NHL Trade Rumors: Teams Most Likely to Strike Gold

With the NHL trade deadline only two weeks away, several teams will be pushing hard for last-minute deals, which will result in some big-time winners. 

Whether a team is looking for that one player to help them rise up in the standings or just to gain a stronger depth, a few teams are sure to thrive on the trade market. 

Some teams are in need of a dynamic force, while others don't need to change anything at all. There could even be those teams completely out of contention looking to better their future. 

With that said, here are three teams likely to strike gold before the trade deadline. 

New York Rangers 

Being in first place of the Eastern Conference, one would think the Rangers wouldn't need to make any big splashes in the trade market. 

However, since the Rangers continuously lose in the playoffs, they need to make a move to not only help secure their first place lead, but also to give them extra strength down the stretch of the season and into the postseason. 

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun discussed how the Rangers could possibly land RW Rick Nash. 

It's uncertain if New York will get him, but the Rangers' interest is enough to show that they're willing to go big before the trade deadline. 

Los Angeles Kings 

Sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, the Kings have to get better in order to avoid choking and missing the playoffs. Once there, if they've improved the roster, the Kings will have a good chance of surprising everyone by making a strong postseason run. 

The only way this will be possible to win big at the trade deadline. 

Los Angeles needs to get better scoring, so look for that to be one of their main goals as the deadline approaches. 

Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News reports that there are rumors the Kings have interest in Jeff Carter, and Corey Masisak of NHL.com states the Kings have Jonathan Bernier to trade and they'd be able to get great value for him in return. 

Philadelphia Flyers 

Currently in fourth place of the Eastern Conference, the Flyers need to add depth to win it all, especially on defense. 

According to Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News, the Flyers have interest in Hal Gill and Bryan Allen. 

Philadelphia knows that if it's going to have a shot at the Stanley Cup, the roster has to get better all around. They have the talent to compete with the best of the best, but the Flyers need some more help to become one of the elites of the NHL. 

With the assets to make a big trade, the Flyers are in a great position to land top talent before the trade deadline.