The NHL trade deadline is Monday, and for a few Stanley Cup contenders, not making an upgrade — whether it’s a major one or a small tweak — could be the difference between hosting a championship parade and having a long, painful summer.
This is especially relevant in the Western Conference, where as many as four teams, including the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, have a legitimate chance to win the best trophy in sports.
Luckily for these teams, several players could be available before Monday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. Let’s look at four Stanley Cup contenders who must make a move.
Chicago Blackhawks
The ‘Hawks already have a Cup-worthy team, but they certainly could use another top-nine forward after the offseason departures of Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp from last season’s championship roster.
Andrew Ladd has been linked to Chicago in various reports, and he’d be a great fit given his offensive skill, ability to drive puck possession and playoff experience. The Winnipeg Jets captain won a Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010.
Kris Versteeg, who left Chicago in the offseason after returning for the 2015 title run, is another possibility. Acquiring him from the Carolina Hurricanes would be cheaper than Ladd.
Chicago will have a tough time reaching a fourth Cup Final in seven years if it doesn’t make a move. The L.A. Kings are playing like a Cup-caliber team again, the Dallas Stars are a formidable opponent, and the Anaheim Ducks — who nearly beat the Blackhawks in the conference finals last season — are 19-4-2 in their last 25 games.
Chicago general manager Stan Bowman must deal with just $4,758,163 in salary cap space at the deadline, but he does have all of the team’s first-round picks at his disposal. He traded one for Antoine Vermette at last season’s deadline, and it proved to be a pivotal move in Chicago’s title march.
Anaheim Ducks
Sure, the Ducks are built for the future with a strong prospect pool and several talented young players already making an impact at the NHL level, most notably Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Shea Theodore.
That said, Anaheim has to think about the short term. Many of its best players, including top-six forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, are in the primes of their careers. Their time to win is right now, and after coming within a single game of the Cup Final last season, a slight upgrade might be enough to get Anaheim over the hump.
The Ducks are in a favorable position entering the deadline with so much blue-line depth. Lots of teams are looking for a defenseman, preferably one who could play top-four minutes against top-six competition, and the Ducks have a few to dangle.
Anaheim could improve its disappointing offensive output by using this defensive depth to acquire a top-six forward. The Ducks, despite their recent surge, still rank 21st in goals scored per game, 28th in 5-on-5 goals scored and 29th in 5-on-5 shooting percentage.
New York Rangers
You might not think the Rangers are legit Cup contenders, but they play in the East, a conference where the Washington Capitals are elite and everyone else is varying degrees of good-not-great.
It should be noted the Rangers, and specifically goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, have been the Capitals’ kryptonite throughout the Alexander Ovechkin era. New York has won its last three playoff series versus Washington, all three of which ended in a dramatic Game 7.
The Rangers should strongly consider adding a top-nine forward because of Rick Nash’s health concerns, as well as a defenseman given the recent concussion/injury issues No. 1 blueliner Ryan McDonagh has dealt with over the last few weeks.
If the Hurricanes make No. 1 center and captain Eric Staal available, the Rangers should make a play for him. Staal would add size, top-six offensive skill and plenty of playoff experience to the Blueshirts’ lineup. He’s also capable of playing on the wing if needed. Playing with his brother, Rangers D-man Marc Staal, would be pretty cool, too.
The Rangers have an estimated $4,829,113 in cap space to work with at the deadline, according to General Fanager, but they must give their 2016 or 2017 pick to the Arizona Coyotes, per the terms of the Keith Yandle trade last season.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues needed to make some sort of move before top-six winger Alex Steen, No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and veteran goalie Brian Elliott all went on injured reserve. These injuries make a move imperative for the Blues’ chances of making a deep playoff run, which probably would include series with the Stars and Blackhawks.
Adding a forward would be the smart move for general manager Doug Armstrong. His team ranks 24th in goals scored, 21st in 5-on-5 shooting percentage and 21s in 5-on-5 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes. A lack of offensive firepower has been a problem for St. Louis in recent playoff runs, and it likely will be again if some kind of move to acquire a forward isn’t made.
The Blues have several good prospects, as well as all their first-round picks and two 2016 fifth-round selections to use in potential trades.
Thumbnail photo via Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports Images
