Trade Deadline Madness...Hopefully Part 2

Looks like we're inching ever closer to the trade deadline excitement, as the Los Angeles Kings began to stockpiling even more draft picks by trading Jaroslav Modry to the Philadelphia Flyers. That being said, lets take a look at more of the top players that could be moved in the next week.

2. Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs

Realistically, there isn't much to talk about when it comes to Mats Sundin. At this point, only one person controls what happens in this situation and that person is Sundin. Being the leader of the no-trade clause squad, Sundin must give Leafs' interim-GM Cliff Fletcher the go ahead to make any deal to any team and up till now Sundin has not expressed any interest in pursuing his first Stanley Cup with any other team besides the Leafs.

One thing that we can all be sure of is that if Sundin decides to waive his no-trade clause, every team that even has a sniff of the playoffs will attempt to pick him up. Granted, a team such as the Anaheim Ducks do not typically go after rental players, but would Brian Burke be able to pass up the opportunity of placing Mats Sundin between Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz? Such a prospect could make Burke reconsider his stance on the issue.

3. Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres

Campbell's situation is extremely similar to that of Marian Hossa's: Campbell is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer while his current team is knee deep in the fight to obtain a playoff spot. The major difference in Campbell's situation compared to Hossa's is that Campbell has the edge over his team in the contract negotiations due to the team's recent loss of its two biggest stars. Last summer, the Sabres lost co-captains Danny Briere and Chris Drury to free-agency; most of all, the Sabres lost the two stars for nothing.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier is sure to not make the same mistake thrice, therefore within the next week Campbell will either have the contract he's asking for (reported to be in the $6 to $7 million neighborhood) or he will find himself with a new address.

Teams that are likely to be showing the greatest interest over the next week should be the Rangers, Devils, Bruins, Canadiens, and Sharks. All five teams are in need of help on their blueline (three of the five due to the teams losing one of their top two D-men last summer) and one way or the other these teams will need to improve their defense if they hope to endure the playoffs.

The team most likely to end up with Campbell is the New York Rangers. Currently, the Rangers have a number of young, up-and-coming players that would fit neatly into the Sabres lineup for years to come. Most of all, the Rangers are the team that are only a few missing pieces away from being serious Stanley Cup contenders and one of those pieces is a defensively responsible, puck moving defenseman: enter Brian Campbell.

The next most likely team to acquire Campbell is the San Jose Sharks. Also in need of a puck moving defenseman, the Sharks reportedly were the reason for the Ottawa Senators asking Wade Redden to waive his no-trade clause last week. The offer on the table supposedly involved the Sharks' young, talented defenseman Matt Carle and likely a combination of draft picks and another ready to go young player. If San Jose was willing to make such an offer to Ottawa, the same deal will likely be on the table for Brian Campbell as long as the Sharks are confident that they can sign Campbell to a contract extension.

In the cases of the other three teams (Montreal, New Jersey, and Boston), a deal is not likely to be made unless they are somehow confident that they can sign Campbell to a contract extension. Any way that this situation goes, Campbell will greatly help any team that acquires him.