The good teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. It took a while with everyone clustered together but as the Olympic break nears, it’s easier to point out the contenders.
On the flip side, some teams are entering the seller’s market. The Vancouver Canucks were the first to do so, and the New York Rangers put out a statement and followed with some moves signalling a rebuild. It’s only a matter of time before more teams join the party. The question is which teams can benefit the most from selling? With the right trades, the answer is a handful, even with some teams being borderline playoff teams that can talk themselves into holding.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have big-picture problems, mostly because they built their team around Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and a core that is talented but both injury-prone and limited. Those issues must be addressed in the offseason but until then, they can move some players to set themselves up for success down the road.
The problem this team has is that they don’t have a lot of players to trade, mostly because of the no-trade clauses attached to many of them. If the Devils can get Dougie Hamilton to move his, something that’s been a story all season, then they can get a headstart on changing the dynamics of the roster. Otherwise, it’s trading depth skaters.
But the Devils must consider trading those depth skaters. Cody Glass is a third liner who teams might want for a playoff run. Jonas Seigenthaler has partial protection, so the Devils can still move him to a handful of contenders looking for a shutdown defenseman. This team isn’t out of the playoffs by any means, yet selling is the best way to salvage a season where everything has gone wrong.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers looked like a playoff team all season, playing above their weight and sitting in the third or fourth spot in the Metropolitan Division. It turns out, their flaws were covered up by elite goaltending by Dan Vladar. Even with an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 31 that put them nine points out of a wild card spot, the recent stretch that put them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference exposed them as a team that still has a way to go before contending.
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The key for this team is trading the few players who can bring back big returns, notably a player like Owen Tippett. While Tippett is one of their best players, he’s a winger on a team that has plenty of wingers coming up through the pipeline. So, if he’s not a core player to build around, they must consider moving him.
The question is how this helps the Flyers in the long run if they have the prospects already in the pipeline. It’s why any trade involving Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen, or any tradeable player must bring back prospects at positions of need, specifically, centers and defensemen. If they can land their version of Calum Ritchie, who the New York Islanders got in the Brock Nelson deal, then they can look at the seller’s market as a success.
Toronto Maple Leafs
At this point, the question is whether the Toronto Maple Leafs are rebuilding and tearing it down or retooling on the fly. The answer depends on who you ask and when they asked this question (the 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres had more people ready to blow it up like Alfred Nobel when he discovered dynamite).
A few talent evaluators noted that the Maple Leafs can’t go through a rebuild because of the market but more importantly, they won’t waste the prime years of Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Like the Colorado Avalanche or the Edmonton Oilers, the Maple Leafs have top-of-the-league players in their primes, and there’s no rebuild when that’s the case. So, it’s more about making a trade or two to bring in young NHL-caliber players who can contribute by the start of next season.
For the Maple Leafs, it’s about trading players who aren’t working out, like Nicolas Robertson and Nicolas Roy. Plus, the move for Scott Laughton backfired, so moving him and Steven Lorentz can cover their losses from going all-in last season. Tearing it down would be moving on from the core players or veterans who will play a key role in a Cup run, so instead, they just retool around that same core.
Nashville Predators
It might come as a surprise that the Nashville Predators are a borderline playoff team. They sit only five points out of a wild card spot thanks to strong play from key players, notably Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, and Steven Stamkos, who is on pace for a 40-goal season.
They have the players to move that would help them rebuild. It’s the big key for a team that otherwise feels stuck. Stamkos, in particular, can bring back a haul since contenders will want a playoff-proven scorer and a Cup winner like him in their top six. The question is whether Trotz wants to keep him around for another two and a half seasons or move him to help the Predators in the long run.
Los Angeles Kings
For all the talk about Artemi Panarin, the Los Angeles Kings can use a reset. They are in the mix for a wild card spot but as they’ve shown in previous seasons, they aren’t built for a playoff run. So, with the team on the outside looking in, maybe they make a few trades.
As an older team on the decline, if they can find a way to move the veterans, it will go a long way. Panarin is a desperation move but a Kuzmenko, or Trevor Moore move sets them up for the long run.
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