The Sabres, Canadiens and Jets are going nowhere, fast. The allure of the playoffs and the millions of dollars it generates is real: Ask the Blue Jackets, who snatched the franchise’s first playoff series win after making the choice to buy and not to sell. The trade deadline, just a few weeks away, presents a hard fork in the season before each franchise’s path diverges toward a playoff push or a mediocre conclusion. And neither Buffalo, Montreal or Winnipeg have much to stake their postseason hopes to.
The rest of the league isn’t settled, but a few groupings have emerged.