NHL Trade Deadline Preview: Eastern Conference

The Olympics are over, and now it's time for the NHL season to resume. They do so with a huge week ahead.

The league's "real" trade deadline is Wednesday at 3 P.M. Eastern. Is your team a buyer, a seller, or somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out an identity in the waning moments?

Before the deadline, take a look at where each team in the Eastern Conference stands. Approximations of cap room are taken from nhlnumbers.com.

Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils

Record: 37-21-3, 77 points, 1st in Atlantic, 2nd in East
Cap room: Around $400,000
The Devils already made their move, acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk ahead of the NHL's pre-Olympic trade freeze. It's unlikely they're going to be very active before this deadline, as they still need to figure out the best fit for Kovalchuk. General manager Lou Lamoriello, however, does have the ability to make more moves, as the Devils have more young players they can deal, and it might not hurt them to pick up some more goal-scoring punch, or maybe a veteran goalie so mainstay Martin Brodeur can get some more days off in the second half.

New York Islanders

Record: 25-29-8, 58 points, 5th in Atlantic, 13th in East
Cap room: More than $15 million
While it's clear the fans on Long Island are hungry for their first trip to the playoffs in some time, general manager Garth Snow is smart to stay the course. He has worked to rebuild a respectable on-ice product by making smart moves in the draft and building up the young talent. No need to mess with that now by doing something off the charts. This doesn't seem like a good time for the Islanders to go "all in," and there are no indications they're willing or prepared to do so. Not only that, but with so many teams to pass (five), it doesn't seem realistic for the Islanders to make it this year. Instead of buying, Snow would be smart to explore at trade for veteran goalie Dwayne Roloson, who is a solid performer and happens to be signed through next season.

New York Rangers

Record: 28-27-7, 63 points, 4th in Atlantic, 10th in East
Cap room: A little more than $1 million
The Rangers are in desperate need of someone who can help Marian Gaborik. He is far and away the team's scoring leader, and no one seems capable of keeping pace. They're up against the cap, however, so they have to find someone to take on a bad contract if they want to make a splash. Of course, they did get rid of Scott Gomez, so anything's possible.

Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 32-25-3, 67 points, 3rd in Atlantic, 6th in East
Cap room: None
Peter Laviolette's presence has helped revive Philly's playoff hopes. A guy like Ray Whitney could be a fit here because of his past with Laviolette, but how do the Flyers make it work under the salary cap? If they don't trust Ray Emery -- and they really don't have any reason to -- one could see them taking a shot at a veteran backup goalie to provide more insurance to a pretty unstable position. However, if our numbers are even close to accurate, Philadelphia will have to dump salary to make it all fit.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 36-22-4, 76 points, 2nd in Atlantic, 4th in East
Cap room: Approximately $1 million
Given the way defending champions usually get treated in free agency, it's pretty remarkable that Pittsburgh has been able to field such a strong team again this year. Obviously, they come and go as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury do, but they've won games with guys dinged up. Don't bet against a move for another veteran scorer, because you can't have enough guys like Bill Guerin around come playoff time. They already added Jordan Leopold to the blue line.

Northeast Division
Boston Bruins

Record: 27-22-11, 65 points, 3rd in Northeast, 7th in East
Cap room: None
This team has surprised many this year with its sudden offensive ineptitude. The Bruins may miss Phil Kessel more than they want to admit, but this still likely more of a product of guys regressing to numbers more commisurate with their overall abilities. They seem willing to deal a guy like Michael Ryder, and they should listen if they get a call about Dennis Wideman, but the Bruins aren't buyers at this deadline. Any deal they make is going to be to rid themselves of a player who has disappointed this season, as well as to clear some cap space so they can deal with an expected cap crunch this summer.

Buffalo Sabres

Record: 33-18-9, 75 points, 2nd in Northeast, 5th in East
Cap room: Close to $3 million
The Sabres have a strong, balanced team, and they have an all-world goalie in Ryan Miller. But the roster is screaming for a guy like Whitney, a veteran who has won before and would like to win again. It would add a lot to their team, and likely be worth the two-year extension Whitney reportedly wants in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause. If the Sabres could snag a veteran defenseman to help further mentor young stud Tyler Myers into his first Stanley Cup Playoff run.

Montreal Canadiens

Record: 29-28-6, 64 points, 4th in Northeast, 8th in East
Cap room: Virtually none
Everyone is watching the Canadiens closely because of their goaltending situation. Jaroslav Halak stands to return from the Olympics a more confident player, as he had a very strong tournament. It might allow him to play more consistently and separate himself a bit from Carey Price. This isn't going to happen soon enough for new general manager Pierre Gauthier to trade a goalie at the deadline, so if he wants to upgrade his team's scattershot offense, he'll have to look elsewhere for trade ammunition. Even if he wanted to trade a goalie, they're cheap (under $1 million) and both are restricted free agents after the year, meaning they should get decent raises.

Ottawa Senators

Record: 36-23-4, 76 points, 1st in Northeast, 3rd in East
Cap room: Close to $1 million
The surprising Senators aren't afraid to make moves, as evidenced by the dumping of Jonathan Cheechoo, a formerly elite offensive player who has become just another guy. The team hopes Brian Elliott keeps playing well coming out of the long break, and if he does, the Sens have a contender on their hands. As for moves, the Senators have prospects, a little room under the salary cap, and a need for a bit more offense. The Matt Cullen deal -- done before the pre-Olympic freeze -- might not be the end for Bryan Murray.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 19-31-11, 49 points, 5th in Northeast, 15th in East
Cap room: Virtually none
Anyone who tries to write off Brian Burke's willingness or ability to make more trades is silly. He still has some valuable chips with guys like Alexei Ponikarovsky and Mikhail Grabovsky. While he has said he won't do it, he could still take a shot at moving Tomas Kaberle, who has a no-trade clause. He'd probably jump at the chance to dump Jeff Finger's contract on some sucker team.While the playoffs are virtually a lost cause this year, Burke will want to continue his aggressive rebuild. At least he might be able to set this team up to improve next year.

Southeast Division
Atlanta Thrashers

Record: 26-24-10, 62 points, 3rd in Southeast, 11th in East
Cap room: Around $11.5 million
Fire sale! With Kovalchuk gone, and Slava Kozlov now saying he wants out, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of the Thrashers. They showed flashes of actually playing better hockey with the Kovalchuk distraction gone, but this team is not going to seriously compete for a playoff spot, and general manager Don Waddell should be working to build the team around rookie Evander Kane, who looks like a star in the making. Moves involving forward Nik Antropov and defenseman Pavel Kubina can't be ruled out, though they are young enough to be part of this team moving forward.

Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 24-30-7, 55 points, 5th in Southeast, 14th in East
Cap room: Close to $6 million
Cullen is gone, and Whitney could be next. About the only safe bet here is captain Eric Staal isn't going anywhere, and general manager Jim Rutherford has no reason to deal goalie Cam Ward or any of his young players. The Hurricanes got hot before the break, and the argument exists that they could continue building momentum and make a run at a lower seed in the East playoff before it's all said and done. After all, let's face facts. No one is running away with a sixth, seventh, or eighth seed in the East.

Florida Panthers

Record: 24-27-10, 58 points, 4th in Southeast, 12th in East
Cap room: Close to $7 million
Ownership in Florida has already prepared their fans for a fire sale, and there's no reason to think they will change their minds. Guys like forward Tomas Vokoun, defenseman Bryan McCabe, and forward Cory Stillman could be on the block here and had for the right price. Vokoun is the most intriguing of the group, as he is an expensive but talented goalie who could help a team in the playoffs. For now, because of his salary, Vokoun will have to be content making a lot of money, living in Florida, and busting his tail every night so the Panthers can lose 3-2 and 2-1 games.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 26-24-11, 63 points, 2nd in Southeast, 9th in East
Cap room: Around $7.5 million
Hopefully, this latest ownership change will be their last for a while. Bad seasons back-to-back have given Tampa Bay two valuable young players in Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. They've made some smart moves in free agency, but have bad contracts to deal with, too (Vincent Lecavalier and Mattias Ohlund come to mind). It doesn't seem terribly likely that Tampa will jump in and make moves at the deadline, as they're getting younger. If someone comes at them with an aggressive offer for a bad contract, they should jump, but they shouldn't be looking to take on a lot more money.

Washington Capitals

Record: 41-13-8, 90 points, 1st in Southeast, 1st in East
Cap room: Around $6.5 million
It's hard to nitpick a lot of problems with this team. Neither Alex Ovechkin nor Alexander Semin had a particularly good Olympics, and one has to think they'll catch fire when they get back in D.C. There's plenty of uncertainty in goal, as Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov, and Michael Neuvirth have taken turns alternating between being very good and very average. While it doesn't seem like an obvious move, a trade for a veteran goalie -- especially if they can unload Theodore -- makes good sense for this team. They could also use some experience on the blue line, especially if they plan on moving forward with the goalies they currently have.