NHL Trade Deadline: Contenders That Must Go Hard for Dustin Brown

While he's not the sexiest name in the league, Dustin Brown is the kind of acquisition that makes the difference between getting to the playoffs and making a real run at the Stanley Cup. Hearing about his availability must have general managers everywhere leaping for the nearest phone.

If not, something is terribly wrong. 

TSN's Bob McKenzie made it clear that the Kings winger was on the market. 

"

NHL on TSN panel discusses Carter-Johnson trade and more. Oh, yeah, Dustin Brown is in play. bit.ly/xImATz #TradeCentre #tsn

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 24, 2012"

McKenzie followed up with this tweet, detailing some of the interested teams.

"

BOS, BUF, EDM, NJD, NYR, PHI, TOR, VAN are amongst teams with high levels of interest in Brown. #TradeCentre #TSN

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 24, 2012"

It is baffling that the team with fewer goals than any in the NHL would look to trade the man second on the team in goals and third in total points. Remember, this is still a contending team. Unloading him is going to hurt. 

What isn't hard to figure out is why other teams are interested. He has recorded the second most amount of hits in the NHL. However, while not every one of those teams should be going hard after Brown, these ones should.

Vancouver Canucks

This team has all of the pure talent in the world, but they lack a little bit in the grit department. If they had more grit, Vancouver would have won the Stanley Cup last year and probably done so in five games. 

Brown has the style of play that will help the Canucks get those ugly goals. The positive thing about Brown is that he is a prolific enough scorer to come in and help them move the puck around. His inclusion in a lineup wouldn't cost Vancouver anything in terms of flow. They would still be a pretty team to watch but would have the muscle needed to get them over the edge.

New York Rangers

This is a team that will never be like the Canucks. They are a blue collar, gritty team and Brown fits that model to a T. 

Brown would be a stabilizing force at the top of the Rangers lineup on one of the first two lines, which is something they need. New York is currently the top team in the Eastern Conference, but are only middle-of-the-road in terms of scoring. 

This is something that will cost them down the road in the playoffs if they don't add some depth. Brown fits in well with New York, but his acquisition wouldn't be overkill.

New Jersey Devils

This is a similar team to the Rangers. They are cruising to the playoffs but the Devils will have a hard time making a run if they don't become a more prolific offensive team. Indeed, it is too easy to beat a team that has to win low-scoring games all the time. 

Brown fits New Jersey's style of play well. He is tough, crashes the net and gets into the tough stuff when called upon. That has always been New Jersey's style, but they will need one more real scoring threat to be a real contender once the playoffs roll around. 

With Brown, New Jersey is a real Eastern Conference contender. If they don't make a move like this, we won't be seeing them a lot when the playoffs begin this spring. 

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