for some draft picks to help bolster their defense.

-    The Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres will find themselves in a bidding war for defenseman Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs up until the waning minutes of the deadline.  Brian Burke may decide to hold onto him after all, since he still has two years remaining on his contract and could be beneficial in the development of Luke Schenn.

-    Ducks’ GM Bob Murray has publicly said that Pronger and Niedermayer are not for sale.  He will prove that tomorrow by not moving either player, hoping for a playoff push.  Being said that, the 2009 NHL Entry Draft could be very interesting for the Ducks.

-    Jay Bouwmeester sees himself in a strange situation in Florida.  Trading Bouwmeester gives Panthers fans a bad message; yes we are in 6th place in the East, but we are going to trade arguably our best player.  But keeping Bouwmeester could mean the Panthers get zero compensation for him when he goes to another team in July.  Panthers GM Jacques Martin is in a sticky situation, but sees it fit to keep Bouwmeester and allow his fans to enjoy the playoffs a little more.  After the decision to keep the young defenseman, Martin might then decide to trade disgruntled defenseman Nick Boynton, who recently had strong words with Head Coach Pete DeBoer, which caused him to be sent home from their road trip last week.

The next few hours should prove to be interesting for the average NHL fan.  Sit back and enjoy the next 24 hours or so…