NHL Trade Scenarios: One Player Each Team Would Love to Deal at the Deadline

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Every team in the NHL has a little bit of fat they'd like to trim, a little bit of dead weight they'd like to drop.

There are a number of reasons a franchise may want to cut ties with a player. It could be bad chemistry, poor leadership, laziness, a decline or lack of production, etc.

With the salary cap in place, there are also a lot of teams who have put themselves in financial binds and are tied to large contracts they'd love to dump.

Come February, there will be a plethora of sellers as teams try to reposition themselves for both the short- and long-term. The question will be: How many buyers of the available talent will there be?

Here is one player each franchise would love to deal at the trade deadline.

Anaheim Ducks: Jason Blake

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Jason Blake's best days are far behind him. With that being said, the Anaheim Ducks would love to save some money and dump the $4 million that he is making in the final year of his contract,

Worst case scenario, they'll be relieved of his cap hit by the season's end, but it'd be nice to at least get a little something for the veteran forward.

Boston Bruins: Dennis Seidenberg

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Currently, the Boston Bruins don't have any true dead weight on their team, but if they continue to struggle, they may want to shake things up.

A possible move could involve shipping off Dennis Seidenberg and his annual cap hit of $3.25 million to open up space to bring in a big name player.

Buffalo Sabres: Brad Boyes

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Brad Boyes is the latest of Darcy Regier's failed trade deadline acquisitions.

With the Buffalo Sabres tight against the cap, it would be great if they could somehow deal Boyes to another club to open up more space for another forward, preferably a center.

Calgary Flames: Matt Stajan

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As the Calgary Flames are an aging team, they will likely want to deal away a few pieces and begin rebuilding if they find themselves out of contention.

One piece they'd love to ship off is Matt Stajan. He hasn't been worth his $3.5 million cap hit that extends through the 2013-2014 season.

Carolina Hurricanes: Tuomo Ruutu

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The Carolina Hurricanes are in a very good position. They have plenty of cap space and are not carrying any bad long-term contracts.

Their best tactic may be to try and re-sign any potential free agents from their roster now. If they cannot reach an agreement, then they can trade that player and at least get something in return. One such player may be Tuomo Ruutu.

Chicago Blackhawks: Dave Bolland

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The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of big, long-term contracts so they must be careful how they manage their roster.

One player who seems to be getting slightly overpaid is Dave Bolland at $3.375 a year. Trading him may be the next money-saving move the Hawks make.

Colorado Avalanche: Milan Hejduk

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The Colorado Avalanche are in a very unique situation. Most of the players on their roster are set to either be restricted or unrestricted free agents.

With that being said, the team should be proactive in their approach and trade away pieces that don't fit into their long-term plan. One of those pieces might be Milan Hejduk who is one of the older players on a very young roster.

He may be difficult to deal, though, with his no movement clause.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Samuel Pahlsson

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The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to be going nowhere fast, so changes will definitely be in order.

They would love to trade away the unproductive Samuel Pahlsson and free up some cap space to possibly go after a goalie.

Dallas Stars: Brendan Morrow

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As things stand now, trading Brendan Morrow doesn't seem like much of a possibility. However, if the Dallas Stars' season takes a downturn, it could be a possibility.

He's not getting any younger, and with two years left on his contract, the Stars could potentially receive a lot in return for Morrow.

Detroit Red Wings: Jiri Hudler

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The Detroit Red Wings are one of the best run organizations in sports, so they don't have much fat to trim on their roster. They took a proactive approach in re-signing Niklas Kronwall early and will likely do the same with other players.

One player who they may not re-sign, who was previously a part of trade rumors, is Jiri Hudler. If he's not signed before February, look for the Wings to try and move him.

Edmonton Oilers: Ales Hemsky

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The Edmonton Oilers should try to re-sign Ales Hemsky now, if they figure him to be a part of their long-term plans. This way if they cannot re-sign him or don't wish to, they can get something in return.

The Oilers are off to a surprising start, and if the success continues, it may change how they approach the deadline.

Florida Panthers: Ed Jovanovski

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The Florida Panthers just signed Ed Jovanovski, but many people around hockey questioned what the Florida Panthers were doing this summer.

It doesn't appear that this move will pay off, especially in the long term. The Panthers would be wise to trade Jovanovski and his $4-million cap hit if there are any takers.

Los Angeles Kings: Rob Scuderi

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The Los Angeles Kings have a lot of money tied up in a few players, so they'll want to cut costs where they can.

One guy who hasn't been worth his salary is Rob Scuderi. He's been a solid player, but hasn't shown he should be making $3.4 million annually.

Minnesota Wild: Pierre-Marc Bouchard

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After taking on Dany Heatley's huge annual salary of $7.5 million, the Minnesota Wild may be looking to cut costs.

One salary they'd love to dump is that of Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild are absorbing a $4.08-million cap hit from his contract.

Montreal Canadiens: Scott Gomez

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The struggles of Scott Gomez have been well documented in Montreal. He has greatly underperformed and certainly hasn't lived up to his contract that has an annual cap hit of $7.357 million.

This is an extremely difficult contract to move, but at this point, the Canadiens would practically give Gomez away.

Nashville Predators: Mike Fisher

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With a lot of notable players needing new contracts this summer including Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne, the Nashville Predators need to start clearing out salary space now.

One guy they should consider moving is Mike Fisher. He due $4.2 million this year and next, but hasn't been productive enough to justify making that kind of money.

New Jersey Devils: Patrik Elias

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By no means has Patrik Elias played poorly. However, he is 35 years old and does carry with him a cap hit of $6 million.

The New Jersey Devils should consider dealing him now while he still has fairly high value.

New York Islanders: Rick Dipietro

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It would probably take a divine miracle to move this contract that seems like it stretched for eternity. However, the New York Islanders would love to send Rick Dipietro off to anyone that would take him.

It's a different season, but same story—Dipietro is once again injured.

New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik

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Although he has gotten off to a much better start this year, the New York Rangers would probably trade Marian Gaborik, if given the opportunity.

Gaborik makes $7.5 million a year, and at that price should be one of the league's best, but simply hasn't been.

Ottawa Senators: Sergei Gonchar

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Signing Sergei Gonchar during the summer of 2010 hasn't paid off for the Ottawa Senators. His performance hasn't been what hockey fans are used to seeing from him.

The Sens are off to a surprising start this year, but still should consider trading Gonchar who is making $5.5 million annually.

Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Hartnell

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There's a lot of hockey fans around the league—including some in Philadelphia—who dislike Scott Hartnell. It appears that it's time for Hartnell to move to new surroundings.

Hartnell is owed $4.2 million this year and next, so he may be difficult to move.

Phoenix Coyotes: Derek Morris

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Derek Morris has been a solid player, but now is the time to part ways with him. The Coyotes need to trade him now while he still has value so they can begin to rebuild for the future.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Matt Cooke

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Matt Cooke is one of the most hated players in hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguins should follow suit with what the New York Rangers did with Sean Avery and dump their goon.

By removing a guy like Cooke, a team's locker room greatly improves.

San Jose Sharks: Michal Handzus

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The San Jose Sharks haven't gotten very much output from Michal Handzus after signing him and already have a lot of money locked up with their top few players.

If Handzus doesn't start to perform, maybe the Sharks should consider dealing him for someone who may have better luck in San Jose. The window to win a championship is quickly closing for the franchise, so they must be proactive.

St. Louis Blues: Andy McDonald

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Andy McDonald has been a productive player for many seasons in the NHL, but his career and the St. Louis Blues organization are going in two different directions,

McDonald still commands good value and should be dealt for some pieces for the future.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Pavel Kubina

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Pavel Kubina has been a good defenseman for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the team should use some foresight on the defensive front.

Both Victor Hedman and Kubina are due new contracts in the summer. The team will likely want to commit to the younger Hedman and probably won't re-sign both defensemen. With that, Kubina should be traded now in order to recoup some assets.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Colby Armstrong

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have almost completed a very long rebuilding phase. Just a couple more pieces need to be shifted around.

One player they should consider moving is Colby Armstrong. His production hasn't matched his salary of $3 million.

Vancouver Canucks: Roberto Luongo

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The Vancouver Canucks need to figure out their goaltending situation quickly. The sooner they trade Roberto Luongo, the more value he'll have.

This is a difficult move to make because it's one of uncertainty. No one knows how the rest of Luongo's career will play out and no one knows how Cory Schneider will fare as an everyday goalie.