As Christmas fast approaches, 30 National Hockey League clubs are looking at their roster and checking it twice, to see where they need to improve on the ice. Top contenders and teams just looking to sneak into the postseason may be looking to tweak or add depth in certain positions.
In honor of the giving that goes with the holiday season, Santa will spread joy throughout the league by giving them the perfect present to make their chances of winning much better.
Our second look into the Eastern Conference is the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
Anthony Duclair – Winger (Arizona) – GM Ron Francis is assembling a young core group of forwards with Elias Lindholm, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Victor Rask, along with a solid defense led by Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin. Duclair is reportedly on the outs with Arizona and the Canes are looking for young scoring talent who can mature along with their current group.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Brian Gionta – Center (Buffalo) – Columbus continues to win, as rookie Zach Werenski has emerged as an early favorite for the Calder Trophy. The surprise has been the Jackets ability to score by committee without a true top line center. A veteran such as Gionta (who head coach John Tortorella would have some familiarity with through USA Hockey) would be an inexpensive yet effective addition.
New Jersey Devils
Michael Stone – Defenseman (Arizona) – The Devils trading of defenseman Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall bordered on highway robbery, but it did deplete New Jersey on the back end. Other than Damon Severson, the Devils have little scoring on the blueline and Stone scored a career-high 36 points with the Coyotes last season.
New York Islanders
Max Pacioretty – Winger (Montreal) – The glaring need for the Islanders continues to be a scoring winger for John Tavares, as the Andrew Ladd signing has been a failure. A short-term fix for this problem may not be sufficient, since Tavares will be a free agent in the summer of 2018. Connecticut native Pacioretty would be a costly acquisition, but would be a good fit for the Isles.
New York Rangers
Roman Polak – Defenseman (Toronto) – New York does not need to make many upgrades to be one of the leading contenders to come out of the East. Adding a depth defenseman makes sense with their bottom pairing being a mix of Kevin Klein, Adam Clendening and Nick Holden. An inexpensive add such as Polak, who went to the Stanley Cup Final with San Jose last season could be the type of low-impact move that GM Jeff Gorton makes.
Philadelphia Flyers
Alex Burrows – Winger (Vancouver) – The Flyers snuck into the playoffs last season, but appear to be on the path to the post-season under second-year head coach Dave Hakstol. GM Ron Hextall will not move future building blocks on defense like Travis Sanheim or Samuel Morin for rentals, but could have interest in a veteran with playoff experience in Burrows, who might cost a future draft pick.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jarome Iginla – Winger (Colorado) – The future Hall-of-Famer played his 1500th career game on the weekend. With the Avalanche in last place, Iginla may be willing to waive his no-trade clause for one last chance at a Stanley Cup. Who better to go to then the reigning champions, who could use help on the wing.
Washington Capitals
Cody Franson – Defenseman (Buffalo) – The Capitals are not having a President’s Trophy type season, but will be in the mix to come out of the East. GM Brian MacLellan added depth veterans prior to the last two deadlines in Tim Gleason and Daniel Winnik and a rental like Franson (who played twice before under Caps coach Barry Trotz in Nashville), would be a solid bottom pairing candidate.