Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
In this one we'll be looking at which team could be first to make a panic move based on what we've seen thus far.
Todd Cordell
I'm going to go with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Coming off their second playoff appearance in franchise history where they gave Pittsburgh all they could handle, the plan was to take the next step forward this year.
They have a roster capable of doing so, but because of injuries to Brandon Dubinsky, Mark Letestu, Artem Anisimov, Ryan Murray, Sergei Bobrovsky, etc. they've struggled and lost a ton of games coming out of the gate.
Nathan Horton is also out, has a severe back issue and may never play again, so they'll have to replace him sooner or later, anyways.
The Jackets have let it be known they're in the market for a top-6 forward, so if one becomes available I could see them pulling the trigger quickly. They need to start picking up points before they fall too far out of the race and can't dig themselves out of the hole they're in now.
Ryan Wilson The Colorado Avalanche should be looking to make a move because it is something they should have done over the offseason. Their defense corp wasn't good enough and it is still not good enough. Why I consider this a panic move is because the Avs thought what they had going into the season was good enough. They didn't anticipate starting this bad. The data always said otherwise. Now that reality is sinking in I believe the Avs will try to make a move in an attempt to "save" the season. Most likely a case of too little too late with the division they play in, especially with how Nashville and Winnipeg are playing
Tim Chiasson I have to pick the Leafs.
No team is under more pressure from fans and the media than Toronto is and it doesn't matter how calm and collected you are, at some point you'll break.
Randy Carlyle isn't the only one who should be on the hotseat for Toronto. Dave Nonis should be right there with him for assembling the team that Carlyle can't function with.
I think their panic move will be dealing one of Jake Gardiner or Nazem Kadri. Both are talented young players that have been in rumors for awhile, and both should be kept. Gardiner doesn't need a new team, he needs a new linemate. Gardiner and Reilly together was never a good idea.
If the Leafs fall out of a playoff spot I just feel like Nonis will hit the panic button and look to make moves before Brendan Shanahan makes moves of his own.
James Tanner I was going to say that it would be the Oilers, but I don't necessarily know if it'd be a panic move or a logical response.
I could see the Oilers, Leafs or Coyotes all doing something fairly drastic in the near future. If the Coyotes don't string together some wins, the youth movement is going to happen and I don't know if Tippett is the one to lead that kind of team.
The Leafs, well RC should have been fired a year ago, so the clocks ticking there no matter what. The more he makes insane decisions like scratching Morgan Reilly, the closer you have to think it gets to happening.
I also like TSN to fire Jeff O'neil sometime soon. They could take any random hockey fan from Twitter and it couldn't be worse. Would that qualify as a panic move?
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Who do you think will be the first team to panic? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
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