By: Chris Nosek

As some teams have begun to separate themselves in the standings, trade chatter is starting to pick up. Adding to the urgency for deal-making is the Olympic break, which is now just three weeks away. Let’s examine each team and the direction they should be leaning at this point.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings find themselves in contention for the division. They have several prospects and young players showing strong NHL promise. Yzerman is projected to have approximately $60 million in cap space when we get to the trade deadline. They can afford to bring in anyone and have the prospects to do so. The only question that remains is how patient Steve Yzerman will be. He has yet to make a major trade as Red Wings General Manager. Instead of making a trade, he may show patience and let the youth he’s drafted continue to develop. Unless another top player becomes available, I think he’ll remain patient.

Direction: Patience

Tampa Bay Lightning

Despite some injuries, the Lightning are right in the mix for the division again. The organization has made it clear their priority is to win. Their biggest need is to add more depth. Julian BriseBois doesn’t have a 1st round pick in 2026 or 2027. However, he should have plenty to work with to add the depth players they’ll need.

Direction: Light buyer

Montreal Canadiens

Kent Hughes is armed with everything he could need to pull off a major move. He has young, NHL-promising players, along with some veteran players who teams may be interested in. He possesses all of his draft picks. He is only limited by the roughly $1,696,667 in cap space he has.

Direction: Buyer

Buffalo Sabres

Jarmo Kekalainen has only been General Manager for about a month. However, having been with the organization before taking the role, he’s no stranger to what they need. The 10-game win streak has turned into 13 wins over their last 14 games. This performance has put the Sabres right back in the playoff mix. Kekalainen has made it clear that getting back to the playoffs is a priority for THIS season. He has enough assets work with to improve the roster, however he sees fit.

Direction: Buyer

Boston Bruins

This is a debate that will, at this time, split Bruins fans. Some want another major sell-off, like the one they had last year. Others want a few players sold off, but with the intention of adding so they can make the playoffs again. It’s clear that until their direction for this season is more defined, Don Sweeney will remain patient. They aren’t going to pay a high price for a player who is unsigned for next season. However, if a player with multiple years remaining on their contract becomes available, Sweeney will investigate. He will also look into situations where players are willing to consider re-signing to stay in Boston.

Direction: Buyer for long-term, patience for the short-term

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs have struggled significantly with injuries this season. Fans are overreacting and pleading for Craig Conroy to make a move. The Maple Leafs have taken points in their last nine games. Things are seemingly starting to turn around for the Maple Leafs. Right now, the best thing Conroy can do is wait. They’re still in the playoff race, and making a panic move would be the wrong decision. Conroy has enough assets to make two small deals to add or a larger one. Keeping this in mind, he has to be very strategic in his moves. The move he would have made two weeks ago is very different from what he would do today. The calculus behind such a move could change yet again; therefore, patience is key.

Direction: Patience, wait until trade deadline

Florida Panthers

After back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Panthers made it known they were going for their third. This season their roster has been rittled with injuries. From major, long-term injuries to short-term, nagging injuries they have had several overlap for weeks and even months. The Olympic break would be extremely helpful for the team – however, eight players will be playing in the games. Bill Zito has already committed their next two 1st-round draft picks to trying to win. So far, the guys from Charlotte have stepped up to help keep the Panthers in the playoff mix. Right now, Zito needs to be patient. If the team can continue to tread water, then adding will make sense as they also get healthier. However, if they fall out of the race, Zito may need to consider selling off players unsigned for next season.

Direction: Patience

Ottawa Senators

On December 28th, 2025 it was announced that goaltender Linus Ullmark was stepping away from the organization for personal reasons. Since that point, the Ottawa Senators season has continued to be a massive downward spiral. Since their 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on December 21st, 2025, the team has a 2-6-1 record. Adding to the poor play, and making things significantly worse, are rumors running rampant online. Whether the rumors are true or not is a discussion for another time. The point here is that they’ve clearly affected the locker room in a negative manner. Something has been fractured in that room. Steve Staios is going to have to make some moves to fix things. In order to properly repair things, someone (maybe multiple players) will need to be dealt. The fallout remains to be seen, but there will be one and Staios needs to make the most of it.

Direction: Selling