The league is about to head into the All-Star break, where from February 3rd to 6th there will be no NHL games on the schedule. With the NHL forgoing the Olympics, there will be more hockey than usual when play resumes once again. While most players will use this chance to rest up, every General Manager will be attempting to find ways to improve their team, whether it’s this season or by stockpiling picks and prospects. The Western Conference is largely viewed as the weaker Conference this year, so let’s take a look at how each teams’ roster can be improved as the trade deadline approaches.
Anaheim Ducks: A high end Right Winger
The Ducks have been one of the league’s pleasant surprises this year, with many of their younger players taking giant steps forward. They will have Zegras and McTavish down the middle eventually, along with Jamie Drysdale as their top defenseman for years to come. Moving forward they could use a shooting winger to play alongside Zegras who’s an amazing passer. While they are still second in the Pacific, they are 17th in points percentage, with many of their wins coming in early parts of the season. So while the Ducks will happily take an impact player, they aren’t going to mortgage their future to acquire it. Look for them to kick the tires on a younger player that could stick around Orange County for more than just a season or two.
Trade Targets: Filip Zadina, Vitaly Kravtsov
Arizona: Centers
While they could use everything, and I mean everything (including an arena), their centers are as follows: Johan Larsson, Travis Boyd, Barrett Hayton, and Alex Galchenyuk. Hayton could be a good center one day but has struggled with injuries and the rest would be fourth line forwards on contending teams. They have decent wingers right now but need to fill out the slots down the middle because that’s how modern NHL teams compete in the postseason.
Trade Targets: Acquire picks
Draft Targets: Shane Wright, Matthew Savoie, Conor Geekie
Calgary Flames: Middle Six Winger
The Flames have had a good bounce back season, and this looks to be the year they could go all in. Raises will be given to Matthew Tkachuk, and Johnny Gaudreau, amongst others in the offseason. They don’t have any glaring holes in their lineup and play a solid team game. Their top four defensemen have performed, and they’ve received great goaltending. At the moment, they have Milan Lucic on their third line who has 15 points in 39 games. It’s not bad, but he would be a better fit in a fourth line role. Wingers Dillon Dube and Blake Coleman haven’t produced enough offense as well, so if that continues depth could be their undoing in the playoffs.
Trade targets: Dominic Kubalik, Jake Debrusk, Lawson Crouse
Chicago Blackhawks: Puck moving defenseman
On paper, their forwards aren’t bad and there are still some young players looking to take that next step. Fleury has been solid in goal, but the team still finds itself at the bottom of the league in shots for. Their special teams haven’t been atrocious, but Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat can only carry the offense so much. With Toews looking like he’s on the back 9 of his career, Chicago’s hopes of being a playoff contender seem to be growing further and further every month. Which is why they need to get younger, because winning a Stanley Cup seems like a longshot at this point.
Trade Targets: Acquire picks
Draft targets: Seamus Casey, Simon Nemec, David Jiricek
Colorado Avalanche: Top Four Defenseman
Originally, they didn’t need a top four defenseman but with Bowen Byram’s concussion it opens a door in this spot. Byram was playing extremely well this year, but with his alarming comments on his concussions, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he took time to rest up. Last year, the young defense was exposed in the playoffs, so adding an experienced blue liner will help stabilize this already elite group.
Trade targets: Hampus Lindholm, Mark Giordano, Josh Manson
Dallas Stars: Secondary scoring
Even if Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov are all still on the roster, their production hasn’t lived up to their salaries. As a result, the Stars are in tough to secure a playoff spot. Their top line has carried them, and has kept them alive in the playoff race. There isn’t even a position I would improve in the forward core, but something to shake it up because it’s a new era in Dallas, where Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson are now the main players going forward.
Trade targets: Rickard Rakell, Phil Kessel, Andrew Copp
Edmonton Oilers: Starting goaltender
Arguably, the Oilers haven’t had a legit starting goalie since Cam Talbot in 2016-17. They’ve run with Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith the past three years, with mixed results. At the moment, they have a combined .899 save percentage, which is not good enough. They could also use strength in their top four defensemen (this is where they miss Oscar Klefbom), but a lot of their issues begin and end with inconsistent goaltending.
Trade targets: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brayden Holtby
Los Angeles Kings: High end scoring on the wings
The Kings are set down the middle. In fact it could be argued that they would would be best served by acquiring a high-end winger for Alex Turcotte. They have some underrated defenseman and decent goaltending which leaves scoring on the wings as their biggest issue. Kempe, Iafallo, Arvidsson are good, but they will need an elite winger to work well with Quinton Byfield going forward. They’re on track to be a very good team in the league and other clubs are starting to see that now.
Trade targets: Filip Zadina, Vitaly Kravtsov
Draft Targets: Isaac Howard, Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Minnesota: Center Depth
The Minnesota Wild can score, which feels weird to say. In fact, they’re top 5 in goals scored in the league. Their special teams and defense are around the middle of the pack, which is likely where their front office will look to improve. However, Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek as a 1-2 punch at center might struggle in a deep playoff run. Right now, they’re currently using Freddy Gaudreau at center, so adding some depth down the middle will help round out their forward core.
Trade targets: Tomas Hertl, Andrew Copp, Ryan Getzlaf
Nashville Predators: Scoring wingers
Much like the Wild, Nashville can suddenly score at a higher clip than previous versions of the team. It seemed like every forward underperformed last year, and now their best players are playing like their best players. I expected Eli Tolvanen to produce at a higher rate this year but he’s put up only 15 points in 42 games. It’s not bad, but they need more scoring outside their first powerplay unit. If they want to acquire offense right now, Tolvanen could be a trade chip. Juuse Saros continues to be fantastic.
Trade targets: Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel, Rickard Rakell
San Jose Sharks: Blue chip goaltender
The Sharks have a bunch of goalies in the system, and none of them are blue chip prospects. The organization is in an odd spot, where they aren’t a contender, but they have many long-term contracts handed out to players that are 30 years or older. Three of those are Vlasic, Karlsson and Burns who aren’t going to be around forever. In fact, they’re all past their primes so it’s important to stock the cupboards right now, because the rebuild could be coming sooner than they think.
Trade targets: Acquire picks to jumpstart the rebuild
Draft targets: David Jiricek, Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey
St. Louis Blues: Left shot Top Four Defenseman
The Blues are having a bounce back season and could have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL. Their goaltending has been shaky, but it would be better to improve that internally. At the moment, Niko Mikkola is playing in their top 4 which leaves room for improvement. With their inconsistent goaltending, this could help their defense in terms of defensive performance. Because on average, this team is still getting outshot on a regular basis.
Trade targets: Hampus Lindholm, Mark Giordano, Nick Leddy
Seattle Kraken: Blue chip defensive prospect
Like the Coyotes, this team could use everything, but they’re a normal expansion team, so let’s let them off the hook (pun intended). Right now, they have some scoring up front that could develop over a couple years and Matty Beniers will certainly help. But their defense doesn’t have a legit top pair defenseman. Their goaltending has struggled this year, but I still think Grubauer and Driedger can bounce back next season. This team doesn’t need to rush anything, so they should just focus on building the prospect pool.
Trade targets: Listen to every offer at the deadline for prospects and picks
Draft targets: David Jiricek, Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey
Vancouver Canucks: Right Shot Top Four Defenseman
Losing Chris Tanev was a bigger loss for this team than many expected. They have all the pieces in place, but a brutal start to the season put them behind the eight ball early on. They have top six scoring, good goaltending and a #1 defenseman. That defenseman, Quinn Hughes, needs a legit defensive partner that he can play with every night. Hughes plays 25 minutes a night, Ekman-Larsson, and Myers both play 22. The next highest is Tucker Poolman, with 17. Perhaps that defenseman can help their league worst penalty kill, which sits at just under 70%.
Trade targets: Josh Manson, Sean Walker
Vegas Golden Knights: Value contract depth players
With Jack Eichel coming back, they will be 6 million over the cap. So, they’ll definitely need to offload some salary. Players that come to mind are Nolan Patrick/Mattias Janmark and Evgeni Dadonov. They don’t have a lot of wiggle room, so making a move will be extremely difficult if they’re trying to make a run for it this year. But we saw what Tampa Bay did with Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman so finding valuable depth players is certainly possible.
Trade targets: Colin Blackwell, Travis Boyd, Ryan Donato
Winnipeg Jets: Penalty Killing forwards
At the moment the Jets have the third worst penalty kill in the league, sitting at 73%. Their goaltending has been adequate, and their defense has been pretty average. It’s pretty unrealistic for them to suddenly acquire the number one defenseman that they’ve needed for years, so it’s time to improve the depth. Their bottom six (other than Paul Stastny) haven’t provided enough offense to go deep in the playoffs. Players like Vesalainen, Toninato and Harkins could provide help but a shake up might just be the move that gets their offense going.
Trade targets: Nick Paul, Arturri Lekhonen, Johan Larsson
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian_Smith