The top seed in the East has struggled through two seven game series against the eighth and seventh seeds, while the bottom seed in the West has dispatched the top two seeds in nine total games.
The New Jersey Devils, not usually involved in high stakes deals, got themselves one of the most prolific goal scorers of the last decade in Ilya Kovalchuk.
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With the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline looming, it is an opportune time to examine candidates who may be moving to a contender.
Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim Ducks
Earlier this season, with Anaheim mired in a horrific slump, their GM made everyone available except for Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. This seemed to light a fire under the collective rears of the team's three stars Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. Ryan is the most likely of the three to be available, but probably in the offseason. Anaheim isn't making the playoffs this year and the team could benefit from moving Visnovsky and his $5.6M on the books through next season. They obviously aren't a contender as is, but if they could get a couple of helpful younger pieces or draft pick compensation and cap room, that could really help them plan ahead. He has three seasons with 58+ points and is excellent on the power play, but not every team will want to commit beyond this year with the 35-year-old. Potential landing spots: St. Louis, Florida, New Jersey, Nashville, NY Islanders, Minnesota, Philadelphia.
These three were supposed to provide offensive depth behind Thomas Vanek, especially on the power play. Instead, they have combined for six power play goals between them, and 60 points in total (with a combined -23 rating). All three carry $4M cap hits with him; Boyes is only signed for this year and would be a pure rental; Roy is signed through next season; Stafford has three more years after this one. New ownership poured an enormous amount of money into the roster and the facility and cannot be happy with the results, so a bit of a shakeup may be necessary. Roy once scored 80 points; Stafford scored 31 goals last year; Boyes scored 43 goals in what seems like centuries ago in 2007-08. There will be varying degrees of interest in each, but one has to think that Buffalo would be willing to listen on all accounts. Potential landing spots: Detroit, Nashville, Toronto, Los Angeles, Florida, Minnesota, Colorado.
Tuomo Ruutu & Jaroslav Spacek, Carolina Hurricanes
This is fairly simple: Carolina is not making the playoffs this year, and both of these players are slated to hit unrestricted free agency July 1st. While they have shown recently with Tim Gleason that if the trade offers aren't suitable, they will just try to resign their players, it appears that there are enough suitors for at least Ruutu to suggest he will be gone in the coming weeks. He is attractive to contenders because he can fill a role on any forward line, and play in any situation. Spacek is just a depth defenseman, but one that any contender would look at to provide injury insurance. Potential landing spots for Ruutu: Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minnesota, Nashville, Vancouver, Boston, Ottawa.
Ales Hemsky & Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers
It seems as though Hemsky has been on the block for years now, and its true that Edmonton never really did seem married to the idea of keeping him all the time, but there is a large expectation that when March comes around, Hemsky won't be an Oiler. This offseason he will be an unrestricted free agent, so it only makes sense that the Oilers get anything they can for him before he signs somewhere else. The winger is definitely talented, but never seems to play a full season.Potential landing spots: Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, Florida, Toronto. In Gagner's case, he isn't nearly as available, but the rumor is that the RFA-to-be is available in a bigger trade if the club was able to land a young defenseman, a huge hole on their roster. Potential landing spots: Toronto, Ottawa, Nashville, Montreal, Florida, Los Angeles, Colorado, NY Rangers, Winnipeg.
Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota Wild
A healthy scratch on a few occasions this year, the 34-year-old offensive defenseman and rookie head coach Mike Yeo don't appear to be on the same page. Zidlicky would like to play, but doesn't seem to favor the team's system. He can be a gambler, but a contending team looking for a power play boost would really benefit from having him in the lineup; he has five seasons with 40+ points. The catch is, Zidlicky carries a $4M cap hit into next season, so he isn't a pure rental. Potential landing spots: St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Florida, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia,
Travis Moen & Hal Gill, Montreal Canadiens
In the days of the salary cap, these are the exact type of players who almost always seem to find themselves packing on trade deadline day. Moen is an inexpensive grinding forward with playoff experience (won a Stanley Cup win Anaheim), can kill penalties, provide leadership, and is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Potential landing spots: Vancouver, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, Washington, Chicago.. Gill is a towering defenseman that is sound in his own end, is an excellent shot blocker and is also a free agent-to-be with a Stanley Cup win (with Pittsburgh). Potential landing spots: Chicago, Philadelphia, San Jose, Washington, New Jersey, Florida, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Vancouver.
Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes
The 39-year-old Whitney always produces. In the last decade he has registered fewer than 55 points only once, and scored 20+ goals six times. At 16-27-43 in 51 games this year, he is having another good season. Whitney has also won a Stanley Cup (with Carolina in 2006), scoring 15 points in 24 games that year. In an age where every team talks about the need for a top-six forward, Whitney would be an ideal fit for many teams with Stanley Cup aspirations. Financially he is a cheap addition, carrying a $3M cap hit for only this season. Potential landing spots: Nashville, Detroit, Florida, Chicago, Toronto, Ottawa, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Colorado.
Antero Niittymaki, San Jose Sharks
For Niittymaki it isn't "if", it's "when" he gets traded, and to which team. San Jose likes current backup Thomas Greiss (.927 SV%, 1.98 GAA) and they are currently showcasing Niittymaki in the AHL to prove he is healthy. He is in the final year of a deal that carries a $2M cap hit and would be an OK rental as a backup for a contender not in love with their current backup. Potential landing spots: Detroit, Vancouver if Schneider gets dealt, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Nashville, Ottawa.
Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarson, Mike Komisarek & Cody Franson, Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto simply has too many defensemen. They really like youngsters Jake Gardiner and Keith Aulie, and with good reason, but have had to send Aulie back to the AHL because there isn't any room for him. Toronto still has a need to upgrade their offense, and if they packaged some players, including one of the above defensemen, they could get a sizable addition up front, especially since three of these guys are still young and inexpensive. Schenn can be a top-pair guy, but has been inconsistent, but is relatively cheap at $3.6M for four more years. Komisarek is the expensive guy; more depth than substance while carrying a $4.6M hit for two more years. Gunnarson will make a paltry $1.325M next year, while Cody Franson is scheduled for restricted free agency. Potential landing spots: Anaheim, Minnesota, Edmonton, Florida, Philadelphia, Washington, Columbus, NY Islanders, Buffalo.
Johnny Oduya, Winnipeg Jets
Oduya is in the final year of his contract, carrying a $3.5M cap hit. He isn't flashy, isn't going to help you offensively, but he would be a very solid addition for a contending team looking to shore up its defensive depth anywhere from spots 3-6. Potential landing spots: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Florida, San Jose, Minnesota, New Jersey.
Anyone on Columbus not named Rick Nash or Ryan Johansen
Their roster is a disaster. They have so many players making much more money than they are worth. They SHOULD trade Nash, blow it all up and build around Johansen, but GM Scott Howson has repeatedly said Nash isn't going anywhere. It's a shame, he is officially the new Jarome Iginla: someone too nice to throw his organization under the bus, and too committed to his teammates and community to request a trade, thus he will stay where he is and probably never win a Stanley Cup.
Nick is RealGM's NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NickObergan
