Monday, April 12th at 3:00 p.m. EST marks the NHL Trade Deadline for teams around the league to get their act together. Some are established Cup-contenders in this year’s playoffs, while others are closer to winning the draft lottery than anything. For the elite teams, this is the time to add a player or two to the lineup to bolster their Stanley Cup aspirations. For the basement dwellers, this deadline is the perfect opportunity to get a haul of picks or prospects out of the players who want off the team. Stars like Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri are already sitting out this last week in anticipation of a trade.
It’s a cycle that continues each and every year. So, who’s doing the most buying and selling this time around at the NHL Trade Deadline?
NHL Trade Deadline Buyers/Sellers
Sellers | NHL Trade Deadline
Anaheim Ducks
The surge of young talent within the Ducks organization is pushing out some of the older, core players of the past. With players like Trevor Zegras, Max Comtois, Jamie Drysdale and plenty more young stars in the system, it’s time for a new era in Anaheim. Look for Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell to be moved by the NHL Trade Deadline. More so Rakell, as he is a younger forward with another year left on his contract. If a team truly wants Getzlaf, a 35-year-old bruising centerman, Anaheim would have to retain around half of his $8.25 million contract, which is set to expire this summer. Both forwards can be top-six contributors for most contenders; Getzlaf for his physical play and leadership and Rakell for depth-scoring on the wing.
Columbus Blue Jackets
In a cut-throat Central Division, the Blue Jackets’ playoff chances are quite slim down the stretch. They’d have to go on a tear these last few weeks, but given their recent struggles, it’s safe to say they are selling at the deadline. Defenseman David Savard and forward Nick Foligno are the two players most expect to be moved. Savard is a right-handed, shutdown defenseman who any elite team would love to have for a deep playoff run. Foligno isn’t going to put up big numbers offensively, but his two-way play and toughness in a top-six role speak volumes for any team he goes to.
Calgary Flames
This is not nearly the season we expected from the Flames. For the amount of scoring talent, defensive talent and free-agent acquisitions, the least Calgary could do was make the playoffs. Now, with only a few weeks left in the season, it’s becoming more apparent that some players need to go. The Flames are the only team selling at the deadline that could get serious, immediate talent on their roster. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility to see Calgary’s stars like Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau traded in the near future. Think of how much a contending team would pay just to have a player of that caliber. Sam Bennett is also on the trade block, but he would be no more than a middle-six forward for an elite club. Under new head coach Darryl Sutter, trading Gaudreau and Monahan can net the Flames a monster return to build their future around players like Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm.
Buyers | NHL Trade Deadline
Winnipeg Jets
This team is heavily under-appreciated when talking about the North Division. The Jets are chock-full of talent, boasting one of the best forward cores in the league. They have a top-five goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck, as well as two dynamic, puck-moving defensemen in Neal Pionk and Josh Morrissey. The missing piece to this Stanley Cup puzzle is a dependable, shutdown defender to compliment Pionk and Morrissey. The names Mattias Ekholm, David Savard and Jamie Oleksiak have been linked to Winnipeg, and those players would be immediate positives for the team. We know the Jets can score, but limiting chances on Hellebuyck will be the hardest task given how offensively gifted other playoff teams are. A top-pairing defenseman like Ekholm or Savard would finally make Winnipeg a force to be reckoned with.
Boston Bruins
It’s no surprise to see Boston here; they’ve been a deadline buyer for close to a decade now. The Bruins have been great this year, but the same problem as always plagues the team: depth scoring. Marchand, Pastrnak and Bergeron can’t score every goal for this team. The only two players who have produced consistently outside of those three are Nick Ritchie and David Krejci. The fact is, Boston needs to once again hunt for a solid scoring option on the second line. In the playoffs, there will be games where the first line won’t produce as normal. Cup-winning teams have a bevy of scorers across two or three lines that all contribute at a moment’s notice. A winger like Kyle Palmieri, Bobby Ryan or Mikael Granlund would be much appreciated on the second or third line.
New York Islanders
The Isles’ captain, Anders Lee, is out for the season. A blow like that to an otherwise elite squad has definitely hurt the scoring upfront. The general manager, Lou Lamoriello, is not shy at all about bringing in big names towards the deadline. Lee going on LTIR frees up quite a lot of cap room, something the Islanders will use to the full. Taylor Hall has been frequently mentioned in trade talks, but it could be a cheaper option like Mike Hoffman, Nick Foligno or Tanner Pearson. New York could even reunite current Senator Ryan Dzingel with his former Senator teammate currently on the Isles, Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Buyer’s Remorse
Regardless of who is moved at this year’s Trade Deadline, the teams who want these players must be careful in what they choose to offer. When the big names come off the board, other buyers shouldn’t sacrifice valuable assets for mediocre players. If these teams don’t want to end up giving up a 1st-rounder for a third line forward, the best advice is to chase the stars early. The last thing a contender wants to see is a rival rising up the standings and staking their claim to the Cup while the team who didn’t get the star player is stuck in neutral because they overpaid for a half-decent player who does little to nothing for them. Either go all in or hold out, because there’s only a handful of valuable players to go around.
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