OTHL -- 14 days left until the trading deadline, 20 odd games for the teams to play until the playoffs. It is crunch time in the OTHL and the fans could not ask for a better time then now (if we exclude the post-season). All but a few teams have played 60 games and all but a few teams are in with a chance of a place in the post-season. And the teams have already started to prepare for the post-season, the Florida Panthers added Jerome Iginla from Atlanta yesterday, and they also acquired Adam Deadmarsh a few days ago. However, two trades that give them the highest payroll in the league right now.
Another team that has made moves with an eye on the post-season, is the New York Rangers as they added Chris Simon and Eric Lindros not long ago. Two players that was traded from the Rangers earlier this season. The NY Rangers has been active this season, going from a playoff contender to a rebuilder, to yet again aim for the playoffs by picking up veteran help for youth. However, 22 games to play and the Rangers are 11 points out of the playoffs in the East.
Another eastern conference team that bounced the idea of a rebuild earlier this season where the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now they are just 2 points behind Buffalo who holds down the last playoff spot, and the Bolts have a game in hand on Buffalo. And considering the Buffalo Sabres defensive pickups the last couple of weeks, one have to wonder if they are not a sure pick to make the playoffs. Adding Nicklas Lidström, Sean Hill and Derek Morris to the defense and old fan favorite Michael Peca up front really makes the Sabres a team nobody wants to face in the post-season.
In the western conference the race might be even more wide open ever team, save 5 or 6 teams, are either rebuilding or are planing to rebuild. Witch makes the race in the west every open and very interesting. Teams that had no plans, or no real hope of being able to make it to the playoffs this season, could very well be in the playoffs when the regular season is over. Two teams that looked like they could contend for the top spot in the west before the season started, where the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames. The Stars added names like Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Yashin and Jeff O'Neill, just to find themselfs struggling to win games and right now it looks like the Stars are going to be big time sellers on the deadline.
A team in the west that is gunning hard for the playoffs are the Minnesota Wild. Rumors claim that the Wild will be buyers the next 14 days and that they will make a big push towards the playoffs. And with just 3 points up to the last playoff spot, and teams ahead of them not really looking to sell, the Wild could very well make it to the post-season.