From the Press Box: Hurricanes Dissipating?

The fact that the Carolina Hurricanes have been hanging around the fringes of the Eastern Conference playoff race through the first half of this season is quite a surprise. Preseason expectations almost unanimously had them challenging for the lowest rungs of the NHL standings.

The current rankings show the Hurricanes with 48 points in 47 games, placing them 13th in the East, but within nine points of the second-place Florida Panthers. That speaks volumes about how tight this playoff race is at the moment. For Carolina, this poses a dilemma. They've missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons. As a result, their current proximity to a postseason berth is a much-needed boost to the fan base.

On the flip side, veteran names from their roster have long been rumored as trade bait, and the deadline is looming.

The decision to end their playoff pursuit may have bee made easier this week, when Cam Ward was diagnosed with concussion issues that could keep him out for an extended stretch. The unfortunate aspect of this development is that Ward is in the final year of a long-term deal that carries an annual cap hit of $6 million. With the Hurricanes originally projecting to be sellers at the deadline, Ward figured to be a desirable player on the trade block so that Eddie Lack (who's under contract for the next two seasons for a total of $5.5 million) could step in as the starter. Now Ward could be an untradeable commodity who could very well leave Carolina without any compensation, as he's an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Captain Eric Staal, himself in the final year of a long-term contract that carries an $8.25 million cap hit, is a potential deadline chip as well. Staal has counted only nine goals and 19 assists in a campaign that's shaping up to be the worst of his career. At 31, you would figure that he has a few good years left, but the 'Canes certainly have to recognize that he's on the down side and his greatest value to them is in a trade to a contending club. We probably won't see a rebound in his productivity if the Hurricanes opt to retain him at a time while continuing their youth movement. There are also so many teams still in the playoff hunt that Staal would surely earn a strong return in a thin trade market. The only other mitigating circumstance is that he has a no-trade clause in his deal and would have to approve any potential destination. Ultimately, that shouldn't be a big stumbling block -- he should expect to be moved to a strong club with a real chance to go on an extended playoff run.

All is not lost for the 'Canes, however, as their young blue-line corps, led by budding star Justin Faulk, offers tons of long-term promise, and winger Jeff Skinner has rediscovered his shooting eye. So committing further to a rebuild makes sense, allowing the management team to add more young pieces and create a sustainable contending franchise.

Bolts stuck with the hand they're dealt

At the other end of the spectrum, a Lightning squad that has been dogged by contract issues may have no choice but to continue with its current roster through the end of this season.

The Bolts have gone on a 7-2-1 streak, pulling them to within three points of the top spot in the Atlantic Division. So, despite the Steven Stamkos contract saga and the Jonathan Drouin trade demands, this team is finally starting look like the group that enjoyed such great playoff success last season. GM Steve Yzerman finds himself in a predicament with the Lightning in position to repeat that postseason run.

In addition to these two issues, he has no fewer than 10 key contracts coming due in the next two offseasons. So does Yzerman try to navigate his way through that financial quagmire, picking only a few of those situations and solve them by engineering some player movement prior to this trade deadline, or does he admire his team and hope that it goes as far as possible in the playoffs?

The only thing to add to the Stamkos contract stalemate right now is that Yzerman must know he won't get equal value back in a trade that will help his team this year. If he wants to bolster the roster, Drouin must be moved for a piece or two that can help right away.

It seems as though both players are unlikely to return to Tampa next season, in any case.

In the meantime, it has to be heartening to see young players like Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov join Stamkos to lead an offense that has produced 24 goals in the last six games. Combine that with a defense led by another star in Victor Hedman (plus veteran partner Anton Stralman), along with the stingy goalkeeping of Ben Bishop, who has posted a career-best 1.97 GAA in 37 appearances, and you have the makings of a front-running contender in the East.

It seems clear that a major restructuring owing to those pesky salary-cap issues is unavoidable, but while so many are expecting big player movement, it might be best if Yzerman does stand pat and only tries to deal with roster issues next year.

No 'O Canada' this postseason?

Not one of the seven Canadian NHL franchises is sitting in playoff position at the time of this column. If that persists, it'll be only the second time in the history of the NHL that such an event occurred – the first and only time so far was 1969-70.

That's the cause of much hand-wringing, given that the Canadian dollar is close to a historically low point against the U.S. dollar, while Rogers Communications has revealed that it is nowhere close to reaping the expected benefits from its record-setting investment in Canadian broadcast rights. It's also quite revealing that the Maple Leafs slipped from first to third, behind the Rangers and Canadiens, in Fortune Magazine's annual ratings of the most valuable franchises in the NHL. Toronto had been the top-rated club for as long as this writer can remember.

When you look at the on-ice and front-office situations around the Canadian clubs, it seems most are being guided by experienced hands and should ultimately see better results. Despite their current omission from playoff rankings, there's reason for hope in each of the Canadian markets.

In Montreal, the Canadiens are learning the hard way just how much they depended on last year's MVP, Carey Price. They have floundered to a 4-16-1 mark in the last 21 games, by far the worst mark in the league, while he's been sidelined. The Habs' front office has come face to face with the revelation of their current roster deficiencies, but this ship should be at least be righted once their leader returns.

One player to watch there is David Desharnais; the diminutive pivot has a chance to play top-six minutes and may even rejoin Max Pacioretty in an attempt to reprise previous success and ignite this offense.

Toronto's historically tried (and failed) with many quick fixes. Now the Leafs' experienced off-ice leadership seems totally committed to a patient, systematic rebuild that looks like it will soon bear fruit, given the structure that has been imposed by coach Mike Babcock and the young talent in the system. (The Toronto Marlies currently hold the best record in the AHL.) The Leafs also have the unusual financial flexibility of some space under the cap.

Keep an eye on Shawn Matthias – the veteran winger is going to be showcased over the next month in a top-six role in the hopes of enhancing his trade value before the Feb. 29 deadline.

Brian Burke has overseen a similar reconstruction in Calgary, which boasts one of the league's deepest, most talented defense corps and a growing number of young talents on offense. If they can find a bona fide No. 1 goalie, they could be on their way.

Look out for Micheal Ferland – the second-year pro was a spark plug in in last year's playoffs, and he's recently joined Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top line.

The Oilers have amassed a number of top offensive talents with a string of high first-round draft picks, and they've finally started to populate their blue line (Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom), while netminders Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson are making credible contributions. That hasn't kept them out of the cellar, but they could get better in a hurry when Connor McDavid returns.

Teddy Purcell's back in a top-six role with the Oilers thanks to injuries up front, and this is a good time to remember that he's a solid two-way winger who can provide offense. This could be another showcase situation, given his expiring contract status.

The Ottawa Senators are not far from contention this season; they probably have the best shot of any Canadian club to advance to the postseason because they boast the league's top-scoring defenseman in Erik Karlsson and a group of young forwards that form the basis of one of the league's most potent offenses. Lately, the Senators have struggled with the concept of keeping pucks out of their own net.

Mark Stone has had a bit of a slow season – he's still on pace to clear 60 points, but the goals are down and he's minus-14, a big drop from 2014-15's plus-21. Stone and linemate Kyle Turris (who's out Thursday with a lower-body injury) have been averaging more than 20 minutes on the ice this year, and both have seen drops in their production. They may be getting overplayed by coach Dave Cameron; look for their ice time to get under control down the stretch.

The Canucks are another team on the edge of playoff qualification, but they were dealt a big blow when Henrik Sedin was sidelined indefinitely with an upper-body injury. He and his twin brother Daniel have been the Canucks' leaders for many years; without them, this team would be a bottom-feeder. With only one of them active, they're still in big trouble.

Look out for young centers Bo Horvat and Jared McCann – these two will get most of the top-six minutes until Henrik returns. Horvat has been on fire, picking up 10 points in his last eight games.

Winnipeg's also within striking distance in the Western Conference race, but the Jets will be hard pressed to stay in the hunt because they're missing three important players in Drew Stafford, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry. They've also been without longtime top goalie Ondrej Pavelec for much of this season.

Keep an eye out for the rise of Joel Armia – part of the Evander Kane trade, he fits the profile of a Jets winger. Armia has excellent size at 6-foot-3, 205, and he's already picked up a goal while playing top-six minutes over the last two games. Injuries to a number of Jets forwards should provide Armia with a lengthy audition.