Why The Bruins, Canucks, Stars And Kings Could Buy By The NHL Trade Deadline

Jeremy Swayman and Elias Pettersson

Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The NHL’s March 7 trade deadline is now less than two months away, and the trade talk is already picking up.

As the deadline gets closer, more teams will jockey for position to add talent for the short term and the long haul. While you can never count teams out of that process, some teams should be buying in the next few weeks to improve their roster for the playoff push and beyond.

Here are four teams that should be buyers by the deadline. In alphabetical order:

Boston Bruins

Despite showing flashes of solid play, the Bruins are by no means a lock to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season.

Given that they’re only a couple of years removed from the best regular season by any team in NHL history, their disappointing play this year has Boston fans ready to lash out in frustration. But Bruins GM Don Sweeney still has $5.7 million in salary cap space to spend to at least get the B’s into the post-season.

What do the Bruins need? Well, we should start with defensive depth, as well as a high-impact forward. Boston is currently the NHL’s seventh-worst team on offense at just 2.65 goals-for per game, and only two of their players are producing offense at more than a 0.52-points-per-game clip. But their defense isn’t all that much better, as they’re 21st in the league, averaging 3.13 goals against per game.

Sweeney has always been an all–in executive, and with the Bruins in serious danger of being overtaken for a wild-card spot, Boston will be a notable team to keep an eye on in trade talks.

Dallas Stars

The Stars are one of the NHL’s hottest teams right now, but they’re in the highly competitive Central Division. They need to fend off Central powerhouses in Winnipeg, Colorado and Minnesota, so Dallas will be under major pressure to add some talent via the trade market.

They’ve been winning without star center Tyler Seguin for weeks now, and while they have only about $2.6 million in current cap space, Stars GM Jim Nill always seems to find a way to give his team a leg up as the playoffs approach. They’re accruing cap space, but if they know Seguin won’t be ready to return during the regular season, they can place him on long-term injured reserve and make it easier to add.

Dallas won’t be giving up its young players in any trade, but the Stars’ draft picks are a different story. The Stars have their next three first-round draft picks and two of their next three second-rounders – but in the right circumstance, Dallas could be persuaded to surrender one of those picks.

A high-quality bottom-six forward and/or a goal-scoring forward would be a nice acquisition for them, but it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Stars to add a more marquee name as they seek to make a deep playoff push.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings may have about $10.9 million in current cap space, but injured defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to rejoin the team next week. He has an $11-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve, so the Kings must save space for him once he returns to the lineup.

The Kings have been a considerable competitor this season with the lineup they have, and thus, there’s no urgency for Blake to make a trade as soon as possible. That doesn’t mean that Los Angeles couldn’t benefit from adding some depth to the roster, though – specifically, on their back end.

Indeed, a veteran defenseman – say, San Jose’s Mario Ferarro or Cody Ceci or Rangers veteran Will Borgen – could be a decent short-term acquisition. L.A. can afford to take their time before pulling the trigger on a trade for a D-man, but make no mistake, the Kings wouldn’t turn down a blueliner at the right price.

Vancouver Canucks

While it’s true the majority of trade speculation surrounding the Canucks has focused on star centers Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, another possibility is that Vancouver adds a more complementary piece with the roughly $5 million they have in cap space.

If they could acquire an improvement in their bottom-six group of forwards or on defense, they’d surely do so. They’re 23rd in goals against per game, with 3.14, and 22nd in goals-for per game, with 2.88. They don’t have a defenseman producing much offense besides Quinn Hughes, for starters.

Despite being stuck in the middle of the Pacific Division, Vancouver still has the opportunity to make a second-half surge and set themselves up for a deep playoff run. They don’t have to hit a home run with a deal involving Miller or Pettersson, but the Canucks are surely intent on improving by the deadline. The Canucks still have their first- and second-rounders in the next two drafts if they need to move them for someone who can help them in the short and long term.

Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford may not wait until the deadline to make a deal – in fact, that’s the M.O. of Rutherford over the years – but if they stand pat, many, if not most observers would be surprised.