2014 NHL Post Trade Deadline Picks

Rich Douglas

Now that the 2014 trade deadline has come and gone, we can start to differentiate between the teams that are going to make a playoff push, teams that are tanking or "giving the young guys a chance," and the teams stuck in purgatory.

Two years ago, the LA Kings were 35/1 at the trade deadline when they acquired Jeff Carter. The deal solidified their position in the west as they pushed into the playoffs and onto their first Stanley Cup. Last year, the Blackhawks were the clear favorite for most of the season after their 21-0-3 run early on and made very minor moves at the deadline. In both cases, each of the teams dominated possession categories (Fenwick, Corsi) which translated to success during the biggest games.

Best Bets
Chicago Blackhawks (5/1) - The defending Stanley Cup champions have it all. Their possession numbers are at an elite level (2nd in both Corsi and Fenwick), they've got plenty of scoring depth in Toews, Kane, Sharp etc, their puck moving defenseman are among the best in the league, and they have the obvious experience that you'd like to have when fielding a Stanley Cup contender. There really isn't much I could say poorly about the Hawks except for the low odds that are attached to them. They'll have a tough road through the West as they'll have to get through 7 teams that will all be capable of taking a playoff series.

Boston Bruins (8/1) - Boston lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Hawks last season and are primed for a solid run this year. They're the best possession team in the East (3rd in Corsi, 4th in Fenwick), and have that grinding style of play that can win a playoff series. Tuuka Rask is in my opinion the best goaltender in the world right now and their Chara-lead defense should provide a major road block for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They're probably the deepest team in the league in terms of combined offensive and defensive efficiency. They can score in bunches using all four lines and have 9 players with at least 10 goals. Due to the sensationalism of Sidney Crosby and the flashy Penguins, the Bruins remain overlooked, but make no mistake of it, this team should be the Eastern Conference representative in the finals. 
 

Los Angeles Kings (12/1) - The Kings are in the thick of things yet again. They have a surprising 18 players on their roster from the 2012 Stanley Cup season and still have plenty of room to grow. The Kings had 6 Olympians who all played prominent roles in their national teams' plans (Quick, Brown, Kopitar, Voynov, Doughty, Carter). Most importantly, they rank atop the league in both Corsi and Fenwick as Darryl Sutter continues to show just how great his coaching system is. They're only (+2) in 5 on 5 scoring which should be frightening to opposing teams because of they should see a noticeable uptick in that category due to the acquisition of Marian Gaborik and their possession numbers indicate they've been very unlucky.

Tampa Bay Lightning (28/1) - In my opinion, these odds are incredibly long with the Eastern Conference being considerably weaker than the West. With a little bit of luck, the Lightning may only have to beat one of the Penguins or Bruins to sneak into the finals. The loss of Martin St. Louis will hurt their offense, but acquiring Ryan Callahan will give this team the Power Forward that they've been looking for. They weathered the storm during Steven Stamkos' injury and now have him for the stretch run. They rank 10th in Fenwick and 11th in Corsi, but should see those numbers rise with their top player returning. Big Ben Bishop is more than capable in net for them as the Vezina trophy candidate is 29-11-4 with a 2.07 GAA and .931 Save Percentage in his first year as a full time starter.


You'll notice I left out the Ducks, Blues and Penguins who each lead their respective divisions. Outside of the Penguins, who have some defensive flaws, the 2 Western teams named all have obvious shots at the Cup, but are valued too poorly at 6/1 or less. The Blues are currently favored at 9/2, but lack that explosive scoring touch that you need in order to make the difference in a grinding tough game.The Ducks rank 17th in both Fenwick and Corsi, due to the fact that their bottom two lines lack depth as they take a very top heavy approach both offensively and defensively.

Stanley Cup Final Prediction: Bruins (8/1) over Kings. We'll ride with the 2 best goalies in the world, two of the top 3 possession teams, and two teams that have been in each of the last two Cup Finals.

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