The NHL trade deadline is set for March 5 at 3 p.m. ET. But the upcoming break for the 2014 Sochi Olympics adds a caveat, a potential second trade deadline for some teams.
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada brought up a good point this week, citing how that break could force some teams to make trades sooner.
The league's temporary trade freeze arrives on Feb. 7 and lifts on the 23rd, 10 days before the true trade deadline. The quirk in this year's schedule means there will be one pay period while the non-Olympians are working on their tans.
And that's an added factor in all of this.
NHL players, whether in Sochi or at a poolside bar, get paid on Feb. 15, right in the middle of a stretch with no games played.
The season is 195 days (Oct. 1 to Apr. 13), with 16 of them during the freeze. Sixteen into 195 is a little above eight percent. So let's say you have a $5-million skater available for trade. He's going to collect $410,000 during the freeze. How much does your owner care about that? Some won't, not at all. But some will, affecting both buyers and sellers.
That's why it's time to look at the statu ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Dave Lozo
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January 30th, 2014 by Dave Lozo Leave a reply »
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