from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

Even though rosters are frozen during the Olympics, every day that passes clicks another day off a player’s salary cap charges. It means that any team right up against the salary cap is far better off waiting until at or near the Mar. 5 trading deadline to make a move, on the grounds that it can maximize the quality of player it gets the longer it delays.

On the other hand, if a team has no issues with the cap, then it can afford to make a move now or soon. Even if a player is going to the Olympics – someone such as Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, who will be among the most talked about candidates to switch teams before the deadline – just knowing where the final landing spot is going to be would make the transition from one team to the next go more smoothly.

more