NHL BUY AND SELL

By Dave Foster: So much for last year’s Stanley Cup finalists. It doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing a rematch between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers. The defending champions are on the bubble in the Eastern Conference at just 67 points.

That is good enough for seventh place, but just one point ahead of three other teams.

As for the Oilers, they’re eight points behind the Minnesota Wild for the last postseason berth in the West. That appears to be enough to make Edmonton a “seller” heading toward the Feb. 27 trade deadline. The Oilers have already shipped defenseman and power-play quarterback Marc-Andre Bergeron to the New York Islanders in a deal for defenseman Denis Grebeskhov, who is playing in Russia this year.

Even if you weren’t salivating over the prospects of an Oilers-Canes reunion (and chances are you weren’t), the trade deadline is always a great time for handicappers to catch a team that’s either rising or falling – and Edmonton certainly appears to fit in the latter category. Let’s see if we can identify some of the other buyers and sellers who might be worth supporting or fading as the regular season starts to wind down.

Anaheim Ducks – Buyer:

General Manager Brian Burke really, really wanted to pry Peter Forsberg away from the Philadelphia Flyers, but decided the price was too high and instead watched the superstar land in Nashville. Ouch. The Ducks are still one of the top teams in the West at 35-16-2, and they’ve managed to eke out 2.19 units of profit against the moneyline; however, Burke is one smart cookie. The Harvard grad knows he needs to add some depth to his roster for the long playoff haul. Will he bite the bullet and reunite with Florida’s Todd Bertuzzi? Only if the price is right.

Detroit Red Wings – Buyer:

The Red Wings are doing just fine with life after Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan. They’re among the Western leaders at 38-16-6, although they have yet to pay any dividends to handicappers. That could change if the Wings manage to land one of the bigger names on the market. Bill Guerin of the St. Louis Blues is believed to be the apple of Detroit’s eye, with the likes of Bryan Smolinski and Anson Carter not far behind.

Ottawa Senators – Buyer:

The Sens already pulled off a fairly important deal last month when they grabbed Mike Comrie from the Phoenix Coyotes. But the Sens are probably not done wheeling and dealing just yet. Anything less than a trip to the Stanley Cup finals would be considered a big disappointment in Canada’s capital city, so expect GM John Muckler to work the phones in an attempt to land Roberts from the Panthers. If the Sens do find a way to add to their talent – watch out. They easily lead the league at the pay window with 17.1 units against the moneyline. A big piece of silverware could be next.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Seller:

This year just hasn’t gone very well in Columbus. Injuries to Rick Nash and Pascal Leclaire have conspired to keep Columbus from finally cracking the playoff egg. Now it’s up to GM Doug MacLean to turn these lemons into lemonade for next season. The aforementioned Carter seems destined to join Walt McKechnie and Gary “Suitcase” Smith in hockey lore as one of the most traded players in NHL history. He’s already played for seven teams, six of them since 2002. Detroit would add one more sticker to his luggage. The Jackets are also likely to ship defenseman Bryan Berard – he and Carter are both unrestricted free agents this summer.

Florida Panthers – Seller:

We’ve already mentioned Bertuzzi, but he’s been injured almost all year. Combine that with his baggage from the Steve Moore incident, and his impending free agency, and Florida probably wouldn’t be able to trade him for much more than a bag of pucks and one of those new-fangled inflatable practice goalies. That leaves Gary Roberts as the prime “rent-a-player” on the Florida roster. Roberts has already indicated a desire to go to an Ontario-based team, with the Ottawa Senators expected to be the prime target. There is also a decent chance both goaltender Ed Belfour and left winger Martin Gelinas will have new employers by next week.

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