We're five weeks out from the March 7 NHL trade deadline, and Mikko Rantanen scored a goal for the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Wait, what?

Yeah, we're in the chaotic timeline in which Rantanen and Taylor Hall were shipped out to a contender well before the deadline, and the blockbuster has changed the trade expectations and landscape already.

But where is each individual team at now when it comes to deadline? Read on.

Anaheim Ducks: Developing

It's a shame the Ducks have had one of the strongest goalie tandems in the league in Lukáš Dostál and John Gibson this year while still deep in their skater rebuild.

The team has taken a tiny step forward as individual players are developing and starting to gel together, but there's still more progress to be made. It's probably time to commit to Dostál – and the last stage of the rebuild– and trade lifelong Duck Gibson to a contender.

Boston Bruins: Dry

The Bruins have bounced back from their disastrous first 20 games, clinging on to a Wild Card spot in the precarious East.

But the lack of scoring and power play woes have remained glaringly problematic. Will Don Sweeney somehow pull off a trade for a productive center to give the team a fighting chance in the playoffs?

Buffalo Sabres: Sad

Right on cue, here come the 7+ goal wins the Sabres love to gift us when they've fallen out of realistic playoff contention.

They are firmly planted at the bottom of the East, but how will they approach a potential trade deadline sale? Perhaps they will get out of Dylan Cozens' long-term deal and role and go in a different direction.

Calgary Flames: Spontaneous

The Flames' unexpectedly hot start was fun. Dustin Wolf's emergence in the net has been solid, and it's been good to see some of the younger future core succeed. Their production has dried up considerably, but they're still very much a part of the West's playoff race.

Adding Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee in a trade on Thursday night is a stunningly good move by Flames general manager Craig Conroy. Not only does it help Calgary right now, but it also puts them in a better position in the future. Well done.

Carolina Hurricanes: Bold

The Canes set the tone for the 2025 trade deadline two months ahead of schedule, acquiring UFAs Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall and shipping out Martin Nečas and Jack Drury.

Let's cross the "Will these players sign extensions?" bridge when we come to it and enjoy the chaos of the present.

Chicago Blackhawks: Bleak

No one thought the Blackhawks were going to drastically improve this year. But it's been a rough one with Connor Bedard's ups and downs, the pressure on him without many resources, a coaching change, and some puzzling lineup decisions.

Unloading Hall was a reminder of how that didn't quite fit, and the third-round pick return didn't exactly turn heads.

Colorado Avalanche: Hmm..

On one hand, it seems like the Avalanche were willing to part ways with Mikko Rantanen a little too easily. On the other, Martin Nečas and Jack Drury have been fantastic, impactful acquisitions already.

Nečas still has term left on his contract at a reasonable cap hit and Drury is a solid center for the bottom six. Maybe there's a world where both teams can win a trade.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Enticing

Well, well, well. The Columbus Blue Jackets were more than just a feel-good, hot start. They're going in and out of a playoff spot in the East, and they're one of the more consistent teams on the bubble.

You get the sense they'll hear out offers for pending UFA Ivan Provorov, but they're significantly less desperate to just get something out of him. They might even want to add -- and they've got the cap space to do so.

Dallas Stars: Predictable

The Dallas Stars are exactly where we thought they'd be: decidedly top three in their division, generally tight defense, just a little bit to be desired.

With Tyler Seguin expected to be on LTIR until the end of the season, do they have a little wiggle room to seek out just a wee bit more scoring?

Detroit Red Wings: OMG

Through all of the East's chaos, no one has given us whip lash harder than the Detroit Red Wings.

They were a massive disappointment, but then they got the right coach in Todd McLellan. Now, they are a consistently great team with the most elusive power play this league has seen in years.

Whatever happens, this trade deadline is between God and Steve Yzerman.

Edmonton Oilers: Easy

Remember when we threw out the idea of the Ducks trading John Gibson? C'mon, Stan Bowman. Let's get this one right.

Florida Panthers: Classic

It's so perfect that the Florida Panthers are somehow both at the top of the Atlantic Division right now and still often miserable to watch.

The Atlantic is going through a lot right now, and the reigning Cup champs are the rat kings of it all. Knowing them, the perfect tiny tweak will knock on their door at the deadline and they'll have just enough money to make it happen.

Los Angeles Kings: Back

Drew Doughty has returned from injury. Seriously, no one touch anything. Let's see how Mr. "Plays half a game every game" positively impacts things before we get too dramatic about this current skid.

Minnesota Wild: Ouchie

The Minnesota Wild sustain untimely and unfortunate injury after untimely and unfortunate injury. The difference this year? They've got serious guts and some special goaltending performances. They've got the swagger, but it's a dang shame Kirill Kaprizov is out longterm. Could they run it back with Mikhail Granlund in the meantime?

Montreal Canadiens: Magical

Canadiens fans, welcome to your future. The roster is healthy, the young core is going off, Lane Hutson is so good that I don't even know what to do with him, and Patrik Laine is panning out. This is a perfect glimpse of a good future in the present, and the East bubble is so bad that the future might even arrive this postseason.

Can't wait to see how the new and improved Montreal front office approaches this trade deadline.

Nashville Predators: What?

We aren't wondering if the Nashville Predators will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, we're wondering if this season will warrant a Netflix Documentary.

New Jersey Devils: Phew

The New Jersey Devils have officially bounced back from last year's defensive and goaltending woes. Jacob Markstrom has been excellent in net, and although he's out with an injury, Jake Allen held it down for a recent shutout -- he'll be fine while Markstrom recovers.

You'd like to see perhaps another productive piece added to a stacked top six at the deadline just for funsies.

New York Islanders: Wait...

Suddenly, the Islanders have come back from the basement of the East. They're 8-2-0 in their last ten and they're riding a five-game win streak. They've acquired Tony DeAngelo and Scott Perunovich on defense ahead of the deadline. They did enough damage early on that they're still five teams and five points out of the second Wild Card spot, but there's at least a chance to make the playoffs now.

The Islanders haven't been known to make huge shakeups at the deadline, but maybe they'd have traded Brock Nelson if they were still at the bottom of the barrel. Now they're more incentivized to hang on to the pending UFA.

New York Rangers: Mess

This Rangers season has been a confusing mess, to say the least. Right now, the team has woken up and looks how we'd originally anticipated (minus Kaapo Kakko and Jacob Trouba).

Still, the extreme defensive struggles and underperformances from stars in December haunt us. And we still have disgruntled players in the locker room, including Jimmy Vesey, who appears like he wants out.

The unpredictable Chris Drury has a big decision to make: Buyers or sellers?

Ottawa Senators: Wow

The Ottawa Senators are finally putting together the special season we've anticipated for years -- but they're doing it despite a lack of offensive production. If they could add a few snipers at the deadline, now we're really talking.

Credit has to go to Leevi Meriläinen, who's been holding down the fort in net with Linus Ullmark out due to injury. His numbers have been outstanding: a .921 save percentage, a 7-3-1 record and a 2.19 goals against average.

Philadelphia Flyers: Welp

Welp, the Flyers just traded center Morgan Frost and left wing Joel Farabee to the Flames Thursday night in return for left wings Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, and two draft choices. This feels a bit silly. Oh well, sellers it is.

We'll see Matvei Michkov and the development of his game throughout the rest of the season. Could you please return with, uh, a goaltender?

Pittsburgh Penguins: Different

Sidney Crosby will be Captain Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Unfortunately for him and the Penguins, that's probably the only meaningful hockey he'll be playing this season.

We thought we might get another season of "will-they-won't-they" when it comes to the dramatic Penguins and their playoff hopes.

They relieved us with "won't they," and now we'll wait to see the extent of Kyle Dubas' selling plans.

San Jose Sharks: Fun

If you know you're gonna lose, lose with swagger! Lose hard! Have Mario Ferraro randomly guarantee a win, then win that one!

It's been a delight to see the Sharks take a step forward with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and even some goaltending moments this season. If they can get a big return for Mikhail Granlund, great. If not, don't force it and let the team continue to develop.

Seattle Kraken: Cooked

Looks like a selling year for the Kraken. They've prepared by acquiring Kappo Kakko from the Rangers early, now they've got more insurance to unleash some contracts. Will they trade Yanni Gourde to a contender so they don't lose the pending UFA for nothing?

St. Louis Blues: Confusing

You thought the Blues could make something out of their mini-retool this season, but injuries and frustrating inconsistency from early on bled into the rest of the season. Not even hiring head coach Jim Montgomery could help the team fully bounce back.

Now, Brandon Saad was sent down to the NHL, and we're all wondering what GM Doug Armstrong does next. The Blues are probably sellers, but their contract situations don't indicate a super successful sale. Perhaps you test the market on Justin Faulk?

Tampa Bay Lightning: Weird

The East is so weird that despite the Lightning flailing around recently, they're still holding on to that No. 1 Wild Card spot. But hey, they showed dedication to staying playoff-relevant despite this aging core by going for Jake Guentzel in the offseason.

Now that they're in that playoff position, why wouldn't they add a piece or two to shore the team up all around?

Toronto Maple Leafs: Flip

The Leafs had an excellent offseason that has translated to a top spot in the East for most of the season -- and stark improvement on defense.

But uncharacteristically, the offense has dried up a bit in the process. Could they figure out a way to get a somewhat productive center in the fold, especially considering Auston Matthews' injury stints?

Utah Hockey Club: Disappointing

The Utah Utahs (TM) had an excellent start to the franchise with home wins, and that genuinely matters. But they had a few severe injuries and some shaky goaltending that pretty much derailed the rest of the season. Now they're in a familiar position that players and coaches remember all too well from the Arizona days. Is management going to do better?

Vancouver Canucks: Yikes

The talk of the trade deadline town, the Vancouver Canucks are likely parting ways with a huge member of the current core in the coming weeks. Whether it's Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, or a secret third thing who isn't Quinn Hughes, the Canucks have made it clear that someone has to go.

Will it fix this roller coaster of a step back of a season? At this point, there might be too much pressure all around.

Vegas Golden Knights: Anticipation

Even when the Golden Knights go through rough patches, you just know they're going to figure it out somehow in the nick of time. Still, they're in a timely rough patch five weeks ahead of the deadline, and they could really use another goaltender to inspire some confidence they are seriously lacking.

Whatever happened to that Logan Thompson...?

It's Vegas and you know they're always looking to swing for the fences around this time to improve the roster.

Washington Capitals: Best

If the Jets are the most complete team in the league, the Capitals might be the completely unexpected, overall "best" team in the league this season. You've got Alex Ovechkin returning from injury and chasing his record, you've got a solid and fun-as-heck goaltending tandem, you've got veterans doing what they need to do, youth rising, and a career year out of Dylan Strome.

The Capitals did their playoff deadline job in the offseason, acquiring Logan Thompson, PLD, and Jakob Chychrun. You don't want to mess too much with a team that's vibing like this.

Winnipeg Jets: Dominant

The Jets have had their ebbs and flows this season, but they've never strayed too far from that 15-game win streak to start the season. This is about as complete a team you'll get with offense, defense, and one of the best goaltenders in the world. Still, their scoring tends to dry up in the postseason.

Could they acquire a rental type forward to add some flare?