As a primer to the trade deadline, it’s important to know where teams stand in terms of cap space to know whether deals are even really possible — and what kind of deals can be feasible. For some, deals can still be made so long as a corresponding move to shed salary is made concurrently. For others, they’re projected to have enough cap space to fit in a number of high end contracts without going over the cap ceiling at season’s end.
It makes for an intricate landscape of buyers and sellers, and teams that can take on deadweight cap hits in return for an exciting prospect or promising NHLer in order to free a team up enough to acquire an impact piece today.