Buy, Sell, Hold: What Should Every Team Do at The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline?

The 2024 NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and every team should have a good idea of what it needs before March 8.

Some contenders clearly need another piece on their roster, while several rebuilding teams have significant trade assets that can be moved. And other teams might be best served to just sit things out and wait for the offseason.

Here, we take a team-by-team look at what all 32 clubs should do between now and March 8. Just as a reminder: This is not necessarily a prediction of what teams will do, but more of an opinion on what they should do.

The Ducks' decision should be easy. Not only are they still in a rebuild and near the bottom of the NHL standings, but they also hold some pretty significant trade chips that could bring them a big return.

Given the returns for Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan, they should expect a first-round pick back (at minimum) for Adam Henrique.

The center is a nice player, but he is a pending unrestricted free agent and may not have a place in Anaheim long-term. He has more value to them as a trade piece than a potential re-signing.

They also have an intriguing option in winger Frank Vatrano.

The 29-year-old is having a great year offensively (26 goals in 58 games entering play on Tuesday) and still has one year remaining on his contract with a manageable $3.65 million salary-cap number.

This would be a great opportunity to try to sell high on Vatrano and extract maximum value back in return.

Dealing both players could bring the Ducks multiple first-round picks and, potentially, a solid prospect.

The Coyotes shouldn't be overly aggressive when it comes to selling.

Unless somebody comes at them with a "too good to turn down" offer for Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz or Lawson Crouse, they should be happy to hang on to them as long-term pieces.

However, they do have a couple of pending unrestricted free agents in defenseman Matt Dumba and winger Jason Zucker who should be put out there.

They might not bring huge returns, but neither player seems likely to re-sign in Arizona, and they had the look of veteran stop-gaps who were signed to be traded from the beginning.

The Coyotes already have 34 draft picks over the next three seasons, including 10 in the second round over that stretch. They should add to that total with Dumba and Zucker.

The best way to hit on mid-round draft picks is to simply give yourself more swings at them. The Coyotes have definitely done that, and they can continue to do that.

The Bruins have a strong record, but they can't be feeling great about their roster as currently constructed.

And it's not the position that everybody was worried about at the start of the season (center) that is giving them the most problems. It's the defense.

That should be the top priority for the Bruins over the next 10 days, especially with veteran Hampus Lindholm sidelined due to injury. Even though Boston still ranks near the top of the league in goals against, that is almost entirely the result of its goaltending.

Defensively, the Bruins are only average to below average when it comes to suppressing shot attempts and scoring chances. Charlie McAvoy is great, but he can't do it all.

The issue is going to be finding enough trade assets to land somebody who can make a difference.

Along with a thin farm system, Boston is also lacking draft pick capital with no picks until the fourth round in 2024 and no second-round selection next year.

The Sabres have been one of NHL's most disappointing teams and have rapidly turned the 2023-24 season into another lost campaign for the franchise.

The playoff drought is set to hit 13 consecutive years, which remains a staggering number. As a result, they are clearly in a selling mode.

They have seven pending unrestricted free agents on the roster, and a few of them might be enticing depth options for a contender, including defenseman Erik Johnson.

However, if the Sabres wanted to make a big splash they might want to consider trading restricted free agent Casey Mittelstadt.

The 25-year-old is going to be due a big raise this offseason, and he might be the type of second-tier player on the roster who could be moved for a significant return without giving up one of their core pieces (Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power).

Trading the pending UFAs is easy, but they are unlikely to bring a big return. Mittelstadt might.

The Flames have a chance to be the busiest team at the deadline given the prominent unrestricted free agents on the roster and the pieces they could move.

They already traded one of their pending UFAs by sending center Elias Lindholm to Vancouver for Andrei Kuzmenko and a first-round pick (among other pieces). Defenseman Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev seem destined to join him in leaving town.

Both players should bring returns that are either a first-round pick or comparable prospect, and they also have starting goalie Jacob Markstrom to shop around.

The netminder is the truly intriguing piece because he is not a rental and is having a really strong bounce-back season. There are a few contenders that could really use an upgrade like the 34-year-old in goal.

Whether they trade Markstrom or not, this deadline is a great chance for the Flames to really kick-start a retooling by restocking their draft pick cupboard.

Dealing Lindholm got them off to a good start, and there's no reason to think Hanifin and Tanev won't continue that.

The Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the league for about six years now, but they are still looking to break through and reach a Stanley Cup Final with this core.

They have gotten close twice (Eastern Conference Finals appearances) but keep falling just short.

This year's roster looks almost identical to each of the previous five. They do everything well as a team. They control the pace of play, they are one of the league's best teams in terms of possession metrics, and they defend exceptionally well.

They could still probably use another elite finisher at forward, while their goaltending depth is looking a little questionable. Pyotr Kochetkov is having a strong year, but how much do you trust him to lead a Cup run, and are you comfortable with the depth behind him? Those are important questions for the front office to answer.

The Hurricanes have some serious salary-cap flexibility (over $5 million in cap space) and may have a chance to add a significant piece who can help put them over the top in a wide-open Eastern Conference that does not have a truly elite team.

The simple reality for the Blackhawks is they just don't have a lot to trade.

Taylor Hall could have been a significant trade piece, but his season is over due to injury. And Nick Foligno, Petr Mrazek and Jason Dickinson were all re-signed.

They are obviously not going to deal young players who are a part of their future.

They do have a couple of more veterans such as Tyler Johnson and Anthony Beauvillier who could be flipped for mid-round picks, but nothing that is going to alter the course of the franchise positively or negatively.

The Blackhawks have a franchise player in Connor Bedard and are set to enter an offseason in which they will have over $40 million in salary-cap space.

Their big moves are coming this summer. Play out this season and regroup then.

The Avalanche have some surprisingly big needs for a team that is a bona fide Stanley Cup contender and one of the best in the NHL.

They have needed a second-line center since Nazem Kadri left for Calgary in free agency, and Ryan Johansen has not done anything to help fill that void.

Gabriel Landeskog's continued absence still creates a big void on the wing, and their goaltending depth is alarming for a team with championship hopes. Alexandar Georgiev has regressed, and the backup situation behind him is bleak.

Outside of making an addition to the defense, Colorado could address any position at the deadline and it would be a worthwhile move.

If you wanted to rank them in order of importance, it probably goes: 1) second-line center 2) goalie 3) wing depth.

The Blue Jackets have a good collection of prospects and young talent, but their short- and mid-term outlook is bleak and unsettled.

Former general manager Jarmo Kekalainen spent a lot of money to build a bad team, and it's going to take some time to dig out of it.

Until they get a new full-time GM, it's probably best if the Blue Jackets just hold where they are and let the new person in charge start cleaning up the mess left behind.

It is not like Columbus has a lot of big trade chips right now anyway.

Jack Roslovic is the only pending unrestricted free agent on the roster, and while Elvis Merzlikins might be enticing to a goalie-needy contender, his value is not so high that trading him this season is a must. He is also signed for three more seasons, so there's no rush to move him.

The Stars don't need a lot.

Offensively, they are one of the best and deepest teams in the league with a forward group that is loaded. They have impact players, seasoned veterans, rising stars and solid depth pieces that can play up and down the lineup.

Even though his season has been a little inconsistent, Jake Oettinger is a legitimate No. 1 goalie and can carry them when he is on top of his game.

They also have two impact defenseman in Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley.

What they need is a little more depth on defense. Specifically, another right-handed shot that can play in their top four. If they can get that, they might have the most complete roster in the league on paper.

The Red Wings look like they are finally on the verge of snapping their playoff drought and returning to the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Offensively, they are good enough to easily get there and beat almost any team in the league on any given night.

Their problem is on defense and preventing goals, where they are bad enough to lose to almost anybody in the league.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Red Wings ranked 27th in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play and 29th in expected goal share. Both numbers are last among likely playoff teams. That is a huge concern.

Moritz Seider is a force and one of their franchise players, but he is being asked to take on a huge role and carry most of the weight defensively. They need to give him some help.

Defense should be their top need, and ideally, somebody who might still have some term remaining on their contract (like, say, Jakob Chychrun from Ottawa).

Early in his Edmonton Oilers tenure, Ken Holland was a little hesitant to go all-in on trying to add at the trade deadline. He corrected that in a big way a year ago by adding Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators.

He needs to find a way to make a similar move this season.

The Oilers have one of the top contending teams in the league and can't let this opportunity pass without giving it their best shot as an organization. And they have some significant needs that must be addressed to get there.

Goaltending is at the top of that list.

Last year's big free-agent signing, Jack Campbell, proved not to be the answer, while Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are not doing anything to inspire confidence that they are, either.

Whether it is Jacob Markstrom (assuming you could get Calgary to help its main rival), Juuse Saros, or a short-term rental, the Oilers could use an upgrade in net. Adding more depth to the defense would also be a sensible move.

Overall, the Oilers have two of the most dominant offensive players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and are one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the league in terms of controlling possession and scoring chances (best expected goals share in the league), and have been one of the league's best teams since firing Jay Wooodcroft and replacing him behind the bench with Kris Knoblauch.

They just need to address two big concerns on the roster to put themselves in their best possible position.

Some contenders need to add a missing piece.

Others already have all of the pieces and can run the risk of doing too much. The Panthers fall into this category, and they probably should take a lesson from one of their recent clubs on how doing too much can be a problem.

Where is the weakness with this Panthers team right now?

Defensively? They allow the second-lowest expected goals mark in the league (just 2.27 per 60 minutes).

Goaltending? Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz are one of the most productive netminding duos in the league, both of them owning save percentages over the .916 mark. The league average is around .904.

Offensively? After a slow start in October and November, they have returned to their high-scoring, offensive juggernaut ways and are sixth in the league since Dec. 1, averaging 3.46 goals per game during that stretch.

They do not need to change a thing.

It was just two years ago that the Panthers were in a similar position with one of the league's best teams and went crazy adding at the deadline by trading Frank Vatrano, Owen Tippett and a future first-round pick so they could add Claude Giroux, Ben Chiarot and Robert Hagg.

While Giroux was productive, they made their overall team slower, worse defensively and eventually disappointed in the playoffs. Do not repeat that mistake. Your team has been great for almost 60 games. It has almost no major weakness. Trust it.

The Kings are one of the more difficult teams in the league to get a read on right now. On paper, they should be a contender. By their underlying numbers, they play like one in the way they dominate shot attempts and expected goals. Even their goaltending has been better than expected.

But there is still something that is missing here, and it's not hard to see what it is.

Goal-scoring.

Finishing talent.

Scoring depth.

Whatever you want to call it or however you want to classify it, they simply need more people who can put the puck in the net and turn all of that territorial dominance into goal-scoring dominance.

For the season, the Kings are 19th in the league in goals per game. Since Dec. 1, they are 29th in the league. It is a big problem that is getting worse as the season progresses, but there is still time to address it.

The Wild are on the fringes of playoff contention in the Western Conference and are kind of stuck in the messy middle ground of the league.

Their salary-cap situation is still tight due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, limiting their flexibility to build a complete, deep roster. They are not in a position to add at the deadline, and they don't really have many intriguing pieces to sell.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury might be their best trade chip, but that would require him agreeing a trade with his trade protections, and he does not seem eager to do that at the moment.

He could always change his mind if the right contender calls with interest, but for the time being, Minnesota's best approach seems to be standing pat and regrouping in the offseason.

They have just one more year of the big buyout years on Parise and Suter to get through. They are going to be stuck in a tough spot until then.

The Canadiens do not have a lot of obvious trade candidates, but finding a taker for Jake Allen should be extremely high on their to-do list.

Not only could he provide some good value to a contender, but he also plays a position where the Canadiens actually have some strong NHL depth with Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau already on the roster.

Allen is signed for one more full season, but he is not their long-term solution in goal and is the one veteran piece that makes sense to aggressively shop.

The return on him will not be huge (maybe a second-round pick at best), but his value is not likely to increase over the next year and there are enough teams in the league with a need for goaltending depth that they should be able to find a taker relatively easily.

The Predators still have a real chance to make the playoffs, but they need to be realistic about what their chances are and what their long-term outlook is.

Even if they do get in, they don't have the talent or depth to make a serious run, and it will probably be identical to what their most recent playoff appearances have been: Sneak in as a wild card and then lose to a real Cup contender in five or six games.

Between defenseman Alexandre Carrier (a pending UFA) and starting goalie Juuse Saros, they have some big potential trade pieces that could really improve their long-term outlook. Especially as it relates to Saros.

As good as he has been, this might be the time to try to shop him.

The 28-year-old still has one more full year on his contract at a reasonable salary-cap number ($5 million per season), and he would give any contender two potential playoff runs with him. His value is at its peak right now.

Adding to the potential incentive to move him is the Predators have his replacement, Yaroslav Askarov, waiting in the wings and dominating in the American Hockey League. Even if they do not find the right offer to move him, they should be seriously listening and seeing what is available.

It's worth asking if it is too late for the Devils to salvage this season.

They might need a coaching change. A fresh start next season with better injury luck might be what they need.

All of that could be true. It all probably is true.

But that does not change the fact that this team's goaltending stinks, and something needs to be done about it.

It was a huge question mark at the start of the season, they shockingly did nothing to address it even though they had trade assets and salary-cap space to burn, and now they are sitting here at the end of February on the outside of the playoff picture with one of the worst goaltending performances in the league.

It is not the only problem—far from it—but it is easily the biggest and one of the easiest to fix with a single move.

Even if does not totally solve the problems this season, adding somebody like Jacob Markstrom or Juuse Saros who has term remaining on their contract beyond this season would be a great long-term addition.

This Islanders' season looks like pretty much every other Islanders season from the past five years.

They do not do anything particularly well and are an average to below-average team in pretty much every area.

They have good goaltending that will give them a shot on most nights. They scratch out just enough wins and points (this year by losing a whopping 14 games in overtime) to hang in the race, but they are clearly a third-tier, fringe playoff team.

Short on impact players, not enough difference-makers; basically, the definition of mediocrity.

It's a tough cycle to break.

They are not far enough out of the race or have enough pending unrestricted free agents that they need to put up the "for sale" sign on the roster, but they are also not really in a position to add anything.

The only thing that could shift this team from "hold" to "sell" is if somebody gives them an offer they can't refuse for forward Brock Nelson, and given his age they probably should consider selling high on the 32-year-old while they can.

The Rangers are so close to reaching the top of the NHL.

They have elite, top-tier talents at every level of the roster. Artemi Panarin is an MVP candidate, Adam Fox is a Norris-caliber defenseman, and starting goalie Igor Shesterkin can mask any flaw on any given night. Even backup goalie Jonathan Quick has been a huge surprise.

On top of all of that, they also have a great power play that can carry the offense.

Their record is not a fluke. They are clearly one of the top teams in the league.

The problem is they have just enough small flaws that can add up and keep them a half-step below some of the other Cup contenders in the league, especially as it relates to their 5-on-5 play.

They could use some help on the wing. They could use a third-line center with Filip Chytil done for the year. A defensive depth upgrade would not be the worst thing. They have made big trades in each of the past two years and are going to need to do so again to distance themselves from the rest of the Eastern Conference.

The easiest solution: Find a way to make a blockbuster with Anaheim to get Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano and solve the two biggest needs on the roster at one time.

The Senators are doing their yearly thing where they disappoint for the first part of the season and then finally put everything together late in the season when it's too late to really make a difference.

Ottawa is a frustrating team because it has some really strong pieces and a good core at the top of the roster.

Brady Tkachuk is great. Tim Stutzle is becoming a superstar. Claude Giroux still has something left in the tank. The Senators have almost all of their important players signed to long-term deals that are mostly team-friendly contracts.

But their depth, defense and goaltending have too many holes to make it all work.

Pending unrestricted free agent Vladimir Tarasenko should be an easy player to move if they can make it work with his no-trade restrictions, while defenseman Jakob Chychrun has been a big name in the rumor mill as they look to retool their defense and wonder if he is a long-term part of their core.

They could easily get a first-round pick and more for the 25-year-old given his contract (one more full season at just over $4 million against the salary cap).

The Flyers are right on the line between "hold" and "sell."

On one hand, they are in the driver's seat for a shocking playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, something that probably nobody thought possible at the start of the season. You don't want to miss out on that chance when it presents itself, and management should want to reward the players on the team for overachieving.

On the other hand, though, this is another situation where a team has to be realistic about where it is and what its chances are. This is not a serious Cup contender right now, and its best long-term building block and potential franchise-changing player (Matvei Michkov) has not yet made his NHL debut.

If they add, it needs to be somebody who can be a part of the long-term plan. In other words, no rentals.

The most sensible path, though, is to try to cash in some valuable pieces. Defenseman Sean Walker will be a valuable trade chip as a rental, while Scott Laughton might bring back a surprisingly big return given his contract situation and how thin the trade market is for centers.

The Flyers already have two first-round picks in 2024 and could add at least one more. Those picks could be used in the offseason as trade chips to bring in more immediate and long-term help that fits in with the current rebuild.

This has been a surprisingly strong season, but it should not change the overall timeline of the rebuild and the franchise in general.

Everything the Pittsburgh Penguins have done over the past years has centered around trying to maximize Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

That is especially true this season when they added Erik Karlsson to the roster and doubled down on their veteran core. The problem is the roster is the oldest in the league and are seven points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The flaws are many, and they are significant.

Given the contract status of forward Jake Guentzel (unrestricted free agent after this season with almost no progress on contract extension talks) and their position, it seems like an easy decision to sell.

That would also require them to give up on a season, which is something they have never done in the Crosby, Malkin and Letang era.

As improbable as their odds seem given the deficit they have to make up in the standings, they have five games in hand on Tampa Bay and some significant head-to-head matchups the rest of the way.

While Guentzel is a big trade chip, and the risk of losing him in free agency is real, he is still probably not likely to bring the type of return that meaningfully impacts any future rebuild. They could easily land a first-round pick (a very late first-round pick most likely) and a decent prospect. Nothing about that is a long-term guarantee.

The rest of the roster is full of contracts that are either full of no-trade clauses and no-movement clauses, contracts that would be difficult to trade in-season, or players who simply wouldn't make any sense to trade given how bad the trade value would be.

They should not add. It might not be worth it to sell in the long or short term. That might not be the ideal scenario, and it might keep them as a directionless team that can't commit to a path. But it still might be enough to get them into a playoff spot.

The Sharks already started their rebuild over the past year with massive trades involving Brent Burns, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson. Overall, they have mostly achieved their preseason expectations. They are bad. Really bad. One of the worst teams in the league bad.

That makes them one of the easiest "sell" calls in the league.

There is no real reason for any of their pending UFAs (Anthony Duclair, Kaapo Kahkonen, Mike Hoffman, and Kevin Labanc) to remain on the team after the deadline, and if they can find any sort of a taker for any of their remaining big contracts (Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl or Marc-Edouard Vlasic), they should consider it.

Everything must go here.

This team is still years away from serious contention.

It has been a disappointing season for the Kraken as they seem likely to miss the playoffs after reaching the second round a year ago.

Part of it has been the fact that their goaltending has never quite played to expectations.

Another part of it has been a regression from second-year forward Matty Beniers.

And still, another part has been a significant shooting percentage regression that has wiped away a lot of their offense from a year ago.

Seattle has to be aware of the fact that it is still only year three of its franchise existence and is still very much a work in progress, so it shouldn't be an issue to sell off in a season like this.

The most likely player to sell is veteran forward Jordan Eberle, a pending unrestricted free agent. Given his playoff track record, he would be a great addition for a contender as a secondary depth scoring option.

Alexander Wennberg and Justin Schultz will also have some value as rentals and would allow the Kraken to stockpile more draft picks for the future.

The Blues are rapidly falling behind in the Western Conference playoff race and have to make some big decisions for their future.

For one, they have to decide if this core group of players is good enough to be anything more than it has been for the past couple of years.

They also have to decide if winger Pavel Buchnevich can be re-signed after next season. If they determine he can't be, or if his price tag is too high, this would be the ideal time to move him out.

The 28-year-old is easily their biggest trade chip and could command a huge trade package if they made him available. He is not only one of the most underrated and productive wingers in hockey, but the fact that he is also signed for another full season would make him one of the most desired players on the trade market.

It might be a great opportunity to help stockpile some young defenders or young talent to a roster that badly needs it.

Kasperi Kapanen, Oskar Sundqvist and Marco Scandella are also pending UFAs who should be available.

The Lightning are always all-in at trade-deadline time, and they always find a way to make a big move no matter what their salary-cap situation looks like.

They still have the high-end talent at the top of their roster to compete for a championship, with Nikita Kucherov having an MVP-caliber year and Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Brandon Hagel all performing top-line rates.

The two biggest things holding them back have been goaltending depth and defense.

Andrei Vasilevskiy has struggled this season after missing the first part of the season due to injury, and the Lightning have no reliable backup behind him.

They also have a huge hole on defense with Mikhail Sergachev sidelined.

That injury to Sergachev is what might actually give them the salary-cap space to make a blockbuster deal at the deadline. They should be considered a player for somebody like Noah Hanifin, who would be a tremendous fit in their lineup and for their style of play.

There is probably no team in the NHL facing more pressure to win in the playoffs than the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Their core group has won just one playoff series in the past seven years and the top of the roster is loaded with stars who need to actually accomplish something in the playoffs to build their legacy in Toronto.

If that is going to happen, they are going to need a lot of help from the bottom part of the roster. And that is where Toronto needs most of its help at the deadline.

Depth scoring, whether it be on the wing or as a third-line center, and defense are all major needs that have to be addressed if the Leafs are going to make any sort of deep run.

The issue will be finding the right trade assets to get what they need.

Toronto has depleted its draft pick capital in recent years and shown a reluctance to deal its top prospects. But given the pressure to win, especially with John Tavares and Mitch Marner being unrestricted free agents after next season, it should not let any prospect or draft pick in the organization stand in the way of trying to get the help it needs to win right now.

The Canucks already made their big trade by acquiring Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames, adding another strong top-six caliber forward to an already deep forward lineup.

Vancouver still has some salary-cap flexibility to work with, but it has used a lot of its draft pick capital (no picks in the first or second round) and may not want to dip into any more of its prospect pool.

The smart play at this point would be to maybe add a depth defenseman or depth forward, or perhaps even a better backup goalie.

The wild card here is that as long as Jim Rutherford is in the front office and has any sort of a voice in the team-building process, you can never rule out something more significant, especially if he sees a potential path to a championship. So that might be something to keep an eye on.

The Canucks might also be feeling some pressure to go for it while Elias Pettersson remains in Vancouver, because his long-term future with the team is in some doubt given his contract situation.

It is in the Golden Knights' DNA to be buyers at the trade deadline, and this season should be no different. Especially as they try to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

All of their focus should be on trying to add another impact forward, ideally at left wing where their depth chart has been lacking all season.

If Pittsburgh trades Jake Guentzel or makes him available, the Golden Knights should be all over it. They should also be willing to inquire about Pavel Buchnevich in St. Louis if the Blues try to move him.

There has never been a big-name player available—either in trades or free agency—that the Golden Knights haven't at least made an effort to acquire. They have also managed to bank some extra salary-cap space with some LTIR maneuvering, so they should be positioned to make a bold move if they find the right player.

As long as Alex Ovechkin is in Washington and going after Wayne Gretzky's goal record, the Capitals are probably never going to go with a full-scale rebuild.

However, that doesn't mean they will not sell in a situation like this where the season might be slipping away, especially when they have some pending unrestricted free agents like Max Pacioretty, Anthony Mantha and Joel Edmundson.

Pacioretty and Edmundson probably don't have a ton of value as rentals, but Mantha has had a productive season with 18 goals in 53 games and has rebuilt some of his value. His combination of finishing ability, size and skill could make him an intriguing middle-six scoring option for a contender.

There are no franchise-changing trades to be made here, but they still might be able to add some future draft capital to the organization.

The Jets are another team that got their major shopping done well ahead of the trade deadline, adding Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a first-round pick.

Winnipeg has been one of the bigger surprise teams in the league this season and has emerged as a Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference.

The top of the lineup is good enough to contend for a championship, especially when players like Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck are all playing at the top of their games. They mostly have this season.

The big question mark here has always been depth and defense. They addressed a big part of the depth by acquiring Monahan.

There might be another minor trade or two here before the trade deadline, but Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff tends to be methodical in his approach.

Another major trade would be very unlike him and the Jets, and they might be in a position now where they go with the roster they have. But it is a very good roster.