Buffalo Sabres 2011 Trade Rumors

NHL Power Rankings: February 2011

February was an interesting month for the NHL in more ways than one. In between fight after fight, many teams were blazing hot while others played poorly enough to turn into sellers in advance of the February 28th trade deadline. Speaking of which, how did everyone fare after the dust had settled from all the trading that occurred this past month?

Included with the teams record (Win-Loss-OT Loss) and their point total is their Win-Total Loss record, which combines regulation and overtime losses. "Prev" is the team's previous ranking in October, November, December and January.

01) Philadelphia Flyers 40-16-6 [40-22]; 86 pts | Feb: 7-4-1 [7-5]; 15 pts | Prev: 10/4/3/1 Kris Versteeg did well with the high flying Blackhawks last year. He struggled with the bottom-tiered Maple Leafs this year until he got traded to the Flyers. Is he the type of player that finds success based on the talent around him? With the talent the Flyers possess, hopefully that is the case.

02) Vancouver Canucks 39-15-9 [39-24]; 87 pts | Feb: 8-5-0 [8-5]; 16 pts | Prev: 21/13/2/2 By acquiring the likes of Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre to improve their depth, the Canucks are primed to overcome their playoff failings of recent years and make a run for the Stanley Cup. Surely this year's Chicago team can't derail their efforts this time, right?

03) Detroit Red Wings 39-18-6 [39-24]; 84 pts | Feb: 9-5-0 [9-5]; 18 pts | Prev: 8/2/4/6 Like last season, the Wings did not do anything at the trade deadline. Like last season, the Wings instead are finally getting healthy as several key players return from injury, which in itself is a sort of trade acquisition for them. So they say.

04) Boston Bruins 36-19-7 [36-26]; 79 pts | Feb: 8-4-0 [8-4]; 16 pts | Prev: 6/16/10/7 Boston was not lax in improving their team this month. The additions of Chris Kelly and Tomas Kaberle, among others, have helped the Bruins go on a five game winning streak. Two games against Montreal this month should prove to be great viewing experiences.

05) Tampa Bay Lightning 37-18-7 [37-25]; 81 pts | Feb: 6-3-2 [6-5]; 14 pts | Prev: 2/6/5/3 Tampa's weaknesses going into the season were at goaltending and defense. With Dwayne Roloson acquired at the start of 2011 and defenseman Eric Brewer being acquired from St. Louis this past month, Tampa has addressed those weaknesses somewhat. Time well tell how much better they are as a result.

06) San Jose Sharks 36-21-6 [36-27]; 78 pts | Feb: 11-2-0 [11-2]; 22 pts | Prev: 15/19/13/20 Since January 15th, the Sharks are 15-3 with Antti Niemi starting all but one of those games. In the cluttered Pacific division, the Sharks have regained the top start and they have remained one of the hottest teams in the league.

07) Pittsburgh Penguins 37-21-6 [37-27]; 80 pts | Feb: 6-6-2 [6-8]; 14 pts | Prev: 12/3/1/5 Sidney Crosby is still trying to recover from concussion symptoms. Mario Lemieux is still trying to recover from being a big hypocrite following that one mess of a game against the Islanders. He's right that the league needs to clean up the dirty side of the game, but to only do so after his team got roughed up - the Isles also got punished much harder than Pittsburgh did - wasn't the best way to go about it. The Penguins have only gone 2-4 since then, and they can only hope the re-addition of Alexei Kovalev can help stop the bleeding.

08) Los Angeles Kings 35-24-4 [35-28]; 74 pts | Feb: 8-2-3 [8-5]; 19 pts | Prev: 1/15/7/13 Dustin Penner, whom the Kings acquired from Edmonton near the trade deadline, will be a great addition to the Kings. They could've used him right away following a 7-4 loss to Detroit, but with the rest of their opponents being against Western Conference foes, they'll need the extra help.

09) Chicago Blackhawks 34-23-6 [34-29]; 74 pts | Feb: 8-3-2 [8-5]; 18 pts | Prev: 5/7/19/18 The addition of Ottawa's Chris Campoli will help their blue line, but regardless Chicago has been hot as of late, winning their last five games. Patrick Sharp remains Chicago's best scoring option, while Corey Crawford is definitely Chicago's starting goaltender now.

10) Phoenix Coyotes 33-21-10 [33-31]; 76 pts | Feb: 8-4-1 [8-5]; 17 pts | Prev: 28/17/20/14 The Coyotes weren't nearly as active in trading this season as they were last year, but they've been playing their best hockey all season long, having won eight in a row before going on to lose three in a row during their just-completed road trip. They, too, have nothing but key conference games left on their schedule.

11) Washington Capitals 33-20-10 [33-30]; 76 pts | Feb: 6-5-1 [6-6]; 13 pts | Prev: 4/1/9/9 The addition of Dennis Wideman should bolster Washington's defense and, more notably, their struggling offense from the point. Bringing in Jason Arnott from New Jersey will also help offensively, but more importantly Alex Ovechkin needs to really get it together as the postseason approaches.

12) Calgary Flames 32-23-9 [32-32]; 73 pts | Feb: 8-2-3 [8-5]; 19 pts | Prev: 14/24/23/21 A few weeks ago, the Flames would've been a sure seller going into the trade deadline. Instead, after playing as well as they have, the Flames have actually added, trading for Fredrik Modin from Atlanta.

13) Minnesota Wild 33-24-6 [33-30]; 72 pts | Feb: 8-5-1 [8-6]; 17 pts | Prev: 22/21/22/17 The Wild are once again trying to make a bid for a playoff spot, but the loss of Mikko Koivu hurts their chances at doing so. Niklas Backstrom has done all he can to keep the Wild in games.

14) Montreal Canadiens 33-23-7 [33-30]; 73 pts | Feb: 6-5-2 [6-7]; 14 pts | Prev: 3/5/16/12 Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes will give Montreal some needed depth as they finished up a forgettable February with a key victory over Carolina.

15) Nashville Predators 32-23-8 [32-31]; 72 pts | Feb: 5-6-2 [5-8]; 12 pts | Prev: 16/20/17/10 They went 3-0 against the top two in the West this month (Vancouver and Detroit), but struggled otherwise. Mike Fisher's impact since coming over from Ottawa has been somewhat minimal, but he should be alright in time. Expect a strong month out of Nashville in March.

16) Anaheim Ducks 33-25-5 [33-30]; 71 pts | Feb: 5-5-1 [5-6]; 11 pts | Prev: 26/18/15/11 The Ducks were involved in a lot of trades this past month. Aside from their goalie Jonas Hiller and their top few forwards and defenseman, this team is quite different from what they were just a month ago.

17) Dallas Stars 33-23-6 [33-29]; 72 pts | Feb: 3-8-1 [3-9]; 7 pts | Prev: 9/8/8/4 A pair of long losing streaks amid rumors of the team trading Brad Richards made for a bad February for Dallas. However, finishing the month with both a two game winning streak and Richards remaining in Dallas should give the team a boost going forward.

18) New York Rangers 33-27-4 [33-31]; 70 pts | Feb: 4-7-1 [4-8]; 9 pts | Prev: 17/10/6/8 Starting the month with a six-game losing streak does a team no good. Picking up Bryan McCabe from Florida and John Mitchell from Toronto to end the month gives the Rangers some hope as the playoffs approach.

19) Columbus Blue Jackets 31-24-6 [31-30]; 68 pts | Feb: 8-3-1 [8-4]; 17 pts | Prev: 13/9/18/24 The last original Blue Jacket from the 2000 team, Rostislav Klesla, was traded to Phoenix just before the trade deadline. However the Jackets, who picked up Scottie Upshall in that same deal, are still very much in the playoff hunt. They had a strong February; a strong March will go a long way towards a second playoff berth for this young team.

20) Buffalo Sabres 29-25-7 [29-32]; 65 pts | Feb: 6-4-2 [6-6]; 14 pts | Prev: 29/25/26/22 By picking up Brad Boyes from St. Louis, Buffalo has made it clear that they're making the effort to reach the playoffs rather than give up and restart everything like some teams have done. The injury-riddled team is just outside the top eight right now, but how long will that last?

21) New Jersey Devils 27-31-4 [27-35]; 58 pts | Feb: 11-1-1 [11-2]; 23 pts | Prev: 30/29/30/27 Without a doubt, the best team in 2011 is the Devils, having gone 17-4 since January 9th. Not even another injury to Martin Brodeur has slowed the team down, and despite having such a terrible start to the year, they aren't out of the playoff picture just yet.

22) Toronto Maple Leafs 27-27-9 [27-36]; 63 pts | Feb: 8-2-4 [8-6]; 20 pts | Prev: 18/27/28/26 The Leafs are also still in the playoff hunt, amazingly enough. However, the Leafs were also mostly sellers this month, giving away three key players for mostly future investments, and also Joffrey Lupul. With that mindset, the question as to whether the Leafs will remain in the playoff hunt is somewhat dubious.

23) Carolina Hurricanes 29-25-9 [29-34]; 67 pts | Feb: 4-6-3 [4-9] 11 pts | Prev: 19/23/21/15 They're hanging onto the East's final playoff seed, just barely at that, but their pals in the Florida Panthers have given them some pieces which they hope will help them keep that final spot or even improve upon that in these final six or so weeks.

24) St. Louis Blues 28-25-9 [28-34]; 65 pts | Feb: 6-5-2 [6-7]; 14 pts | Prev: 7/14/11/25 The Blues are one of three teams that really sold the farm this past month. Most notably, they traded away former first overall pick Erik Johnson to Colorado along with three other key players. With Jaroslav Halak out with a hand injury, St. Louis' playoff chances are quickly fading.

25) New York Islanders 23-32-8 [23-40]; 54 pts | Feb: 8-5-1 [8-6]; 17 pts | Prev: 24/30/27/28 The Islanders won four of five games following the aforementioned game against Pittsburgh. The Islanders were also silent on the trade market, only trading for goalie Al Montoya as their mess of a goaltending corps tries to get healthy again.

26) Atlanta Thrashers 26-26-11 [26-37]; 63 pts | Feb: 2-7-2 [2-9]; 6 pts | Prev: 20/11/14/16 The Thrashers are officially in a free fall after months of struggling not to do so. Despite this, they made several deals in February which could help the team right away. How much of a difference can Boston's Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart, as well as Florida's Radek Dvorak make?

27) Florida Panthers 26-29-7 [26-36]; 59 pts | Feb: 4-7-2 [4-9]; 10 pts | Prev: 23/26/24/23 Nobody sold the farm harder than Florida did this month. Channeling their inner Florida Marlins, the Panthers traded away eight players for various scrubs, draft picks and other future investments as well as Sergei Samsonov. It's hard enough for the Panthers to compete with the basketball's Heat in Miami, but to completely start over again anyway is perhaps too difficult a sell for the few Panthers fans that remain.

28) Ottawa Senators 21-32-9 [21-41]; 51 pts | Feb: 4-7-1 [4-8]; 9 pts | Prev: 25/22/25/30 The Senators were also busy trading away players for lots and lots of draft picks. Oddly enough they also acquired Craig Anderson, Colorado's struggling goalie, for their own struggling goalie in Brian Elliott. Guess which of the two has since gotten their act together? For the answer, look down a couple of spots.

29) Edmonton Oilers 20-35-8 [20-43]; 48 pts | Feb: 5-9-0 [5-9]; 10 pts | Prev: 27/28/29/29 So the Oilers went ahead and traded away their top non-rookie goal scorer in Penner as they look towards the future yet again. The Oilers remain the worst team in the league when you look at the standings. However I just can't place them in the 30th spot. Something always prevents that scenario.

30) Colorado Avalanche 26-30-7 [26-37]; 59 pts | Feb: 1-11-1 [1-12]; 3 pts | Prev: 11/12/11/19 Such as the February of the Colorado Avalanche, perhaps the worst month it's had since they started playing in Denver. First, they trade away Craig Anderson to Ottawa for Brian Elliott as mentioned earlier. Anderson has since found his stride in Ottawa while Elliott has continued to struggle in Colorado. Then, they trade away a prospective talent in Chris Stewart to St. Louis for the aforementioned Erik Johnson, a deal which motivated Johnson enough for Colorado to beat St. Louis later on for the team's lone win in February. Then there was that whole Peter Forsberg fiasco. Suddenly he's coming back. He plays unspectacularly in two games. Suddenly, he's retiring. Such is the chaos of the Avalanche this past month, as they now try to recover from what they hope was rock bottom.