The NHL trade deadline is less than a week away and, as always, there will be no shortage of teams looking to improve their roster heading into the playoffs.
In this post I look at a few teams that, for a variety of reasons, should be more aggressive than most in their pursuit to get better.
Anaheim Ducks
With Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf getting up there in age, it makes sense for the Ducks to make a big push to win now while they’re still valuable players whose contracts aren’t black holes on the team’s cap.
Also worth noting, it’s likely Ducks will lose some key players this off-season with the likes of Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Frederik Andersen all in need of new contracts that will see them earn significantly more money. Factor in the Ducks aren’t a cap team and that’s where things really get complicated.
I think the Ducks would be smart to take a healthy run at the Cup while they still have the core in tact, as a year from now a couple of their key pieces may be playing hockey elsewhere.
Needs: A top-6/9 left winger
Potential trade bait: A young defenseman, Frederik Andersen, draft picks
Chicago Blackhawks
Due to the salary cap it’s harder than ever to win multiple Stanley Cups in a short period of time.
The Blackhawks have somehow managed to pull it off, though, as they’ve won the Cup three times in six years and are right back in the thick of things this season.
While the Blackhawks are doing well cap-wise right now, Andrew Shaw needs a new contract in a few months time, while Teuvo Teravainen and Artemi Panarin both have one year left on their contracts. It’ll be impossible for the Blackhawks to re-sign all of those guys without cutting a quality player/some salary along the way, so the Blackhawks may as well load up and go for it now.
Needs: A top line left winger to play with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa
Potential trade bait: Marko Dano, Nick Schmaltz, draft picks
Los Angeles Kings
While most of their core is locked up long-term, I don’t think the Kings will be sitting too pretty in a few years time when Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown are in their mid 30s eating up about $17 million in cap space on a yearly basis.
By that point their cap hits will far outweigh their actual on-ice value and will make it very difficult for the Kings to remain a true contender on a yearly basis.
They, like the Blackhawks, should do all they can to win now while some of their highest paid players are actually worth the money.
Needs: Top-6 left winger, right-handed defenseman
Potential trade bait: Adrian Kempe, draft picks
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos is a big problem for the Lightning. In a few month’s time he’ll walk away for nothing, or he’ll get a healthy raise from his $7,500,000 salary and make it difficult for GM Steve Yzerman to retain some core players in the coming years.
Nikita Kucherov is an RFA this summer and will surely make at least $5.3 million more than he does right now (~$710K). Alex Killorn will probably get a raise, too, while Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat will both be looking for more money on their new contracts a year from now.
GM Steve Yzerman has done a great job building the Lightning into a true contender but, due to financial implications, there’s no guarantee he’ll able to keep the band together long-term.
That’s why I think the Lightning should add pieces to the puzzle now and take a run at the Stanley Cup. For my money the Washington Capitals are the only scary good team they’d have to deal with and anything can happen in a seven-game series.
Needs: Top-6 right winger, a middle-pairing defenseman
Potential trade bait: Jonathan Drouin, Slater Koekkoek, draft picks
Washington Capitals
The Capitals have long been known as the team that dominates the regular season and, for whatever reason, struggles to win in the playoffs. They’ve been the Eastern Conference version of the San Jose Sharks, basically.
With the emergence of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, and the off-season additions of Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie, the Capitals now have legitimate depth around Alex Ovechkin. This could be the year things finally change.
Still, I’ve never heard that having too many good players is a problem, so if the Caps can add a little more depth to help them out, I think they should do just that.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s so hard to win the Stanley Cup so if you have a legitimate shot, you should do everything you can to increase your chances.
Things change quick in professional sports and you never know when you’ll have a shot to compete for a championship again.
Needs: bottom-6 scoring
Potential trade bait: Connor Carrick, draft picks
Written by Todd Cordell, who can be found on twitter @ToddCordell.
