NHL Trade Speculation: 22 Important Players Who Will Be Deadline Trade Bait

The end of 2011 is quickly approaching and the playoff picture is quickly being painted.

As the picture is being painted, more and more names will begin to surface as trade bait to help make another team's run for the Stanley Cup.

People will start predicting who will be buying and who will be selling as the trade deadline gets closer and closer.

Here are some of the players that the teams will be fighting over as the trade deadline approaches.

Shea Weber

The fact that the Nashville Predators and Shea Weber weren't able to come to terms on a long-term contract at the end of last season, and that there have been no rumblings of a discussion of a long-term contract with Weber this year makes it seem that Shea Weber might not stay in Nashville for much longer.

Then you add in that the Predators have been talking with Ryan Suter about extending his contract, plus the big contract that the Predators signed Pekka Rinne to makes things a bit precarious when it comes to contracts.

Defenders like Weber don't come along very often. Not often do you have a guy that is as dominant as Weber is in both zones and able to log as many minutes as he does in all situations.

Shea Weber could fetch a hefty price on the trade market and would make a great addition to any team looking to make a deep run into the playoffs.

Miikka Kiprusoff

Miikka Kiprusoff has been the man in Calgary for years now, but with the Flames heading towards the basement this season it seems logical that the Flames are going to have to start making room for the future.

Kiprusoff does have a no-movement clause that expires at the end of this season, but Calgary may be able to convince him to waive this if the right deal came along.

Look for Calgary to try to move him. His $5.83 million cap hit and long, productive career would not only free up some cap space for the future, but could also buy them some draft picks as they look to rebuild.

There will be a few more Calgary Flames on this list.

Zach Parise

Zach Parise found himself in a very similar situation to that of Shea Weber. He was looking for a long-term contract and got one year.

New Jersey will have a serious predicament when the trade deadline comes along, especially if they remain towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

With his ability to score and his impressive work ethic every shift, he would be a great rental for a team that wants to make a serious push at the Stanley Cup.

The other thought that would be on Parise's mind would be where he might be able to find a long-term contract.

There is no clause to prevent him being traded, barring New Jersey being able to sign him to a contract (and there seems to be no movement on that front), so count on Parise being the prize of the trade deadline this year.

Rick Nash

This was supposed to be the year for the Columbus Blue Jackets to be contenders, to be serious players in the playoff picture.

The season has definitely not played out that way and it appears that Columbus may be nearing the decision to finally blow that roster up and start over.

Rick Nash's name has come up in some trade rumors during this season since this team never got out of the starting blocks.

While Columbus' GM has been very up front about his feelings on trading Nash, moving him might be a good idea for both parties.

Nash won't win a cup while he's in Columbus, and Columbus hasn't been able to put together a winner surrounding Nash and it might be time for them to find a new centerpiece.

Nash is majorly skilled and would be a great acquisition for anybody who wants to push to get into the playoffs or make a deep run.

Cory Schneider

There could be a couple of types of teams that would be interested in acquiring Cory Schneider.

Perhaps a team that wants depth at the goalie position as they make a playoff run.

Maybe there's a team that will have a critical injury at the goalie position and they need a player that doesn't have a huge cap hit to fill their void.

There could even be the team that knows for a fact that their current goalie is not going to cut it for them in the future and want a jump start on filling that spot.

There has been some talk that Roberto Luongo has been dangled as trade bait, but his contract is far more difficult to trade than Schneider's.

If one of those Vancouver goalies is going to go somewhere, it'll be Schneider.

Ryan Suter

Ryan Suter is the other defenseman that the Nashville Predators really want to keep.

To the credit of the Predators, at least they have been engaging Suter in contract talks throughout the season.

What ends up happening with Suter will end up determining what happens with Shea Weber.

If Nashville is smart, they are trying to make Shea Weber a part of these negotiations, telling Suter that they want to get a deal that can keep both players in Nashville.

If it comes down to a choice between Suter and Weber, one would think that they would have to choose Weber and would be more inclined to trade Suter before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Time will tell with Suter.

Jay Bouwmeester

Jay Bouwmeester's salary is one that the Calgary Flames would love to get off of their books when they begin to rebuild.

At $6.68 million, Bouwmeester could free up a decent amount of space and still command a decent price on the trade market.

He's still a very skilled defender that may just need the right place to maximize his potential.

Philadelphia now has a gaping hole on their blue line; perhaps Philly would be willing to trade for Bouwmeester.

Something tells me that if Philadelphia came knocking on Calgary's door, Bouwmeester wouldn't have much of an issue waiving that no-trade clause.

Bobby Ryan

Bobby Ryan was at the center of several trade rumors with the poor start of the Anaheim Ducks, many of them surrounding the New York Rangers.

After Bruce Boudreau was hired, the Ducks were fast to silence those rumors.

The Ducks, however, haven't been improving very much since the coaching change was made. If they still remain in the basement of the Western Conference by deadline time, perhaps Ryan could be finding a new home.

The Bobby Ryan rumors could kick back into full gear.

Alex Semin

The Capitals are having a season to forget up to this point and might find themselves sellers at the trade deadline for the first time in a while.

Bruce Boudreau was fired but that hasn't helped to spark the team, so the next logical step is to make some roster changes.

Semin finds himself back in trade rumors and stands to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

If Washington wants to move on then it's always better to get something for him than to let him walk for nothing.

Semin could find a number of homes and be effective for each of them.

Ales Hemsky

Hemsky has had some issues with injuries over the past couple of seasons and has seen a drop-off in production this season.

The Oilers have done such a great job at drafting and developing over the past couple of seasons that Hemsky is now expendable.

Hemsky is still skilled and could be productive if he can stay healthy, so the Oilers might be able to get a solid puzzle piece back as they make a push for the playoffs.

Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla is getting up there in age, and at some point one would have to think that he is going to start thinking about going somewhere where he can actually win a Stanley Cup.

He is the consummate professional, of course, and would never say that he wanted out of Calgary.

Calgary GM Jay Feaster could not possibly be more emphatic about not wanting to trade Iginla but at some point the move starts to make sense.

Every year, Calgary believes that they are going to be in the hunt for the playoffs but they have fallen off the back of the wagon that is the Western Conference, missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

This season isn't shaping up to be much better for them as they currently sit in the 12th spot in the super competitive Western Conference.

When does Calgary admit that the players they have aren't going to get the job done and start to think longer term?

It might not be this year, but it won't be too long before Iginla finally does get out of Calgary.

Tim Gleason

Carolina currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference and may look at selling off a couple of defenders at or before the deadline.

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford has said that he would be interested in dealing a defenseman for a forward.

There was another rumor out there that Eric Staal was going to be moved to Toronto, which Rutherford was quick to deny.

Gleason is a solid defender that is currently fifth on his team in hits and third in blocked shots.

He could provide a team with some good defensive depth.

It wouldn't be any surprise to see him, or one of those Hurricane defenders, in Philadelphia around trade deadline time.

Sergei Gonchar

Gonchar is a seasoned veteran that could add depth to any team's blue line.

With Ottawa playing as decently as they have this season, it remains a bit up in the air as to whether or not they will look to shop Gonchar.

If the Senators seem to be moving towards the lower portion of the Eastern Conference, then it wouldn't be a shock to see a couple of players get moved.

There are rumors saying that the Flyers could be interested in Gonchar to help fill Chris Pronger's void.

Gonchar would make a lot of sense since he has a long history of being a very productive quarterback of a power play unit.

It also wouldn't hurt that Philadelphia is the team that's interested. What guy wouldn't waive his no-trade clause to move over to a team that you know will make a deep run into the playoffs?

Paul Stastny

The Colorado Avalanche are another team that currently lie in the middle ground where it's hard to tell if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

If they are out of the playoff picture, then the Avalanche might look at dealing Paul Stastny as a way to get back into the first round.

Avalanche Beat Writer, Adrian Dater, believes that Paul Stastny could get the Avalanche that first round draft pick they lost in the Semyon Varlamov trade.

Whether or not Stastny would be traded is up for debate as he has been a leader on this Avalanche team the past few years.

He is also coming on of late, and has once again found his scoring touch.

If the Avalanche get back into the thick of the playoff picture, which they very well could as they are only four points out of the eighth spot, Stastny likely stays.

If they sink to the bottom again, then it's possible Stastny goes to a team willing to part ways with a first round pick.

Evgeni Nabokov

Evgeni Nabokov used to be one of the best goalies in the NHL before he left to go to the KHL.

After being claimed by the New York Islanders on re-entry waivers, Nabokov refused to report to the Islanders.

While he has been playing for the Islanders this year, he hasn't really played that well and currently sits on the injured list.

By the time the deadline comes around Nabokov may find himself not needed.

There could be a few teams interested in better goaltending depth; a team like Tampa Bay, for instance, could be very interested in Nabokov.

Matt Moulson

There were several rumors surrounding Matt Moulson being traded last season.

He wasn't traded, but now that the Islanders once again reside in the basement of the Eastern Conference it wouldn't be a shock to see those rumors heat up again.

Moulson currently has 15 goals on the season, which leads the Islanders.

Moulson could be a great addition to a team that needs to add some scoring depth to their roster.

Scott Gomez

When Montreal added Scott Gomez to their roster, they expected him to come in and fill the role of the first line center and be a huge part of their offense.

This has not happened and Gomez, who currently sits on the injured reserve, has only four points in 13 games played.

Montreal might not get that actual first line center back in exchange for Gomez, but this could be a case of addition by subtraction.

Gomez's contract is also one that the Canadiens wouldn't mind being rid of.

Gomez's experience can be valuable to a team that doesn't have a wealth of playoff experience.

Drew Stafford

The Buffalo Sabres got off to a very good start this season but have been in a bit of a free fall lately.

Drew Stafford was a big part of that success, but he too has found his production falling off especially in comparison to his 31 goal effort from a season ago.

As a result of this, the Sabres may be planning on making some moves to change things up, and Stafford's name has come up in trade discussions.

Derek Roy is another name mentioned as potential trade bait.

Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson finds himself in a position similar to that of Jarome Iginla.

He's the long-time captain of a team that has come very close to winning it all once, but hasn't been anywhere near since.

He's also the type of player that is very loyal to the franchise that he plays for. He would never speak out and demand a trade.

But there's no denying that he wants to win a cup before he retires, and he's got to be questioning whether or not he will be able to achieve that in Ottawa.

He does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could be moved whenever the team wants but with Ottawa still in the thick of the playoff picture it doesn't seem very likely that a move would happen this season.

Still, if the right deal came along, Alfredsson could be on his way out of Ottawa.

Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard is a kid with a lot of talent that has grossly underachieved ever since he was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Brassard had a career year last season, but has a grand total of seven points in 25 games this year. 

This type of production is far beneath the $3.2 million cap hit he brings.

A change of scenery might benefit Brassard, and it would free up some more space for the struggling Blue Jackets to look ahead.

There is some interest in Brassard as four teams seem to be showing interest in the young center.

Dustin Penner

On paper, Dustin Penner seemed like a fantastic acquisition by the L.A. Kings at last year's trade deadline.

Since then, Penner has played 42 games for the Kings and has logged only 13 points. This was far below what the Kings were expecting from Penner when he came to California.

Penner carried a $4.25 million cap hit, but teams are still showing interest in Penner. He has proven that he can be a dangerous asset on the ice.

Penner just needs the right surrounding, and Los Angeles is apparently not that place. Look for him to be moved at or before the deadline.

Ryan Getzlaf

Similar to his teammate, Bobby Ryan, Getzlaf has seen his name pop up in some trade rumors thanks to the horrific start that the Ducks have had.

Those more immediate trade rumors have died down since Bruce Boudreau was hired and people wait to see if the Ducks make a positive adjustment under their new coach.

Thus far, things haven't looked that much better for the Ducks, and if things continue in their downward spiral, Ryan Getzlaf may see more trade rumors pop up.

Getzlaf's ability is no secret throughout the league. There would likely be many teams that would be interested in picking him up.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and NHL on Bleacher Report. For more NHL news and discussion,