Should We Buy or Should We Sell?

That's the question every GM for a middle-of-the-pack NHL team will be asking this month, trying to decide what to do before the February 27 trade deadline. For some GMs — like Dean Lombardi of the Los Angeles Kings and Paul Holmgren of the Philadelphia Flyers — the answer is obvious. Their teams are going nowhere this season, and accumulation of prospects and draft picks could hold the key to future success.

But for many of the league's GMs, the decision is difficult indeed. In St. Louis, the Blues got off to a terrible start on the ice and at the gate. But the team has surged into playoff contention in the past month, and the fans are starting to come back. Although it might be tempting to deal one of the team's talented free agents-to-be (like defenseman Eric Brewer) to strengthen next season's roster, team president John Davidson must balance that need against the importance of keeping the Blues' justifiably skeptical fans happy.

The same is true in Phoenix and in Original Six cities Chicago and Boston, where slumps have all but put the kibosh on playoff hopes for the teams. From a hockey standpoint, the answer is an easy one. But all three teams are struggling with attendance, and so the decision to be "sellers" at the deadline goes beyond hockey.

So here's how the teams line up this week. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by games played, W–L–OTL, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Please note that the data are up to and include games played on Tuesday night and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team's ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (1):The Predators have been sensational of late, largely because they receive balanced contributions throughout the lineup. The Preds don't have a single 20-goal scorer, yet they lead the Western Conference with 185 goals.
52 36–13–3 75 185 133 16.6%88.6%

2 BUFFALO SABRES (2): The Sabres have slumped lately, but there's nothing like a game against the Boston Bruins to get them back on track. Led by Daniel Briere's hat trick, the Sabres absolutely trounced the Bruins 7–1 on Tuesday night.
52 34–14–4 72 197 152 13.9%83.2%

3 ANAHEIM DUCKS (3): The Ducks snapped a 2–7–2 skid on Sunday night with a 4–1 victory over the Stars. Not coincidentally, the game marked a return to the lineup by Chris Pronger, Francois Beauchemin, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
51 31–12–8 70 171 131 21.1% 86.6%

4 DETROIT RED WINGS (4): The Wings entered the third period down 3–0 to the Islanders on Tuesday night, but then Norris Trophy favorite Nicklas Lidstrom took over, earning three primary assists and leading Detroit to a stunning 4–3 overtime victory.
52 32–14–6 70 157 124 14.6% 85.7%

5 SAN JOSE SHARKS (5): More than halfway through the season, their goalies' statistics are nearly identical. Yet the Sharks' record when playing in front of Vesa Toskala (21–6–1) is far better than when Evgeni Nabokov is between the pipes (12–11–0).
51 33–17–1 67 157 117 23.5%86.0%

6 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (6): Perhaps the Devils' most underappreciated player, Sergei Brylin remains one of their most important. A key contributor for all three Cup championship teams, Brylin is a fixture on the team's top-notch checking line.
51 30–15–6 66 134 120 15.2% 85.7%

7 ATLANTA THRASHERS (7): A healthy Kari Lehtonen has made all the difference for Atlanta; he is rapidly becoming one of the NHL's top netminders and is the primary reason the Thrashers lead the Southeast Division.
53 29–16–8 66 165 160 14.0% 81.2%

8 DALLAS STARS (8): Marty Turco has been sensational between the pipes, keeping the goalstarved Stars close in virtually every game. If the Blues fall out of the playoff hunt, look for GM Doug Armstrong to inquire about bringing back Bill Guerin.
51 30–19–2 62 136 126 16.1% 84.3%

9 CALGARY FLAMES (9): The deal to reacquire Craig Conroy paid immediate dividends. He scored twice on Tuesday night to lead the Flames to a 4–1 victory over his former team, the Los Angeles Kings, in his first game back with Calgary.
50 27–17–6 60 155 128 14.2%83.6%

10 MONTREAL CANADIENS (10): With 17 goals in 50 games, Sheldon Souray has a shot to crack the 30-goal mark. If he manages the feat, he'll be the first blueliner to do so since Paul Coffey for the 1988–89 Pittsburgh Penguins.
51 28–18–5 61 150 145 21.6%90.9%

11 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (12): With the recent news that center Ryan Kesler will be out between 12 and 16 weeks after hip surgery, it's a good bet that GM Dave Nonis will be on the prowl looking to deal for some reinforcements upfront.
51 28–19–4 60 131 129 15.7%89.2%

12 OTTAWA SENATORS (11): The new year has been quite kind to the Senators. They've surged to within 10 points of the seemingly uncatchable Sabres with a 9–3–1 record in January and have emerged as a dark horse threat to win the Stanley Cup.
53 30–21–2 62 178 144 13.3%88.2%

13 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (16): The Penguins certainly haven't let their uncertain future affect them on the ice. Going 6–0–1 in their last seven games, the red-hot Penguins look to be en route to their first postseason appearance since 2001.
49 24–17–8 56 165 153 17.0%83.2%

14 MINNESOTA WILD (14): It appears as though at least three teams from the Northwest Division will reach the playoffs, and if Jacques Lemaire's Wild make the cut, they'll make life miserable for their first-round opponent.
52 27–21–4 58 145 134 13.9%88.6%

15 CAROLINA HURRICANES (13): He never got the opportunity to shine in Philadelphia, but Justin Williams has emerged as one of the 'Canes' most valuable contributors and leads the team in goals.
53 26–21–6 58 163 168 13.8%86.5%

16 COLORADO AVALANCHE (18): On Sunday, José Théodore got his first start in a month. Although he played extremely well against the Red Wings, stopping 38 of 41 shots, his team delivered an atrocious performance in front of him, and so the Avs still fell 3–1.
50 25–21–4 54 157 147 16.2%82.3%

17 NEW YORK RANGERS (17): Top defenseman Michal Rozsival suffered a knee sprain during Monday night's 6–1 victory over the Bruins; the injury is not considered serious, and he should return to the lineup relatively soon.
50 25–21–4 54 148 149 17.0%85.5%

18 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (20): Vincent Lecavalier is finally delivering on his enormous potential and is on pace to crack the 100-point mark for the first time. He and Martin St. Louis will need to keep up their torrid scoring pace if Tampa is to reach the playoffs.
52 27–23–2 56 165 163 15.2%80.6%

19 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (21): The blue line duo of Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe once again the hold key to the Leafs' power play, and Mats Sundin remains one of the NHL's top forwards. But the rest of the Leafs' lineup has been startlingly inconsistent.
51 24–21–6 54 167 170 17.1% 80.1%

20 EDMONTON OILERS (19): Reuniting Shawn Horcoff with Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth on the Oilers' top line worked quite nicely in Saturday night's 4–3 victory over the Kings, as the trio combined for 11 points and a plus-12.
50 24–22–4 52 136 146 13.7% 88.4%

21 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (22): The Islanders are the most penalized team in the NHL, and their penalty killing is 24th in the NHL. That combination, more than any other factor, is the reason they're currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
50 23–21–6 52 149 148 14.2% 81.7%

22 BOSTON BRUINS (15): The free-falling Bruins have been outscored 19–3 in their last four games; captain Zdeno Chara has only gone minus-two during that stretch, despite averaging close to 30 minutes a game.
49 22–23–4 48 139 186 14.1% 82.9%

23 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (23): It's "Alexanders the Great" in Washington, where Ovechkin and Semin are the keys to the Caps' offense. The dynamic duo have combined for 120 points thus far and show no signs of slowing down.
51 21–23–7 49 160 180 14.8%85.4%

24 PHOENIX COYOTES (24): The Coyotes followed up their seven-game winning streak by going 3–5 in their last eight, and have clearly lost momentum. If they don't start winning soon, Wayne Gretzky's club will indeed be sellers as the trade deadline approaches.
50 23–25–2 48 140 175 11.6% 80.4%

25 ST. LOUIS BLUES (26): The Blues posted an 8–4–1 record in January, rebounding back to respectability. But a playoff spot is still a serious longshot, and trading the likes of Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin is clearly in the team's best long-term interests.
51 20–23–8 48 130 159 12.1% 84.1%

26 FLORIDA PANTHERS (25): Power forward Todd Bertuzzi has begun practicing with the team and should return to the lineup within the next two to three weeks. But since he's an unrestricted free agent-to-be, his greatest value to the Panthers will most likely be in a trade.
52 19–23–10 48 147 166 17.3% 84.7%

27 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (28): Under Ken Hitchcock, the Blue Jackets have climbed back to respectability. But in the tough-asnails Western Conference, that's just not good enough. Could blueliner Adam Foote draw some interest as the deadline approaches?
51 21–25–5 47 129 155 14.4%83.8%

28 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (27) Denis Savard's honeymoon behind the bench is over. Though the Hawks snapped a 10-game losing streak with their 4–3 win over Calgary on Sunday, it's safe to say their playoff hopes have been officially crushed.
50 18–25–7 43 124 156 9.7% 85.1%

29 LOS ANGELES KINGS (29): The trading of Craig Conroy was a smart move for the Kings; they rid themselves of Conroy's $2.4 million contract for this year and next while also landing former Rangers prospect Jamie Lundmark and two draft picks.
53 17–30–6 40 145 192 15.7% 78.9%

30 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30): Peter Forsberg might be the Flyers' sexiest UFA-to-be, but versatile forward Sami Kapanen — who actually played defense for the Flyers during the 2004 playoffs — could yield a very valuable return for GM Paul Holmgren at the deadline.
50 12–32–6 30 120 189 10.1% 87.8%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.