NHL Trade Deadline Predictions

With the Trade Deadline just under a week away, General Managers around the league are working endlessly to find ways to improve their team. Every season has its buyers and sellers, and this year is no different. Whether it be an addition to bolster a lineup or trading players away, this time of the year makes for difficult decisions. With that said, here are five predictions for this upcoming Trade Deadline I feel could make a few storylines:

1. Colorado makes a splash

The Avs find themselves atop the Western Conference and seemingly destined for a playoff run. Years past tell us that GM Joe Sakic’s approach to building a team hasn't involved a flair for the dramatics but rather an internal development of drafted players. Chances are he felt they weren't ready yet. That changes this year with the Avalanche showing honour to their original Nordiques logo by trading for Flyers captain Claude Giroux. With captain Gabriel Landeskog likely out for the remainder of the season, cap space has been created for the Avs. Bringing in the veteran leadership and dynamic skillset of Claude Giroux would make Colorado a serious Stanley Cup contender.

2. Rangers shoot for Laine

There is undoubtedly a high level of skill and talent in the Big Apple. The high-powered offence that Jeff Gorton envisioned the team would be hasn't lived up to the hype and finds themselves in a mediocre position in league scoring. With plenty of cap space and draft capital to make a move, I feel New York may be introducing its next superstar. Welcome to New York, Patrik Laine. The 23-year-old sniper doesn’t shy from the spotlight and could make an immediate impact playing with the likes of Panarin, Zibanejad, and Fox. Add Laine to that powerplay and goalies would be second-guessing themselves all night. A top-forward prospect such as Vitali Kravtsov and a 4th round pick should be close to the asking price. Laine will be an RFA at the season's end.

3. Calgary adds Gio for a cup run

If you had to choose one team deserving more attention, it's the Flames. With top-tier goaltending from Jacob Markstrom and a soaring offense, Calgary is a team to watch for a playoff run. With their recent addition of Tyler Toffoli, the forward depth will be difficult for teams to defend. Speaking of defence, I predict the Flames trade for a familiar face and acquire former captain Mark Giordano from the Kraken. Bolstering the back-end would be a wise play for a team hoping to go on a long playoff run, and it would be an easy transition for the player. The Flames have only a few draft picks to offer, making the likely return be a younger roster player. I predict Dillon Dube or Nikita Zadorov to be possible trade targets for Seattle, and the Kraken retain 50% of Giordano's $6.75M contract.

4. Leafs and Oilers both stay put in net

Let me begin with the fact that this point could have taken up an entire article but let's try to summarize. For years these two franchises have been looking for their number one goalie, and here we are again. With each team currently close to the cap, Dubas and Holland will need to get creative if they expect to upgrade the position at this time of the year. Unfortunately, I don't see either GM making a significant trade at this time and, as a result, will each suffer and fail to meet expectations yet again. We could be in for an interesting off-season in Toronto and Edmonton!

5. Arizona remains active

I wanted to create some hypotheticals in this article to generate discussion. It’s always fun to play GM. In this case, I felt the need to throw a bit of gas on the (dumpster) fire that is the Arizona Coyotes. It's a shame to see the likes of future Hall of Famers traded for cap space like Marc-Andre Fleury was for Vegas. Arizona continues to have difficulty drafting and developing and therefore sits at the bottom of the standings again. I expect the team to look into trades involving Phil Kessel and Jakob Chychrun, generating a decent return. As a result, I predict the Coyotes make another trade to stockpile their never-ending list of draft picks. Besides, the team needs to remain above the cap floor of $60.2M; they can't trade away everyone! Here comes another trade for a veteran on an expiring contract. I'm sure all your prospects will be thrilled to play in front of that ASU crowd!

We could see some interesting moves made this Trade Deadline with several game-changing players currently in trade discussions. Will your favourite team be a buyer or seller at this year's Deadline? Which GMs will make the best deal? Worst deal? Tune in to this year's NHL Trade Deadline on Monday, March 21st, and find out!