With the NHL trade deadline just 7 days away, there are a handful of players who can make direct impacts to a team that are contenders for elusive Lord Stanley. As we can expect there will always be the swapping of third and fourth line players to add depth to a contender, but these aren't the guys I'm going to be talking about. For the first time in quite a while there's a solid amount of elite players who could possibly get dealt by 3 p.m. on Monday February 29th.
Keith Yandle - New York Rangers Defenseman
Just about every team in contention right now could use a defenseman like Keith Yandle. Yandle is an offensive minded defenseman who currently leads the Rangers in assists with 29. He can be the quarterback on any power play unit in the league. His vision and passing abilities are outstanding which is why he's one of the best offensive D men in the league. The New York Rangers already know that they won't be able to resign him after this season due to lack of space in the salary cap, but they can definitely can get a good offensive player for him. The Rangers mind set is cup or bust so they won't make a deal with another team if the deal isn't right for them. As for a prediction, I think there's a pretty good chance Yandle will get moved at the deadline if Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh is healthy. The Lightning are a team that could definitely use another solid defenseman and in return the Rangers could maybe snag an unhappy Johnathan Drouin. Kid is only 20 years old, but if the Rangers throw in a couple second, third, or fourth rounders with Yandle there's a potential for the Rangers to grab a star. This could be a risky move for the Rangers since Drouin is unproven, but this is the NHL and sometimes risks need to be made. To sum this up, if Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh remains sidelined with a concussion, Yandle isn't going anywhere.
Andrew Ladd - Winnipeg Jets Center
Another invaluable player is Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd. Andrew Ladd does it all, scores goals, smart defensively and has great leadership qualities. Nobody in the NHL is more valuable at the deadline right now than Andrew Ladd. If you look at his accolades they say it all. Captain of the Winnipeg Jets, Two time Stanley Cup champion. He is also the most important position at forward which is center. The one thing that really sticks out is his affordable 4.4 million dollar cap hit. This may seem like a lot, but in reality it isn't. A bunch of teams have already thrown their hat in the ring about Ladd, but one destination that I could see him going to is the Chicago Blackhawks. It's a match made in heaven. Ladd has already won a cup with Chicago in 2010, so getting adjusted to playing on the Hawks again with Coach Q, Captain Johnathan Toews, and soon to be NHL MVP Patrick Kane will be a relatively easy thing to do. Also, the one thing the Blackhawks need is center depth. Toews is the obvious number one center, but then it goes to Artem Anisimov as the number two. Anisimov is a decent player but no where near as good of a player as Ladd. The Hawks may have some cap problems as well, but if they can negotiate a deal where the Jets can retain some of Ladd's salary then a deal can get done. They can have a legitimate shot at repeating and winning their 4th cup in 7 years if they can swing this deal.
Eric Staal - Carolina Hurricanes Center
Another valuable player that any team could use is Eric Staal. Top line center, Stanley cup ring, Captain of the 'Canes. A very similar player to Andrew Ladd except for the contract situation. Staal comes in with a steep 8.25 million dollar cap hit. He's in the last year of his deal, and from what has been reported, he wants to stay in Carolina. A few things to mention here, Staal hasn't been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2009 season and has only been in the playoffs twice in his career. He has won a cup so he knows what it takes to win, but the league in general is much more competitive and has changed since Staal last won the cup a decade ago. Another important note is that the Hurricanes are only 4 points back of the Penguins for the last Wild Card spot. It's definitely possible that the Hurricanes will decide to keep Staal in order to try to make a push for the playoffs. As for teams trying to obtain him, the Hawks have shown interest, but they won't be able to afford him unless they move some big pieces which they won't do. With the amount of money Staal is owed and the current standing of the Hurricanes, I think Staal is staying put in Raleigh.
Travis Hamonic - New York Islanders Defenseman
A weird situation here for the Islanders and Travis Hamonic. Earlier in the season, Hamonic requested a trade due to family problems, well here we are three quarters of the way through the season and Hamonic is still wearing orange and blue. Hamonic isn't the type of player that they can just trade for some nobody. He is in the prime of his career at only 25 years old, and he is part of the Islanders top four D. Originally, I thought a Hamonic trade for Dustin Byfuglien of the Jets was in the works due to the fact that Hamonic is from Manitoba but that was instantly washed away when Byfuglien signed a five year extension with the Jets. Hamonic comes in with a 3.8 million dollar cap hit which is manageable for most teams. If I could see Hamonic going anywhere right now it would be the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are once again at the bottom of the league and are in desperate need of a defenseman. The Oilers have used all of their number one draft picks over the past couple years on forwards and are really lacking defensive depth. Hamonic would be a perfect candidate to bolster that set of D. He's young, and even though he's having a down year there's no doubt about his upside. Hamonic can be used in any situation. He has great offensive mind, but is tough at the same time. He can play as many minutes as a team needs him to play and can play against any top player on the opposing team. As far as what the Islanders are looking to get in return, just about any position, but they could really use another offensive weapon. If they're going to make a deal with the Oilers, they should definitely be looking to take one of their top offensive guys such as Jordan Eberle or Nail Yakupov. Even though obtaining Eberle is highly unlikely, Yakupov could end up being a steal. He has underachieved in his first couple seasons with the Oilers, but a change of scenery could spark a revival in Yakupovs career. In the end I think Hamonic is going to have to stay put in Brooklyn due to to the Islanders push for the playoffs. Hamonic may not be happy, but this is a business so he may need to bite the bullet on this one.
Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning Center
This is a stretch by all means, but there is still a possibility of Stammer getting moved at the deadline. Everyone knows that Stamkos is one of the best players in the league, there isn't an argument about that. The real question is, how happy is Stamkos in Tampa Bay? Look, I know they went on a cup run last year, but I honestly think that was the team just playing well at the time, and not based on the skill they had in their lineup. On last seasons roster, they had a lot of guys fans didn't know much about. Guys like Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson broke out in the playoffs and haven't come near the production of last season, especially Johnson. Johnson has 24 points in 46 games this season and that is substantially lower than his 72 points last year. The Bolts are a bubble team right now, and if they make the playoffs Killorn and Johnson could still be deadly in the playoffs. Going back to Stamkos, he has a 7.5 million dollar cap hit which is steep but for a player with the skill of Stamkos, it might be worth it for a contender to give up a lot for him. I can't see the Lightning giving him up at this point in the season, they would need a hefty package from another team in order for that to happen. There's rumors going around that he may sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the off season and play for his hometown. GM Steve Yzerman has said that he's going to agree to terms with Stamkos on an extension, but the way the direction of the Lightening is going, there is a chance that he gets dealt, or one signs else where in the off season.
Loui Eriksson - Boston Bruins Right Wing
Let me come out and say I'll be stunned if Eriksson doesn't get moved by the Bruins. Eriksson was involved in the terrible trade by the Bruins to ship Seguin to Dallas and Eriksson was the best player the Bruins got in return. Eriksson was expected to put up the same numbers he did when he left Dallas which is about 70 points a season, but besides this season that hasn't been the case. He's putting up about 45 points a season with the Bruins which is still respectable but not nearly as many as the Bruins would have liked. Eriksson has a reasonable 4.25 million dollar cap hit, and there's lot of teams interested in him but the Bruins are in dire need of a top four D man. I personally think that the Bruins are going to trade him to the Winnipeg Jets for young D man Jacob Trouba. Trouba is only 21 years old, and still hasn't broken out yet. If the Bruins can find a way to swap Eriksson for Trouba they would do it in a heartbeat. Another potential landing spot could be the Rangers. Yandle for Eriksson could be a good deal, but the Rangers would be looking for more than just Loui Eriksson in order to send Yandle to his hometown Bruins. All in all, Erikssons days are most likely limited in Bean town, where he'll go...we'll just have to wait until the deadline.
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