We're under two months away from the NHL's March 7 trade deadline, and it's already a doozy.

Look at the Eastern Conference and you'll understand why. The Bruins and Blue Jackets are holding on to the wild-card spots right now, separated by one standings point. The Senators are one point out, the Canadiens are two points out, and the Red Wings, Flyers and Penguins are all tied at four points out.

Meanwhile, the mighty Rangers have fallen below them all with their season catastrophe.

Assumed sellers might be buying, assumed buyers might be selling and a good amount of teams might be dabbling in a combination of both—or neither.

Let's get into it and predict how some of the most unpredictable teams might approach the deadline this season.

Vancouver Canucks: Welp, Sellers

Remember when the Vancouver Canucks were at the top of the league at this time last year? Some regression from that happy-go-lucky vibe was inevitable, but the struggle is far beyond that this season. They're blowing way too many leads, have struggled defensively and too many of their best players are going cold.

Speaking of their best players, the Canucks are shopping J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson because of the drama.

"League sources have confirmed that the Vancouver Canucks are listening on both J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson," The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun wrote last week.

Meanwhile, they've fallen so hard that they're one point out of the playoffs, fighting for the second wild-card spot in the West.

On paper, trading Miller or Pettersson is not going to make an already struggling team better—especially with the lack of leverage on the market. But in practice, if things are that tense and it's leading to all of this lack of confidence and blown leads, how much worse could it get?

Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Jets was the latest in a series of bizarre losses that suggest something fundamental needs to change.

Sometimes the change-of-scenery thing is real, even though it's difficult to imagine either of these Canucks staples on a different team right now. Given Pettersson's new contract, you wonder if they unload him on a contender, retain some salary, and use the cap space to shop from a bad team with salary assets.

Boston Bruins: Wishful Buyers

Remember those two top-six centers from the previous slide? The Bruins could use, well, all two of them.

But could they realistically swing even one?

Bruins GM Don Sweeney is known for aggressive trade deadline deals to a fault, as Boston stares down an empty prospects cupboard and pressure to not trade any impact draft picks.

Pettersson or Miller would significantly upgrade exactly what the Bruins need—a top-six center, scoring and power-play help. However, according to Puckpedia, the Bruins will have a projected $4.775 million in cap space at the deadline, and Pettersson is carrying an $11.6 million AAV, while Miller's at $8 million.

You can probably rule Pettersson out given the lack of assets and money the Bruins have to offer. But the Canucks are hearing teams out, so maybe they find a fit for unleashing Miller's contract on Boston.

The Bruins could send back an affordable Pavel Zacha or Charlie Coyle for center depth and potentially some defense depth the Canucks desperately need. Vancouver could then hunt for some top-six upgrades with the cleared space.

Calgary Flames: Quiet

"The kids"—Dustin Wolf, Connor Zary, Matt Coronato—have been a huge part of the story as the Flames unexpectedly hang on to the West's second wild-card spot. You don't want to mess with that too much, and if you're the Flames, you essentially can't.

The Flames were expected to be vying more for the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NHL draft than they were for a playoff spot. It might be best to let the confidence and chemistry grow with their young players while enjoying a bit of a bounceback from Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri.

Perhaps they go for a modest rental.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Why Not Both?

The Blue Jackets currently claim the East's last wild-card spot, and the team many thought would be focused on rebuilding and the draft lottery at this point is now looking at the trade deadline a bit differently.

Columbus GM Don Waddell spoke with Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek last week about their plan.

"I've gotten a lot of calls from some of our free agents going back the last month and a half or so, and I've told them all that we're not willing to just get rid of players at this point. We're looking at if we can improve our team through hockey trades and all that," Waddell told Marek.

"... But, you know, a guy like Ivan Provorov, who I get a lot of calls about, he's one of our best defenders, if not our best defender. And there's an opportunity, potential to sign him. And if we can sign him, that would be great. And if not, then come March, we'll have to decide what we do. I owe it to the players, I owe it to the fans, I owe it to the ownership that if we're in the hunt, we've got to try to continue at least to stay in the hunt and play it out and see how it goes."

They've got a ton of cap space and a surplus of young talent to pull from if they want to make a run at it. It's not necessarily a great idea to completely overhaul the rebuild. But if they remain in playoff contention, they could use the trade deadline to take on a player who could help them now and later.

The whole Blue Jackets trade-deadline experience sort of hinges on signing Provorov or not. If they can't get it done, maybe this becomes a buy-and-sell hockey trade deal.

Detroit Red Wings: Yzerbuyers

It's pretty tough to predict what's on GM Steve Yzerman's agenda, and that's by design.

The Yzerplan might've been late to the party this season, but a coaching change that gave Todd McLellan the reins has drastically improved the vibes and the look of the team, and suddenly Detroit is four points out of a playoff spot.

The problem is essentially half of the East is, too. Their playoff fate is too out of the Red Wings' hands to make a move that would hurt them in the future for one shot at a playoff run.

If the Sabres are clearing house, a young center like Dylan Cozens could be a good option. But I can only see that sort of situation working here.

New York Rangers: Sell, Sell, Sell!

What can you even do if you're the Rangers right now? You've already traded captain Jacob Trouba and former top draft pick Kaapo Kakko. Neither the team morale nor the on-ice product has improved that much, although the Blueshirts have picked up a point in their last five games.

Still, New York is the third-worst team in the East, ahead of only the Islanders and Sabres (well, hey, New York has all three worst teams in the East). It's tough to see the Rangers climbing back up and snagging a playoff spot, and GM Chris Drury already sold two major pieces.

At this point—especially when you've made it clear that you're good with trading whomever else—you keep selling. It's hard to imagine New York has much leverage at this deadline, but I suppose it's time to clear some space and find a new vision.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sellers

We've seen this film before with Kyle Dubas and the playoff-bubble Penguins, and he hasn't been shy about selling.

Pittsburgh is one of the many teams four points out of the East's last wild-card spot, but it's been a shaky season and the Penguins are unlikely to thrive with their current goaltending situation.

The team's got some veterans that Dubas can trade for decent value as he ushers in a new era of Penguins hockey. Marcus Pettersson could really help a team out on defense, for one.

Ottawa Senators: Cautious Buyers

The Ottawa Senators remain one of the trickiest teams in the league to figure out as they look to complete an eight-year rebuild and end their playoff drought. They're closer than they've been in years, but the core is still young and Linus Ullmark is signed through 2028-29.

There's urgency to get this team a playoff appearance, and it's in reach as the Senators inch toward a wild-card spot. it would be silly to give up a significant piece of a future that finally seems bright and sustainable for one potential first-round exit.

That being said, injuries throughout the lineup have exposed a need for more depth. It couldn't hurt to make some minor tweaks that bolster the depth, but still allow for free-agency flexibility.