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Blackhawks fans need this team to be sellers once again at the trade deadline if they want this championship window to open back up sooner rather than later. Trading pieces like Ryan Donato and Company will move this rebuild into the next phase, even if it may be painful to witness for a while.<\/p>\n
Still, building the prospects pool, which is looking pretty good at the moment, and creating an excess of both prospects and draft picks will work in the Hawks favor long term. No, not every pick and prospect will be on the big club when they start winning, but that\u2019s when they trade the excess amount away for players who can play.<\/p>\n
Not a bad strategy, right? At least that\u2019s the case in theory. But anyway, let\u2019s not talk so much about what the Hawks need to do, and instead look around the Central Division and scope out one move each of the Hawks rivals must make.<\/p>\n
Well, the better wording would have been at least one move, since some of what you\u2019ll see below would require multiple trades. Still, you get the point – there\u2019s not a single team in the Central Division that needs to stand idle at the deadline.<\/p>\n
If I were part of the Predators ownership, I would seriously give Barry Trotz an ultimatum: Fix this mess you made or I\u2019m finding someone else to do this job. There\u2019s no way Trotz should be allowed to continue if he hasn\u2019t learned a valuable lesson: Don\u2019t try and buy your way into Stanley Cup contention. Or, at least not until you have a decent team.<\/p>\n
While the Preds made the playoffs last season, they can credit a lengthy points streak that got them there. Other than that, this was a mediocre team. So, with Trotz being relatively new to the GM role, hosting a fire sale gives him a chance to start over on a clean slate.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time for the Blues to complete this retool once and for all. We\u2019re currently in Year 3, and the Blues have a new coach and a revamped core of young talent, plus a rejuvenated prospects pool. Still, players like Brayden Schenn, Nick Leddy, and Colton Parayko remain, and none will be around when the Blues re-enter their championship window.<\/p>\n
Trade them now while they can still play and keep piling up that younger talent. If there\u2019s any general manager in the league who can make this happen by March 7th, it\u2019s Doug Armstrong. He\u2019s never short on making bold moves, so this would just be another step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
The Utah Hockey Club is in such a strange place. They\u2019re a team that has no chance to make the playoffs as everything currently stands, yet they\u2019re not bad enough to start selling off assets. Best yet, they\u2019re not stuck in that perpetual and often ill-fated state of mediocrity, as they\u2019re an up-and-coming unit.<\/p>\n
Therefore, they need to seek out a young player on the trade block. And why not make this one a sensible move with a team like the San Jose Sharks? Mario Ferraro is someone this team could acquire, and one young enough to be in Salt Lake City throughout an entire championship window.<\/p>\n
Plus, the Sharks are still rebuilding, so they\u2019ll take plenty of prospects and draft picks. Ferraro isn\u2019t a dynamic points producer, with just 11 points and five goals this season. But he\u2019s a top-four blueliner who adds an intimidation factor, and Utah can use more edge.<\/p>\n
No, this isn\u2019t as farfetched as you might think. And there are already so many questions swirling around Rantanen that it shouldn\u2019t be so eye-popping to see him playing in another uniform shortly after his trade to Carolina.<\/p>\n
I mean, two points, one goal, and a 4.8 shooting percentage so far in six games with the Canes isn\u2019t a good look. That said, it\u2019d be tough for a team like Carolina to put too much time into trying to extend Rantanen. At the moment, anyway.<\/p>\n
So, why not make room to bring Rantanen back to Denver after being the world\u2019s shortest rental in Raleigh? Yeah, this one lacks intuition on so many counts, but strange things happen in the NHL, so don\u2019t be surprised if this speculation transforms into a reality.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Wild have lost some steam since their hot start back in October but they still look on pace to reach the playoffs. But a team averaging under three goals per game probably won\u2019t get far, so some reinforcement is needed.<\/p>\n
If the Wild are going to make a deep run, they need to do this right and add a seasoned veteran, but not an aging one. Brock Boeser is one name that I like, and he\u2019s found the net 18 times this season in 48 contests. If it wasn\u2019t for an injury that kept him out for an extended period earlier this season, that number would likely be even higher.<\/p>\n
The Dallas Stars must keep compensating for Miro Heiskanen. So naturally, one would think that would involve acquiring a blueliner, right? Well, the Stars already have depth on the blue line, so snagging a sound defensive forward would give this group even more insurance.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing them go after Casey Cizikas if the New York Islanders start selling. Cizikas is an older player and one who hasn\u2019t really been mentioned as a trade piece. But still, it\u2019s looking more like the Isles need a change in identity, so moving someone like Cizikas elsewhere would be logical.<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Jets should be in \u2018play to blow teams out\u2019 mode. Winnipeg currently has 202 goals for and 134 against, plus they lead the Central Division. This puts them a head and shoulders above everyone else, allowing the Jets to just enhance their team with depth scoring, preferably with a player who can also bring a physical game.<\/p>\n
Someone who comes to mind is Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. Cozens seems like he\u2019ll be a 15-20 goal scorer per year type of player, which is a letdown, considering his draft status. But he\u2019s a youngster who can hit and bring an edge when the playoffs roll around.<\/p>\n Every team in the Central Division and the Blackhawks will be busy at the trade deadline, so let\u2019s break down one move each team must make.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\n