The NHL trade deadline on Feb. 25th is an important date on the annual calendar for a number of reasons, most notably because it ultimately presents one final opportunity for teams to tangibly improve their roster and increase their chances of competing for the Stanley Cup.
While the deadline has come and go in past years with more buzz than actual player movement of real significance, this one feels a little bit different. That's partly because the races around the league are particularly wide open (beyond the Tampa Bay Lightning sitting far atop the Eastern Conference).