NHL Power Rankings: Who’s buying? Who’s selling?

Buyers. We may look back at the Cody Franson/Mike Santorelli deal as the one that vaulted Nashville to its first Stanley Cup final. Seriously. Is there a better defence corps in the league? A better goalie in the West than Pekka Rinne? The Preds are enjoying a five-point lead atop the standings and won six straight before Thursday’s loss.

Mild buyers. The Blues have been pushing all-in since last year at this time, when they went out and grabbed Ryan Miller at the deadline. Perhaps St. Louis pokes around for a defenceman with Kevin Shattenkirk out with an abdominal injury.

Mild buyers. The Metropolitan kings made their big moves in the off-season. Yes, Kyle Okposo’s injury hurts, but New York’s top line keeps truckin’. The focus here should be re-signing Johnny Boychuk — otherwise he’ll be the most valuable free agent on July 1.

Buyers. GM Marc Bergevin swooped in to grab Thomas Vanek on last year’s deadline day. The Atlantic Division leaders will seek a source of secondary scoring again. Jaromir Jagr is out there, but the sense is he likes Montreal more than the Habs want him.

Buyers… although their lack of a 2015 first-round pick (part of the Martin St. Louis deal a year ago) hurts their purchasing power. Coach Alain Vigneault realizes the Rangers need a skilled centre. Antoine Vermette goes to the highest bidder, and every Maple Leaf (Olli Jokinen, Tyler Bozak) has a price.

Cautious buyers. The Red Wings covet their prospects dearly but have been looking to improve their blueline (preferably with a right shot) ever since Nicklas Lidstrom retired. Despite being linked in rumours to Franson and Tylers Myers, Detroit watched other teams make those deals.

Modest buyers. With Chicago appearing more and more destined for a first-round rematch with St. Louis, the Edmonton Journal reports that the ‘Hawks would like to add Vermette and a veteran defenceman.

Cautious buyers. Injuries to defence regulars have forced Steve Yzerman to call up young players, so he’ll look for a veteran on the blue line. Chances are, another more desperate buyer would pay more for, say, a Jeff Petry or Andrej Sekera, though.

Mild buyers. At the risk of letting pending UFA Mike Green walk for nothing this summer, we think the Capitals essentially stay pat, with an eye to adding another scorer. Washington likes its team this year, and momentum — 3-0 versus Sid’s Pens — is on their side.

Buyers. GM Jim Rutherford has already plucked winger David Perron from Edmonton but is looking for another forward. He won’t overpay, but Rutherford is on the depth hunt — especially with the difficulty the Pens have had with Washington this season. Tough division to survive.

Buyers. Although tight against the cap and dying to trade Mike Richards, the Kings would love to add to their blueline and are hungry to build on their six-game winning streak. The usual late-season surge looks to have arrived on schedule.

Buyers. GM Bob Murray has made it clear he wants a defenceman. Now that top-pair D-man Sami Vatenen is out four to six weeks, that need intensifies. Although 20-goal man Matt Beleskey (out two to four weeks) is a pending UFA, the bet here is he stays put.

Dealers. Looking more and more playoff-bound, Calgary is a compelling teams to watch. For one, it has the cap space to actually swing a deal of significance. Two, Brian Burke has been known to experience bouts of impatience. Pending UFA Curtis Glencross could be a trade chip here; last year the Flames let Mike Cammalleri walk for nothing.

Observers. Jim Benning is a shrewd exec, so if there’s a deal to be had for a top-six forward, he’ll pull the trigger, but we’re guessing the Canucks try to maintain playoff position with the group they have. May deal frequent healthy scratch Zach Kassian to the East.

Dealers. The Jets already completed this season’s blockbuster, but a long-term injury to centre Matthieu Perreault and a hot streak by the L.A. Kings just complicated things. Keep an eye on winger Michael Frolik. The Jets need to know if he’ll commit.

Observers. The Wild’s big deal — landing a goalie, Devan Dubnyk — has been made. A depth wing or defenceman could be sought, but we’d be shocked to see a major move here.

Observers. With Boston struggling, Florida has a real shot at the playoffs, but Dale Tallon is building for the long haul. He has plenty of prospects other teams want, but don’t expect him to go for it. A post-season will be a bonus. Vets Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Sean Bergenheim and Tomas Kopecky could move on; the GM loves his kids.

Buyers turned observers. With the Kings on fire and Tyler Seguin sidelined, Dallas will poke around for another defenceman but will likely get outbid for the big names. “If you win, if someone else wins, it changes where you are,” Jim Nill told the Dallas Morning News. “You have to take all of that into consideration and do what’s best for the team.” What’s best is to trade Erik Cole and wait till next year.

Sellers in denial? For my money, San Jose is the most interesting team to watch from a business standpoint right now. They’ve been entertaining TV on ‘Stadium Series’ but have dropped five of six. Missing the playoffs is a real possibility and could lead to the shakeup many figured would occur last summer. No. 1 goalie Antti Niemi is reportedly on the table.

Sellers. GM Ron Hextall said this week that he won’t make a deal in order for a last-gasp playoff push. The Flyers are seven points out and may try to offload overpaid veterans. Decent return will be tough. If they want to make a real deal, shopping Matt Read would be interesting.

Buyers. Oh, boy. The once terrifying Bruins are tumbling hard, losing six of seven. Panic has set in, and jobs are likely on the line. Peter Chiarelli has reportedly put Loui Eriksson and Dennis Seidenberg in play in order to fetch a return that will salvage a playoff berth.

Mild seller. Veterans Jan Hejda, Daniel Briere and Max Talbot could be shopped to a contender, but we’d be surprised if the Avs make a splash. The fervor around centre Ryan O’Reilly has cooled; he seems more like an off-season decision now.

Observers. Mark Letestu and Jordan Leopold could be moved in minor deals, but Columbus is a promising team in the middle of a bad-luck season. The Jackets will make like Ryan Johansen at training camp and sit this one out.

Cautious sellers. Their biggest chip would’ve been Marc Methot, but the Sens re-signed him Monday. Ottawa could throw Chris Neil, Patrick Wiercioch and Chris Phillips in play. There’s interest in Neil, but GM Bryan Murray keeps saying how much he loves the guy.

Sellers. The Devils have a few aging players who should be shipped out. Jaromir Jagr put it best. “What’s the reason to keep me?” he told NJ.com. “I’m not important to this team.” Same argument could be made for Michael Ryder, Martin Havlat, Marek Zidlicky and Bryce Salvador.

Sellers. Appears pending free agent Andrej Sekera could be a pivotal piece on March 2. At least a handful of teams are interested. “We hope to be fairly active,” GM Ron Francis told the News & Observer. Tim Gleason, Jiri Tlusty and Jay McClement could also find new homes.

Sellers. The Oilers have an extra first-round pick they’re willing to part with, and defenceman Jeff Petry, despite suffering a rib injury Wednesday, appears on his way to a contender. Derek Roy and backup goalie Viktor Fasth should be available, too.

Big sellers. Expect Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek to be moved to the highest bidder. More interesting will be the case of Keith Yandle. Will someone make an offer sweet enough, or does Don Maloney think he’ll get more value in the off-season?

Massive sellers. GM Dave Nonis has put it out there, and local fans have begun to gas up Tank Nation. Loser of 15 of its last 16(!), Toronto is making more calls than those survey jockeys who interrupt dinner.

Cellar. The all-time masters of the tank in a timely tank year have an eight-point cushion on a 30th-place tank job tanks to Timmy Tank. They’ve made the NHL basement their man cave and plastered it with Connor McDavid posters.