The 2011 NHL Trade Deadline is less than three weeks away. Will the local hockey squads -- the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils -- make any moves between now and the deadline? We don't know, but SB Nation New York will do our best to keep you up to date on any moves made by the three squads.
The Rangers are the only one of the three teams currently in playoff position. Heading into a Friday night clash withe Atlanta Thrashers, however, the Rangers have not won in their last five games. Can they make any moves to bolster their roster for a playoff run? We shall see.
The Devils have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, moving within 13 points of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. New Jersey still has a large mountain to climb to complete an unlikely comeback and get into the playoffs. What New Jersey does -- or does not do -- in the trade market the next couple of weeks will tell us a lot about what General Manager Lou Lamoriello thinks about his team's chance of reaching the postseason.
The Islanders (18-29-7) are 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Perhaps the Islanders follow the traditional bottom-feeder pattern of trading off some veteran talent to try and acquire younger talent that could theoretically help them down the line.