The most pressing need for every NHL team at the trade deadline

The Ducks have one of the league's best goaltending duos in John Gibson and Ryan Miller, and that is usually enough to keep a team in playoff contention. Especially in a division and conference as weak as the one the Ducks are playing in. But their offense is so non-existent that not even quality goaltending can keep them in it. They have some intriguing young forwards, but none have really taken a big, meaningful stop forward this season. 

The Coyotes have already made two big additions to their offense over the past year, adding Phil Kessel before start of the 2019-20 season and then making the in-season blockbuster to land Taylor Hall from the New Jersey Devils. Hall has been exactly what they hoped he would be in terms of adding offense, but Kessel has slowed down dramatically from what he was during his peak years in Toronto and Pittsburgh. He is still capable of more, but he simply may not be an impact player anymore. Even with those two additions the Coyotes are still a below average team offensively and could use some more offense, especially at the center position.

The Bruins are once again one of the league's top teams and a Stanley Cup contender, so they don't need a lot, but they could use a little more offensive punch from their blue line. Charlie McAvoy is having a great year defensively, but has yet to score a single goal. Following a game in Pittsburgh earlier this month coach Bruce Cassidy was critical of his defense and its ability to move the puck, and that too many times this season they had trouble getting the puck out of their zone. They don't need a top-pairing guy, but another puck-mover would make this team even better. You can't have too many players like that in today's NHL. 

It stinks to say this, but the Sabres need to rebuild from their most recent rebuild. It just has not worked. Five years into the Jack Eichel era things were supposed to be better than this, and they are almost as bad as they were when it all started. Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin are great cornerstone players, but they have nothing else around them. This isn't a good offensive team, they aren't fast, they aren't a great defensive team, they have zero identity. General manager Jason Botterill might be in trouble. 

One of the biggest parts of the Flames' regression this season, going from the top regular season team in the Western Conference a year ago to a fringe playoff team, has been a decline in offense. The biggest improvement could come from within if Johnny Gaudreau can have a big second half. But they could still use a little more depth to balance out the lineup. 

This wouldn't have been their most pressing need until Dougie Hamilton broke his leg, likely sidelining him for the remainder of the season. The Hurricanes still have a very good defense, but Hamilton was having a Norris Trophy caliber season and one of the most impactful defenseman in the league. There is no one that is going to just replace his minutes and role over the next few months. The problem: There also is not another defenseman like him available in a trade. 

This is a tricky spot. The Blackhawks are a bubble team in the Western Conference. They are still very much in it, but are still more likely to miss the playoffs than make them. They also probably do not want to punt on any season where they are close while Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith are still playing. But they also have to be realistic, and there probably isn't a single trade to be made that can make them a true Stanley Cup contender as currently constructed. They do still need some help on defense, but they also have three key free agents to deal with (both goalies -- Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner -- and defenseman Erik Gustafsson). They should look to add some help if they can, but if someone gives them an offer they can not refuse for Lehner or Gustafsson they have to strongly consider taking it. 

The Avalanche are the most fascinating team ahead of the trade deadline because they already have one of the league's best rosters, are set up to be a Stanley Cup contender for years, have plenty of trade chips, and have more salary cap space than any other team in the league outside of Columbus. They could get anybody they want. General manager Joe Sakic should be trying to do just that. He has an opportunity here to add an impact player to an already strong lineup and put it over the top. Maybe a Chris Kreider from New York? Jason Zucker from Minnesota? Tomas Tatar from Montreal? Any player that is available could be in play here and make an already great team that much better. 

Thanks to some superb (and unexpected) goaltending the Blue Jackets have exceeded almost every preseason expectation that most of the league had for them and are right in the thick of the playoff race. While injuries have definitely impacted them, they still have a pretty glaring need at forward following the free agency departure of Artemi Panarin. Pierre-Luc Dubois is a great young center, and Cam Atkinson is one of the most underrated goal scorers in the league, but if this team is going to return to the playoffs and make some noise again they will need help up front. 

For the second year in a row the Dallas Stars are one of the most top-heavy playoff teams in the league. They have a couple of top line forwards (Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov), two outstanding defenesmen ( John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen) and one of the NHL's best goalies ( Ben Bishop). But they are one of the lowest scoring teams that currently holds a playoff position and need some more depth. Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry were supposed to help provide that, but it hasn't worked out with either signing. Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz are intriguing players, but they need another impact player to help balance out the forward lineup and build an offense that can complement their defense and goaltending. 

This is the worst team in the NHL this season and one of the worst teams in recent NHL history, maybe the entire modern era. They have problems everywhere, and while there are some intriguing young pieces in place (Dylan Larkin, Filip Zadina) there just simply isn't enough talent. General manager Steve Yzerman doesn't need to look for any specific spot. He just needs to add the best young players he can get, regardless of position, and acquire as many assets as possible that will allow him to restock the cupboards and build this once proud organization back up to where it belongs. 

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the five best offensive players in hockey, and when paired together are the most dominant offensive duo in the league. They are also the only consistent source of offense that the team has. That is not going to get it done in the playoffs. The overall weakness of the Pacific Division has kept the Oilers in the race and they have a window here to actually make a little bit of a run if they can get in the playoffs. To do that, they are going to need to find offense from a line that is not the McDavid-Draisiatl line. 

They have the highest scoring team in the league and spent huge money on a goalie (Sergei Bobrovsky) in free agency. Bobrovsky has not worked out as planned yet, but he could use some help in front of him. The Panthers already have a lot of money invested in their blue line, but it is clearly the Achilles' heel of this team at the moment and has to be the top priority for general manager Dale Tallon to improve if the Panthers are going to make the playoffs. 

The Kings' run at the top of the NHL has been done for a few years now, and while they've talked about a rebuild and turning the page there hasn't been much action on it. A couple of good draft classes have helped build the farm system back up, but it's time to part ways with some veteran players that no longer fit long-term. Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Jeff Carter, basically anybody that is not Anze Kopitar should be on the market. 

This is not necessarily a bad team, but it is a team that has had a bad season. Again. That almost always leads to changes. Sometimes significant changes. There is still some talent to work with here, but it is still a a team lacking in a lot of key areas (most notably, true top-tier players at forward that are still in the prime of their careers). That said, General manager Bill Guerin is going to get offers for players like Jason Zucker, Jonas Brodin, Eric Staal, maybe Matt Dumba but he should not be under any pressure to trade them right now. All have term remaining on their deals, all could still be part of a playoff team in Minnesota. Just do not panic, do not undersell your best assets, and only trade the aforementioned players if you get an offer you truly can not refuse. This is one of those times where standing pat might be the right move. 

The Canadiens are almost certainly going to miss the playoffs again. They are not in a position to really make a run at a spot, and they are not really in a position to have the best odds to win the draft lottery. They are in that messy middle ground between a contender and a rebuilder and there does not seem to be much rhyme or reason to the direction they are going in. It is still a veteran team, but the results are not there. General manager Marc Bergevin needs to figure out what his team is, where it has to go, and the best path for getting there. If that means selling, then sell. 

The Predators have been a strange team this season. Their 5-on-5 play has been as good as any team in the league and is at a level that should make them a Stanley Cup contender. What has held them back has been their brutal special teams performance where they rank among the league's worst on the power play and penalty kill. Goaltending has been a problem as well, especially when it comes to their penalty kill performance, but the special teams are the biggest flaw on this roster. New coach John Hynes had strong special teams units in New Jersey so he might help fix it in the second half, but another impact forward to help the power play or a good defensive forward (Jean-Gabriel Pageau?) to hep the penalty kill would be a big addition. 

The Devils might be one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL this season after their busy offseason. The biggest reason they disappointed has been the lack of quality goaltending. It may not make a difference for this season (their playoff hopes are already at close to zero) but it could for next season. Along with the goaltending, they also quite literally need a general manager after Ray Shero was fired a few weeks ago. Tom Fitzgerald has replaced him on an interim basis, but it remains to be seen if he will be in that position full-time. 

The Islanders have regressed a little from a year ago when it come to their goaltending and defensive play, but they are still one of the toughest teams in the league to score against. That is not a problem. What is a problem is their ability to actually score goals, and that is going to be the thing that holds them back as currently constructed. They are never going to be a great offensive team, but they can do better than what they currently have. If they are going to ever be a Stanley Cup team, they are going to have to do better than what they have offensively. 

The Rangers are not yet ready to be a playoff team, but they have a lot of intriguing pieces in place. The area they are lacking, though, is center depth. Mika Zibanejad is great in the top spot, and Ryan Strome has had a good season, but this is by far the thinnest position in the organization and something that is going to have to be addressed before they can take the next step in their rebuild. 

The Senators are right in the middle of a massive rebuild, have almost no long-term commitments on their roster and have several pending free agents to trade, most notably center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. They need to acquire any sort of young talent and future assets that they can, whether it be young NHLers, prospects, or draft picks. What they need is desperate contenders to be willing to overpay for what they are are selling as trade assets. The other item on the fan wish list: A new owner to end the Eugene Melnyk experience, but that seems like too much of a dream to list as the most-pressing need for the team. 

Normally this answer is goaltending, but Carter Hart is the future and Brian Elliott has been a solid backup. It may not be a strength yet, but it is far from a weakness. What the Flyers could use in their playoff push is a little bit of forward help, especially if Nolan Patrick is unable to play this season due to an ongoing migraine issue. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have done a great job rebuilding their depth and defense over the past year and are looking like the team that won Stanley Cups during the 2016 and 2017 season. They do not have a lot of needs at the moment, but are almost certainly going to be in the market to replace top-line winger Jake Guentzel who will be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season due to a shoulder injury. He could return for the Stanley Cup Playoffs though. Chris Kreider, Tyler Toffoli, and Jason Zucker could all be options to fill that spot. 

Not that it will make much of a difference this season given where the Sharks are in the standings, but it is also a long-term need, too. The Sharks are going to attempt to re-tool at the deadline and sell off some veteran players with expiring contracts, but this is still a franchise that should have its sights set on winning in the near future. If they are going to do that they are going to need to fix what has been one of the league's worst goaltending duos over the past two seasons. 

The defending Stanley Cup champions look even better than they did a year ago, but they still have a pretty big hole on their forward lines with the absence of Vladimir Tarasenko. They have obviously done fine without him (best record in the Western Conference) but a little extra offensive punch up front would help a lot. 

This isn't really in the spirit of trade deadline needs, but man, this team doesn't need really need anything except for playoff luck to go their way. The Lightning have been one of hte NHL's three most successful teams for the past five years (in terms of total regular season wins and playoff wins) but they have yet to actually win the Stanley Cup with this core. It is not that they are doing anything wrong. It is not that they need anything tangible added to the roster. The team is stacked, it plays well, there are no weaknesses. They just need things to go their way for once in the biggest moment. It finally happened for the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues the past two seasons. Now it needs to happen for the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The easy answer here is defense, but with Jake Muzzin returning, Morgan Rielly (hopefully) being ready for the playoffs, and the arrival of top prospect Rasmus Sandin they have some options, and everyone is playing better since the coaching change that saw Sheldon Keefe replace Mike Babcock. But this team really needs another goaltending option behind Frederik Andersen. They have run Andersen into the ground the past few years with his workload, have no reliable option to help them get important wins down the stretch, and have no legitimate Plan B if Andersen gets struggles or gets hurt. 

The Canucks are right in the thick of the Pacific Division race thanks to a trio of young stars (Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes) and big seasons from Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller. They are an exciting young team with a great core in place, but they still have some flaws, especially with their forward depth and blue line. Right now the most pressing need might in shot suppression and goal prevention. They have a lot invested in their defense, but outside of Hughes (a rookie) and Alex Edler (a veteran on the tail end of his career) it is still a very questionable group that needs some help. Los Angeles' Alec Martinez (one more full season remaining on his contract after this season) or New Jersey's Sami Vatanen (rental player) would be intriguing options. 

There are two pressing needs here. This team should be better than its record. They have more front-line talent now than they did two years ago when they reached the Stanley Cup Final, and there are signs that they are not that far away from quickly turning things around (their possession, shot attempt, and scoring chance numbers are among the best in the league). The biggest thing that can help that is improved goaltending. Specifically, a reliable backup that can take some of the pressure off of Marc-Andre Fleury and ease his workload down the stretch. Malcolm Subban has not yet done that, and there are no other realistic internal options While the goaltending has been an issue, it would not be fair to put it all on them as the defense could also use an upgrade. 

Honestly there is not much that this team truly "needs," except for goalie Braden Holtby to play a little better or find a fountain of youth somewhere in the D.C. Metro area. This team is pretty stacked with All-Stars and strong complementary pieces and has a chance to win another Presidents' Trophy and potentially another Stanley Cup. The Capitals are that good. They could probably use a tweak or two to their bottom-six forward lines, and maybe another defenseman to round out their blue line. There are not a lot of weaknesses or needs here. 

With Dustin Byfuglien likely soon to no longer be on the team, the Jets need defense, and they need it fast. They have remained in the playoff race far longer than expected given the state of their defense but at some point that lack of talent is going to be exposed. That is happening. They have the forwards and the goalie to compete, they just need a lot of help on the blue line.