Seven days and counting…
In what has to be the most anticipated trade deadline in recent memory, hockey fans in at least 20 cities are asking, “what will my team do?”
And Winnipeg is no different.
But there appears to be a huge difference in how teams in the Eastern Conference are approaching the deadline vs. the West.
We’ve seen major deals for the Rangers, Toronto and Boston — all trying to get ahead of the curve in the arms race — while in the west, it’s been much more cautious.
One reason, I suspect, is that it’s so close in the west, teams and managers are thinking that it might just take a simple little “tweak” to vault your team to the top, while in the east, there really is one target: the Boston Bruins, a team that just might set the record for points in a season this year, and which appears to be the team to beat.
The west is so different. One manager asked me, “would it be an upset if Calgary goes into Dallas and wins … or the Jets go into Vegas and do the same thing?”
Not really.
The parity in the west might just be the reason we haven’t seen teams make any big moves … or any moves at all, for that matter.
Everyone thinks they have a chance — this Friday, next Friday, and in the playoffs. And that includes the Jets.