With the team posting a middling 4-3-2 record in January so far, more questions keep surfacing for GM Ron Francis. The fans are talking playoffs and then they're not. What to do and when to do it? Those are the key questions with less than a month an a half remaining before the February 29th trade deadline.
Timing can be so important. It can also drive a conversation that forces the wrong conclusions. For a team looking toward the NHL trade deadline timing is only one part of the equation. Team need, available assets, and long-term team construction also come into play.