NHL Team Stock: Trade Deadline Buyers

As we are now under a week left before the NHL trade deadline, it is a good time to examine who we should expect to be a buyer (that is, trade to improve the team for this year) or a seller (trade away current assets for future ones).

Like anything else, there are grey areas, and some teams may either have to wait until the last minute to decide where they are or hold pat.

We will start with the teams that I think are likely buyers in this first volume of the series, ranked according to how strong a buying prospect they are:

1. The Philadelphia Flyers have one glaring need—goaltending—and are well-stocked elsewhere. If they do not make a trade to upgrade in net, I will be shocked.
2. The Minnesota Wild have desperate need of scorers and having an extra goalie to trade. I would expect them to make a trade with Philadelphia, sending either Josh Harding or, more likely Nicklas Backstrom, to the Flyers for someone who can put the puck in the net.
   
3. The Dallas Stars are tied with four other teams at 65 points, and have played the second-fewest games in that group. In other words, they are currently in the playoffs—barely. They are also in need of scorers with Brad Richards joining Sergei Zubov and Brenden Morrow on the injured list. However, if they can stay in the playoff mix, they will get at least Richards and maybe all three back for the postseason; if that is the case, they will be dangerous when they get there.
4. The Anaheim Ducks might seem a prospect to sell, being the team of the four tied at 65 points with the most games played, essentially making them only tenth in the West. Plus, they have two key players who already retired before being talked into returning, and who are probably done after this year. But it seems they are unlikely to want to go elsewhere, so this franchise might as well give it one more shot.
5. The Vancouver Canucks have an aging, expensive star that will not be around much longer. Let's just say they didn't sign him to look for the future, and since it has worked to get them back in the playoff chase, there is no reason to believe they would not continue that to get deeper in the playoffs.
6. The Florida Panthers may well lose Jay Bouwmeester, which means one of two things: they will trade him rather than lose him, or they will trade to push to go as far as possible while they still have him. They have scoring needs, but the defense to go a long way, and they also have a battle-tested playoff goalie as well as a young up-and-coming one, giving them as asset to trade.
7. The Chicago Blackhawks have the luxury of an extra goalie, and they need to decide whether they can win with Huet or if they need to back Khabibulin, in which case they may work to re-sign him and trade Huet. They also have need of some grit and playoff experience.
8. The New Jersey Devils have an extra back-up goalie to give and several old players; they cannot add much, but they are obviously in it to win it now or in the near future.
9. The Boston Bruins are primed to win now, but especially in light of their recent struggles and failure to have almost any third period comebacks, seem to lack necessary grit; this is one of the easiest things to trade for.
10. The Detroit Red Wings do not have much cap space to make many moves and not many young players as assets to give up, but they have one of the oldest teams in the league and may need help in net; if they get it, they could pass the Sharks in talent, and maybe even the standings.
11. The Calgary Flames have the talent to contend for the Cup, have a hockey-crazed fanbase that got a taste of the Cup in 2004 only to fall one goal short, and they have not won since 1989, their only Cup. On the other hand, they do not have any glaring needs, so it is unlikely they will be able to catch San Jose or Detroit in talent, no matter what they do.
12. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the only franchise to never make the playoffs, and while they have a young corps they would like to keep together to compete for years to come, they absolutely must make it in and may well get aggressive to ensure it happens.
13. The Washington Capitals are certainly going to finish among the top three seeds in the East by winning their division, and look strong enough to make it to the second round. However, they may want to make sure of that by adding another piece or two.
14. The Montreal Canadiens seem to be a likely buy prospect to stop their current slide. For one thing, they are in danger of going a decade without a Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise's illustrious history. For another, they may be willing to do a blockbuster deal parting with Alexei Kovalev, whose services many teams could use. Of course, that could make them sellers, too, and with potential legal issues with three other players, they are no sure thing to buy.