NHL Trade Rumors: Washington Capitals and More Teams in Need of a Spark

Sometimes all you need to turn yourself around in the NHL or to prepare your team for a playoff push is a big-time trade at the deadline, and there are plenty of rumors floating around suggesting we are going to see some movement this year.

There are a lot of teams that could use some help, and there are definitely more than enough organizations willing to part ways with some pieces in return for good value.

This is what the trade deadline is all about: seeing who can shuffle their deck in just the right way.

Make the right move and you could have a contender on your hands. Making the wrong move can destroy a team.

Here's a look at teams that could really use a trade to spark them for the rest of this season, and a run-down of the latest rumors involving them:

Washington Capitals

The Capitals find themselves a few points behind the Florida Panthers in Southeast division, and there is no doubting that they can use a bit of a spark moving forward.

The question is, what moves do they need to make?

There have been conflicting reports regarding veteran forward Mike Knuble.

Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post quoted Knuble regarding possible movement, and Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada wrote a very interesting statement:

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Apparently, no GM is burning up the phone lines more than George McPhee. The Capitals face Canadian-franchise-level pressure to succeed.

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That would leave one to believe that Knuble's time with the Capitals is nearing it's end, but Stephen Whyno if the Washington Times brought that thought to a halt with this quote from McPhee:

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The Caps' general manager said Thursday: "We have no interest in trading" Knuble. He also expects the 39-year-old veteran to be in the lineup this weekend.

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It would seem as if the Knuble rumors are cooling down for now, but Friedman's thoughts are worth noting.

The Caps are under a ton of pressure to do well, and they are most likely going to have to make a move.

If McPhee is indeed "burning up the phone lines", I'd expect just that.

Boston Bruins

One of the hardest things to do in professional sports is repeat as a champion, and that's exactly the challenge the Bruins are facing this season—which is quite an enviable position, mind you.

The Bruins are currently on top of the Northeast division, but could always use a little bit of help on defense. Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe is reporting that the Montreal defenseman Hal Gill is on the Bruins "shopping list".

Bringing in a veteran defender that knows the organization would be a huge move for the Bruins, especially if they are serious about defending the Stanley Cup.

Detroit Red Wings

The Wings are absolutely dominant at home, setting an NHL record with 21 straight home victories, but that doesn't mean they are perfect.

Even the current best team in the league has room to improve, and according to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com, Canadiens' winger Travis Moen may be just the guy the Red Wings are looking for:

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Coach Mike Babcock might have had Moen in mind when spoke recently about his desire to add a “heavy winger.'' Moen would make the Red Wings harder to play against and help a mediocre penalty kill. He played a key role on Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup-winning club.

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As good as they are at home, the Wings aren't anywhere near as dominant on the road. Bringing in a winger like Moen can really shore up the position and make them easy favorites to make a deep run in the NHL playoffs.