Trade deadline war rooms: Central Division objectives

The NHL’s 32 War Rooms have been active in the early part of 2022. The initial high-level meetings have been conducted between executives and their pro and amateur scouting staffs, charting a path toward the March 21 trade deadline, which is now less than five weeks away.

Marching orders are being formulated. With insight from team and league sources, here is a look at the top deadline objectives for each of the eight Central Division teams:

Arizona Coyotes

Primary Objective: Take it to the studs
Briefing: No, we don’t mean literally on the franchise itself – the Coyotes have been kicked enough times this season already. We just mean on the roster. Because if Jakob Chychrun is on the move, then just about everyone else on the Coyotes roster should be available as well. But that isn’t necessarily how it has played out. Depending on who you talk to, the Coyotes have pulled back on the idea of trading Lawson Crouse, and there was certainly some interest in him from playoff and non-playoff teams. The key question Arizona must answer is: Who are we going to build around? If the answer is none of the above, well then the Coyotes have their marching orders. Because with 15 players on expiring contracts, there is going to be a ton of turnover.
Pieces potentially in play: Everyone except … Clayton Keller???

Chicago Blackhawks

Primary Objective: Boom goes the dynamite
Briefing: Chicago’s incoming GM may have a different approach, but without a (non-pandemic bubble) playoff series win since 2015, it’s time for the Blackhawks to blow it up. There is a significant talent gap between the Hawks and their opponents. The goal should be to set a small group of untouchables (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kirby Dach and Seth Jones?) and then acquire as many picks and prospects as possible. Chicago has spent five years in the NHL’s no-man’s land: not good enough for the playoffs, but too competitive to be in the lottery. Sources say under interim GM Kyle Davidson, the Hawks were listening to offers on Alex DeBrincat and Brandon Hagel, two players having excellent seasons. There is especially strong interest in Hagel (who is in first-round pick plus top prospect territory) with teams salivating over the term and dollars remaining on his deal.
Pieces potentially in play: Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, Ryan Carpenter, Dylan Strome, Calvin De Haan, Caleb Jones, Dominik Kubalik

Colorado Avalanche

Primary Objective: Health
Briefing: GM Joe Sakic will be on the prowl to improve the Avs, but the truth is Colorado doesn’t need a lot. They have arguably the best line in hockey. They have the Norris Trophy favorite on the backend. Their goaltending has been rolling with Darcy Kuemper leading the league in save percentage (.933) by a wide margin since Jan. 1. They have been linked to Flyers captain Claude Giroux. Some teams wonder whether the Avs could use size on their blue line after they were pushed around a bit in the playoffs last year. But what the Avalanche truly need is good health. They’ve missed significant contributors due to injury, including Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Devon Toews and Kuemper – some of them at the same time. That’s why Sakic may wait until closer to the deadline to see if a need arises. But with a team this strong, there is a chance to overthink this deadline and disrupt the chemistry.
Pieces potentially in play: 2023 first-round Pick, Justin Barron, J.T. Compher

Dallas Stars

Primary Objective: Use time as a weapon
Briefing: More than a month remains until the deadline, so the clock really hasn’t even begun to tick yet on Dallas. They’re right in the mix, holding down the second and final wild-card spot on Wednesday morning by points percentage. That’s four weeks to make a determination. John Klingberg and Joe Pavelski could be two of the most in-demand players available at the deadline if the Stars fall out of the mix. If they’re teetering right on the edge, is there a world that exists where the Stars aren’t full-on sellers, but maybe trade one of those pending free agents and keep the rest? That’d give the Stars an eye toward the future, while also not totally cutting the legs out from under a roster that they’ve spent a lot of money to assemble. As currently constituted, there is no roster with more riding on the next four-plus weeks. Short of playoff success, a summer overhaul looms with turnover to make this more Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson’s team.
Pieces potentially in play: John Klingberg, Joe Pavelski, Braden Holtby, Alex Radulov, Michael Raffl, Denis Gurianov

Minnesota Wild

Primary Objective: Center ice support
Briefing: This deadline is a delicate dance for GM Bill Guerin. No manager enjoys trading future assets for pure rental players, but that might be what the Wild are facing if they decide to load up and go for it this year. They are staring down three years of salary cap pain with buyout penalties set to kick in for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter ($12.7, $14.7, $14.7 million in next three seasons). But the Wild are a bit thin down the middle, a center away from barking with the big dogs in the Stanley Cup conversation. How good would Joe Pavelski look in Wild sweater? If the Wild don’t want to swing that big, or Pavelski isn’t available, is a less expensive Paul Stastny a solid check-down option? The Wild have $11 million in salary cap space, so ample room to acquire. But they also must balance trading their prospects, knowing that they’re going to need significant contributions from players on entry-level deals to compete over the next three seasons. The other option: Trade for player(s) with term, then make a decision on who walks in summer.
Pieces potentially in play: Victor Rask, 2022 second-round pick, Calen Addison

Nashville Predators

Primary Objective: Scoring wingers
Briefing: The Preds play hard, there is no doubt about that. John Hynes has total buy-in from his players and they’ve consistently been a difficult team to play against. Their third line brings identity and size and toughness. They could also use some scoring help on the wing above them. Before his injury, Nick Cousins and Luke Kunin were holding down the wing on Nashville’s second line. Eeli Tolvanen is there now. An upgrade could certainly be in order – Reilly Smith from Vegas would be a sound stylistic fit. It would be a big benefit to win the first wild card spot to avoid the Central Division meat grinder. But therein lies the rub for Nashville (and that’s not a barbecue pun): If the Preds get in, how deep can they go? Is a ‘hockey trade’ a better fit? And … what is the long-term future of pending UFA Filip Forsberg? Can they possibly let him walk this summer without a return?
Pieces potentially in play: Nick Cousins, Luke Kunin, Rocco Grimaldi