the NHL trade deadline and the CBA.

We’re about 5 hours from the NHL trade deadline — and this is one of the strangest trade deadlines I’ve seen in years. certain teams are stocking up massively (especially the avs) and even teams that traditionally haven’t bought at the deadline are doing so (the flames). Very few teams with playoff aspirations are standing pat.

And other teams are unloading everyone they can. It’s somewhat understandable for the Penguins to cut costs, and for the Rangers to finally clear house.

But what’s notable to me is what’s going back in return. I’m not the greatest expert on the legions of prospects out there, but I usually have some idea of who’s who. And this year, the names flying back in return for these rentaplayer deals are names I’ve never heard of before, and draft picks. Lots and lots of picks.

And the more I look at what’s going on here at the deadline, the more is scares me, because I think it indicates what the GMs and the teams think is going to happen next fall when the CBA expires. they don’t think there’s going to be hockey.

Teams with a chance to run now are stocking up madly, not worrying about the long-term affect of those contracts. Teams who know they’re not in the running now are not only dumping that talent, but bringing back really, really, really young players and draft picks.

What I see is some teams running for this season without worrying about tomorrow, because they don’t believe there is one. It’s either this year — or some time out in the future. And other teams are selling, but taking back in return stuff that won’t benefit them for three, four, or five years. nobody is building to next season, nobody is taking advantage of this to position themselves for a run soon. You’re either running, or you’re reloading way into the future.

And that tells me the GMs are convinced that once the CBA expired, there won’t be hockey for a while. They’re trading in a way that makes sense only if they believe there won’t be hockey next season.

If you want to know what someone thinks, don’t listen to what they say, look at what they do. and right now, what the GMs are doing is preparing for a long dark time. Taht’s not PR rhetoric, this is financial restructuring in a way that wouldn’t happen if they didn’t think it was likely.

Scares me. Scare you? It should.

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