CBSSports.com's Mike Cercel and Greg Cimilluca provide analysis on three topics.
| 1. LeafPhan4rLife asks: Is Toronto's Mats Sundin going to get traded? And if yes, where? | |
| Mike Cercel | Greg Cimilluca |
 If the Maple Leafs can't somehow turn around their season in the next month, center Mats Sundin will be the biggest commodity come the trade deadline on Feb. 26. Sundin could prove to be this season's Peter Forsberg rental to a Cup contender, say like big rival Ottawa, or perhaps Vancouver, a team looking for a big body up front. Sundin trade rumors will likely become more intense after the All-Star Game with new general manager Cliff Fletcher running the show now. The GM knows Toronto can get a lot in return for Sundin in terms of draft picks and prospects. The only problem standing in the way is the classy Sundin continues to insist he does not want to leave the team after 13 years of service and with a no-trade clause in his contract, he does have the final say in regards to a decision. The 36-year-old team captain will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and can have the option to return to the Maple Leafs if he gives the OK to move on. And who knows, he may end up with a Ray Bourque-like scenario in Colorado and win that elusive Stanley Cup. |  As the standings sit right now (as of Jan. 28) the Maple Leafs are second to last in the Eastern Conference. While only a mere six points out of the last playoff spot, they would have to climb over five teams to make it. Stranger things have happened but that would be bordering on the surreal. So taking the plot scenario that the Leafs are going to move Sundin -- the most likely situation -- the suitors will be in a hurry to line up to nab the talented pivot. Sundin will be 37 by the time the Feb. 26th deadline arrives but that shouldn't deter GMs from acquiring the talented Swede's services. Moving a franchise guy like Sundin could make this the move that marks the Cliff Fletcher era in Toronto. At the end of the day I say look for Colorado, a non-conference team hurting at the center position that may want some veteran depth down the middle to secure a spot and a run at the Cup. |
| 2. jetsfan89 asks: Which goalie is more important to his team -- Martin Brodeur or Chris Osgood? | |
| Mike Cercel | Greg Cimilluca |
| Well, there shouldn't be too much debate on this choice. Martin Brodeur is by far a more instrumental player to New Jersey than Chris Osgood is to Detroit. Although Brodeur does not have the same record (26-16-2) from past seasons at the mid-point stage, this workhorse of a goalie has logged 2,639 minutes in 44 games, with four shutouts, just a 2.16 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. Brodeur is so key for the Devils -- and has been for the past decade -- that Kevin Weekes has played just five games and is one of the least-used backups in the league. Osgood is not to be undermined with an impressive 20-3-2 record, but note that Dominik Hasek at 17-7-2 is the other goalie in Detroit. Either one of these two, who also have three shutouts each and split games in net for the Red Wings, would be a starter on just about any other team in the NHL. No wonder Detroit is the best team in the league right now. | No one can deny what Chris Osgood means to the Detroit Red Wings. He along with Dominik Hasek easily form the league's most devastating tandem in net for the league's most devastating team. Osgood's numbers in 2007-08 are great considering his work in a part-time job. And while some of the success of Detroit's breakaway season can be pinned on the work Osgood has done between the pipes, I would be hard-pressed to say he is more valuable than Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. Year in and out Brodeur is asked to do yeoman's work in net for the Devils and year in and out he does so with consistent aplomb. Whether it is the lack of a quality backup (though Kevin Weekes is a solid if unused option) or extreme confidence in their franchise workhorse, the Devils are allowed to follow the ebb and flow of a season because they know when they right the ship, they will have the man in goal to keep them there. |
| 3. Which team is most likely to have a big second half? | |
| Mike Cercel | Greg Cimilluca |
| The Blue Jackets usually return from the All-Star Game to play out the season, more-or-less, but this time they come back chasing a playoff spot. Sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference with 56 points, which is as many as eighth place and more seasoned Avalanche have. Columbus has been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season. The Jackets should easily top the club-best 35 wins and 74 points from 2005-06 and also finish with a winning record for the first time. The only NHL team to never make the playoffs, the Blue Jackets have chemistry this time around and have come a long way from their usually modest to disappointing campaigns. Provided they can keep this pace going, this is as good of a chance as ever for Columbus to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. | If history is to repeat itself, the good money would be on the New York Rangers, who fought off first-half sluggishness last season to march all the way to the playoffs and even had enough momentum to sweep the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round. Fortunately for New York this season, most of the East has also decided to play Jekyll and Hyde, putting the Rangers well within striking distance should they make another run from their current slot in the standings. In a similar position in the West, Colorado sits just out of the top eight and is ready to get some key personnel back. When Paul Stastny, Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic return (Stastny shortly with Smyth and Sakic to come later) and a potential trade or two (see question No. 1) at the deadline, the Avs will have several "acquisitions" necessary for the stretch run. |
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