The New York Rangers find themselves as a serious contender for the first time in a long time. They don't want to ruin their chances, which means that as the trade deadline approaches, they will be looking to improve. Petr Nedved is one name that has been rumoured to the Rangers, as the Coyotes continue to try and deal the veteran centre. I've been saying Brian Leetch will be back with the Rangers for weeks now, and I still believe that before the deadline, Brian Leetch will find his way back to Broadway. I would not be surprised if the Rangers also try to get Samsonov is some sort of super-package, though it wouldn't come cheap. Samsonov would be a great fit in New York.
Montreal looked good in last night's 6-1 win over San Jose. Unless they continue to win like that, Gainey will still make several moves leading up to the deadline. Ribeiro is as good as gone, and good be on his way to Washington. Witt maybe in return?
The Leafs will be looking to deal, and it could come very soon. With back-to-back games against Ottawa next week, the Leafs would love to have something new in the lineup to attempt to gain some ground on the Sens. With games against the Avs and Wild before then, they should be good tests to see exactly the Leafs have. A scoring winger and a defensive defenseman are on the Leafs' shopping list, while another goalie isn't out of the question.
Roberto Luongo is not likely to be traded, but at this point, he's not likely to sign any long term deals with Florida. Luongo will likely finish the season with Panthers, and then be traded in the offseason. Colorado, Vancouver, Toronto, Minnesota, Ottawa and Detroit are all teams I've heard will have serious interest at season's end.
The Sharks are not done adding to their team. They would love to add another defenseman. The Coyotes are another team who will likely make several trades as the deadline approaches. Mike Comrie will see a lot of attention, as will Ladislav Nagy. Nedved and Mike Johnson(Not Matt Johnson as Eklund indicated) are rumoured to be a package offered to Pittsburgh to get Sergei Gonchar, but this deal is highly unlikely.
